Transmitting the Strange: A Conversation with Lydia Kwa

Posted by Augur Blog
On January 22, 2020

Interview by Yilin Wang I first heard Lydia read at the panel “Linking Past and Present: Writing about Language and Place” at Growing Room 2017. Since then, we have shared interesting conversations over tea or online, discussing a range of topics such as writing, martial arts, and folklore. After reading her novels Oracle Bone and […]

Rereading The Summer Tree: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Posted by Augur Blog
On January 20, 2020

By Marcie McCauley It was the year we would see how right George Orwell had been: 1984. Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” were playing on cassette. Swing Shift and Supergirl played in single-screen movie theatres. And Guy Gavriel Kay’s debut novel, The Summer Tree, beckoned readers to Fionavar. Feminists on the […]

Best Books We Read in 2019

Posted by Augur Blog
On December 19, 2019

We love stories of all shapes and sizes. Here are the books the Augur team’s favourite book-sized reads of 2019! This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone I don’t often read books in one sitting anymore, but this one refused to be put down. How wonderful that a book […]

Why Speculative Fiction is an Important Genre to Me

Posted by Augur Blog
On December 4, 2019

By Jorie Rao In college when my Literature professors asked which books were most significant to me, I’d known they were looking for an answer like Pride and Prejudice or Anna Karenina because, of course they were. They wanted something with literary merit to prove that I was deep and scholarly. They expected something literary […]

Rereading the Farseer Trilogy: Book II, Royal Assassin

Posted by Augur Blog
On October 9, 2019

By Mado Christie Before we get into the substance of this book I need to just point out the cover of this edition of Royal Assassin, because it is such a classic, over-the-top fantasy cover. That’s not to say it’s bad, it was just such a hilariously jarring moment to come across it again and […]

5 Monsters We Don’t Want to Slay

Posted by Augur Blog
On October 1, 2019

By Lawrence Stewen Slaying monsters has gotten old. Rather, it was always old. Firstly, the act glorifies violence as a solution. Secondly, more often than not, it empowers the cis male protagonist while demonizing those whose bodies and minds do not conform to his society’s “norm.” Not a great look. While fictional violence can be […]

Wuxia Fiction and Urban Spaces: An Interview with Yilin Wang

Posted by Augur Blog
On August 28, 2019

Interview by Tamara Jong Writer Yilin Wang shares the inspiration for her fantasy story “Sparrow” published in Issue 145 of Clarkesworld. Her story was also recently named a runner-up in Sequestrum Magazine’s 2019 Editor Reprint Award and will be reprinted in one of their upcoming issues. Read on to find out what her revision process […]

Re-reading The Farseer Trilogy: Book I, Assassin’s Apprentice

Posted by Augur Blog
On August 21, 2019

By Mado Christie When I set out to re-read Robin Hobb’s Elderlings saga, which is undeniably one of my favourite fantasy series of all time, it wasn’t from a purely positive place. First of all, the catalyst for my urge to revisit the series was the ending of the whole series, which left me with […]

Announcement: Augur Magazine going Pro, Looking for Managing Editor

Posted by Kerrie
On August 15, 2019

The title has given it away. So here’s the how, what, why of it all. In our second year, Augur Magazine is a big team. Including editorial team, readers, social team, and illustrators, we’re just over 30. That’s a lot of growth in two years. In that time, we have been flattered, astonished, and thrilled […]

A Bildungsroman for Othered Bodies

Posted by Augur Blog
On August 14, 2019

By Maryam Gowralli I would hazard to say that to most readers, the coming-of-age genre, also known to literary critics as the Bildungsroman, is familiar. By definition, the genre revolves around a protagonist who undergoes a journey from youth to adulthood. Such journeys lead to an individual’s moral and spiritual education, and ultimately, symbolizes the […]