Author Archives: Barbara Howe

Mercy Thompson

Posted on 8 July 2017 by Barbara Howe

In the urban fantasy Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, our world is awash in the preternatural: werewolves, vampires, the greater and lesser fae, and other assorted oddities. The fae have recently been forced out of hiding; concerned over the pace of … Continue reading →

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Reader’s Journal

Posted on 1 July 2017 by Barbara Howe

Years ago, when my daughter, now in university, had just started elementary school, my sister gave me a blank book for Christmas. Physically, it is a lovely object: spiral-bound to lie flat for writing in, about a hundred sheets, with … Continue reading →

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Doomsday Book

Posted on 24 June 2017 by Barbara Howe

Doomsday Book* is a Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning** time-travel novel by Connie Willis. It was published in the 90’s, but I only stumbled across it a few months ago. The plot is straightforward: from the near future (December 2054), a young … Continue reading →

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Lord Darcy

Posted on 17 June 2017 by Barbara Howe

The time: the 1960’s. The place: the bustling port of Cherbourg. A nobleman in the Anglo-French Empire, engaged in a sensitive international inquiry, is missing. Lord Darcy, detective, and Master Sean O Lochlainn, forensic sorcerer, have been summoned to investigate. … Continue reading →

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Introductions to SFF

Posted on 10 June 2017 by Barbara Howe

At Lexicon, I had volunteered to be on a panel discussing “Introductions to SFF: Want to introduce a friend—or a child—to the genres you love, but don’t know how to ease them in?” Our panel was on at the same … Continue reading →

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Lexicon at Taupo

Posted on 6 June 2017 by Barbara Howe

Had a fantastic time this past weekend at Lexicon, the New Zealand National Science Fiction and Fantasy Conference held in Taupo. Made a few new friends, had some good laughs, and learned some useful things about writing and the state … Continue reading →

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The Brother Cadfael Chronicles

Posted on 26 May 2017 by Barbara Howe

I love mysteries. I love historical novels. So it should come as no surprise that I love historical mysteries, and the Brother Cadfael Chronicles are among my favourites. Which is fitting, since that series more or less defined the historical … Continue reading →

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This Need to Read

Posted on 16 May 2017 by Barbara Howe

I don’t remember learning to read. I don’t remember ever not reading. Reading is a reflex action, as much a part of my life as eating or breathing. Put anything with printing in English in front of my face, and … Continue reading →

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Let’s get this started

Posted on 12 May 2017 by Barbara Howe

When the firehose of the internet spews out content at an ever-increasing rate, will my little blog ever be noticed? Will anyone care what I write here? Probably not. Here goes, anyway. Perhaps I should have started this blog years … Continue reading →

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