by Zenia de Haven A golden man lived in the dungeon. “Lived” might not be the correct term, as his home was patrolled by sneering, halberd-wielding men. The man “lived” here as much as a parasite “lived” in its host. He was fed scraps through the thick, magically reinforced bars of his cell. He ate more like a vulture than a man, tearing the meat from the bones with his square teeth. His gulps of Read more…
by Ali Dening ONE In the beginning, back before our lands grew apart and the seas rose and fell, back before the age of ice and even before the great rain of fire, an old man named Wisdom stood in a summer field with his dog and learned the smell of flowers. Wisdom wore a small box around his neck, which he never removed. The box, which was also Wisdom’s mother, was called Ignorance. It Read more…
by Tess Rossi Science fiction will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s my favorite genre to read, write, or watch on screen. There’s something alluring and enthralling about the unique worlds each story holds. Obviously, a lot of planning and note-keeping needs to happen to create the most intriguing but consistent story within science fiction. At the core of science fiction, there’s science: some new knowledge, discovery, or breakthrough. Then, there’s technology: Read more…
In thrillers, good and evil are divided. Moral choices stay clear, though risks are high and calls are hard. For all the palpitation-inducing danger, for each acid spurt of adrenaline, what whiplashes protagonist and reader through each thriller’s plot is the knowledge that they have something worth saving. They are the ones who will fight for good. They are the ones who will face down evil. Mysteries can twist the reader’s perception with unreliable narrators, Read more…
I read all genres, but mysteries were there for me when the going was rough. During the hardest times in my life I engaged my overactive mind in high-stakes puzzles, in fictional webs of deceit, and in dropped clues and red herrings. Each mystery pointed out the truth: sometimes, life went sideways, the world went wrong, and people went wrong, too. I didn’t want to be gaslit into thinking everyone was safe. I knew that Read more…