Ancient Identities: Historical Tips for Worldbuilding Complex Cultures
It’s easy to divide fantasy cultures with bright lines & borders, but nation-states & imperial identities aren’t the only cultural paradigm.
Tagged: l. e. modesitt
All The Things that Trees Can Be
My article “All The Things That Trees Can Be” was published in v5i2 of Worldbuilding Magazine, along with a ton of other great content!
Reading Roundup: Heating Oil Fraud, Ancient Fire & Ice Volcanoes
Micro-reviews from my recently-read pile: ancient marriage politics, Mediterranean dyes, Hittite architecture & whales throughout the ages.
Reading Roundup: Women, War & Weird Beliefs
Micro-reviews of media I consumed recently, articles about powerful women in history, and reflections on travelogues and war.
Five SFF Stories That Shed Light on Obscure History
Echoes of history reverberate through SFF, parallels that can be hard to pick up on, but which still inform how we think about the world. (published at tor.com)
Transporting Information: Sending Messages in Low Tech Societies
History contains thousands of years of inspiration for creating systems for sending in fiction, from Persian couriers to African drums.
Genesis by Ken Lozito
As I mentioned in my review of Earth 2, I books like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonfall and television shows like Terra Nova inevitably catch my eye. As a teacher of history...
Survival Gear for a Colony Scout
I recently started reading The Rogue Retrieval by Dan Koboldt, creator of the wonderful Science in Sci-Fi, Fact in Fantasy blog series. The protagonist is a Vegas magician strong-armed into accompany...
Gary Johnson & other Republicans turning Libertarian
I think there’s a strong case to be made for a certain subset of Republicans turning Libertarian. Let me preface this with some vital statistics. I am 28, female, and...
