With the new Star Wars movie hitting big, people unfamiliar with fantasy and science fiction may feel out of their depth. For you normal folks, I offer a short introduction – a non-nerd primer so to speak – of accessible examples from fantasy and science fiction in four different media. Movie: Star Wars Recently my […]
I’ve been blogging about science fantasy for a time now but have never sat down with you and defined what science fantasy is. Hold onto your hat, here we go: Science fantasy is a work of fiction that has elements of science fiction mixed with fantasy. O, now that helpful, wasn’t it? I think not. […]
Summer is the time for blockbusters. I remember the summer the quintessential blockbuster opened in theaters. This movie spawned five sequels, an animated series, millions of product tie-ins, and a Christmas special. (The producers would like to forget the Christmas special.) Of course, I’m talking of Star Wars. Why, even minor characters, like Boba Fett, […]
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 […]
Starting a fantasy novel? Where to begin? It’s in your head; you can see the scenes, the characters, the settings; you’ve even envisioned the ending. Now, where to start it? A friend told me a hint: Start on the day that is different. That will grab your attention and your reader’s attention. Let’s look at […]
Let’s talk about fantasy worlds from various sources. I’m going to start, of course, with C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, a world simple enough for children and complex enough for adults. Magic Magic infuses Narnia from the beginning when Aslan sang it into being. But for the reader magic starts from the time Lucy hides in an […]
We fantasy readers want a champion we can root for, suffer with, struggle alongside, and ultimately cheer on. If our fantasy heroes too wondrous, too cold, or too inhuman, we are apt to quickly lose interest. And when you don’t care what happens to a story’s characters, the story’s sunk. Here are five traits with examples […]
This is my list of essential fantasy novels. Don’t like it – make your own list or leave a comment. I like to hear from you and discuss the wonderful world of fantasy. Here we go: 1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe This book is the classic definition of fantasy. It takes the […]
