Books

Check out the futuristic new Tribute uniforms from the Catching Fire set

The Quarter Quell is approaching! And here are the brand new outfits the new pack of Tributes will don while they fight to the death, in the Hunger Games sequel. While filming Catching Fire, a bunch of tributes were spotted in their new duds. Beware, spoilers ahead. Thanks to Just Jared we’ve got a batch…

io9 Meredith Woerner

A beautiful, moody t-shirt to celebrate the Dark Tower novels

If you love Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels, this tee is the best possible way to celebrate the lengthening days of autumn. In rich orange and blood red, it manages to be mystical and cool in a way that doesn’t require anyone to recognize the Gunslinger to appreciate your sartorial choice. Only available for a…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

A Provocative Theory: Heinlein turned to satire halfway through his career

People tend to divide Robert A. Heinlein’s career into three different eras, with the “juveniles,” the “slick” science fiction stories, and the bigger, more opnionated novels. But over in Locus Magazine, Gary Westfahl has a theory that’s sure to be controversial: Heinlein’s career actually divides into a slew of serious novels, followed by a swerve…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

How to Tell if the First Draft of Your Novel Just Isn’t Worth Salvaging

It’s almost the end of November, which means one thing: tens of thousands of you have just finished a novel. Congratulations! Now for the heart-breaking part — looking at the hundreds of pages of action and emotion that you wrote in a feverish daze, and figuring out how to revise it. Or whether you really…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Try not to squee, latest Hobbit Video Diary takes you into Goblin Town

Peter Jackson has released the 9th video blog of the production on The Hobbit. As the release date nears, you can see a whole mess of amazing creatures from Middle Earth, including trolls and what we believe could be a great shot of the Goblin King! Take a look at the wizards of Weta and…

Movies Meredith Woerner

Pulp Science Fiction Under German Totalitarianism

Pulp science fiction — in this case, meaning both serial magazines and stories and films which emphasized action, adventure, and plot at the expense of character and aspirations to Art — has been popular in Germany from the beginning. While never the most popular genre — mysteries and action/adventure were #1 and #2 — science…

io9 Jess Nevins

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books That Make Great Holiday Gifts

There’s nothing better than spending the holidays buried in a fantastic new book. Want to help your friends and family escape for the holidays using nothing more than their minds? We’ve got some terrific suggestions for gift books and sets that will light your loved ones’ imaginations on fire. We’ve focused here on books published…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

The Best Audiobooks to Distract You from Your Family This Weekend

The long holiday weekend is approaching, so it’s time to gear up and update your ebook readers and electronic libraries with anything that can get you through long travel stretches, cooking binges, and even longer family gatherings. Here is our list of fantastic audiobooks and ebooks that will keep you entertained for days. AUDIOBOOKS World…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Life of Pi could be the year’s second most gorgeous fantasy movie

Directors have had mixed success adapting fantastical, challenging literary novels for the big screen. Just a few years ago, Peter Jackson tried to adapt Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones using oceans of computer-generated psychedelia, and he face-planted. More recently, the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer threw money at the screen to try and encompass David Mitchell’s…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

“The sky swam”: A wild new story by World Fantasy Award-winning author Margo Lanagan

Margo Lanagan’s beautiful, unsettling works have been finalists for the Shirley Jackson Award, and have won multiple World Fantasy Awards. Now she has a new story collection, called Cracklescape, from Twelfth Planet Press. We’re thrilled to bring you an exclusive look at one of the stories, “Isles of the Sun.” Here are more details about…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Every single Hobbit trailer stitched together in chronological order!

Can’t wait until December for some more Bilbo face time? You’re in luck — a kind soul has decided to edit all of the released Hobbit footage from Peter Jackson’s many trailers into one giant video of Middle Earth. Here it is: eight minutes of Hobbit. [via The Mary Sue]

Movies Meredith Woerner

The Secret Origins of The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal is one of the most beloved movies of all time, thanks to Brian Froud’s designs and Jim Henson’s magical creations. And now, a brand new graphic novel series called The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths tells the secrets of the Dark Crystal’s origin for the first time, with art direction by Froud himself.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

21 Pictures that Sum Up the Whole History of Science Fiction

Science fiction is the genre of ideas — but it’s also given us some unforgettable pictures along the way. Every era in science fiction’s history has shown us a new vision of the strange and futuristic, and one image can spawn a million reflections in your mind’s eye. Here are 21 unforgettable pictures that showcase…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

It’s the eye of the tiger in four new clips from Life of Pi (with bonus second tiger eye)

