# speculative fiction (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 25 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover speculative fiction. Page: Feed: --- ## [Making Real Connections in College](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/22/making-real-connections-in-college/) _2026-08-22 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ A guide to building the kind of friendships where you can actually be yourself You’re about to meet more new people in a shorter stretch of time than at almost any other point in your life. You’ll sit next to strangers in lecture halls, share a bathroom with someone you met last Tuesday, and get … Continue reading Making Real Connections in College ## [Exclusive Interview: “Time To Play” Author Erin Ampersand](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-time-to-play-author-erin-ampersand/) _2026-08-21 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ With the new paperback and eBook editions of Time To Play, author Erin Ampersand is kicking off a reissue series of her iconic Apocalypse Parenting series, which Tor Books will continue through next summer with new versions of Making Friends \[November 10, 2026\], Hide And Seek \[February 16, 2027\], Breaking Rules \[May 18, 2027\], \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview: “Time To Play” Author Erin Ampersand… ## [A Well-Run Bay (Grain Series)](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/21/a-well-run-bay-a-grain-story/) _2026-08-21 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ I do eleven holds on this rotation and Vane is the one I look forward to, which is not a thing I would put in a packet. They feed you. That is most of it. But they also have a bay that works, and after four holds where the mass officer is a man on … Continue reading A Well-Run Bay (Grain Series) ## [Mickey 7: Dying Isn’t the Worst Part](https://www.mpaxauthor.com/mickey-7-dying-isnt-the-worst-part/) _2026-08-21 · M Pax · M. Pax_ Science Fiction Book Review A snarky, surprisingly thoughtful ride through life, death, and identity on a struggling space colony. A snarky, surprisingly thoughtful ride through life, death, and identity on a struggling space colony. Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton is a fun foray into life on a struggling space colony with a premise that’s \[…\] The post Mickey 7: Dying Isn’t the Worst Part appeared first… ## [Exclusive Interview: “The Queen Of Florida” Author Jeff Bercuson](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-queen-of-florida-author-jeff-bercuson/) _2026-08-20 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ We all want to live out our golden years in comfort. Some of us just have a funny way of getting comfortable. Which brings me to Jeff Bercuson’s new noir detective novel, The Queen Of Florida (paperback, Kindle), in which someone does what they must to enjoy their retirement, even if it makes other \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview: “The Queen Of Florida” Author Jeff Bercuson appeared first on… ## [Exclusive Interview: “The Astronaut Among The Flowers” Author P.A. Cornell](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-astronaut-among-the-flowers-author-p-a-cornell/) _2026-08-20 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ After ten years of writing genre fiction, author P.A. Cornell has finally assembled her first short story collection: The Astronaut Among The Flowers And Other Stories (hardcover, paperback, Kindle). In the following email interview, Cornell discusses what inspired and influenced this book and the science fiction, fantasy, and horror-ish stories in it. To start, \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview:… ## [When the Future Asks More of You](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/when-the-future-asks-more-of-you) _2026-08-20 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ Leadership requires knowing when perseverance still serves your purpose and when it has quietly become permission to remain smaller than your capacity. ## [Lamp-Down (Grain Series)](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/20/lamp-down-grain-story/) _2026-08-20 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ I. Herein Verick considered himself a fortunate man and saw no reason his friends should think otherwise. He had said as much to Whereas that morning in the queue outside the bay, watching the ring fill for the panels. “My wife wants for nothing.” Not a boast. An accounting. “She has her berth, her name … Continue reading Lamp-Down (Grain Series) ## [The Specter in the New Hotel](https://multoghost.wordpress.com/2026/08/19/the-specter-in-the-new-hotel/) _2026-08-19 · Nina Zumel · Multo (Ghost)_ The next piece in The Supernatural Writings of Stuart Palmer is also supposed to be a non-fiction article. In actuality, it’s a fanciful embellishment of a real set of events that occurred at an elegant New York residence hotel in 1903. The Specter in the New Hotel, tells the ABSOLUTELY TRUE! story of a sinister \[…\] ## [How To Outwit