Science Fiction

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 →

Amazing Books vs Good Books: What Makes a Fantasy or Sci-fi Novel Great?

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 10 Comments
Photo by Courtney Carmody via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0

Most of us could probably list a few fantasy or science fiction books we’d dub amazing, or add to our all-time favourites list. These are books that hook us, keep us drawn tight with suspense or fascination or wonder, tear us through to their endings, then leave us either in a state of catatonic awe, overflowing with enthusiasm or simply scrambling to get our hands on the next one in the series. If we’re lucky, these books come along often, and remind us how wonderful the experience of reading can be.

By the same token, we have probably all read a few good books too: Continue reading →

Discontinued Sci-fi and Fantasy TV Shows: What’s Your Pick From the Graveyard?

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 28 Comments
Image: Spaceship from V (2009 TV Series)
Spaceship from V (2009 TV Series)

Have you ever watched a TV show that got cancelled before reaching its final season, or even after its first season? If you enjoyed a show like this you might look back on it with frustration, disappointment or just a vague sense of something left unfinished.

For me, there are four discontinued shows that stick out in my memory. Continue reading →

Great Books About Writing

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 18 Comments
Photo by Nic McPhee via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0

About four or so years ago, I read a large number of “how to” books about creative writing. I read them because I was a new writer wanting to hone my craft, but also because I was writing my master’s thesis at the time. It involved analysing existing writing advice about world-building… in short, seeing what other writers had to say about inventing and describing fictional settings. Some of the books I read were very useful, others not so much.

Continue reading →

My Favourite Fantasy and Science Fiction Books in 2015

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 11 Comments

It’s 2016!! And to celebrate in proper fantasy-nerd style, I’m doing my annual round up of the best fantasy and science fiction books I read last year.  These are not books published in 2015, just books I happened to read last year, thus you’ll notice some are ones I took a bit longer to discover than other people might have. Continue reading →

How Much Plausibility Would You Like With That?

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 10 Comments
Photo by NASA via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0

I recently saw The Martian at the cinema, after having thoroughly enjoyed the book. For me, the film didn’t disappoint, and afterwards I was eager to discuss it with friends. And of course, amidst the discussions of what was and wasn’t the same as in the book, and what we liked and didn’t like, came a topic that always arises when discussing a science fiction book or film these days: plausibility.  Continue reading →

Reading Classic Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels

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

As a teenager, hearing the word “classic” coupled with the word “book” was enough to make me suspicious. “Classics” were the books I got forced to read in school. They were the books everyone told me I simply must read, the books I thought would surely be great… until I found myself struggling through an archaic tome that was neither interesting nor inspiring. Even more daunting was the fact that this canon of old, famous and important books was seemingly endless. I felt like I might be in the grave before I finished them all. Continue reading →

My Top 25 Science Fiction Movies

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 19 Comments
Photo by Bill Lile (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

In my last post I listed my picks for the best 25 fantasy films of all time… but in the process of whittling it down to those favourites, I kept remembering wonderful science fiction films that I wanted to add to the list. I resisted the temptation because it was a fantasy film list, but now I’d like to give those films their own space to shine. So here are my favourite 25 sci-fi films: Continue reading →

Science Fiction and the Joy of Discovering Something New

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 2 Comments
M82 Galaxy remixed from the Hubble Legacy Archive. Photo by Adam Evans (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved reading fantasy novels. I can read and enjoy books outside of the genre, but it’s always been much harder for me to love a book – to become completely engrossed – if it’s not fantasy (that said, I recently read The Help, and it turned out to be one of the exceptions to the rule). Sure, I’ve dabbled in a few other genres, but fantasy is where my heart has always been.

Up until a couple of years ago, however, the spread of other genres I’d sampled had a glaring omission. Continue reading →

My Favourite Fantasy and Science Fiction Books in 2014

/ Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy / 10 Comments
Photo by Nicola Alter (CC BY SA 4.0)

Only one more day left in 2014! And even though this isn’t really a review blog (though I do mention books I’ve enjoyed), I thought I’d follow in the footsteps of several other bloggers I’ve seen recently and take this opportunity to list a few of the best fantasy and science fiction books that I’ve read this year. Continue reading →