Check out just how beautiful Ang Lee’s colorful Life of Pi adaptation truly is in four new clips. Say what you will about the story of a big cat, a boy, and a boat, the sheer beauty of this film will knock you straight on your butt. Based on the novel by Yann Martel, the…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Terry Pratchett says his daughter Rhianna will take over the Discworld series

Since his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s in 2007, beloved fantasy author Terry Pratchett has kept up his rigorous writing and touring schedule, despite his growing health difficulties. These days, he writes entirely with the help of voice-activated software and his assistant Rob Wilkins. Now he’s done an extensive interview with New Statesman’s Laurie Penny, where he…

io9 Annalee Newitz

A New Translation of The One Russian Science Fiction Novel You Absolutely Must Read

The great Russian science fiction author Boris Strugatsky died today in Saint Petersburg at 79. He and his brother Arkady (who died in 1991) wrote some of the most iconic works of Soviet science fiction. In their honor, we are republishing this review of the most recent translation of one of their most famous works,…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Guillermo del Toro explains the biggest mistake people make in telling stories for children

Guillermo del Toro has directed some of the coolest movies of the past decade or so, including Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, plus the upcoming monster/robot smackdown Pacific Rim. But he’s also gotten into producing animated films for kids, including Kung-Fu Panda and the upcoming Rise of the Guardians. We were lucky enough to get a…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

The 10 Books You Absolutely Must Read to Understand the History of Earth

The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and life began oozing across its boiling, methane-saturated surface about a billion years after our planet was born. But how did that happen? In just a few billion years, a hellish ball of melted rock, smashed up by meteorites, became the gorgeous Blue Marble covered in plants, animals,…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Official Ender’s Game movie synopsis reveals a game will definitely be played by someone named Ender

The latest official synopsis of Gavin Hood’s screen adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game promises us war games, which we’re going to go ahead and assume refers to the book’s iconic zero-gravity Battle School action scenes. We have no idea if they’re going to pull this off, but we’re still excited to see them…

Movies Meredith Woerner

Watch This Page-Scanning Robot Read Faster Than You Could Ever Dream To

If’ you’re a really fast reader, you can finish off a book in a day, maybe tackle a short one in as little as an hour or two. Good for you but that’s nothing compared to the BFS-Auto book-scanning robot. It can handle 250 pages in a minute. That’s fast even for a machine. The…

Books & Comics Eric Limer

Check out the futuristic new Tribute uniforms from the Catching Fire set

A beautiful, moody t-shirt to celebrate the Dark Tower novels

A Provocative Theory: Heinlein turned to satire halfway through his career

How to Tell if the First Draft of Your Novel Just Isn’t Worth Salvaging

Try not to squee, latest Hobbit Video Diary takes you into Goblin Town

Pulp Science Fiction Under German Totalitarianism

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books That Make Great Holiday Gifts

The Best Audiobooks to Distract You from Your Family This Weekend

Life of Pi could be the year’s second most gorgeous fantasy movie

“The sky swam”: A wild new story by World Fantasy Award-winning author Margo Lanagan

Every single Hobbit trailer stitched together in chronological order!

The Secret Origins of The Dark Crystal

21 Pictures that Sum Up the Whole History of Science Fiction

It’s the eye of the tiger in four new clips from Life of Pi (with bonus second tiger eye)

Terry Pratchett says his daughter Rhianna will take over the Discworld series

A New Translation of The One Russian Science Fiction Novel You Absolutely Must Read

Guillermo del Toro explains the biggest mistake people make in telling stories for children

The 10 Books You Absolutely Must Read to Understand the History of Earth

Official Ender’s Game movie synopsis reveals a game will definitely be played by someone named Ender

Watch This Page-Scanning Robot Read Faster Than You Could Ever Dream To

UGREEN Bluetooth Tracker 4-Pack Now Just $7 Each With iOS and Android Support, While AirTag Stays at Full Price

Trump Posts Concept Art of His Presidential Library, and It’s AI Slop

Forget Tower Desktop, GMKtec Mini PC Drops to a Record Low as Amazon Clears Out Final Spring Sale Stock

‘Fallout’ Season 2 Was a Hit Despite That Unsatisfying Release Strategy Change

JBL Authentics 500 Retro-Style Home Speaker Hits 40% Off, Now at Its Lowest Price as Amazon’s Spring Sale Clearance Begins

ExpressVPN Spring Sale Special: Up to 73% Off + Free eSIM and Password Manager

You Too Will Learn to Fear the XenoFrog

Amazon Echo Dot Sees Its Last Price Drop in the Spring Sale, Final Hours Tick Down Ahead of an Uncertain Prime Day

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

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