Starship Fonzie

(This review appeared in the Speculative Fiction Writers' Association website. You can read that version here .) Few sci fi books have been as popular lately as Kalienne Bradley's novel, The Ministry of Time. It's a beautiful work, but as I'm about to show, it has its flaws. And no, they are not small ones. I'm aware of a certain controversy surrounding this book. When the BBC announced it wanted to turn the novel into a miniseries, it was discovered that the premise bears a striking similarity to the Spanish TV series, "El Ministerio del Tiempo." This led to accusations of plagiarism against Bradley. But I will overlook this crisis and instead evaluate the book on its own merit. Or rather, the lack thereof. The story revolves around one Commander Graham Gore, an officer who was part of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition to the Arctic. Gore is plucked from the year 1847 by the 21st-century Ministry of Time. Such people, designated "expats,"...

One of the books being talked about as a Hugo Award shortlist item is The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey. Certainly, we're familiar with Corey (the pen-name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Frank) thanks to the success of The Expanse , and that already gives this book a leg up on the competition. But does it meet the usual Expanse standards? At first glance, it seems to. It is almost an extension of The Expanse , as humans have colonized a planet called Anjin, thousands of years in the past. One assumes that this was during the Expanse era when the alien protomolecule technology opened up a large number of ring gates, allowing humans to spread throughout multiple systems at once. The ring gates were later destroyed in order to thwart those who wiped out the ring-builders. But all this is not specifically mentioned. The humans of Anjin have completely forgotten their origins. They know the world was settled, but don't recall how or why. But remain scientifically curious about the p...

It's been out on Disney+ for a little while, now, so it's time for me to finally weigh in (now that I've seen the first two episodes). Clearly, Skeleton Crew is aimed at a youth audience. Kids are the main protagonists, hailing from a planet which seems almost too much like American suburbia for its own good. The street lamps look rather like American street lamps. The buildings look rather like those of any modern urban city. There are trams and cars - all of which run on slotted tracks - as well as speeder bikes, which seem to be exclusively ridden by the rebellious sort who refuse to conform to things like tracks on roads. The only thing that makes it look a little less Americana and a little more alien-world is the school classmates - half of which seem to be some weird sort of alien. For example, Wim, the main child-protagonist, has a best friend named Neel who is an oddly Dumbo-headed-like creature. The authority figures, from police, to firefighters, to teachers, are...

Greetings, all my fellow Milwookies, homo-sapiens, and all other sentient lifeforms of the Planet Earth. This is Starship Fonzie, the official podcast of the Milwaukee Science Fiction and Fantasy League. I’m your host, Eric J. Hildeman, and we’re going to let you know what’s going on in the SFF world generally, and in Milwaukee particular. This podcast is being pre-recorded live from the planet Walloch 9 where the sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit are plotting to seize power withing the Imperium. Actually, it’s coming to you from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or as it’s better known, the world’s beer garden. Welcome to the episode #45 of Starship Fonzie! We’re in episode #12 in our fourth year of existence. There’s a lot to go over, so let’s get under. Way, that is. It’s been too long since our last episode. A lot has happened, not the least of which was the travesty which was the presidential election. Those of us that love future dystopias within science fiction are all just a little bit more ...

So, the latest YouTube video to go viral involves a CGI version of William Shatner being reunited with a CGI version of Leonard Nimoy. It's called "765874 - Unification," and I can only assume the string of numbers refers to a stardate. It is simple, touching, and feels to the viewer like the reuniting of old friends, not just between Kirk and Spock, but between Trek fans and the franchise. This viral moment is a little bit like back when Gazelle Automations did the Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Animated series video, featuring the moment when Picard was abducted by the Borg. It was the Trek video which "broke the Internet." ( To see it again, click here .) This time, the animation isn't a cartoon. Instead it's the simple face-swap software which has been both a blessing and a plague upon entertainment and culture over the last three years. But it got used for good, for once. The film doesn't rely solely upon CGI actors, as Robin Curtis, the ac...

  Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Well, don't. Seriously, November is a stupid month to do a national writing month. You have TONS to do that time of year, whether it be taking down the Halloween decorations, putting up the Christmas decorations, getting ready for Thanksgiving, getting a jump on your Christmas shopping, making sure you get your leaves down to the curb before the final leaf-pick-up day in your city or village, etc., etc. You don't have time for novel writing in November. Unless you're a complete hermit, none of us do. Which is why, for the second straight year, I'm pushing the idea of "NotNovWriMo." That is, doing your novel writing month in some other month besides November. My personal pick? January. When the holidays are over, all the parties have concluded, and you're there with a (hopefully) mild hangover on January 1st with nothing better to do on your day off than watch an old movie or, better yet, start on your book...