Best of Year Five
Publication Date; February 3, 2025
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-953736-43-7 ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-953736-42-0 |
Step into the captivating realm of Interstellar Flight Magazine, your go-to online destination for all things speculative nonfiction. In essays, interviews, and reviews, talented contributors from across the globe explore the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, and horror through books, film, tv, comics, games, and art. In this selection of nonfiction from 2024, the anthology dives into topics such as Horror’s final girl, UFOs, true crime podcasts, video games as escapism, book banning, small press publishing, translating books, and more. These essays give insight into popular SFF creators like Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Mike Flanagan, and more. Find the answers to questions like: Why is Gremlins a cult classic? What did Jordan Peele mean by miracles in Nope? and Why Aren’t There More Fear Street Movies? Think of Interstellar Flight Magazine as a time capsule preserving the vital conversations shaping the speculative landscape today.
Table of Contents
Editors Note Original Articles The Never-ending Tedium of Survival: a Long-form Essay on the Final Girls Who Struggle to Stay Alive Again and Again and Again Andrea Blythe The Sega Saga as Told by a Kid Trying to Escape: A Personal Essay Salena Casha and Mahailey Oliver UFOs and the Link to Ancient Indian Literature: A Deep Dive Into Fascinating Futuristic Technology from the Past, with Brishti Guha and Indrani Guha Brishti Guha and Indrani Guha The Lotus Eaters: A Longform Essay on Addiction in the Works of Edgar Allen Poe, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King Grant Butler Why Do We Keep Inventing the Magical School?: From T.H. White to Ursula K. Le Guin, Hogwarts Isn’t the Only School in Fantasy Tanvi Chowdhary Five Horror Movies That Reflect Our Times: The Power of a Powerful Message in Contemporary Horror Ryan Fay “Fallen Women” in Fantasy: Sex Work as Characterization in Popular Fantasy Novels and the Complications Therein Alex Kingsley How Science Fiction and Fantasy Can Help Authors and Readers Fight Book Banning: Fahrenheit 451 and The Book Thief Teach the Power of Reading Priya Sridhar I’m (Not) What I Write: That Time I Went Viral on Twitter for Being a “Scary” Horror Author Robert P. Ottone Is It Frankenstein’s Creature or Monster? A Retrospective on Two Early Frankenstein Films Ryan Fay The Mash-Up Mythos: A Parent’s Guide to the Monsters Your Kids Are Obsessed With: Kids Horror from Gaming to Memes to McDonald’s Patrick Barb The Nature of Fear: What Truly Terrifies Us Are the Horrors Haunting Us from Our Childhood Christina Sng The Small Press Horror Renaissance: Six Indie Presses Publishing Horror to Add to Your TBR Pile Ryan Fay Horror Hostesses with the Most-Esses: Late-Night Horror Hosts from Vampira to Elvira Ryan Fay Did Ray Bradbury Predict the Smart House in “The Veldt”? Can the House Replace Us? Priya Sridhar The Witch of the A&P: A Horror Author Looks Back on Childhood Terrors Patrick Barb From Spooky Lovers Lovers to Amantes Espeluznantes: One Book, Two Languages: J.V. Gachs on the Process of Publishing in Multiple Languages J.V. Gachs Reviews Gremlins: Secretly a Cinematic Masterpiece?: One of the Most Polarizing Horror Films in Existence Alex Kingsley Underwater Civilizations, Action Against Oppression, and Friendship: Review of Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz Archita Mittra The Horror of Women’s Pain: On “The Retrievals,” a True Crime Podcast from the NYT and Serial Productions Holly Lyn Walrath A Guide to Becoming an Elm Tree Blends Gripping Folklore with Subtle Body Horror: Irish Horror Film Mesmerizes with Tale of Old Gods Patrick Barb Why There Should Be More Fear Street Films: Netflix’s Horror Film Trilogy and Teen Horror Chloe Smith Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel: A Spellbinding Anthology of Thirteen Short Adventures Set in the Dungeons & Dragons Universe, All Conceived and Written by People of Color Archita Mittra Dinner on Mars Gives Food for Thought Lisa Timpf Saltburn Drips Sexuality and Intrigue: Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike Devastate in This Dark Masterpiece of Desire Holly Lyn Walrath Queer Representation in Supermassive Games: BAFTA-Winning Game Studio and Queer Gamer Culture Vanessa Maki Anne Hathaway Shines in Eileen, a Story of Unrequited Love: Stuck in Massachusetts in the 1960s Holly Lyn Walrath Five Nights at Freddy’s Offers a New Gateway to Horror: But More