It seems almost paradoxical to call dystopias popular, but the label fits when it comes to YA literature. Like other fans of the genre, I eagerly awaited the release of Mockingjay (the third book in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy) earlier this week. And now that I have written my own dystopian fantasy (2.0), I [...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews and Previews’ Category
The Literature of our Discontent
Posted in Reviews and Previews, Uncategorized on August 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A World of Magic Amid the Palm Trees
Posted in Reviews and Previews on July 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Last weekend, four of my friends and I made a pilgrimage to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Why? Because, as one of them eloquently put it: “I can think of no better way to honor our noble country than by worshiping at the altar of a British young adult fiction series.” [...]
A Whole New World
Posted in Reviews and Previews, tagged Fantasy, Harry Potter, Wizarding World on June 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Ever wished you could drink a mug of Butterbeer, swing your leg over a Firebolt, or buy a wand from Ollivander’s shop? Starting this Friday, you can. That’s when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a new addition to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, officially opens to the public. The park features a muggle version [...]
The Digital Human
Posted in Creatures, Themes, and Places, Reviews and Previews, tagged computers, real life science fiction, technology on May 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A few months ago, the New York Times published an article about teenagers’ use of electronic devices titled: “If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online”. Parents and researchers expressed “shock” and “fear” at the fact that young Americans spend an average of seven and a half hours interacting with computers, television, and smart phones. [...]
Books, Glorious Books
Posted in Reviews and Previews on March 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
The best part of spring break is having time to read for pleasure without feeling guilty about neglecting chemistry homework. And I was lucky enough to read several fantastic books over mine! Here is a short overview of my favorites – after you read it, go buy, borrow, or steal (just kidding – theft is [...]
Avatar
Posted in Reviews and Previews on January 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Avatar is the best movie of the decade – or so I was told by legions of friends who managed to see the film on its opening night. For three days I faced sold-out ticket booths, my expectations growing higher with every flash of a blue-skinned creature in a commercial and exclamation-laden facebook status. Finally, [...]
Proof is in the Pixels
Posted in Reviews and Previews on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today, books are undergoing their first major transformation since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440. E-books are rapidly gaining in popularity, and some people speculate they may one day replace traditionally bound books. What does this development mean, if anything, for the future of reading? For my seventeenth birthday,* my parents bought me [...]
“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman
Posted in Reviews and Previews on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“It takes a graveyard to raise a child,” or so the old saying goes. In Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, a young boy travels from a murder scene to a tomb without dying in between. Adopted by ghosts and a “solitary type” who is neither dead nor alive, Nobody Owens must learn the customs and [...]
Trekkies and Prequels
Posted in Reviews and Previews on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This wouldn’t be much of a sci-fi/fantasy blog if it didn’t include at least some mention of the new Star Trek movie. First, I must admit (as if it wasn’t obvious already) that I am something of a nerd. When I was younger, I camped out in front of the TV every Wednesday night to [...]
“City of Bones”: a Review
Posted in Reviews and Previews on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I choose to read a book because it has been recommended to me by friends or received positive reviews, and sometimes I choose to read one simply because it has a shiny cover. City of Bones, the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s Moral Instruments trilogy, fell into both categories. Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is a [...]
