Latest news with #MaryShelley
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Romantasy: A Starter Pack
If you've been anywhere near a bookstore, library or BookTok feed in the last five years, you've probably encountered a growing crowd of fae, dragon riders and fated mates of various magical persuasions. These are among the hallmarks of romantasy, the crossover genre that blends the passion and spice of romance with the escapism and high-stakes drama of fantasy. The definition of romantasy is hotly contested and refers, at its narrowest, to romance-first stories with a secondary world (or 'high fantasy') setting. This list takes a more expansive approach, recognizing the slipperiness of genre boundaries and the many branches of the romantasy family tree (which includes what others might call paranormal romance, science fiction or historical fantasy). These books draw from a broad range of genre traditions: the Gothic literature of Mary Shelley and Sheridan Le Fanu, the urban fantasy trend of the 1990s (to say nothing of the urban fantasy revival of the 2010s), fairy tales, mythology, young adult fiction and the richly imagined worlds of fantasy and science fiction luminaries like Mercedes Lackey and Anne McCaffrey. If there's one thing as reliable in romance as the happily ever after, it's romance readers' eagerness to recommend books to newbies. This list offers a few places to start — but once you're in, there's a whole internet out there waiting to tell you what to read next. I want to start at the beginning A Court of Thorns and Roses The series that started it all! Maas's 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' began as a Y.A. series before transitioning to the adult section of the bookstore. In the first book, the human Feyre is brought as a captive to the faerie court of Tamlin, a High Lord of Prythian. Be prepared to wait a couple of books to understand the endgame: The arc of Feyre's romance takes a little while to unfold (and gets spicier as it goes on). There are currently five books in the series, with at least one more novel promised, so it's not too late to get it on the fun of obsessing over release schedules and fan theories. If you read it and love it, try … 'Faebound,' by Saara El-Arifi; A.K. Mulford's Golden Court series; Mai Corland's Broken Blades series; or the Last Binding trilogy, by Freya Marske. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Encore: Love, jail, Jesus, and pubs — a tangled tale of four very different parents
Lech Blaine grew up in a big family in country Queensland, where his dad Tom ran pubs for a living. He had six older siblings, who had come to the family as foster kids before he was born. It was a happy, knockabout, sports-obsessed childhood. But in the midst of all the love and warmth, Lech's mum Lenore lived with a creeping sense of dread. She knew that one day, the troubled biological parents of three of the children in the family would appear in their lives. Michael and Mary Shelley were Christian fanatics wandering from place to place, in and out of jail and psychiatric hospitals, and notorious for stalking politicians and judges. One evening, when Lenore was at home with some of the children, Mary Shelley knocked on her door, changing the family's life forever. Further information First broadcast in December 2024. Australian Gospel is published by Black Inc. Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Love, jail, Jesus, and pubs — a tangled tale of four very different parents
Lech Blaine grew up in a big family in country Queensland, where his dad Tom ran pubs for a living. He had six older siblings, who had come to the family as foster kids before he was born. It was a happy, knockabout, sports-obsessed childhood. But in the midst of all the love and warmth, Lech's mum Lenore lived with a creeping sense of dread. She knew that one day, the troubled biological parents of three of the children in the family would appear in their lives. Michael and Mary Shelley were Christian fanatics wandering from place to place, in and out of jail and psychiatric hospitals, and notorious for stalking politicians and judges. One evening, when Lenore was at home with some of the children, Mary Shelley knocked on her door, changing the family's life forever. Further information First broadcast in December 2024. Australian Gospel is published by Black Inc. Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.
Washington Post
26-06-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
‘M3gan 2.0' updates its programming for a cheeky action-thriller
Any technology we don't fully comprehend we turn into horror, a truism that reaches back to Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' (medical science) and ahead to 'The Ring' (VCRs). Of late, the bogeymen have been AI and robotics, so we get movies like 'Ex Machina' and villains like the Entity in the 'Mission: Impossible' movies.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bournemouth's St Peter's church lights up to trial arts project
The interior of a Bournemouth church has been illuminated as part of a trial for an arts project telling the history and culture of the at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) are working with visual arts company Light Art Creatives on a plan to have animation, theatre and film projected onto St Peter's Church in the town hope to have a permanent projection mapping system installed at the church, renowned for being the final resting place of Mary Shelley, the author of warden Jane MacDonald said it "brings to life" the history of the area. Julian Dorrell, director at Light Art Creatives, said the idea came about after a trip to Montréal in Canada, which has outdoor video-projection installations on walls, buildings, alleys and trees throughout the said: "I wanted to bring some of that magic to Bournemouth." Having looked at to how and where he could make the idea work, St Peter's expressed an is currently working with AUB to prove it is a viable concept before applying for funding and sponsorship, including a National Lottery bid. Second year BA (Hons) animation production student Bryony Smith said: "It's so unusual to see your animation anywhere other than your own screen."So seeing it not only out in the world, but placed onto a historic building was really wonderful."Jane MacDonald, parish warden at St Peter's, said: "We are delighted to be able to showcase these incredibly talented artists in this magical way."It brings to life the cultural heritage of the past whilst hopefully inspiring the artists, writers and musicians of the future."An event to showcase the idea to the local community is being planned for the autumn. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