Experienced Fright-Flick Fans Will Want to Wait for a Level-Up Patrick Barb Ashin of the North Review: The Final Girl Brings the Fire Christina Sng The Toxic Avenger Reboots “Toxic” Hero: The Toxic Avenger Premieres at Fantastic Fest Starring Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, and Elijah Wood Holly Lyn Walrath Haunted House and Cursed Land: Mombauer’s The House of Drought Blends Gothic and Folk Horror in Timely Climate Change Novella Patrick Barb Bad Miracles and Other Spectacular Things in Jordan Peele’s Nope: Surviving Trauma and Memory Gretchen Rockwell A Game of Shadow and Bones: Netflix’s YA Fantasy Show and the Changing Art of Book Adaptations Hesper Leveret Black Mirror Season 6 and the Power of Situational Horror: What Writers Can Learn About Storytelling from the Popular Netflix Series Holly Lyn Walrath Finding a Place in the Medieval: Thinking Queerly by Jes Battis Jousts with Tradition Lisa Timpf Dark Poetry Abounds in Where the Devil Roams: Set at a Carnival in the Great Depression, the Latest from the Adams Family Is a Rotten Riot Holly Lyn Walrath The Only Way to Survive the World Burning: Review of Bridging Worlds: Global Conversations on Creating Pan-African Speculative Literature in a Pandemic Taylor Jones Strange Darling Flips Script on Serial Killer Movies: JT Mollner’s Second Feature Film Explores the Gender Dynamics of Murder Holly Lyn Walrath Mike Flanagan’s House of Usher Stands on a Firm Foundation: All That We See or Seem… R. Thursday South Korean Film Sleep Weaves Sleep Disorders, Magic, & Marriage in Heartfelt Love Story: Debut from Jason Yu Explores Horrors of Sleepwalking Holly Lyn Walrath The Creator Props Up Hyper-Optimism with Gorgeous Visuals: But Does It Succeed?: Gareth Edwards’ New SF Flick May Leave a Bad Taste in the Mouth of Those Worried About AI Holly Lyn Walrath A Shadow of Reincarnation in a Solarpunk World: Review of Another Life by Sarena Ulibarri Megan Wegenke There’s Something Familiar About There’s Something in the Barn: Norwegian Holiday Horror Comedy Is National Lampoon’s Meets Gremlins Patrick Barb Interviews Moving with a Monument: Art, Archaeology, and Artificial Intelligence, Research Questions and Project Beginnings T.D. Walker Interview with Roboticist Daniel Williams and Master Craftsperson Justin Green, Collaborators on Sacrifice: Can You Trust a Stone? at the University of Melbourne by T.D. Walker Immortality, the 1960s, and the Power of Women’s Voices: An Interview with Gwendolyn Kiste, Author of Reluctant Immortals Andrea Blythe D&D in Full Color: Interview with Ajit A. George, Editor of Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel Archita Mittra Toxic Relationships and Greek Mythology: Interview with Jordan Kurella, Author of I Never Liked You Anyway J.Z. Weston Hope, Horror, and Queerness: An Interview with Lucy Hannah Ryan, Author of You Make Yourself Another J.Z. Weston Old Legends Through the Voices of the “Things and Beasts” Therein: Interview with Melissa Ridley Elmes, Author of Arthurian Things, a Collection of Poems T.D. Walker Apocalypse and Perseverance: COVID, Science Fiction, and Poetry of Survival: Interview with Jeannine Hall Gailey, Author of Flare, Corona T.D. Walker Caught Between Two Worlds: Family, Far Away Places, and Formal Poetry: Interview with Lindaann Loschiavo, Author of Apprenticed to the Night T.D. Walker STEM, Women Scientists, and Sexism: Interview with Jessy Randall, Author of Mathematics for Ladies: Poems on Women in Science T.D. Walker Seasons of Questioning: Grief, Parenting, and Navigating Illness: Interview with Emily Hockaday, Author of Naming the Ghost T.D. Walker Scholarship, Song, and the Supernatural: Interview with Kendra Preston Leonard, PhD, Author of Grab T.D. Walker Short SFF, Day Jobs, & Late Night TV: An Interview with William Ledbetter, Author of The Long Fall Up: And Other Stories Holly Lyn Walrath Out of the Earth, Out of the Closet: Mythmaking and Queerness: An Interview with Maxwell I. Gold, Author of Another Mythology R. Thursday Disability, Queerness, & Poetry as Community: Interview with Ennis Rook Bashe, Author of Beautiful Malady by Julie Reeser |
Best of Year Four
Publication Date: December 4, 2023
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-953736-30-7 ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-953736-31-4 |
Founded by Holly Lyn Walrath, Interstellar Flight Magazine is an online SFF and pop culture mag devoted to essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. With interviews, personal essays, rants, and raves, the authors of Interstellar Flight Magazine explore the vast outreaches of nerdom.
