written by David Steffen Allegiant is a 2013 dystopic science fiction novel by Veronica Roth, the final book in the Divergent trilogy after Divergent (reviewed here) and Insurgent (reviewed here). These stories take place in a future Chicago which is walled-off from the rest of the world and has been split into five factions: Candor … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Allegiant by Veronica Roth
written by David Steffen Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book is a 1994 fantasy book by Terry Jones parodying the historical Cottingley fairy photographs of 1917 which caused a sensation when they seemed to depict realistic fairies with children. The story of the book begins when Lady Cottington is a young child and she manages to … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book by Terry Jones
written by David Steffen Readers of Diabolical Plots may or may not know of its sister website also run by Diabolical Plots, LLC, called The Submission Grinder. The Submission Grinder is a donation-supported website to help writers find publications for their work–it hosts thousands of listings of fiction and poetry publications which are searchable by … Continue reading Submission Grinder April Fool’s Recap
written by David Steffen Onward is a March 2020 CG-animated fantasy action/comedy film from Disney/Pixar. It had a brief theatrical release, but its lower ticket shows were attributed to shelter-in-place orders from COVID-19, and as a result it was published on digital streaming services much earlier than usual (we watched it on Disney+). Ian (Tom … Continue reading MOVIE REVIEW: Onward
written by David Steffen This is one of a series of articles wherein I examine a music video as a short film, focusing on the story rather than the music, trying to identify the story arcs and characters motivations, and consider the larger implication of events. The film this week is People Like Us by … Continue reading MUSIC VIDEO DRILLDOWN #8: People Like Us by Kelly Clarkson
written by David Steffen Insurgent is a 2012 dystopic science fiction novel by Veronica Roth, the sequel to Divergent (reviewed here) and the second in the Divergent trilogy. These stories take place in a future Chicago which is walled-off from the rest of the world and has been split into five factions: Candor (who value … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
written by David Steffen Divergent is a 2011 dystopic science fiction novel by Veronica Roth, the first of a trilogy of books. The story takes place in an isolated city-state that used to be Chicago in the future, where it is walled off from the rest of the world where no one seems to know … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Divergent by Veronica Roth
written by David Steffen Rango is a 2011 computer-animated western comedy film distributed by Paramount Pictures. The protagonist (Johnny Depp) is a chameleon living a solitary life in a family’s terrarium acting out fantasy scenarios he invents in his ample spare time, and the family is driving with the terrarium in the back, when an … Continue reading MOVIE REVIEW: Rango
written by David Steffen Tales From the Loop is a science fiction series with a montage cast that premiered on Amazon Prime in April 2020, based on illustrations from the narrative art book of the same name by Simon Stalenhag. Underneath a small coastal town scientists have built The Loop, an experimental facility intended to … Continue reading TV REVIEW: Tales From the Loop Season 1
written by David Steffen Dark Ages is the second season of TBS comedy series Miracles Workers. I use the term “series” very loosely here, because there is no plot continuity whatsoever between the two seasons–if they didn’t actually have the same name I wouldn’t call it a series. Besides the name, they do have a … Continue reading TV REVIEW: Miracle Workers Season 2: Dark Ages
