Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, the first book in the MaddAddam trilogy, is speculative fiction at its finest—and it’s not for the faint of heart.
Read moreSpeculative Book Stack Poems
Ever notice how your books sometimes talk to you? No? Well, maybe it's just us here at Fiction Unbound.
Read moreInvasion of the Tearling -- on Secret-Keeping and Tearling as Moses
The second book of Erika Johansen's trilogy, published by HarperCollins in June of 2015.
"The Invasion of the Tearling" is the second book in Erika Johansen’s "The Queen of the Tearling" trilogy. We discuss character and story development, biblical allusions...and propose spoiler-ridden speculations about the upcoming final book.
Read moreSuperheroes, Enchantment, and Double Narratives: Comics in Novels
We make the connection between the golem of Prague and post-apocalyptic science fiction.
Read moreField Notes from Denver Comic Con 2015
Fiction Unbound went to its first Comic Con last weekend, and our Unbound contributors are here to talk cosplay, comics artists, and the special salience of our nerdiest literary medium.
Read more"The Handmaid's Tale": I Think, Therefore I Have the Power to Resist
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpiece about a fundamentalist Christian theocracy that overthrows the U.S. government and enslaves women to be childbearing “Handmaids”, turns 30 years old this fall. The novel remains as relevant—and as haunting—today as it was when it first appeared in 1985.
Read more2015 Pulitzer Prize Winner: Doerr's ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE
All the Light We Cannot See (2014), by Anthony Doerr.
The 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction was awarded to All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Scribner). The Pulitzer announcement blurb: "...an imaginative and intricate novel inspired by the horrors of World War II and written in short elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology."
Read moreQueen of the Tearling: Strong Women Rule
What happens when a strong-willed teenaged queen confronts the corrupt rule of a neighboring queen? The Unbound Writers followed and admired Kelsea's heroic journey from obscurity to power and generosity.
Read moreTrope Reversals and Smart Smut: Gabaldon's OUTLANDER Merits the Hype
Social media hype for all things Scottish is escalating in anticipation of the second season premiere of OUTLANDER, the Starz TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldan's book, in which an intrepid WWII British ex-combat nurse, Claire Randall, travels back in time to the rebellious Scottish Highlands of 1743. After binge watching the first season and customizing our own 'I Like it Scot' poster, Unbound Writers, Amanda Baldeneaux and CH Lips weigh in on the pivotal topics: Claire as Superheroine, Novel vs. Show and an astute Smut Ranking of the book/show's hottest moments.
Read moreSir Terry Pratchett, Fantasy Author, Died Today at Age 66
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Today, Fiction Unbound joins the literary world in mourning the passing of one of its giants, best-selling author of the Discworld series, Sir Terry Pratchett. In his words: "It is said that your life flashes before you eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life." -The Last Continent.
Read moreThe Rapunzel Complex
Amanda Baldeneaux, CS Peterson and CH Lips got together to discuss recent retellings of the Rapunzel story and muse about why so many women get locked in towers when we write fantasy.
Read moreRiffing on Disney's INTO THE WOODS, Part One
In part one of a two-part series, the Unbound Writers give their reactions to Disney's big-screen adaptation of Into the Woods.
Read moreWelcome to Fiction Unbound!
Fiction Unbound is a space to celebrate and explore great writing in speculative fiction. Do you like elves and aliens, but also good sentences? In this inaugural post, we, your faithful contributors, introduce ourselves and share examples of the variety of fiction you’ll be seeing a lot of round here.
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