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The Next Continent: hard science and a warm heart
I was planning to write a bit about Lord of the Sands of Time but as engaging and imaginative as it is, the whole affair is a bit short so I can’t really think of much to say about it. It’s an...
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Contact and conflict in Macross and Good Luck, Yukikaze
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and Good Luck Yukikaze are two offerings in the diverse and well-trodden region of speculative fiction in which humanity tries to come to terms with, and survive, an...
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Fuka-Eri left me behind in the Town of Cats
The hardback edition of 1Q84 was always going to be one of the highlights of this year’s reading list, so however good or bad it turned out to be I was going to make a big deal about picking it up and...
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The Summer of the Ubume
My introduction to Natsuhiko Kyogoku was the anime adaptation of his second novel of the Kyogokudou series, Mouryou no Hako. Then there was the sci-fi-themed Loups Garous. The first novel of his...
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Haikasoru: The Future is Japanese
Viz have been very savvy in their selection of novels to translate and publish in the English-speaking world, with the end result of the Haikasoru imprint being a range of books that I’ve thoroughly...
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On China Miéville, Miyuki Miyabe and genre conventions
Yesterday I finished China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station. It’s a prime example of his ‘New Weird’ brand of fantasy fiction, and my opinion of it reminded me of an old draft of a post I had...
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Kara no Kyoukai revisited, part 1: “like suicide”
The process of adapting a novel for the screen fascinates me, if not as much as the writing process itself. On those rare and wonderful occasions where there’s no “…the book was better…” sensation, the...
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Kara no Kyoukai revisited, part 2: “undisclosed desires”
The second chapter of KnK may seem like one of the weaker sections since it’s so heavy on exposition and concepts that don’t gain much from the transition from print to screen; even in novel form it...
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Kara no Kyoukai revisited, part 3: “comfortably numb”
Although I was intrigued by the first two Kara no Kyoukai movie outings I wasn’t totally sold until I’d seen the third one. The brutal and shocking opening scene made me sit up and take notice, but the...
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Aku no Hana, lily of the Uncanny Valley
Now that the initial controversy has subsided I finally feel able to form and voice an opinion on Aku no Hana. The art style didn’t put me off, surprisingly. I actually had reservations about whether...
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