Like most interested parties, the Unbound Writers fear that working on another HBO mini-series will further delay George R. R. Martin's publication of the much-anticipated The Winds of Winter, the 6th book of the Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series.
Read moreDisinterring the Buried Giant: More Thoughts on Ishiguro's Latest
"Shall we take a funny one?"
More speculations on The Buried Giant and its woolly layers, from your fearless adventurers at Fiction Unbound.
Read moreTrope Reversals and Smart Smut: Gabaldon's OUTLANDER Merits the Hype
Social media hype for all things Scottish is escalating in anticipation of the second season premiere of OUTLANDER, the Starz TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldan's book, in which an intrepid WWII British ex-combat nurse, Claire Randall, travels back in time to the rebellious Scottish Highlands of 1743. After binge watching the first season and customizing our own 'I Like it Scot' poster, Unbound Writers, Amanda Baldeneaux and CH Lips weigh in on the pivotal topics: Claire as Superheroine, Novel vs. Show and an astute Smut Ranking of the book/show's hottest moments.
Read more"The Buried Giant": A Quest to Remember
Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel, The Buried Giant, follows an elderly Briton couple, Axl and Beatrice, as they travel through a vaguely Arthurian landscape of ogres, pixies, and a mist that makes everyone forget—which, given the generations of bloodshed between Britons and Saxons, may not be such a bad thing. Unbound Writers Lisa Mahoney, Theodore McCombs, CS Peterson, and Mark Springer debate whether the novel is, you know, good.
Read moreGOLDEN SON Swings Hard – and Then It Swings Hard Again
This solid sequel to Red Rising never slows down, but the turns are pretty hard.
Read moreThirty Birds Make a Man: Porochista Khakpour's THE LAST ILLUSION
Zal, the hero of Porochista Khakpour’s The Last Illusion, must remind himself again and again he is “not a bird not a bird not a bird.” Our protagonist’s conflict is a wonderfully specific one.
Read moreNeil Gaiman's TRIGGER WARNING: Ghost Stories Fit for Summer Campfires
Neil Gaiman’s most recent collection of short stories are calculated to chill to the bone. The collection is appropriately titled Trigger Warning. Triggers, Gaiman says in the introduction, refer to “those images or words or ideas that drop like trapdoors beneath us, throwing us out of our safe, sane, world into a place much more dark and less welcoming.” So, beware. The book is chock full of stories that would do well at a summer camp for adults, sitting around the campfire, engaged in a friendly competition to frighten each other to jelly before bedtime.
Read more"The Road": Carrying the Fire
Finding hope among the ashes of Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
Read moreSir Terry Pratchett, Fantasy Author, Died Today at Age 66
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Today, Fiction Unbound joins the literary world in mourning the passing of one of its giants, best-selling author of the Discworld series, Sir Terry Pratchett. In his words: "It is said that your life flashes before you eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life." -The Last Continent.
Read moreAll My Friends are Dead: Finding Home in a Post-Pandemic World
FUN examines the search for home through stories in the post-pandemic worlds of Station Eleven, Year of Wonders, and The Dog Stars.
Read moreWhale Riding
Paikea is also the Maori word for the humpback whale. Photo: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Public Domain.
Many people have read Witi Ihimaera's book, Whale Rider, or seen the movie adaptation of the same name. Paikea’s whale riding legend informs the story throughout as the original whale rider. But there is more to the tale than just Paikea riding a whale.
Read moreIshiguro and Le Guin: the Genre Gendarmes and Gender
Ursula K. Le Guin calls out Kazuo Ishiguro's genre anxiety around his just-released novel, The Buried Giant--which is #TotallyNotFantasy
Read more"The Bone Clocks," Mitchell's Scintillating, Sprawling Adventure: Is This The Future?
THE BONE CLOCKS left us impressed, stressed and breathlessly engaged, while lighting one possible way toward the future of fiction.
Read moreFrog Princesses & Other Oddities in New Fairy Tale Collection
A new collection of recently re-discovered fairy tales compiled by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth has been translated by Maria Tatar and published by Penguin. Prepare to have the evil step-mother trope trampled on with an iron dancing shoe, worn by a man with golden locks.
Read moreNew Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books to Watch for by Month
io9 has released a month-by-month guide to new sci-fi and fantasy books coming out in 2015.
Read more2014 Nebula Award Nominees Announced
Announced on February 20, 2015, the Nebula Awards nominees are chosen by SFWA. Check out the list.
Read moreContemporary Hero's Journey: The Post-Campbell Post
Join the Unbound Writers on a few hero's journeys as we illustrate a classic quest with Luke Skywalker, then diverge to follow Garth Nix's Clariel and Moira Young's Saba across The Dustlands.
Read moreBefore 20,000: Submarine Stories from the Ancient World
In honor of speculative-fiction venerable Jules Verne, born this day in 1828, here are three stories of submarine adventures from long, long before the Nautilus.
Read moreThe Rapunzel Complex
Amanda Baldeneaux, CS Peterson and CH Lips got together to discuss recent retellings of the Rapunzel story and muse about why so many women get locked in towers when we write fantasy.
Read moreRED RISING: Stick With It – Give It a Chance
Red Rising's start is almost as rocky as Mars, but give this sojourner an opportunity and you'll find its spirit is worth your curiosity.
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