Category: Speculative

Feminism, Fiction, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Speculative

The Water Cure – A Feminist Dystopia

Title:  The Water Cure Author: Sophie Mackintosh Publisher: Doubleday (January 2019) ISBN:  978 0385543873   Just when it seems dystopian horror has had its moment, a new iteration emerges. The Water Cure, the Man Booker-nominated, debut novel of Welsh writer Sophie Mackintosh, depicts a distinctly female dystopia and arrives amidst the cyclical tides of the #MeToo movement. So, what fresh hell this? Three sisters are … Continue reading The Water Cure – A Feminist Dystopia

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Fiction, Short Story, Speculative, Translation

Reimagining the New Testament

Title: Children of God Author: Lars Petter Sveen Translator: Guy Puzey Publisher: Graywolf Press (Minneapolis, 2018) ISBN: 978 1 55597 820 4 Three soldiers sent by King Herod to massacre innocent babies experience a moment of doubt, only to have their resolve strengthened (and hearts hardened) by the words of a sinister old man. An urchin boy styling himself King David sacrifices everything to keep … Continue reading Reimagining the New Testament

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Fiction, Literary Awards, Speculative, Translation

In Yoko Tawada’s The Emissary the future is, predictably, bleak.

Title: The Emissary Author: Yoko Tawada Translator:  Margaret Mitsutani Publisher: New Directions Books, New York (2018) ISBN:  978 0 8112 2762 9 In Yoko Tawada’s The Emissary the future is, somewhat predictably, bleak. Japanese children are frail and infirm creatures, cared for by grandparents and great-grandparents who remain strong and vigorous well past the hundred-year mark. The two main characters, Yoshiro and his great-grandson Mumei, live … Continue reading In Yoko Tawada’s The Emissary the future is, predictably, bleak.

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