“Rationality” sets science fiction apart from fantasy
In an article published in the journal CLCWeb:Comparative Literature and Culture, Simone Caroti argues that “cognition” is what sets science fiction apart from fantasy, using Greg Bear‘s Blood Music as an example. The act of cognition, of rationally making sense of – and coming to terms with – the estranging elements, increases the sense of…
Why I want to fuck J. G. Ballard
So I can have his babies, that’s why. Though I’m reliably informed that this may no longer be possible, if indeed it ever was…which is a pity. I’ve been a big fan of Ballard’s since I discovered The Atrocity Exhibition. Your mid- to late teens are a great time for discovering new ways of seeing…
Father-daughter team use a 3D printer to create awesome nanobot art
Jeff and Ashley Sierzenga recently took it upon themselves to bring to life the flesh-eating nanobots from Jeff Carlson’s bestselling series Plague Year. Here you can see their entire project, from schematics to the final model. A mechanical engineer with a lifelong interest in science fiction and science fact, Jeff Sierzenga explains: My daughter has…
What the next generation of SF magazines should learn from Zynga
Science fiction and fantasy magazines are caught in a bind: print magazines struggle, while electronic mags need a revenue model. Cat Rambo, fiction editor with Fantasy Magazine and author of Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight, has a theory. Electronic publishing continues to encroach on print publishing. Sales of e-books are on the rise…
15 classic science fiction and fantasy novels that publishers rejected
Science fiction’s greatest authors have brilliant ideas, storytelling mojo… and plenty of stubbornness. Many of the field’s greatest writers were buried in rejection slips, before they finally broke in. Here are 15 classic novels that publishers didn’t want to touch. When we were doing our list of 10 science fiction classics that the publishers originally…