Books

Help Turn Brown Girl In The Ring Into A Fantastic, Mind-Blowing Movie

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson is like nothing you’ve read before — it’s an intense tale of Caribbean magic and possession, set in a dystopian near future. It features characters so vivid, they live on in your head. And a story that keeps you frantically reading to see how it turns out.…

What Librarians Wish You Knew About How To Use The Library

Look, just put down the card catalogue (put it down) and take a very quiet seat, because the librarians are here. And they’ve got a couple suggestions for exactly what you can do with the old collection of vintage National Geographics you keep trying to pawn off on them. io9’s comment of the day today…

Which Science Fiction Or Fantasy Book Helped You To Grow Up?

Making the transition from childhood to adulthood can be a crazy challenge — almost like crossing a portal to a scary new world, or traveling to a new planet. So thank goodness for science fiction and fantasy books! Which book did you read, that helped you make the leap to adulthood in one piece? Please…

11 Incredible Secrets About The Making Of Back To The Future

Back To The Future turns 30 this year — and this fall, Marty McFly arrives from the past. And a new book travels back and reveals a wealth of info about this legendary film. We read We Don’t Need Roads by Caseen Gaines and dug up 11 things you never knew about Back to the…

What’s The Best Thing A Book Ever Taught You How To Do?

Gather round, cookbook aficionados! Come forth, DIY home improvers! Hide yourselves no longer, quilting manual collectors! Today, we speak unto you. Sure, stories are great, but there’s also plenty of great books out there who have just one simple goal: To teach you something. We want to know about the things you learned how to…

Why Elon Musk Loves Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy‘s Heart Of Gold

Asked what his favorite fictional spaceship is, in this new interview, SpaceX founder Elon Musk responds with the Heart of Gold from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. “The one that’s powered by the Improbability Drive,” he says. “It does the most unexpected things.” Back in 2013, Musk told Fresh Dialogues that…

All The Ways Game of Thrones’s [REDACTED] Might Not Be Dead

Learning that a major character died in a Game of Thrones season finale shouldn’t surprise you. But exactly who died in last Sunday’s episode very well might. Is this character really as dead as them seem, though? Here are all the reasons viewers and book readers alike have devised that [REDACTED] may yet be around.…

Concept Art Of The Most Amazing Image From Last Night’s Game Of Thrones

Last night’s Game of Thrones had some pretty insane set pieces, and a whole lot of tragedy. But one image in particular stands out in its fierce beauty — and it’s another thing entirely to witness it in its full painterly splendor. Check out concept art of the season finale from awesome artist Emmanuel Shiu.…

On Game Of Thrones, Revenge Is Best Served With A Twist

The season finale of Game of Thrones was basically a series of vignettes where various characters got their revenge… usually with an ironic twist. It was a lot to take in. But it did disprove once and for all the idea that Littlefinger is a brilliant mastermind. Spoilers avaunt! So yeah, this was just one…

What Are You Reading?

I’m at the end of my reading list, io9. So now I’m coming for yours. What have you been reading lately, and what did you think of it? Tell me about them — new or old, fiction or nonfiction. Whatever it is, I want to hear all about it. Or if you’re looking for a…

RIP Wolfgang Jeschke (1936-2015). The prolific German science fiction author’s books included The Others, Midas, The Last Day of Creation, and recently The Cusanus Game. As an editor with Heyne Verlag, he brought unedited overseas science fiction to German readers. Top image: Cover of Meamones Auge by Wolfgang Jeschke, via SF-Fan.De.

Whatever Happened To One Of Game Of Thrones‘ Few Really Nice Characters?

Game of Thrones has a huge, sprawling cast. So it’s not surprising that some characters get lost between the cracks of the narrative. Including one character who’s actually really lovable and amazingly nice. The other day, you came up with some hilarious ideas. Spoilers ahead… We’re talking, of course, about Gendry. The nice blacksmith and…

First Exclusive Look At The Mortification In My Brother Is A Superhero!

Imagine if your older brother was a superhero. Sounds cool, right? But not if said older brother was a total dork, who had no notion that with great power comes great style. Check out an exclusive excerpt from the new book My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons! Here’s the official synopsis for My…

A Complete Guide to the Mythical History Of Westeros

Long before the events of Game of Thrones and George R. R. Martin’s fantasy books, Westeros was home to magic and strange, sinister creatures. We’ve only just started to glimpse this backstory on the show, but the books contain lots of hints. Here’s our complete guide to the fantastical past of this grim world. A…

The Boy Who Built A 500 Million-Degree Nuclear Fusion Reactor

The following excerpt is from The Boy Who Played with Fusion by Tom Clynes. The book, released today, tells the story of science prodigy Taylor Wilson, who by age 14 had built a 500-million-degree nuclear fusion reactor. Taylor toggles another switch, energizing the vacuum pumps. He and Brinsmead and Phaneuf watch the gauge as the…

Magna Carta Of Space Was A First Attempt At Laws For The Final Frontier

Back in 1966, we’d barely taken our first spacewalks. But already, one attorney was thinking ahead. The book Magna Carta Of Space was almost included in the British Library’s exhibition of 200 items relating to Magna Carta (the foundation for the rule of law in Britain, signed in 1215.) Aviation lawyer William A. Hyman attempted…

First Trailer For The Last Hunger Games: Is Katniss Becoming A Monster?

Katniss Everdeen gets one last makeover in the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. And it’s her most badass, but also her least humane. She’s basically got one agenda at this point, and it’s all about killing. Meanwhile, Finnick steals the trailer with the absolute best line. Here, we GIFed it for…

So Did Game Of Thrones Just Reveal A Huge Book Spoiler?

Game of Thrones has been getting ahead of the books by George R.R. Martin for a while now. But it’s also been diverging from the books in significant ways. So when we see an event that’s not in the books, it’s hard to tell if it’s a spoiler for Winds of Winter, or another sidetrack.…

Which Book Would You Have Loved, If It Had Just Been 100 Pages Shorter?

There’s something kind of awesome about a big book that you can sink your teeth into… but some books just overstay their welcome a bit. Sometimes, an author just needs an editor to come in and slash ‘n’ burn a bit. Which book would you have loved 100 percent if it was just 100 pages…

The Future Is Here! First Look At Tor.com’s Brand New Novellas!

Tor.com has been publishing short fiction on its website for years, but now Tor’s online publisher is moving into books in a big way, with short novels. And we’ve got the first look at their four launch titles. Nnedi Okorafor goes into space! Paul Cornell writes witches! And more! Check out the covers and synopses…