It’s a well-known affliction in the science fiction community: Post-Hitchhiker’s Disorder. After slamming down Douglas Adams’ epic five-part trilogy (you heard me) in which the meaning and very concepts of Life, the Universe, and Everything are dismantled and reassembled at slightly odd angles, it’s a painful feeling to know nothing will ever really compare to that first […]
When writing a science fiction or fantasy story that isn’t pure alternate history, including real-life events or historical figures is a dangerous trick: pull it off, and you’re rewarded with verisimilitude in spades, not to mention the fun of playing with reality in a very literal way. Get it wrong, and it can actually sabotage the suspension […]
If you’ve been conscious at any time in the last century or so, you’re familiar with private detective tropes: the hardboiled operator who’s as quick with a biting quip as he is with a hand cannon, always getting mixed up with the wrong kind of girl as he doggedly follows the clues. At least, that’s […]