sean guynes
@guynes.bsky.social
critic and cultural historian of fantasy, horror, sf + senior acquiring editor, @leverpress.bsky.social + associate editor of sf, @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social + read more: seanguynes.com
Pinned
Reading “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
In which I return to Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian (2005), a literary fiction vampire novel about historians fighting against Dracula across three generations—which once meant so much to …
seanguynes.com
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
Did not expect a note about Saddam Hussein to show up in the Wikipedia entry about the famous fantasy artist Rowena, but it's hilarious:
![Text reads: "Following the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, art which appeared to be Morrill's original paintings King Dragon and Shadows Out of Hell were discovered hanging in one of his houses.[10][11] According to Morrill, they were copies, as she had sold the originals to a Japanese collector.[12]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fwhewdkhdzgln4zzjuchuo4c/bafkreierxaow4kmn2mhrvsb2g4kb5omnbmgg4ec7vue3vrr3zphnwgdswa@jpeg)
November 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Did not expect a note about Saddam Hussein to show up in the Wikipedia entry about the famous fantasy artist Rowena, but it's hilarious:
A really cool book I've been working on about pilgrimage and politics in the Himalayan borderlands of India.
Tracing the Garhwal Himalaya region's sacred history, GOD'S OWN LAND by James G. Lochtefeld is out April 2026! Read more and pre-order here: services.publishing.umich.edu/Books/G/God-...
November 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
A really cool book I've been working on about pilgrimage and politics in the Himalayan borderlands of India.
I *hate* driving at night because of this. It feels like everyone has their brights on!
I wish we, like, regulated shit nowadays. Between car bloat, blinding headlines, and neighbourhoods packed with rental suites but no on-property parking, driving is an absolute nightmare now.
Nearly all drivers say vehicles' lights are too bright in study
The study, commissioned by the Department for Transport, was completed by Berkshire's TRL.
www.bbc.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I *hate* driving at night because of this. It feels like everyone has their brights on!
Reposted by sean guynes
In this new essay, I take a look at Thomas Burnett Swann's fifth novel, THE GOAT WITHOUT HORNS, an attempted satire of the Gothic romance that doesn't do satire very well, is incredibly racist, and is narrated by a dolphin. Also, the dolphin is definitely queer for the Byronic hero protagonist.
Reading “The Goat Without Horns” by Thomas Burnett Swann
Thomas Burnett Swann’s The Goat Without Horns (1971) is the author’s fifth novel, an attempted Gothic satire set in the colonial Caribbean. It is not very good and pretty damn racist. Also, t…
seanguynes.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM
In this new essay, I take a look at Thomas Burnett Swann's fifth novel, THE GOAT WITHOUT HORNS, an attempted satire of the Gothic romance that doesn't do satire very well, is incredibly racist, and is narrated by a dolphin. Also, the dolphin is definitely queer for the Byronic hero protagonist.
Reposted by sean guynes
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
Reading “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
In which I return to Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian (2005), a literary fiction vampire novel about historians fighting against Dracula across three generations—which once meant so much to …
seanguynes.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
Reposted by sean guynes
I’ve been thinking about this piece by Rachele Dini all week. It’s a very depressing read, but beautifully done, which is some consolation: lareviewofbooks.org/article/lite...
Literature Is Not a Vibe: On ChatGPT and the Humanities | Los Angeles Review of Books
Rachele Dini discusses OpenAI’s “A Machine-Shaped Hand” and an academic sector in crisis.
lareviewofbooks.org
November 8, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I’ve been thinking about this piece by Rachele Dini all week. It’s a very depressing read, but beautifully done, which is some consolation: lareviewofbooks.org/article/lite...
Reposted by sean guynes
Today I finished and filed my monograph on THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, in which I break down the entire film into 60-second segments and discuss them one at a time. It's been a challenging but hugely rewarding book to write — and now it's finally done!!
a silhouette of a man standing in front of a window with a curtain that says ' a ' on it
ALT: a silhouette of a man standing in front of a window with a curtain that says ' a ' on it
media.tenor.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Today I finished and filed my monograph on THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, in which I break down the entire film into 60-second segments and discuss them one at a time. It's been a challenging but hugely rewarding book to write — and now it's finally done!!
