Bustle

Charlotte Ahlin

http://charlotteahlin.com
Bio
Charlotte Ahlin is a writer, playwright, actor, and artist. She's a lifelong New Yorker and a graduate of Oberlin College. She writes about books for the internet and writes plays for no one in particular. Right now she's reading 70’s science fiction and drawing sad cartoons.

The Grim Warning Found In The Epilogue To 'The Testaments'

Yes, Margaret Atwood has finally come out with a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, and yes, it's very nearly as gripping and rage-inducing as the first one. The Testaments takes you through another generation of young women coming-of-age in a dystopian…
By Charlotte Ahlin

15 'Hamlet' Retellings That Aren't 'The Lion King'

So I don't know if you heard, but this past summer, Disney went and made another Lion King. And whether or not you enjoyed seeing Beyoncé and her friends as singing lions, I think the hype around the movie made one thing clear: people still care a…
By Charlotte Ahlin

The Queer, Unrequited Love Story That Inspired 'The Little Mermaid'

Unless you have been living deep in an undersea grotto somewhere, far from Twitter's relentless reach, you have probably heard by now that Disney will be remaking The Little Mermaid as a live action film. (And if you have been living among the…
By Charlotte Ahlin

These Are The Spooky Myths That Inspired 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark'

In 1812, two German brothers, the Brothers Grimm, wrote down and published a bunch of folk tales that were allegedly for children but were incredibly gruesome: wolves devoured grandmothers, step-sisters mutilated their own feet, and little children…
By Charlotte Ahlin

The Definitive List Of The Scariest Monsters From 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark'

Elementary school libraries are supposed to be welcoming spaces, filled with literature and learning and inside voices. And yet — for '90s kids at least — the elementary school library was for one thing, and one thing alone: Huddling with all your…
By Charlotte Ahlin

11 Fantasy Short Stories You Can Read For Free Right Now

When we think "fantasy," we usually think big: enormous castles besieged by large dragons, sweeping, multi-generational epics about kingdoms and queendoms, and hefty, hardcover book series that seem to go on forever. Fantasy fiction tends to work…
By Charlotte Ahlin

If Jon Kills Dany, This GoT Prophecy Could Be A Clue About How He Does It

In the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, there is a much-referenced prophecy about Azor Ahai, a magical person who is meant to emerge from the chaos, satisfy a few cryptic requirements, and take down the Big Bad, freeing everyone from an eternity…
By Charlotte Ahlin

Do These 5 Central 'Game Of Thrones' Characters Have A Chance Of Getting Out Alive?

As Game of Thrones barrels towards the end of its final season, there is one question on everyone's minds: Who is going to make it to the end of Game of Thrones? If there's one thing that both A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones have in…
By Charlotte Ahlin

This Cersei Prophecy Could Predict How She Will Die — And Who Will Kill Her

I don't know if you've heard, but Game of Thrones is back for its eighth and final season. TV fans are trading memes, reading Reddit theories, and planning watch parties. Book fans are complaining about The Winds of Winter still not being out and…
By Charlotte Ahlin

11 Books That Examine Some Of The Grisliest Crimes In History

Look, I get it: I like a good Jack the Ripper story just as much as the next person. I like the morbid documentaries and the weird fringe theories about who Jack The Ripper actually is. I even like that Star Trek episode where Jack the Ripper…
By Charlotte Ahlin

11 Facts From The 'Game Of Thrones' Book That You Probably Forgot About By Now

So I don't know if you've heard of this little TV program, Game of Thrones, but it seems like it's maybe back one final season of ice dragons, incest, and hot people talking quietly to each other about fantasy politics. TV fans are planning…
By Charlotte Ahlin

9 'Game Of Thrones' Book Characters That Need To Be In The Final Season Of The Show

It's finally happening: HBO's Game of Thrones is coming to an end. We have one more season of dragons and ice zombies and ice zombie dragons before those angsty lords and ladies of Westeros leave us for good (or, you know, at least until that…
By Charlotte Ahlin

Was Homer's 'The Odyssey' Actually Written By A Women?

If there's one thing we know about the Victorians, it's that they loved to be scandalized. The dominant moral values of British society during the 19th century were fairly vanilla, you see. Hetero-normative gender norms were rigidly enforced.…
By Charlotte Ahlin

Dragons Won't Actually Cross The Wall, According To George R. R. Martin's Newest Book

Look. I know that you're still anxiously awaiting the publication of The Winds of Winter. You want to know whether Jon survives being stabbed in the back, or whether Tyrion makes it through the Battle of Meereen, or whether poor, dehydrated Dany is…
By Charlotte Ahlin

Why Do The Starks Have Wolves In 'Game Of Thrones'? It All Goes Back To Norse Mythology

George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire has a lot of plot going on. I mean, the HBO show has a lot of plot going on, and they've barely adapted a tenth of all the subplots, battles, love affairs, and name-listing in the original book series (not…
By Charlotte Ahlin

The Sigils In 'Game Of Thrones' Can Tell Us A LOT About The Families They Represent

If you've ever read the Song of Ice and Fire books, or seen the Game of Thrones TV show, then you probably have at least a vague idea of the Houses of Westeros. The plot of A Song of Ice and Fire follows a number of noble families duking it out over…
By Charlotte Ahlin

Interested In Norse Mythology? Pick Up These 10 Books Inspired By The Ancient Stories

The weather is getting colder, the days are getting darker, and sinister ravens are wheeling through the sky to warn us of coming doom (or it feels that way, at least). The time has never been better to read some excellent fiction based on the myths…
By Charlotte Ahlin

11 Journaling Tips For People Who Are Absolutely TERRIBLE At Keeping A Journal

Journaling! It's a mindful practice that's been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, so naturally there is massive pressure to be good at it. To begin with, let's do away with that: try keeping a journal if you want to keep a journal. Never mind all…
By Charlotte Ahlin

9 Beautifully-Written Fantasy Books That Deserve Far More Attention

Like science fiction, mystery novels, and toy-based children's cartoons from the '80s, fantasy is one of those genres that gets adapted a lot these days. It feels like we're seeing more high fantasy on TV and film than ever, which is good news if…
By Charlotte Ahlin

11 Essays That Will Get You Seriously Ready To Make Big Changes In 2019

You can say what you want about the state of the publishing industry, or how and what the teens are reading these days, or the myriad ways in which YouTube and Twitter have conspired to ruin our attention spans/novels/global democracy, but one fact…
By Charlotte Ahlin