Five Embodied Metaphors That Actually Foster Creative Thinking
People often describe creative thinking in the form of metaphors. We talk about “thinking outside the box,” “putting two and two together,” and “seeing both sides of the problem.” But what if we could boost our creativity by taking these metaphors literally? We know our minds interact in all sorts of interesting ways with our…
Opera Has the Power to Raise the Devil, in Mary Gentle’s Spellbinding New Novel
Mary Gentle is one of the most under-appreciated authors in the U.S. — but the British author’s latest novel might finally be the one to introduce Americans to her deft touch. In Black Opera, Gentle approaches opera and her alternate Italy with the same care and style as her previous novels such as Ash, for…
Why Hunger Games Is The New Little House on the Prairie
At a recent New York panel on historical young adult fiction, a group of authors and moderators began by insisting that reports of the subgenre’s death were greatly exaggerated. And yet, the truism that historical fiction is dead to teenagers is widespread in the industry. Anyone who has walked into a bookshop lately knows that…
100 Albums Every Science Fiction and Fantasy Fan Should Listen To: 31-50
Music can tell a story, or split your head open like a guava. So it’s no surprise the love affair between music and science fiction/fantasy has been a fruitful and tempestuous one, full of drama and strange creations. We’re counting down the 100 CDs that every self-respecting genre lover should have on his/her spinner rack,…
