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Original Fiction

The Word of Flesh and Soul

Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:00am 9 comments 21 Favorites [+]

The language of the originators defines reality, every word warping the world to fit its meaning. Its study transforms the mind and body, and is closely guarded by stodgy, paranoid academics. These hidebound men don’t trust many students with their secrets, especially not women, and more especially not “madwomen.” Polymede and her lover Erishti believe they’ve made a discovery that could blow open the field’s unexamined assumptions, and they’re ready to face expulsion to make their mark. Of course, if they’re wrong, the language will make its mark on them instead.

[Read “The Word of Flesh and Soul”]

Original Fiction

Fitting In

Wed Oct 24, 2018 9:00am 12 comments 14 Favorites [+]

For over 25 years, the Wild Cards universe has been entertaining readers with stories of superpowered people in an alternate history. “Fitting In” by Max Gladstone shows how everyday people can step up to become extraordinary.

Robin Ruttiger tries—he really does—but his lot in life falls way shorter than his expectations. A failed contestant of the superhero reality TV show, American Hero, he now works as a high school guidance counselor to reluctant students. Things change, however, when a favorite bakery in Jokertown becomes a target of vandalism, and Robin realizes he can play the hero after all.

Series: Wild Cards on Tor.com

Original Fiction

AI and the Trolley Problem

Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:00am 11 comments 13 Favorites [+]

A provocative story about the relationship between the humans on a British airbase and the AI security system that guards that base. When a group of humans are killed, the question is who is responsible and why.

[Read “AI and the Trolley Problem”]

Original Fiction

Nine Last Days on Planet Earth

Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:00am 19 comments 38 Favorites [+]

When the seeds rained down from deep space, it may have been the first stage of an alien invasion—or something else entirely. How much time do we have left, and do we even understand what timescale to use? As a slow apocalypse blooms across the Earth, planets and plants, animals and microbes, all live and die and evolve at different scales. Is one human life long enough to unravel the mystery?

Original Fiction

Triquetra

Kirstyn McDermott

Wed Sep 5, 2018 9:00am 16 comments 34 Favorites [+]

After marrying the prince and having her own child, Snow White visits her stepmother—promising to kill her in ever more horrible ways, at the same time attempting to stay away from the mirror that started it all.

Highlights from the Blog

Science Fiction

SF Novels That Get Special Relativity All Wrong

James Davis Nicoll

Wed Dec 5, 2018 9:00am 65 comments 6 Favorites [+]

I gravitate towards certain SF sub-genres, such as stories featuring relativistic travel. I’ve encountered a fair number of such sub-genre books in which it is clear that the authors did not, emphatically NOT, understand relativity. This article features novels in which authors have wrestled with Mr. Einstein and lost three falls out of three.

As you know, there are two essential foundations of relativity. The first is that the laws of physics are the same everywhere. The second is that the speed of light is invariant regardless of one’s frame of reference. Every single SF novel in which reference is made to time as measured by the ship as “subjective” and time measured by the Earth “objective” is wrong: everyone’s clocks are right, even if they don’t agree with each other.

Now that we are all sufficiently edified, let us proceed…

Fantasy

Tired of Series? Try These 10 Standalone Fantasy Novels

Fri Dec 7, 2018 9:00am 74 comments 20 Favorites [+]

Fantasy fiction is best known for its giant, door-stopping series that come in trilogies or longer. Of course, not everyone wants to embark on a ten-book project. And even if you love series, sometimes it’s nice to read a standalone story that provides a satisfying resolution within a single book. With that in mind, I’ve set out to provide a list of ten fantasy stories that have all the thrills of a series but stand alone as a single volume.

First Trailer and Title of Avengers 4 Released!