Reposted by sean guynes
Next volume in the film|minutes series: @danhf.bsky.social on Texas Chain Saw Massacre!!!
Today I finished and filed my monograph on THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, in which I break down the entire film into 60-second segments and discuss them one at a time. It's been a challenging but hugely rewarding book to write — and now it's finally done!!
a silhouette of a man standing in front of a window with a curtain that says ' a ' on it
ALT: a silhouette of a man standing in front of a window with a curtain that says ' a ' on it
media.tenor.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Next volume in the film|minutes series: @danhf.bsky.social on Texas Chain Saw Massacre!!!
In this new essay, I take a look at Thomas Burnett Swann's fifth novel, THE GOAT WITHOUT HORNS, an attempted satire of the Gothic romance that doesn't do satire very well, is incredibly racist, and is narrated by a dolphin. Also, the dolphin is definitely queer for the Byronic hero protagonist.
Reading “The Goat Without Horns” by Thomas Burnett Swann
Thomas Burnett Swann’s The Goat Without Horns (1971) is the author’s fifth novel, an attempted Gothic satire set in the colonial Caribbean. It is not very good and pretty damn racist. Also, t…
seanguynes.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM
In this new essay, I take a look at Thomas Burnett Swann's fifth novel, THE GOAT WITHOUT HORNS, an attempted satire of the Gothic romance that doesn't do satire very well, is incredibly racist, and is narrated by a dolphin. Also, the dolphin is definitely queer for the Byronic hero protagonist.
Reposted by sean guynes
Meanwhile the murderer's examining his own fidgeting hands
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Meanwhile the murderer's examining his own fidgeting hands
Working on my essay on Thomas Burnett Swann's fifth novel, THE GOAT WITHOUT HORNS (1971), which is a terribly racist "Gothic satire" set in the Caribbean. I was doing some digging on a small point, and realized that Swann's father (same name) was a big Florida citrus baron:
Thomas Swann - Florida Citrus Hall of Fame
floridacitrushalloffame.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Working on my essay on Thomas Burnett Swann's fifth novel, THE GOAT WITHOUT HORNS (1971), which is a terribly racist "Gothic satire" set in the Caribbean. I was doing some digging on a small point, and realized that Swann's father (same name) was a big Florida citrus baron:
Reposted by sean guynes
Periodic reminder I have books. You can buy them. Still the only nonfiction book on love, sex, gender, H. P. Lovecraft, and the Mythos he helped create.
www.amazon.com/dp/1614980888/
www.amazon.com/dp/1614980888/
Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos
Amazon.com: Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos: 9781614980889: Derie, Bobby: Books
www.amazon.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Periodic reminder I have books. You can buy them. Still the only nonfiction book on love, sex, gender, H. P. Lovecraft, and the Mythos he helped create.
www.amazon.com/dp/1614980888/
www.amazon.com/dp/1614980888/
Reposted by sean guynes
If you've written a book or many or are writing one now, what a cool fucking thing you are doing. I hope you bask in how awesome it is that you had ideas and thoughts and worked on them for years to develop them into words others can understand. Like that's some sorcery shit. Fuck AI, THIS is magic.
November 17, 2025 at 1:12 PM
If you've written a book or many or are writing one now, what a cool fucking thing you are doing. I hope you bask in how awesome it is that you had ideas and thoughts and worked on them for years to develop them into words others can understand. Like that's some sorcery shit. Fuck AI, THIS is magic.
For the evening crowd:
It's got history, it's got vampires, it's got...sort of a baffling absence of theory on either topic! Scholar, editor, & comrade @guynes.bsky.social is on to talk about Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN.
A Meal of Thorns 37 – THE HISTORIAN with Sean Guynes
Vampire scholar, science fiction studies editor, and ARB co-founder Sean Guynes joins to discuss Kostova’s 2005 historical vampire thriller. We both have fairly negative opinions of the book, but i…
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:15 PM
For the evening crowd:
For the evening crowd:
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
Reading “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
In which I return to Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian (2005), a literary fiction vampire novel about historians fighting against Dracula across three generations—which once meant so much to …
seanguynes.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:15 PM
For the evening crowd:
next level trolling
every day I have to log on and see Takes
November 17, 2025 at 9:01 PM
next level trolling
Reposted by sean guynes
I’d forgotten how much ‘memory’ of communist Hungary and Bulgaria, and reductive reading of the Yugoslav wars, there was in this book.
