Category: Uncategorized

Looking Backwards on the Future By Ray Tabler When I was a kid, the year 2000 was the future. Seemed like most every sci-fi story was set just about then. 2001 A Space Odyssey, Space 1999, even Prince’s song 1999. I doubt anyone paused to consider if all of this…

Time travel can be hazardous to your health. Essay 900 words, 5-minute read. Wrangling Time By Ray Tabler Time travel tales fall into two broad categories, one in which you can’t change the past, and one in which you can. Although ultimately frustrating, the no-changes-allowed variety is more eloquent. No matter how elaborate…

Gypsies in Space By Ray Tabler The word “gypsy,” as far as I can tell, derives from the (probably) mistaken belief that, at some point in the sparsely-documented past, the ethnic group known as the Romani originated in Egypt. Genetic studies indicate that the Romani came from India, not Egypt….

For the Laughs – Parody in Science Fiction and Fantasy By Ray Tabler A sign of a healthy fandom is the ability and a willingness to laugh at itself. Thus, is born the parody. Depending on the size of the fan base, parodies of a book, TV show, movie, or…

The Perils of Philosophy By Ray Tabler If asked to list dangerous professions, I might choose lumberjack, crab boat crewman, or maybe alligator wrestler. Way down that list, probably not on it at all, would be philosopher. As it turns out, though, philosophers live dangerously. And they die that way…

Confessions of a Pantser By Ray Tabler Hello, my name is Ray, and I’m pantser. Let me enunciate, pant-ser. Not panzer, which is a German armored fighting vehicle. Entirely different than the, mercifully short-lived, middle school pantsing craze of a few years ago. Apparently, that concerned pulling some unfortunate person’s…

Strangers in Strange Lands By Ray Tabler Take a black pebble from a pile of black pebbles. Put it in a pile of white pebbles. Or vice versa. The contrast is stark, and demands contemplation. That’s a literary and dramatic device which has been used numerous times in science fiction….

Otherworldly Music by Ray Tabler It’s well camouflaged, but there’s a distinct strain of science fiction running through jazz and rock & roll music. Fantasy elements too. Because I’ve always read SFF it’s noticeable to me. There are other examples, and I invite you to bring the forward. But this…

FTL, The 3rd Rail of Hard SF By Ray Tabler Definition of terms, right up front: FTL – Faster than light travel (or communications, for that matter). Hard SF – Science fiction which scrupulously adheres to the laws of physics, as we currently understand them. Third rail – The electrified…

3 Wishes By Ray Tabler Djinn, jinn, genies (however you spell the word) are but one example of beings in the supernatural menagerie chronicled by human folklore. An uncommon aspect to djinn behavior (or so the tales tell) is that once summoned, the djinn is obligated to grant wishes to…