Fantasy

Blogs about fantasy

Roger Corman in 2012

The legendary director, producer, and actor Roger Corman passed away on May 9 (Photo Angela George).

Roger Corman was born on April 5, 1926, in Santa Monica, California. He studied at Stanford University but between 1944 and 1946 he served in the US Navy. In 1947 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering but only worked for a few days as an engineer because he realized that he didn’t want to do that kind of job and immediately devoted himself to cinema instead.

In 2009, Roger Corman received an Honorary Academy Award for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers. It’s just a small tribute to a man who has been appreciated for decades for his productions. His influence on generations of filmmakers proves what a master of cinema he was, a craftsman capable of creating quality movies with limited means.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

The novel “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the first book of the Great Cities series. It won the Locus and BSFA Awards.

Various people discover that they are the avatars of certain boroughs of New York while an artist discovers that he’s the avatar of the entire city from the avatar of Sao Paulo. Some of them are attacked by shapeshifters and strange tendrils but manage to repel those attacks.

Manny, the avatar of Manhattan, is confronted by a mysterious woman but manages to defeat her thanks to the help of the avatar of Brooklyn. Various types of attacks follow, not always direct because in some cases, they exploit corruption and fascist groups.

Dead Lies Dreaming by Charles Stross

The novel “Dead Lies Dreaming” by Charles Stross was published for the first time in 2020. It’s part of the Laundry series and within it is the first book of the Tales of the New Management.

Rupert de Montfort Bigge is a billionaire who has adapted well to the New Management. An opportunity comes for him when he learns that the Necronomicon is being auctioned off in an underground auction. It’s perhaps the only existing copy of the real legendary Necronomicon. Eve Starkey is his special agent whose goal is to get it, at all costs.

Getting your hands on a book as unique and dangerous as the Necronomicon is difficult, yet there are various people ready for anything with many resources at their disposal. Eve hires her brother Jeremy “Imp” and his group of Lost Boys to help her with their powers but their paths cross with that of Wendy Deere adding complications together with the discreet but constant presence of the Bond.

Peter Straub in 2009

The news arrived of the death of writer Peter Straub, which happened on September 4. According to the information that emerged, his death occurred due to complications that followed a hip fracture.

Over the course of decades of his career, Peter Straub has received ten Bram Stoker Awards for his works including novels, stories fiction, anthologies, and a special career award in 2005. He also received three World Fantasy Awards for his works and one for his career, a Special Award from the International Horror Guild as a Living Legend in 2005, and the World Horror Grandmaster Award in 1997.

The news of Peter Straub’s death was given by his daughter Emma. It was followed by a comment by Stephen King, who reminded his colleague and friend. Many more words of esteem have come from colleagues, critics, and fans who appreciated his works for decades.

Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson

The novel “Darker Than You Think” by Jack Williamson was published for the first time in 1948, an extended version of a novelette published in 1940.

Will Barbee is a reporter who goes to witness the return of a group of scientists from Mongolia, where they studied the alleged ability of some people to transform into animals. His interest is not only professional because the expedition is led by one of his former university professors and he knows the other members as well.

At the airport, Will Barbee meets April Bell, a young fellow journalist for whom he feels attraction but at the same time finds that there’s something strange about her, also because she manifests hostility towards the members of the expedition. When the leader of the expedition suddenly dies before revealing his discoveries, Will feels there’s something really strange going on and April seems involved.