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
Reading “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
In which I return to Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian (2005), a literary fiction vampire novel about historians fighting against Dracula across three generations—which once meant so much to …
seanguynes.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I’d forgotten how much ‘memory’ of communist Hungary and Bulgaria, and reductive reading of the Yugoslav wars, there was in this book.
Reposted by sean guynes
Had a great time consulting with the “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” team over the past couple months, and they kindly gave my book a shoutout during the episode.
November 17, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Had a great time consulting with the “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” team over the past couple months, and they kindly gave my book a shoutout during the episode.
Reposted by sean guynes
It's got history, it's got vampires, it's got...sort of a baffling absence of theory on either topic! Scholar, editor, & comrade @guynes.bsky.social is on to talk about Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN.
A Meal of Thorns 37 – THE HISTORIAN with Sean Guynes
Vampire scholar, science fiction studies editor, and ARB co-founder Sean Guynes joins to discuss Kostova’s 2005 historical vampire thriller. We both have fairly negative opinions of the book, but i…
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:24 PM
It's got history, it's got vampires, it's got...sort of a baffling absence of theory on either topic! Scholar, editor, & comrade @guynes.bsky.social is on to talk about Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN.
Reposted by sean guynes
It's about a novel I don't think I'd touch with a bargepole, but this is a very interesting and worthwhile discussion on The Historian (2005), Dracula, and vampire fiction.
It's got history, it's got vampires, it's got...sort of a baffling absence of theory on either topic! Scholar, editor, & comrade @guynes.bsky.social is on to talk about Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN.
A Meal of Thorns 37 – THE HISTORIAN with Sean Guynes
Vampire scholar, science fiction studies editor, and ARB co-founder Sean Guynes joins to discuss Kostova’s 2005 historical vampire thriller. We both have fairly negative opinions of the book, but i…
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:53 PM
It's about a novel I don't think I'd touch with a bargepole, but this is a very interesting and worthwhile discussion on The Historian (2005), Dracula, and vampire fiction.
I like the idea, instead, of "ten books I have not read, don't feel bad about not reading, and in fact will make it a point of personal pride never to read"
It's the time of year where Tiktok starts on "ten before the end". I don't think lists like that actually do much for making me read things, but I like making lists so here's my attempt at the ten books I'd like to get to before the end of the year.
The metric is "feel v bad I've not read it yet".
The metric is "feel v bad I've not read it yet".
November 17, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I like the idea, instead, of "ten books I have not read, don't feel bad about not reading, and in fact will make it a point of personal pride never to read"
The threat made good:
November 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The threat made good:
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
Reading “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
In which I return to Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian (2005), a literary fiction vampire novel about historians fighting against Dracula across three generations—which once meant so much to …
seanguynes.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
This has been two months in the making. The essay was written in September, the podcast recorded in October, and now both are available in November.
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
So here it is: my 10k word essay on the overlong and bafflingly insubstantial 2005 vampire historical thriller about Dracula, Kostova's THE HISTORIAN
I couldn't have put it better: a baffling absence of almost anything of substance is what characterizes Kostova's The Historian. Come listen to me and @casella.bsky.social puzzle out what *could* be a good book, but most definitely isn't!
It's got history, it's got vampires, it's got...sort of a baffling absence of theory on either topic! Scholar, editor, & comrade @guynes.bsky.social is on to talk about Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN.
A Meal of Thorns 37 – THE HISTORIAN with Sean Guynes
Vampire scholar, science fiction studies editor, and ARB co-founder Sean Guynes joins to discuss Kostova’s 2005 historical vampire thriller. We both have fairly negative opinions of the book, but i…
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
I couldn't have put it better: a baffling absence of almost anything of substance is what characterizes Kostova's The Historian. Come listen to me and @casella.bsky.social puzzle out what *could* be a good book, but most definitely isn't!
Reposted by sean guynes
Like it or not this technology is here to stay and if you don’t use it you’ll fall behind in your industry
November 16, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Like it or not this technology is here to stay and if you don’t use it you’ll fall behind in your industry