Urban Fantasist Home

Reminder: One week to go till start of Sci-Fi-London 48hr Flash Fiction Challenge

31/3/2017

It's back: the famous SCI-FI-LONDON 48hr Flash Fiction Challenge is just three weeks away - UPDATED

Once again Urban Fantasist is pleased to be supporting the SCI-FI-LONDON 48hr Flash Fiction Challenge which starts at 11am on Saturday 8th April - which is just three weeks away now! And, once again UF's Charles Christian will be chairing the challenge jury. ( Which sounds impressive but basically means counting up the votes!)

0 Comments

On this day in history: first TV set installed in Downing Street

31/3/2017

0 Comments

At 10:00am on the morning of 31st March 1930, the Scottish engineer John Logie Baird installed a television set at 10 Downing Street, the home of the UK prime minister. At 8:00pm on 31st March 1930, No 10 Downing Street call John Logie Baird to complain there's nothing on television except repeats of The Vicar of Dibley ...probably.

0 Comments

File under 'Modern Life Sucks' - again

31/3/2017

0 Comments

My local branch of NFU Mutual insurance has introduced a new call centre operation - calls now take forever to be answered. At the end of my call I was asked to take part in a user satisfaction survey - first question was how did I rate the service on a scale of 1 to 5 - when I replied '1' the line went dead. Says it all.

0 Comments

New teaser trailer for upcoming Valerian movie just dropped

30/3/2017

0 Comments

For anyone unfamiliar with the Valerian saga, it began life in 1967 in France as an illustrated comic book series and you can see its visuals were the inspiration for subsequent movies, including the original Star Wars trilogy, right down to Princess Leia's metallic slave-girl bikini and the design of the Millennium Falcon.

0 Comments

ThrowBack Thursday: Dystopian Edition - how the 1987 movie The Running Man predicted life would be like in 2017

30/3/2017

0 Comments

New 5 Star review for the 12 Rules

29/3/2017

0 Comments

Over 138 weeks in Amazon's writing reference books bestsellers Top 20.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MELTC84
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MELTC84

5.0 out of 5 stars - Excellent for new or inexperienced fiction writers - by Avid Reader Amazon Top 100 Reviewer

I started to read the book because of the sub-title - "creating imaginary worlds", and I expected it to be all about world creation in sci-fi & fantasy. You know, how to create fantasy worlds like Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Whereas in reality it’s all about creating a fictional (i.e. imaginary) story in your head and transporting it into your readers’ heads without them putting the book down early or feeling cheated at the end. But Rule No 1 was “It is not just about the colour of the wallpaper” i.e. a jokey way of saying that Tolkien’s oeuvre isn’t just about Middle Earth. So the content of the book is diametrically opposite to what the sub-title lead me to expect. Two comments:

1) English is a language which allows, and almost encourages, multiple meanings; in fact, much of our comedy is based on it.
2) Before I knew it, I’d finished the book. So no hard feelings about my mistake on what to expect in the book.

Eleven of the twelve rules form a nice introduction to writing fiction, and genre fiction in particular. The twelfth rule then says it’s ok to break the rules sometimes, when you do it on purpose and know what you’re doing. Think of Picasso, who was expert at “ordinary” art before he started doing cubism.

So, it’s a good introduction to genre writing. But it’s also good to use as a checklist, to make sure you’re not going off the rails.

I’m glad I started to read it, and will keep it to hand in my virtual library.

0 Comments

The present is melting into the future and the Cloud is the new infinity says Douglas Coupland

28/3/2017

0 Comments

Douglas Coupland: The average IQ is now 103 and the present is melting into the future

A jet-lagged Douglas Coupland, recently departed from "The Lab" in Paris where he was "artist-in-residence" at that mysterious wing of the Google Cultural Institute, whatever that is, declared in a pre-written speech that "the future is already here".

0 Comments

Three new science fiction poems for Spring

27/3/2017

0 Comments

Three new poems for you today covering everything from the outer planets to the decline of butterflies here on Earth, by John Reinhart, Janka Hobbs, and John Hawkhead. You can read them HERE

0 Comments

This is so Cyberpunk: billionaires in Silicon Valley would rather cure death than make life worth living!

27/3/2017

0 Comments

Although this comment piece in Wired does have an anti-tech vibe, the concept of multi-billion dollar corporations fixated with curing death while people live in squalor on the street outside their front doors and die of diseases we've been able to cure since before the age of television is so cyberpunk. All that's missing is the Vangelis soundtrack!

Silicon Valley Would Rather Cure Death Than Make Life Worth Living

Silicon Valley is coming for death. But it's looking in the wrong place. After disrupting the way we love, communicate, travel, work, and even eat, technologists believe they can solve the ultimate problem. Perennially youthful Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced last year a $3 billion initiative to obliterate human disease.

0 Comments

Supporting Red Nose Day with a spoof book review by Stephen Theaker

25/3/2017

0 Comments

As part of a fundraising push for this year's Red Nose Day, UK science fiction and fantasy writer, novelist, and book reviewer Stephen Theaker (he is also is the co-editor and publisher of Theaker's Quarterly Fiction) has been offering a fake book reviews, written for fun and including one for my short story collection. As Stephen adds "Thank you to everyone who donated, helping us reach our target of £100. Not bad for a niche fundraising concept that couldn't be explained in under twenty minutes and massively limited the number of people likely to sponsor us!"

