Jessica Rydill's Blog, page 12

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Smoke City by Keith Rosson

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Smoke City by Keith Rosson: Release date: January 23, 2018 Subgenre: Urban fantasy, Magical realism
 About Smoke City: Marvin Deitz has some serious problems. His mob-connected landlord is strong-arming him out of his storefront. His therapist has concerns about his stability. He's compelled to volunteer at the local Children's Hospital even though it breaks his heart every week.

Oh, and he's also the guilt-ridden reincarnation of Geoffroy Thérage, the French executioner who lit Joan of Arc's pyre in 1431. He's just seen a woman on a Los Angeles talk show claiming to be Joan, and absolution seems closer than it's ever been . . . but how will he find her?

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January ...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January ...: It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with tributes to Ursula K. Le Guin and Jack Ketchum, Star Trek Discovery (spoilers again mostly marked, but reader beware),  Altered Carbon, Black Lightning as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles, free online fiction and much more. 

Do writers dream of electric sheep?

I have been neglecting this blog (and the other one) because I have been writing, and lately proof-reading, and there never seems to be enough time for everything.

As a writer, I tend to follow themes. Obsessions or idees fixes. As I'm getting older, I'm able to get a clearer view of what these are about. They tend to be a bit solipsistic, so I can't guarantee that anyone else would be interested in my view on things.

Here's a short list:

1. Gender and sexual identity. 
Partly down to all that feminist/literary theory at college, and reading books like The Female Man by Joanna Russ. And even more so, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin.

2. The underground stream. 
The official version of history isn't always the correct one. (You have to very careful with this idea as you can end up believing in conspiracy theories).
Subject to that caveat, I am one of those who believe that Richard III was framed. Or certainly vilified by his successor for political reasons.
The mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau. This has rather been done to death by Dan Brown, and a lot of the original history has been discredited. I still cling to the idea that there is a mystery. Reading list: Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum, Patrice Chaplin, The Citadel, just Google it.

3. Folk horror. 
I discovered via Facebook that there is a whole community that loves films like The Wicker Man, or TV Dramas like Penda's Fen. These films or books are essentially British (or English?) and it seems plausible to group them together. They follow a thread that also appears in the writing of Alan Garner and Robert Holdstock - and I know of other writers I haven't read yet. Rather in the same way Tolkien set out to create an epic mythology for England, these form a corpus of work that seems to create alternative folklore.

4. The heroes asleep under the White Mountain.
You must be thinking (what?) unless you are Czech or know about this. It seems to be a common trope that certain kings or heroes never died but are asleep beneath a mountain, waiting to return in their country's hour of direst need. Alan Garner mentions this in The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, but there are lots of other examples, including King Vaclav and the Hussites under the White Mountain in Bohemia, and in Russia, Prince Vladimir and the Bogatyrs, heroic warriors who achieved legendary status.

5. They went back in time and changed history.
Dr Who in all its iterations is largely to blame for this one. But the other instance is the film The Amazing Mr Blunden, based on the novel The Ghosts by Antonia Barber.
And Back to the Future no.s I-III.
This can be dangerous, unless you believe in the Many Worlds theory according to which every event creates a new timeline and a new world. Terry Pratchett writes about this with inexorable logic and great humour in Lords and Ladies, where Archchancellor Ridcully becomes annoyed because all his other selves (in other dimensions) have failed to invite him to their weddings. Ponder Stibbons is unable to explain the idea to him.

What I realise in writing these down is that several of these preoccupations have never quite made it into my writing. I love the ghost stories of M.R. James and would give anything to be able to imitate his spare elegance, dry humour and the 'pleasing terror' of his writing. 

I haven't even managed to mention my fascination with The White Goddess by Robert Graves, not to mention The Corn King and the Spring Queen by Naomi Mitchison.

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Multi Author Fantasy Book Event

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Multi Author Fantasy Book Event: Currently, there is a huge multi author fantasy cross promo going on, organised by fantasy author Andrea Pearson. More than fifty b...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January ...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January ...: It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with political science fiction, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (spoilers mostly marked, but reader beware), Star Trek Discovery (spoilers again mostly marked, but reader beware),  Black Mirror, Black Lightning, Hard Sun, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, tributes to Peter Wyngarde as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles, free online fiction and much more. 

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Banished (The Saga of the Dragon Born, Book 3) by ...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Banished (The Saga of the Dragon Born, Book 3) by ...: Release date: December 6, 2017 Subgenre: Epic fantasy  About Banished :      In this third book of The Saga of the Dragon Born, Tristabé-airta, banished from her father’s kingdom of Allsongs, must find a mentor so that she can advance in her training in magic. But no one wants to teach a miscreant, especially one who pulled from the ocean ten waterspouts and destroyed a village with them. On the road alone and prey to griffons, ruffians, and a frightening god who lusts for her, Tristabé-airta must find a way to improve her control over her magic.

And Allsongs? Allsongs must prepare for a truly terrible winter, having banished the one person with the magical ability to right the weather–Tristabé-airta. The poets have always said Tristabé-airta is Allsongs’s best defense, so having her driven her out, the new heirs of Allsongs must protect Allsongs from enemy kings and their own dragon natures on their own. Despite the king’s decree, Tristabé-airta’s milk sister Em keeps in touch with Tristabé-airta and gives her what help her magic can provide.

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January ...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January ...: It's the first weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web of 2018, this week again with the best books of 2017 and a look ahead at books coming out in 2018, a whole lot about Star Wars: The Last Jedi (spoilers mostly marked, but reader beware), a bit about Star Trek,  Black Mirror and particularly the episode "USS Callister",  the return of The X-Files, Hard Sun, Blake's 7 at 40 and Frankenstein at 200, an uproar involving WorldCon 76 as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles, free online fiction and much more.

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Bride by Kyle Alexander Romines

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Bride by Kyle Alexander Romines: Release date: December 24, 2017 Subgenre: Gothic horror
The year is 1795. Frankenstein’s monster has given his creator an ultimatum: Victor must build the creature a mate, or watch as the monster destroys everything and everyone he has ever loved.

You know their story.

You don’t know hers.

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for Decembe...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for Decembe...: It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some November books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. This month, we have epic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal mystery, paranormal romance, science fiction romance, space opera, military science fiction, dystopian fiction, post-apocalyptic science fiction, time travel, witches, werewolves, vampires, dragons, cyborgs, fugitives, angels, demons and demon slayers, assassins, Christmas in space and much more.

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December...

Speculative Fiction Showcase: Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December...: It's the final weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web of 2017, this week again with the best books of 2017, a whole lot about Star Wars: The Last Jedi (spoilers mostly marked, but reader beware), a little bit about Star Trek,  the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Bright, Downsizing as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles, free online fiction and much more.