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Category Archives: essays
“There are More Important Things than Living.”
In this time of pandemic, it seems curiously appropriate to re-open a blog that began with books set during the Black Death. When the Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, in pushing to relax guidelines about social distancing and reopen … Continue reading
Celebrating Lithuanian Independence Day, with an Introduction to Lithuania during the Middle Ages
On February 16, Lithuania, a small Baltic sea republic, celebrated its independence day. While I do have Lithuanian heritage on my mother’s side, I was primarily reminded of the holiday by a link I received to a video by a … Continue reading
Posted in essays, history, medieval, Settings
Tagged Lithuania, lithuanian independence, medieval, pagan state
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E. C. Ambrose Takes the Fun out of Movies: “Fantastic Beasts” and the Ethics of Magic
This weekend, I went to see the new Potterverse film, “Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find Them.” Let me preface these remarks by saying that I love a good fantasy creature, but I have some issues with Rowling’s work overall … Continue reading
Posted in essays, fantasy, magic, movies, witchcraft
Tagged Ethics, Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find them, Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, magic, Morality
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What’s Your Sign? Ophiuchus!
It’s not the first time I’ve written about the conjunction between astronomy and astrology–for a long time, they were considered to be essentially the same thing. The only reason to study the stars was to understand how they governed those … Continue reading
Posted in essays, history, religion
Tagged astrology, astronomical signs, Astronomy, NASA, ophiucus, serpent bearer, zodiac
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Finding a new Vernacular: the Language(s) of Fantasy
I have spoken to a fair number of people who say they don’t read fantasy because of all the funny names–including agents and editors who are thrown off by too many made-up words. This is one reason I recommend authors … Continue reading
Posted in essays, fantasy, fiction, Uncategorized, writing
Tagged fantasy language, fantasy writing, Kai Ashante Wilson, prose style, style, Tex Thompson, transparent writing, writing style
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Fundamentals for Life
I was recently cleaning up my hard-drive and reorganizing a bunch of files, deleting old things and, not coincidentally, searching for some of my idea notes for a new project when I came across a file entitled simply “Fundamentals.” I … Continue reading
Posted in essays, personal
Tagged advice, fundamentals for life, healthy living, inspirational, the writing life
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The Problem of Plagues. . .and other Medieval Usage Issues
I am working my way through my editor’s notes on Elisha Mancer, book four in The Dark Apostle series, and encountering the difficulty of words. Words are, in a novel, the primary tool for delivering the story. In a historical … Continue reading
Anti-technology Fantasy and the Author’s War Experience
This past weekend, I was delighted to spend at Readercon in their new location in Quincy, Massachusetts. Here is the description of one of the panels that got me thinking: If Thor Can Hang Out with Iron Man, Why Can’t … Continue reading
Posted in conventions, essays, fantasy, fiction, guns, history, medieval, technology
Tagged Civil War, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain, technology in fantasy, Tolkien, war, War Prayer, World War I
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How do you Keep an Author in Suspense?
I am an avid follower of the Bulwer-Lytton contest for a truly terrible opening sentence for a book–entries are now open for 2016, if you are so inclined. At the very least, you should click through to the 2015 winners … Continue reading
E. C. Ambrose 