Books

16 Fun, Escapist Books To Get Your Mind off This Crazy Election Year

Yeesh, this is a scary, weird year to be living on planet Earth. And we haven’t gotten those danged off-world colonies set up yet, for some reason. There’s no escape! Except, as Emily Dickinson would advise, to say “frig it,” and read a book. So here are 16 friggin’ great books to help you forget…

Long Way to a Small Angry Planet Is Up for a Major Award

We just got done telling you that The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is so much fun, it can cure your 2016 blues. But now this book is also a finalist for the prestigious Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, too. What more do you need to hear? Charlie Jane Anders…

Janelle Monae Will Co-Star in a Movie About the Women Behind the Space Program

This is amazing. One of our favorite musicians, Janelle Monae (whom we interviewed here) is co-starring in a movie about the African American women who helped launch America into space, alongside Person of Interest’s Taraji P. Henson. Hidden Figures comes out in January 2017, on Martin Luther King Day weekend, and it’s based on a…

The Creators of That Drake Coloring Book Now Have a Kim Kardashian Connect-the-Dots

If coloring books were somehow able to make a miraculous comeback in a time when even watches are an entertaining distraction, there’s no reason that connect-the-dots puzzles can’t be popular again too. And there’s no better person than the most-famous Kardashian to help bring connect-the-dots back into the spotlight. The same folks behind that Drake…

This Mother Dragon and Her Dragon Baby Are the Cure for Monday

This is the cover art for In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan, the latest in her Lady Trent series of naturalist books about strange creatures (coming in April). And this art is helping me deal with the Monday-ness of everything. [via SFSignal on Instagram] Charlie Jane Anders is the author of All The…

Real Scientists Talk About What They Love—and Their Pet Peeves—in Science Fiction Books

Over at Reddit, there’s a terrific discussion among real scientists, talking about the books they love—and the things that drive them nuts. Peeves include fake “chaos theory” magic, “You only use 10 percent of your brain,” futures without advanced computers, and the genetics in Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves. Charlie Jane Anders is the author of All…

JK Rowling Tackles the Magical History of America in New Harry Potter Stories

“The History of Magic in North America” is a new series of four original stories about the Wizarding United States which will premiere tomorrow on Pottermore at 9:00 AM. This is presumably tied to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which has Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) accidentally releasing a bunch of magical creatures during…

Allen M. Steele On Arkwright, Science Fiction’s History And Space Travel

We really dug Allen M. Steele’s Arkwright, a novel that spans centuries, and talks exactly how science fiction can inspire scientists to change the world. After reading it, we spoke with Steele about just went into the novel. Arkwright is a sweeping story that spans centuries: tell us a little about what inspired it. I’d…

Which Amazing Book Series Just Went On Too Damn Long?

The only thing better than one awesome book is ten awesome books set in the same world… right? Well, not always. Sometimes, the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and the tenth book in a series isn’t quite as good as the first. Which book series did you love—until it overstayed its welcome? Please include…

The Beautiful Bureaucrat Is an Utterly Nightmarish Literary Masterpiece

There’s been something of a Kafka resurgence in American literary fiction the past 15 years or so, led by people like George Saunders. Oppressively surreal worlds, with strange, totalizing institutions and mind-numbing bureaucracies. But few books make this motif as straight-up nightmarish as Helen Phillips’ The Beautiful Bureaucrat. Seriously, everything in this book feels like…

All the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books That Everyone Will Be Talking About in March

This is a crazy month for science fiction and fantasy books. There’s a new Robert J. Sawyer mind-bender, and Catherynne M. Valente’s last fairyland book. Plus alternate histories, fairytales, magical realism, and tons more. These are all the most unmissable science fiction books in March! As usual, there’s not a lot of sequels and series…

Get Will McIntosh’s Debut Novel Soft Apocalypse For Only 99 Cents!

We’ve praised Will McIntosh’s futuristic action and thought-provoking premises in novels like Love Minus Eighty and Burning Midnight. His topics range from cryogenically preserved brides to other-worldly horror. But his debut, Soft Apocalypse, is a fascinating vision of a slow collapse of civilization—and now, it’s just $0.99 on Kindleand Nook! Charlie Jane Anders is the…

Ms. Marvel Is Going To Be Educating Your Kids About Bullying and Discrimination

Even though Kamala Khan has only been around for a few years, it feels like she’s been Ms. Marvel for ages—inspiring kids all over the world with her amazing comic book. So really, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Kamala will star in a new kids-focused reading book that tackles issues surrounding bullying and…

The ‘Harry Potter Effect’: Books for Young Readers Got 115 Percent Longer in the Past Decade

It’s not just your imagination—kids’ books are getting longer and longer. Booklist’s Briana Shemroske surveyed middle-grade books (aimed at grades three-eight) and found their average page length was 290 in January 2016, up 115 percent from 2006—and up a staggering 173 percent from 1976. Shemroske did this research in response to an equally staggering survey…

Let Gary Wolfe teach you “How Great Science Fiction Works.” Gary K. Wolfe is one of the most prolific and influential commentators on science fiction, including several books, plus criticism in Locus Magazine. And now, he has a 24-lecture audio class on the history of science fiction, “How Great Science Fiction Works.” The class, which…

This Space Opera Book Is Pure Insane Fun

Star Wars is over for now. The Expanse is off the air, and we have months to wait until Star Trek comes back to the big screen. So where are we going to get our recommended dosage of crazy-ass space action? The Far Stars trilogy by Jay Allan is a fun, wacky ride. Spoilers ahead……

First Look Inside Japan’s Epic Scifi Book Series, Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Western fans of Japan’s epic scifi anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes have been waiting decades for an official English release. They’re finally getting one this year, but that’s not all! The original novels by Yoshiki Tanaka are coming too, and io9 has an exclusive preview. https://gizmodo.com/anime-epic-legend-of-the-galactic-heroes-is-getting-a-w-1716179101 Legend of the Galactic Heroes began as a…

Instead of Taking Your Kids to See Gods of Egypt, Give Them A Copy of The Egypt Game

Gods of Egypt is here! And Gods of Egypt is terrible. But not every Egypt-centric adventure is as horrifyingly head-scratching as Gerard Butler’s latest career move. One of my all-time favorite books as a kid was The Egypt Game, which is wonderfully written and makes ancient history exciting in a unique way. https://gizmodo.com/murder-is-legal-and-torture-is-mandatory-because-gods-1761496886 Author Zilpha…

This Collection of Photos Shows the Rusted Past of the US Space Race

When you think of NASA and our current rush to the stars, images of shiny Mars rovers or a speeding ISS come to mind. But the ghostly remnants of the United States’ space race still remains and photographer and professor Roland Miller has spend decades documenting their slow deterioration. His book, titled Abandoned in Place:…

Can You Guess the Dead Game of Thrones Character Who’s Turning Winds of Winter Upside Down?

With its sixth season nearly here, Game of Thrones is ready to leapfrog where George R.R. Martin’s books left off, since Martin’s The Winds of Winter is yet to arrive. But when we feel the Winds at last, there will be at least one huge surprise to Thrones viewers. Should go without saying here, but…