Category Archives: Story Analysis

Essay: Harry Potter Theory: Wizards vs. Muggles: Who Would Win?

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Alex R. Howe

(That may be a personal record for most colons in one title.) With the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore this week, I though I would answer the age-old question in the Harry Potter universe: who would win in a fight between … Continue reading →

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How Bad Would the Greenhouse Effect in The Calculating Stars Really Be?

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars, a meteor hits the east coast of the United States in the 1950s, obliterating Washington DC and causing global climate catastrophe. Mathematical genius and future Lady Astronaut Elma York calculates that the climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Follow-Up, Science, Science Fiction, Story Analysis | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Ringworld Theory: Did Teela Brown Have Bad Luck?

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In Larry Niven’s Ringworld, the alien Puppeteers have secretly been selectively breeding humans for being lucky, which they believe (correctly) is actually a psychic probability manipulation ability. (This seems a little weird because natural selection already involves a lot of … Continue reading →

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The Science of Project Hail Mary

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Andy Weir’s latest book, Project Hail Mary, is a very good hard science fiction tale about a journey to another solar system in search of a way to save Earth from disaster. Mr. Weir always does mostly pretty good science … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Science Fiction, Story Analysis | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Handmaid’s Tale as a Different Kind of Dystopia

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

The Handmaid’s Tale is the famous dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood in which a radical theocratic regime has taken over America, brutally oppressing everyone who isn’t a Reconstructionist “Christian,” but particularly focusing on women. Since the book was released, and … Continue reading →

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Essay: Harry Potter Theory: What Was Dumbledore’s Actual Plan?

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

The Harry Potter series is one of the most beloved stories of this generation, but it’s not without its flaws. J. K. Rowling is a very good storyteller, but not a very good world-builder, and the closer you look at … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Story Analysis | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What Should Happen in Star Wars Episode IX?

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

Well, the first teaser trailer has dropped for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. I can react a little to the trailer itself, but we don’t really know much yet. (That’s kind of the point of a teaser.) … Continue reading →

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Could Mortal Engines’ Municipal Darwinism Work?

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Alex R. Howe

In Mortal Engines, based on the book series by Philip Reeve, in a post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by nuclear war, the surviving settlements have become “traction cities,” putting themselves on wheels to roam what was once Eurasia (an area known in … Continue reading →

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Who is Credence Barebone?

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Alex R. Howe

Warning: MAJOR spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald below. This is my take on breaking down the big end-of-the-movie reveal, so if you haven’t seen it, click away now.

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