Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

You Could Win All 6 Mind-Blowing Finalists for the Philip K. Dick Award

The Philip K. Dick Award celebrates the best science fiction books released first in paperback form. That combination of excellence and skipping the fancy hardcover edition tends to favor books that are unusual, edgy, or published by smaller houses. And you can win all six of this year’s finalists. The six finalists for the Dick…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 9 '16

This Essay on Being the Only Black Person at a Science Fiction Event is Essential Reading

Now that Lightspeed Magazine has published its ultra-successful issues featuring stories by women and queers (who “destroyed” genres like fantasy and science fiction), it’s the turn of people of color. And the latest update in the Kickstarter for People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction is a must-read. [Full disclosure: I was featured in Women Destroy…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 9 '16

Kazuo Ishiguro Has a Brilliant Response to People Who Think Genre Fiction Doesn’t Matter

If a primary task of fiction is to explore the human experience—who we are and what we mean to each other—then the fantastic and unreal must surely be key elements in that exploration. But plenty of people still claim that fantasy and other genres are less “real” than purely mimetic fiction. And Kazuo Ishiguro has…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 9 '16

Hannibal‘s Bryan Fuller is Producing the New Star Trek TV Show

This is the best possible choice. Bryan Fuller—who worked on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager back in the day, before going on to create Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls and Hannibal—will be the showrunner of the new Star Trek TV show. In a statement, Fuller was quoted as saying: My very first experience…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Feb 9 '16

That Time a Fake Science Fiction Author Won a Major Novel-Writing Prize

Back in 1953, Galaxy Science Fiction and Simon & Schuster launched a huge contest to find a great new science fiction novel. The prize was $6,500 (a lot of money in those days). The winner? A brand new writer named Edson McCann. Except for one thing: Edson McCann did not exist. Michael Ashley explains what…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 8 '16

Some Bestselling Science Fiction Authors Just Made Their Own Platform

The Internet offers lots of opportunities for authors to connect with readers—but it can still be hard for an author to get noticed among the crowd of other aspiring scribes. So 10 authors, who include some bestsellers, have created their own platform. The authors, who include Jay Allan (the Far Stars trilogy), Samuel Peralta (The…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 8 '16

In This Short Film, Pamela Anderson Discovers Just How Creepy The Singularity Can Be

Fans of posthumanity and transhumanism make promises that sound scarily cheerful and unreal—eternal life, incredible mind powers—but you probably haven’t seen just how disturbing they can be. Until you watch this new short film, starring Pamela Anderson. Connected is produced by Cadence Films and presented by Motherboard, and it debuted in L.A. on Friday before…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Feb 8 '16

Amazing News: Ava DuVernay Could Direct A Wrinkle in Time, from the Writer of Frozen

Please let this happen. Deadline reports that Selma director Ava DuVernay is being courted to direct the long-awaited movie of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. And the screenplay was written Jennifer Lee, writer and co-director of Frozen. That could be incredible. A Wrinkle in Time is one of the best books ever written, the…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Feb 8 '16

Who’s the Weakest Supervillain of All Time?

We’re finally getting superhero movies and TV shows that live up to the wonder and thrill of comics. But despite a few really great bad guys, supervillains still aren’t getting their due. A lot of baddies are just kind of… there. But who’s the weakest supervillain of all time? Please include a picture, comics panel,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Feb 5 '16

When You Netflix Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, You’ll Be Somewhat Amused

Five years ago, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a runaway literary hit, with its gimmick of inserting the undead into Jane Austen winning lots of people over. Now at last, it’s a movie—in theaters today—and it has some entertaining moments here and there. It might be worth watching on DVD months from now, if…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Feb 5 '16

The Young Octavia Butler Shaped Her Own Future Success Through Sheer Force of Will

When she was still a struggling writer, Octavia Butler vowed that she would become successful, no matter what it took. Her handwritten affirmation about her own future success is amazing to read, now that it’s come true. The Huntington Library was given a collection of Octavia Butler’s papers after her death, and they’ve catalogued 8000…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 4 '16

If Your Father Was a Pulp Science Fiction (and Porn) Writer in the 1970s, Life Got Pretty Weird

Andrew Offutt was a prolific author of pulpy science fiction and fantasy stories, along with porn, under a variety of names. Now his son Chris has written a memoir called My Father the Pornographer. And he’s been writing some fascinating essays about growing up with a dad who wrote cheap paperbacks. According to the Science…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Feb 4 '16

I Wrote a Weird Book About Two People Who Belong in Different Stories

A young witch and a wild science genius—the characters in my new novel All the Birds in the Sky don’t even belong in the same book together. They’re misfits in the eyes of the world, but they’re also weird to each other. And that turns out to be the most fun thing to explore. Read…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 4 '16

