A fantasy or science fiction author chucks out one or more real physical laws in order to construct an imaginative world where magic and dragons coexist, where starships can exceed the speed of light, where heroes still look good even with blue skin. But there’s danger in straying too far from this real universe where […]
I’d like to give you another short thinker-blog. Have you ever wondered if the Justice League, such a stalwart defender of America, is really committed to the ideals of democracy? Since they have superpowers, doesn’t that set them above the populace? Having such powers allows them to stand up against and above an elected government. This […]
Let’s look into the intriguing world of Panem from The Hunger Games Trilogy. No spoilers though! You need to find out some things yourself. That’s the fun of reading! Those moments of “No way!” or “Yikes!” or “Ah Pa, that makes me cry.” Through the three books, the world of Panem unfolds solely through the […]
Face it: As genres go, fantasy and science fiction do not lend themselves well to romance. Now before you protest by citing examples of book covers, let me say that romance is more than a buxom vixen next to a muscle man riding a dragon. That’s not romance; that’s just sex. Sex is not romance. […]
Recently on Netflix I caught a Canadian TV series called MythQuest. Its first and only season was shown in 2001. As a science fantasy, MythQuest falls within the purview of our consideration as fantasy and science fiction fans. Let’s look at the concept, the writing, and the acting. Concept Any fantasy or science fiction dispenses […]
Invincibility is a story killer. The magic in fantasy or the technology in science fiction can be so awesome that nothing is able to stand against it. For storytelling, this is bad. Story needs conflict, a way to endure or overcome, a real chance of failure. If the hero is so endowed with greatness that […]
I’d like to give you a short thinker blog. Have you ever wondered if the epic tale of Frodo and the Ring of Power is actually the frame for a much more intimate tale of the value of friendship and loyalty? What if when stripped down, the real crux of the three books is perfectly […]
Christmastime has its own set of fantasy movies. It seems that we enjoy hearing of the magic of strange species such as elves and flying reindeer and Whos, of adventure into alien landscapes such as polar factories and the insides of chimneys and Whoville. People like these things in December whether or not they hold […]
Time travel, ghosts, entities from another dimension. Now that’s great fantasy. But you mostly don’t think of Charles Dickens. More’s the pity. Fantasy A Christmas Carol is classic literature… and classic fantasy. The novel has what fantasy needs: Memorable characters going through extraordinary circumstances while facing daunting odds but eventually coming out victorious. In this […]
In reality and fantasy, individuals act out of differing motives and backgrounds. But all people have a core they are striving for, an inner itch they seek to scratch. Villains Our contemporary culture has given us some amazingly complex fictional villains, ones with overlapping motives and obtuse back stories. This is because real villains of […]