This is the Quickest Way Down by Charles Christian #rednosereviews #rednoseday

Charlie Christian was a swing and jazz guitarist who played an important role in bebop and cool jazz, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, 48 years after his death. There is a street named after him in Oklahoma City, and he played with Count Basie and Benny Goodman, among others.

0 Comments

<<Previous

Weird Tales, Folklore, Urban Myths, History & Geek Culture

Here to inform and entertain you with tales of folklore, urban myths, history, geek culture and the weird. "Fun and high strangeness" is how one reader described it. May contain sarcasm.

Curated by Reuters correspondent and barrister turned writer, podcaster, editor, award-winning tech journalist and sometime werewolf hunter Charles Christian. The site also has links to Charles Christian's books and latest reviews plus his Weird Tales Radio Show.

Charles was born a 'chime child' with a caul – according to legend a caul-shrouded chime-child can't drown at sea but can see and talk to ghosts and fairy folk without fear of coming to harm – superpowers he's so far never needed to employ.

Vital Statistics

Weird Tales Radio Show now goes out on syndication across 40 FM & internet radio stations, as well as all major podcast platforms plus Spotify, Mixcloud, SoundCloud, TuneIn Radio, YouTube, RSS & Amazon Music.

Click the <Play> button below to hear the latest show. Follow this link Weird Tales Radio Show to access archive.

Tweets by urbanfantasist

Virtual Tip Jar

You can now support Urban Fantasist, its podcasts and its new video channel through our Virtual Tip Jars on PayPal, Ko-fi and Patreon, giving you a choice of ad hoc or regular payments.

Contact Details

Email: urbanfantasist@icloud.com
Tel: +44(0)1986 788666
Tel/Txt: +44(0)7786 738172
WhatsApp etc: +44(0)7786 738172
Skype: ChristianUncut
Twitter: @urbanfantasist

Quote, Unquote

"Charles Christian... a man of paranormality" ...Howard Hughes, Talk Radio UK

"A great witty intelligence in the world. We need more CC and less monkey-brained politicians" ...Julia Bohanna

"I love your posts, always something interesting to read and often funny" ...Karen Morton

"Just found the show, absolutely love it. Will be tuning in regularly and catching up."

"Seriously good stuff. It is nice to hear intelligent hosts and guests. People in the chat room love the intellect!" ...Barbara Duncan, Para-X Radio

"You are a great and generous host" ...Patti Negri, The Hollywood Psychic

"You have a pleasant way of conducting an interview" ...Terje Simonsen

"I host a daily morning show in Las Vegas and I like your shows very much. I love the way you pace your voice and thoughts is fantastic and you have a way of making your guest interviews sound more like conversations. Just wanted to let you know" ...Clay Baker

"The ever wonderful Charles Christian and his Weird Tales Radio Show"...Into The Portal Podcast

"The Master of Mysteries & Folklore" ...Fantasy Radio UK

"The witty and knowledgeable Charles Christian."

"We poled our fans on their favorite podcasts and that's how I heard of Weird Tales Radio. You are well loved by the geekiverse, and fans of folklore history and monsters!"

"Charles Christian is really out there cool."

"Check out Urban Fantasist for more fun and strangeness."

"Charles Christian defiantly makes my world a brighter, funnier place."

"Wonderful show tonight full of all the usual delights we've come to expect."

"The legendary Charles Christian at his eclectic best... his insight and humour alone make this a must-read blog."

"Charles Christian is my inner spirit animal, thank you for making me laugh."

"You always make me laugh! Thank you for brightening my day with your dark humour."

"the funny, wonderful and slightly cantankerous Charles Christian"

"Carlsberg don't make clients, but if they did... they'd be Charles Christian"

"His tech journalism is always witty. He has a talent for pricking the overblown claims of suppliers."

"Charles Christian does awesome!"

Charles Christian's Books

Clicking on the links will take you to the Amazon previews of each book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087N3NB7M

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087N3NB7M

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MELTC84

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MELTC84

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DKCKPT

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCKPT

RSS Feed

Reminder: One week to go till start of Sci-Fi-London 48hr Flash Fiction Challenge

It's back: the famous SCI-FI-LONDON 48hr Flash Fiction Challenge is just three weeks away - UPDATED

On this day in history: first TV set installed in Downing Street

File under 'Modern Life Sucks' - again

New teaser trailer for upcoming Valerian movie just dropped

ThrowBack Thursday: Dystopian Edition - how the 1987 movie The Running Man predicted life would be like in 2017

New 5 Star review for the 12 Rules

The present is melting into the future and the Cloud is the new infinity says Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland: The average IQ is now 103 and the present is melting into the future

Three new science fiction poems for Spring

This is so Cyberpunk: billionaires in Silicon Valley would rather cure death than make life worth living!

Silicon Valley Would Rather Cure Death Than Make Life Worth Living

Supporting Red Nose Day with a spoof book review by Stephen Theaker

This is the Quickest Way Down by Charles Christian #rednosereviews #rednoseday

Weird Tales, Folklore, Urban Myths, History & Geek Culture

Vital Statistics

Virtual Tip Jar

Contact Details

Quote, Unquote

Charles Christian's Books

Archives

Weird Tales, Urban Myths, Folklore, History & Geek Culture