Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

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About Alex R. Howe

I'm a full-time astrophysicist and a part-time science fiction writer.

What If? Rejects #1.1: Teeth

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Next post in this series: Fire. Randall Munroe’s bestselling book, What If? answers many absurd hypothetical questions with serious scientific answers. However, there are a number of questions that Randall refuses to answer and prints solely for entertainment value. These … Continue reading →

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Book Review: What If? by Randall Munroe

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Q. What would happen if the Earth and all terrestrial objects suddenly stopped spinning, but the atmosphere retained its velocity? A. Nearly everyone would die. Then things would get interesting. Q. Which US state is actually flown over the most? … Continue reading →

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Book review: The Ghost Train to New Orleans by Mur Lafferty

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

I previously reviewed Mur Lafferty’s breakout urban fantasy novel, The Shambling Guide to New York City about a woman writing a travel guide for monsters (or to be politically correct, “coterie”). Now, Zoë Norris is back for more adventures in The … Continue reading →

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Banned Books Week Starts Today

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Every year, around the start of the school year in most parts of the United States, the American Library Association sponsors Banned Books Week. This effort of librarians, booksellers, publishers, authors, readers, and others raises awareness and works against campaigns … Continue reading →

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Optimism

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

The world needs more optimism these days–what with Ebola in West Africa, a civil war in Ukraine, and multiple wars in the Middle East. Here’s a does of optimism from one of the world’s greatest optimists, Hans Rosling, and yes, … Continue reading →

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Television Review: Peter Capaldi as the Doctor

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

  Doctor Who is one of the most successful science fiction franchises of all time, with (currently) 802 episodes to date spanning more than fifty years, three successful spin-off series, nearly 200 audio dramas, and what looks like several hundred … Continue reading →

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Children’s Fantasy: Books Versus Movies

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

It’s a well-known rule in fiction that the book is always better than the movie. However, in my survey of children’s fantasy, I have discovered that this genre is the exception. In many cases, the movie versions of children’s fantasy … Continue reading →

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Review: xkcd TimeAfterTime

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

A year ago, I highlighted a unique new style of story telling from the xkcd webcomic entitled Time. Somewhere between a comic strip and a movie, this story displayed one new black-and-white frame, usually pretty closely associated with the previous one, every … Continue reading →

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Children’s Fantasy Review, Part 5

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Magic comes home: Half Magic and James and the Giant Peach This is the final post in my Children’s Fantasy Review series. See Part 4 here or start from the beginning here. I am doing Camp NaNoWriMo this month. My project … Continue reading →

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Children’s Fantasy Review, Part 4

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Rodents are people too: The Tale of Despereaux and The Rats of NIMH. See Part 3 of this series here. Talking animals are a classic staple of children’s literature, and even animals that are normally considered pests, like mice and … Continue reading →

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