George R.R. Martin Made Me Feel Unspeakably Depressed Yet Again

Few authors have as much power to draw you in with fun characters and thrilling adventures—and then crush your spirit utterly—as George R.R. Martin. But the latest way that Martin managed to make me lose all hope for humanity was especially sneaky. And just tremendously soul-shredding. Here’s your spoiler warning—if you’re not up to speed…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Feb 3 '16

Apparently Agent Carter Suffered a Severe Head Injury in 1940 and Fell in Love with a Dunce

I’m still loving this season of Agent Carter in general—last week’s episode was just non-stop awesome. Unfortunately, last night’s episode tried to give us flashbacks for both Peggy Carter and her nemesis, Whitney Frost, and the result was rushed and messy. Spoilers… Apparently back in 1940, Peggy was in love with a total wet blanket,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Feb 3 '16

V.E. Schwab’s Magnificent Darker Shade of Magic Could Be a TV Series!

V.E. Schwab’s novel A Darker Shade of Magic is a thrilling story of magical journeys to alternate universes—there are four different versions of London, each with its own relationship to magical forces. We loved it. [Full disclosure: Schwab’s editor also worked on my own novel.] So it’s fantastic news that this book is in the…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Feb 3 '16

There Are Just Too Many Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Books in February

Keeping up with all the amazing science fiction and fantasy books this month may actually be a full-time job. Alastair Reynolds, Patricia McKillip, Yann Martel, Iain Pears, Lois McMaster Bujold and a ton of your other favorite authors have new books. Here are the books you absolutely must not miss in February! As usual, there…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 2 '16

Two Fantasy Novels Just Won The People’s Choice Awards

For the first time ever, the People’s Choice Awards opened a new set of categories for books, joining television, movies, music and online media categories. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard won Best Young Adult Novel and An Ember in The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir won Best Fantasy Novel. (Weirdly, there’s no Best Science Fiction category.)…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 2 '16

I’m Still Trying To Make Sense of Infinite Jest

Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace turns 20 today, and I’m still confused by it all these years later. I’ve seldom been more engrossed in a novel, and more willing to put in the time of obsessively studying footnotes. But what the heck happens in the end? One of the ways that Infinite Jest grabs you…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Feb 1 '16

This Zombie-Fighting Movie Looks Like The Worst First-Person Shooter Ever

Here’s the first trailer for Pandemic, a movie in which Kiera from Continuum goes into a plague zone in Los Angeles to find survivors. And she fights, basically, zombies. The whole thing is shot in a “first-person shooter” style, so it’s sort of an attempt to duplicate the feeling of a video game. Because that…

Trailers Charlie Jane Anders Feb 1 '16

Charlie Jane Anders

You Could Win All 6 Mind-Blowing Finalists for the Philip K. Dick Award

This Essay on Being the Only Black Person at a Science Fiction Event is Essential Reading

Kazuo Ishiguro Has a Brilliant Response to People Who Think Genre Fiction Doesn’t Matter

Hannibal‘s Bryan Fuller is Producing the New Star Trek TV Show

That Time a Fake Science Fiction Author Won a Major Novel-Writing Prize

Some Bestselling Science Fiction Authors Just Made Their Own Platform

In This Short Film, Pamela Anderson Discovers Just How Creepy The Singularity Can Be

Amazing News: Ava DuVernay Could Direct A Wrinkle in Time, from the Writer of Frozen

Who’s the Weakest Supervillain of All Time?

When You Netflix Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, You’ll Be Somewhat Amused

The Young Octavia Butler Shaped Her Own Future Success Through Sheer Force of Will

If Your Father Was a Pulp Science Fiction (and Porn) Writer in the 1970s, Life Got Pretty Weird

I Wrote a Weird Book About Two People Who Belong in Different Stories

George R.R. Martin Made Me Feel Unspeakably Depressed Yet Again

Apparently Agent Carter Suffered a Severe Head Injury in 1940 and Fell in Love with a Dunce

V.E. Schwab’s Magnificent Darker Shade of Magic Could Be a TV Series!

There Are Just Too Many Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Books in February

Two Fantasy Novels Just Won The People’s Choice Awards

I’m Still Trying To Make Sense of Infinite Jest

This Zombie-Fighting Movie Looks Like The Worst First-Person Shooter Ever

DC Goes Full Horror in First Trailer for ‘Clayface’

UK Approves Lifelong Ban on Smoking for People Born After 2008

AI Companies Think Destroying the Planet Is an Acceptable Trade-Off for Unlimited Profits

5 Things We Liked, and 3 We Didn’t, About ‘Invincible’ Season 4

Food Safety Complaints for Meat, Poultry, and Eggs Spiked 40% in 2025 to Record High

Loved Today’s Jessica Jones/Daredevil Team-Up? Good News, They’re Already Action Figures

Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro Is No MacBook, but It’s Making PCs Better for Everyone

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Google Pixel Watch 4 Falls Below Black Friday Pricing on Amazon, Even the 45mm Model Costs Less Than 41mm

Diamonds Get a Little Squishy at the Nanoscale. Here’s Why

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy