SF | Los Angeles Review of Books

SF

"The function of science fiction is not always to predict the future but sometimes to prevent it." — Frank Herbert

The Freedom Not to Choose: Sylvain Neuvel’s “The Test”
What Sylvain Neuvel's "The Test" makes plain is that there’s nothing inherently liberating about choice.
Sean O’BrienSep 21, 2019
- SF
Banking on the Future: Ian McDonald’s “Luna: Moon Rising”
Hugh Charles O’Connell observes "Luna: Moon Rising" by Ian McDonald.
Hugh Charles O’ConnellSep 16, 2019
- SF
Horror Fiction for People Who Don’t Like Horror Fiction
Tony Fonseca reviews Ramsey Campbell’s new horror trilogy, The Three Births of Daoloth.
Tony FonsecaSep 7, 2019
- SF
Shelve It Under “Caribbean”: On Karen Lord’s “Unraveling”
Fionn Mallon reviews Karen Lord's new book, "Unraveling."
Fionn MallonSep 7, 2019
- Around the World
- SF
No Monster Story Ever Stays Static: “American Monsters Part I,” Edited by Margrét Helgadóttir
Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock is haunted by "American Monsters Part I," a new anthology edited by Margrét Helgadóttir.
Jeffrey Andrew WeinstockAug 31, 2019
- Around the World
- SF
Burning Down the House: Flying Lotus’s “Flamagra” Summons a Fire It Won’t Put Out
The crucial thing to say about Flying Lotus’s music in general, and “Flamagra” specifically, is that it relentlessly generates speculation.
Max SuechtingAug 24, 2019
- Music
- SF
Magical Maps and Island Utopias: On G. Willow Wilson’s “The Bird King”
A metatextual bildungsroman about religion, war, and love, “The Bird King” enriches the genre of historical fantasy.
Rachel CordascoAug 17, 2019
- SF
“The Lord of the Rings” as Lodestone: On Dome Karukoski’s “Tolkien”
The new biopic “Tolkien” is perhaps best understood as a prequel to “Lord of the Rings” — that is, to the film adaptations themselves.
Brian KennaAug 11, 2019
- Film
- SF
A New View of the Fey Things: On “The Big Book of Classic Fantasy”
"The Big Book of Classic Fantasy," by embracing the strange and the esoteric, shows that classic fantasy has always been a more complex imaginative space
Ethan DavisonAug 10, 2019
- SF
Wonderful Chaos: On “Home Remedies: Stories” by Xuan Juliana Wang
Carol Muske-Dukes tries out “Home Remedies” by Xuan Juliana Wang.
Carol Muske-DukesAug 7, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
It’s All Part of the Plan: On Brian Evenson’s “Song for the Unraveling of the World”
Adrian Van Young reviews “Song for the Unraveling of the World” by Brian Evenson.
Adrian Van YoungAug 5, 2019
- Noir
- SF
Such Abnormal Activity: On “The Best of R. A. Lafferty”
Matt Keeley reviews a new short story collection by the late R. A. Lafferty.
Matt KeeleyAug 3, 2019
- SF