Books

What’s on your shopping list this holiday season?

For the past week, we’ve been working on crafting a master list of the perfect gifts for all the science fiction fans, movie completists, art lovers and comic aficionados in your life. Now, come with us on a choose your own gift guide adventure, and tell us just what’s on the top of your holiday…

The Coolest Book Cover Art We’ve Seen in Ages

Anthony Huso’s novel The Last Page won plaudits, including a starred review from Kirkus, when it came out in 2010 — but now it has a totally kickass new cover for the trade paperback edition. Not surprisingly, this is the work of artist extraordinaire Stephan Mariniere. Check out the whole thing below. Here’s the official…

Which dead movie project are you glad never happened?

Roland Emmerich’s adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation is dead — at least as a movie. And thus, it joins the hundreds of movies that could have been. What’s the dead (or moribund) project that you’re especially glad never came out? https://gizmodo.com/100-wonderful-and-terrible-movies-that-never-existed-5932803 Please include a picture or clip (or book cover) for your chosen project. And…

Get ready for The Poisoner’s Handbook TV special! Based on the bestselling book of the same name by science historian Deborah Blum, the new PBS American Experience episode will tell the true story of how forensic analysis began during the Jazz Age, when investigators started using chemistry to solve murders.

io9 Book Club Reminder: Meeting 12/3 to discuss Neptune’s Brood

In November, the io9 Book Club is reading Neptune’s Brood, by Charles Stross. We’ll meet December 2 to discuss it, and we hope Stross will join us later that week for a chat! Neptune’s Brood is a sequel to Saturn’s Children, but you don’t need to read the first book to appreciate the second. (Here’s…

How Braille Was Invented

Braille was invented by a nineteenth century man named Louis Braille, who was completely blind. Braille’s story starts when he was three years old. He was playing in his father’s shop in Coupvray, France, and somehow managed to injure his eye. Though he was offered the best medical attention available at the time, it wasn’t…

At Long Last, a Full-Length Novel from Award-Winning Writer Ken Liu

We’ve marveled at Ken Liu’s short fiction — especially “Paper Menagerie,” the story that won an astonishing three major awards. But also a number of other great tales. Now at last, he’s sold a novel — the first in a brand new fantasy series featuring gods, politics and war. We’ve got the exclusive announcement! https://gizmodo.com/read-ken-lius-amazing-story-that-swept-the-hugo-nebula-5958919…

Which fan theory or rumor do you wish had turned out to be true?

Once upon a time, everybody was sure Star Wars: Revenge of the Jedi would see Luke defeated or lured to the Dark Side, and Leia saving the day as the Avenging Jedi. If only we’d gotten that movie. Which fan theory or rumor do you wish had turned out to be for real? Image by…

In 1988, Kim Jong-Il gave a speech exhorting North Koreans to write SF

And that’s just one fascinating fact about North Korean science fiction contained in a brilliant overview, over at SinonK.com. Also: North Korean science fiction never features aliens — or, perhaps not surprisingly, dystopian settings. In fact, North Korean science fiction sounds as though it’s closer to “mundane” science fiction than most of what we produce…

How Catching Fire Fixed All the Worst Mistakes The Hunger Games Made

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire made all the money this weekend, raking in a record-topping $161.1 million. But that’s not all this YA sequel did for the movie franchise. Catching Fire actually goes about unchecking our long list of problems with the first Hunger Games film, resetting the franchise both for die-hard fans and people…

Cary Elwes is writing a memoir about the filming of The Princess Bride, to be titled As You Wish. It’s due out late next year, and will feature interview with the rest of the film’s cast. Honestly, I’ll never get tired of reading about the time during the movie André the Giant racked up a…

Holiday Gift Books for Lovers of Science and Science Fiction

There’s nothing better than a gorgeous coffee table book or special edition to leaf through during the holidays. We’ve got recommendations of gift books for people who are fans of scientific discovery — and science fictional exploration. Science and History Southern Light: Images from Antarctica Luminous photography from the world’s least-explored continent. Out of the…

Which words turn up most in Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter?

Certainly The Hunger Games and Twilight are very different media experiences, but how do the YA series differ in their actual vocabulary and sentence structure? Slate put together a textual analysis of Suzanne Collins and Stephenie Meyer’s series, alongside J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. https://gizmodo.com/i-was-a-hunger-games-hater-1469890191 Ben Blatt tallied up the adjective, adverbs, common phrases, and…

There is now an asteroid named after Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon is one of the most celebrated literary science fiction authors of the past half-century, largely because of his masterwork Gravity’s Rainbow. And now Pynchon’s been given the greatest honor of all — astronomer Ernesto Guido has named an asteroid after him. On his observatory’s blog, Guido writes that he’s found a number of…

Hang this sexy literary pin-up art with pride, and support new writers!

Science fiction and fantasy books are full of amazing female characters, who live on in your mind after you finish reading. And now, a new pin-up calendar celebrates some of the greatest heroines — like this Cory Doctorow-inspired image. Check out more below! Every year, artist Lee Moyer creates a calendar of literary pin-up art…

Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a captivating tale of privilege and PTSD

The second Hunger Games movie builds on the emotional intensity of the first, telling a harrowing story of what happens when you win a deadly game by playing dirty. Catching Fire is the rare film that’s better than the original book. Even if you’ve memorized Suzanne Collins’ text, you’ll get something new out of it.…

Has the ex-CEO of Burger King discovered a “rogue gene”?

This is my favorite new example of neuro pseudoscience. Barry Gibbons, the former CEO of Burger King, claims to have discovered the “W gene,” a stretch of DNA which makes men successful, if properly harnessed. He promises to help you get the most out of your W gene if you buy his new book. In…

Which supporting character does the best job of upstaging the hero?

Every story needs a protagonist, who’s noble and well-meaning and clever, and who struggles against darkness… freeing up the supporting cast to be just awesome and kick tons of ass. What’s your favorite example of a supporting character who steals the hero’s thunder? Please include a picture or clip of this awesome character. And mention…

​The Real Hero of the Harry Potter Series

It’s not Harry, it’s not Hermione or Ron… it’s Neville Longbottom. Over at Tor.com, Emily Asher-Perrin has a deep dive into Harry Potter lore which explains how Neville’s choices shape the entire saga, and save the day.

The sad fate of Jimmy Carter’s solar panels

In his new book Renewable, science writer Jeremy Shere offers a fascinating history of renewable energy in the United States, and a look toward its future. In this excerpt, he tells the almost-forgotten story of how President Jimmy Carter tried to make the White House run on solar power. On June 20, 1979, the White…