Re-reading @aptshadow.bsky.social's Children of Time series on the way to enjoying #ChildrenofStrife, and had to write more about the many fascinating ways Tchaikovsky explores consciousness. Is continuity of self simply an illusion? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/space-expl... #booksky #scifi

For #TransDayofVisibility, a review & analysis of one of my favourite new #horror books of 2026: Persona by @ravineangel.bsky.social! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/persona-by... #booksky #transbooks #transart #bookreview

I loved #ProjectHailMary, and can't fault Ryan Gosling's casting for a minute. But at the same time, it's yet another entry in the trend of science fiction in film and TV being extremely white and male. Full thoughts here: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/project-ha... #sff #booksky #filmsky

Catching up on news and thoughts, discussing the human condition in 2026 and where we go from here: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/catching-u... #books #booksky #taipeistory #rfkuang #oscars #blog

There Is No Antimemetics Division. Anymore? Today I gave a review & analysis to one of my favourite reads of the year so far, a book that takes science fiction in fascinating new directions! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/there-is-n... #sff #booksky #qntm #scp #bookreview

Anyone else feeling numb lately? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/postcoloni...

Representation is more important – and more interesting – than a checkbox. In today's article, I explore what queerness means and how we can learn from it: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/what-is-qu... #sff #booksky #tvsky #representation

Sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy some sword-lasers and undead unicorns, and that genre of pulp SFF has found a perfect home in modern power metal: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-perfec... #gloryhammer #devintownsendproject #sff #pulp #storytelling

Wrote about Solvej Balle's #OntheCalculationofVolume, one of my favourite new series I've read this year. A woman in a time loop, exploring her new world. But also so much more? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/on-the-cal... #sff #books #lifelessons #life #booksky

Following up on my piece about catharsis from apocalypses, today I wrote about catharsis from death – this time wholly focused on #Ghost proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-cathar...

Songs from bands like #Ghost, #LordoftheLost and #Avatar have a way of reminding me of the big picture with images of the end of the world. They inspire solace and clarity, and they inspire rage at how we got there. Read here: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-cathar... #metalmusic #mindfulness

With "Thou shalt not make a machine in then likeness of a human mind," Frank Herbert's Dune (1965) feels more and more prophetic every day. Do we need a Butlerian Jihad of our own? When? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/dunes-war-... #sff #dune #ai #artificialintelligence #humanity #booksky

[Stand for Renee Nicole Good. May her death radicalize you further.]

Over the holidays I devoured Joe Abercrombie's #TheDevils, and wanted to share my thoughts on this delightful and deranged fantasy adventure. A few of the problems I had with #TheFirstLaw remain, but by and large it's a great ride! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-devils... #sff #booksky #queer

Today I wrote the ninth article in my series on #vampires, with a look at #TheBuffaloHunterHunter by #StephenGrahamJones. Take a look! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/vampires-i... #sff #books #booksky #horror

Reflecting on two years of writing #ProseandContext, on my 2025 and the world's, and why I love stories. proseandcontext.substack.com/p/looking-ba... #yearinreview #twoyears #2025books #stories

"The Wizard of Oz, pulling levers and maintaining his carefully crafted illusions, is a potent reminder that power and authority are always projected through a lens, or mask, such that people see only what they are supposed to see." #stormlight #power proseandcontext.substack.com/p/heroes-vil...

Wrote today about #depression, #stormlight and #ghost: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/it-gets-be...

Patricia Lockwood's "Will There Ever Be Another You" is a terrifying vision of Long COVID, but also echoes my experience living with ADHD in the modern Attention Economy. How can we survive, let alone string a thought together, with all these stimuli? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/surviving-...

I appreciate the hell out of songs which verbalize and elucidate ideas, feelings and fears which otherwise envelop me (and, I think, many of us) in a depressing yet undefinable miasma. Here are three of my favourites, by #Epica and #MARINA: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/songs-for-... #song #hope

Young women chosen as cult sacrifices to otherworldly beings, only to be rescued by a kindly visiting wizard. That's what 'The Tombs of Atuan' and 'The Unspoken Name' have in common, though published fifty years apart. Here's where they differ, and why: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/a-thought-...

Not sure how to pitch this article, but suffice to say I open my heart and share about a lot of books I love and intend to write more about! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/labour-lif... #sff #blog #queerwriter #bookrecommendations #booksky

#CriticalRole Campaign IV got me thinking again about @robertjbennett.bsky.social's #TheDivineCities trilogy, and particularly about the mess that killing your gods leaves behind. Has DM Brennan read the series? The parallels are certainly there: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/life-after... #sff

For #Hallowe'en this week, a look at a few truly evil fictional places from The Shining, The Haunting of Hill House and more: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/malevolent... #horror #books #fiction #negativespace #hillhouse #sff #houseofleaves #writer

Much like interpersonal relationships, power imbalances in interactions between nations and peoples can be a glaring red flag. Join me in exploring these ideas as they relate to #TheLeftHandofDarkness, #BuffaloIstheNewBuffalo, #StarTrek and more: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/community-... #sff

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis was one of my most anticipated reads this year, promising a fascinating look at hell & academia. Upon reading it, I can't help but having mixed feelings. Should you read it? I go into it in my review & analysis: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/katabasis-... #booksky #sff

