sean guynes
@guynes.bsky.social
critic and cultural historian of genre fantasies
senior acquiring editor (@leverpress.bsky.social) and associate editor of sf (@lareviewofbooks.bsky.social)
read more: seanguynes.com
senior acquiring editor (@leverpress.bsky.social) and associate editor of sf (@lareviewofbooks.bsky.social)
read more: seanguynes.com
Pinned
Ballantine Adult Fantasy: Reading “The Blue Star” by Fletcher Pratt
The twelfth essay in my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series, which looks at Fletcher Pratt’s The Blue Star (1952), an impressive, short novel of “rational” fantasy about power…
seanguynes.com
I continue my Ballantine Adult Fantasy reading series with the first official novel in the series: Fletcher Pratt's THE BLUE STAR. Originally published in 1952, this is an impressive novel about power and gender (though it's not without its problems), and a great start to the BAF series proper.
Reposted by sean guynes
who called it Heated Rivalry and not Fuck Ice
February 6, 2026 at 3:08 PM
who called it Heated Rivalry and not Fuck Ice
Reposted by sean guynes
Great thread on Cooper, who I actually quite like and agree that he's too little read today. One of my favorite courses in grad school was an early American lit course that ended with Cooper and The Pioneers.
200 years ago Wednesday, James Fenimore Cooper published The Last of the Mohicans. Ever since Mark Twain came at his "Literary Offences," Cooper's gotten a bad rap, & he's not much read here in the 21C. But while his prose is a lot (it was the early 19C!), his novels still have a lot to tell us. +
February 6, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Great thread on Cooper, who I actually quite like and agree that he's too little read today. One of my favorite courses in grad school was an early American lit course that ended with Cooper and The Pioneers.
I would love to see a meta-discussion of all the "origins of race" books there are out there, which collectively locate the origins of race in just about every historical period from antiquity to the present. But I haven't seen anything that synthesizes these accounts and discusses the...
February 5, 2026 at 6:56 PM
I would love to see a meta-discussion of all the "origins of race" books there are out there, which collectively locate the origins of race in just about every historical period from antiquity to the present. But I haven't seen anything that synthesizes these accounts and discusses the...
It's a huge bummer how many recent shows from the major streaming services are not available on physical media.
Like, come on, I want to own Righteous Gemstones -- I'll pay for physical copies of all 4 seasons. I'm willing! Please exploit me in this way!
Like, come on, I want to own Righteous Gemstones -- I'll pay for physical copies of all 4 seasons. I'm willing! Please exploit me in this way!
February 5, 2026 at 6:48 PM
It's a huge bummer how many recent shows from the major streaming services are not available on physical media.
Like, come on, I want to own Righteous Gemstones -- I'll pay for physical copies of all 4 seasons. I'm willing! Please exploit me in this way!
Like, come on, I want to own Righteous Gemstones -- I'll pay for physical copies of all 4 seasons. I'm willing! Please exploit me in this way!
Super cool when you're scrolling through upcoming UP book releases and you see a book by someone you went to grad school with on the very topic you spent hours discussing! I'm so happy for Mitch and so glad to see his book on Southern "Grit Lit" coming out in April!
The Bad Poor
The Bad Poor examines the rise of Grit Lit, a movement in contemporary southern literature written by and about poor southern whites. Examining issues of gen...
lsupress.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Super cool when you're scrolling through upcoming UP book releases and you see a book by someone you went to grad school with on the very topic you spent hours discussing! I'm so happy for Mitch and so glad to see his book on Southern "Grit Lit" coming out in April!
Today's the one year anniversary of my essay on M. Lucie Chin's ONLY novel, 1988's Chinese mythic historical fantasy THE FAIRY OF KU-SHE, an expansive, imaginative, emotional story of gods, "fairies," motherhood, and climate catastrophe. It's a shame Chin didn't continue writing. She was great!
Reading “The Fairy of Ku-She” by M. Lucie Chin
M. Lucie Chin’s The Fairy of Ku-She (1988) is an expert work of historical fantasy, a fascinating, achingly beautiful, and brilliantly conceived novel that intermixes Chinese history, mytholo…
seanguynes.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Today's the one year anniversary of my essay on M. Lucie Chin's ONLY novel, 1988's Chinese mythic historical fantasy THE FAIRY OF KU-SHE, an expansive, imaginative, emotional story of gods, "fairies," motherhood, and climate catastrophe. It's a shame Chin didn't continue writing. She was great!
