Steampunk is a science fiction subgenre that features advanced versions of 19th century technologies. Think Victorian adventurers, mad scientists and clockwork automata — all covered in a healthy layer of gears. The settings often reflect the British Victorian (1820s–1901) or Edwardian (1901–1914) eras. Steampunk tends to draw on old-fashioned British society, etiquette and fashions. But […]
It’s always exciting to discover a new plant, flower or fungus. And the desire to bring it home and add it to your garden is understandable. However, there's one thing we've learned reading science fiction: it's a bad idea. Always take caution when transplanting a newly discovered species, especially one from another planet. Better yet, […]
Speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror) is usually seen as a boy's club. But women have been contributing to these genres for just as long. Women have taken part in every level of the creation of speculative fiction, from writing to editing to illustrating. The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy is […]
Welcome to the scariest time of the year, when the veil between the dead and the living grows thin and spirits roam the night. No, not Halloween. I’m talking about Christmas! This festival of feasting and good cheer has some surprisingly ghoulish traditions. So if you’re sick of being jolly, let's gather around the fire and […]
They say never to judge a book by its cover, but who are we kidding? Cover art and illustration are gateways into story, beckoning to us from across the crowded shelves. The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy is celebrating artists in a new exhibit, Drawn from the Imagination: Artists and Illustrators of […]
Born in 1922, Stan Lee would have turned 100 this year. He died in 2018, just one month shy of his 96th birthday. Lee presided over a period of intense creativity at Marvel Comics. With a talented team of artists, Stan Lee produced some of the most beloved comics characters in the world. Staff at […]
I'm rereading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Maybe you are as well? With a TV adaptation currently airing on Amazon Prime, Wheel of Time is in the spotlight again. I've been meaning to reread the series ever since the last book came out in 2013. It has taken a while, but I'm […]
With a new movie adaptation coming out of Frank Herbert's Dune, there's no better time to celebrate it. Published in 1965, Dune has never been out of print and is regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time. It has taken many forms over the years, from a disastrous movie to […]
Libraries are finally open for browsing! Celebrate books and libraries at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy with our current exhibit, Bibliofantasies: The Secret Lives of Books. Discover the great power of books and those who guard them. This exhibit is open from July 19 to October 9, 2021 in the Merril […]
Working at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, I get to see a lot of new books. One thing I've noticed is the huge increase of LGBTQ2S+ representation in the genres. Authors are creating worlds full of queer characters. And there is a proliferation of LGBTQ2S+ writers being published. It has lead […]