Books & Comics

Andrew Sean Greer’s new novel is a jolt of pure heartbreak

The last time Andrew Sean Greer tackled a protagonist with a unique relationship to time, we got the magical love story Confessions of Max Tivoli, the masterpiece Benjamin Button only wished it was. But his new book The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells substitutes grief for romance, and the results are achingly sad. Spoilers ahead……

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Must-Read Essay: Cordwainer Smith as Folklorist of the Future

Cordwainer Smith remains a unique figure in science fiction history: a pioneer of psychological warfare who lived in China and bonded with Chinese culture. A brilliant inventor of future history whose Instrumentality universe was totally cohesive. But he also created a vision of the future as folklore. That’s what an essay over at Christ and…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

10 Reasons You Should Be Reading Brian K. Vaughan’s Saga

There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who are reading Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples amazing adult scifi/fantasy Image comic Saga, and those who haven’t yet. The former people are leading happier, fuller lives, because Saga is amaaaaaazzzing. Here are 10 reasons you’d do well to join them. 1) It’s just…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Batman: The Ultimate Hoarder?

My friend Anna Maria Cool recently mentioned she suspected Batman was a hoarder. The seed was planted. I knew I wouldn’t stop thinking about it until I drew something about it. I can stop thinking about it now. Click to enlarge: Btw, the objects on the bottom of page 1 are all from actual Batman…

Books & Comics Kerry Callen

This fantastic anthology was written entirely by io9 commenters!

A few years ago, a group of io9 commenters created the Thursday Tales forum on io9. Every week, they post short stories or continuations of longer stories on Thursdays. Eventually they had so many great stories that they decided to publish an anthology. It’s called We Had Stars Once, we’ve got an excerpt! We Had…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Trapped on a Space Station: First Look at Cecil Castellucci’s Tin Star

Cecil Castellucci has written some of the most entertaining young-adult and middle-grade novels — and now, at last, she’s doing a full-on science fiction book. Tin Star is about what happens when you’re stuck on a space station, with just some aliens for company. Check out the cover, right here. Castellucci will be signing ARCs…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Mind-Blowing Spaceships from 1970s British Paperbacks

Paul McAuley is the author of The Quiet War, as well as Life After Wartime and Evening’s Empires. He’s also got an amazing collection of 1970s SF paperbacks, whose covers he’s just digitized to share with the world. Here’s his gallery of covers that feature spaceships done in a cool, psychedelic-minimalist style. Writes McAuleyon his…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Is the book industry sexist or just starved for great women authors?

There’s a huge gender divide in speculative fiction publishing — especially when it comes to science fiction and space opera, which are incredibly male dominated. And yesterday, Tor UK’s Julie Crisp wrote a revealing post that started a fascinating discussion. Top image: Cover art of Justina Robson’s Natural History. Crisp’s article basically boils down to…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

An Excerpt from Dave Goldberg’s “Universe in the Rearview Mirror”

The day is finally here! My new book, The Universe in the Rearview Mirror, is being released today! Many of the topics in the book were prompted by all of the great questions from the io9 community, and I wanted to thank you again by offering you this free excerpt. Also, starting right now (2pm…

Books & Comics Dr. Dave Goldberg

Uh, did Geoff Johns just spoil the end of DC’s Trinity War?

Justice League #22 comes out today, featuring the very beginning of DC’s summer mega-event “Trinity War” (not to be confused with all those previously released “Prelude to Trinity War” issues). To celebrate it, DC released this Johns-narrated video which explains what “Trinity War” is… and then how it ends. The hell? See for yourself, if…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Get ready for Comic Con by blowing all your cash on This Week’s Comics

You know, with Comic Con 2013 finally starting next week, I’d have thought this would be kind of a quiet comic release day — that the companies would save all their good stuff for next Wednesday. I WAS SO, SO WRONG. New Issues Dark Horse: • The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #2: Meet…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Batgirl and Nightwing’s Wedding Shames All Other Geek Weddings

Holy insanely detailed comic book wedding, Batman! We cannot believe the amount of detail that was put into this Batgirl and Nightwing-themed wedding. Their photo booth was a GOTHAM MUG SHOT! Laura and Seth’s wedding at Scoggins Farms in Charlotte, NC, is amazing. In fact, this might be the most detail-orientated geek wedding we’ve ever…

Books & Comics Meredith Woerner

Green Lantern stands tall in the cover to DC’s Absolute Blackest Night

DC Comics is releasing the massive Absolute Edition of Geoff Johns’ best-selling Blackest Night mega-event this Wednesday, and io9 is proud to reveal the book’s true cover. The 2009 comics crossover event depicted the darkest prophecy in the DC universe mythos coming true, as Nekron and the Black Hand use their Black Power Rings to…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Lauren Beukes is here answering your questions from 12-1 PM today!

