Brandon Cornett's Blog, page 16
February 10, 2020
How AI Could Take Over the World: 12 ‘Aftermath Scenarios’
Science-fiction writers have explored artificial intelligence (AI) takeover scenarios for decades. But the current state of AI is actually quite limited. Machine-based “intelligence” is good at playing Go and chess, beating humans in some cases. Just don’t expect it to take over the world anytime soon.
Of course, future AI capabilities could be miles beyond their current state. There may come a tipping point years from now (a “singularity,” as it’s known), where AI technology and...
February 8, 2020
Why Is Post-Apocalyptic Fiction So Popular With Readers and Writers?
Post-apocalyptic fiction has always been popular among readers and viewers. Whether it’s books like The Road, The Stand and Swan Song; or movies like Mad Max and 28 Days Later, we just can’t get enough.
But why? What makes post-apocalyptic fiction so popular with readers?
Humans have been fascinated by end-of-the-world scenarios for as long as they’ve understood what “the world” was. Some of our earliest civilizations, like the Maya, were obsessed with apocalyptic ideas.
Most rationale...
February 1, 2020
196 Sci-Fi Horror Novel Ideas for Speculative Fiction Writers
Do you need some sci-fi horror novel ideas to fuel your next writing project? Some genre-blending story starters or writing prompts? You’ve come to the right place. This blog post is part of an ongoing series that will offer fiction writing ideas and story “starters” for writers.
In a previous installment, I offered a series of zombie apocalypse novel ideas. Time time around, we’ll take a broader approach and look at the sci-fi horror subgenre as a whole.
What Is Sci-Fi Horror, Exactly?...
January 27, 2020
A History of Horror Novels in America: from the 1800s to Today
Author’s intro: “A history of horror novels and short stories over the centuries.” That’s what I had in mind when I began this project, a kind of horror fiction retrospective. But things got complicated. It was too broad a scope for a blog article like this. So I whittled it down, focusing on the history of American horror novels in particular. You have to start somewhere. Consider this the first in a series. Future installments will examine novels produced in other countries, short stories,...
January 16, 2020
How Scary Is The Shining (Book vs. Movie)?
Is Stephen King’s novel The Shining scary, and if so how scary? And what about the movie version? Which is scarier, the book or the movie?
As a vocal enthusiast of the horror genre (i.e., “nerd”), I’ve encountered these questions many times over the years. They usually come from people who haven’t seen the movie or read the book, but want to know what all the fuss is about.
After all, The Shining has had a sizable influence on the horror genre and pop culture in general. (One recent example:...
January 9, 2020
The Antlers Movie Poster Fills Me With Delicious Dread
I just watched the trailer for Antlers, an upcoming horror movie due out in April 2020, and my jaw dropped. I don’t mean that in a cliche sort of way. I mean that I watched it … and my mouth literally dropped open. It filled me with equal parts wonder and dread.
It all started with the Antlers movie poster, shown below. I did a Google search for “upcoming horror movies 2020” and stumbled across that movie poster. It’s captivating, don’t you think? Minimalist. Creepy. Just a pitch-black...
January 7, 2020
Aliens: One of the Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies of All Time
Line up, Marines. Atten-shun! Grab your M41A pulse rifle or your M56 Smart Gun, because we’re about to get knee-deep in some Aliens. The movie, that is. Here’s why I agree with Rotten Tomatoes that the 1986 Aliens movie is the best sci-fi horror movie of all time. Hudson, come here!
I saw the first Alien movie when I was ten or twelve, and it scared the hell out of me. This was no little green spaceman with a visible zipper up the back of his costume, waving a death ray around. It was the...
Was Aliens One of the Best Sci-Fi Horror Movies of All Time?
Line up, Marines. Atten-shun! Grab your M41A pulse rifle or your M56 Smart Gun, because we’re about to get knee-deep in some Aliens. The movie, that is. Here’s why I agree with Rotten Tomatoes that the 1986 Aliens movie is the best sci-fi horror flick of all time. Hudson, come here!
I saw the first Alien movie when I was ten or twelve, and it scared the hell out of me. This was no green alien with a visible zipper up the back of his costume, waving a death ray around. It was the...
December 31, 2019
Upcoming Horror & Suspense Novels for 2020: A Curated Reading List
As I write these words, we are hours away from the start of a new decade. The 2020s. It has a certain ring to it, don’t you think? The twenty-twenties.
Lately, I’ve been looking ahead at some of the horror and suspense novels coming in 2020, and I have to say … I’m excited. If you like these genres as much as I do, you’ll want to take a look at these seven upcoming horror novels for 2020.
Upcoming 2020 Horror Novels Worth a LookStephen King has a new collection of novellas coming out in...
Upcoming Horror & Suspense Novels for 2020: A Reading List
As I write these words, we are hours away from the start of a new decade. The 2020s. It has a certain ring to it, don’t you think? The twenty-twenties.
Lately, I’ve been looking ahead at some of the horror and suspense novels coming in 2020, and I have to say … I’m excited. If you like these genres as much as I do, you’ll want to take a look at these upcoming horror novels for 2020.
Upcoming 2020 Horror Novels Worth a LookStephen King has a new collection of novellas coming out in 2020....
