This week’s (two-days-late-because-of-Christmas) Saturday special from the vaults is an unpublished short story that won an award in the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild’s short fiction competition sometime in the 1990s…I think. If I’m remembering right. It never found a publisher, but I used to read it at school and library readings from time to time, though …
Saturday Special from the Vaults: Dragons over Europe
This article appeared in InQuest, a now-defunct magazine that focused on games and game reviews–originally, when I wrote for it ca. 1996, only on collectible card games. This story was based on the premise that creatures from Dominia, one of the multiple parallel worlds in the card game Magic: The Gathering, invaded Earth in the …
The Holy Grail of hemophilia treatment
[podcast]http://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/uploads//2011/12/Hemophilia-Gene-Therapy.mp3[/podcast] Over more than two decades of science writing, I’ve seen a lot of my past writings rendered obsolete by scientific progress. Case in point: the release last week of a research report on exciting new progress in gene therapy for hemophiliacs. Back in 2001, I wrote a book on hemophilia for the Enslow Publishers …
Saturday Special From the Vaults: There’s A Puppy in My Pocket
A new regular feature: stuff from the vaults, presented each Saturday. At the Mackenzie Art Gallery, the “vaults” (that’s a picture of them at the left) are where they keep the permanent collection, most of which is not on display at any given time. Here at edwardwillett.com, the vaults are the file folders on my …
A Christmas Magebane giveaway contest!
I just received a fresh batch of Magebanes from the publisher, and in the spirit of the season have decided to give two of them away. If you’d like an autographed copy of Magebane mailed to your door, just leave a message below: no need to leave any contact information except an email address–if you …
VOYA likes Magebane
Although Magebane is not a YA novel, it does have relatively young protaganists, and there’s certainly no reason older teens wouldn’t enjoy it…a fact with which VOYA concurs. VOYA (it stands for Voice of Youth Advocates) magazine is “the leading library journal dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians, the advocacy of young adults, …
Snow business
[podcast]http://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/uploads//2011/12/Snow-Business.mp3[/podcast] It’s hard to believe that, in 20-plus years of science column writing, I have (as far as I can tell) only ever written about snow once. After all, snow is as much a fact of life in Saskatchewan as sun, wind, and the Riders losing. Perhaps there is a psychological reason for my avoidance …
A couple of more Magebane reviews…
First up, Just a Guy Who Reads Books begins his review by saying: Chane combines some steampunk sensibilities with a magic world, infuses the whole thing with some potent political plotting, and presents the result – a fantastic novel. And finishes… Ultimately, a highly satisfying novel. I’d love to see something further in the world …
Creative cheaters
[podcast]http://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/uploads//2011/11/Creative-Cheaters.mp3[/podcast] I like to think I’m a fairly creative guy. It’s hard to write a bunch of science fiction and fantasy novels without having at least a modicum of creativity. I also like to think I’m an honest guy. Tell the truth, keep your word, don’t cheat: that’s how I was brought up, and I …
The doorway to forgetfulness
[podcast]http://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/uploads//2011/11/Doorways-to-Forgetfulness.mp3[/podcast] It’s been a staple gag of TV sitcoms for years: an older character walks into a room and says, “Now, what did I come in here for?” But gags like that are funny because they have a grain of truth in them, and increasingly, I’m finding that grain of truth sticking in my own …
The Big Idea: Magebane
(This is a slightly modified version of an essay that originally ran on John Scalzi’s blog Whatever—here’s the original version. John generously gives over his popular blog on a regular basis to authors with new work coming out, for which he deserves much praise and honor. Thanks, John!) I know this is called “The Big …
The Space-Time Continuum: You got science in my fantasy!
As I write this, I’m about to fly off to the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego, where I’ve been assigned to moderate a panel entitled “You’ve Got Science in My Fantasy!,” featuring fellow writers Gregory Benford, Yves Meynard, Brent Weeks and L.E. Modesitt. The panel is described this way: “In Operation Chaos, Poul Anderson’s shapeshifters’ …









