Author Archives: Barbara Howe

Matters Arising from the Identification of the Body

Posted on 7 April 2018 by Barbara Howe

In Matters Arising from the Identification of the Body by New Zealand-born author Simon Petrie, hard science fiction intersects with another of my favourite genres, crime fiction. In a mining colony on Titan, Saturn’s moon, a young woman, Tanja Morgenstein, … Continue reading →

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ConClave3

Posted on 2 April 2018 by Barbara Howe

ConClave3, New Zealand’s 39th National Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, was held this past weekend in Auckland. I did not, as I had hoped, win a Sir Julius Vogel award for either Best New Talent or Best Youth Novel (for … Continue reading →

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In Memoriam

Posted on 10 March 2018 by Barbara Howe

Two weeks ago, the world lost a wonderful teacher. In her ninety years, Sarah Lucinda Davison Howe touched many lives. As a professional, early in her career she taught in the public schools and later gave music lessons out of … Continue reading →

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WOW

Posted on 17 February 2018 by Barbara Howe

We were down on the South Island this past week, taking a short family vacation before delivering our daughter to the University of Canterbury for the start of the school year. For me, the highlight of the trip was the … Continue reading →

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Year of Wonders

Posted on 3 February 2018 by Barbara Howe

The year is 1665. Bubonic plague is sweeping through London. Further to the north, in Derbyshire, the plague comes to the mining village of Eyam through a delivery of flea-infested cloth. The journeyman tailor sewing the cloth sickens and dies, … Continue reading →

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The Five Hundred Kingdoms

Posted on 20 January 2018 by Barbara Howe

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a sucker for fairy tales. It shouldn’t be surprising then that Mercedes Lackey’s Five Hundred Kingdoms series appeals to me. In this fantasy world, the magic system is The Tradition: a mindless force that tries … Continue reading →

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Children of the Black Sun

Posted on 12 January 2018 by Barbara Howe

What choices can you make when there are no acceptable choices left? That seems to be the question raised in Australian author Jo Spurrier’s Children of the Black Sun trilogy. This is one of the best fantasies I have read … Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays

Posted on 22 December 2017 by Barbara Howe

It’s warm summer weather here in Wellington, with the pōhutukawa trees (also known as the Kiwi Christmas trees) in full bloom. I don’t expect to be posting as regularly for the next couple of months—I’ve been working too hard, and … Continue reading →

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Turning over a new Leaf

Posted on 16 December 2017 by Barbara Howe

I’ve turned over a new Leaf, and will no longer be burning fossil fuels on my daily trek to work. To be accurate, my all-electric Nissan Leaf is not new; it’s a 2014 model with 40,000 km on the odometer, … Continue reading →

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Gaudy Night

Posted on 9 December 2017 by Barbara Howe

I’ve already written about Dorothy L Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, but Gaudy Night, the penultimate book in the series, deserves a post of its own. Gaudy Night does not conform to genre conventions. Yes, it is a mystery, but … Continue reading →

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