What’s the Rush?

September 12, 2018 Bushi 0

I can’t recall where it was that I first came across the concept of “rushes” being strewn about the floor of a lord’s castle. It may very well have been in one of George R. R. Martin’sĀ Fire and Ice books. I know I’ve seen it since then as a recurring […]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the Disney Demon

September 4, 2018 Bushi 6

I’d venture to guess that many kids growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s, like myself, watched a somewhat strange amalgam of television programming. My early memories are smattered with various Disney and Rankin and Bass productions, a variety of shows with weird puppets, and even a Japanese anime […]

Vance

(Belated) Happy Birthday, Jack Vance!

August 29, 2018 Bushi 0

John “Jack” Holbrook Vance was born on 8/28/1916, just a little over one hundred years ago yesterday. “Who is Jack Holbrook Vance?” you may ask. Come, I will explain presently! The man named Jack Vance came from a moneyed family, but upon a turn of fortune was forced from youth […]

Secret of Machines

Rudyard Kipling Does Scifi: The Secret of the Machines

August 28, 2018 Bushi 2

I recently found another SF/F podcast that I’ve been digging – Reading, Short and Deep, by SFFAudio. Each episode (available online or through the Apple Podcasts app) consists of the reading of a short SFF work and then some insightful literary analysis and critique by hosts Eric Rabkin and Jesse […]

Leigh Brackett

Leigh Brackett on Pessimism

August 24, 2018 Bushi 6

If you spend a lot of time reading/watching the news or plumbing the depths of social media, you may feel like everything is going to crap. You may be feeling like it’s time to despair, or that things have reached an all-time low. And I’m not going to pen an […]

Clark Ashton Smith, Zothique

Introduction to the Weird Clark Ashton Smith

August 23, 2018 Bushi 13

When you think “Weird Tales,” H.P. Lovecraft should spring immediately to mind. Even if you’re new to scifi/fantasy, or if you don’t read much horror, you’ve no doubt at least heard of the Master of Cosmic Horror and creator of Cthulhu. If you’re not a fan of the genre, you […]

Jack Vance channels Burroughs: Planet of Adventure

August 16, 2018 Bushi 8

An Earthman finds himself stranded on an alien world peopled by multiple, warring races of men and strange non-human creatures. Armed with courage and wit, trusting in his charisma, combat ability, and survival skills, and guided by compassion and a will to unite the men of this new world, he […]

The Fake Split of Scifi and Fantasy

August 10, 2018 Bushi 17

I was all set to fire up this post with a little research on the question of why so many modern readers and writers seem to separate scifi and fantasy into two distinct genres. I began to type my query, and things got a little…turned around. Hmm. Well, here’s the […]