My Hugo Must Be Acknowledged
The Hugo and Nebula awards for Sci-Fi and Fantasy are held annually, open to the public and decided upon by popular vote. Past winners include Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick, Frank…
Fantasising About Diversity
When I heard the theme for this month’s Pelican issue I must admit I got a little (read: very) excited, because fantasy is kind of my special interest. My ideas…
Thomas Pynchon’s Paper Bag Masked Party: A Oral History
JONATHAN FRANZEN: I was sitting in Kirschbaum’s Bakery one morning, halfway through a strudel, when this girl walked up to me, all Helvetica-light glasses, braided hair and jelly sandals, and…
Short story: An Incident at the Glove Factory
Nosing at the Selangor canals in the industrial zone of Setia City, there is a large, grey, squat building of a dour aesthetic which one passer-by of no consequence to…
Railsea by China Miéville
An imaginative reworking of the classic tale of Moby Dick by a daring and experimental author, Railsea (2012) is a fantasy work steeped in false science and the drama of…
Gentlemen And Sledgers: A History of the Ashes in 100 Quotations and Confrontations by Rob Smyth
Some of the most stunning works of sport history in recent times have come not from historians but from the cabal of talented writers who have circled the offices of…
Short Story: John Cole
When I was little I thought John Cole was some kind of alien. A large head on a long body, like in vintage comics. His thin yellow skin contrasted with…
Revival by Stephen King
In keeping with the theme of firsts, this was the first time I’d actually read a Stephen King novel. I wasn’t disappointed. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m…
Little Pretty Pocket Books and Murderous Clones: The Dark and Puritanical Heritage of Kids’ Lit
It would be grossly naive to think children’s stories are undeserving of serious consideration. Prevailingly though, they’re seen as the ‘paddling pool’ of literature; a place we glibly float before…
Namelessness
There is a particular solemn beauty about fleetingly meeting someone, and farewelling them, and realising that you will very likely never see each other again. Not those obligatory mundane exchanges,…