Books & Comics

In the latest Temeraire novel, only Chinese dragons can save Europe

Naomi Novik’s beloved Temeraire series is about to come to an end. Her penultimate novel of the alternate history series, Blood of Tyrants, comes out August 15. In it, we witness some of the last battles of the Napoleonic Wars — from the backs of dragons who aren’t just weapons anymore. They’re generals. Spoilers for…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Four Years of Amazing Japanese Science Fiction

Just four years ago, Haikasoru started as an imprint of Viz Comics, publishing Japanese science fiction books in translation. Now Tom Cruise is starring in a movie of All You Need is Kill, and there have been a slew of award nominations. Over at the Haikasoru site, editor Nick Mamatas takes stock of all the…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

She survived future wars, but can she survive her own fancy brothel?

In Kieran Shea’s novel Koko Takes a Holiday, Koko Martstellar has retired as a mercenary after living through some of the most intense warfare imaginable. Her reward? Running a luxury brothel full of simulated violence and weirdness. Until it all starts going south. Here’s the first ever excerpt. Titan Books, which is putting out Koko…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

The Multiverse’s Cutest Version of Galactus, Eater of Worlds

Of course Adam Koford would be the guy who drew this.

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

What science fiction author best describes the world we live in now?

The world has moved so fast, our nightmares and fantasies can barely keep up. Science fiction becomes alternate history, or just plain history, at the blink of an eye. But which science fiction author really captures the world we live in today? Please include a book cover or some other illustration, so we can see…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Read the story that made Grant Morrison a star in This Week’s Comics

It’s hard to remember, but there was once a time when Grant Morrison wasn’t known for mind-boggling superhero comics. In fact, there was a time before he was known at all — which changed immediately after DC gave him the reins to Animal Man in 1988. The first awesome Omnibus of Morrison’s seminal (and quite…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s talk about Odds Against Tomorrow.

Welcome to the monthly meeting of the io9 Book Club. In July, we read Nathaniel Rich’s Odds Against Tomorrow. Jump into comments to get started talking about it! Illustration via Slate For those unfamiliar with the io9 book club, here’s how it works: You read the book. We create a special book club post on…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Mark Waid’s Thrillbent store lets you own the comics you buy online

The Thrillbent shop is open for business! The online store offers the titles from Waid’s Thrillbent comics label, including its flagship series Insufferable, but with a twist — when you buy these comics, you can get actually get the full file… DRM-free. This is of course in contrast to online comics distributors like Comixology, which…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Must Read: Arthur C. Clarke puts the smackdown on A.I. skeptics

Tod Mesirow traveled to Sri Lanka and interviewed Rendezvous with Rama author Arthur C. Clarke in 1995, and the full transcript was recently published in the L.A. Review of Books. Including Clarke’s awesome rejoinder to people who don’t think artificial intelligence is coming. Asked whether we’ll have computers that can think for themselves, like HAL…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Gary Shteyngart tries Google Glasses, and the results are Super Sad

In his novel Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart writes about a society, five minutes into the future, that has a weird neurotic relationship with gadgets and social media, as focused through a device called an “äppärät.” Now, Shteyngart has tried the Google Glass, and in many ways the future he wrote about seems…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Gay marriage in the year 100 AD

Gay marriage sounds like an ultra-contemporary idea. But almost twenty years ago, a Catholic scholar at Yale shocked the world by publishing a book packed with evidence that same-sex marriages were sanctioned by the early Christian Church during an era commonly called the Dark Ages. Illustration of Serge and Bacchus, in a same-sex union John…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Brilliance is an alternate history of non-neurotypicals in America

Marcus Sakey’s first science fiction novel, Brilliance, opens with headlines ripped from the newspapers of an alternate 1986: A small percentage of children born in 1980 onwards exhibit some extraordinary abilities: pattern recognition, extracognition, and more. They’re called Brilliants, and they’re at the heart of this gripping thriller. So what happens when this alternate 80s…

Books & Comics Andrew Liptak

This is the nerdiest collection of insults ever and it is the best

The labcoat-wearing brain child of SMBC‘s Zach Weiner, Bad Astronomy‘s Phil Plait and illustrator Jess Fink, 27 Nerd Disses is easily the geekiest compendium of haughty one-liners ever assembled. Respect – you unlettered, historically oblivious, woefully innumerate brute. The e-book is available for download over at Gumroad, for the unbelievable price of… whatever you want.…

