Can you please suggest a blog or resource that will tell me what under-the-radar science fiction movies I should go see?
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posted by rebent
on May 21, 2013 -
5 answers
Never in my life has this happened before, but I keep finding myself in tears of grief over the looming death of Scottish writer
Iain M Banks, who is far and away my favourite writer and has terminal cancer. I'm looking for ways of helping to resolve this emotion, by using it as energy to fuel a meaningful response.
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posted by Mistress
on May 20, 2013 -
21 answers
Writers, and novelists or fiction writers in particular, can you share your goals, processes and timelines for each of your drafts?
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posted by thinkpiece
on May 19, 2013 -
7 answers
For a project I'm currently working on as part of my graduation in Graphic Design, I wanted to compile something like an atlas of fictional cities. These may be from books, legends, stories, video games, advertisements, comics, really whatever... Even "real" cities but alternate versions, imagined or in some way deviate from their real counterpart are valid.
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posted by ahtlast93
on May 18, 2013 -
46 answers
I'm trying to learn more about contemporary Indonesia, and I'd love book & essay recommendations, especially of narrative non-fiction with a strong first person narrative voice! (But I'd also love suggestions of fiction, good travelogues, podcasts, blogs, zines, films, academic articles--really anything that doesn't demand prior in depth knowledge.)
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posted by tapir-whorf
on May 13, 2013 -
4 answers
Many years ago I read an essay that was pretty critical of the way so much fantasy fiction could not build believable societies with plausible economic underpinnings. The author was fairly concise and snarky, arguing that (I'm paraphrasing here) she could suspend disbelief about dragons and magic, but that she couldn't slog her way through a book where not the least bit of thought had been given to how all these characters and their associates could make a living, grow or acquire food, and otherwise acquire money and engage in trade. I
think it was an essay by Joanna Russ in Fantasy & Science Fiction in the 70s, when she had a regular book review column there, but I could be conflating like mad.
posted by maudlin
on May 7, 2013 -
6 answers
I'm looking for recommendations for contemporary(ish) literary fiction written by folks who are not white men.
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posted by shakespeherian
on May 7, 2013 -
55 answers
Can you suggest some works of fiction where an entire family (except a small child) is murdered, and the orphan then grows up to eventually encounter the person(s) responsible?
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posted by 99percentfake
on Apr 22, 2013 -
31 answers
Can you recommend books, movies, or short stories that involve academics in supernatural peril?
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posted by zoetrope
on Apr 11, 2013 -
34 answers
I'm looking for movies and TV shows that have futuristic depictions of education. Can you help me find them?
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posted by madred
on Apr 11, 2013 -
16 answers
I have very little information. Maybe you read this too, though. Fiction with fantasy/paranormal elements, early or mid-90's, female author, gay romance/sex, ghosts, condom factory, divorce, maybe some Wicca?
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posted by blnkfrnk
on Apr 9, 2013 -
0 answers
I tend to like humor, but other genres are acceptable. If this is too broad a category, we can limit recommendations to those where being in one's mid-20s is somehow central to the novel.
posted by jtothes
on Apr 9, 2013 -
19 answers
I am querying the Mefiverse for any solid, literary-leaning fiction with an urban wizard setting. Hopefully not YA fiction, and definitely not Potter. Release the hounds!
posted by Lipstick Thespian
on Apr 4, 2013 -
42 answers
Have you felt one way that was impotent or powerless, but now you feel calm and empowered? And the only thing that changed was you?
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posted by zeek321
on Apr 3, 2013 -
16 answers
I am looking for stories where a prosecutor knowingly tries to convict an innocent person or otherwise intentionally misrepresents the evidence.
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posted by 99percentfake
on Apr 2, 2013 -
17 answers
Somewhere between '80 and '82, I read this book that featured spiders... [arachnophobes: do not click!]
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posted by batmonkey
on Mar 28, 2013 -
7 answers
Need recommendations for short stories or a book (with short self-contained sections) whereby a character's actions/motives could be considered in two very different ways depending on what you thought about the character going into the story (i.e., if I gave you some background first) The best example I can think of is of a man either being genuinely nice to a woman or only pretending to do so in order to get her number. This is for a psychology experiment.
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posted by Smegoid
on Mar 27, 2013 -
20 answers
I've been writing short fiction. I've got my process down pretty well, to the point that I am not getting stuck in writer's block hell or any other common pitfalls. I have ideas, and I'm capable of getting them down on paper. I revise them, I produce new drafts, etc.
My problem comes in the last phase of the process. I don't know when to say something is
done.
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posted by deathpanels
on Mar 21, 2013 -
11 answers
I've been looking for this particular short sci-fi story for several years and I am finally giving up on going solo. Help me find it, hive mind.
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posted by mr_crash_davis
on Mar 20, 2013 -
5 answers
Are there other simple-to-express checks like the Bechdel Test for measuring gender bias and feminism in fiction? I try hard to make sure I'm being a decent feminist as a writer -- I'm a guy, I tend to write with male protagonists but with a lot of female characters involved, and I worry about my blind spots.
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posted by scaryblackdeath
on Mar 19, 2013 -
18 answers
I'm sick in bed with a dose of the flu and I need stuff to read on my kindle. I'm in the mood for intelligent romantic fiction with a dose of thriller - bonus if it has supernatural or gothic elements.
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posted by ninazer0
on Mar 18, 2013 -
18 answers
I'd like to compile a list of sympathetic monsters/villains, portrayed in any medium--film, fiction, art, music, myth.
