Collection
Essays
What’s the Rush?
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…
Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the Disney Demon
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…
(Belated) Happy Birthday, Jack Vance!
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…
Rudyard Kipling Does Scifi: The Secret of the Machines
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…
Leigh Brackett on Pessimism
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…
Introduction to the Weird Clark Ashton Smith
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…
Jack Vance channels Burroughs: Planet of Adventure
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…
The Fake Split of Scifi and Fantasy
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…