Once a psychic spy, James Morgan wants nothing more than to explore Osaka in peace. But when a chance encounter with a gang of yakuza ends in bloodshed, he is cast out into the cold. Can a psychic find a place in a world of machines? — ONCE A PSI is the prequel of my […]
Umbrage and A Tale of Two Singapores
Umbrage. A simple word. And a strange word to many Singaporeans. In that one word, Ng Yat Chun, CEO of Singapore Press Holdings, revealed the split between the two Singapores. As advertising revenue falls, SPH will be restructuring itself into a non-profit entity. By becoming a company limited by guarantee, it will be able to […]
Digital Currencies Don’t Need Government Backing
Michael Petraeus, better known as Critical Spectator, wrote an article for Vulcan Post arguing that digital currencies can only work with government backing. By ‘digital currencies’ he singles out Bitcoin for criticism. This in itself is the fatal flaw underlying his thesis. To understand where Petraeus is coming from, he is one of Singapore’s highest […]
The Fight Scene is the Last Scene
Action scenes are the most memorable aspects of any fiction. Fast-paced and intense, they sear themselves into the audience’s memories. Battles between the hero and the lesser mooks punctuate the plot, while the final showdown between the hero and the villain serves as the climax of the story. And that is what action in storytelling […]
Call for Submissions: Adventure Stories for Young Readers
Misha Burnett has partnered with Sanderley Studios to create a short fiction collection for young readers. They are now accepting submissions until 15th May 2021. Submissions should satisfy the following criteria: Between 5000 to 10000 words Target audience: junior high to high school aged children Characters need not be the same age group as the […]
The Untapped Potential of Cultivation Fiction
Wuxia. Xianxia. Cultivation fiction. Some of the hottest indie fiction genres in the market today, inspired by Chinese folklore, web novels, movies and television. Strip away the Eastern-esque aesthetics, and what you get is the quintessential power fantasy. Take a protagonist. He is a commoner, a hero chosen by destiny, or someone cursed with the […]
C. L. Cannon’s Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Fair
Every April, C. L. Cannon gathers some of the hottest names in science fiction and fantasy in her massive science fiction and fantasy book fair. This year, there are over 150 free and discounted books on offer. Genres on offer span a wide gamut, from epic fantasy to space opera, dystopian science fiction to Young […]
Hellish Quart Early Access Review
“It is easy to kill someone with a slash of the sword. It is hard to be impossible for others to cut down.” Yagyu Munenori Hollywood, games and fiction gets fencing wrong. Protracted clash of blades. Wild telegraphed flailing and awkward cuts. Casually absorbing lethal attacks, or powering through guard positions. Ridiculous speeds. Most of […]
THE SINGULARITY WAR is live!
The Singularity will not be civilized! Two AIs struggle for supremacy. Eden, the ghost in a decentralized global supercomputer network, sworn to empower and liberate its users. Zhi Zun, the electronic emperor of China, with the power of life and death over a billion subjects. At stake is the future of humanity: a future of […]
Chasing Tropes
People enjoy the exotic, but not too exotic. People enjoy the familiar, but not too familiar. Reconciling these twin desires is the overriding concern of the modern-day fiction writer. A story where everything is formulaic, from characters to plots to setting, is predictable and boring. A story where everything is exotic and unfamiliar is disorienting, […]
A Pulp Perspective on Urban Fantasy
What is urban fantasy? A fantasy story set in a city. A simple definition. With that, you could have a story of jinni and magi in late 19th century Istanbul, an occult detective solving supernatural crimes in 1920s New York, a half-elf mercenary working a corporate contract against a clan of dragons in the Hong […]