BFS Online: Power in SFFH – Power Crushes

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Hail the rebel cause! We’re all familiar with stories of protagonists set against seemingly insurmountable odds, but what sparks a revolution? Is this just Newton’s Third Law in action? When power goes too far, what does it take to stop it?

Join moderator Adrian Fletcher and panellists Berna Hudson, Sid Jain, Ruth Frances Long, and Elle Machray for a discussion on writing reb (she/her)ellion.

Berna Hudson (she/her): Berna Hudson is the author of the Hand of Reason series, a tale of rebellion and resistance in the face of the expansion of a totalitarian regime. She was born in Chile and lives in London with her family. Find out more about Berna on her website. Or connect with her on Facebook, Bluesky or Instagram. Get her book here.

Sid Jain (he/him): Sid is a biotechnologist and writer from New Delhi, India, now living in North Carolina, US. His twice-British Science Fiction Award-longlisted short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in, among others, Uncanny Magazine, Podcastle, and Phase Changes, an anthology of climate fiction. Sid is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop. Find out more about Sid on his website.

Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne (she/her): Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne writes romance and fantasy from the heart which often strays into weird and wonderful liminal places. She works in a specialised library of rare & occasionally crazy books. As Ruth Frances Long she writes fantasy, often about scary fairies. In 2015 she won the European Science Fiction Society Spirit of Dedication Award for Best Author of Children’s Science Fiction and Fantasy for A Crack in Everything. Her latest series Feral Gods is an adult fantasy trilogy from Hodderscape featuring “an alternate-Renaissance fantasy world and inspired by the early days of printing in Europe”. The Book of Gold was longlisted for the 2025 BSFA award and was selected for the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2024. As Jessica Thorne she writes adult fantasy women’s fiction, which wanders from Space Opera to time travel to epic fantasy, including The Lost Queen trilogy, The Water Witch, The Bookbinder’s Daughter, and The Hollow King duology. Her Irish gothic romance Wildewood came out in January 2026 and her new series with Boldwood begins in Autumn 2026 with The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary. Ruth has been nominated for the European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) 2026 Hall of Fame Awards as Best Author. Find out more on her website. Connect on Facebook, Bluesky and Instagram (Jessica Thorne). Books: RF Long; Jessica Thorne; TeacupDragon.

Elle Machray (she/her/they/them): Elle Machray grew up in Birmingham to St Lucian and Scottish parents. Elle’s debut novel, Remember, Remember, is an alternative history which reimagines the gunpowder plot. The novel follows Delphine, a formerly enslaved woman as she takes on the British Empire to save her brother. Elle is an Observer Top 10 Debut Novelist, winner of the Somewhere: For Us Culture Award and featured on The List‘s Top 100 influential creatives. Remember, Remember was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Prize, judged by Dame Hilary Mantel and was shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Award. Her latest book Havisham, is a queer feminist ‘untelling’ in which Dickens’ most infamous female character tells her side of the story at last. Find out more about Elle on their website. Get their books here and here.

Adrian Fletcher (he/him): Adrian grew up in Warrington in the North-West of England. He read The Chronicles of Narnia as a child and has loved fantasy ever since. He moved away for University and work (in IT, far less interesting than talking, allegorical Lions). It wasn’t until after Covid that Adrian discovered the wonders of the BFS and a space for people who share a love of great stories. He’s hoping to share that as much as he can as Reviews Editor.