Atlasphere Magazine - Newest Articles

Critics claim Ayn Rand’s characters are too godlike, with few human characteristics and no inner conflicts. But the subtleties of Rand’s characters reveal they're actually quite human — even tender. Take a closer look. Maybe it wasn’t her characters that she turned into gods.

Each year for the past decade, Open Court Publishing Company has released a new book in its “Ideas Explained” series. This year they are offering a volume on Ayn Rand, to sit right beside Sartre, Heidegger, and Rawls. Does the book do justice to its subject? Let’s take a closer look.

With the release of “Man of Steel,” the Superman franchise has been given new life. For generations, he has been one of America’s most iconic heroes. But should he be? How does he stack up, as a role model and embodiment of what we should admire most?

Readers of Ayn Rand’s novels are no strangers to the inspirational power of fictional heroes. But new research suggests the power of these heroes may be more than merely inspirational. They can lead to real-world changes in one’s life.

Today we’re bombarded with movies depicting comic book heroes and CGI action heroes. How often do we find a movie with a hero so authentic and believable that his character becomes an object of contemplation for its own sake? Ayn Rand thought this was the primary purpose of portraying moral ideals in fiction. And it’s just what we find in Rob Roy.

Human beings are the most fascinating things in the known universe. Nowhere is their beauty more evident than in the characters portrayed in great novels, movies, paintings, and sculptures. What makes these characters so meaningful? What do they reveal about life — and about ourselves?

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the first public exhibition of the great Italian film version of Ayn Rand’s first novel, We the Living. The story of how the movie was originally made, and of the events that followed, are as dramatic and compelling as fiction. Here’s an insider’s account.

Robert Bidinotto's new novel has been accumulating rave reviews at Amazon.com. Does it live up to expectations for discerning enthusiasts of Ayn Rand's novels, as well? Fortunately, it does.

The short stories of O. Henry continue to entertain and delight readers. Of course, he was the master of the twist or surprise ending. But there's much more to O. Henry, which is why his work endures, almost a century and a half after his birth.

This new dystopian political thriller by freshman novelist John Christmas is fast paced and funny, and explores important social and philosophical problems with the misguided ideal of unlimited democracy.