Speculating Canada: Canadian Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy

March 26, 2021

Disability and Identity in a Changeable Universe

A Review of James Alan Gardner’s Hunted (HarperCollins, 2000). By Derek Newman-Stille Edward is a man with an intellectual disability who grew up being treated as a child by his sister and as an embarrassment by his father. He was taken under the claws of the queen of the Mandasars, a race of strictly hierarchical lobster-like aliens until their planet...

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March 16, 2021

Alien Found Family

A review of Julie Czerneda’s Changing Vision (Penguin Random House, 2016) By Derek Newman-Stille Julie Czerneda’s Changing Vision is a tale of found families across space. Esen is the past of her species, the final member of her Web. This could leave her isolated and alone in a massive universe, but, instead, she finds a human companion, Paul, who bridges...

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March 8, 2021

Galactic Anthropology

A review of Julie Czerneda’s “Beholder’s Eye” (Penguin Random House, 2016) By Derek Newman-Stille In Beholder’s Eye, Julie Czerneda explores the possibilities of consciousness in varying shapes and forms. From pig-like creatures who communicate by clicking their hooves and by emoting smells to canid-like beings, to large cat-like beings, to a puddle of goo, Czerneda explores the diversity of bodily...

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March 5, 2021

Heroes and Gods

A review of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow (Del Rey, 2020) By Derek Newman-Stille Gods of Jade and Shadow is a discourse on the Hero’s Journey while it also serves to disrupt that cycle. Silvia Moreno-Garcia presents readers with a girl in a fairy tale circumstance, being used and abused by her family. But Cassiopeia doesn’t seek out...

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February 22, 2021

Primordial Futures

A review of Amanda Leduc’s The Centaur’s Wife By Derek Newman-Stille Heather and Tasha are both storytellers. Both weave tales for their own needs. When meteors fall and humanity is left starving and disoriented, Heather carries on her father’s tradition of telling fairy tales to create a more magical life while Tasha keeps telling others the bigger fairy tale –...

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January 23, 2021

An Interview with Kate Bullock

This week, I had the opportunity to interview game designer and monster writer Kate Bullock about her work. She gives us insights into the game industry, some of the issues in gaming, and some background on amazing and fascinating monsters. Kate Bullock is a Canadian community and convention organizer with a passion for striving to create safer and more inclusive...

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December 26, 2020

A New Tool for Story-Writing

A review of The Story Engine by Peter Chiykowski By Derek Newman-Stille Earlier this year, I came across a kickstarter that I just had to support. In addition to my work on Speculating Canada, I teach writing classes, so I am always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to teach. I have a particular interest in teaching through...

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December 12, 2020

Holly Jolly

by Derek Newman-Stille She was dressed in street clothes, which was really unusual for Dr. Townsend’s practice. Generally her clients came dressed in their full regalia instead of as their secret identity. “Hi, are you the shrink?” “I’m Dr. Townsend, yes.” “But you’re the one that works with people like us, right?” “People like us?” “You know, magical girls.” “Oh,...

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December 3, 2020

Mrs. Claus, Feminist Warrior

A review of Rhonda Parrish’s Mrs. Claus: Not the Fairy Tale They Say (World Weaver Press, 2017) By Derek Newman-Stille Traditionally, Mrs. Claus is presented as a secondary figure in the Santa Claus myth – so much so that she doesn’t even have a name but derives all of her identity from her husband. She is generally depicted as a...

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October 28, 2020

Living Through Fairy Tales

A review of Nathan Frechette’s “Cinderfella” in Whispers Between Fairies (Renaissance, 2020) Nathan Frechette’s “Cinderfella” is a biotext, a story of Frechette’s own body and transition told through fairy tales. Frechette explores the way that fairy tales have shaped his life, from providing a world away from a harsh outside world when he was young to providing a text of...

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