The Hero With a Thousand Options: The Anti-Mythology of the Star Wars Sequels
By Shant Eghian
The original Star Wars trilogy stands as one of the greatest cinematic trilogies ever made. It spawned a franchise that consists of additional movies, novels, comic books, video games, and even radio dramas. The genius of the Star Wars franchise is in how it created something that feels entirely original, but is deeply indebted to millenia of stories that came before it. Star Wars contains influences from not only space adventure serials and Westerns, but also Arthurian tales, Greek Myth, and even religion.
That being said, the Star Wars movies have not always lived up to their original standard. For years, George Lucas’s prequel films detailing the transformation of Jedi Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader were reviled as some of the worst films ever made. When Disney announced its acquisition of the franchise and subsequent plans to make new movies in 2012, fans went wild. It couldn’t possibly get any worse than the prequels.
Or could it…?
Interview with Douglas McKim
By Tamara Wilhite
I had the opportunity to interview fantasy and young adult fiction author Douglas McKim. He’s written two fantasy novels: “Just Plain Old Jeremy” and “Are You Man Enough?”
An Interview with Aaron Sterling
By Tamara Wilhite
Aaron Sterling is an electrical engineer, Army intelligence veteran, and lawyer. He’s the author of “The Mountain Throne“, the first of the Sindathi Twilight books. He’s working on a sequel to that novel due out in 2020 tentatively titled “The Dark Brother”.
The View from Kennedy’s Inaugural Podium and from the Bottom of Baltimore Harbor
An Homage to Robert Frost
By Scott Seward Smith
Last week I wrote of poetry as a unique consolation in troubled times. I did not have the space to address another use: poetry in praise of the state. I had in mind Robert Frost’s “Dedication” written for Kennedy’s inauguration. It began…
Book Review: The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom
By Tamara Wilhite
One of my earliest memories is of the massive science fiction laden bookcase in my childhood home. I read John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, A. E. van Vogt, Ray Bradbury, Larry Niven and other classic sci-fi authors before I was in middle school. That’s understandable given that I’m named for a character in a Robert Heinlein novel. This means I’m unusually familiar with both the art and stories of Golden Age sci-fi. This is why I chose to read and review “The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom: Part 1”. Part 1 is devoted to the 1930s and came out in hardback in February, 2020.
Come Back Poetry, We Need You
By Scott Seward Smith
For several decades subway riders in New York have been confronted with random slabs of verse entitled “Poetry in Motion”, whose main effect, whatever its purpose, is to confirm the onward sterility of modern poetry. More is the pity. Times of existential uncertainty summon the need for poetry, or at least good poetry. It provides a unique consolation.
An Interview with J.P. Redding
By Tamara Wilhite
I had the opportunity to interview author J.P. Redding (a pseudonym) shortly after his first book “Off Grid” came out. Initially, I thought it was a survivalist book. The subtitle “Is there anywhere to hide from the surveillance state?” suggested that. It turns out that it is a science fiction book, as well.
A West Side Story
By Scott Seward Smith
Willy, our retired super and part-time Bachata musician, told us that the street used to be a major avenue for drug dealing until Giuliani cleaned it up. He said that one of the local drug dealers once told him, after Willie refused to take money to not report the dealing, “the only reason I haven’t killed you is because you’re a nice guy.”