Stubby the Rocket

Fri Dec 7, 2018 8:23am 47 comments 3 Favorites [+]

It’s been half a year since the Infinity War stunned fans all over the world. Now we’ve got our first look at the final (for this crew, at least) Avengers film…

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The Stan Lee Cameo in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a Perfect Farewell

Leah Schnelbach

Fri Dec 14, 2018 3:00pm 1 comment 3 Favorites [+]

I do not want to spoil Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (unless saying it’s really really good is a spoiler) so I will simply say this here, above the cut: while the requisite Stan Lee Cameo can feel a bit gratuitous or creaky at times, Lee’s appearance in Spider-Verse is absolutely, completely, no reservations perfect.

I’ll talk about why (WITH FULL SPOILERS) below.

movie reviews

Mortal Engines Is This Close to Being a Good Movie

Molly Templeton

Fri Dec 14, 2018 2:00pm 12 comments 2 Favorites [+]

The worst thing about Mortal Engines is that you can see, in fits and starts and flashes, the movie it could’ve been.

That movie is a lot better than the one we actually got.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse is the Only Spider Movie This World Ever Needed

Emily Asher-Perrin

Fri Dec 14, 2018 1:00pm 8 comments 2 Favorites [+]

The world is full of superheroes. And while many of them, in turn, mean something to someone, Spider-Man has always been special—Spider-Man is truly ours. As the comics world expands, there are more Spider-heroes to prove just why that continues to be true. But because of the continued assumption that only the earliest of origin stories will be valid to fans, there haven’t been many opportunities to celebrate the full breadth of the Spider-Verse in front of a big movie-going audience.

Now, that has changed. And the result is easily the best Spider-Man film ever made.

[Minor spoilers for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse]

Superhero Movie Rewatch

Past is Prologue — X-Men: Days of Future Past

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:00pm 63 comments 2 Favorites [+]

One of the best, and most influential, stories in the entire history of X-Men comics was the two-part “Days of Future Past” storyline in Uncanny X-Men #141-142 in 1981 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. It was the pair’s swan song as collaborators, as Byrne left the title one issue later, ending one of the most impressive runs on any superhero comic.

The story—which had the X-Men from a dystopian future sending one of their own into the past to try to change history—would prove hugely influential. The characters of Cable, Bishop, Rachel Summers, Nimrod, Fitzroy, and Stryfe, among others, came from that alternate future, and the comics did many sequels.

It was also the subject of the movie that served as a sequel to both First Class and The Last Stand.

[“You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?” “I sacrificed my powers so I could sleep!”]

Series: 4-Color to 35-Millimeter: The Great Superhero Movie Rewatch

A Christmas Carol

The 7 Best Non-Traditional Christmas Carol Adaptations

Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:00am 19 comments 1 Favorite [+]

If I had a pet reindeer, or any kind of creature that resembled a fawn or Bambi-style animal, I’d name it Dickens. Come on. How adorable would it be to have a little pet deer named Dickens? Here Dickens! Come have a sugar cube! That’s a good little Dickens. What’s your favorite story? What’s that you say, “A Christmas Carol?” Well, I don’t feel like reading to you, because you’re a little deer, so let’s watch a movie or a TV special instead. Whatyda say? And then, as a gift to Dickens, I would have to compile a list of movie and TV adaptations of Charles Dickens’s awesome book—A Christmas Carol—and I’d want those adaptations to be somehow a little bit different from their source material, because deer like stuff that’s new.

What are the best non-traditional versions of A Christmas Carol? These.

dinosaurs

Xenozoic Tales is the Epic Dinosaur Movie We Deserve

Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:00am 2 comments 1 Favorite [+]

Even if you want to debate the quality of Jurassic World and its sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, there’s no denying the franchise is a huge hit at the box office. I imagine that other studios are thinking about getting in on the dinosaur game, too.

