Books

Harlan Ellison is selling his rare books (and he wants you to buy them)

The venerable Harlan Ellison is cleaning out his archives and holding his third “Great Book Purge.” Over the next three days, Ellison will be selling tons of rare books and screenplays, including his first edition script for I, Robot. From July 6-8, Harlan’s wife Susan will be taking orders over the phone. Lines will be…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

12 science fiction and fantasy novels and stories that are uniquely American

For many of us, it’s still Independence Day weekend, and we’re still grilling hamburgers and celebrating our country’s freedoms. To commemorate the occasion, John T. Ottinger looks at a dozen science fiction books and stories that are uniquely American. Topping the list is, ironically, a book by a Brit. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman, celebrates…

Books & Comics John T. Ottinger - Grasping For The Wind

The third book of the Hunger Games trilogy will have over a million copies in its first print run

In case you didn’t already know that the dystopian Hunger Games series was a runaway smash hit, Scholastic has bumped up the print run of the third book, Mockingjay, from 750,000 copies to 1.2 million copies. And the final installment of the series is so secret, Scholastic’s not even sending out review copies — we’ll…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Great moments in alternate history: World War II

It’s finally here — the biggest alternate timeline of all alternate timelines, the alternate history trope to top all alternate history tropes. Today we look at some alternate histories of the Second World War. Let’s start with one of the most respected works in science fiction, Philip K. Dick’s Hugo Award-winning The Man in the…

Books & Comics David Daw

The first novel of Riverworld covers deep waters, but it’s a rough ride

There’s a lot going on in 1972’s Hugo-winning novel, Philip José Farmer’s To Your Scattered Bodies Go. But in this introduction to his legendary Riverworld, the waters can get a bit choppy and muddy. Scattered Bodies’ story in a nutshell is that every single person who’s ever lived on Earth, from prehistoric times up through…

Books & Comics Josh Wimmer

Why do scifi authors write franchise tie-ins?

Literary scifi authors from Vonda McIntyre to Jeff VanderMeer and Thomas Disch have written “works for hire” – tie-ins to movie, TV, or game franchises. Now authors tell io9 why they did it – and no, it wasn’t for money. Of course, money is part of it. But as Tobias Buckell told io9, “All my…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

How one of the first Star Trek novels was written

Vonda McIntyre wrote one of the first and most beloved Star Trek novels, The Entropy Effect. Here she tells the story of how she got the gig, and how the Star Trek book series started. David Hartwell invited me to write a Star Trek book for Pocket Books, which had recently obtained the license to…

Books & Comics Vonda McIntyre

Your fellow io9 readers have built a fortress of story-writing awesomeness

Check out #ThursdayTales, a new reader-generated feature at io9 that started yesterday. A group of io9 commenters, led by the formidable Gaudy Mouse Muad’Dib, started a severely cool new practice of sharing links to new short stories they’d written. After just one day of #ThursdayTales, there’s already a wealth of incredibly cool short fiction. Can’t…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Naughty Spanking 2 HD App Offers Text-Based Erotic Stories on iPad

Somebody at Apple had better stir some triple-strength tranquilizers into Steve Jobs’s latte this morning—there *is* porn on the App Store. Although you have to use your imagination, as the porn in question is of the written kind. https://gizmodo.com/5000-casualties-of-the-app-store-boob-war-5477566 An independent developer has hit on the idea of creating collections of erotic fiction in an…

Tech News Gary Cutlack

Crucial insights about selling your short fiction, from an editor

Your short stories are little perfect jewels, but how can you get a magazine editor to fall for them? Fantasy Magazine’s Cat Rambo gives some invaluable advice in an interview with Redstone Science Fiction. Among the other great bits are Rambo’s description of her process of reading through the hundreds of short fiction submissions she…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Stephen King’s It script is almost done. Say goodbye to showering!

Warner Brothers is still set on bringing Stephen King’s clown monster to life. Screenwriter Dave Kajganich (The Invasion) has the difficult job of adapting the book into a 120-page screenplay. And his latest update makes us all kinds of nervous. We loved everything about It. Loved it. Loved the complicated and incredibly long and drawn…

Movies Meredith Woerner

The io9 guide to July science fiction awesomeness (updated)

What’s in store for scifi fans this July? The San Diego Comic Con, Predators and Inception at the theaters, new seasons of Eureka and Warehouse 13, and scads of conventions, new books, and author appearances! And here are the links to this month’s conventions: – Ai-Kon – Anime Expo – Anime Festival – Anime Iowa…

Movies Cyriaque Lamar

Strap on your aviator goggles — the next book in Scott Westerfeld’s “dieselpunk” World War I saga is coming!

