North Sun, or The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther, was entirely off my radar in the first year from its release. But one of the questions I ask annually in my Hugo Readalong is which books from the previous year were snubbed in the nomination process. And when someone advances something I’ve never heard of… Continue reading Historical/Magical Realism Novel Review: North Sun by Ethan Rutherford
I am told there was a time where a sci-fi/fantasy fan could reasonably keep up with the vast majority of what was being published in a given year. I wasn’t reading in those days (mostly on account of not being alive), so I can’t speak to the truth or falsity of that claim. But if… Continue reading Reflections on Magazine Reading and Finding Good Stories
Over the last few years, I’ve been trying to diversify my reading, both for the good of myself (I don’t want to miss great books outside the set that the recommendation algorithms are throwing at me) and the genre (speculative fiction gets better as it includes more perspectives). But after a couple great reading years,… Continue reading Reading Habits and Diverse TBRs
Five of the biggest indie presses are banding together December 26th and 27th for a giant holiday book sale, with over 400 books priced at either $0.00 or $0.99, and each sale triggering a small donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. I have an interest in indie sci-fi/fantasy, and I have a family member… Continue reading Shopping the 2021 Holiday MegaSale
Last week, I told you about the team of judges I’m leading for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition. This week, it’s time to meet our first round entries. Each judging team has been given 30 books. It is our job to whittle that down to three semifinalists–a task that we… Continue reading Introducing Team Tar Vol On’s SPSFC Round One Entries
No five-star novels this month, but an absolutely incredible month of short fiction. Last month I had one story on my favorites list. This month I have five, including one all-timer. I highly recommend taking a long look at a few of these. Short Stories March Favorites “STET” (2018) by Sarah Gailey. A fascinating experimental… Continue reading March 2021 Round-up and Short Fiction Focus
