Speculative Fiction from Around the World
1. Boutique Publishing A unique language spoken in a single small country is a blessing and a curse, because it is a core element of the national identity, but it also puts writers and fans in isolation and in a seemingly hopeless uphill battle with the tide of translated fiction. Unfortunately, a small country also... Continue Reading →
For those who like their romances literally mushy, Rigor Amortis, edited by Jaym Gates and Erika Holt, collects an anthology of flash fiction pieces, interspersed with the occasional poem, all centered on zombies and erotica/romance. Actually, it would be fairer to say that the stories concern relationships and zombies because not all content within the... Continue Reading →
The lead story for this issue of Subterranean Online is "The Lifecycle of Software Objects,” a novella by Ted Chiang. A startup company is creating virtual life forms called digients. Actually, digients already exist but Blue Gamma is creating a particularly advanced type based on an engine called Neuroblast. (From here on out when I... Continue Reading →
Uri Aviv is the General Director of Icon TLV, The Israeli International SF Festival. Hi Uri! Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. First off, how did you first become acquainted with science fiction? Science Fiction and I go way back… I was very enthusiastic from a very early age with space and... Continue Reading →
Islam and Science Fiction has an interview with educator and author Yahiya Emerick. Here's an excerpt: Do you think there is a general lack of interest in Science Fiction in the Muslim community? Yahya Emerick: Not to sound alarmist, but it has been my experience that any type of fiction in general has had a... Continue Reading →
This week we're linking to reviews, overviews, reminiscences, thoughts about world-building and craft in general, biography, suggestions for amateur publicists, and discussion of science fiction as a genre. The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2010, parts 1-17 Various (see below) Ambling Along the Aqueduct (the Aqueduct Press blog) A collection of posts by... Continue Reading →
photo credit: Pierre Le Gallo During the Utopiales, Sylvie Lainé nicely agreed to answer our questions for the Portal. Science fiction author, she writes short stories and received several prestigious awards for her work : she got the Prix Rosny l'Aîné several times, and the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire in 2007. Actusf published three collections... Continue Reading →
Over at Salon Futura, Jonathan Clements profiles Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui. Here's an excerpt: Despite enjoying superstar status as one of the “Big Three” of Japanese science fiction, Tsutsui remains relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, with only a few novels (Paprika [Purchase], The Maid [Purchase] and Hell [Purchase]) and a handful of short stories.... Continue Reading →
One of the things I've most enjoyed about having a child is his sense of fun and fantasy in everything that he does. Imagine my delight when I am asked to review Crossed Genres, which twists science fiction and fantasy with themes from other genres. The theme of this particular issue was "Characters of Color." I... Continue Reading →
If you haven't heard of them yet, Haikasoru publishes science fiction/fantasy/horror from Japan. For a quick rundown of their titles from the past two years, Nick Mamatas gives us the Haikasoru Shopping Guide (click here for last year's titles).
The World SF Blog 