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posted by ifjuly
on Mar 18, 2013 -
43 answers
I'm interested in the origin and propagation of this particular trope: Extremely drunk driver, with bottle of booze in the car, gets in a crash, possibly killing someone, with plenty of witnesses. The driver, either on his own initiative or after calling someone (perhaps a lawyer) for advice, gets out of the car and starts publicly drinking great volumes from the bottle.
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posted by 256
on Mar 13, 2013 -
13 answers
I am looking for works of fiction similar to the 1983 film
The Star Chamber that stars Michael Douglas as an idealistic judge. Frustrated at having to dismiss the case against an obviously guilty criminal due to a legal technicality, Douglas' character is invited to join a secret group that offers a special type of vigilante justice. But what happens if they make a mistake?
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posted by 99percentfake
on Mar 12, 2013 -
21 answers
I'm submitting a story to a fiction contest, attaching it to an email. Other than the contest guidelines, is there anything else I need to do to the document or be aware of?
posted by larry_darrell
on Mar 9, 2013 -
2 answers
I'm interested in learning about rape in 19th century America for a fictional piece I'm writing. I'm not really sure where to start in researching this, but I'd be grateful for any resources or information.
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posted by Put the kettle on
on Mar 8, 2013 -
8 answers
I recently read
The Last Policeman by Ben Winters and really enjoyed it. I also really liked
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
I liked the settings (basically the real world but at its end,) and the easy nature of the writing (I read both quickly.) I don't think of myself as a mystery fan, but both of these are mysteries of sorts. I'm looking for fun rather than serious books.
What else should I read?
posted by vespabelle
on Mar 2, 2013 -
14 answers
Please help me identify a short story I read in high school. It's about a man who claims that he can make people disappear to the extent that no-one will remember that they ever existed. He is asked to prove the claim... *possible spoilers inside*
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posted by pianissimo
on Mar 2, 2013 -
2 answers
A friend asked me to help her find a book she enjoyed about 10 years ago. This what she remembers: man flies home to southern US to visit family; his father picks him up at airport; they get into a bad car accident; they wake up in a house where a woman takes care of them; she has a dog; she and dog turn out to be ghosts or spirits or something.
posted by mareli
on Feb 20, 2013 -
0 answers
Help me find non-boring media that wraps you in a warm (or fierce) blanket of compassion or simply leaves you with a sense of gentle warmth, safety, or contentment?
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posted by zeek321
on Feb 15, 2013 -
57 answers
I am considering writing a novel/story that involves the idea of people living among us who are somewhere between three and eight inches tall, but I don't know enough about the physics of sound to know if normal height humans would be able to speak to these tiny people. Would their voices be too high-pitched to hear at all, or just very difficult to understand? Would our voices be understandable to them?
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posted by Rock Steady
on Feb 15, 2013 -
18 answers
I'm a graduate student about to propose a college writing class on science fiction and personal identity. The stories need to be short and brand name authors are preferred. I've got a prospective syllabus (see inside), but I bet there's a lot of good stuff that I'm missing that you know about.
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posted by vathek
on Feb 12, 2013 -
50 answers
I'm looking for examples of detective stories, or stories set among the Colonial police force, in Africa during roughly the period 1918-1955. Short stories, novels, even films.
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posted by unSane
on Feb 4, 2013 -
10 answers
Seeking recommendations for fiction that features matriarchy / female led societies.
posted by travelwithcats
on Feb 4, 2013 -
36 answers
I've been trying on and off for years to remember this YA book. Actually, I think it might be a series, but maybe not. Details within.
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posted by fozzie_bear
on Jan 25, 2013 -
6 answers
Help me find a decent set of books for an 8-yr old niece who is heavily into reading (touch wood). Harry Potter, The Hobbit and some other books are not for her at this point.
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posted by theobserver
on Jan 24, 2013 -
68 answers
Can you recommend me a book with interesting, well-drawn characters and a page-turning plot that is not horribly depressing? Maybe (but not necessarily) something of the chick-lit variety?
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posted by lunasol
on Jan 24, 2013 -
38 answers
I was reading an introduction to "The Tale of Genji," and I was struck by the claim that Genji's manor is the most well known example of the architecture of the time, even though it never existed. Are there any corollaries in the West? Elsewhere?
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posted by matkline
on Jan 23, 2013 -
14 answers
Simple enough question. I've never read any Elmore Leonard, and think I will give him a whirl. Where should I start?
posted by Alaska Jack
on Jan 21, 2013 -
18 answers
I spent 4 years learning French in high school, and have retained just enough since then to vaguely eavesdrop on a fellow commuter's French novel the other day. I would like to brush up on my reading comprehension, and could use some suggestions for some simply written fiction to pick up.
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posted by thirdletter
on Jan 16, 2013 -
25 answers
I want to improve my parenting skills for my almost-2-year old. I don't have a lot of role models nearby, so I'd like to do some reading. I tend to put off reading non-fiction, even if it is well-written about a topic I am interested in. However, I will read novels even if they aren't very good and I don't really have time to read them.
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posted by SandiBeech
on Jan 15, 2013 -
15 answers
I'm looking for books, stories, films, documentaries, articles about the birth of dystopic societies. Examples could be a prequel to the Hunger Games (how did this fictional world come to be?), an article about people's lives in a nation where democracy was overthrown, stories about how Jews and non-Jews reacted to the early days of Hitler's rise, explorations of the slow realization that an ostensibly democratic nation is now really run by a strongman or single powerful party.
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posted by croutonsupafreak
on Jan 9, 2013 -
8 answers
