Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison fights Cthulhu with Scooby Doo in This Week’s DVDs

Look. There are other DVDs coming out this week. Indeed, some of them are pretty cool. But the fact remains that there is a DVD out tomorrow that contains beloved/cranky scifi author Harlan Ellison teaming up with the original Scooby gang to fight ancient evil. What more do you really need? • Jack the Giant…

io9 Rob Bricken Jun 17

R.I.P. Leo Dillon, Award-Winning Artist Who Brought Your Favorite Books to Life

Whether you know it or not, you’ve admired the work of Leo Dillon and his wife Diane, whose artworks adorned many of science fiction and fantasy’s most famous books. Leo Dillon, who died of cancer the other day, was the first African American artist to win a Caldecott Medal for children’s book illustration — and…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Jun 1

10 More Deranged Depictions of Santa Claus

We’ve seen plenty of proper screwball depictions of Kris Kringle previously, but history is ripe with examples of magical pensioners who trespass down strangers’ flues. Here are 10 of the more egregious examples to throw on this Yuletide bonfire of weirdness. https://gizmodo.com/the-evil-santas-of-science-fiction-5109749 1.) Sint (2010) In this Dutch film, an unworldly Sinterklaas returns from the…

Movies Cyriaque Lamar Nov 30

Harlan Ellison sues yet another science fiction movie for copyright infringement

Harlan Ellison famously sued James Cameron over The Terminator and won — and now he’s going after Andrew “Gattaca” Niccol’s new film In Time. Ellison claims In Time is too similar to his story “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman.” And he’s not just seeking a payout — he’s trying to stop the October 28 release…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 15

Martin Luther King In Science Fiction

Today’s the day when we celebrate the life of visionary leader Martin Luther King, Jr. But the civil-rights legend is also an important figure in science fiction… as an influence, and an occasional character. As an influence: Nichelle Nichols decided to quit playing Lt. Uhura at the end of the first season of Star Trek,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Jan 17

10 awesome science fiction stories for gamers

Ever since ET for the Atari 2600 wowed gamers worldwide, science fiction and video games have been natural bedfellows. Here are 10 great scifi tales that embrace the aesthetics, technology, and popular tropes of the gaming world. Death Race 2000 (1975) This cult classic was based on a short story by Ib Melchior and produced…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Aug 29

The original pilot script for television’s most famous disaster, the Starlost, coming out as a comic book

It should have been the greatest television show ever: conceived by Harlan Ellison, with science advisor Ben Bova and scripts by Dick, Le Guin, Herbert and Van Vogt. A new comic based on The Starlost shows what could have been. Today sees the first issue of IDW’s new comic series A Phoenix Without Ashes, written…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 18

We bid adieu to Cade Skywalker and Brian K. Vaughan’s super-mayor

Three neat series are coming to an end this Wednesday, and we’re sad to see them go. Let’s have a moment of silence for Star Wars Legacy, Air, and Ex Machina. This week, the final issue of John Ostrander and Jan Duursema’s Star Wars Legacy (Dark Horse) is out. In issue 50, Cade, the sometimes…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar Aug 17

10 SF authors who became fictional characters

The history of science fiction is full of unforgettable characters. So it’s no surprise that famous writers often appear in fiction themselves — either by name, or wearing the thinnest of disguises. Here are our 10 favorite science-fiction writer cameos. HG Wells, Time After Time HG Wells pops up in fiction on a regular basis.…

Books & Comics Kelly Faircloth Aug 5

Harlan Ellison, Samuel R. Delany receive lifetime achievement awards

Two of the field’s most respected authors will receive recognition for the ways in which they transformed science fiction. Samuel R. Delany and Harlan Ellison will receive, respectively, the 2010 and 2011 Eaton Awards for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction from the University of California, Riverside. Ellison will accept his award at the 2011 Eaton…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 22

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 Jul 6

The Best Year in Science Fiction: 1968

Today’s candidate for the best 365 days of scifi is 1968, a year that spawned masterpieces like 2001 and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and such enduring tales as Night of the Living Dead and Planet of the Apes. 1968 was a year of social upheaval — student protests and civil rights activists challenged…

Movies Cyriaque Lamar May 27

Have You Ever Hated A Book, Then Come Back To It Later And Loved It?

