Category Archives: Speculative Fiction

The Underground Railroad

Posted on September 25, 2016 by

For an embarrassingly long time, I thought the Underground Railroad was an actual railroad, at least partly underground. A secret train to freedom is an image than can easily catch a child’s imagination—especially when that child hasn’t been around trains … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction | Leave a comment

Mr. Fox

Posted on September 19, 2016 by

Mr. Fox does not know what to do with the women in his books. Or, rather, he knows of only one thing to do with them. He kills them. Roberta saws off her hand and foot and bleeds to death … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Speculative Fiction | 8 Comments

Boy, Snow, Bird

Posted on August 25, 2016 by

There are lots of authors who like to turn to fairy tales and folklore for their inspiration, but none of them (that I know of, anyway) are quite like Helen Oyeyemi. In White is for Witching, in Icarus Girl, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Speculative Fiction | 8 Comments

Hystopia

Posted on August 10, 2016 by

Set in an alternate version of the 1960s, this novel by David Means follows a trio of Vietnam veterans who’ve undergone a procedure called enfolding that eliminates their memories of past trauma. It’s not a fool-proof procedure, however. Drugs, a cold bath, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Speculative Fiction | 14 Comments

Kingdom of the Gods

Posted on August 5, 2016 by

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy. I especially liked the way she played with ideas about religion, class, and race, and while her plotting is intricate (maybe even Byzantine), her characterization and … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Speculative Fiction | 6 Comments

End of Watch

Posted on July 15, 2016 by

This is the third in Stephen King’s trilogy about Bill Hodges, a retired police detective. The first two, Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, were solid, fast-paced thrillers, nothing paranormal about them. Hodges and his two sidekicks, Holly Gibney and Jerome … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Mysteries, Speculative Fiction | 6 Comments

How to Train Your Dragon

Posted on July 14, 2016 by

I just returned from a short road trip to Portland, OR with my two children (aged, incredibly, 11 and 8.) The trip from where I live in Spokane is about 6 hours each direction, so naturally I got the requisite … Continue reading →

Posted in Audiobooks, Children's / YA Lit, Fiction, Speculative Fiction | 13 Comments

The Arrival

Posted on June 27, 2016 by

This wordless graphic novel by Shaun Tan presents a familiar immigrant tale, but the presentation makes it unfamiliar. It begins with a man leaving his wife and daughter in a city where some sort of danger lurks. He crosses the ocean, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels / Comics, Speculative Fiction | 9 Comments

The Rook

Posted on June 9, 2016 by

Dear You,  The body you are wearing used to be mine. Thus begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas finds in her pocket when she opens her eyes in the pouring rain one London night, dead bodies wearing latex gloves all around … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Speculative Fiction | 13 Comments

The Goddess Chronicle

Posted on June 8, 2016 by

On a tiny island shaped like a teardrop, two sisters face very different fates. Beautiful Kamikuu is chosen to be the Oracle, representative of light and life. Her sister, Namima, is the “impure one,” yin to Kamikuu’s yang, and must … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Speculative Fiction | 2 Comments