Procrastination – Writing With ADHD](https://reachyourapex.com/how-to-outwit-procrastination-writing-with-adhd/) _2026-08-19 · Premee Mohamed · REACH YOUR APEX_ Award-winning author, Premee Mohamed, shares a science-backed technique for beating ADHD-driven procrastination. "Brains are ridiculous... I don't know who designed these things." The post How To Outwit Procrastination – Writing With ADHD appeared first on REACH YOUR APEX . ## [Crush Every Threat in Real Time (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/XDP9BphaueU3) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ One agent for real-time detection, exposure tracking, and active defense. ## [“The Porcelain Sisters”, Daryl Gregory, October 2026 Tachyon](https://adeeplookbydavehook.wordpress.com/2026/08/19/the-porcelain-sisters-daryl-gregory-october-2026-tachyon/) _2026-08-19 · Dave Hook · A Deep Look by Dave Hook_ The Short: I loved the horror/comedy novel The Porcelain Sisters, by Daryl Gregory, October 2026 Tachyon. It involves twin sisters, one “real” and one porcelain. Isabel is the porcelain one. Ruth loves Isabel fiercely, but she also struggles with having a porcelain sister. Life gets very complex for both of them after Isabel drives off \[…\] ## [Exclusive Interview: “Testament Of Leaves” Author Carolyn Ives Gilman](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-testament-of-leaves-author-carolyn-ives-gilman/) _2026-08-19 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ When it comes to interviewing authors, I usually look at what kind of book they’ve written, and what it’s about. But when it came to possibly interviewing author Carolyn Ives Gilman about her science fiction murder mystery novel Testament Of Leaves (paperback, Kindle), what piqued my interest was when I got to the part \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview: “Testament Of Leaves” Author Carolyn Ives… ## [Rotation Seven (Grain Series)](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/19/rotation-seven-grain-version/) _2026-08-19 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ Rina wakes before the bell and lies still, reading her. Anna sleeps on her back, one hand curled near her chin. Everyone born down here sleeps like that, nothing like the training reels. Her breath is shallow and fast. It has been getting faster for a week, and Rina knows it the way she knows … Continue reading Rotation Seven (Grain Series) ## [Sorrel Ashwick: Chapter 27](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/sorrel-ashwick-chapter-27) _2026-08-19 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ Speculative Fiction | The Distance Between Them ## [“The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021” Veronica Roth/John Joseph Adams editors, 2021 Mariner Books](https://adeeplookbydavehook.wordpress.com/2026/08/18/the-best-american-science-fiction-and-fantasy-2021veronica-roth-john-joseph-adams-editors-2021-mariner-books/) _2026-08-18 · Dave Hook · A Deep Look by Dave Hook_ The Short: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021, Veronica Roth editor & John Joseph Adams series editor, 2021 Mariner Books, includes twenty works of short speculative fiction, split between science fiction and fantasy. There is a Foreword by Adams, an Introduction by Roth, and Contributor’s Notes presumably by the authors and editors. My \[…\] ## [Exclusive Interview: “Them” Author W.H. Chimzar](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-them-author-w-h-chimzar/) _2026-08-18 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ In a lot of stories about people trying to survive an apocalypse, or the aftermath of one, those people are not alone. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and both The Last Of Us games and TV show have an adult shepherding a kid around. But in W.H. Chimzar’s post-apocalyptic survival horror novel Them (hardcover, Kindle, \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview: “Them” Author W.H. Chimzar appeared first on… ## [Top Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazines 2026](http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2026/08/top-science-fiction-and-fantasy.html) _2026-08-18 · Eric Schwitzgebel · The Splintered Mind_ Since 2014, I've compiled an annual ranking of science fiction and fantasy magazines, based on prominent award nominations and "best of" placements over the previous ten years. If you're curious what magazines tend to be viewed by insiders as elite, check the top of the list. If you're curious to discover reputable magazines that aren't as widely known (or aren't as widely known specifically for… ## [Exclusive Interview: “The Jewel And The Comet” Author Tim Pratt](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-jewel-and-the-comet-author-tim-pratt/) _2026-08-18 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ Two years ago, when I interviewed author Tim Pratt about their science fiction space opera novel The Knife And The Serpent, they described it as being like, “You got space opera all over my multiverse!” So what does Pratt have to say about the