Flagship Issues Astrolabe 29: What’s in a (pen) name? Jackson Ford? Mira Grant? Vincent Tirado? Meet the writers behind these pen names. Then join me for a couple of Babels.
Transmission Received Astrolabe (28): Transmission Received with Nicole Carpenter Polygon's Nicole Carpenter discusses video game unions, labour rights, and her zine "The Rise of the Video Game Union."
Flagship Issues Astrolabe 28: That's why they call it a union. The rise of the video game union, the secret best JRPG console, and a warm cappuccino under a harvest moon
Features Replay Value: Chrono Trigger — A wild side quest appears! (Part 3) The real treasure was the friends we made along the way
Promo Here's my Award Eligible Work for 2022 Y'all can slot Fight, Magic, Items in for "Best Related Work," Astrolabe for "Best Fanzine," and me for "Best Fan Writer." If you want.
Features Replay Value: Chrono Trigger — The Writer on Mt. Woe (Part 2) From the beginning of time to the end of our hero's journey
Gift Guides 2022 Holiday Gift Guide for Geeks! A gift for every nerd, geek, and lovable dweeb on your list! Stocking stuffers! Book recommendations! Games, and more!
Features Replay Value: Chrono Trigger — Party like it's 1999 (Part 1) Exploring the apocalypse from the Millennial Fair to the depths of Magus's Castle
Promo Fight, Magic, Items promo round-up! From Burg to Meribia, Cosmo Canyon to Midgar, this book gets around.
Promo Fight, Magic, Items is out now! It's here! Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West is finally on store shelves—and, hopefully, in your Genji Glove-equipped hands right now. Buy Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and
Flagship Issues Astrolabe 26: Prerelease jitters, a paper-thin debut, and gaming's greatest innovators Fight, Magic, Items is almost here! Check out all the latest news—including an exclusive excerpt on io9 and where to preorder a signed copy—in this recent newsletter I sent to readers. Preorders are love! Balls in the Air I've been covering books as a critic and
Promo Fight, Magic, Items updates—Signed preorders, an io9 excerpt, and more! With the release of Fight, Magic, Items just two weeks away on October 4th, there's a lot of news to share! So, let's not waste time. If you haven't yet, it's not too late to check out the book's website
Flagship Issues Astrolabe 25: Why I'm not gonna write about The Rings of Power Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West is out in less than a month! Preorders are a huge boon for writers, so, if you're interested, check out the book's website for all your preordering
Features Cordelia’s Honor is Thrilling, Intelligent SF from a Genre Grandmaster This review of Lois McMaster Bujold's Cordelia's Honor is part of my ongoing initiative to archive my work at Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog, which sadly shut down a few years ago. "Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and Cordelia Naismith
Promo Fight, Magic, Items has a shiny new website! FakeNet Initiated Hi! Just a quick boo to let you know I've made a fun website for my upcoming book on the history of Japanese RPGs, Fight, Magic, Items. Head on over to fightmagicitems.rocks for all the info you could possibly want about the book, how to
Flagship Issues Astrolabe 24: You play. I play. Cosplay. Before opening this issue, I want to acknowledge the ghastly decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade—turning over the right to bodily automony for women and childbearing people to state control and effectively banning and/or criminalizing abortion in large parts of
Free Fiction Short story drop: "Grandmother Kills Massive River Drake After It Ate Her Goat" This flash story (630 words) was first published on Curious Fictions in 2019. Curious Fictions sadly shut down, so I'm giving my favourite drake-spearing, sriracha-lovin' gramma a new home here. Enjoy! "Fell on that drake like a valkyrie during killin' season." You&
Promo My Dungeons & Dragons story "Dame Beatrix J. Delacroix III's Guide For Training Your New Beholder" is out now! Behold! It's out! The new Dungeons & Dragons Beholder figurine, including my story "Dame Beatrix J. Delacroix III's Guide For Training Your New Beholder," is available now! Creating two canon Dungeons & Dragons characters is a dream come true, and I hope you all
Flagship Issues Astrolabe 23: Don't wait, read. Endless books, endless worlds, endless possibilities Recently, I made an offhand joke on Twitter that gained wings and went mini-viral among the SFF reading community. This, of course, summoned The Discourse. The tweet in question (below) suggested that anyone who complains about the long delays between volumes in popular
Flagship Issues Astrolabe 22: What can Nintendo learn from Elden Ring? In case you missed it: Nerdist debuted the cover for my upcoming book about the history of Japanese RPGs, Fight, Magic, Items, and it. is. GORGEOUS. Check it out! Difficulty doesn't have to be a toggle So, like half the internet, I've been obsessed with Elden
Promo Check out the cover for "Fight, Magic, Items" at Nerdist! Cue Victory Fanfare Pre-order Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West Y'all know Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West is coming this
Announcements I sold a book! Announcing "Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West" (Running Press // October, 2022) Cue Victory Fanfare You've maybe noticed Astrolabe's been a little quiet for the past few months. Well, I've had good reason for that, and now I can finally tell you why, and I've literally been waiting my whole life to say this:
