More Posts By Lotte
Curator Question: Which fantasy/sci-fi character would you like to go on a date with?
Our curators consider dating characters from their favourite fantasy and sci-fi stories. With whom would they want to have a cozy rendezvous?
Review: The Boy and the Heron – Hayao Miyazaki
A boy called Mahito and his father move to the countryside while the Pacific war rages in Japan. Mahito’s mother has died in a hospital fire during the war, and his father is marrying his late wife’s sister, Natsuko. Mahito struggles to find his place in the peaceful countryside until a mysterious heron leads him to explore a mysterious tower.
Curator Question: 2024 Resolutions
Our Curators discuss their 2024 New Year’s Resolutions – what is on their to be read/watch/listen/play list for the coming year?
Review: Burrow’s End – Dimension 20
Burrow’s End follows a small family of stoats who are driven out of their burrow by a mysterious storm. As they fight to find a new home, they soon realise that the real world is threatening in ways they could never have imagined. The season is DM’ed by Aabria Iyengar, and stars Brennan Lee Mulligan as single mom Tula, with her children Jaysohn, a hyperactive karate kid (played by Siobhan Thompson), and Lila, a clever know-it-all (played by Isabella Roland). Tula’s sister Viola (played by Rashawn Scott) is the enigmatic wife of cult leader Thorn (played by Jasper William Cartwright). Tula and Viola’s mother is a grizzled old stoat named Ava (played by Erika Ishii).
Yearly Wrap-up: 2023 in Review
Our curators look back at their 2023 resolutions, and their favourite fantasy and science fiction media of the past year. Which media on their to be read/watch/listen/play piles got their attention? And what else did the year bring?
Review: Fool’s Quest – Robin Hobb
After the events of Fool’s Assassin, Fitz finds himself back at Buckkeep Castle with his old friend, the Fool. The Fool warns him that the pale folk are looking for a child known as the Unexpected Son. Meanwhile, Fitz’s young daughter Bee is left at Fitz’s estate Withywoods, but she won’t be alone for long…
Review: The Last of Us – HBO Max
Global society collapsed after a fungus turning people into zombies spread like a wildfire. Joel is a world-weary smuggler used to a life out of sight of what remains of the authorities. Ellie, on the other hand, is a sassy teenager growing up in a dreary post-apocalyptic world, whose importance neither she nor Joel can grasp. When Joel is tasked to take Ellie on a dangerous trip across country, he is (understandably) less than thrilled.
Review: Axiom’s End – Lindsay Ellis
Cora Sabino is a recent college dropout who has returned to her family home. A leak shows that the US government has made first contact with an alien species, and Cora’s estranged father, in hiding somewhere in Europe, is the one driving the controversy against the government. The Sabino’s want nothing more to do with him, and while their home is kept under surveillance, Cora herself makes contact with a member of the alien species. They strike up an alliance that eventually blossoms into an unlikely friendship.
Curator Conversation: Dragon Age Book Challenge – Kick Off
In this series, our curators Lotte and Jop dive into the Dragon age novels. Will these be on par with the games?
Review: Gallant – V. E. Schwab
Olivia Prior is an orphan who has grown up at Merilance School for Girls where, from a young age, she has been able to see ghouls that no one else can see. Suddenly, Olivia receives a letter calling her home to Gallant, a large mansion inhabited only by her dour cousin Matthew, and his staff. But her new home is not all it seems. Still, not even ghouls and shadows can keep Olivia from trying to find out where she came from.
Curator Question: What book’s cover made you want to immediately read it?
Our curators share their experience going against conventional wisdom and judging books by their cover… Risky business!
Review: A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness
Diana Bishop, a scholar at Oxford, accidentally discovers an ancient alchemical manuscript. Diana is a witch, but she wants nothing to do with the world of witches, vampires and daemons. That is, until 1500-year-old vampire Matthew Clairmont comes into the picture. When the two fall in love, it throws the entire world of magic into a frenzy.