Michael F Simpson

In which I discuss Max Brooks's 'World War Z,' and how it goes above and beyond with its believable worldbuilding.

In which I discuss Octavia E. Butler's 'Kindred,' and how it subverts the time travel story into something even more evocative.

In which I discuss Jeff Vandermeer's 'Southern Reach' series, and the brilliant ways it subverts the tropes of cosmic horror.

In which I discuss John Martin Leahy's 'In Amundsen's Tent,' and explore why it scares me more than any other short story.

In which I discuss Fiona Barnett's 'The Dark Between the Trees,' and the ways it elevates the haunted forest subgenre.

In which I discuss Agustina Bazterrica's 'Tender is the Flesh,' and the high status it deserves.

In which I discuss Adrian Barnes's 'Nod,' and its uniquely psychological apocalypse.

In which I explore the sub-medium of short stories for the first time, and how Edgar Allan Poe perfected it.

In which I discuss John Wyndham's 'The Chrysalids,' and the ways it explores the theme of discrimination.

In which I continue talking about genre, this time looking more deeply at science fiction, and what it means to me.

In which I return to the theme of perspective characters, and discuss the ways Martha Wells's 'Murderbot' might have given me what I wanted.

In which I discuss James Herbert's 'The Rats,' and the ways it reinvents a popular subgenre of horror.

In which I discuss HG Wells's 'The Invisible Man,' and the ways in which it perfects the character study.

In which I discuss Philip Reeve's 'Mortal Engines,' and the qualities and ideas it uses to craft an interesting fictional setting.

In which I discuss Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein,' and the many reasons it's such a great read.