Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

Horror and Dark Fantasy on Television: The Full-length Interviews

How do you freak people out without spending movie money on special effects? Gamble: Luckily for modestly budgeted productions everywhere, you can scare people without spending much money. It’s about creating tension. A lot of the scariest sequences in film and TV are basically about people walking up ordinary hallways to closed doors. When executed…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

A New “Recommendation Engine” for Science Fiction Books

Web developer Adam Doppelt, creator of Urbanspoon, felt frustrated — he loved science fiction books but couldn’t find ones he wanted to read. So he created BestSFBooks, a new “recommendation engine” for science fiction and fantasy books. So far, the site seems to be in its infancy, and it’s just set up to recommend books…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

The 10 Types of Writers’ Block (and How to Overcome Them)

Writer’s Block. It sounds like a fearsome condition, a creative blockage. The end of invention. But what is it, really? Part of why Writer’s Block sounds so dreadful and insurmountable is the fact that nobody ever takes it apart. People lump several different types of creative problems into one broad category. In fact, there’s no…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Picture of the Day: Oct. 5, 2011

THE MARTIAN CONQUEST | Concept art from a new War of the Worlds video game by Other Ocean, featuring voicework by Sir Patrick Stewart. Check out more art at Destructoid. Want to read today’s io9 stories a different way? Check out our blog view. Or visit Observation Deck, our general discussion forum.

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

X-Men: First Class writers turning Lev Grossman’s The Magicians into a TV series

Great news! Lev Grossman’s acclaimed novel about a magical boarding school, The Magicians, is being adapted into a television series on Fox. And Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz, whose credits include Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Thor and X-Men: First Class, are adapting it into a pilot. The Magicians revolves around the secret boarding…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Sarah Jane Smith tries to explain life and death to an alien child

It’s almost impossible to watch the final episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures without feeling overcome with sadness. Knowing that Elisabeth Sladen died soon after filming these episodes, and they’re the last we’ll ever see of her. So it’s a good thing that we’re seeing her at her best: full of compassion and moral outrage…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Science Fiction and Fantasy Characters Who Lost Their Mystery (but Stayed Cool)

Doctor Who’s River Song has got a tough time ahead of her — she’s joining the biggest science fiction team of them all: the Legion of Formerly Mysterious Characters. Along with Darth Vader, the Man in Black and the Cigarette-Smoking Man, she’ll dwell in a place where almost everybody knows all about her. Almost every…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders and Gordon Jackson

Southern United States Invaded by “Hairy, Crazy Ants” that Attack Electrical Systems

They can’t be stopped with conventional pesticide. They can disable a huge industrial plant, and they short out electrical equipment. They eat animals as well as plants. Kill 100,000, and a million more ants will follow. They’re the “hairy, crazy ants,” and they’re overrunning Texas, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana. So many of these biting ants…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

What the Hell happened to Castiel? Some Clues from the Supernatural Season 6 Companion

Our favorite angel, Castiel, has gone through some extreme changes lately on Supernatural. And whether we’ll ever see Cas again, one thing’s for sure — he’ll never be the same again. How did Castiel wind up going down such a dark path? We’ve got an exclusive excerpt from a new book, The Supernatural Season 6…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Cartoon Network’s next Batman series could be the weirdest Bat-cartoon yet

We’ve grown to love Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but its replacement as Cartoon Network’s regular Batman show will definitely have a hard time growing on us. Beware the Batman, coming in 2013, features weirdly angular computer-animated artwork, plus a gun-toting Alfred. And instead of Robin, Batman’s sidekick will be Katana, the female ninja…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Picture of the Day: Sept. 29, 2011

AWESOMELY HAUNTED | The best haunted house on the block, using empty moving boxes for decorations. From Reddit, via Super Punch. Want to read today’s io9 stories a different way? Check out our blog view. Or visit Observation Deck, our general discussion forum.

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Terra Nova shows that all males are dicks during mating season

The most memorable part of last night’s Terra Nova wasn’t the hordes of CG pterosaurs flying around and terrorizing the humans — it was this moment where Jim Shannon insults his wife, basically saying she’s so incompetent at her job that the only reason anyone would want to recruit her is to hook up with…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Is this what the new Godzilla will look like?

