Books

In Fiddlehead, Cherie Priest ends the Clockwork Century with a bang

In 2009, Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker introduced readers to her Clockwork Century alternate history series, set in a United States where the Union was never reunited in 1865. It was a fun, durable world, full of zombies, weird drugs, giant machines, and zeppelin pilots. Now it comes to a satisfying end with Fiddlehead. Some spoilers ahead.…

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the next YA book-to-movie adaptation

With the success of The Hunger Games movies, it’s no wonder that studios are hot to greenlight the next big young adult series. And the newest book to fuel Hollywood’s YA fire is Daughter of Smoke and Bone, which just nabbed a director. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that director Michael Gracey (who we are…

Hollywood to force Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark into one movie

Sounds messy. That being said, no movie could be as scary as the horrifying illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Deadline is reporting that CBS Films has picked up the rights to the classic horror anthology Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, with Saw screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton on to translate the many, many…

Here’s the Perfect Diary To Divulge How Much You Miss Your Game Boy

You remember that fateful Thanksgiving many years ago, don’t you? The whole family was over and your cousin was playing with your beloved Game Boy—until you heard the crash. Despite being in another room, you instantly recognized the sound. It was your Game Boy falling to its death. Technically, it still worked, but there were…

A Bizarre Alternate History. The Onion points to a strange work of far-fetched science fiction in which North America was occupied by millions of so-called “Native Americans” before Europeans arrived. Sounds like someone’s ripping off Avatar again.

The io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s talk about Neptune’s Brood.

Welcome to the monthly meeting of the io9 Book Club. In November, we read Charles Stross’ Neptune’s Brood. 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 meeting…

Why Science Fiction Readers Shouldn’t Just Cling to the Golden Age

Author Gareth Powell recently attended a book group where nobody had read any authors who came along in the past 50 years. Ina bracing essay for SF Signal, he talks about the peril of focusing only on “golden age” science fiction, and neglecting how the genre has changed. Powell writes: Some fans will always cling…

Who’s your favorite hero defined by his/her greatest setback?

Lots of heroes are known for their greatest triumphs. That time they saved the universe, or their amazing victory against overwhelming odds. But who’s your favorite hero who’s indelibly defined by his or her most punishing defeat? Please share a picture or clip of this valiant loser. And let us know the book, comic, TV…

12 Real Life Inventions That Science Fiction is Neglecting at its Peril

Science fiction has always commented on the present, and today’s present is very science-fictional. All around, we see inventions that could transform the world within a decade or two. So why don’t more science fiction writers speculate about them? Here are 12 real-life developments science fiction should be plundering. Update: This post isn’t saying that…

Guillermo del Toro’s viral teaser for The Strain is pretty creepy

Check out a bewildering teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s new vampire series The Strain. But wait — before your eyes glaze over at the mention of vampires, give this a shot. It’s really cool. The rats pumping out of the sewers is a BIG part of the mystery series that this soon-to-be TV show…

What’s the best (or worst) character unmasking of all time?

So we were talkingabout our issues with “John Harrison” turning out to be Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. But what’s the absolute best moment where a character is unmasked in science fiction and fantasy? Or the worst? Please include a clip or image of this huge character reveal. And mention the name of the…

The io9 Calendar: Everything Brilliant That’s Happening in December!

December is bursting with science fiction and fantasy greatness. George R.R. Martin has a new novella set in Westeros. The Hobbit saga continues. Doctor Who’s Eleventh Doctor departs. And there are loads of conventions and readings. Here’s our complete guide to December’s science fiction and fantasy. Top image: Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi As always, you…

Harlan Ellison releases his never-produced 1966 Batman episode pitch

Famed science fiction writer Harlan Ellison has written many Batman stories over the years, and he cut his Bat-teeth not in the comics, but on a treatment for the 1960s Batman TV series. Now he has released that treatment, featuring the villain Two-Face, in a new book. Ellison has released the fifth volume of his…

Why Isaac Asimov’s famous dystopia is still relevant today

There’s a must-read piece at Slate on Isaac Asimov’s classic novel The Caves of Steel, part of a trilogy of novels about societies where everybody lives hundreds of years and relies on robots for everything. After a terrific summary, Konstantin Kakaes explains why it’s all still relevant. In a nutshell, Caves of Steel is a…

Saudi government censors science fiction novel. According to Boing Boing, the government of Saudi Arabia is suppressing H W J N by Ibraheem Abbas on the grounds of “blasphemy and devil-worshipping.” The book includes jinni as science-fictional beings, one of whom has a romance with a human.

The Ultimate io9 Gift Guide for 2013

Today begins the greatest adventure of all: shopping for your loved ones. (Or you could sleep in and start on Monday.) To help you lock on to the most optimal gift targets, we’ve created lists of the best DVD, book, toy and all-purpose fan presents. Here’s our complete 2013 gift guide. https://gizmodo.com/the-ultimate-motherlode-of-dvd-box-sets-that-make-aston-1469093399 https://gizmodo.com/holiday-gift-books-for-science-and-science-fiction-love-1470418763 https://gizmodo.com/all-the-toys-and-collectibles-youll-hate-to-give-away-1471349900 https://gizmodo.com/gift-ideas-for-the-10-major-species-of-science-fiction-1468441313…

Who’s the best space pilot in any universe?

Every spaceship has a captain, who shouts orders, and a security officer, who makes you feel secure. But who keeps the damn thing pointed in the right direction? The gorram pilot! Who’s the best pilot in any science fiction show, movie, or book series? Please include a picture, clip or book cover for your chosen…

Read These 3 Unpublished JD Salinger Stories That Just Leaked Online

Later today, you’ll be full of turkey and bored with talking to your family. Fact. So why not settle down with a nice story? In fact, how about these three unpublished works by JD Salinger, that have just been leaked online? After showing up on an eBay auction, the trio of stories—The Ocean Full of…

The Greatest Fictional Versions of Alan Turing

Take a moment away from your computer screen, and give some props to Alan Turing, the code-breaking badass who helped make all this possible. Turing has captured our imagination several times, in books and movies. Here’s our potted history of the Father of Computer Science in pop culture. Sure, Turing hasn’t exactly scored the same…

Watch Nick Harkaway explain why video games will save the future

Nick Harkaway, author of The Gone Away World and Angelmaker, gives a talk on the future of tech, now that we live in a world of brain implants and surveillance. And he explains why playing video games are the only sort of technology that “make you make hard choices” The title of this talk is…