Charlie Jane Anders

Great Villains Whose Schemes Aren’t Just Aimed At Destroying The Hero

Sometimes it seems like every villain is obsessed with murdering the hero of the story. (Or making the hero realize they’re alike.) But it’s not true — in fact, some of the best villains have their own goals, and the hero just happens to get in the way. Here are some great villains whose schemes…

Bursting with stars: Markarian 209, a blue compact dwarf galaxy, is captured in the middle of an intense burst of star formation, as seen in the light blue cloudy region in the top right corner. The dominant population of stars is under 3 million years old, compared with our 4.6 billion year-old sun. [Hubble/ESA]

A Mind-Blowing Explanation Of Existentialism In The Terminator Films

It’s no accident that Sarah Connor’s famous dictum that there is “No fate but what we make” closely resembles Jean-Paul Sartre’s first principle of existentialism, that “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.” As philosophy grad student Ro Smith explains in the above video (and accompanying essay), the Terminator films are…

In Elysium, Two People’s Love Lasts Forever… But The Details Are Gone

Is love universal, or are there different types of love depending on the sort of people involved? Is brother-sister love different than mother-daughter love, or romantic love? Those are the sort of questions that come up in Jennifer Marie Brissett’s ambitious new novel Elysium. Minor spoilers ahead… I don’t want to give away too much…

Joe Abercrombie Shares The Secret Of Fixing Your Cruddy First Draft

It’s one of the most common pieces of writing advice: Write the first draft of your novel in a hurry, just to get it down, then fix it later. It’s the idea behind NaNoWriMo, too. But how do you fix that first draft? Joe Abercrombie, author of Half a King and its sequel Half the…

Mila Kunis’ Fake Supernatural Romance Trailer Is Too Funny For Words

The sad thing is, this fake supernatural romance MoonQuake Lake doesn’t automatically look any sillier than a lot of other movies we’ve seen lately. And yet, the fake trailer is straight-up hilarious. Mila Kunis plays a girl who has to return to the Moon every night, and Ashton Kutcher is her lover… but what if…

What’s The Most Fun Movie From The 1980s?

The 1980s were a troubled time. There were terrible fashions. People talked seriously about Mutually Assured Destruction. Cocaine was everywhere. And yet, the movies of that era have an innocence and fun that’s difficult to beat. What movie from the 1980s is just the most straight-up fun to watch? Please include a picture, poster, clip,…

What’s The Most Shocking Moment In Any Science Fiction Or Fantasy Book?

Television shows and movies don’t have a monopoly on “holy crap, what just happened” moments. Science fiction and fantasy books are full of twists and events that make you throw the book across the room… then run to retrieve it, so you can know what happens next. What’s the most shocking scene you’ve ever read?…

Essential Lessons That Other Movie Reboots Could Learn From James Bond

The James Bond movie series made a huge splash when it was announced the next movie will be called SPECTRE. This didn’t just feel game-changing — it felt earned. But what can other reboots and reimaginings of classic characters learn from the strategy that got James Bond here?

The Most Amazing Dark Horse Star Wars Comics To Buy Before They’re Gone

There’s just two weeks left before all of Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics are no longer sold via digital services. So which comics do you absolutely need to own? We’ve got some suggestions right here.

The First British Science Fiction Film Got Restored, And It Looks Great

The first full-length British science fiction movie, A Message from Mars, has been fully restored, with a new musical soundtrack. You can see some footage in the video below, and it looks just outstanding. In A Message from Mars, inspired by A Christmas Carol, a Martian gets in trouble for stealing someone else’s idea, and…

More Proof That People Basically Suck. One new study finds that white people get 12 percent more money than black people for basically identical apartments on Airbnb. And another study finds students give higher ratings to professors they think are male than to ones they think are female. Yay! Image: Toni Birrer.

What’s The Most Hours You’ve Ever Watched Something In One Sitting?

Some people watch a TV show or movie series for a few hours, and call it a marathon. WIMPS. A real marathon lasts 20 hours, with out sleep breaks and only minimal bathroom breaks. What’s the longest marathon you’ve ever had, and what were you watching? Please include a picture, poster, clip, DVD cover or…

In case you missed it, we’re having a New York meetup with our sister site Lifehacker tonight at the Magician on the Lower East Side, starting at 7 PM. Come have a drink with us!

These Science Fiction And Fantasy Books Make Absolutely Perfect Gifts

As Emily Dickinson famously said, there is nothing as frigging awesome as a book. And there’s no better present than a cool-looking book, that can adorn someone’s coffee table but also provide hours of mind-expanding entertainment. Here are 23 science fiction book gifts your friends will love. The Art of John Harris – Beyond the…

The Best Gaming Gifts You Can Pretend You’re Getting For Your Friends

Sure… these are for your friends. We won’t tell anybody if you won’t. Here are the most indispensible gaming-related gifts for the holiday season.

Summer Glau Tells io9 About Her New Robot Best Friend, Jeff 1000

Summer Glau played one of our favorite robots in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Now she’s starring in a new webseries, Jeff 1000, about a former industrial robot who wants to break into acting. Here’s your exclusive first look at the trailer. Plus Glau told us what she would have done in T:SCC season three.…

I Can’t Stop Watching This Lovely Moment From The Last Agents of SHIELD

Seriously, this scene brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it. A tear of pure, beautiful joy. This event made absolutely everything totally worthwhile, all by itself. But luckily, “What They Become” was also full of huge reveals and surprises. Spoilers ahead… Skye has completely redeemed herself We learn Skye’s true name…

Yes, The Television Industry Really Is Majorly Screwed

We’ve known TV networks were in trouble for a while now, but here’s a couple more data points: TV viewing has dropped 3 percent thus far this season, thanks to Netflix, online streaming and other services. And TV networks’ share of ad dollars will drop for the first time in 2015, thanks to the rise…

What’s The Best (Or Worst) Genre Mashup You’ve Ever Seen?

Sometimes taking two genres and putting them together just makes everything that much more wonderful. And sometimes… it’s just they clash, like stripes and plaid. What’s the absolute best, or very worst, combination of two genres that you’ve ever witnessed? Please include a picture, clip, poster, comics panel, book cover or other representation of your…