Category Archives: Drollery

Humor and nonsense, usually involving Space Princesses

Mavors v Atkins and Other Official Fanboy Questions

An unwary reader writes in and asks: Here’s a couple of John C. Wright Official Fanboy Questions that I’ve been wondering about, and since this is a post regarding your actual work (as opposed to other topics, like eschatology, morality … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 43 Comments

Walking Through the Valley of Mist

A reader with the avian yet leonine name of Griffin ask this question: I guess I’m curious about how you get from inspiration to actual words on the page… Do you start with an interesting idea and see where it … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 15 Comments

A Peek Behind the HERMETIC MILLENNIA

Normally, I do not take up space explaining my books or answering questions about them. They are meant to speak for themselves, or not at all. If there are jests or allusions to other authors in my work, these are … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 40 Comments

Beauty Queen Called Beautiful — the Science Fiction Scale

This is a weekend addendum to my weekly Friday post, which concerned the ugly insanity of the political Left and the beauty of the beauty queen Katherine Webb. More than one reader wrote in to say that she was not … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery | 34 Comments

Beauty Queen Called Beautiful — PCists Panic

My mission as a science fiction writer is foredoomed if the creatures in real life continue to behave in a fashion more alien than any three-eyed Martian, more crazy than the ‘Crazy Years’ Heinlein’s future history predicted, more absurd than … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Musings | 86 Comments

The Feast of the Magicians

Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, when it is traditional to wear masquerade. (The various antics of disguise and mistaken identity in Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT reflect this the theme of the day, hence the name of the play). And … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 62 Comments

Sylvester and Beowulf a Note on the Alignment of Dragons

For those of you who did not get enough Christmas at Christmas Day, let me remind you that today, 31 December, is the Sixth Day of Christmas, when it is tradition to give your true love six geese a-laying. It … Continue reading

Posted in Apologetics, Drollery | 40 Comments

Christmastide

Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long: And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad; The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike, No … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Other | 15 Comments

Giving Thanks for Cats, and other small guardians of civilization

A reader with the eldritch and unspeakable name of Nostreculsus writes: Although cats are disgusting vermin that must be put down, I must warn against any plan to consume their meat in a stew. It is just too dangerous. Science … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery | 23 Comments

Harriet Klausner Review!

I assume this seems funny only to me, since, at this date, I am the only one who has read my book so far. Some of the sentences have that odd, mechanical sound of a sentence translated by Google translate … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery | 18 Comments

Save CITY OF HEROES!

This weekend is my birthday, and it will mark the last 30 days of operation of the online massive multiplayer superhero game CITY OF HEROES. It is being shut down by NC Soft, and, as best we startled and woebegone … Continue reading

Posted in Blogbegging, Drollery, Fancies | 31 Comments

Syllabus for Scientifiction

The fine fellows over at SFSignal ask the musical question If you were creating the syllabus for a high school (junior or senior) English Literature course, what SF/F stories do you think should be included? I answer the question with … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies, Musings | 68 Comments

Loyalty to the Unknown Reader

I was giving writing advice to a friend of mine. Here is a snippet of the conversation I’d like to share in case it inspires another would-be author out there: “But you will not do better unless you take up … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 10 Comments

Free Exercise of Religion Officially Outlawed

Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof, except in regard to appointing an unelected Bureaucrat to arbitrarily misdirect private medical insurance funds for non-medical use, such as providing free condoms, free sterilization, … Continue reading

Posted in Blogbegging, Drollery, Musings | 16 Comments

My Friends, the Witches

Since at least one witch who (to judge from the comment) knows less about witchcraft than I do had the temerity to question my qualifications to report what it is that neopagans believe, it behooves me to produce my credentials, … Continue reading

Posted in Apologetics, Drollery, Musings | 161 Comments

A calculation tool no SF writer should be without.

(Hat tip to Mark Shea) If you wish to calculate your age on other planets, go here: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/ Please note that the author of this website correctly stated the number of planets in this, the sane version of the solar … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery | 39 Comments

Feminine Names for Strong Women’s Novels

I read an article, to which I will not bother to link, which criticized HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins on the grounds that the title of the work was not named after the main character, as it would have been … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 136 Comments

The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis – Part Two

Back to Part One! -6- “Take hold of this rope,” said the first soldier, “and climb out from your pit, slut. Your presence is requested in another far deeper hell hole.”

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 4 Comments

The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis – Part One

On a bitter day, it is better to laugh. For those of you who have not seen it before, here is what all authorities in the science fiction field, namely, myself and Darrell Schweitzer, hold to be the worst SF … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies | 2 Comments

True Manliness

I would like to think my advocacy of the ancient and manly arts of chivalry, courtesy, and behavior becoming to a gentleman are having an effect on the younger generation.

Posted in Drollery | 6 Comments

And now for some real news, fans of science!

This is not a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but a once-in-history thing. I am only sorry there will not be a firm date which defines a clear boundary line, but at some point soon, Voyager One becomes the first manmade object ever … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Musings | 4 Comments

The Catwoman Equation!

For those of you paying attention to the discussion in recent days in this space, all I can ask is, why are you doing something more useful? Meanwhile, we are discussing SCIENCE! Yes, that triumphant march of knowledge based on … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery | 36 Comments

The Space Princess Equation!

Related to our previous post, and to clear up certain technical matters, here is  a re-reprint of a post from 2011 and from earlier this year, explaining the now-famous Space Princess equation. —————————————————- A reader whom I will, for the … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Fancies, Musings | 19 Comments

From the Pen of Laura Resnick

One Steve Wasserman, whose name shall live in infamy for his fifteen minutes of fame, in The Nation holds forth as follows: In certain genres (romance, science fiction and fantasy) formerly relegated to the moribund mass-market paperback, readers care not … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery, Only Posting a Link | 15 Comments

Theology of the Body, Rishathra and the Cyberpope

Nate Winchester writes: Considering the normal problems that one would have with producing offspring with another species, one wonders that in the Star Trek world, sex would actually be encouraged with aliens since there’s almost no chance of procreation. I … Continue reading

Posted in Drollery | 47 Comments