Author: Daniel Haeusser

Daniel Haeusser (He/Him) is an Associate Professor of Biology who teaches microbiology and biochemistry. He researches bacterial cell shape & division, and phage (bacterial viruses) that alter either in their host during infection. His constant reading spans many genres, but SF, Fantasy, Horror, mystery, and world literature remain closest to his heart. His regular book reviews can be found at Reading 1000 Lives, and he also contributes reviews to Strange Horizons, Fantasy Book Critic, Speculative Fiction in Translation, and World Literature Today. You can connect with him on Goodreads or Bluesky.

Book Review: THE TUSKS OF EXTINCTION by Ray Nayler

Cover of The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler, featuring the skull and huge, curving tusks of an elephant, mammoth or mastodon.

It touches on big issues, features biological speculation that is near and dear to me, but it does all this without skimping on character-driven aspects and precise language that evokes empathy and reflection.

Podcast Boost: IMAGINING TOMORROW with Emma Newman

Award-winning podcaster and author Emma Newman has teamed up with the London-based Friends of the Earth grassroots environmental campaigning community to produce a new podcast series entitled Imagining Tomorrow.

Book Review: TRIANGULUM by Subodhana Wijeyeratne

Cover of Triangulum by Subodhana Wijeyeratne, depicting a spaceship that looks like an angry monster, firing weapons.

It’s a cerebral space opera set on a large scale with multiple protagonists and antagonists vying for control. Sometimes, the lines between protagonist and antagonist can become blurred, as can the nature of their moralities.

Book Review: THREE EIGHT ONE by Aliya Whiteley

Cover of Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley. Tag: "You will know your place when you are done."

The plot and themes of Three One Eight connect with its unconventional elements of narrative and construction. These are wonderful discoveries for the reader to make without forewarning.

Book Review: 12 HOURS by L. Marie Wood

Cover, 12 Hours by L. Marie Wood. Illustration by Lynne Hansen features a cab parked in an alley, with some people approaching with lights.

The reader of L. Marie Wood’s short novella 12 Hours will realize what has happened to this cabbie long before he grasps the truth about himself. And that’s an integral part of the construction of the novella, of how Wood is directing the reader’s emotions and connection to her protagonist through his psychological horror.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our followers from the Skiffy & Fanty blog team! … Please let us know if there are things in 2024 that you are particularly looking forward to, or if there are any topics or features you’d like to see here on Skiffy & Fanty.