SF Industry

Readers Never Actually Fell Out of Love with Space Opera

2 Comments / Out There, SF Genre, SF Industry, TV Series & Movies /

For years, science fiction seemed determined to convince us the future would be smaller, darker, and more cynical than the present. But readers never actually abandoned space opera. They still wanted starships, exploration, galactic civilizations, and futures worth fighting for. Now, as film, television, and publishing slowly rediscover large-scale science fiction, it feels like space opera is finally stepping back into the spotlight — jet packs and all.

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Are Modern Storytellers Afraid of Happy Endings?

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The new Dune 3 trailer should have filled me with anticipation. Instead, it left me uneasy. Not because Denis Villeneuve lacks skill as a filmmaker—far from it—but because the films seem determined to undercut Paul Atreides’ triumph before it ever truly lands. Which raises a larger question: Have modern storytellers become afraid of heroic endings? From Dune to grimdark fantasy to prestige science fiction, modern stories increasingly distrust hope, sincerity, and unapologetic victory. But is that really what audiences want—or simply what the industry keeps giving them?

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Why Star Wars Endures

SF Genre, SF Industry, TV Series & Movies /

Star Wars has been part of my life for as long as I can remember—and, in a very real way, it helped shape my career as a writer. But decades on, the question isn’t why it began. It’s why it never seems to end. As new generations discover it and older ones drift away, Star Wars continues to renew itself in ways that are both familiar and puzzling.

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Why Finding New Science Fiction Online Is Weirdly Hard Now

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I sat down with a simple goal: find something new to read. Not search for a specific title. Not hunt down an author I already knew. Just browse — the way readers have always done. Twenty minutes later, I gave up. Not because there aren’t books, but because real discovery has quietly vanished. What used to be shelves are now funnels, and finding new science fiction online has become far harder than it should be.

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Why Indie Authors Don’t Appear on “Most Anticipated” Lists — And Why That’s a Good Thing

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Why do indie author books never show up on “Most Anticipated” lists? It’s not about quality—it’s about how the indie world works. From short release timelines to direct-to-reader communication, indie publishing plays a different game entirely. Here’s why that’s actually a very good thing for readers who love immersive series, creative freedom, and stories that don’t wait for marketing schedules.

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Farewell to On Spec: A Pillar of Canadian SF Bids Goodbye

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After 35 years, On Spec magazine is closing its doors—a loss not just for Canadian science fiction, but for the speculative fiction world at large. Based in Edmonton, On Spec championed stories with a uniquely Canadian voice and offered a home for emerging and established writers alike. Its final issue, The Final Voyage, marks the end of an era and raises the ever-relevant question: is this just another case of magazine churn, or a sign of the times?

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6 Novelists Who Started In the Pulps…Or Are Still There

Reading, SF Industry /

Why am I talking about pulp fiction? (No, not the movie — which got its name from Tarantino’s inspiration for the story.)

Two reasons: Classic SF got its start in the pulp magazines. And my Ptolemy Lane Tales series was my nod to classic hardcore pulp fiction.

Classic pulp stories are often decried for their simplicity and dependence upon erotic elements to move copies.  The criticism overlooks one of the primary functions of pulp stories:  They were written to entertain.

And my god, they did that in spades.

At their peak of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, the most successful pulps could sell up to one million copies per issue. In 1934, Frank Gruber (writer) said there were some 150 pulp titles.*

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