sequel of sorts, The Jewel And The Comet (paperback, Kindle, \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview: “The Jewel And The Comet” Author Tim Pratt appeared first on… ## [“In Her Exquisite Clutches: A Mystery”, by Auston Habershaw, 2027 Tachyon](https://adeeplookbydavehook.wordpress.com/2026/08/18/in-her-exquisite-clutches-a-mystery-by-auston-habershaw-2027-tachyon/) _2026-08-18 · Dave Hook · A Deep Look by Dave Hook_ The Short: I just read an ARC of In Her Exquisite Clutches: A Mystery, by Auston Habershaw, March 2027 Tachyon. Think obsessive art collecting dragon and her henchman trying to solve the biggest art heist of all time. While it did not quite get to great, I loved it and really wanted to find out \[…\] ## [The Grain: A World Bible in Eleven Modules](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/18/the-grain-a-world-bible-in-eleven-modules/) _2026-08-18 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ Working title. A near-future hard-SF setting for a short story collection. What this is A shared world, not a plot. Eleven modules, each deriving from the ones before it, ending in a kit for making individual stories. Nothing here is a premise on its own; everything here is a condition stories happen inside. The setting … Continue reading The Grain: A World Bible in Eleven Modules ## [Brisk AI News Briefings (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/3yzB1g5p1y2g) _2026-08-18 · **Sponsored**_ Read AI summaries and listen to audio briefings for top stories. ## [Silent Thunder](https://www.mpaxauthor.com/silent-thunder/) _2026-08-18 · M Pax · M. Pax_ A short story from the Rifters Universe… Rain drummed down, cursing the land, shaking it with hellish rolls of thunder, and jarring jolts of lightning. While Raymond Keller couldn’t hear the thunder, he could feel it if it was close enough. When he could feel it was when a storm was at its most \[…\] The post Silent Thunder appeared first on M. Pax . ## [Exclusive Interview: “The Book Of Bots” Author James Patrick Kelly](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-book-of-bots-author-james-patrick-kelly/) _2026-08-17 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ For his latest collection of short stories, The Book Of Bots (paperback, Kindle), author James Patrick Kelly decided to, well, collect his stories about robots. Why, you may ask. For that, as well as what kinds of stories and what kinds of artificial life, you’ll just have to read the following email interview. Photo \[…\] The post Exclusive Interview: “The Book Of Bots” Author James Patrick Kelly… ## [“Beast Of Reincarnation” Review](https://paulsemel.com/beast-of-reincarnation-review/) _2026-08-17 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ In 2021, when I played the Director’s Cut version of the third-person, hack & slash action / adventure game Ghost Of Tsushima, I kept thinking how cool it would be if someone made a science fiction version of that game. And then I realized oh yeah, someone did: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. But \[…\] The post “Beast Of Reincarnation” Review appeared first on paulsemel.com . ## [The Tag They Had to Invent](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/17/the-tag-they-had-to-invent/) _2026-08-17 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ In July 2026, Linus Torvalds told the Linux kernel mailing list that Linux is not an anti-AI project and that anyone who objected could fork the code or walk away. The trigger was Sashiko, an automated review system whose published numbers claim it finds 53.6 percent of the bugs that later required human fixes — … Continue reading The Tag They Had to Invent ## [The Keeper of Unwritten Endings](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/the-keeper-of-unwritten-endings) _2026-08-16 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ Inspired by the above image prompt provided by John Watson - Horror Author ## [Sunday Subscriber Spotlight](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/sunday-subscriber-spotlight-3d8) _2026-08-16 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ Cardio Rebel | Big Body Movement ## [Closed for Inventory by The Night Marchers](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/16/closed-for-inventory-by-the-night-marchers/) _2026-08-16 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ ## [Falling into a Black Hole](https://elanagomel.substack.com/p/falling-into-a-black-hole) _2026-08-15 · Elana Gomel · A Guide to Unreality_ How Israeli and Jewish Speculative Fiction Responds to October 7 ## [The Word as Lens Week 27](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/the-word-as-lens-week-27) _2026-08-15 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ One Word. Many Voices. Infinite Interpretations. ## [The Silicon Game](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/15/the-silicon-game/) _2026-08-15 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ Track Prompt I d like to do a parody of the Rolling Stone s Sympathy for the Devil, but making the protagonist the