Table of Contents
Original Articles I Don't Read Horror (& Other Weird Tales) by Lee Murray Heroes and Villains in the Land of the Panther: The Future of Black Fantastical Narratives in Superhero Franchises by Todd Sullivan TURNING RED and Navigating Messy Mother-Daughter Relationships: How Pixar Centers Asian Family Dynamics While Negotiating Intergenerational Trauma by Archita Mittra Cat Horror by Christina Sng The Dark Fantasies of SUSPIRIA and THE BEYOND: Comparing Italian Horror Filmmakers Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci by Patrick Barb How to Read a Speculative Haiku by Christina Sng Reviews The Greatest Conspiracy of All Time: On TIMELESS, the History of Racism in America, and How We Reclaim Our Timeline by Brandon J. O'Brien STRANGER THINGS 4 and Disability by Chloe Smith LIGHTYEAR Is the Pride Movie We Didn't Know We Needed: Pixar's Latest Toy Story Spinoff Channels Pulp Scifi While Taking Down Toxic Masculinity by Holly Lyn Walrath MOON KNIGHT and the Importance of Being Seen: Marvel's MOON KNIGHT Depicts Contemporary Egypt in a Real, Living Way by Mahmud El Sayed Indie Queer Comedy UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS Understands Intersectionality by Holly Lyn Walrath John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978): Watching Horror Unfold by Gretchen Rockwell DREAM OF A THOUSAND CATS: The power of dreams can change the world by Christina Sng Masculinity in Horror Comedy: Revisiting Vampire Mockumentary WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2014) by Grace Kameyo Griego Fatherhood, a Pandemic, Racism, and the Silent Hero: Review of Anime THE DEER KING by Holly Lyn Walrath Jessica Jemalem Ginting’s poetic Voyages: Review of VOYAGES by Jessica Jemalem Ginting by Jamileh Alexandra Belle and the Nature of the Beast: Review of BELLE, an anime by Mamoru Hosoda by Mar Vincent Starved for Meaning: A Review of A BANQUET by Laura Díaz de Arce THE MENU Is a Hilarious Satirical Takedown of Restaurant Culture by Holly Lyn Walrath Do You Know What It Means to Multiverse New Orleans? Review of THE BALLAD OF PERILOUS GRAVES by Alex Jennings by Jamileh Alexandra RESIDENT EVIL Falls Flat and is Canceled on Netflix by Emily Wagner Indie Film THE ANTARES PARADOX Is a Love Letter to Women in STEM by Holly Lyn Walrath Ladies and Gentlemen, THE ICE PIRATES: The Whacky Star Wars Knock-Out from the 80s This Author Hate-Watched for Fun by Robert Dean In an Alternate United States, Witches Wage War: Review of MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM by J.Z. Weston HAUNT and the Halloween Haunted House by Holly Lyn Walrath VAN HELSING Retrospective by Grant Butler Duse is Wild: Review of PROTECTRESS by Kendra Preston Leonard by Jamileh Alexandra Everything is Not Fine: Review of COMFORT ME WITH APPLES by Catherynne M. Valente by Christina Ladd How FOUNDATION Missed an Opportunity: Apple TV+ Reboots Isaac Asimov’s Foundation for a New Generation of Fans by Aaron Emmell Returning to Skywalker is Bad, Actually: On Luke, Lore, and THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT by Annika Barranti Klein How to Return to Tatooine: Disney's Obi-Wan KENOBI and Letting Go by Annika Barranti Klein Waiting for Our Better Angels: A Review of BE HERE TO LOVE ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Sasha Fletcher by Taylor Jones The Gift of Horror: The 1980s Horror Flick TERRORVISION Inspires a Career in Horror by Todd Sullivan Japanese Film MISSING Surprises with Its Take on the Serial Killer Genre: A Thrilling and Horrific Exploration of Human Greed by Holly Lyn Walrath Ends and Edges: