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Author Archives: nathanielwms
There are Two James Gunns, but Nobody’s Confused
James Gunn had two great stories in Asimov’s last month, finishing a string of works he’s published there over the last year, all affiliated with his recent Transcendental series for Tor Books. But the author is not the same guy … Continue reading
Did Bob Dylan Use Star Trek Dialogue as Lyrics?
UPDATE 10/24/21: After watching some of the films Dylan allegedly borrowed from, I’ve found evidence that the info below may be incorrect (and the lyrics may have originated with Star Trek after all). See my new post here. – – … Continue reading
Replacements Tribute by Guardians of the Galaxy Director
Here’s the best science fiction/rock n’ roll convergence I’ve seen recently. Director James Gunn, who helmed Guardians of the Galaxy (1 and 2) as well as some great genre films of his own creation, wrote an online essay about being … Continue reading
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Tagged Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn, Lemon Jail, Paul Westerberg, Pitchfork, replacements, Trouble Boys
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C19 in Albuquerque: A Great Conference
I got back from the biennial C19 conference last week. It was an excellent four-day event, with presentations from many scholars who focus specifically on American literature of the 19th century. That said, transnational approaches were in abundance, including my … Continue reading
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Tagged C19, dime novels, Edisonades, Frank Reade, Jules Verne, Oceanic Studies
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Armed Force(s): The Last Jedi and Elvis Costello
I’m obsessed with places where science fiction and pop music overlap. So I loved seeing recent reports about a veiled reference to musician Elvis Costello in the latest Star Wars movie. Apparently, director Rian Johnson used the moniker “DJ” for … Continue reading
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Tagged Armed Forces, Benicio Del Toro, Don't Join, Elvis Costello, Star Wars, The Last Jedi
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My Book’s on Amazon Now
My publisher wrote to let me know that Gears and God is now available for pre-order at Amazon. It gives the release date as July 10, 2018 (so just in time for Worldcon). You can read the publisher’s summary, the … Continue reading
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Tagged amazon, american literature, dime novels, Gears and God, Mark Twain, science fiction, worldcon 2018
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C19 Paper Acceptance: In Nemo’s Footsteps
Last week, I learned that I’ll be presenting a paper at the C19 Conference at the University of New Mexico, March 22-25, 2018. The conference theme is “Climate.” My paper is called “In Nemo’s Footsteps: U.S. Responses to Verne’s Oceanic … Continue reading
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Tagged C19, c19 conference, Frank Reade, Jules Verne, oceanic internationalism, Tom Edison Jr, university of new mexico
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Twain and Dime-Novel Science Fiction
If you’re interested in listening to my October 11, 2017 guest lecture on “Mark Twain and the Inventor Fiction Boom, 1876-1910” the audio is now available online. You can’t watch the slideshow that went with it, but there is a … Continue reading
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Tagged A Connecticut Yankee, dime novels, Electric Bob, Frank Reade, Mark Twain, steampunk, Tom Edison Jr, Tom Sawyer Abroad
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Gears and God Book Editing
BOOK UPDATE: I received publisher’s final copy-edits on my book, Gears and God, from University of Alabama press last night. I have about three weeks to spend going over them, checking for accuracy or making small revisions. I’ll be doing … Continue reading
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Tagged Gears and God, Mark Twain, Quarry Farm Fellowship, University of Alabama Press
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Upcoming Mark Twain Lecture
Here are final details on my upcoming presentation at Elmira College’s “Trouble Begins” Mark Twain Lecture Series: “Mark Twain and the Inventor Fiction Boom: Technology Meets American Conceit, 1876-1910” Wednesday, October 11 at The Barn at Quarry Farm Elmira, NY … Continue reading
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Tagged dime novels, Edisonades, Elmira, Inventor Fiction, Mark Twain, Technology, Trouble Begins
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New Doctor Who is a Woman (and Still Kinda Bowie)
Kudos to David Llewellyn who immediately noted the similarity between Jodie Whittaker in the promo for her new Doctor Who and the cover of David Bowie’s Low. His tweet was picked up by NME earlier last week. I’ve blogged about … Continue reading
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Tagged David Bowie, Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker, Musicians Who Could Play Doctor Who
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Summer Poetry Class on “Love and Desire”
Starting in August, I’ll be teaching a section for UC Davis’ English Department. The class is called “Love and Desire in Contemporary Poetry” (a regularly offered course at UCD). My reading list: Collected Poems, 1947-1997, Allen Ginsberg The Dream of … Continue reading
