I is for Immortals

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Immortals.

Whether they're Greek gods or Scottish clansmen, immortals spark intrigue. Immortals come in the form of vampires, angels and even resurrected mummies like Imhotep. They sail the seas like Davy Jones or provide guidance like Lorien from Babylon 5.

Immortals fascinate us. We're captivated by their legends and quirks: Merlin living his life backwards, Kronos the Titan god of time swallowing his children to avert a prophecy's fulfillment, and Q continually playing with the space-time continuum--and the crew of the Enterprise.

Some walk among us unnoticed like Connor MacLeod while others like Tom Bombadil are larger than life.  We marvel at their diverse beginnings.  We read or watch, with satisfaction or dismay, their final undoing.

It matters not from where the immortals hail: the highlands, the continuum or childhood storybooks. They're all reasons I love science fiction and fantasy.

H is for Harry Potter

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Harry Potter.

I'm of the opinion that Harry Potter is perhaps the greatest story of our generation.  It's not that it's deep or profound or groundbreaking.  The prose isn't Shakespeare.  It's just a captivating story and great entertainment.

What makes it great in my mind is its impact.  Thanks to the Harry Potter series, thousands--perhaps millions--of children became readers for the first time.  The tale ignited a love of books in a generation attuned primarily to television and Xboxes.  A mindset fixated on fast food and instant gratification experienced the pleasure of kicking back with a good set of books.

Yes, we all love Harry and Hermione and Ron. We appreciate Dumbledore's wisdom and the allure of phoenixes and time turners and invisibility cloaks. The magic of Hogwarts entices us with its magical settings and spellbinding wonders.

I grew up with a spider who spun words in her web and a lion who saved a child. My Harry, Ron and Hermione were Charlotte, Aslan and Bilbo.  They were my imaginary friends.  They made me want to read.

I love science fiction and fantasy because of Harry Potter and his friends.

G is for Goodkind and Gandalf

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Gandalf. No wait, it's for Terry Goodkind.  But I love Gandalf!  But Goodkind is so awesomely great! arg!

Terry Goodkind

G would have been so much easier if Goodkind had created Gandalf, but alas, I must save Gandalf's creator for later in the series.  I suppose Gandalf and Goodkind will have to share my G post today.

I'll start with author Terry Goodkind because, well, he's real. And he gave us the Sword of Truth series, from which two seasons of Legend of the Seeker came.  Richard (Cypher) Rahl, Kahlan Amnell and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander all came from his imagination.  And for that, I thank him.

For the other G... Well, Gandalf is the very definition of wizard.  He's mysterious, powerful, seemingly ageless, wise and handy to have around when you need to cross a bridge.  He's known by many names, but I call him Balrog Slayer.

Wizard's First Rule? If you're gonna dance with a balrog, make it a dance to remember.  

Goodkind and Gandalf, both wizards in their own right, are two reasons why I love science fiction and fantasy.

Sunday Surfing

How Many Spaces After a Period? Ending the Debate

A wonderfully balanced post on the Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing

How to Make a Blog Button

Creating Emotional Frustration in Your Characters

The Funnily Enough

Nice long list of articles at Linda Rohrbough

Answers to 14 questions you're too afraid to ask literary agents

F is for Firefly

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Firefly.

I almost went with the Force from Star Wars here, but chose Firefly instead. Firefly took science fiction in a direction it doesn't often go: a wild wild west frontier-esque direction.

The cast of characters were distinctly unique, interesting and ever-so-entertaining. They were a band of misfits scraping out a living by taking one shady job after the next.  A little smuggling here.  A heist there.  Scavenging and calling it salvaging.  And they did so all from the comfort of an antiquated ship always on the verge of falling apart.

Murphy wrote his famous law after watching this show.  The show lasted a single season and was wrapped up in Serenity, one of my favorite movies.

Firefly, with its fresh take and distinctive flavor is one reason I love science fiction and fantasy.

E is for Eragon

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Eragon, the first book in the Inheritance Cycle.

I suppose that in truth, this post is as much about Christopher Paolini as it is about Eragon itself.

Christopher Paolini is, to me, an inspiration.  He was born less than a year before I married Myra.  And before my children were out of school, Eragon had been self-published.

It didn't remain self-published for long, of course.  Alfred A. Knopf picked it up in 2003 and Paolini--at nineteen--became a New York Times bestselling author.  And then there was the movie made from it as well.

The story tells of a farmboy named Eragon and the bond he shared with the dragon, Saphira. It's a tale of wonder and discovery, of coming of age, and of personal growth.

Eragon--and his creator--is one reason why I love science fiction and fantasy.

D is for Dragons

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of DRAGONS!

More than distant landscapes and legendary relics...
More than medieval battles and wicked wizards...
More than castles, moats, armor and shields...
More than even magic itself, I love dragons!

I love them, be they good dragons or bad.  Sly, wiley or wise; ancients and hatchlings alike, I love them all.  I love their cunning, their power, their mystery and majesty.

Dragons are what I love most about science fiction and fantasy.

And dragons bearing gifts, I treasure above all!