Tolkien and the Future of Epic Fantasy 'Then what are You, having no Chaos found To make a World, or any such least Ground? But your Creating Fancy, thought it fit To make your World of Nothing, but pure Wit. Your Blazing-World, beyond the Stars mounts higher, Enlightens all with a Cœlestial Fier. [William, 1st …
Category: Films
His Dark Materials
Ongoing Thoughts on the TV Show A couple of weeks ago, I prefaced my review of Philip Pullman's The Secret Commonwealth with a few comments on His Dark Materials, the drama currently being shown on the BBC. Even without seeing the final episode of Series 1, I can say that nothing the writer and producers …
‘Do you want to come in?’
Let The Right One In (Let Me In) John Ajvide Lindquist I was reminded of this post (written over three years ago) when I picked up a copy of another Lindquist novel at a book sale. Entitled Harbour, I'm about half way through and will post a review as soon as I can. No vampires, …
'Do you want to come in?'
I sometimes wonder why Hollywood has to go one better than Europe when it comes to adapting novels for the screen. Last week, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to buy the Bluray disc of the Hammer film Let Me In. For the benefit of anyone who doesn't know it, Let …
Happy New Year!
I do hope you all had a pleasant Christmas holiday! I haven't been thinking too much about blogging over the past few days, being pretty much occupied with launching my new book, It's a Fantasy World!, which is out on Amazon now. ** However, I have been reading some detective stories (three in all in …
The Theory of Everything
Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking A few weeks ago, I went to see the award-winning James Marsh film, The Theory of Everything, with Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife, Jane. I don't know Stephen Hawking personally but have been an admirer of Hawking the scientist for a long time …
To Boldly Go (4)
The BBC Joins the Sci-fi Party Until about 1953, fewer than ten percent of British households owned a television set. There were still regions of the British Isles that could get no signal. Though television broadcasting had begun in the thirties, it was suspended at the outbreak of World War II and did not resume …
To Boldly Go (3)
Sci-fi finds new inspiration and a new audience The film collaboration between Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick in 1968 was a landmark in the history of science fiction cinema. 2001, A Space Odyssey did indeed go boldly into new sci-fi territory. Yet, though it won an Academy Award for special visual effects and BAFTAs …