Now that Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan has won a Locus Award, we’re even more excited to read the next chapter in the alternate-universe World War I saga. Here’s your exclusive first look at the cover of book two, Behemoth. Spoilers below. What’s this book about? All we know is that Westerfeld’s saga ventures into the Ottoman…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Scientists recommend their favorite beach reading

The Washington Post quizzes a bunch of famous and high-powered scientists about the books they read for fun, and the books that inspired them when they were younger. Their answers show how some science-fiction books have shaped their lives. Probably the most memorable responses come from Dr. Mae C. Jemison, who became the first African…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Christian readers demand more science fiction books. Why won’t Christian publishers listen?

Science fiction is a natural fit for Christian readers — especially dystopian novels which usually depict a world without religion, argues one writer. But Christian bookstores and publishers are reluctant to cater to this market. What gives? There’s been an interesting discussion about science fiction in the Christian blogosphere over the weekend. First of all,…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Teresa Palmer enjoys playing a superpowered, Ducati-riding alien

While scheduling conflicts kept Sorcerer’s Apprentice co-star Teresa Palmer from joining the next Mad Max film, it’s not stopping her from playing an alien bad-ass in D.J. Caruso’s I Am Number Four. Learn why Palmer might be the next Angelina. The alien fugitive movie I Am Number Four is really kicking up a lot of…

Movies Meredith Woerner

Stroke victim learns to read with his tongue

Several years ago, mystery author Howard Engel awoke to discover that he couldn’t read the morning paper. In fact, he couldn’t read anything. But he could still write. What happened next is one of the most bizarre neuroscience cases ever. NPR has a story about how Engel wrote to Oliver Sacks, who covers Engel’s story…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

The electrified hazing devices and jolly old death traps of 1930s men’s clubs

Back in the day, fraternal organizations like the Freemasons and Woodmen of the World would haze new members in bizarre rituals using electric carpets and exploding furniture. Fantagraphics’ upcoming book, Burlesque Paraphernalia, reprints a catalog of these sadistic inventions. In Burlesque Paraphernalia and Side Degree Specialties and Costumes, editors Charles Schneider and Gary Groth resurrect…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

GetGlue iPhone App Works like Foursquare, Only With Books, Films and Music

Instead of checking into pub after bar after pub, show your friends you’re not just a boozehound on Foursquare, but quite the literary creature on GetGlue’s free iPhone app, which lets you “check-in” to whatever media you’re consuming. This can be a book, film, TV show or even music—with the updates being shared across Twitter…

Tech News Kat Hannaford

Great moments in alternate history: Shakespeare and friends

The Elizabethan era has everything: the mysterious lost years of William Shakespeare, his playwright/spy contemporary, and multiple plots to destroy England, and we haven’t even gotten to the alternate history yet. If you deal with the Elizabethan era, you have to deal with Shakespeare obviously — Poul Anderson’s A Midsummer Tempest deals with an alternate…

Books & Comics David Daw

Harlan Ellison is selling his rare books (and he wants you to buy them)

12 science fiction and fantasy novels and stories that are uniquely American

The third book of the Hunger Games trilogy will have over a million copies in its first print run

Great moments in alternate history: World War II

The first novel of Riverworld covers deep waters, but it’s a rough ride

Why do scifi authors write franchise tie-ins?

How one of the first Star Trek novels was written

Your fellow io9 readers have built a fortress of story-writing awesomeness

Naughty Spanking 2 HD App Offers Text-Based Erotic Stories on iPad

Crucial insights about selling your short fiction, from an editor

Stephen King’s It script is almost done. Say goodbye to showering!

The io9 guide to July science fiction awesomeness (updated)

Strap on your aviator goggles — the next book in Scott Westerfeld’s “dieselpunk” World War I saga is coming!

Scientists recommend their favorite beach reading

Christian readers demand more science fiction books. Why won’t Christian publishers listen?

Teresa Palmer enjoys playing a superpowered, Ducati-riding alien

Stroke victim learns to read with his tongue

The electrified hazing devices and jolly old death traps of 1930s men’s clubs

GetGlue iPhone App Works like Foursquare, Only With Books, Films and Music

Great moments in alternate history: Shakespeare and friends

Roku’s 2025 Streaming Stick HD Is 40% Off to Compete With Amazon Fire TV Stick During Spring Sale

Epstein Victims Sue Google, Claim AI Mode Exposed Personal Information

‘Wicked Spot’ Is a Fun, Sapphic Rom-Com That Yeets a Witch Into the Magical World of Influencer Culture

Anthropic and OpenAI Just Gave Us a Glimpse Into the Future of Model Pricing

Amazon Slashes 63% Off Acer Aspire Desktop for a Limited-Time Spring Sale, With Keyboard and Mouse Included

Smart Glasses Now Have One of the Vision Pro’s Best Features

Marvel Just Put ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 in a Very Weird Place in the MCU Timeline

Trump Drops $1B to Kill 2 Wind Farms, Then Watches a Bigger One Go Online

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?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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