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more about #chinamieville Anekanta - Go Play!: Hey, if it means we start viewing all fiction as a continuum instead of sharply divided ghettos, then that's great. But there will always be works th... more » ParryLost: I don't understand this argument at all. There's a difference between stories that consider the future of humanity and the implications of imagined fu... more » tetracycloide: genres have never, do not currently, and will not ever mean anything outside of a bookstore to anyone that's passionate about reading or story telling. more » Chip Overclock: Decades ago someone on some panel at some WorldCon somewhere defined science fiction as "I know it when I see it." I agree. While the Science Fictio... more » LovelyHue: What post sci fi era? I don't understand viewpoints like these. It makes it sound like science fiction was an ironclad genre in the first place, wit... more » ArthurByronCover: I've heard this story before, from Ballard and Moorcock and Delany and Disch and while they were right, to some degree, they were also wrong, because ... more » Shini: R.O.A.C.H.: Misters Chabon and Grossman had better be careful to make sure they aren't on part of the walls that are being demolished. Or they could just wait a b... more » burlybax: Is Science Fiction dying? What is this elitist mumbo jumbo? Genre's are subjective, storytelling is about creativity not walls.. more » naraoia: Of course, the current fans of sf won't enjoy the books to come and will have to be quietly removed from the room. But that's a small price to pay, s... more » ManchuCandidate: Oh boy, it means the lit snobs will be able to write about those wonderful things they have little or no understanding about. Sci-Fi but wroten (sic)... more » Roklimber: Charlie, I think you're judging this woman too harshly. She didn't ask for a way to *stop* the kid from reading sci-fi (as you suggest), but only for ... more » bookwench: My favorite thought about kids reading is actually from the Ghostbusters animated series, where Ray is describing his reading habits as a child and hi... more » Anekanta - Go Play!: Whenever I read something like this, I realize that I was lucky enough to have a really really good high school English curriculum. We had a good mix... more » Sunshineyness: As a kid's bookseller you get this attitude all the time- and never as polite as that letter writer. I suggest comics: "Oh, I want them to actually R... more » omgwtflolbbqbye: Actually it reads to me like she just wanted him to read more stuff + sci-fi and not instead of. Nonetheless, the discussions bellow remind me of my ... more » SnehalMarten: I wouldn't include China Mieville on that list of modern sophisticated Sci-Fi writers. more » zenzer: God bless my Mom (a school teacher) for encouraging me to read NO MATTER WHAT IT WAS. She fed my teenage addiction to post-apocalyptic pulp (Deathland... more » Rocketknight: Maybe she WAS being a little condescending about sci-fi, but I still think it would be beneficial to the kid to get him into something besides sci-fi.... more » HerrIssyvoo: I appreciate the intention and in general her examples are well-chosen, but man is Godzilla a bad choice. The original is one of the best sci-fi movie... more » Zyg: I don't understand why people think scifi isn't a smart read. Who give a s#!t anyway what people read as long as they do so. more » -
#books
Don't Ask The Wall Street Journal How To Wean Your Kids Off Reading Science Fiction
Somebody wrote to the Wall Street Journal's book advice column to ask how you go about convincing your 13-year-old nephew to stop reading science fiction. Thank goodness the WSJ's in-house book nerd was smart enough to say: You don't. More » -
#fantasynoir
The New Noir Fantasy Shows Magical Cities In Decay
A noir light is shining over fantasy — many of the best fantasy books on the shelves right now feature bloody-minded, morally gray protagonists battling their way through rotten cities and bleak landscapes. Here's why noir is truest urban fantasy.
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#top10
Top 10 Most Corrupt Mayors From Science Fiction
You think your city's leadership is bad? Just look at these 10 stand-out examples of terrible mayors and awful city leaders from science fiction and urban fantasy. They steal, they kill, they won't give the people air! More » -
#futurecities
The Most Fantastical Cities On Earth, As Chosen By Ursula K. Le Guin And Michael Moorcock
Their books take you to strange cities from other planets, alternate histories and mythical realms. But what real-life cities inspire Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Nalo Hopkinson and China Miéville? The SharedWorlds project found out, with fascinating results. More » -
#steampunk
Our Love For Steampunk Is A Longing For Machines That Don't Suck
Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet impressarios Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant have signed up to publish a new anthology of young-adult steampunk stories, featuring well-known authors, comics creators and YA authors. We asked Grant why people — especially young people — are so fascinated with steampunk. More » -
#literaryjournals
Joyce Carol Oates And Jeff Vandermeer, Together At Last
Back in 2002, superstar literary journal Conjunctions redefined the intersection of science fiction and lit with its "New Wave Fabulists" issue. Now they're trying to do the same for urban fantasy. More » -
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#chinamieville
Is There Anything China Miéville Can't Do?
Urban fantasy genius China Miéville not only turned in his next fantasy novel on time, but he also wrote a police procedural — with a healthy dose of alternate world-building — in his spare time. More » -
#urbandecay
Why Does My City Scream?
Just as Americans are going to the polls in November, a mass media campaign will be ramping up that depicts cities as both dangerous and wracked with torment. "My City Screams!" It could be a slogan for The Dark Knight. Or any of a host of other movies, TV shows or books. But it's actually the tagline for The Spirit, the new comic-book movie by noir master Frank Miller. We love to imagine cities as hazardous, smelly alien worlds, even as real-life U.S. cities are becoming safer and safer. Why is genre entertainment's portrayal of cities trapped in an era of tenements? More » -
#perdidostreetstation
The Man Who Lost His Wings in the City of New Crobuzon
Yesterday I mentioned that China Mieville's novel Perdido Street Station could change your life. Here's how artist Gordillo imagined the city of New Crobuzon, where the novel takes place. This is very much how I imagined it too, with the huge central train station of the novel's title hulking over everything.
