I got into an interesting discussion today with my brother-in-law about science fiction & fantasy, specifically about whether explaining something too much takes away from the sense of wonder that is so critical to those genres. It started out with a discussion of Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace, which (surprisingly) he actually kind of… Continue reading Midichlorians vs. the Philotic Web, or a new dimension to Brandon Sanderson’s first rule of magic
Tag: sense of wonder
Trope Tuesday: Dreaming of Things to Come
When a character in a story has a dream, there’s almost certainly a reason for it. If it’s not thrown in just to show how scarred or tortured he is (or alternately, how repressed he is), chances are good he’s dreaming of things to come. I’m a huge fan of this trope, as you may be… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Dreaming of Things to Come
Thoughts after finishing Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson
Whoa. If I had to sum up my thoughts with one word, that would be it–though of course, by itself that word is hopelessly inadequate. Let’s just say that, for me at least, this was a truly astounding book, a literary journey that left me wide-eyed with my mouth hanging open, blinking wearily as I… Continue reading Thoughts after finishing Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson
The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card
Somec: the miracle drug that allowed the rich and well connected to sleep through the centuries and postpone death almost indefinitely. While the masses continued to live out their lives in normal time, the social elite watched over centuries as their investments multiplied, and their kingdoms grew into empires… …and ultimately crumbled. Thousands of years… Continue reading The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
What would you do if you knew that the world was going to end in the next thirty years? That one day, before the end of your natural lifespan, the oceans will boil and the forests burst into flames, and life on this planet will come to an end? That you, your children, and even… Continue reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson