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 […]
Effulgence: n. A brilliant radiance; a shining forth. “Effulgence” strikes me as a great word for that flood of light when the door is opened between a dark chamber and a well-lit one. Maybe the effulgence of light contrasts sharply with the black silhouette of a sinister villain. Or of […]
Last week I shared my musings on the divide between scifi and fantasy, and why it’s not the most helpful or natural distinction. Over at pcbushi.com, one of my counterparts has offered a different perspective. In the hottest of takes, he suggests that in Star Wars, the Force is less […]
Illusory: adj. 1. Causing illusion; deceptive; misleading. 2. Of the nature of an illusion; unreal. Phantasm and illusion spring up quite frequently in fantastical stories and weird tales. Often they wind up being real, and deadly. “Illusory” may not be that uncommon a word, but it’s one that can be […]
I haven’t been following news of the new Amazon Studios’ Lord of the Rings series very closely, though I have heard that at least the first season (of five initially planned – holy hot dogs!) is going to focus on a young Aragorn. Sheesh. I think I agree with John […]
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 […]
Balustrade: n. A railing or wall to prevent people from falling over the edge of stairs, a balcony, etc. If you’re anything like me, you’ve seen plenty of impressive or notable architectural features in your day without having the slightest clue what they’re called – like those latticed wooden structures […]
Thew: n. 1. (Usually thews) Muscle or sinew. 2. (Thews) physical strength. “Thew” is one of those lean yet powerful words that fits so well into a good action-laden scifi/fantasy story. When muscle and sinew aren’t cutting it and you just need a little something extra, you can always […]
The eldest one answered him, leader of the troop, unlocked his word-hoard. [source] – Beowulf If the pen be mightier than the sword, then an author’s lexicon is the blade by which he aims to cut to the core of a reader. Of course this doesn’t mean thumbing through […]
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