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

Parallel Deterioration: On Brian Evenson’s “Song for the Unraveling of the World”
In “Song for the Unraveling of the World,” Brian Evenson renders the world as a place of infinite and paralyzing delusion.
Nathan Scott McNamaraJun 14, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
Navigating the Dark Corners: Karen Russell’s “Orange World and Other Stories”
Claire Kim looks at the alluring, dark tales in Karen Russell’s new short story collection, “Orange World and Other Stories.”
Claire KimJun 13, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
The Warmth of “New Suns”
John Rieder reviews "New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color," edited by Nisi Shawl.
John RiederJun 4, 2019
- SF
Disney’s Endgame: Corporate Stockholm Syndrome in the Age of the Mega-Franchise
While we crave traditional components like complexity, spectacle, and closure, we experience those things only as an endless flow of branded content.
Dan Hassler-ForestJun 1, 2019
- Film
- SF
The Technologies That Remake Us: On Ted Chiang’s “Exhalation: Stories”
“Exhalation: Stories” is a stunning achievement in speculative fiction, from an author whose star will only continue to rise.
Sherryl VintMay 25, 2019
- SF
Voices Against the Wall: The Hilarious Terror of Karen Russell’s “Orange World and Other Stories”
Ryan Smernoff appreciates the many gems of Karen Russell’s “Orange World and Other Stories.”
Ryan SmernoffMay 18, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
De-Melanization Procedure: A Conversation with Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Joselyn Takacs talks with writer Maurice Carlos Ruffin about his new novel, "We Cast a Shadow."
Joselyn TakacsMay 15, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
Futuristic Technology of an Alternate Past: Ian McEwan’s “Machines Like Me”
McEwan seems ultimately to have wanted to write a science fiction novel, but he couches it in his old historical upholstery.
Ben LibmanMay 8, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
A Fiction of Miracles: On Michael Bishop’s “Other Arms Reach Out to Me: Georgia Stories”
The miracles never cease in Michael Bishop’s “Other Arms Reach Out to Me: Georgia Stories.”
Doug DavisMay 3, 2019
- SF
But That Is Not the Story: On Marlon James’s “Black Leopard, Red Wolf”
Understanding Marlon James’s fiction requires reading in a fantastical mode rather than a realist one.
Benjamin J. RobertsonApr 20, 2019
- SF
Strange Details Accrete: Marian Womack’s Weird Tales of Slow Catastrophe
In Marian Womack’s collection “Lost Objects,” climatic change is not figured as dramatic upheaval, but slow creep.
Timothy J. JarvisApr 13, 2019
- SF
The Final Treasure from the Tolkien Hoard
Christopher Tolkien wraps up a four-decade curation of his father’s legacy.
Nick OwcharMar 23, 2019
- SF