Gather ’round, ye lords and ladies. We’re traveling back in time to Georgian and Victorian England, to discover two of the first post-apocalyptic novels ever written… Recently, while writing a rambling love letter to the post-apocalyptic fiction genre, I began […]
Author: Brandon Cornett
I write gritty sci-fi thrillers about rogue AI and killer robots, and you can participate. Subscribe to the Machine Wars newsletter so you can participate!
Story Ideas: Vampires Taking Over the World
This is part of an ongoing series that offers story ideas and prompts for writers of speculative fiction. In a previous blog post, I offered some ideas for writing a sci-fi horror novel by blending elements from those genres. Today, […]
How AI Could Take Over the World: 12 ‘Aftermath Scenarios’
Science-fiction writers have explored artificial intelligence (AI) takeover scenarios for decades. But the current state of AI is actually quite limited. Machine-based “intelligence” is good at playing Go and chess, beating humans in some cases. Just don’t expect it to […]
Why Is Post-Apocalyptic Fiction So Popular With Readers and Writers?
Post-apocalyptic fiction has always been popular among readers and viewers. Whether it’s books like The Road, The Stand and Swan Song; or movies like Mad Max and 28 Days Later, we just can’t get enough. But why? What makes post-apocalyptic […]
196 Sci-Fi Horror Novel Ideas for Speculative Fiction Writers
Do you need some sci-fi horror novel ideas to fuel your next writing project? Some genre-blending story starters or writing prompts? You’ve come to the right place. This blog post is part of an ongoing series that offers fiction writing […]
A History of Horror Novels in America: from the 1800s to the 2020s
“A history of horror novels and short stories over the centuries.” That’s what I had in mind when I began this project, a kind of horror fiction retrospective. But things got complicated. It was too broad a scope for a […]
How Scary Is The Shining (Book vs. Movie)?
Is Stephen King’s novel The Shining scary, and if so how scary? And what about the movie version? Which is scarier, the book or the movie? As a vocal enthusiast of the horror genre (i.e., “nerd”), I’ve encountered these questions […]
What Makes a Good Horror Story or Novel: 5 Key Elements
What makes a good horror story or novel? What are the key elements? Ask a dozen horror writers that question, and you’ll probably get twelve different responses. But I’m willing to bet there would be some overlap as well. That’s […]
Zombie Apocalypse Story Ideas and Writing Prompts
Do you need some zombie apocalypse novel ideas to fuel your next writing project? Maybe some zombie horror story ideas for your next collection of short fiction? You’ve come to the right place. This blog post is the first in […]