Review of THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET by Catriona Ward by Christina Ladd What It Means To Be a Woman (And a Witch): A Review of Juno Dawson's Adult Fiction Debut, HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN by Taylor Jones Snark, Bullies, and the Undead: Review of Blumhouse and Epix’s UNHUMAN by Emily Wagner A Predator Retrospective: How 35 Years of Predator Lead to PREY (2022) by Grant Butler GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE and the Concept of "Fan Service" by Holly Lyn Walrath Return of the KILLER KLOWNS (FROM OUTER SPACE): The Cult Classic Horror Film Gets a Video Game Reboot by Prof. Ryan Fay Interviews "UNKNOWN NUMBER": Interview with Hugo-Nominated Author Blue Neustifter by Megan Wegenke BRIDGING WORLDS IN AFRICAN SPECULATIVE FICTION: Interview with Nebula-winner Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki by Mar Vincent MINTY FRESH: A Vampire Pulp Novella: Interview with debut author J. Corvine by B. Rae Grosz The Fantastic Ms Yuriko Smith by Christina Sng A Mythic Soap Opera: Interview with Randee Dawn, Author of TUNE IN TOMORROW by J.Z. Weston Dicult Women, Catharsis, and Talking Skeletons: Interview with Tiany Meuret, author of LITTLE BIRD by J.Z. Weston UNDER FORTUNATE STARS: Interview with Debut Novelist Ren Hutchings by Mar Vincent Hot Mess Vampires, Strange Names, and B-Movie Plots: An Interview with SFF Author Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, Author of WHERE YOU LINGER by Mar Vincent Reality, Truth, and Memory: An Interview with Deborah L. Davitt, author of BOUNDED BY ETERNITY by T.D. Walker MIDNIGHT SOCIAL DISTORTION: An Interview with Mark O. Estes, Creator of a Podcast for Queer Black Horror Fans by vanessa maki Three's a Crowd(ed): Interview with Chris Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, and Tríona Farrell, the Team behind the 3-Volume Comic "Crowded" by Jamileh Alexandra Apocalypses, Liminality, and Pocket Watches: An Interview with Meridel Newton, Author of THE FUTURE SECOND BY SECOND by Emily Wagner Escaping the Body: An interview with Chloe N. Clark by Leslie Archibald Scifaiku, Dark Fairytales, and Poetry: Interview with Christina Sng, Author of THE GRAVITY OF EXISTENCE by Archita Mittra |
Best of Year Three
Interstellar Flight Magazine Best of Year Three
(Interstellar Flight Magazine Anthologies) Release date: September 5, 2022 Price: $14.99 Print $9.99 EBook ISBN (eBook): 978-1-953736-15-4 ISBN (paperback): 978-1-953736-14-7 Available for Review on NetGalley |
Founded by Holly Lyn Walrath, Interstellar Flight Magazine is an online SFF and pop culture mag devoted to essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. With interviews, personal essays, rants, and raves, the authors of Interstellar Flight Magazine explore the vast outreaches of nerdom.
Table of Contents
Original Articles
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Interstellar Flight Magazine
Best of Year Two
Cover art by Suk Hyun Jung
Release Date: August 30, 2021
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-953736-06-2 ISBN (paperback): 978-1-953736-07-9 Download the Press Kit Amazon B&N Indiebound |
Founded by Holly Lyn Walrath, Interstellar Flight Magazine is an online SFF and pop culture mag devoted to essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. With interviews, personal essays, rants, and raves, the authors of Interstellar Flight Magazine explore the vast outreaches of nerdom. Our 2020 anthology covers a wide range of topics from books to anime to film to television to feminism to queerness to racism and beyond.
