Sean Guynes's Blog, page 6

Reading “The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales” by Nicholas Jubber

The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales by Nicholas Jubber (2022). I should say, right off the bat and somewhat like a curmudgeon, that I don’t like fairy tales. I have never read or listened to a fairy tale and felt more than mildly interested in it. Perhaps what I … Continue reading Reading “The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales” by Nicholas Jubber →

Reading The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales by Nicholas Jubber

The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales by Nicholas Jubber (2022). I should say, right off the bat and somewhat like a curmudgeon, that I don’t like fairy tales. I have never read or listened to a fairy tale and felt more than mildly interested in it. Perhaps what I … Continue reading Reading The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales by Nicholas Jubber →

Reading “Black Powder War” by Naomi Novik (Temeraire 3)

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (2006). Temeraire 3. It was the synopsis of book three, Black Powder War (2006), that convinced me to read Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, a nine-book alternate historical fantasy series set during the Napoleonic Wars in a world where a great many things are the same as in our timeline, … Continue reading Reading “Black Powder War” by Naomi Novik (Temeraire 3) →

Reading Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Temeraire 3)

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (2006). Temeraire 3. It was the synopsis of book three, Black Powder War (2006), that convinced me to read Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, a nine-book alternate historical fantasy series set during the Napoleonic Wars in a world where a great many things are the same as in our timeline, … Continue reading Reading Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Temeraire 3) →

Spring 2024 University Press Recommendations

The master list of university presses, catalogs, and Twitter accounts can be found here (this list will help you get a sense of the shorthands I use for press names). All past and future seasonal recommendation lists can be found here. Spring 2024 Book Recommendations by . . . General InterestWorld Cultural StudiesAmerican StudiesAncient and Medieval … Continue reading Spring 2024 University Press Recommendations →

The 10 Best (New to Me) Films of 2023

Inspired by some of my colleagues in film studies who watch a number of films that I find frankly unfathomable, I thought it might be worth compiling—for my sake and for anyone interested in some recommendations, as I always am—what were the best films I saw in 2023. This includes films that came out in … Continue reading The 10 Best (New to Me) Films of 2023 →

What Was “World Science Fiction”?

What Was “World Science Fiction”? On Donald Wollheim’s World’s Best SF Anthology Series, 1965–1990 The Story So Far This short piece emerges from my attempt to gather data for a project I’m (slowly) working on about Soviet sf’s circulation in the American sf market: who translated and published what, when, and why; who wrote introductions, … Continue reading What Was “World Science Fiction”? →

Reading “The End: Surviving the World through Imagined Disasters” by Katie Goh

Goh's The End is academic in rigor, creative in style, journalistic in accessibility, and activist in energy.

Reading The End: Surviving the World Through Imagined Disasters by Katie Goh

Goh's The End is academic in rigor, creative in style, journalistic in accessibility, and activist in energy.

Watching “No One Will Save You” (2023)

No One Will Save You dir. by Brian Duffield (Hulu, 2023). There are over 1.65 million home invasions per year.This one is different. The trailer for No One Will Save You suggests a fun romp in the home invasion genre with an alien twist. The film projects the aura of a sleek and spooky indie … Continue reading Watching “No One Will Save You” (2023) →