Posts filed: columns
The Negative Zone #006: Literary Science Fiction Smackdown
Posted on 2012-12-02 at 2:43 by Wander Lane
The NEGATIVE ZONE #006: LITERARY SCIENCE FICTION SMACKDOWN
by Andrew Neal
Okay, okay, it’s not really a smackdown, but I thought that sounded better than “Reviews of a couple of books that are sort of thematically similar but also really different.”
As far as “literary science fiction,” I’m talking as much about the marketing and presentation of books as much as I am the content. These are science fiction novels which you’re more likely to find in the Fiction & Literature section of your library or
Read more...Posted in columns, the negative zone
Tortilla Tuesday: Harry Tortilla "reviews" Reamde by Neal Stephenson (also a contest)
Posted on 2012-11-14 at 3:0 by montsamu
[Editor's note: Tortilla Tuesday will be a very irregular and quite irregular guest column from one Harry Tortilla, whose single-minded concern about the dangers of Omnicorp tends to, er, overly color his thoughts on fiction... Also: There is a simple-to-enter contest giveaway, details at the bottom, for the audiobook of Reamde.]
By Harry Tortilla:
With the publication of Reamde, there can now be no further doubt that Neal Stephenson has been replaced by a cybernetic entity. A cybernetic entity able
Posted in columns, harry tortilla | Tagged harry tortilla, neal stphenson, reamde
The Negative Zone #005: Taft 2012 by Jason Heller
Posted on 2012-11-02 at 19:4 by Wander Lane
THE NEGATIVE ZONE #005: TAFT 2012 by JASON HELLER
by Andrew Neal
So I had this really great idea where I’d review a political book because Election Day is next week. Who wants to be in charge of stopping me the next time I have a really great idea?
Let’s start with the good. Taft 2012, by Jason Heller, has a really great cover, and is based around an excellent idea for a book: President William Howard Taft mysteriously awakens in the year 2012 and finds himself thrust into the political spotlight. This
Read more...Posted in columns, the negative zone
The Negative Zone #004: King City, Prophet, and Multiple Warheads by Brandon Graham
Posted on 2012-10-19 at 15:51 by Wander Lane
by Andrew Neal
You know who I love? I love Brandon Graham. Well, I love his comics. I don’t know him very well... yet. If you know me from the comic industry, either as my customer or as another comics professional, there’s a really good chance you know how hung up I am on Brandon Graham’s stuff.
But check this out: I’m writing a column for a science fiction magazine now, so it’s chance to preach, not only to a ton of folks who don’t know how much I love Brandon
Posted in columns, the negative zone | Tagged andrew neal, brandon graham, king city, multiple warheads, prophet, the negative zone
The Negative Zone #003: Looper
Posted on 2012-10-05 at 14:59 by Wander Lane
THE NEGATIVE ZONE #003: LOOPER, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY RIAN JOHNSON
by Andrew Neal
The timeline has changed. The promised review column I wrote for the comics of Brandon Graham will run in two weeks instead of today.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQuhsmtfHw]
In another timeline, I overheard several phone calls made by folks working on the production of the movie Looper. Something has happened in my past self's present which is causing my memory to blur, but I have recorded the ones I can
Read more...Posted in columns, the negative zone
The Negative Zone #002: The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
Posted on 2012-09-21 at 17:53 by montsamu
THE NEGATIVE ZONE #002: THE DROWNED CITIES by PAOLO BACIGALUPI
by Andrew Neal
When I was younger, I never would have thought I’d get tired of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, but the rest of the world caught up with my tastes and now it’s all over the place. Turn over a rock and out comes a zombie. Roll over a log and discover a plucky, heroic young girl surviving the harsh future against all odds. Dredge the flooded streets of an ancient ruined American city and find an almost indestructible man
Read more...Posted in columns, the negative zone
The Negative Zone #001: Sorry Please Thank You by Charles Yu
Posted on 2012-09-07 at 15:3 by montsamu
THE NEGATIVE ZONE #001: SORRY PLEASE THANK YOU by CHARLES YU
Hey there. My name is Andrew. I sell comic books and graphic novels for a living. I also draw and write. The Negative Zone is my new review column for Bull Spec. My friend Carr D’Angelo suggested the title, and I thought it was funny. My qualifications for writing this column are that I read a lot, and I suffer the delusion that everyone is interested in my opinion. It’s nice to meet you! Here’s my first column:
Last year I read and enjoyed
Read more...