Will Legendary Pictures’ new Godzilla be a return to awesomeness for the O.G. kaiju, or another disappointment like the Emmerich fiasco? We saw a smidgen of concept art back at Comic Con 2010, but nothing since then. So the above image is a good sign, we think. It’s the work of sculptor Hector A. Arce,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Greatest Random Out-of-Nowhere Deaths in Science Fiction and Fantasy

The great thing about science fiction and fantasy is that they’re full of surprises — you just never know what the universe will have in store. Like, sometimes, a totally random, surprising, shocking death. Last week, we celebrated the greatest death scenes in science fiction — but here are some of our favorite totally random,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Everybody reveals their true selves, on Warehouse 13

Magical artifacts don’t just let you do cool stuff and play games with the world — they change you, as a person. That’s been a bit of a running theme lately on Warehouse 13, and it came to a head last night. In the two-hour season finale, we saw several characters uncovering their true natures…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Exclusive Excerpt from the Conclusion to Guillermo del Toro’s Vampire Trilogy, The Strain

The startling conclusion to Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s vampire trilogy is coming out in a few weeks, and we’ve got your exclusive first look. Find out why Stephen King is calling The Night Eternal “a sublimely satisfying conclusion” to the tale of modern-day vampires. Here’s an exclusive sample chapter from The Night Eternal……

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Star Trek: The Next Generation

With Star Trek: The Next Generation coming to Blu-ray next year, we’re going to be rediscovering the Enterprise-D all over again. And with all that new picture quality, we’ll be able to notice all sorts of details we missed the first time. TNG didn’t just bring Star Trek back to life on television — it…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Widely used contraceptive in Africa could double the risk of HIV transmission

Two of the biggest problems facing women in parts of Africa are complications from unwanted pregnancies, and HIV. So if a new study is correct, and a commonly used contraceptive hormone injection doubles your risk of spreading HIV, then it’s going to be a public health nightmare. Top image via Associated Press. A new study…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Still doubtful that the Arctic ice is melting? Shipping companies are banking on it

Last year was the first year that the Arctic Ocean became a major shipping route — but in 2011, the “Northeast Passage” is blossoming with trade, now that ice has melted enough to allow smooth passage in the summertime. According to Reuters: Danish shipping company Nordic Bulk Carriers said it has saved a third of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

How Superhero Movies Can Escape the ‘Too Many Villains’ Problem

There’s a dreadful ailment that afflict superhero movies: the villain overload. Movies about costumed crime-fighters seem to attract surplus villains, like barnacles. Is it because the merchandising people want more toys to market? Or because they just want to pad out the cast with a few more names? It’s hard to say. But the “too…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders

Horror and Dark Fantasy on Television: The Full-length Interviews

A New “Recommendation Engine” for Science Fiction Books

The 10 Types of Writers’ Block (and How to Overcome Them)

Picture of the Day: Oct. 5, 2011

X-Men: First Class writers turning Lev Grossman’s The Magicians into a TV series

Sarah Jane Smith tries to explain life and death to an alien child

Science Fiction and Fantasy Characters Who Lost Their Mystery (but Stayed Cool)

Southern United States Invaded by “Hairy, Crazy Ants” that Attack Electrical Systems

What the Hell happened to Castiel? Some Clues from the Supernatural Season 6 Companion

Cartoon Network’s next Batman series could be the weirdest Bat-cartoon yet

Picture of the Day: Sept. 29, 2011

Terra Nova shows that all males are dicks during mating season

Is this what the new Godzilla will look like?

Greatest Random Out-of-Nowhere Deaths in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Everybody reveals their true selves, on Warehouse 13

Exclusive Excerpt from the Conclusion to Guillermo del Toro’s Vampire Trilogy, The Strain

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Star Trek: The Next Generation

Widely used contraceptive in Africa could double the risk of HIV transmission

Still doubtful that the Arctic ice is melting? Shipping companies are banking on it

How Superhero Movies Can Escape the ‘Too Many Villains’ Problem

Could There Be a ‘Project Hail Mary’ Sequel?

Meta Has More Smart Glasses Coming Whether You Want Them or Not

Apple Requires Device-Level Age Verification in the UK Now. Could the US Be Next?

Astronomers Say Recent Rash of Meteor Sightings ‘Warrants Serious Investigation’

Did AMD Just Make the Best CPU for Gamers and Creators?

AI Just One-Shotted Another CEO

6 Magic School Anime and Manga to Discover Instead of Thinking About ‘Harry Potter’ Ever Again

Unprecedented Images Show Sperm Whales Acting as Midwives to Help a Mom Give Birth

‘Butt Birth’-ing Rhinoceros from Ace Ventura Sequel Sold at Auction for a Whopping $60,000

The Ryan Gosling Sci-Fi Streak Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees