This week at the Kirkus Reviews Blog, I look at Suspension of Disbelief in Science Fiction :
All readers of fiction, whether it be mainstream fiction or genre fiction, go into a story knowing it’s not actually true. They are willing to believe a story’s premise and setting at the outset, before reading the first word. But the initial open-mindedness of a premise is different than the continued belief in that premise. Suspension of disbelief is the act of postponing one’s judgment on the believability of a fictional story. This is important in all fiction, of course, but is even more important in science fiction and fantasy, where the worlds being portrayed can be very different from our own.
Hop on over and check it out.
This week at the Kirkus Reviews Blog, I had the opportunity to interview Stephen Haffner of Haffner Press
Haffner Press publishes, among other things, definitive collections of speculative fiction classic. As a fan of classic sf, their books are treats to be savored.
Head on over to Kirkus Reviews blog and check out my interview with Stephen Haffner of Haffner Press.
Haffner Press has posted the table of contents for their upcoming Manly Wade Wellman collection The Complete John Thunstone, featuring cover art by Raymond Swanland.
Conceived by Manly Wade Wellman and Weird Tales editor Dorothy McIlwraith in 1943, John Thunstone is a scholar and playboy who investigates mysterious supernatural events. Large and strong, intelligent, handsome, and wealthy, he has the typical attributes of a heroic character. He is also well-read in occult matters and has access to weapons (such as a sword-cane forged by a saint) that are especially potent against vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. In addition to the ghosts and other traditional supernatural beings, several of Thunstone’s enemies are Wellman’s unique creations. Particularly compelling are the the enigmatic shonokins, a race of human-like creatures who claim to have ruled North America before the coming of humans. Thunstone’s most persistent foe is the diabolical sorcerer Rowley Thorne, a character loosely based on the real occultist Aleister Crowley. Thunstone originally appeared in short stories published in Weird Tales from 1943 to 1951 with a final short story in 1982. Wellman would later write two novels featuring Thunstone: What Dreams May Come (1983) and The School of Darkness (1985).
This new collection features 16 stories and 2 novels:
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