Zach (Prose & Context)
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proseandcontext.bsky.social
Zach (Prose & Context)
@proseandcontext.bsky.social
120 followers 110 following 140 posts
I read speculative fiction and write articles about it at: medium.com/@proseandcontext
proseandcontext.substack.com
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Zach (Prose & Context) @proseandcontext.bsky.social · Mar 13
My new piece today is mainly a Master List of all of my previous work (82 articles so far!!) but also gave me a chance to reiterate my promise to readers. Consider taking a look!

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/welcome-ma...

#whyiwrite #booksky #blog #writer #speculativefiction #masterlist #index
Welcome! Master List of Posts & My Promise to Readers
Why I write and what I’ve written
proseandcontext.substack.com
proseandcontext.bsky.social
#CriticalRole Campaign IV got me thinking again about @robertjbennett.bsky.social's #TheDivineCities trilogy, and particularly about the mess that killing your gods leaves behind.

Has DM Brennan read the series? The parallels are certainly there:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/life-after...

#sff
Life After Gods: Critical Role IV & The Divine Cities
Chaos, mystery and mortal corruption
proseandcontext.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:10 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
For #Hallowe'en this week, a look at a few truly evil fictional places from The Shining, The Haunting of Hill House and more:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/malevolent...

#horror #books #fiction #negativespace #hillhouse #sff #houseofleaves #writer
Malevolent Places
A swift riffle of haunting houses and dreaded demesnes
proseandcontext.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:49 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Much like interpersonal relationships, power imbalances in interactions between nations and peoples can be a glaring red flag. Join me in exploring these ideas as they relate to #TheLeftHandofDarkness, #BuffaloIstheNewBuffalo, #StarTrek and more:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/community-...

#sff
Community vs Imperialism
Where is the line between symbiosis and parasitism?
proseandcontext.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 12:05 AM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
R.F. Kuang's Katabasis was one of my most anticipated reads this year, promising a fascinating look at hell & academia.

Upon reading it, I can't help but having mixed feelings. Should you read it? I go into it in my review & analysis:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/katabasis-...

#booksky #sff
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang: Review & Analysis
A hellish journey in more ways than one
proseandcontext.substack.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:28 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
What would it look like to live in a world without gender? Ursula K Le Guin and Ann Leckie have written books about it, so let's take a look!

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/worlds-wit...

#sff #gender #nonbinary
Worlds Without Gender
As imagined by Ursula K. Le Guin and Ann Leckie
proseandcontext.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
On this #NationalDayofTruthandReconciliation, I wanted to look at Cherie Dimaline's "The Marrow Thieves" and discuss the important lessons we can all take from it:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/learning-f...

#books #sff #NDTR #Canada
Learning From 'The Marrow Thieves' by Cherie Dimaline
On Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
proseandcontext.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:32 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
The Salmon Run is happening now in Toronto, which made me want to write about the lifecycle of serpents in Robin Hobb's wonderful Realm of the Elderlings series.

Join me in taking my mind off of for a few moments?

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-salmon...

#books #ecology #sff
The Salmon Run & Robin Hobb's Sea Serpents
Seeing fantasy come alive in nature
proseandcontext.substack.com
September 23, 2025 at 10:38 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
A horror novel about society's willingness to discard women after menopause? Written by a cis man of all things?

Mary: An Awakening of Terror is pretty great! I review and discuss here:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/mary-an-aw...

#horror #bookreview #storytelling #phobias
‘Mary: An Awakening of Terror’ Review & Analysis
Internalized phobias // who can tell what stories
proseandcontext.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
It's sometimes hard to remember that before the multi-billion dollar franchise, A Song of Ice and Fire was just a series of books exploring the human condition.

In this week's post, I return to the source to find and share what insights I may:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-value-...
The Value of A Song of Ice and Fire
Reflecting our fraught humanity
proseandcontext.substack.com
September 9, 2025 at 10:06 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Why does the internet – ok, mostly Reddit – hate R.F. Kuang? What can we learn from it?

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-rf-kua...

#katabasis #2025news #author
The R.F. Kuang Hate is Ridiculous
Celebrity culture is holding us back
proseandcontext.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 9:24 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
This week I had one of my short stories, 'Litany of Renewal', published for the first time!

Find it here in the debut issue of Vellum Mortis by Memento Mori Ink Mag and Crystal Lake Publishing!

www.mementomoriinkmag.com/vellummortis...

#writer #shortfiction #weirdfiction #godsofthegutter
www.mementomoriinkmag.com
August 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Today I wrote about Ghost's "Satanized" and ever-harmful false dichotomies.

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/ghosts-sat...

#ghost #music #analysis
Ghost's Satanized: Obey or be Damned
Themes of Skeletá and the evil of false dichotomies
proseandcontext.substack.com
August 26, 2025 at 9:47 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
I love #Dimension20 and wanted to share some of the storytelling lessons I've learned from these hilarious, talented folks!

