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Genres

Exploring Moral Absolutes Through Sci Fi

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Jim Comer: “Heinlein is often misunderstood as an individualist. He once said, however, that “moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level”. Is this true in the societies that we create? What moral absolutes work in stories? Which ones do not?” Broadining this out a little, one of the main roles of sci fi has been to look at the morality of the culture. Fiction does this in general, but sci fi has a special function here, in that it can create an alternate culture/future/society that shines a light on the morals of our … Read more

A Near Miss…

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[Yesterday] morning, an enormous space rock missed Earth by a narrow margin of 745,000 miles, or about three times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. With a diameter of 550 meters and a velocity of about 35,000 miles per hour, the asteroid, known as 2004 BL86, will be so bright in the evening sky that it will be visible through binoculars. Scientists don’t expect another object of this size to pass so closely to Earth until August 7, 2027. By Becky Ferreira – Full Story at Motherboard

Announcement: Shirewode, by J. Tullos Hennig

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QSFer and DSP author J. Tullos Hennig has a new book out in the Wode Series: The King of the Shire Wode. That is what they will call you… Home razed by Church edict, loved ones struck down by treachery, Rob is left for dead. Taken by the old druid master into the deeps, Rob survives to emerge as driven leader of a band of tight-knit outcasts, claiming the forest as their own and wielding the Horned Lord’s vengeance with silent, deadly arrows. Gamelyn has fled England, only to return after finding new identity and purpose–but no absolution–on Crusade. When … Read more

Crossing the Line

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Beth Brock: “How do people handle age of consent in scifi and fantasy? Hell, even in the US of A we have differing ages of consent depending on the state you’re in. How do people feel when a 13 year-old character in a fantasy setting is having sex, or a 14 year-old alien is selling their body on the streets (when adulthood for those aliens is at a younger age). Where’s the line in spec fiction? How about how this relates to current LGBT issues (see Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Beau)? What if you … Read more

Announcement: First Love, by Andrew Q. Gordon

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Andrew Q. Gordon has a new free fantasy read out from Dreamspinner, a prequel to his book “The Last Grand Master”: On a visit to Yar-del with Grand Master Heminaltose to celebrate his age of majority birthday, Farrell catches the eye of Lieutenant Cameron, a handsome young officer in the Queenʼs Guard. But having spent most of his life cooped up at Heminaltoseʼs school for wizards, Farrell is clueless as to palace intrigue. He is unaware that his access to the queen is something others would greatly prize. When the queen points out that his suitor is the son of … Read more

Making Organs

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Cari Zee: “My husband’s been working on making cell scaffolds in bioreactors, the sort of thing you could use to make new joints and organs if you seeded/implanted them right. I love the concept of meta-materials, both organic and inorganic–how one base can become many different things depending on placement and stimulation.”. There are so many possibilities here – both positive and negative. Think of the diseases we could curer? Or think of the abuses we have made against animals (see the photo above) in the name of the advancement of the medical sciences. So … Read more

Review: “Psychic Storm” by Aasheim, Andrijeski, Chase, Ellisson, Hunter, MacDonald, Mayer, Price, Ryan, Wood

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Note: This bundle was mainly MF Spec Fic Romance, but I was asked to do a review because it does have one MM book in it.  I wanted to support the fact that a MM novel was included in a MF bundle.  I would like more people to read LGBTQ+ fiction, and I think that this is a great idea.  Let’s keep a watch on how this goes…  Here’s to the future!   I love psychic abilities in my speculation fiction, and this bundle had everything from dream-walkers to life-stealers to clairvoyants, and yes, a few of our protagonists can … Read more

Announcement: Knight Moves, by Various Authors

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Amber Quill Press has a new collection of five stories about MM knights: Against A Wounded Landscape by Vivien Dean Description: New from Vivien Dean, author of the Amber Allure best-sellers A Soul Remembered and Aria Of The Eclipse. Sir Tanash, the greatest knight Tasora has ever known, has one quest–to rescue his king’s only son. Fifteen years ago, Princy Liseny was kidnapped, and in the time since, Tasora has crumbled. By bringing the prince home, Tanash hopes to return the kingdom to its former glory. As captive in a rival land, Liseny has spent most of his life locked … Read more

Announcement: Recipe for Magic, by Agatha Bird

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Dreamspinner author Agatha Bird has a new MM fantasy out: Connor Roth is a fire mage who’s going places. He’s powerful, popular, and he has a plan. But his plan for fame and glory is disrupted when the Oracle sticks him with Landyn Glendower for Senior Trial. This is an act unprecedented in their school’s history. Landyn is a water mage, and everyone knows mages with opposing elements can’t work magic together. Connor is left with a choice: work alone and fail or swallow his pride and work with Landyn to find a way to combine their magic in a … Read more

Anouncement: Firestorm, by Rory Ni Coileain

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QSFer Rory Ni Coileain has a new Fantasy MM romance out: Rian Sheridan is a foundling, a Northern Irish Catholic corner boy whose world was destroyed in fire, and reborn the same way, beside an Orangemen’s bonfire last July the Twelfth. A consuming, dimly-remembered pain in his past calls to him, taunting him, daring him to find it and lose himself to it in the S&M underground of Belfast. Cuinn an Dearmad is the last surviving Fae Loremaster, and he’s just seen the beginning of the death of the Realm, the haven of the Fae race. The only hope of … Read more