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Visions of Future Worlds

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Amazing Cities in Science Fiction – 2

By John Folk-Williams

Terminal World - Cities in Science Fiction

Cities in science fiction stories often go well beyond the background of action. They set conditions that powerfully influence the choices characters have in their lives and the way they think about themselves. The four cities I’m highlighting in this post not only shape the lives of their inhabitants but also stand out as great […]

Filed Under: SFF Cities Tagged With: Alastair Reynolds, Becky Chambers, China Miéville, city, dystopia, ruined earth, society, technology, William Gibson

The Horizon by Gautam Bhatia

By John Folk-Williams

The Horizon by Gautam Bhatia

In The Horizon, Gautam Bhatia has written a masterful sequel to his first novel, The Wall, that brings together a close examination of the politics of radical change with the songs and stories that can sustain but sometimes also limit the imagination of what is possible in life. Directly following the climactic ending of The […]

Filed Under: Secondary World Fantasy Tagged With: city, Gautam Bhatia, language, memory, poetry, politics, power, religion, revolution, South Asian fiction, The Wall

Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus

By John Folk-Williams

Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus

The remarkable Sweep of Stars, first volume of the Astra Black trilogy by Maurice Broaddus, begins with a naming ceremony, one that draws together the community and traditions of Muungano, the new civilization in space fought for by people of Africa and its diaspora. And what a civilization it is – based on the Moon, […]

Filed Under: Space Opera Tagged With: Africanfuturism, colonialism, community, consensus, individuality, leadership, Maurice Broaddus, poetry, power, song

Spear by Nicola Griffith – A Review

By John Folk-Williams

Nicola Griffith Spear

Nicola Griffith’s short novel Spear takes us on a luminous journey deep in Welsh roots of Arthurian legend to record the exploits of Peretur as she seeks to understand her nature and the fate that awaits her at Caer Leon, the stronghold of Arturus and his Companions. As Griffith explains in her afterward, she has […]

Filed Under: Secondary World Fantasy Tagged With: Arthurian fantasy, gods, magic, nature, Nicola Griffith, primal Britain, sapphic love

Amazing Cities in Science Fiction – 1

By John Folk-Williams

Cities of science fiction - We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

We have all been dazzled by the artists’ visions of great cities in science fiction movies, like Metropolis, Things to Come, Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, the cities of Star Wars, Trantor in the TV series Foundation or the glimpses we’ve had of Gallifrey in the later Doctor Who stories. But I’m more interested in […]

Filed Under: SFF Cities Tagged With: Alastair Reynolds, alien life forms, China Miéville, city, civilization, Foundation, Isaac Asimov, Revelation Space, Yevgeny Zamyatin

My Favorite 2021 Locus Recommendations

By John Folk-Williams

As a fan and amateur writer who doesn’t go to conferences, there are few awards I get to vote for, so I’m happy to see several of my favorites on the Locus 2021 recommendations long list. As a subscriber to this venerable magazine, I can actually participate and sent in my ballot as soon as […]

Filed Under: Favorite SFF Tagged With: Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alastair Reynolds, Gautam Bhatia, Lavie Tidhar, Liz Williams, Nnedi Okorafor, P. Djèlí Clark, Premee Mohammed

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Something is struggling to be born in this damaged and inspiring world, and I believe science fiction and its speculative cousins are helping us figure out what it is. It’s pushing the imaginations of fiction writers to bend and twist familiar forms to try to capture the forces that are hurling us into a barely conceivable future. This blog is my small way of exploring the half-perceived … Read More about About

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A late-comer to the worlds of science fiction, John Folk-Williams circled around it, first by blogging (primarily through Storied Mind) about inner struggles and the mind’s way of distorting reality. Then he turned directly to SFF as an amazing medium for re-envisioning the mind and the worlds it creates. He started this blog as a way to experiment with writing science fiction and to learn from its many masterful practitioners.

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