Tag: history

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) is weirder than I remembered

Hello readers! Last weekend I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, having not picked up the book since I was about ten years old. This book is possibly the first fantasy story that I ever read, and I have fond memories of it – and for the Chronicles of … Continue reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) is weirder than I remembered →

Blog plans for 2026

Hello readers! Happy new year! I’d like to post a quick update regarding upcoming projects on this blog. I’m not planning any major overhauls of its structure: all posts will remain related to science fiction and fantasy (sometimes tangentially). But last year, some of my favourite post formats were underused, with only two six-minute summaries … Continue reading Blog plans for 2026 →

Six-minute summary: Marie Tharp

Hello readers! It’s time for the final six-minute summary of 2025. We’ll be exploring the pioneering work of Marie Tharp, an American geologist and cartographer who created the first maps of the sea floor. She did this in the 1950s, without any computer assistance, by interpreting thousands of depth measurements collected by research ships. Her … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Marie Tharp →

Clayton goes to Lincolnshire

Hello readers! I recently went on holiday to Lincolnshire. It’s a part of the UK not typically regarded as a holiday destination, except by those still loyal enough to visit the coastal metropolis of Skegness. However, my family and I resisted the allure of holidaying at a North-Sea-facing Butlins, and instead opted to spend a … Continue reading Clayton goes to Lincolnshire →

Clayton goes to Crete (Part Two)

Hello readers! In my last post, I recounted my hike down the Samaria Gorge on the island of Crete, Greece. It was an incredible experience, and certainly the highlight of the holiday – but I wanted to share a few of my other Crete adventures, too. For the most part, this wasn’t an adrenalin-fuelled, up-at-the-crack-of-dawn, … Continue reading Clayton goes to Crete (Part Two) →

The Last Man (1826) is a miserable read…

Hello readers! I recently finished reading The Last Man, a dystopian novel written in 1826 by Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. I first learnt of this book’s existence when I was researching the origins of science fiction, as The Last Man is often listed as the earliest example of the dystopian, apocalyptic genre. The … Continue reading The Last Man (1826) is a miserable read… →

Updates and a Lego cathedral

Hello readers! Apologies for the recent lack of posts, but I have been very busy with work – not only of the “earn-money-to-stay-alive” variety, but of the “unpaid-but-career-imperative” variety. Thankfully, I’m still enjoying my somewhat quirky real-life job, but there can be no denying its erosional effect on my free time… I’m working on the … Continue reading Updates and a Lego cathedral →

An 18th century map that changed science

Hello readers! It’s time for some more historical science. This week, we’ll explore how the creation of a map in 18th century France changed the way that scientists viewed the world. The map covered the Auvergne region, which contains the Chaîne des Puys – a line of conical hills that are now known to have … Continue reading An 18th century map that changed science →

Science fiction and the future: Part Two

Hello readers! In the previous post, we explored the challenges associated with setting a speculative science fiction story in a particular future year. The writer must choose a date that feels plausible to the reader, or else their credibility will be eroded, the foundations of their fictional world will be shaken, and their otherwise carefully-crafted … Continue reading Science fiction and the future: Part Two →