Sometimes, writing doesn't come easily. For example, I realized a while back that I was in a slump, and I just couldn't muster the energy to write. I thought, "Is there something wrong with my writing?" "Am I doing this wrong?" It took a toll. But then I realized that I could use this slump … Continue reading 3 Ways to Escape a Writing Slump
After reading Starship Troopers, I realized that I needed to read more Heinlein, and that inevitably led me to Red Planet. I think at this point I should just read as many Heinlein stories as possible. This marks another step in reading more of his work. Let's get into the review. Published in 1949, Red … Continue reading Red Planet Book Review
Note: this post originally appeared on MetaStellar's Writing Advice of the Week column. Check out Three Things Your Character Needs from the Beginning. Figuring out your main character is just as important as figuring out your world and worldbuilding. This is especially true for your main protagonist. You want your character to be complex while … Continue reading Three Things Your Character Needs from the Beginning
It's been a while since I read anything by Poul Anderson. I've read some of his short stories, and his novel Three Hearts and Three Lions is currently on my TBR. However, I recently finished his space fiction science fantasy, The High Crusade. I'm really excited to review it. The High Crusade was first serialized … Continue reading The High Crusade Book Review
I've read, so far, H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and now his alien invasion story, The War of the Worlds. I actually just discussed this story in my previous post about science fiction "firsts." This book is the first science fiction story to include an alien invasion involving advanced … Continue reading The War of the Worlds Book Review
Science fiction has a long history filled with impressive firsts that you may or may not have heard of. Where did robots and supercomputers and alien invasions come from anyway? Today, I want to write an article discussing those firsts. Read below to discover how science fiction became what it is today. First Piece of … Continue reading 5 Greatest “Firsts” in Science Fiction Literature
H. P. Lovecraft's book At the Mountains of Madness might be one of the most important additions to early science fiction. Like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which effectively created sci-fi as a whole, At the Mountains of Madness introduced an entirely new kind of science fiction. I'm really excited to get into this review. H. P. … Continue reading At the Mountains of Madness Book Review
Note: This post originally appeared on MetaStellar's Writing Advice of the Week column. One of the biggest age-old debates among writers is, ultimately, how much planning you need to do before you start writing a novel. Some writers greatly enjoy plotting, which typically involves outlining most or all of the major details of a story … Continue reading Plotting vs. Pantsing: Pros and Cons
Technically, this book comes before the Golden Age of science fiction. However, I found myself reading it and checking it off my TBR, ignoring my goal of reading "sci-fi classics." In my opinion, The Girl in the Golden Atom deserves to be considered a classic in its own right, among other pre-Golden Age titles. Let's … Continue reading The Girl in the Golden Atom Book Review
I like to think I'm no longer a stranger to military sci-fi. I recently wrote a review of Forever War, and since then, I've been indulging in research about the genre. My next foray led me to Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and to be honest, I don't know which story I liked better. Let's … Continue reading Starship Troopers Book Review