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/dimension-...
Dimension 20: A Storytelling Masterclass
One of my many passions & the lessons I take from it
proseandcontext.substack.com
August 19, 2025 at 9:36 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
The ending of Paul Murray's #TheBeeSting hit me like a truck – much the same as B.R. Yeager's #NegativeSpace.

Perspective plays a big role in the tragedy of these novels and the important lessons we can learn from them:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/perspectiv...

#BookSky #Life #Lessons
Perspective in ‘The Bee Sting’ & ‘Negative Space’
The most fearsome killer and greatest hope
proseandcontext.substack.com
August 12, 2025 at 11:35 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
The Tyrant Philosophers series is truly incredible, possibly in part because Tchaikovsky seems to have been inspired by Sanderson's Stormlight.

I explore many of my favourite elements in the series and their parallels.

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-tyrant...

#booksky #sff #fantasy #book #new
The Tyrant Philosophers: Worldbuilding & Stormlight Parallels
My favourite Adrian Tchaikovsky series to date, with a dash of Brandon Sanderson
proseandcontext.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 10:57 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
@aptshadow.bsky.social's "City of Last Chances" and "House of Open Wounds" utterly devoured my weekend and inspired me to write about ideas of fantastical tyranny and the complexity of meaningful societal change. Also discussed #Babel & The Masquerade:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-spark-...
The Spark of Revolution
Insights into the complexities of enacting societal change
proseandcontext.substack.com
July 29, 2025 at 10:53 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
How the Serenity Prayer has helped me with crippling social anxiety and ADHD paralysis, with reference to Midnight Mass and (of course) the Stormlight Archive.

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/anxiety-ad...

#booksky #mentalhealth #acceptance
Anxiety, ADHD & The Serenity Prayer [Journey Before Destination II]
Existence and mental health reflections
proseandcontext.substack.com
July 22, 2025 at 10:01 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
The Ghostie People of 'The Shining' and 'Doctor Sleep' may be a little spooky, but they have nothing on the deep issues of trauma and addiction that Stephen King explores.

I wrote about the masterful generational story in my latest piece:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-all-to...

#BookSky
The All-Too-Real Horrors of 'The Shining'
Ghosts are the least of anyone's problems in Stephen King's landmark novel
proseandcontext.substack.com
July 15, 2025 at 8:50 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
More #TheBlackCompany discussion about the many things I love in this series, plus about the way Cook transplants aspects of Indian, Vietnamese and other cultures without a ton of care.

Are you more excited or nervous for the series' return, #BookSky?

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-wonder...
The Wonders and Terrors of “The Black Company” [Part II]
Demons and shadows, religions and sorcerers, the Company and the worlds
proseandcontext.substack.com
July 7, 2025 at 10:26 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Glen Cook's The Black Company series returns later this year with a sequel 25 years in the making.

I really like this series. I also deeply hate parts of it, namely the sexual violence it depicts.

I wrestle with this in today's piece:
proseandcontext.substack.com/p/why-i-love...

#booksky #sff #cw
Why I Love and Hate "The Black Company" Series [Part I]
The Foundational Grimdark Series Returns Later This Year
proseandcontext.substack.com
June 30, 2025 at 10:34 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
#ThisIsHowYouLoseTheTimeWar is the rare speculative fiction novel that manages to be both incredibly rich with meaning and remarkably brief in page count.

I wrote a little about what goes into making this book such a masterpiece:

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/the-making...

#booksky #lesbian #sff
The Makings of a Masterpiece
Why you’ll love This Is How You Lose the Time War
proseandcontext.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 10:57 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Character spotlight for one of the most badass & terrifying women ever depicted in speculative fiction, Tain Shir from Seth Dickinson's #Masquerade novels.

Precursor and foil to #BaruCormorant, uniquely unmastered, this woman's got it all.

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/tain-shir-...

#booksky
Tain Shir, Bane of Wives [Einherjar]
A juggernaut in more ways than one, from Seth Dickinson's Masquerade novels
proseandcontext.substack.com
June 16, 2025 at 7:58 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
#Murderbot on Apple TV+ may have started a little slow, but every episode has been ramping up both the tension and humour exquisitely.

Whether you're a fan from the books or just looking for something new to watch, give it a shot - it's worth it 🤩
June 13, 2025 at 1:43 AM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Does life have intrinsic value?

So much of speculative fiction focuses on a few aristocratic characters eager to spend the lives of plebeians on their way to glory. Are we different, caring mostly for those close to us?

Art by Steve Prescott

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/does-life-...

#booksky
Does Life Have Intrinsic Value?
Dune, Terra Ignota, Nightwish and more
proseandcontext.substack.com
June 12, 2025 at 9:07 PM
proseandcontext.bsky.social
Now that I've done over a hundred posts on the subject, why not tackle the question: What is Speculative Fiction?

proseandcontext.substack.com/p/what-is-sp...

#booksky #fantasy #scifi #speculativefiction #movies
What is Speculative Fiction?
A wide umbrella covering diverse genres in media, a hope for our time
proseandcontext.substack.com
June 8, 2025 at 9:59 PM