By Octavia Butler Beacon Press, ISBN: 978-0807083698 Paperback, 264 pages. © 2003 Dana and her husband, Kevin, are unpacking boxes in their new home the first time she is called away. A wave of nausea and dizziness are her only warnings before the world around her fades to black and reforms into an unfamiliar scene….
Author: DremaDeoraich
Wanted: Murderers
Go ahead. Murder my draft. Slash its prose to ribbons. Get stabby with a red pen and make it bleed. No, seriously. I know you think I’m flexing my sarcasm muscle, but I’m not. If there are weaknesses in my work-in-progress, I want—need—to know what they are. That’s why critique sessions are my friend. To…
Don’t Fear the Rowing Machine
You’ll probably think this is ridiculous, but when I first joined my gym, I was afraid of the rowing machine. It’s true. I watched people using it, saw them sweat on it, and heard their puffs/wheezes. It looked so hard, I thought I’d never be able to last more than a minute on that thing….
Autonomous
By Annalee Newitz Tor Books, ISBN: 9780765392077 Paperback, 304 pages. ©2017 Big Pharma owns the patents to all the essential medicines, and prices them so high that only the wealthy can afford to buy them. Pirates—intent on a) making money or b) helping those who can’t afford the medicine they need—reverse engineer the drugs and…
Here Be Monsters
I seem to be talking and thinking about monsters a lot these days. In part, that’s because I joined Twitter. Rather, I should say I began using Twitter, since I created an account long ago, but never used it for anything other than following Duotrope posts. Now I’m following N.K. Jemisin, Anne Leckie, Tor Books,…
The Nature of the Beast
What is the true nature of the human beast? In the movie Wonder Woman, Diana agonizes over the fact that the war continues even though she has killed Ares. Captain Trevor tells her that maybe the horror of war wasn’t contained in one malevolent being. Maybe a little part of that darkness lives in us…
Humanity Reflected in a Homeless Man
My essay “Dancing Man,” in which I discuss the humanity reflected in a homeless man, was accepted by Across the Margin. It’s a true story, a memory of my encounter with a joyous street person who left an indelible mark on my heart, on my soul. I see people on the streets all the time,…
In Search of Demons
(Warning: May contain spoilers.) What do you think of when you hear the word “monster”? Chances are the first thing that comes to mind are creatures like vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein’s creation, ghosts, Godzilla, or some otherworldly beast. Dictionary.com gives a long list of definitions like “a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form…
Confessions of a Writer
One of my classmates submits some of the most beautiful prose for critique. In his last class submission, his character drives through small rural backwater towns with no traffic lights, where the gas pumps still sport analog dials. The character speaks of being a voyeur, seeing only that moment in time, a snapshot of the…
The Left Hand of Darkness
By Ursula K. Le Quin Ace Books, ISBN: 978-0441478125 Paperback, 304 pages. ©1987 On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to…