Books

Another publisher steps in. Simon & Schuster is launching its own science fiction imprint, overseen by Children’s Publishing EVP Jon Anderson and Young Readers VP Justin Chandra. But the imprint, edited by current literary agent Joe Monti, will publish “YA and above.”

io9 Book Club reminder: Meeting 10/29 to discuss Oryx and Crake

In October, the io9 Book Club is reading Oryx and Crake, the first novel in Margaret Atwood’s now-complete Craker trilogy. We’ll meet October 29 to discuss it, and we hope Atwood will join us later that week for a chat! Illustration via Jason C. Still not decided? Here’s our review of the whole trilogy. https://gizmodo.com/margaret-atwoods-apocalypse-trilogy-dares-to-imagine-g-1440845239…

Andy Serkis will produce Bone Season: The Movie!

No doubt looking for their YA vehicle to hype up to the teen masses (and myself), Fox has picked up the The Bone Season for movie, with Andy Serkis attached to produce. This actually gives us hope. https://gizmodo.com/the-bone-season-surrenders-to-fantasy-writings-worst-i-1279060053 Deadline is reporting that Samantha Shannon’s series had been purchased by Serkis, who was instrumental in finding…

James Gunn’s Transcendental feels like a lost Golden Age classic

Cracking open James Gunn’s latest novel, Transcendental, is like finding a lost manuscript from the Golden Age of Science Fiction. And while reading it, I enjoyed the retro-stylings — but couldn’t help but think this is the kind of thing science fiction has left behind for a reason. Gunn’s novels features a mixed group of…

Ender’s Game concept art is like the space combat of your dreams

The Ender’s Game movie comes out in just 10 days, and we’ve seen tons of footage featuring lovely space sequences — but now, here’s some concept art that looks even more amazing. Spaceships, battles and laser pistols… it’s like the space combat we’ve only dreamed about. This concept art comes via Moviefone, which posted a…

Ytasha Womack, Author of Afrofuturism, Is Here to Answer Questions!

Ytasha Womack, the author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, is here to answer your questions today! In addition to Afrofuturism, she’s also the author of Post Black: How a New Generation is Redefining African American Identity and 2212: Book of Rayla. Her credits as a filmmaker include Love Shorts and…

Here’s how artificial intelligence might really see the world

I’ve heard it said that one of the important functions of science fiction is to comment on the implications of new technology and what it might do to society. But sometimes you run up against a science fictional technology that has really obviously staggering implications — and yet the work doesn’t seem to acknowledge that.…

What’s the most ridiculous “Get Out of Jail Free” card of all time?

Science fiction and fantasy are full of wonderful gadgets and magic items — and oftentimes, they just make life more complicated for our heroes. But sometimes, you come across an item that can get the good guys out of any bad situation (until it inevitably fails). What’s the most insane “get out of jail free…

What’s the best piece of optimistic science fiction?

Science fiction can warn us about potential disasters, and school us about the downsides of knowing too much — but a lot of the best science fiction inspires us, instead, by showing how people can solve problems and conquer ignorance. What’s the most uplifting piece of optimistic science fiction you’ve ever seen? https://gizmodo.com/optimistic-science-fiction-stories-that-could-still-com-5853540 Please include…

Ron D. Moore reveals the sets and script pages from his Outlander show

The one thing that got us super excited at last week’s New York Comic-Con was Ron D. Moore’s next TV project, Outlander. Based on the popular series by Diana Gabaldon, this time traveling romance show promises sex, time travel and Scots. And thanks to a collection of displays and script pages from the Random House…

Carrie remake will make you terrified of — and for — Julianne Moore

Why remake Carrie? It’s certainly a question worth asking, especially in the ever-more crowded field of sequels, remakes, and reboots. Kimberly Peirce tries to update Carrie as a study of bullying in the internet age. But the main reason to watch this film is Julianne Moore’s harrowing take on Margaret White, Carrie’s mother. Brian De…

What If Famous Books Had Ridiculous Linkbait Titles?

The thing about literature is that it takes itself so damn seriously. What if, for a change, instead of pretentious and opaque titles, famous books came with ridiculous linkbait titles instead? College Humor has done a real good job with this series of great book covers reworked to cast them as clickable internet stories. There…

All The Most Revolting Mosquitoes from Science Fiction and Fantasy

Everybody knows that mosquitoes are bastards. The other day, we learned this has been true for 46 million years. And with next month’s release of Sucker, the story of a suicidal man transformed into a vengeful mosquito, it’s time we confronted these creatures. Here are the most horrible mutated mosquitoes of all time. https://gizmodo.com/more-evidence-that-mosquitoes-have-been-assholes-for-mi-1445563271 Top…

Thorin Oakenshield is still a babe, even in puppet form

Our love for Thorin Oakenshield has no limit. We just want to braid his hair and talk about dragons. So it’s no wonder that we still love the mighty warrior, even in puppet form. Rosemary Travale has been working on a Thorin muppet for sometime — and honestly, for her first attempt at a “muppet”…

What book would you give someone you wanted to have terrible dreams?

There’s no gift like a good book — it shows that you’ve thought about the person, and you’re sharing the most precious thing humans can create: a story. But sometimes, giving a book says “I want you to have screaming surreal nightmares.” What book would you give to someone you wanted to inflict bad dreams…

10 Ways to Make Everyone Root for Your Amoral Protagonist

One step beyond the anti-hero, there’s the amoral or morally challenged main character. Sometimes, a protagonist is so dark, you can’t even use the term “hero” to describe him or her. But how do you get your audience to root for a character who might throw an old lady under a bus? Here are 10…

Which superhuman character (or species) has the most poetic weakness?

Science fiction and fantasy are full of unstoppable badasses. But often, they’ll have a weakness that is fairly poetic. Superman is vulnerable to the ruins of his own home planet. Sontarans can never turn their back on you. But which character or group has the most poetic weakness? Please include a picture or clip of…

What Ron D. Moore changed (and kept) in the Outlander TV series

At New York Comic-Con, Ron D. Moore shared the first change he’s going to make to his TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. But trust us, it’s a good thing. Starz showed off the very first images of the new time-traveling romance series Outlander yesterday at NYCC; sadly, there wasn’t any footage because the crew…

First Look at Game of Bones, the X-Rated Version of Westeros [SFW!]

We’ve got a long wait until Game of Thrones returns next March… but fear not! Episodes of Game of Bones, the porn parody from director Lee Roy Myers, will start appearing on the Web in just a couple of weeks. (Including a female Joffrey!) We’ve got the first exclusive teaser and cast photos, plus an…

Vampire Academy is actually A LOT funnier than we expected

The biggest draw for the latest vampire movie isn’t the hot young things starring it it, it’s the two middle-aged Waters Brothers. The director from Mean Girls and writer of Heathers combined their powers to steal the thunder from the baby vamps on stage at New York Comic-Con. And thank god for it. Based on…