Speculating Canada: Canadian Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy

February 8, 2015

Dreamy Horror

A Review of Emily Carroll’s “Through The Woods” (Margaret K. McElderry Books, Toronto). By Derek Newman-Stille “Through the Woods” is a modern day Grimm’s collection of horror tales, and it is wonderfully grim. Beautifully illustrated in an iconic fairy tale style, Through the Woods creates a sense of discomfort about the environments that we generally consider safe. From tales of...

Fiction Book Reviews Comments: 0

February 5, 2015

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 28: Myth and Canadian SF

In this episode of Speculating Canada on Trent Radio, I talk about the way that myths and legends have influenced Canadian Speculative Fiction, focusing on the variety of different myths that have been brought to Canada. Myths have a power to inspire us, and to evoke thought and a sense of wonder about the world around us. In this episode,...

On Air Comment: 1

February 3, 2015

Paratechnologies: Prosthesis and the Exercise of Medicalized Control in Julie Czerneda’s Left Foot on a Blind Man

Time for something a little different. Normally I keep my academic life and my Speculating Canada life a bit separate (which is challenging because I research Canadian Speculative Fiction. I recently found out that one of my academic papers “Paratechnologies: Prosthesis and the Exercise of Medicalized Control in Julie Czerneda’s Left Foot on a Blind Man” was recorded by the...

Academic Conferences Comments: 0

February 1, 2015

Animal Outbreak

A review of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth: Out of the Deep Woods (Vertigo, 2010) By Derek Newman-Stille Set in a post-outbreak society where most of the society has died of the plague and the remaining bits of humanity know that they have a countdown on their remaining life, Sweet Tooth: Out of the Deep Woods is a tale of loneliness...

Fiction Book Reviews Comments: 0

January 28, 2015

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 27: Speculative Fiction in the Music of Rush

On this episode of Speculating Canada on Trent Radio, I had a chance to talk a bit about the influence of science fiction and fantasy literature on the music of the Canadian band Rush. Rush is one of my favourite bands and I am, of course, in love with their use of speculative themes in their music. Inspired by various...

On Air Comments: 0

January 25, 2015

Coming of Age in the End of Days

A review of Brent Hayward’s Head Full of Mountains (ChiZine Publications, 2014) By Derek Newman-Stille The end is a concept that brings hyper attention onto ideas of the body, memory, and the notion of permanence versus change, and Brent Hayward’s Head Full of Mountains constructs a society who, in trying to fend off the end, to preserve humanity, ends up...

Fiction Book Reviews Comments: 0

January 21, 2015

Women Made of Words

A review of Sean moreland’s Rowena in Lackington’s issue 2 ( http://lackingtons.com/2014/05/13/rowena-by-sean-moreland/ ) By Derek Newman-Stille Sean Moreland’s Rowena is a tale of names, words, and memory, and how these have been implicated in the creation of women’s identities. Structured as a series of letters from an accused witch to her daughter, Rowena is shaped by the aesthetic of loss....

Fiction Book Reviews Comments: 0

January 17, 2015

Quote- Writing Bodies into the Future through Strangeness

“By our strangeness we write our bodies into the future” -Larissa Lai, Salt Fish Girl

Quotes Comments: 0

January 14, 2015

Only More Death on the Horizon

A review of Tony Burgess’ The n-Body Problem (ChiZine Publications, 2013) By Derek Newman-Stille Tony Burgess’ The n-Body Problem is a pharmacological journey through the zombie apocalypse, and a discourse on the collective social habit of avoiding one’s problems. The n-Body Problem explores a world where people keep moving after death, not threateningly or aggressively, but moving nonetheless evoking the...

Dreamy Horror

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 28: Myth and Canadian SF

Paratechnologies: Prosthesis and the Exercise of Medicalized Control in Julie Czerneda’s Left Foot on a Blind Man

Animal Outbreak

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 27: Speculative Fiction in the Music of Rush

Coming of Age in the End of Days

Women Made of Words

Quote- Writing Bodies into the Future through Strangeness

Only More Death on the Horizon

Rocket Age Mountie