Speaking of the Fantastic

by Dan Simmons

First published 2013

Darrell Schweitzer sits down with thirteen masters of speculative fiction to explore their craft and careers. The conversations reveal how writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, Fritz Leiber, and Frederik Pohl developed their distinctive voices and approaches to storytelling. Terry Bisson discusses his unconventional narratives while Marion Zimmer Bradley reflects on building fictional worlds. John Brunner and Jonathan Carroll share insights into their creative processes, and Robert Holdstock explores the intersection of myth and modern fantasy. Ellen Kushner, Ray Faraday Nelson, Dan Simmons, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Jack Williamson each contribute their perspectives on the evolution of genre fiction. These candid discussions capture the personalities behind beloved works and offer readers direct access to the minds that shaped contemporary fantasy and science fiction.

Genres: literary-fiction, anthologies, 20th-century, fantasy, biography-memoir, criticism, 21st-century, academic

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: interviews, literary-analysis

168 pages · Paperback · Wildside Press

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