What would it look like to live in a world without gender? Ursula K Le Guin and Ann Leckie have written books about it, so let's take a look! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/worlds-wit... #sff #gender #nonbinary

On this #NationalDayofTruthandReconciliation, I wanted to look at Cherie Dimaline's "The Marrow Thieves" and discuss the important lessons we can all take from it: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/learning-f... #books #sff #NDTR #Canada

The Salmon Run is happening now in Toronto, which made me want to write about the lifecycle of serpents in Robin Hobb's wonderful Realm of the Elderlings series. Join me in taking my mind off of <everything> for a few moments? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-salmon... #books #ecology #sff

A horror novel about society's willingness to discard women after menopause? Written by a cis man of all things? Mary: An Awakening of Terror is pretty great! I review and discuss here: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/mary-an-aw... #horror #bookreview #storytelling #phobias

It's sometimes hard to remember that before the multi-billion dollar franchise, A Song of Ice and Fire was just a series of books exploring the human condition. In this week's post, I return to the source to find and share what insights I may: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-value-...

Why does the internet – ok, mostly Reddit – hate R.F. Kuang? What can we learn from it? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-rf-kua... #katabasis #2025news #author

This week I had one of my short stories, 'Litany of Renewal', published for the first time! Find it here in the debut issue of Vellum Mortis by Memento Mori Ink Mag and Crystal Lake Publishing! www.mementomoriinkmag.com/vellummortis... #writer #shortfiction #weirdfiction #godsofthegutter

Today I wrote about Ghost's "Satanized" and ever-harmful false dichotomies. proseandcontext.substack.com/p/ghosts-sat... #ghost #music #analysis

I love #Dimension20 and wanted to share some of the storytelling lessons I've learned from these hilarious, talented folks! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/dimension-...

The ending of Paul Murray's #TheBeeSting hit me like a truck – much the same as B.R. Yeager's #NegativeSpace. Perspective plays a big role in the tragedy of these novels and the important lessons we can learn from them: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/perspectiv... #BookSky #Life #Lessons

The Tyrant Philosophers series is truly incredible, possibly in part because Tchaikovsky seems to have been inspired by Sanderson's Stormlight. I explore many of my favourite elements in the series and their parallels. proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-tyrant... #booksky #sff #fantasy #book #new

@aptshadow.bsky.social's "City of Last Chances" and "House of Open Wounds" utterly devoured my weekend and inspired me to write about ideas of fantastical tyranny and the complexity of meaningful societal change. Also discussed #Babel & The Masquerade: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-spark-...

How the Serenity Prayer has helped me with crippling social anxiety and ADHD paralysis, with reference to Midnight Mass and (of course) the Stormlight Archive. proseandcontext.substack.com/p/anxiety-ad... #booksky #mentalhealth #acceptance

The Ghostie People of 'The Shining' and 'Doctor Sleep' may be a little spooky, but they have nothing on the deep issues of trauma and addiction that Stephen King explores. I wrote about the masterful generational story in my latest piece: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-all-to... #BookSky

More #TheBlackCompany discussion about the many things I love in this series, plus about the way Cook transplants aspects of Indian, Vietnamese and other cultures without a ton of care. Are you more excited or nervous for the series' return, #BookSky? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-wonder...

Glen Cook's The Black Company series returns later this year with a sequel 25 years in the making. I really like this series. I also deeply hate parts of it, namely the sexual violence it depicts. I wrestle with this in today's piece: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/why-i-love... #booksky #sff #cw

#ThisIsHowYouLoseTheTimeWar is the rare speculative fiction novel that manages to be both incredibly rich with meaning and remarkably brief in page count. I wrote a little about what goes into making this book such a masterpiece: proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-making... #booksky #lesbian #sff

Character spotlight for one of the most badass & terrifying women ever depicted in speculative fiction, Tain Shir from Seth Dickinson's #Masquerade novels. Precursor and foil to #BaruCormorant, uniquely unmastered, this woman's got it all. proseandcontext.substack.com/p/tain-shir-... #booksky

#Murderbot on Apple TV+ may have started a little slow, but every episode has been ramping up both the tension and humour exquisitely. Whether you're a fan from the books or just looking for something new to watch, give it a shot - it's worth it 🤩

Does life have intrinsic value? So much of speculative fiction focuses on a few aristocratic characters eager to spend the lives of plebeians on their way to glory. Are we different, caring mostly for those close to us? Art by Steve Prescott proseandcontext.substack.com/p/does-life-... #booksky

Now that I've done over a hundred posts on the subject, why not tackle the question: What is Speculative Fiction? proseandcontext.substack.com/p/what-is-sp... #booksky #fantasy #scifi #speculativefiction #movies

What if we kept hold of our human rights though? Wrote today about corporate dehumanization in 'Murderbot' and 'Chain-Gang All-Stars', and boy do we have a long way to potentially fall. Let's not! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/corporate-... #booksky #slavery #indenturedlabour #prisonsystem

I loved The Rehearsal's Season Two, but was surprised Nathan Fielder didn't make the connection between pilots and traditional masculinity. I give it a shot in my article below! proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-rehear... #TVSky #NathanFielder #Gender #Communication

I think I’ve posted this before. I’m posting it again because I love it, 😁. Artist: Ed Steed of the New Yorker