Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

This is the first in a series of posts where I will be exploring the history of science fiction and staying true to the remit of the site I will be looking at science fiction in all media. Obviously I plan on it being a long series. To kick things off I thought I should discuss the…

If you are a member of Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1982), odds are that the original Star Wars trilogy figured prominently in your childhood. I was lucky enough to see Star Wars (not “Episode IV: A New Hope” - just plain old Star Wars)on the big screen at the tender age of seven, and it totally blew my mind. My life was forever changed that happy day,…

Science fiction seems to be the genre of choice in Hollywood these days, but it mainly comes in the forms of superheroes or action based sci-fi. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy both types of movies when I’m in the right mood, but I’m starting to wonder if Hollywood just isn’t capble of making a good hard science fiction movie.

What is Hard SF?

Well now there’s a question. I’m not a…

2008 has been a banner year for British science fiction and fantasy author Michael Moorcock: the Times Online named him as one of the 50 greatest British writers after 1945, a list that includes such luminaries as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, Ian Fleming, Iris Murdoch and Kingsley Amis. He was also named a Grand Master by SFWA, which is their highest honor.

Del Rey books just published a…

Again and again when I’m reading forums or blogs I see complaints about the lack of originality in books/movies/tv. The complaints come in different forms. One of the most common is a complaints recently has been about the number of remakes on tv or in the movies.

But I’ve also seen the same complaint made about the plot of fantasy novels, and when Marvel’s summer cross-over Secret Invasion was announced there…

With the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight set for release on July 18th 2008, I thought now was a perfect time to do an in depth look at one of the most iconic of superheroes, the Batman.
Image via Wikipedia
Batman is a DC Comics character originally co-created by Bob Kane (artist) and Bill Finger…

I had planned on writing a review of the Torchwood season 2 finale earlier this week. Unfortunately I came away from the episode with really mixed feelings. In many ways this final episode epitomized my feelings on the season as a whole.

On the one hand, it was far and away superior to the first season which was a huge disappointment to me. But for every bit that hit the mark,…

As something of a fanboy myself I have a great deal of respect for science fiction fandom. However I frequently find myself shaking my head in despair and the behavior of certain vocal elements. So, allow me to present my list of the Seven Things That Sci-Fi Fans Should Stop Doing.

• Dont’ Assume You Know All The Facts
  These days with the internet, we have access to a lot of production and…

As an avid fan of fantasy and science fiction, I’ve read more than my share of terrible stories. I don’t mean dull or unoriginal. I mean monumentally stupid, packed with cliches, lacking any redeeming features what so ever. Just plain bad.

But being the good little reader I am, I stolidly plugged away reading them until I got to the end. I did this for years. I mean it’s only fair…

When I was compiling my list of Ten Science Fiction Books that Should Be Movies last week, I started thinking of all the fantasy books I would love to see on screen to. So here it is. My list of Ten Fantasy Books That Should Be Movies.

Of course like any such list, this one is completely biased towards things I like. So please let me know what fantasy books you think…