LibraryThing’s science fiction group had a great discussion about “wrong book, wrong time” situations, where you hate a book, but much later, you rediscover it and fall in love. What books are you glad you gave a second chance to? Not surprisingly, a lot of the books people are listing in that thread are ones…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Mar 16

Screwtopia! The 5 Types Of Erotic Dystopia In Science Fiction

If you think sex in the 21st century sucks, just be glad you don’t live in one of these scifi dystopias. When Big Brother is a peeping Tom and three-penised mutants are eligible bachelors, getting off is a turn-off. Science fiction is filled with examples of folks who can’t get laid without total weirdness transpiring.…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Feb 11

Cult Scifi Film’s Secret Christian Connection?

A Boy and His Dog, a rarely-screened, trippy post-apocalyptic film based on a novella by Harlan Ellison, will be shown in Los Angeles as part of a double feature with Christian documentary Waiting for Armageddon. Why the odd pairing? The 1974 A Boy And His Dog stars Don Johnson as a teenager wandering in a…

Movies Scott Timberg Jan 26

Why Harlan Ellison May Be A Good Thing For New Trek

Oh, how we laughed when we heard that Harlan Ellison had offered to write the sequel to JJ Abrams’ Star Trek, despite a recent lawsuit over his previous work on the franchise. But then we realized it could work. Ellison may have a reputation as someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and he may have…

Movies Graeme McMillan Dec 5

“Son of Retro Pulp Tales” Delights In Cheap Thrills

Joe R. and Keith Lansdale present another collection of stories recalling those hard-boiled cheap thrills from the first half of the last century. Hearken back with us now to yesteryear in Son of Retro Pulp Tales! (Subterranean Press). Way before the advent of comic books or paperback novels, our geeky forebears got their fill of…

io9 Grey_Area Jul 30

Science Fiction Writers’ Craziest Wagers

Science fiction’s best authors chart a vast and unpredictable cosmos – but they’re not above making a little wager here and there on earthly matters. Here are SF authors’ weirdest (and most productive) bets. Note: Most of the stories below are anecdotal at best, and based on rumor and urban legends. Where possible, we’ve provided…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Mar 12

Martin Luther King In Science Fiction

Today’s the day when we celebrate the life of visionary leader Martin Luther King, Jr. But the civil-rights legend is also an important figure in science fiction… as an influence, and an occasional character. As an influence: Nichelle Nichols decided to quit playing Lt. Uhura at the end of the first season of Star Trek,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Jan 19

Why You Should Never Call Science Fiction “Sci Fi”

What’s in a term? Apparently a lot, if this discussion from 1997’s SF Vortex is anything to go by. Never mind the excitable host. Watch the debate between writers J. Michael Strazcynski, Harlan Ellison, Yvonne Fern and Herbert Solow (the man who not only developed Star Trek as a television series, but also gave Gene…

Television Graeme McMillan Dec 1

Harlan Ellison fights Cthulhu with Scooby Doo in This Week’s DVDs

R.I.P. Leo Dillon, Award-Winning Artist Who Brought Your Favorite Books to Life

10 More Deranged Depictions of Santa Claus

Harlan Ellison sues yet another science fiction movie for copyright infringement

Martin Luther King In Science Fiction

10 awesome science fiction stories for gamers

The original pilot script for television’s most famous disaster, the Starlost, coming out as a comic book

We bid adieu to Cade Skywalker and Brian K. Vaughan’s super-mayor

10 SF authors who became fictional characters

Harlan Ellison, Samuel R. Delany receive lifetime achievement awards

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

The Best Year in Science Fiction: 1968

Have You Ever Hated A Book, Then Come Back To It Later And Loved It?

Screwtopia! The 5 Types Of Erotic Dystopia In Science Fiction

Cult Scifi Film’s Secret Christian Connection?

Why Harlan Ellison May Be A Good Thing For New Trek

“Son of Retro Pulp Tales” Delights In Cheap Thrills

Science Fiction Writers’ Craziest Wagers

Martin Luther King In Science Fiction

Why You Should Never Call Science Fiction “Sci Fi”

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‘Starfleet Academy’ Season 3 Could Have Done the ‘Voyager’ Sequel Episode of Robert Picardo’s Dreams

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