Updated Summer Schedule
This June, I’m going to be at the Campbell Conference at the University of Kansas and at the SFRA Conference at UC Riverside. I’ll be teaching the first half of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction’s Summer Institute from … Continue reading
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Dr. Who Novelty Songs
Verity Podcast recently devoted an entire show to novelty songs about Doctor Who. As I’ve mentioned before, I think novelty songs don’t get enough credit. There’s an art to writing something funny and unique that references multiple cultural objects in an … Continue reading
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Tagged Doctor Who, Justified and Ancient, novelty tunes, Verity Podcast
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The Monks and that iPhone Sticker Ad
In regular rotation during the March Madness NCAA Tournament, there’s an ad for iPhone’s sticker feature. Apparently, people are asking about the bouncy , 60s garage-rock song featured in it. The song is “Boys are Boys and Girls are Choice” by … Continue reading
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Tagged Boys are Boys, Complication, iphone commercial, iphone stickers, March Madness, The Monks, The Road Warrior
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I Sold My Academic Book
So here’s the big announcement: last week, I signed a contract with University of Alabama Press to publish my non-fiction book on 19th-century fiction and technology. It will likely be out in 2018. Its tentative title is Gears and God: Technocratic Fiction, … Continue reading
Doc Savage: A Potential Beginner’s Guide
Earlier this week, Cat Rambo kicked off a series of posts chronicling her re-reading the Doc Savage pulps. Coincidentally, I recently bought a large set of Doc paperbacks, nearly completing a collection I started over 10 years ago. Given Cat’s … Continue reading
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Tagged Best of, Cat Rambo, Doc Savage, Howard Waldrop, Kenneth Robeson, Lester Dent, Michael Chabon, Street and Smith, Top Ten, Where to Start
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More News Soon…
I will have news about the non-fiction, academic book in the coming month. Beyond that, some of my short fiction is circulating. The next few weeks will include gathering reappointment materials for work, writing a number of recommendation letters for students, … Continue reading
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Forget ‘Best of 2016.’ Here’s the ‘Catch-Up in 2017’ List.
I only get to read/watch a fraction of the things I want to during a year. So I asked friends over on Facebook to recommend one thing from 2016 that I should experience, be it book, film, comic or otherwise. … Continue reading
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Goodbye, Princess Leia
In mourning for Carrie Fisher until further notice. The year has not been kind to science fiction fandom or music lovers. The best quote I read yesterday was from Twitter’s Miss Texas 1967 who said: “It is becoming increasingly obvious that David … Continue reading
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Chris Mars’s Video is “New Weird” Sci-Fi Goodness
The video for Chris Mars’s new song, “Down by the Tracks,” is like a cinematic version of a China Miéville novel as scored by the Kinks in 1968. (There’s more going on there, but that should grab the right people’s interest.) … Continue reading
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Tagged "Down by the Tracks", China Mieville, Chris Mars, Neil Gaiman, The Kinks, The Replacements, Tim Burton
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2016 End-of-Year Items
It’s the end of 2016, and I’m using it for the usual shameless plugs. A lot of my work from 2016 won’t be appearing until next year or later: My non-fiction book is under double-blind peer review at a university press … Continue reading
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“Stranger Things” Soundtrack Makes Best Albums of 2016 List
Rolling Stone just listed their “50 Best Albums of 2016” and there’s a surprise appearance at #47 by the soundtrack to Netflix’s sci-fi/horror series, Stranger Things. The recognition is for the theme and incidental music, composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael … Continue reading
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Tagged 80s, Best of 2016, nostalgia, Rolling Stone, sci-fi nostalgia, Stranger Things, Winona Ryder
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Replacements Fandom: Celebrating The Skyway’s 100th Issue
With very little fanfare, the day before Thanksgiving, an email landed in my inbox. It was the 100th issue of The Skyway, an internet mailing list about legendary Minneapolis band, The Replacements, that has been published since 1993. The 100th … Continue reading
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Tagged 90s music, Matthew Tomich, Paul Westerberg, The Replacements, The Skyway, Truman State University
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Bob Dylan Wins Nobel Prize for Literature
I’m really happy about today’s announcement that Bob Dylan is the first songwriting musician to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Dylan’s career is fascinating. I love that he has shifted his style/tone over several decades, right up to the folk-drenched, … Continue reading
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Nathaniel Williams 