Author Archives: Rawle Nyanzi

Doki Doki Literature Club! (Review)

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Somewhere in Japan, a high school boy walks to school with his childhood friend like he always has. This friend, a cheerful girl named Sayori, invites you to join the school’s literature club, which is filled with pretty girls who … Continue reading →

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Why Mecha Anime Are in Decline

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Recently, a Youtuber named Glass Reflection posted a video talking about why mecha anime have declined in popularity in recent years. In summary, he believes that the genre has exhausted itself, that the major franchises Gundam and Evangelion have crowded … Continue reading →

Posted in Anime | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Two Non-Traditional Approaches to Space Opera

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

When one thinks of “non-traditional” space opera, one’s mind goes straight to the Hugo shortlists — Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, John Scalzi’s Redshirts, Chuck Tingle’s Space Raptor Butt Invasion, and other such works. Most works of this nature come from … Continue reading →

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The Importance of Delta-V

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

I first read about delta-v as it relates to space travel on Winchell Chung’s Atomic Rockets website. At first, I dismissed it as just another boring limitation on fun space opera adventure, a bit like his descriptions of why gigantic … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction | Tagged | 2 Comments

My Opinion on Modern SF/F

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Recently, literary critic Jeffro Johnson, author of Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons and Dragons, did an interview with Jon Del Arroz about how RPGs ruined speculative fiction. In this interview, Jeffro explains how modern authors rarely bring their … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Misha on Modern Romance

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Over at Google Plus, Misha Burnett makes a rather telling observation about romances in fiction: When did emotionally abusive relationships become the new normal in Science Fiction?  I keep running into storylines where the male lead “proves” his love for … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular culture | Tagged | 10 Comments

Justifying Space Fighters

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Winchell Chung, owner of the stupendously awesome Atomic Rockets website (check out his Boom Table) hates space fighters with the fury of a billion burning suns. He cites numerous writers on the infeasibility of such weapons, pointing out that drones … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction | Tagged | 12 Comments

A Former Trek Fan’s Comment on the Marketing of Star Trek Discovery

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Reader and former Star Trek fan Gamera977 has more to say on Star Trek Discovery in a response to my post on start-a-fight marketing: Thanks Rawle, I was thinking they were going down the same route as the ‘Ghostbusters’ remake … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular culture | Tagged | 3 Comments

Moe Problems

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

On a Google Plus thread, JD Cowan discusses what led to the decline of the anime industry in the US: It was the perfect storm of bad management and the overseas industry going insular. There’s a reason there’s such a … Continue reading →

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Musings on Anthologies

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Rawle Nyanzi

Anthologies seem to be a dime a dozen. You have Asimov’s, Analog, Clarkesworld, and Strange Horizons. You have Beneath Ceaseless Skies and you have Uncanny. And then there are magazines like Cirsova who cater to a completely different clientele than … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged | 6 Comments