I was never a big reader of military science fiction when I was younger, but I certainly watched plenty of movies and television shows in the genre as I grew up. One of my earliest joys was the television show Star Blazers which aired on American television in the early 80s.

[We’re off to outer space, We’re leaving Mother Earth, To save the human race...]

There’s a lot to love about The Prestige. Stage magicians. The Batman team of Bale and Cain. But perhaps the best thing about the movie, in my mind, was David Bowie assuming the role of Nikola Tesla. It seems that kind of perfect Hollywood casting, not only for Bowie’s wonderful performance, but for the similarities between the two men. 

[Read on for how they compare...]

Most people are familiar with David Bowie’s roles in movies like Labyrinth, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and The Prestige. Less well known is the film, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, a movie about British soldiers in a Japanese POW camp during World War II.

[Read on for a look at one of Bowie’s best performances, with spoilers...]

Sherlock Holmes’s popularity has spawned a number of other characters who serve as homages to the famous literary detective. I’ve previously looked at some of these “shadows” in modern television. Now let’s look at other such characters in genre fiction.

[Read more]

The crimes of Jack the Ripper were committed over 120 years ago and yet they still remain as mysterious and compelling as perhaps they ever did. Whether it’s the fact that the cases were unsolved, or the mix of sex and violence, the Ripper’s exploits have made their way into hundreds of works of fiction, including several works by Robert Bloch, now assembled in a collection from Subterranean — Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper.

[A cut above the rest? Read on to find out...]

Jim Henson’s work has been an important part of my life, from Sesame Street to the Fraggles and beyond. It’s no surprise, then, that he also created my favorite holiday movie of all time — Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas.

[Head full of good thoughts / Belly full of grub / Money in your pocket / When there ain’t no hole in the washtub...]

True there are only rumors about the second rebooted Star Trek film right now, and there’s been no confirmation that Khan will be its villain, but if he is, I have something to say to J. J. Abrams, assuming he’s going ahead with Khan:

Make him a real Indian.

[Read on for the letter and some pictures of shirtless men...]

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is one of the most enduring tales of the American West, having been the subject of countless depictions across various media. The story has even been given the genre treatment, adding magic or science fiction elements in works such as the excellent Territory by Emma Bull. In Mike Resnick’s novel The Buntline Special, the story gets the full on steampunk treatment in what is a light, fun, rollicking read.

Resnick sets his tale in 1881, in an alternate reality in which the U.S. expansion never went west past the Mississippi and in which a young Thomas Edison teamed up with Ned Buntline in Tombstone, Arizona to revolutionize modern science. Together, the two create a number of new inventions, including electricity and artificial limbs.

[Read on, pard, to find out why...]

If power corrupts, what happens when you become powerless? This week, fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files were treated to the release of the 13th book in the series, the eagerly awaited and aptly named Ghost Story. Suddenly we’re dealing with a Harry that we’ve never seen before, who has to come up with whole new strategies to handle the kind of Dresden adventure that longtime fans crave.

Warning: This post contains minor spoilers for Ghost Story and major spoilers for all the books prior.

[What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil...]

In a better world, Firefly, Joss Whedon’s best television show, would have continued past the first season. Hell, it would have at least had a full first season. But in the world we were given, it was canceled before it really had a chance to begin. We got (eventually) 14 episodes, and fans of the show were left helplessly longing for more.

So when Serenity was released in 2005, almost three years after the show finished airing, it was both the fulfillment of that longing and the vessel of hope that we would be given more of the story.

[I am a leaf on the wind, I am a leaf on the wind...]

Labels and categories can be tricky things. They often guide us to things that we like or things that we identify with. But they aren’t always accurate or adequate to describe individual items within them. Take dystopian YA fiction, for example. Veronica Roth’s Divergent can be placed nicely within this category, only the problem is that it’s a lot more than that label might imply.

Divergent is the story of a girl named Beatrice Prior who lives in a future Chicago where civilization, as we know it, has collapsed. What’s risen to take its place is a society fractured into five factions named Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. Each of these factions lives according to very specific and almost absolute ideals. Abnegation, for example, the faction that Beatrice was born into, believes in selflessness and all of its members dedicate themselves to this ideal, acting to help those around them. The Candor faction believes in truth; Amity, friendship and peace; Erudite, the pursuit of knowledge; Dauntless, bravery.

[Which faction do you think you would join? Choose and click through to read more...]

Most people are familiar with the Justice League, DC Comics’ superteam usually anchored by the big three of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Lesser known are the Crime Syndicate, evil doppelganger versions of these heroes that come from another dimension.

[Tor.com is big on evil twins today. Read on for various incarnations of the evil Justice League...]

Welcome to a look at the first book in Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. Be aware that beyond the jump there are spoilers, lots of them. If you're interested in reading the book, please do so first. This will be here when you're done.

[Click through if you're ready to make for Amber.]

Unless you’ve been living on a mystical island you probably know that this past Sunday, the final episode of Lost aired. Such an event was too big for one Round Table, so instead we’re each sharing our own reactions separately (my co-bloggers Theresa DeLucci and Bridget McGovern will be weighing in later in the week). You know what they say, blog together, mourn alone.

[Read on for my thoughts and PLENTY OF SPOILERS...]

Writing about Michael Moorcock recently made me think of the writing legends that had the most influence on me. These include people as far apart as Oscar Wilde and Fritz Leiber. But no one, perhaps, more so than Roger Zelazny.

I was in college when I discovered Roger Zelazny, reading “A Rose for Ecclesiastes” in a class. I really enjoyed it and thought about reading more from the author. But it wasn’t until a year or so later, when I discovered The Chronicles of Amber, that I really fell in love with his writing.

[But why?, you ask...read on...]

The penultimate (I love that word) episode of Lost has come, which brings us to the penultimate Lost Round Table. Bloggers Theresa DeLucci, Bridget McGovern and Rajan Khanna offer their penultimate Lost thoughts and invite you to do the same (penultimately). This is your penultimate Lost Spoiler Warning.

[Penultimate!]

As the last ever episode of Lost approaches, Tor.com’s resident Losties, Bridget McGovern, Theresa DeLucci, and Rajan Khanna have compiled a list of their Top 15 Moments in Lost (because eight is never enough, and sixteen just seemed like one too many...). Check out the list of all-time favorite scenes below, presented in no particular order (with links, where possible), and please chime in with your own favorites!

[Let’s see if we can keep this list going til 42...]

In this heartwarming, post-Mother’s Day episode of Lost, the secrets of Craphole Island unfold before our very eyes, all questions are answered, and everything finally makes perfect, beautiful sense...

Oh, c’mon—where would be in the fun in that? Join us below the fold for another exciting, spoiler-filled installment of “What. The Hell. Is Going On?” with bloggers Rajan Khanna, Theresa DeLucci and Bridget McGovern.

[There is a light and it never goes out. Unless it does. In which case, we’re all screwed...Maybe.]

It is commonly accepted these days that when it comes to superhero movies, the second in a series is generally superior to the first. The first has to deal with the origin story and setting up the world and the characters. The second one can just let rip with its four-color comic book action. Examples of this trend include Spider-Man 2, The Dark Knight, Superman 2, and X-Men 2.

Iron Man 2, one of the most eagerly awaited of the superhero sequels, manages to buck this trend. What John Favreau and company have produced is a fine, fun movie, but one that fails to improve upon the original.

[Suit up and watch out for SPOILERS…]