Category Archives: Speculative Fiction

Science fiction and/or fantasy.

Raskolnikov, C’est Nous

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Wesley

Compulsive readers get used to finding unexpected connections between books. I also make random connections while wasting time on the internet. Sometimes, like now, this leads to a blog post’s worth of dubious, rambling speculation and crazy theories. A few … Continue reading →

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Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, The Letter Killers Club

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Wesley

Memories of the Future, a collection of stories by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, was among my favorite books of 2010. Krzhizhanovsky was a 20th century Russian writer of absurdism, surrealism, magic realism, and science fiction. Bad luck and Soviet censorship kept all … Continue reading →

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Two 2001s

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Wesley

My favorite science fiction movies are the ones that don’t spend two and a half hours yelling and throwing things at my face. This is why I recently watched 2001: A Space Odyssey again. It’s quiet and slow and never … Continue reading →

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Links to Things

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Wesley

I plan to revive this blog for 2012. I’m still writing slowly, but two or three potential posts are now gradually accreting on my hard drive. In the meantime, here’s a links post: Here’s Roger Ebert’s list of the best … Continue reading →

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More Links to Things

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Wesley

There’s probably going to be another gap of at least a week before my next substantial post, but I have a few more interesting links: Comix Cube on comics, sound effects, and typography, with a focus on the work of … Continue reading →

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Links to Things

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Wesley

Here are a few things I’ve been reading lately: Catherynne Valente on the reasons for the prevalence of medievalesque settings in fantasy. Her argument is that the medieval world may have more metaphorical relevance for our society than we might, … Continue reading →

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Reviewing Worlds of Exile and Illusion 3

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Wesley

I started this third post on Worlds of Exile and Illusion a month ago, but it’s been half-finished a while–I’m only just starting to feel focused enough during my free time to write again. (Here are parts one and two, … Continue reading →

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Reviewing Worlds of Exile and Illusion 2 (Now With Fifty Percent Less Relevant Content)

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Wesley

(This is part two of my bloviations about the early Ursula Le Guin novels collected in Worlds of Exile and Illusion. I’ve been letting this sit for a while, but I’m determined to finish it before moving on to something … Continue reading →

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Reviewing Worlds of Exile and Illusion (Part One)

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Wesley

Worlds of Exile and Illusion collects Ursula K. Le Guin’s first three novels. By current standards, they’re short books–the first two were published as Ace Doubles, backed with books by Avram Davidson and Thomas M. Disch. They’re minor Le Guin, … Continue reading →

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Lavinia

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Wesley

Ursula K. Le Guin, Lavinia I’ve been reading a lot of Ursula K. Le Guin this year. In a crazy time, her work feels very calm and sane. Lavinia is one of her most recent books, and one of her … Continue reading →

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