“What have Conservatives actually managed to conserve?” is something I’ve heard a lot recently from people in right-wing circles (alt-lite as well as alt-right.) The basic point being made here is that despite their apparent best efforts, Western society has been sliding leftward, away from the values Conservatives espoused. A large part of this isContinue reading “The Failure of Conservatives to Conserve Culture”
Author Archives: yakovmerkin
Writer’s Ramble: On Ungrateful Creators
A few days ago, I came across an article that talked about a pair of fairly successful actresses who have not only attacked President Trump and his supporters, but have gone so far as to say that they don’t want Trump supporters as fans or supporters of work period. I hate these people. It’s aContinue reading “Writer’s Ramble: On Ungrateful Creators”
Book Review: For Steam and Country
This review’s been long in coming, but I’m finally getting to it. It’s always harder to do reviews when it’s been some time since I read the book, but I haven’t forgotten anything major. Full disclosure before I begin, I am friends with Jon del Arroz, the author of For Steam and Country. However, that didn’tContinue reading “Book Review: For Steam and Country”
Takeaways From the 2017 Dragon Awards
So, the Dragon Awards have come and gone, and I;m most definitely late to the after-awards discussion. However, I wanted to get a few thoughts it (and share a more comprehensive post on the main takeaways by Dragon Award nominee Richard Paolinelli.) The first, is that the Dragons have demonstrated that no one group canContinue reading “Takeaways From the 2017 Dragon Awards”
Phasma: Star Wars Shows it Doesn’t Know How to Explore its Characters or What Fans Want
I have a few quick thoughts, stemming from the recent release of Phasma, a standalone book detailing the backstory of the iconic Star Wars character Captain Phasma–oh wait, no, she was just an over-hyped character that did nothing in the movie and was put in the movie to sell toys and as a means to push aContinue reading “Phasma: Star Wars Shows it Doesn’t Know How to Explore its Characters or What Fans Want”
Jews, Acknowledge Your True Enemy
“וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ” “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” Pirkei Avot 2:5 This is something I’ve been meaning to talk about in detail for some time now, but things have been busy, and I wanted to do the topic justice. While I do intendContinue reading “Jews, Acknowledge Your True Enemy”
Diversitygate, One Year Later
Well, time certainly does fly. I still remember when this first took place a year ago. Bre’s video has a full recounting of what took place as well as its aftermath, but I’ll quickly summarize here. Bre Faucheux, then a book reviewer on YouTube as well as an indie author, made a video calling outContinue reading “Diversitygate, One Year Later”
Let’s Talk About Historical Statues–and Why They Should Not Be Tampered With
Historical statues and monuments have been the subject of much discussion in recent months, even more so over the past couple of weeks. They have also been the subject of much action, with at least one Confederate statue being torn down by a mob, a 200 year old Christopher Columbus monument being vandalized with aContinue reading “Let’s Talk About Historical Statues–and Why They Should Not Be Tampered With”
Clarity Over Cleverness, the Key to Fun Stories
I’d like to share an excellent post by Brian Niemeier, which itself is sharing and replying to another great article by Daddy Warpig over on the Castalia House blog. The gist of the longer article is encapsulated in Brian’s post. Clarity over cleverness. As Brian points out, the science fiction genre has fallen from beingContinue reading “Clarity Over Cleverness, the Key to Fun Stories”
New Release: Crosscurrents: Navigating The Turbulent Politics Of The Right During The Horthy Era In Hungary, 1920-1944
Surprise! I’ve got something new out, albeit something very different from my debut novel and from most of what I intend to publish in the future. No, today I announce the publication of my Master’s thesis, Crosscurrents: Navigating The Turbulent Politics Of The Right During The Horthy Era In Hungary, 1920-1944. I’m not going toContinue reading “New Release: Crosscurrents: Navigating The Turbulent Politics Of The Right During The Horthy Era In Hungary, 1920-1944”
Writing, Ascendant 