Search Results for: Galileo

What We Can Learn From a Time Lord: Doctor Who and a New Enlightened Perspective

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There’s an underrated benefit to science fiction and fantasy, and it is not dissimilar from a benefit one gains by being a student of history. Since many folks consider speculative fiction and historical scholarship (or “flights of fancy” and “recorded fact”) to be the antithesis of each other, I think this benefit is worth some attention. The benefit I here have in mind is the gaining of a healthy detached perspective. Detractors of fantasy and sci-fi will immediately object to…

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Hubert Rogers’ Astounding Covers — And His Fascinating Correspondence with Robert A. Heinlein and L. Sprague de Camp

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At IlluxCon this past October, one of our major purchases was a pulp painting by artist Hubert Rogers. Rogers was Astounding Science Fiction’s primary cover artist from late 1939 to early 1952, with a break from 1943 through 1946 due to World War II (which he spent in Canada painting war posters and other paintings related to the war). We’d made arrangements over the summer to buy it from a friend of ours, who had owned it for many years,…

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The Future of Fantasy: The Best New Releases in July

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We’re more than three quarters of the way through July, and I’ve barely scratched the surface on the 30 new books we covered in The Best New Releases in June. If I want to get caught up, I’ll have to cut back on late-night superhero movie marathons with my kids (and probably sleeping, and eating.) July’s crop of new fantasy releases includes some terrific work from C.S.E. Cooney. Peter V. Brett, Max Gladstone, Wesley Chu, Lou Anders, Melinda Snodgrass, Victor…

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What Are the Best Star Trek Original Series Episodes for Kids?

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When I’m not writing for all you fine folks, I’m generally hanging out with my nine-year-old son, a budding engineer and scientist. If you have an intellectually curious child it’s best to feed their head, so we give him a steady diet of Lego Tech sets, electronics kits, and educational shows. (Thank you, National Geographic, for getting my kid to actually ask to see documentaries on Saturday mornings.) As we all know, there’s nothing better for a young mind than…

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Vintage Treasures: Subterranean Magazine, Issue #2

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After the the 2014 Windy City Pulp & Paper show in April was over, I collected all the pulps, vintage paperback, fanzines, art books, and old magazines I’d acquired and packed them snugly in two boxes next to my big green chair. I’ve been digging into the boxes at my leisure ever since. I highly recommend this. Strange as it sounds, it’s a little like time travel. Most of the old magazines I bought — including OMNI, Interzone, Weird Tales, Starlog, Cosmos, Galileo, and the…

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Mysteriouser, and Mysteriouser

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The idea of genre in literature is relatively recent, if you take as your time span the history of the written word. Why, I remember a time when there were only two genres, Poetry and Prose. Or, as we call them nowadays, Fiction and Non-fiction. Things have gotten more complicated since Sir Philip Sydney wrote “A Defense of Poetry,” however, as I’m sure a glance over any of our own bookshelves would tell us. Last week, in discussing my serial-killer…

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Kevin O’Donnell Jr, November 29, 1950 – November 7, 2012

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American science fiction writer Kevin O’Donnell Jr., who added “Jr.” to his byline to distinguish himself from his famous father Kevin O’Donnell, director of the Peace Corps, died this week. O’Donnell graduated Yale University in 1972; his first short story “The Hand Is Quicker” appeared a year later in Analog. He published more than 70 short stories in a variety of genre publications, including Galaxy, Galileo, Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Amazing/Fantastic, and Omni. His first novel, Bander Snatch, appeared…

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2012 ENnie Award Winners Announced at Gen Con

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The winners of the 2012 EN World RPG Awards (“ENnies”), an annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying, have been announced at Gen Con in Indianapolis. The winners include: Best Adventure Madness at Gardmore Abbey (Wizards of the Coast) *Silver Winner* Streets of Zobeck (Open Design) *Gold Winner* Best Art, Cover Cthulhu by Gaslight (Chaosium Inc.) *Silver Winner* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box (Paizo) *Gold Winner* Best Game Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Basic Game (Margaret Weis Productions) *Silver Winner* Savage Worlds Deluxe…

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Star Trek: Where No Comic Has Gone Before

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And here I had grand ambitions to write a quick post or two about some recent magazine acquisitions tonight. Instead I’m dropping all that to tell you about a comic book I’ve never even seen (and is reportedly already sold out). Blame Tor.com, where I stumbled across this story. Now I know you saw 2009’s Star Trek reboot, staring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and directed by J.J. Abrams. Whether you loved it or hated it, I’m pretty sure your mind went the same…

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Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Robert Browne, Author of The Paradise Prophecy

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In spite of it being a gorgeous, sunny couple of weeks in Chicago, I remain unnaturally pasty. No, that’s not normal for me, but thanks for asking. Even I occasionally venture out of the subterranean offices of the Black Gate headquarters for a little fresh air, some more salt for the margaritas, or to affix sticky notes with snarky comments on the paint-ball equipment posters of the boys in the upstairs staff room. But for the last few days I…

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