African Sci-Fi Looks to a Future Climate
When the writer Nnedi Okorafor coined the term Africanfuturism, she wanted to distinguish sci-fi written about Africa from Afrofuturism, which is focuses on the experiences of Black people in the…
Mother-in-Law of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is deeply ingrained into our culture. While many people can practically recite the 1939 movie, the original source material isn’t as well known. The Wonderful Wizard…
Class of ‘84: Turtles, Transformers and Toys Takeover TV
In the final episode of our mini-series Class of '84, we look at two iconic franchises that launched in 1984: Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They came from opposite…
Class of ‘84: When Cyber Was Punk
In the second episode of our mini-series on groundbreaking works from 1984, we jack into the system and upload our minds into Neuromancer. William Gibson’s novel became a seminal work…
Class of ‘84: Rise of The Villains
This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define the…
Prologue to Ursula K. le Guin
In the 1960s, Ursula K. le Guin represented a changing of the guard in science fiction literature. She was part of a generation of novelists who questioned the colonist mindset…
Episode 236: Creating Hindu Fantasy Worlds
Shveta Thakrar (Star Daughter, The Dream Runners), Kritika H. Rao (The Surviving Sky), Roshani Chokshi (Aru Shah, The Star Touched Queen), and Ram V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr)…
Episode 237: Seeing Ourselves in Norse Myths
Thor and Loki have become pop culture icons thanks to Marvel. But the influence of Norse mythology on contemporary fantasy runs through Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and…
Haunted Housing Market
We all know the scenario. A nice young family moves into a new house. It’s haunted by an evil spirit. Mayhem ensues. These movies have been reliable box office hits…
Imaginary Worlds: How to Go to Infinity and Beyond
Science Fiction Spaceships