Books

Google Wins the Right to Keep Scanning Millions of Books for Free

Nearly a decade after it started, the lawsuit between the Authors’ Guild and Google over its book-scanning program has been thrown out. This means that Google can keep digitizing millions of books for free distribution, and more importantly, that fair use is in the public’s best interest. On Thursday, U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin in…

Full Length Divergent trailer shows the future ruins of Chicago

The new dystopian teen movie Divergent could be upping the ante for post-apocalyptic devastation, judging from this brand new trailer. What’s happened to Lake Michigan? Find out, in the movie’s first full-length trailer. Divergent, based on Veronica Roth’s YA book series, is set in a future Chicago, that’s surrounded by a dried-out Lake Michigan and…

Who’s the most irresponsible mentor of all time?

We all need a little guidance sometimes. So it’s a good thing there are mentors, who can teach us and shelter us and… generally screw everything up. Because that’s what mentors do. But who’s the most irresponsible or just plain evil mentor in science fiction or fantasy? https://gizmodo.com/what-scifi-teaches-us-about-lying-deceitful-mentors-5020640 Please include a picture or clip (or…

A Glowing Book That Illuminates More Than Just Your Brain

Max Gunawan’s wonderful Lumio accordion book lamp has been popping up on design sites for the past year or so. But after a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, it’s finally available for purchase, bringing its soft glow to home libraries around the world. Featuring a laser-cut wooden cover made from maple, cherry, or walnut,…

Science Fiction Book Cover Redesigns We Wish We Could Put on the Shelf

Over at Artsy Musings, there’s a great roundup of science fiction book cover reimaginings that ought to be actual book covers. Including this beautiful design by Luke James. Check out a few more of our favorites below. Left: Hannes Beer. Right: Wayne Dorrington. Left: Kevin Tong. Right: Paul Murray. Both images by Kevin Tong. Check…

The Top 101 Science Fiction Adventures

Book editor and critic Joshua Glenn has worked to bring classic early science fiction back into print with his Radium Age Science Fiction Series. Now here’s his definitive list of the best adventure stories of all time! (Remember — these are not just scifi, but action/adventure scifi.) Top image: Sparth Below, please find a list…

Own William Gibson’s bomber jacket! Did you covet the Buzz Rickson MA-1 bomber jacket that cool hunter Cayce Pollard wore in William Gibson’s novel Pattern Recognition? Now a similar jacket can be yours, as designed by Gibson, for just $690.

New book Fortune’s Pawn is like Firefly told by Lois McMaster Bujold

Readers are in for a ride with Rachel Bach’s entry into science fiction, Fortune’s Pawn, which has been called a Firefly-meets-Lois McMaster Bujold tale. It’s fun, rough and tumble, and has an exciting cast of characters — though the plot itself is a little uneven. Mild spoilers ahead. It’s easy to see the similarities to…

Stephen Fry’s Insane Look in Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Entertainment Weekly just released a collection of new Hobbit 2 images. Including one particularly interesting shot of Stephen Fry with an epic hairstyle. Just call him Stephen Fry: Master of Laketown, and the Comb-Over. Plus look who learned how to do the fishtail braid: Legolas!

10 Key Terms That Will Help You Appreciate Fantasy Literature

Fantasy novels and stories cast a spell on readers, with their vivid worlds and complex characters. But just like any other kind of spell, there are different types, and rules. You need a magical lexicon. So here are 10 commonly used terms you’ll need to know, that describe the different sorts of fantasy worlds and…

You Can Now Get Calvin and Hobbes as E-Books

Words cannot express how giddily excited we are by this news: you can finally get Calvin and Hobbes ebooks for the first time. Goodbye, weekend. Almost 30 years since their inception, the comic strips are now available in digital form. There are three altogether: The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes, and…

Comment of the Day: Guns, Germs, and Steel Edition

Today, we checked out the 15 (and counting!) superheroes and villains who have dispatched Batman with ease, collectively hushed the people chatting over the sound of our movie, and entered into a debate about a book. In response to this post, looking at charges of racism against Jared Diamond’s newest book, The World Until Yesterday,…

Young-adult science fiction tackles ethics. We think of young-adult novels as a fun ride, or as a vehicle for exploring alienation. But the American Library Association has a great list of YA titles with thought-provoking ethical questions, from Ender’s Game to Sherri L. Smith’s Orleans.

Is Jared Diamond racist?

Even Jared Diamond’s most avid supporters have been raising eyebrows at his new book, The World Until Yesterday. But University of New Mexico American Studies professor David Correia thinks this book is the most convincing evidence yet that Diamond isn’t just played out — he’s racist. Correia has written a very scholarly article about the…

Mark Charan Newton’s Drakenfeld: a Thriller in an Epic Fantasy World

Mark Charan Newton’s no stranger to epic fantasy, but for his latest novel, he’s changed things up a bit. Not only has he replaced the general pseudo medieval Europe setting with something closer to Ancient Rome, he’s put together a compelling novel that wouldn’t be out of place in the modern thriller genre. Charon Newton’s…

The Hunger Games Author Insisted the Cat Be Recast in Catching Fire

It’s no secret the lazy cat casting from the first Hunger Games movie PISSED US OFF. Seriously, how hard was it to cast a yellow cat? Well, all that is about to be changed thanks to author Suzanne Collins and new Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence. Because that cat has been RECAST! https://gizmodo.com/everything-the-hunger-games-movie-left-out-5896475 In our…

An Exquisite Book Printed Entirely Without Ink

Everybody who’s familiar with her work knows that Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom is brilliant with books. She’s crafted everything from a bite-sized biography to a rainbow-hued, 2,136-page corporate history. But her latest work is missing something all the others had: Ink. The result is stunning. Commissioned by Chanel for its No. 5 perfume line,…

What’s the greatest spaceship explosion of all time?

Sometimes, a gallant space explorer has no choice but to make a massive sacrifice, and blow up the spaceship. And sometimes, a ship just blows up whether you want it to or not. But what’s the coolest, or most dramatic, spaceship explosion of all? Please include a picture, book cover or clip of the detonation…

The Hobbit takes us inside the home of Beorn, and it’s wonderful!

Sneak a little look inside the gigantic house of Beorn the skin changer, including the gigantic living room Peter Jackson built for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. We’ve still yet to see actual footage of Mikael Persbrandt as Beorn. But we have seen glorious paintings of his mutton-chops along with some footage of him…

Love, Friendship and Murder in Rachel Caine’s Haunting New Book Trailer

If you’re like most people, then your favorite character in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet isn’t either of the two eponymous lovers — rather, it’s Benvolio. Or maybe Mercutio. In any case, Rachel Caine is retelling the play from Benvolio’s perspective, with magic — and here’s an exclusive book trailer. Along with this video, Caine will…