Reposted by sean guynes
you know none of the people actually like kid rock or his music they are literally just vibing to racism
guys. the kid rock performance is uh. well it’s exactly what you’d expect
February 5, 2026 at 5:12 PM
you know none of the people actually like kid rock or his music they are literally just vibing to racism
hell fucking yeah pre-order this book
February 5, 2026 at 4:20 PM
hell fucking yeah pre-order this book
Something affecting us in book publishing world: book club scams! They obviously target desperate authors and while these might be easier to spot for folks in the fiction world, who see lots of scams, these book clubs are now heavily targeting authors of UP books. So be wary!
The New “Book Club” Scam Targeting Authors and How to Spot It
A Public Service Post for Writers
medium.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Something affecting us in book publishing world: book club scams! They obviously target desperate authors and while these might be easier to spot for folks in the fiction world, who see lots of scams, these book clubs are now heavily targeting authors of UP books. So be wary!
Reposted by sean guynes
I wrote a piece on Corey's THE MERCY OF GODS for @typebarmagazine.bsky.social a year or two ago that I'm still pretty happy with, about this pernicious fantasy of "internal resistance" to evil. More and more obvious that it's external, explicit resistance that we need.
Tangled Fantasies: Speculative Anti-Imperialism and the Myth of Internal Resistance in S.A. Corey’s The Mercy of Gods
Is modern science fiction's indulging in escapism rationalizing our own complicities?
www.typebarmagazine.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:48 PM
I wrote a piece on Corey's THE MERCY OF GODS for @typebarmagazine.bsky.social a year or two ago that I'm still pretty happy with, about this pernicious fantasy of "internal resistance" to evil. More and more obvious that it's external, explicit resistance that we need.
"lame" lol
This semester I’ve started taking attendance @ "Intro to Film" screenings by having students complete brief exit survey. They pick an adjective to describe what they watched and explain why. I make a word cloud and share at our next class. Here’s how my ~75 students described IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE.
February 5, 2026 at 2:51 PM
"lame" lol
Reposted by sean guynes
It's issue 10's cover! Illustrated by @smuggerby.bsky.social
💀TIMEWORN TERRA🌏️ is our special issue of tales set in futures so far they feel ancient, where magic & technology blur together, and Earth's days are short yet still we lust & laugh!
Learn more here👉️ www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
💀TIMEWORN TERRA🌏️ is our special issue of tales set in futures so far they feel ancient, where magic & technology blur together, and Earth's days are short yet still we lust & laugh!
Learn more here👉️ www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
February 5, 2026 at 1:01 PM
It's issue 10's cover! Illustrated by @smuggerby.bsky.social
💀TIMEWORN TERRA🌏️ is our special issue of tales set in futures so far they feel ancient, where magic & technology blur together, and Earth's days are short yet still we lust & laugh!
Learn more here👉️ www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
💀TIMEWORN TERRA🌏️ is our special issue of tales set in futures so far they feel ancient, where magic & technology blur together, and Earth's days are short yet still we lust & laugh!
Learn more here👉️ www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
Haven't used one of these in a quarter of a century and yet I'm still sad?
The iconic, slush-filled tubes of orange juice concentrate, which have been around for 80 years, are being discontinued, the Coca-Cola Company says.
Minute Maid discontinues frozen juice concentrate after 80 years
The process to make juice concentrate was invented by the research team C.D. Atkins, Edwin Moore and Louis MacDowell in the 1940s.
nbcnews.to
February 5, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Haven't used one of these in a quarter of a century and yet I'm still sad?
Reposted by sean guynes
The Ancillary Review of Books anti-billionaire promise:
February 4, 2026 at 3:45 PM
The Ancillary Review of Books anti-billionaire promise:
Out today! An extensive edited collection on the topic of triggers warnings in the college classroom, which takes a number of angles and perspectives:
Trigger Warnings
How do instructors navigate the tension between facilitating safe spaces for students while also challenging students intellectually in increasingly politicized classroom settings? How can trigger war...
services.publishing.umich.edu
February 4, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Out today! An extensive edited collection on the topic of triggers warnings in the college classroom, which takes a number of angles and perspectives:
Reposted by sean guynes
Lots of good SF books (and books about speculative fiction & related topics) coming out this spring: check out our latest call for reviews & essays!