Unabomber and having the lyrics reflect that A.I. is going to undermine future human cognitive ability. Venue is suno.com. I d like the vibe to be something close to Rolling Stones but merged with this Continue reading The Silicon Game [Listen](https://cafebedouin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/the-silicon-game.mp3) ## [Watch chovy live code (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/axk7bHQWeS8i) _2026-08-15 · **Sponsored**_ Join Mosh Coding streams with collaborative screen sharing and remote control, open source. ## [“FROM THE LAND OF ROBOTS AND GOLEMS: Chronicles of Czech Science Fiction, vol. 5, 21st century Czech speculative fiction”, Julie Nováková editor, 2025 Nová vlna](https://adeeplookbydavehook.wordpress.com/2026/08/14/from-the-land-of-robots-and-golems-chronicles-of-czech-science-fiction-vol-5-21st-century-czech-speculative-fiction-julie-novakova-editor-2025-nova-vlna/) _2026-08-14 · Dave Hook · A Deep Look by Dave Hook_ The Short: I attended at least one gathering and several panels relating to science fiction in the Czech Republic at the 2025 Seattle Worldcon. I obtained and read FROM THE LAND OF ROBOTS AND GOLEMS: Chronicle of Czech Science Fiction, vol. 5, 21st century Czech speculative fiction, Julie Nováková editor, 2025 Nová vlna. It includes \[ \] ## [Exclusive Interview: “The Mindless” Author Mark Bozon](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-mindless-author-mark-bozon/) _2026-08-14 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ As we ve seen in our own world, some people want to live behind walls, not just for safety and security, but to separate themselves from the riff raff. But what happens when people inside the walls want to escape the relative riff raff within the walls. Such is the premise underlying author Mark Bozon s \[ \] The post Exclusive Interview: The Mindless Author Mark Bozon appeared first on… ## [Exclusive Interview: “Saint Delilah” Author Isabelle Spotts](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-saint-delilah-author-isabelle-spotts/) _2026-08-14 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ Some people write simple ghost stories. Author Isabelle Spotts is not one of them. Which is why, in the following email interview about her ghostly new novel Saint Delilah (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), she says it s not just a horror novel. Photo Credit © Sharon Vanorny To start, what is Saint Delilah about, and \[ \] The post Exclusive Interview: Saint Delilah Author Isabelle Spotts appeared… ## [Exclusive Interview: “The Sands Of Mars” Author Robert E. Hampson](https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-sands-of-mars-author-robert-e-hampson/) _2026-08-14 · Paul Semel · paulsemel.com_ Like people both real and fictional, the main character in Robert E. Hampson s hard science fiction adventure thriller novel The Sands Of Mars (paperback, Kindle) is getting exactly what he wants just not when he wants it. To find out what I m talking about, as well as what inspired and influenced this sci-fi story — \[ \] The post Exclusive Interview: The Sands Of Mars Author Robert E. Hampson… ## [We Become Fluent in Perhaps](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/we-become-fluent-in-perhaps) _2026-08-14 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ On enthusiasm, vulnerability, and the courage to want something before certainty arrives. ## [Be Conservative in What You Send, Liberal in What You Receive](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/14/be-conservative-in-what-you-send-liberal-in-what-you-receive/) _2026-08-14 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ A one-sheet on posture toward the people around you The principle, and its known failure Jon Postel wrote it for computers talking to each other: send strictly correct output, accept anything you can reasonably interpret. It let a fragile early internet work despite everyone s software being slightly wrong. Engineers later turned against it. Broken implementations Continue reading Be Conservative… ## [Flight WW II Sci-Fi Movie Review](https://www.mpaxauthor.com/flight-ww-ii-sci-fi-movie-review/) _2026-08-14 · M Pax · M. Pax_ A Bumpy Flight Through Alternate History Sometimes a movie doesn’t have a massive budget or jaw-dropping special effects, yet still manages to be entertaining. Flight WW II falls squarely into that category. Obviously the taglines on the movie poster conflict. True events. Um, maybe. I guess they mean the fact that WW II happened. I \[…\] The post Flight WW II Sci-Fi Movie Review appeared first on… ## [AI and Consciousness](http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2026/08/ai-and-consciousness.html) _2026-08-13 · Eric Schwitzgebel · The Splintered Mind_ AI and Consciousness, hot off the press at Cambridge University Press and free online until Aug 26! Summary: Our most advanced AI systems might soon – within the next five to thirty years – be as richly and meaningfully conscious as ordinary humans, or even more so, capable of genuine feeling, real self-knowledge, and