Science Fiction

Amazing Concept, Disappointing Film: ‘Upside Down’ Could Have Been Great

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 4 Comments
Upside Down, Released 2012. Image from Japan Times

I don’t normally write movie reviews… in fact, I don’t even really write book reviews, I just occasionally mention or rate books I like. But this week I had to make an exception, because I recently watched a film on Netflix that irked me, not because it was terrible (though I did find many aspects of it to be terrible) but because it could have been so good. It could have made it onto my favourite sci-fi films of all time list. Continue reading →

When Evil Characters Switch Sides

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 12 Comments
“Yin Yang”. Photo by Hartwig HKD (Creative Commons CC BY-ND 2.0)

I like a plain old dastardly villain I can hate, but a seemingly evil character who gradually discovers their soft, gooey core, and crosses over to join the good guys? No matter how many times I see it, if it’s done well it still gives me the warm and fuzzies.

I was thinking of this because I’ve recently been reading the Throne of Glass series, which is full of villains that change their colours and show their softer sides, as well as morally questionable heroes and heroines in general. I’ve also finished the Red Rising trilogy, which has so many characters crossing back and forth it’s hard to tell who’ll be left standing on the “good” side in the end. Clearly, it’s something many readers, myself included, enjoy.

So what is it that’s so compelling about this ‘crossing over’ from evil to good? Here is my attempt at breaking it down: Continue reading →

Poisons, Antidotes and Remedies in Fantasy

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 13 Comments
Box of old vials containing arsenic, belladonna and other substances at the German Pharmacy Museum.

The dramatic regicide-by-poison in Game of Thrones may have placed them centre-stage, but poisons have always been rife in the fantasy and science fiction genres, along with antidotes and remedies.

Poisoning may simply seem like a convenient (if dastardly) way to kill a character, but poisons and antidotes are used in a variety of ways to add twists, tension, and complexities to fantasy plots. Continue reading →

Why I’m Staying Right Here on Earth

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 15 Comments
Photo by Kevin Gill (CC BY-SA 2.0)

For years science fiction has been making us consider what it might be like to travel through space, visit other planets and colonise them. But with the Mars One mission and Virgin Galactic space tourism, the question has become more personal. People can apply to join a one-way mission to Mars, agreeing to leave everything behind in the hope of becoming one of the first human colonists on another planet. Continue reading →

The Power of Competitions and Selections in YA Fiction

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 9 Comments
Photo by Kreg Steppe (CC BY-SA 2.0)

If a best-selling young adult novel sucks me in after only a few pages, it’s often because the book is wielding a secret weapon. Or rather, a not-so-secret weapon, because I’ve seen it many times before. And although I recognise it, it still has the power to peak my curiosity and get me rooting for a character I know next to nothing about. So what is this clever trope?

It has two components, and these usually form a kind of structuring device that shapes the plot and climactic points of the novel: Continue reading →

Endings That Made Me Read The Next Book

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 10 Comments
Photo by Stephen Nakatani (CC BY 2.0)

With an ever-growing list of new books I want to read and new authors I want to sample, I’m often reluctant to put my ‘to read’ list on hold to plough through a series, especially a long one. As a result, it has to be a particularly brilliant, compelling or intriguing book to entice me to buy the sequels, let alone read them straight away. Continue reading →

The Nostalgia Factor: Which Film Remakes, Reboots and Sequels Can’t You Resist?

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 7 Comments
Photo by Mike Beales (CC BY ND 2.0)

Jurassic World, The Jungle Book, Independence Day: Resurgence, Finding Dory… what all of these films have in common is that they are reviving or continuing a story I loved in childhood or adolescence – a story that has a good deal of nostalgia attached to it. And I seem to be encountering more and more of these lately. This is undoubtedly because the industry is making more reboots and sequels, but to be honest, it’s also because I’m getting older (noooooo…) and I remember more originals. Continue reading →

Loved It, Hated It: A Wizard of Earthsea, Angelfall and The Knife of Never Letting Go

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 5 Comments
Photo by Eyesplash (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Sometimes when I’ve absolutely adored a book and given it 5 stars, I do something a little counterintuitive. I go to Goodreads and I scroll down till I find a one star review and read it. Why? Because it has always fascinated me how much people’s taste in books can differ. I wonder how a book I thought was amazing has inspired someone else to launch into an angry rant, or vice versa. Continue reading →

5 Awesome Fantasy and Science Fiction Audiobooks

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 8 Comments
Photo by Jeff Golden (CC BY-SA 2.0)

I’m a big fan of audiobooks. I’ve previously told the story of how I fell in love with them on this blog. I still read hard copy books, but I like the flexibility audiobooks allow me to do other things while “reading” and how the story really comes to life when narrated by a great voice actor. I have an Audible subscription and I listen to between 1 and 2 audiobooks a  month, which may not sound like a lot, but when each one can last for between 8 and 30 hours (most being around the 10-18hr mark) it equates to a lot of time spent listening.

Amidst all of this listening, I find particular books stand out. Continue reading →

Books That Made Me Cry: Fantasy, Sci-fi and Dystopian Tearjerkers

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 12 Comments
Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games

Last week I mentioned some reasons why movies are usually bigger tearjerkers than books for me. However, there are still several books that have prickled my eyes or had me in tears, so today I thought I’d pay tribute these emotional tales.

Before I begin: this list will include SPOILERS. Discussing the sad moments in books necessarily involves mentioning character deaths and tragedies, and while I’ll try to keep it vague, I can’t promise I won’t give away too much. So if you haven’t read one of these books and don’t want a key plot point revealed, I suggest skipping the second paragraph of each section. Continue reading →