Books

Which Character Is A Hero To Us, But A War Criminal To The Other Side?

Sometimes, one culture’s hero is another culture’s villain — especially if they were on opposite sides of a conflict. Everybody always says that the winners write history, but often both sides have different versions. So which character is either a savior or a butcher, depending on whom you ask? Please include a link to a…

io9’s Official Back To School List of Must Read Books

School is starting again, and whether you’re a student in college or a student of life, you need to boot up your brain with some good inspiration. Here is a book list to get you thinking about the world in a new way — and help you make the transition back into study mode. We’ve…

J.K. Rowling’s New Story Goes Behind The Cauldron With A Potter Pop Star

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has released another story centered around the singing sensation of Hogwarts and all other magical Potter-world regions. Behold the backstory on singing sorceress Celestina Warbeck. In article for The Today Show, Rowling wrote that character, “Celestina Warbeck is one of my favourite ‘off-stage’ characters in the Harry Potter series, and…

D​id Harry Potter Influence The Political Views of Millennials?

Kids who grew up reading the Harry Potter books are voting in U.S. elections. And now a new study says the adventures of the young wizard might have cast an enduring spell on its fans, subtly shaping their values and political views. The Millennial Generation is actually the Muggle Generation. Anthony Gierzynski, a political scientist…

Who’s The Greatest Fictional Scientist Of All Time?

Everybody admires the explorers and action heroes, who go where nobody’s gone before and set off explosions along the way. But what about the scientists, who invent the cool gear and form the theories that inform everything? Who’s the absolute greatest scientist in all of science fiction? Please include a video clip of your chosen…

Science Fiction And Fantasy Books That Will Change Your Life This Fall

Science fiction and fantasy books are seriously going to blow your mind this fall. William Gibson returns to the future. Plus there are new books by David Mitchell, Anne Rice, Michael Moorcock, Margaret Atwood and Patrick Rothfuss. Here are the 30 books you absolutely cannot afford to miss this fall. Top image: Willful Child by…

Can Authors Be Wrong About The Adaptations Of Their Own Books?

We tend to trust an author’s judgment when it comes to the quality of an adaptation of his or her books. But sometimes, maybe authors don’t always know best, as an essay in AwardsCircuit points out. Lois Lowry extravagantly praised the new movie of The Giver, despite the huge liberties it takes with her book…

All The Most Exciting Moments From The 2014 Hugo Awards!

Tonight at the World SF Convention, we saw the brilliance and inventiveness of science fiction and fantasy on full display. Tonight’s Hugo Awards winners include Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, along with stories by Charles Stross, Mary Robinette Kowal and John Chu. And Kameron Hurley, twice. Photo by Kevin Standlee This was really a year…

Outlander Has Been Renewed For A Second Season!

It’s only been out for a wee bit, but clearly Starz is happy with the pretty excellent response their new series Outlander has received, because they just greenlit another season! According to the official press release, Starz has greenlit a second 13-episode season of Outlander, which makes us happy. But what does Ron D. Moore…

The Best Science Fiction Books, According To Real-Life Scientists

We’ve all seen lists of the worst science fiction books and movies, according to scientists — but what are the best? HuffPost Science reached out to 15 great scientists and asked them to name their favorite science fiction stories — and the results were pretty interesting. Among others, MIT cosmologist/physicist Max Tegmark named Greg Egan’s…

Who’s The Most Versatile Creator In Science Fiction And Fantasy?

Science fiction and fantasy are huge, diverse genres. They include a million different styles, tones and types of storytelling. And a few especially talented or adventurous individuals have managed to explore a lot of different approaches to science fiction and fantasy in their careers. But who’s the most versatile creator? Please include a clip or…

Why Science Fiction Is A Natural Home For Ambiguity (Or Is It?)

Some of the greatest works of science fiction and fantasy leave some stuff open to interpretation. And today at the World Science Fiction Convention in London, we saw a great panel discussion about the role of ambiguity in SF — and why it makes stories better. Good and bad ambiguity First off, not all ambiguity…

The White Stag From Shadow And Bone Gets A Loteria Card Tribute

Grisha Trilogy author Leigh Bardugo and artist John Picacio have collaborated on bringing a little bit of Shadow and Bone-inspired art into the world. And we’re going to exclusively reveal the collaborative project… now! Author Bardugo (and official member of the io9 2012 power list ) is best known for the fantasy Grisha series. And…

What Went Wrong With The Giver Movie?

The Giver by Lois Lowry isn’t just a ground-breaking YA novel. It’s a powerful fable about the relationship between an old man and a child, who struggle with the memories their “perfect” society has chosen to forget. And now it’s been turned into an okay movie that’s missing the magic of the book. What happened?…

io9 Newsstand: Best Stories for the Week of August 11 – 16

One of my favorite ways to consume short stories (besides toasting them lightly in the oven) is via podcast. I can listen to a story when reading is impossible or not advisable. I’m not brave enough to bring my Nook into the bath, but I love to hear a great voice talent spin the story…

Under The Dome Recap: Even A Dome Needs An Outlet Sometimes

What is Under The Dome, the TV show, about? I wonder this a lot. On the one hand, there’s the ongoing political storyline about who’s going to run the town of Chester’s Mill. And then there’s the mystical storyline involving dayglo eggs, resurrections, prophetic paintings, etc. Where do these storylines intersect? Spoilers ahead… Obviously, one…

Who’s Your Favorite Character Who Went To Insane Lengths For Revenge?

Some great science fiction and fantasy characters are motivated by love, or greed, or a thirst for justice… but a lot of the most unforgettable characters are motivated by a desire for vengeance. What’s your favorite story about a character who paid a high price to punish those who had wronged him or her? Please…

A Star Wars Making Of Book That Focuses On Models, Not CG

Computer graphics and digital effects are integral to summer blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy today, but back in 1976 when Lucas created his visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic to help realize the original Star Wars, miniature models were the tools of the trade for special effects—as this limited edition version of Sculpting…

Why The Giver Still Matters

This weekend, Hollywood will release the movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, a film many of us have been waiting for since our junior high years. And in a world of Hunger Games, Divergents and many more popular YA novels, we’d like to talk about why this slightly older book still matters. After crunching…

UC Riverside’s Eaton Science Fiction Collection is in danger from new management. Professor Nalo Hopkinson reports that the largest public collection of science fiction and fantasy is endangered by the library administration, who has alienated the staff and plans to reduce the size of the collection. [Boing Boing]