a wide range of sensory, emotional, and cognitive experiences. In some arguably… ## [AI and Consciousness](http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2026/08/ai-and-consciousness.html) _2026-08-13 · Eric Schwitzgebel · The Splintered Mind_ AI and Consciousness, hot off the press at Cambridge University Press and free online until Aug 26! Summary: Our most advanced AI systems might soon – within the next five to thirty years – be as richly and meaningfully conscious as ordinary humans, or even more so, capable of genuine feeling, real self-knowledge, and a wide range of sensory, emotional, and cognitive experiences. In some arguably… ## [AI and Consciousness](http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2026/08/ai-and-consciousness.html) _2026-08-13 · Eric Schwitzgebel · The Splintered Mind_ AI and Consciousness, hot off the press at Cambridge University Press and free online until Aug 26! Summary: Our most advanced AI systems might soon – within the next five to thirty years – be as richly and meaningfully conscious as ordinary humans, or even more so, capable of genuine feeling, real self-knowledge, and a wide range of sensory, emotional, and cognitive experiences. In some arguably… ## [Where the Light Fractures](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/where-the-light-fractures) _2026-08-13 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ On the strange luminosity of broken places. ## [The Room That Can Tell You the Truth](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/13/the-room-that-can-tell-you-the-truth/) _2026-08-13 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ On why making things requires other people, and what kind of people, and how A nine-year-old writes a rap for a rap battle. She s rapping about turtles. Her sister is rapping about dogs. She wants to read her rap to the family but she s embarrassed — they might laugh. Her mom reads both raps aloud Continue reading The Room That Can Tell You the Truth ## [How a Spirit Corrected the Standard Dictionary](https://multoghost.wordpress.com/2026/08/12/how-a-spirit-corrected-the-standard-dictionary/) _2026-08-12 · Nina Zumel · Multo (Ghost)_ The latest contribution to The Supernatural Writings of Stuart Palmer is an ostensibly non-fiction article, from the June 1929 issue of Ghost Stories. In How a Spirit Corrected the Standard Dictionary, Palmer relates how the ghost of Henry Ward Beecher sent a message to his friend Isaac Funk, during a seance. Funk was co-founder of \[ \] ## [Sorrel Ashwick: Chapter 26](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/sorrel-ashwick-chapter-26) _2026-08-12 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ Speculative Fiction | The Other Map ## [How fantasy subgenres have changed in the last decade](https://thoughtsonfantasy.com/2026/08/12/fantasy-subgenres-changed-last-decade/) _2026-08-12 · Nicola | Thoughts on Fantasy · Thoughts on Fantasy_ A decade after a list of fantasy subgenres became one of my most popular posts, I’m revisiting it to see how things have changed: which subgenres have risen or fallen, and how have the terms we use evolved? ## [KPop Demon Hunters: Where the Voice Learned to Talk](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/12/kpop-demon-hunters-where-the-voice-learned-to-talk/) _2026-08-12 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ On KPop Demon Hunters and the limits of self-acceptance In KPop Demon Hunters, a girl group called HUNTR/X plays sold-out stadiums by day and holds a magic barrier against demons by night. Their leader, Rumi, is hiding that she is half demon herself. The film is smarter about shame than almost anything else made for Continue reading KPop Demon Hunters: Where the Voice Learned to Talk ## [Leap of Faith](https://layersofshimmer.substack.com/p/leap-of-faith) _2026-08-11 · Monica A Leyva · Monica A Leyva_ When the horizon asks us to trust what we cannot yet see ## [Somebody Who Already Knows](https://cafebedouin.org/2026/08/11/somebody-who-already-knows/) _2026-08-11 · cafebedouin · cafebedouin.org_ You can tell when someone in a room is about to cry. Not from anything they ve said. Something in the breathing, a stillness that arrived a beat too early, the angle at which they re holding their face. You knew before you knew you knew. There are books about this — acting manuals, clinical guides, shelves Continue reading Somebody Who Already Knows ## [Who Wrangles in the Rogue AI?](https://www.mpaxauthor.com/who-wrangles-in-the-rogue-ai/) _2026-08-11 · M Pax · M. Pax_ from the worlds of M. Pax… Rogue versus world. Who will win? New planets, hidden lands, and places no one would dare dream of arise from the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. Visions of the future where we verge on extinction and only daring can forge hope. Alternative realms on Earth lead \[…\] The post Who Wrangles in the Rogue AI? appeared first on M. Pax . ## [Chickens in Space](https://elanagomel.substack.com/p/chickens-in-space) _2026-08-10 · Elana Gomel · A Guide to Unreality_ How NOT to write about aliens