“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
WARNING: CONTAINS MILD TO SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK. The Terror and her flagship, Erebus, are stranded in the arctic. Their food source is contaminated. Sickness is rampant. Their ships have been ravaged by ice. And no rescue is expected. .......Oh, and, also, there's an immortal polar bear demon that can only be appeased by… Continue reading Thoughts on “The Terror” by Dan Simmons
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR ABC'S ONCE UPON A TIME. Ah...Once Upon a Time....a show once so wondrous and imaginative now a collection of overused tropes and timeline retcons. I remember back in the day when I was first introduced to this show and how much I enjoyed the colorful characters, the intriguing… Continue reading Once Upon A Time: How The Dark Curse Made Everyone’s Lives Better
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK OUTLANDER AHEAD. Strap in, folks, this is gonna be a long review. Then again this was a long book, so what do you expect? What I liked: The great characters. I didn't always like Claire, but she always felt like a person and not just a vassal through which the author… Continue reading Thoughts on “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon
Perhaps I'm just whingeing over semantics here, but I had to get this off my chest. When I purchased the audiobook for Neil Gaiman's book on short stories I was very excited. Not only am I a fan of Gaiman's writing, I am also a big fan of his narration. His dulcet tones and faint… Continue reading Why I’m Disappointed By Neil Gaiman’s “Trigger Warning”
For some people creating new worlds is easy. For others it's a bit more difficult. Here are a few things I've learned from experience: Write more information about this world than you will use in the story. Get out a notebook and write down as much about this world as you can: the landscapes, the… Continue reading The Short Guide to World-Building for Noobs
If you have perused a YA section of a bookstore in the last three years, then you've likely come across the cover of a fairytale reimagining. Perhaps one book tells the story of Cinderella, a valiant warrior, who loses her magical boot in the middle of a battle and an infatuated warlord must return it… Continue reading Are Fairytale Reimaginings Becoming Unimaginative?
The Crooked Pen 