Calls for Reviews & Essays: 2026
The Ancillary Review of Books publishes reviews and essays with an emphasis on utopian impulses and systemic injustices. ARB seeks to build a community of radical thinkers writing about amazing, sp…
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
February 2, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Lots of good SF books (and books about speculative fiction & related topics) coming out this spring: check out our latest call for reviews & essays!
Reposted by sean guynes
Many--maybe even most--of my favorite authors were horrible people. The good thing for me is..... They're all dead!
That's the only time you get a pass to support a monster who made beauty. When you aren't putting any coins in their pockets. Because their pockets have rotted away under the earth.
That's the only time you get a pass to support a monster who made beauty. When you aren't putting any coins in their pockets. Because their pockets have rotted away under the earth.
a group of men are carrying a coffin while dancing .
ALT: a group of men are carrying a coffin while dancing .
media.tenor.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Many--maybe even most--of my favorite authors were horrible people. The good thing for me is..... They're all dead!
That's the only time you get a pass to support a monster who made beauty. When you aren't putting any coins in their pockets. Because their pockets have rotted away under the earth.
That's the only time you get a pass to support a monster who made beauty. When you aren't putting any coins in their pockets. Because their pockets have rotted away under the earth.
Reposted by sean guynes
Occasional reminder that I sell books and similar stuff on eBay. Link to my store is below.
Just reached 4100+ items for the first time. So there are categories and internal search in the storefront, which might help a bit.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Just reached 4100+ items for the first time. So there are categories and internal search in the storefront, which might help a bit.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Items for sale by cornersbumpedbooksandantiques | eBay
Shop eBay for great deals from cornersbumpedbooksandantiques!
www.ebay.com
January 13, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Occasional reminder that I sell books and similar stuff on eBay. Link to my store is below.
Just reached 4100+ items for the first time. So there are categories and internal search in the storefront, which might help a bit.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Just reached 4100+ items for the first time. So there are categories and internal search in the storefront, which might help a bit.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Reposted by sean guynes
Ah yes, that thing that you can definitely do in theatres, buy tickets for the standing room
Kayleigh: My mom went to see Melania. She said the theater was packed, it was standing room only. People were cheering through it, they were excited. It was interactive—people interplaying with the film. She said it was just electric.
February 2, 2026 at 11:35 PM
Ah yes, that thing that you can definitely do in theatres, buy tickets for the standing room
This reminds me of that time the cinema was so packed I had to stand for the entire 3 hours of Avatar: Way of Water. An old lady fainted from the crowd. People were trampled. I wish they'd make shorter movies.
Kayleigh: My mom went to see Melania. She said the theater was packed, it was standing room only. People were cheering through it, they were excited. It was interactive—people interplaying with the film. She said it was just electric.
February 2, 2026 at 11:29 PM
This reminds me of that time the cinema was so packed I had to stand for the entire 3 hours of Avatar: Way of Water. An old lady fainted from the crowd. People were trampled. I wish they'd make shorter movies.
"Reject productivity!" I said to myself and the Internet, while worrying incessantly about the fact that I've accomplished so little in life.
February 2, 2026 at 11:20 PM
"Reject productivity!" I said to myself and the Internet, while worrying incessantly about the fact that I've accomplished so little in life.
Reposted by sean guynes
Can't now find it but there's a classic old tweet which said something like "Every time we're on the verge of achieving class consciousness in America a CIA sleeper agent activates and, their eyes glowing red, they just tweet out "John Brown was a white saviour"" and I think about it often.
February 2, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Can't now find it but there's a classic old tweet which said something like "Every time we're on the verge of achieving class consciousness in America a CIA sleeper agent activates and, their eyes glowing red, they just tweet out "John Brown was a white saviour"" and I think about it often.
Dick Heads: a podcast that reads through the works of PKD in chronological order
February 2, 2026 at 2:16 AM
Dick Heads: a podcast that reads through the works of PKD in chronological order
Seems like a bad/pointless test...
Seinfeld would make plots of all tech? They made a plot about waiting in line for Chinese food! Everything is a "plot" for Seinfeld.
Seinfeld would make plots of all tech? They made a plot about waiting in line for Chinese food! Everything is a "plot" for Seinfeld.
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
January 31, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Seems like a bad/pointless test...
Seinfeld would make plots of all tech? They made a plot about waiting in line for Chinese food! Everything is a "plot" for Seinfeld.
Seinfeld would make plots of all tech? They made a plot about waiting in line for Chinese food! Everything is a "plot" for Seinfeld.