Category Archives: Science

The Food of the Gods

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Claire L. Evans

A villanelle is a kind of 19th-century French poem long derided by modern poets for its fusty, pompous formalism &#8212but, like many things, revived when the madness of the 20th century brought about nostalgia for structure. H.G. Wells was a … Continue reading →

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The Zap Gun

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

The original cover’s horny pronouncement: “Alien Satellites Circle the Earth–and Man’s Only Hope is a Mad Cartoonist!?” The Zap Gun is one of Philip K. Dick’s lesser “pot-boiler” novels. It was originally serialized, so it’s shitty in the way that … Continue reading →

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The Synthetic Man

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

This world is a Haven for Extra-terrestrial Stones. The Earth Yields them, Nestled in the dirt and Thoroughly unconcerned with Humanity. Every night, They quietly Invent perfect Copies of Men. A dream is all we are, the Nightmares of a … Continue reading →

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Virtual Light

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

Virtual Light is the first book of William Gibson’s “Bridge” trilogy, in which an nonfunctional, shanty-town Golden Gate bridge is a major feature. Like his previous “Sprawl” trilogy, it leans low and hard into its dystopian city-scape, positing a completely … Continue reading →

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Myths of the Near Future and The Venus Hunters

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

We are all haunted by the totemic images of our subconscious. They rise, seemingly of their own volition, out of the dreaming depths of our minds to color our experience of the world. While there are socialized symbols that have … Continue reading →

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Science Fiction You Can Dance To

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

Step into the tractor beam, and never come back. As some of you may know, when I’m not writing esoteric science fiction reviews, I’m a singer, writer, performer, and concept-maker for a band called YACHT. Occasionally, these wildly separate spheres … Continue reading →

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Dawn

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

Dawn is the first book in Octavia E. Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy, recently reissued as the infinitely-less-cool-sounding “Lilith’s Brood” series. It tells the story of Lillith, a woman who wakes up after a nuclear winter on Earth in an sealed room. … Continue reading →

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Arrive Maris In Ronde

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

Did I ever tell you I played a robot in an experimental science-fiction film? Well, I did. Arrive Maris In Ronde is the thesis project of dear friend and superlative artist Rebecca Carlisle-Healy, sometimes known as RGB by RCH. I … Continue reading →

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The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde is a 1970 collection of short stories by Norman Spinrad — syndicalist, anarchist, and active Internet user. I had the same feeling reading The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde as I did when … Continue reading →

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On The Philip K. Dick Android

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Claire L. Evans

In 2004, some robotics geeks and sci-fi fans built a functional robotic likeness of Philip K. Dick. It looked like Dick, dressed like Dick, and was completely autonomous. Capable of operating without the intervention of its makers, it could track … Continue reading →

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