I am an academic at the University of Queensland whose research areas include horror films, screen trauma theory, the cinematic representation of urban spaces, and the collision of romanticism and postmodernism in fantasy literature. My first book, POV Horror: The Trauma Aesthetic of the Found Footage Subgenre, was adapted from my PhD thesis. I am an avid member of the A Song of Ice and Fire fandom, and my second book represents over a decade of talking and writing about George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series, having grown out of conversations in forums, podcasts, symposiums, and fan conventions, as well as my own background in literary analysis and research.
I wrote
Notes from the Citadel: The Philosophy and Psychology of A Song of Ice and Fire
The first installment in Erikson’s magnum opus introduces readers to the voracious Malazan Empire and focuses on a military, political, and supernatural battle for the free city of Darujhistan.
It boasts a vast, strange cast of characters and an even vaster, stranger world. However, Erikson demonstrates how every element, from the lowest trader to the mightiest god, can shape the outcomes of events. The free will of each character is shown to be in constant tension with the free wills of others, as well as the wrenching currents of history.
The antagonist of Erikson’s story is not a dark lord, but nihilism—the prospect that there is no moral order or higher meaning to existence—and every one of his characters must face this threat and figure out how to survive it.
When the last of the free cities of the Malazan Empire is targeted by the forces of the Empress Laseen, Bridgeburner squad leader Sergeant Whiskeyjack and the mage Tattersall confront dark gods to protect the citadel of Darujhistan.
Adapted into an Academy award-winning film in 2012, Martel’s original novel follows an Indian boy named Piscine “Pi” Patel who is fascinated by religion, learning and adopting different teachings in his quest to understand God.
After a shipwreck, he is forced to survive for months while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with only a Bengal tiger for company. Pi’s reflections at sea, and the fantastical nature of his voyage, raise questions about the purpose and function of religion: such as, why people seek faith in a higher power, how it shapes our perception of reality and morality, and the paradoxical notion that sometimes truth can only be glimpsed through fiction rather than fact.
After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan—and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.
Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi Patel, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with the tiger, Richard Parker, for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his…
This book is set in Montauk, under looming threat from a warming climate and overdevelopment. Now outsider Clancy, a thirty-six-year-old claims adjuster scarred by his orphan childhood, has inherited an unexpected legacy: the power to decide the fate of Montauk’s last parcel of undeveloped land. Everyone in town has a…
Authored by a former philosophy lecturer, this novel was inspired as much by the works of H. P. Lovecraft as J. R. R. Tolkien. It follows a warrior monk named Anasûrimbor Kellhus as he attempts to seize control of a fermenting holy war in order to find his lost father.
Metaphysics plays a key role in the text and subtext of this story. Unlike the traditional fantasy hero, the main weapon Kellhus wields to complete his quest is not his sword but his mind: he is able to judge the cognitive biases of everyone he meets and then subtly shift their minds through rhetoric to suit his purpose.
Through his cold, clinical perspective, we come to understand the invisible threads between cause and effect that make up the world and how these threads can be intentionally resown into a new reality.
The Darkness That Comes Before is the first book in R. Scott Bakker’s epic fantasy trilogy The Prince of Nothing. Set in a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, four people are swept up in the launch of an imminent crusade, during which they are ensnared by mysterious traveler Anasûrimbor Kellhus, whose magical, philosophical, and military talents have origins in a distant time.
“[An] impressive, challenging debut . . . [the book’s] willingness to take chances and avoid the usual genre clichés should win many discriminating readers.” —Publishers Weekly
Clarke transports the reader to England during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. There is, however, one small twist: magic once existed in this world and has now returned through two men, drastically changing the course of history and society.
The story is rich in gothic atmosphere and wry humour, and is positively bursting with ideas (there are almost 200 footnotes!). Clarke imbues her protagonists with conflicting approaches to the pursuit of knowledge, with Norrell representing cautious rationality and conservative methodology, while Strange embodies an adventurous spirit and a willingness to embrace the arcane and often the dangerous.
Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon, and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation's past. But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country. Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of…
Crushed under writer’s block and a looming deadline, Mack escapes from New York to Seattle. She meets Charlie, a beautiful, generous, nearly bankrupt coffee shop owner recovering from heartbreak. For the first time, Mack has a muse. And then Mack starts using Charlie’s private stories in her novel…
The Fifth Season is set in a world plagued by intermittent climate catastrophes and inhabited by a group of people called orogenes, who possess the ability to control energy and, therefore, thwart these catastrophes.
It follows two talented oregenes named Syenite and Alabaster, who are forced by the ruling class to marry and undertake a dangerous mission together. Jemisin’s story is a riveting exploration of environmental ethics, transhumanism, and the concept of the Anthropocene. She challenges her characters and readers to consider their responsibility for the earth and the other organisms that share it. She also depicts the role that social oppression plays in the exploitation and destruction of the environment.
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times)
This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
It explores the philosophical and psychological depths of George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy saga, A Song of Ice and Fire (the basis of the HBO series Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon). The anthology covers a range of topics, from Martin’s postmodern approach to the fantasy genre to the effects of patriarchy, feudalism, and war upon his characters. The phenomenological significance of the Others, the metaphysical implications of the Three-Eyed-Crow, and the epistemic skirmishes of the Ice and Fire fandom are also investigated. The analysis combines academic scrutiny with a fervent adoration for Martin’s work.
While the night may be long and the wait between books grueling, these essays offer a wealth of new insights, granting veteran fans a fresh appreciation and understanding of Martin’s story, characters, and writing.
Hunted by those who want to study his gravity powers, Jes makes his way to the best place for a mixed-species fugitive to blend in: the pleasure moon where everyone just wants to be lost in the party. It doesn’t take long for him to catch the attention of the…