Books & Comics Robbie Gonzalez

Webcomic Bird Boy is filled with ancient weapons and gorgeous monsters

Anne Szabla’s Bird Boy is one of those webcomics that’s simply knock-you-backwards beautiful. It’s set in a brutal world in which bizarre and astonishing creatures threaten the human tribes that live along the rivers. But one small boy stumbles upon a legendary weapon that could turn the tide in favor of his tribe. In the…

Books & Comics Lauren Davis

One of the world’s most popular SF novels finally coming in English

How often does an English-language science fiction novel sell 400,000 copies? That’s how many copies Liu Cixin’s Three Body Trilogy has sold in Chinese — and at last, this pioneering work of science fiction about a civilization that lives in a trinary star system is coming out in English translation, thanks to award-winning author Ken…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Yes, Flashpoint Paradox is setting up the DC animated New 52 universe

Remember how I was wondering if DC’s next straight-to-DVD animated movie Flashpoint Paradox, based on the Flashpoint minseries that transformed the regular DC universe into the New 52-niverse, would do the same for DC animation? I’ve stopped wondering, because the answer is a loud, empathic “Yes.” Spoilers (kind of): Much like the end of the…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

The Only Book You Really Need: The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister

At last, there’s a guidebook to how to navigate life’s tricky ethical quagmires: The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister! We’ve got the exclusive cover reveal of this book, tying in with George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series. Plus a few pithy quotes. Here are just a few of the…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

The 12 Most Ludicrous Superhero Armors

People often think that superheroes look dumb in tights, and that armor looks more realistic. These people are often wrong, and we have the entire decade of the ’90s as proof. For 10 years Marvel and DC traded in characters’ traditional garb for ridiculous, over-designed armors which offered more shame than protection. Here are a…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Goodbye, Darkness: Light Pollution Is Making Us Forget the Night Sky

Did you know that eight of every ten kids born today won’t experience a night sky dark enough to see the Milky Way? We’re living in an age when light pollution is making stars a rarity—and not just in cities. Paul Bogard, the author of a new book on darkness, even goes so far as…

Books & Comics Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

How did William Gibson really feel about Blade Runner?

A couple of years ago, Paris Review did a fascinating and comprehensive interview with author William Gibson. At last, the entire thing is online for you to read. There’s an especially great section where he talks about what his cyberpunk classic Neuromancer shares with Blade Runner. The entire interview is absolutely required reading, and delves…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

In the latest Temeraire novel, only Chinese dragons can save Europe

Four Years of Amazing Japanese Science Fiction

She survived future wars, but can she survive her own fancy brothel?

The Multiverse’s Cutest Version of Galactus, Eater of Worlds

What science fiction author best describes the world we live in now?

Read the story that made Grant Morrison a star in This Week’s Comics

io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s talk about Odds Against Tomorrow.

Mark Waid’s Thrillbent store lets you own the comics you buy online

Must Read: Arthur C. Clarke puts the smackdown on A.I. skeptics

Gary Shteyngart tries Google Glasses, and the results are Super Sad

Gay marriage in the year 100 AD

Brilliance is an alternate history of non-neurotypicals in America

This is the nerdiest collection of insults ever and it is the best

Webcomic Bird Boy is filled with ancient weapons and gorgeous monsters

One of the world’s most popular SF novels finally coming in English

Yes, Flashpoint Paradox is setting up the DC animated New 52 universe

The Only Book You Really Need: The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister

The 12 Most Ludicrous Superhero Armors

Goodbye, Darkness: Light Pollution Is Making Us Forget the Night Sky

How did William Gibson really feel about Blade Runner?

Sun’s Latest Outburst Complicates Planned Launch of Artemis 2

Instagram Will Finally Let You Lurk to Your Heart’s Content—for a Price

Popular Sweetener Found in Protein Bars Tied to Stroke, Blood Clot Risk

HBO’s Boss Has Yet to Be Approached About Partnering on ‘Doctor Who’

AI Agent Runs the ‘I’m Being Censored’ Playbook After Getting Banned from Wikipedia

‘Scream 7’ Comes Home With Deleted Scenes We Hope Will Improve the Movie

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

Andy Weir Apologizes After ‘Star Trek’ Comment Backlash

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

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

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