This year's anthology also includes seven stories from the 2020 Alternate Endings submission call, guest edited by Jamileh Jemison. This call asked writers to reimagine our world for the better, giving us the alternate endings to 2020 that reinvisioned the future. Their work is a bright light in the grim darkness of 2020. Table of Contents
Original Articles
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Interstellar Flight Magazine
Best of Year One
Release Date: August 3, 2020
ISBNs: 978-1-7338862-7-7 EBook 978-1-7338862-6-0 Paperback 978-1-7338862-8-4 Hardback Download the Press Kit Amazon B&N Indiebound |
From space opera to weird fiction to indie games and NaNoWriMo, this collection represents the best in nonfiction dedicated to geekery. Founded by Holly Lyn Walrath, Interstellar Flight Magazine is an online SFF and pop culture mag devoted to essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. With interviews, personal essays, rants, and raves, the authors of Interstellar Flight Magazine explore the vast outreaches of nerdom.
In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we feature “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” This anthology also features excerpts from three new Interstellar Flight Press books: The Manticore’s Vow by Cassandra Rose Clarke, a world of dangerous magic and thrilling adventures with this trio of gorgeous, swashbuckling tales, Twelve by Andrea Blythe, a luscious and fae poetry chapbook based on the fairytale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and Local Star by Aimee Ogden, a polyamorous space opera with a fast-paced, action-packed adventure that’s sure to punch you in the feels. Table of Contents:
The Ones Who Walk Away by Holly Lyn Walrath Monsters Under the Bed (and Outside the Window) by E.D. Walker The Greatest Arsenal: Science Fiction Libraries and Archives by Jeremy Brett Boundary Crossing, Liminality, & the Hungarian Literary Fantastic by T.D. Walker Indie Games and Accessibility: A Personal Odyssey by Archita Mittra Diverse Space Opera, Fight Scenes and NaNoWriMo by E.D. Walker Phantom Fares by Piper J. Daniels Riverdale, Writer’s Block, & Naval Warfare by Holly Lyn Walrath Cats in Science Fiction Films by John Tuttle Unabashedly Hopeful, Heartbroken, & Silly by J.T. Morse Strange Bodies by Presley Thomas Spinning Tales, Chinese Embroidery, & Musical Composition by E.D. Walker Perception, Uncertainty, and Dread: The Horror of Perspective by Caitlin Starling Space Opera Is Having a Moment and We Love It by E.D. Walker Goth Weirdness, Slavic Folklore, & Ohio by Jody T. Morse No Room in Narnia by Erin Becker Korean Folklore, Big Space Explosions, & Mathematics by Michael Glazner What Else is there to Say about the Joker? by Archita Mittra and Kaylee Craig Excerpt: The Manticore’s Vow by Cassandra Rose Clarke Excerpt: Twelve by Andrea Blythe Excerpt: Local Star by Aimee Ogden Featuring Interviews with: T. Kingfisher Bogi Takács Valerie Valdes R.F. Kuang Christian McKay Heidicker Elizabeth Lim Emily A. Duncan Yoon Ha Lee Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5-Star Review, Reedsy Discovery "Interstellar Flight Press is an indie speculative publishing house and Best of Year One: Interstellar Flight Magazine is their first collection of essays, interviews, and excerpts. This anthology features innovative works from the best new writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF). It is clear from the first essay that Ursula K. Le Guin is a well-respected voice within the SFF community and is at the heart of the core mission of Interstellar Flight Press. This mission is best summed up with a quote by Le Guin, in which she says: "Writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real ground for hope." SFF provides a safe place for minorities and other marginalized groups to find a voice. The first entry in Interstellar Flight Magazine parallels an analysis of Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and the current sufferings of children at the Mexican border. An interview with Hungarian agender-trans writer Bogi Takacs discusses their poetry that crosses boundaries on the topics of the body, disability, and politics. Other voices included the struggles of growing up as a girl who loves video games, as well as the personal struggle of coming out to your family. What is so special about SFF that Interstellar Flight Magazine highlights for readers are that it "causes us to question why things are the way they are and how things could be." This kind of impact encourages social-political discussions and shows that literature has always been a powerful tool for change. Interstellar Flight Magazine does have a lighter side full of fun discussions about the writing process, as well as dozens of recommendations readers from space operas to horror novel that readers will not want to miss. Picking up this one-of-a-kind collection will be sure to lead you to your next favorite indie Science Fiction and Fantasy book." Review by Warp Speed Odyssey
"Unsure what’s going on in contemporary speculative fiction? Learn about modern voices in genre, both through their own words and criticism. Interstellar Flight Magazine’s first Best of Year One collection covers a wide variety of topics from today’s authors." |
