Tag: apocalypse

The End is Only The Beginning

A review of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s collection Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse (Exile Editions, 2014) By Derek Newman-Stille Flooding, ghosts, spreading oil sinkholes, whitenoise, bio weapons, nuclear bombs, sudden population disappearances, a strange rotting of the landscape, persistent sleep, the drying of the world’s lakes, alien invasion, shadows, plague, constant rain, technological crashes, ruptures into the abyss, fires… the visions...

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 26: A Discussion with Dan Vena About Apocalyptic Fiction

In this episode, Queen’s University PhD student and cultural theorist Dan Vena joins me in the studio to talk about Canadian apocalyptic fiction. In our discussion, we explore notions of the monstrous, the superheroic, mutations, pandemic narratives, and the power of apocalyptic narratives to discuss issues in the present such as environmental concerns, the experiences of LGBTQ2 people, critical capitalism,...

Oracular Warnings

A Review of Joseph Macchiusi’s The Betelgeuse Oracle (2009) By Derek Newman-Stille Joseph Macchiusi’s The Betelgeuse Oracle straddles the line between science fiction and fantasy, presenting an apocalyptic present that is partially scientific and partially supernatural, challenging the firm boundaries that are often placed between them. Macchiusi’s protagonist, James, is a security guard at York University who has always had...

Upcoming Interview with Camille Alexa on Friday January 11th

Check out Speculating Canada on Friday January 11th for a fantastic interview with Canadian-American author Camille Alexa. If you have been following Speculating Canada for a while, you probably know that I am a fan of her work and have reviewed her short stories a few times. You can check out my review of “All Them Pretty Babies”  at http://speculatingcanada.wordpress.com/2012/12/29/its-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-i-feel-speculative/...