Pre-orders are now open for Luna's latest Call for Papers! Follow Me: Religion in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Pre-order yours here! Ebook also available on the usual retailers' sites.
Our Award Winning series, welcomes essays from academics, independent researchers, fans and creative writers, appealing to both the casual reader and a more research-oriented one. We consider this cross-disciplinary collaboration a strength, and the beginning of many more journeys.
The book will be released on the 20th of June, so we have plenty of time to introduce you to our contributors.
Today we'll introduce you to Steph P. Bianchini - Italy - presenting the paper, An Agnostic’s Prayer. The Egyptian gods in speculative fiction and Roger Zelazny.
Abstract:
There are few speculative fiction writers in which religion in all its forms and traditions has played a role as important as in the work of Roger Zelazny. From the Chinese characters in Lord Demon to the Siddhartha-type god of Lord of Light, the incredible richness of the world’s spirituality is portrayed in his work in an astonishing depth. But it is probably in Creatures of Light and Darkness that Zelazny reaches the most original and poignant treatment of mythology. In a narrative voice that mixes prose and poems, the Egyptian gods come alive in a weird and fascinating far-future setting, making us wonder what the meaning of being a god is and which kind of gods we consider as such. That question drives the novel, as well as this article.
About the Author:
Steph P. Bianchini is an Italian academic based in the UK. Steph is an Associate Professor and a member of the Royal Historical Society and worked over the last ten years on projects in social sciences, international relations, and humanities. They blog about sciences, speculative fiction, and history at earthianhivemind.net and edit the ezine “Frozen Wavelets” (https://frozenwavelets.com/) of speculative flash fiction and poetry.
As a fiction writer, Steph is a member of SFWA and HWA, writing under the byline Russell Hemmell. Their short stories and poetry have appeared in 100+ publications, including Aurealis, Cast of Wonders, Departure Mirror, Flame Tree Press, The Grievous Angel, and others.