In June, the io9 book club read Lauren Beukes’ haunting novel The Shining Girls. Now, Beukes is here today from 12-1 to answer your questions about this book, her previous work (Moxyland and Zoo City), and anything else (on topic!) you want to ask. Start posting your questions in comments below, and Beukes will get…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Pay what you want for these two scifi ebook bundles

There are currently not one, but two ebook bundles that let you pay what you want for a bunch of science fiction ebooks. Head over to the Humble eBook Bundle and StoryBundle to grab several books for potentially little money. Humble Bundle is running its second ebook bundle with Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother, Cherie Priest’s…

Books & Comics Lauren Davis

A gravedigger goes on a bizarre quest through the underworld

If you’re not already reading KC Green’s webcomic Gunshow, I recommend tuning in for his latest longform arc, Graveyard Quest. In it, a Gravedigger travels through the underworld on a hunt for his mother’s stolen bones and encounters ghostly hijackers, a wise mole, a village of worms, and the constant disapproval of his long-dead father.…

Books & Comics Lauren Davis

Why do post-apocalyptic people dress like morons?

One note before I open up this week’s mailbag: As last week’s “PA” revealed, I am not infallible. I don’t know why you would think so, given that I’m a fictional fake postman. I know a lot of junk, but I think I know more than I do, so I rely on you attractive readers…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

What If… The Avengers Were All Sentient Artificial Intelligences?

“What if” is sort of a loaded phrase in the Marvel Universe. Writers have always been able to ramble off a What If… Wolverine had hot dogs for claws!? and then you’d see “WHAT IF: HOT DOG WOLVERINE” on a spinner rack. But sometimes, just from the nature of comics being batshit insane, we get…

Books & Comics Kyle Wagner

Image Will Sell All Digital Comics with No DRM

Well, this is a weird little thing that could be a very big deal. Image Comics—home of series like Invincible and The Walking Dead—just said it’s going to sell its own comics as DRM-free PDFs. You buy a digital comic straight from Image, and you download a PDF than you’re free to give to whomever…

Books & Comics Kyle Wagner

The io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s talk about The Shining Girls.

Welcome to the monthly meeting of the io9 Book Club. In June, we read Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls. Jump into comments to get started talking about it! 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 io9 when the…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Andrew Sean Greer’s new novel is a jolt of pure heartbreak

Must-Read Essay: Cordwainer Smith as Folklorist of the Future

10 Reasons You Should Be Reading Brian K. Vaughan’s Saga

Batman: The Ultimate Hoarder?

This fantastic anthology was written entirely by io9 commenters!

Trapped on a Space Station: First Look at Cecil Castellucci’s Tin Star

Mind-Blowing Spaceships from 1970s British Paperbacks

Is the book industry sexist or just starved for great women authors?

An Excerpt from Dave Goldberg’s “Universe in the Rearview Mirror”

Uh, did Geoff Johns just spoil the end of DC’s Trinity War?

Get ready for Comic Con by blowing all your cash on This Week’s Comics

Batgirl and Nightwing’s Wedding Shames All Other Geek Weddings

Green Lantern stands tall in the cover to DC’s Absolute Blackest Night

Lauren Beukes is here answering your questions from 12-1 PM today!

Pay what you want for these two scifi ebook bundles

A gravedigger goes on a bizarre quest through the underworld

Why do post-apocalyptic people dress like morons?

What If… The Avengers Were All Sentient Artificial Intelligences?

Image Will Sell All Digital Comics with No DRM

The io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s talk about The Shining Girls.

‘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

Scientists Discover Hidden Behavior in Water That Helps Explain Why Ice Floats

The ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale Paved the Way for a Wildly Sci-Fi Season 3

A $1 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Lands at Mint Mobile With Unlimited Data at 50% Off in a Clearance Push

Your Wimpy Workouts Aren’t Cutting It, Scientists Say

Anker Prime Power Bank Drops to an All-Time Low (200W, 20,100mAh, 3-Port) as Amazon Clears Out Remaining Spring Sale Stock

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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