Martha Wells’s bestselling Murderbot series has been lauded for its aromantic and asexual representation, but coming off that series, she struggles to depict queer relationships that are romantic (and, presumably, sexual).
The Subtle Art of Silliness: How Children’s Media Can Heal our Inner Child
Do you ever wonder why there seems to be a timeless essence to the stories little kids continue to read?
Classic Fantasy Tropes Upside Down: What Differentiates Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law from The Lord of the Rings
These tropes have been employed throughout literature in so many ways that one wonders: how is a story able to maintain its originality?
Los Globos
I had always thought that words can do anything. Explain and convey every feeling. If there was no word to describe it, it was because you could not find the right one. It was on you, not on the words. It has only been recently that I realized that words can and do fall short. They can not describe the grief that I have felt. So I suppose they can not describe the extent of love either.
How do we short-circuit control? A Review of Nonbinary by Genesis P-Orridge
While Genesis lived a life that may sometimes seem almost alien, s/he was still very much human—but maybe that’s what makes h/er message resound so strongly with h/er readers.
On the Cult of Romance: A Review Of “Cult Classic” by Megha Ganapathy
Below the fantastical, postmodern surface of algorithms, experiments, and an omniscient entity, however, there lies the story of a young woman, who is terrified to give up control to the universe— afraid of what demons she might uncover if she looks back even for a second.
The Idiot and the State of Contemporary Fiction
The Idiot initially reads somewhat as a hybrid between fiction and memoir—not necessarily because of how much it takes from Batuman’s real life, but because of how much it embraces the existence of art and literature outside of the novel at all.
Words vs. Numbers: A Review of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake
A book Margaret Atwood would deem speculative fiction, Oryx and Crake explores the devaluation of the arts within a rapidly expanding society that heavily relies on scientific inventions.
Fantasy Women: A Review of First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami
Murakami has a record of sexualizing his female characters, leaving them underdeveloped, and if they were films, his books would not pass the Bechdel test.
House of the Dragon Review: Return of the King (And Queen)
House of the Dragon takes us back to what made those first seasons of the show so great.
BERKELEY FICTION REVIEW 