Steampunk, like Alternative History (that we talked about last week), is a subgenre that spans science fiction and fantasy but does not truly belong to either. It can often be found mixed with Alternative History as, to quote Wikipedia, “Specifically,
When Science Goes Stale
Last night, my husband and I watched Jurassic Park. To make you all feel as old as I do, Jurassic Park came out eighteen years ago, in 1993. I probably haven’t watched it in a decade, but I remember being
What Ifs
Yesterday I took my first business trip with my new job. I fly fairly often, but it makes me nervous. (Unnecessarily so. I am, as I have mentioned before, an aerospace engineer. I know how commercial aircraft work. In terms
Urban Science Fiction?
First of all, I apologize. I’ve been doing a lot of writing entries lately, and I generally try to do an even mix between writing, reading, and general gushing over things like Landsquid and space shuttles and chocolate chip muffins.
Using Fictional Places in Realistic Fiction
So you’re writing a book. Aside from plot and character, one of the most important things is setting. This determines the when and where of your story. Let’s say you’re writing urban fantasy or contemporary fiction or something that takes
What Would You Put on a List of the 100 Best Scifi/Fantasy Books?
Every few months I get invites from my friends to participate in this meme. Perhaps you’ve seen it – it’s a list of 100 books (or series) attributed to various sources, and which of them have you read? It’s kind