Charlie Jane Anders

The Decapitated Cyborg Scene That Made Angelina Jolie Throw Up

Long before Angelina Jolie was starring in Maleficent — even before Hackers — she played a killer cyborg in the movie Cyborg 2. And she recently told an interviewer that watching this scene, in which her cyborg character had her head removed, made her feel “really ill” and puke. Personally, I love the part where…

Colson Whitehead: Zombies Are About “The Everyday Becoming Monstrous”

We loved Colson Whitehead’s zombie novel Zone One, in which a team of survivors combs through the wreckage of a post-apocalyptic city, assailed by boredom and weirdness as much as by horror. Now, talking to Salon, Whitehead explains why he’s fascinated with zombies: They’re like everyday life revealing its horrifying side. What attracted you to…

Get The Complete Text Of Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother As A Poster

There’s nothing cooler than owning the complete text of a novel in a readable lithograph, with a striking image. We’ve shared posters with the complete text of War of the Worlds and The Last Unicorn. And now you can own all of Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother as a dynamic, defiant print. The Little Brother lithograph…

Publishing Industry Plays Eschaton. As the ugly fight between Amazon and Orbit Books’ parent company Hachette continues, there’s a fascinating profile of Hachette chief Michael Pietsch — who was the book editor that made Infinite Jest readable. Image via Poor Yorick Entertainment/Design by Chris Ayers.

The Saddest Ghost Story You’ll Read This Year

When Ginny and Bobby were teenagers, they stayed in a haunted house and saw a ghost. Now Virginia and Robert are all grown up, and it’s their last chance to see the ghost a second time, before the house is torn down. That’s the deceptively simple premise of Richard Butner’s moving story, “Circa.” Butner’s story,…

Top 10 Least Threatening Star Trek Villains

Star Trek has never really been about its villains. Even the Klingons, Romulans and Borg have provided object lessons about understanding. Kirk had foils more than he had villains. So it’s no surprise that when Trek tries to do baddies, it frequently stumbles. Here are the 10 least dangerous Trek villains of all time. Note:…

Is This Really The Worst Movie Special Effect Of All Time?

It’s certainly a leading contender. This moment from Jaws 3-D is laughably bad, and sort of the opposite of the beautiful practical effects that distinguished Spielberg’s original movie. But is it actually the worst? Bloody Disgusting makes a pretty strong case that this glass-shattering bit goes beyond embarrassing into some uncharted territory of shame: This…

In Time Lapse, Total Idiots Find A Camera That Photographs The Future

What if you found a camera that allowed you to take photographs of tomorrow? Whatever you pointed it at, you’d get a polaroid of that spot, 24 hours later. Then imagine, what if a group of total idiots found such a camera? That’s the premise of Time Lapse. It’s actually gratifying to watch people use…

What Was The First Science Fiction Or Fantasy Book You Ever Read?

We endlessly debate which science fiction and fantasy books make great entry-level reads for newcomers to the genre. But what was the first book you ever read? What book brought you into science fiction and fantasy, and helped to hook you for life? Over at USA Today, they’re asking a bunch of SF authors what…

It’s Finally Time To Enjoy The Destruction Of Science Fiction!

A while ago, you donated your money and your signal-boosting powers to Lightspeed Magazine’s “Women Destroy Science Fiction” special issue. Now at last, that issue is available as an ebook for just $3.99 — including 180,000 words of content. For those who missed it, this is an all-female issue of Lightspeed, and the somewhat ironic…

First Look At Walter Mosley’s Jack Strong, About A Man With 1000 Souls

Plenty of fantasy heroes are divided against themselves, or struggle with a dual nature. But Walter Mosley’s Jack Strong is still something unique. He’s a single person with over 1,000 souls stitched into him — and they each have their own unfinished business. Check out an exclusive first look below. Jack Strong doesn’t come out…

On Game Of Thrones, We Learn The Hard Way Revenge Is Best Served Cold

Last night’s Game of Thrones was like a marathon of rug-pulling. Time after time, we saw the truth revealed — only to have it turned on its side somehow. There were so many slippery moments where the truth became the biggest lie, it was only fitting when we saw a confession turn deadly. Spoilers ahead……

R.I.P. Jay Lake, Irreplaceable Science Fiction And Fantasy Author

The first time I met Jay Lake, he was greeting people at a convention party in a Hawaiian shirt and joking, “That’s right. I’m Cancer Guy.” Lake was willing to joke about his identity as cancer survivor, while also inspiring others. But his identity as a writer and editor of groundbreaking SF was even more…

Who’s Making The Most Questionable Decisions On Continuum?

Everybody on Continuum keeps fumbling the ball, and it all adds up to accelerating dystopia — a world that’s going to go south way faster than it did in the “original” timeline. The only question is, who’s making the absolute worst decisions? Let’s break it down. Spoilers ahead… First off, sorry I missed recapping last…

The Weirdest And Silliest Virtual Reality Sex Scenes Of All Time [NSFW]

The moment we get immersive virtual reality, you know what people are going to use it for: the same thing we’ve used every other new technology for. And as long as movies have depicted virtual environments, there have been ridiculous VR sex scenes. Here are the most bizarre and hilarious VR hookups of all time.…

This Book Trailer Will Leave You Craving Scott Westerfeld’s Afterworlds

Scott Westerfeld’s new novel Afterworlds doesn’t come out until September — but here’s an exclusive look at an intense book trailer to tide you over. In which we meet two girls: Darcy, an aspiring author whose stories get a little too vivid. And Lizzie, a girl whose life is uncannily similar to Darcy’s strange inventions.…

Maleficent Isn’t A Good Movie, But I Love It Anyway

There are plenty of problems with Disney’s Maleficence. The pacing. The tone. The CG overload. The weak humor. The tortured backstory. The lack of any real connection to Sleeping Beauty. But you know what? I love this movie. I’m going to buy the DVD and watch it over and over. Minor spoilers ahead… So here’s…

Tons More Mira Grant Coming Our Way!

Seanan McGuire’s slightly more steel-plated alter-ego, Mira Grant, is keeping busy. In addition to the third book in the Parasitology trilogy that began with Parasite, Grant just sold Orbit a new standalone. And four novellas plus a new novel in the universe of her Feed/Deadline novels.

It Took 30 Artists To Redo Ghost In The Shell‘s Opening In Live Action

The opening credits of Ghost in the Shell are a stunning visual masterpiece — so when a team of artists decided to create 39 live-action still frames recreating shots from the opening, this was a major undertaking. Graphic designer Ash Thorp has worked on Amazing Spiderman 2, X-Men: First Class and Person of Interest, but…

What’s The Most Bleak And Misanthropic Series Of All Time?

Plenty of science fiction and fantasy series have dark themes or gritty settings — but they still offer plenty of hope for the human condition here and there. But what’s the most misanthropic series, with the grimmest view of human nature, you’ve ever come across? Please include a book cover, photo, poster or clip for…