Acheron Lock – A “String City” Snapshot

Acheron Lock marks the junction of the River Lethe with the Acheron – also known as the River of Tears. Laced with anti-matter, the sentient lock gates ensure that the water keeps flowing smoothly at all times, in all dimensions, and frequently in defiance of gravity. Downstream, the Acheron is popular with anglers keen to … Continue reading Acheron Lock – A “String City” Snapshot

Cinefex Diaries – “Venom” and “Alpha”

The new Cinefex is just out, with Joe Fordham's epic story on First Man gracing the cover. This issue, two of the five articles are mine, and they couldn't have been more different. First up is Alpha, which I actually finished writing in December 2017, ready for our February 2018 issue. When the film's release … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – “Venom” and “Alpha”

Cinefex Diaries – Kessel Runner

The August edition of Cinefex is out, and I'm chuffed to have the cover with my article on Solo: A Star Wars Story. I had a whale of a time researching and writing this one, interviewing the visual effects team at Industrial Light & Magic, creature designer Neal Scanlan, special effects supervisor Dominic Tuohy and many … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – Kessel Runner

“Crown of Three” – Epic Collection

It's publication day for the Crown of Three Epic Collection, a box set of the complete fantasy trilogy for younger readers that I've been working on for the past couple of years. Publishers Simon and Schuster call it "a Game of Thrones for a younger audience" and I'm cool with that. The series kicks off with Crown of … Continue reading “Crown of Three” – Epic Collection

“String City” – Coming Soon

January 24, 2019 – put the date in your diary. Why? Because it’s the publication date of my new novel, String City. Huzzah! [UPDATE: Due to dimensional instabilities String City has a new publication date of March 2019.) Yes, I know, it’s months away, but the darn thing’s just popped up on Amazon, which means you … Continue reading “String City” – Coming Soon

Cinefex Diaries – Going Solo

My latest Cinefex story is Heft and Jank, an in-depth article on Pacific Rim Uprising, hot off the press in our June 2018 issue, Cinefex 159. I described the work that went into it in an earlier blog post – check it out here. Even while I was wrapping up the robots and monsters, however, I was … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – Going Solo

Cinefex Diaries – Robots and Monsters

The visual effects industry is a global affair, which means that I conduct most of my interviews over the phone, desperately trying to remember which time zone the person on the other end is in. As I set out to cover Pacific Rim Uprising for Cinefex 159, however, I sniffed an opportunity. The majority of … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – Robots and Monsters

“Annihilation”

Left to right: Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson in ANNIHILATION, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. “It’s making something new.” So says biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) about the alien infestation occupying an area of coastal swampland in Annihilation. ‘Something new’ is exactly what writer-director Alex Garland has delivered, in his adaptation of the acclaimed science fiction … Continue reading “Annihilation”

Cinefex Diaries – Dragons and Porgs

It's a weird feeling holding my shiny new copies of Cinefex 157. Since I joined the magazine staff over two years ago, this is the first issue that doesn't contain one of my articles. That's not because I've been slacking, I hasten to add. I spent a couple of months before Christmas researching and writing … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – Dragons and Porgs

Cinefex Diaries – “Black Panther”

I’m excited to report that I’ve spent the first few weeks of 2018 in Wakanda. Actually, my trip to the fabled African nation began just before Christmas, when I started interviewing for my upcoming article on Black Panther, due to be published in Cinefex 158, out April. I have a confession. Before starting work on … Continue reading Cinefex Diaries – “Black Panther”