I’ve quoted the letters of John Keats here before, and probably will do so again. Keats’s thoughts on literature and the art of creativity, often nestled as if in passing among more prosaic matters in his correspondence, transcend bone-dry literary criticism and illumine the ungraspable spirit of creativity. Furthermore, in my opinion, the Romantic poets [...]

I love my gig as a reviewer. Sure, it doesn’t pay much, but I score the occasional free book, I spend hours reading (mostly) great literature, and I get the satisfaction of sharing my thoughts with others, thereby hopefully directing them toward their own great reading experiences. But am I missing something? Am I merely [...]

As an aspiring fantasy writer, I’ve read and listened to lots of advice on writing in general, and on SF genre writing in particular. One of the axioms repeated by many fantasy writers is that, even though magic is one of the genre’s defining characteristics, it should be presented in a logical, rule-governed manner.
I’m not [...]

Today I found myself taking a stroll down memory lane, recalling the authors who, during my formative years, kindled my love for the fantastic in literature and in life. Some of these favorites make me grimace; having reread their work, I see their flaws and in some cases the pedestol I placed them on has [...]