More dream makers (addendum to a previous review)

A while back I did a review of Charles Platt’s Dream Makers: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers at Work, a collection of interviews he conducted with numerous famous authors. The particular item I was reviewing was a 1987 hardcover edition that was, I stated at the time, a merger of two previous paperback [...]

Around the sf blogosphere 10/29/08

Let’s see what’s going on at other sf sites and blogs.
SFSignal’s latest Mind Meld asks, “Is science fiction responsible for the lack of public interest in space exploration?” The question comes up, of course, because of astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s cranky assertion of just such a relationship between the two. By far the best [...]

The makers of our science fiction dreams

I just finished a fascinating book called Dream Makers: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers At Work, by Charles Platt. It’s a book of author profiles based on interviews Platt (an editor and writer himself) conducted in the late 1970’s. The work was originally published in two paperbacks in the early 80’s; [...]

Banned SF&F: let’s celebrate Banned Books Week 2008!

It’s Banned Books Week (last week of September every year), an assertion of our freedom to read whatever we damn well please, led by the American Library Association for the last 27 years. Way to go, ALA, I’ll drink to that!
Let’s take a look at some of the science fiction and fantasy that has [...]

Bradbury burns it up: Fahrenheit 451

What can I say about one of the greatest pieces of literature of the 20th century that people haven’t already heard? I’m sure most people are familiar with this book, and even those who haven’t read it probably have a general idea of what it’s about. So without going into any great depth, [...]

Another classic read and appreciated: The Martian Chronicles

I think I’ve been semi-subconsciously avoiding The Martian Chronicles for years and years, imagining somehow that I wouldn’t care for it. I’ve always been aware of its fame and reputation as one of “the” classic works in the field. But I’ve also long been aware of Bradbury’s reputation for throwing science and realism [...]