Execs could dust off some old projects. A few years ago there was a lot of hullaballoo about Barry Sonnenfeld and Grant Morrison teaming up on the graphic novel/movie project Dinosaurs vs. Aliens. Not to be outdone, Warner Bros. announced they were considering a movie about dinosaurs attacking LA. Not to mention that there are numerous other dinosaur stories in comics and literature, from Greg Bear’s nostalgic Dinosaur Summer to the ludicrously gory Dinosaurs Attack! and the gonzo Dinosaurs For Hire. There’s really no shortage of prehistoric tales. But there’s one I want to see more than any other.

Young Adult

Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018

Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:00am 3 comments 4 Favorites [+]

2018 was a pretty remarkable year for diverse young adult fiction, particularly for YA by authors of color. Now, that’s not to say the publishing industry has finally balanced out on race—far from it, in fact—but what did manage to squeak through was by and large fan-frakking-tastic. This was such a quality year that it deciding on “best” was way more difficult than usual. But here it is, the full list of the best and brightest YA SFF of 2018.

What books made your list?

five books

Five Books With Distinct Flavors

Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:00pm 1 comment 4 Favorites [+]

Text has texture to me. Sentences can be saline, sweet, some beautiful combination of flavor notes; a paragraph can be a course onto itself, eliciting genuine frissons of delight. My brain decodes poetry as amuse bouche, short stories as three-course meals, and novels as sprawling examples of literary cuisine.

Synesthesia is fun.

No. Really. It is. Except when you’re talking about bad books, bad writing. Fortunately, we’re not talking about bad books, but instead about excellent books. Books that feel like they were hand-prepped by Gordon Ramsay, or whichever haute chef appeals to your own particular sensibilities.

Star Trek

New Trailer for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery Shows Spock’s Smile

Stubby the Rocket

Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:36pm 22 comments 1 Favorite [+]

It’s fine, we’re fine, Spock admitted to smiling, we can all die happy now.

Star Trek: Discovery‘s second season is closer than ever, and the wait is getting harder each day.

book reviews

Destiny and Choices: Julie Dao’s Rise of the Empress Duology

Thu Dec 13, 2018 1:30pm Post a comment 2 Favorites [+]

In Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, the beautiful but poor Xifeng has been raised her entire life to believe she’s destined for greatness as the Empress of Feng Lu. For a woman not born into nobility, that dream seems nearly beyond reach. When a chance arises to go to the capital, Xifeng seizes it, armed with her beauty and dark magic learned from her aunt. As she learns to navigate the pit of vipers that is the imperial court, Xifeng is faced with choices that can lead to her destiny—if she’s willing to pay the price.

To talk about book two of this duology, I’ll be discussing the ending of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, so stop here if you’re looking to avoid spoilers!

On Fairy Tales

A Thin But Frosty Modern Fairy Tale: “Frosty the Snowman”

Thu Dec 13, 2018 12:00pm 17 comments 2 Favorites [+]

It’s one of the undeniable, inescapable rites of the season: listening to “Frosty the Snowman.”

Short of barring yourself inside the walls of your own home and never venturing out for the entire month of December, you’re almost bound to hear the annoyingly cheerful lyrics and melody. In part because it’s a secular song, and therefore deemed somewhat less likely to offend or irritate listeners—an opinion held only by those who have either never heard the song or never listened to its lyrics.

It might help a little to realize that it’s also a fairy tale.

A fairy tale with outright murder in some versions, but we’ll get to that.

book recommendations

A Love Letter to Murderbots, Hamster Princesses, and Other Cute Reads

Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer

Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:00am 16 comments 7 Favorites [+]

Fangirl: Exclusive Collector's Edition cover art by Noelle Stevenson

Sometimes, when you blog about fiction, people say things to you that are inexplicable—things like, “I hated the winged horse,” or “I wanted to set this book on fire.” That’s fine, really. Cool story. Is there more to it? Did Satan give you something when you handed over your soul?

I have strong literary preferences of my own. For example, I prefer that people’s psychic companion animals not comment on their sex lives. And it really bothers me when time travel stories try to explain the underlying science involved by treating time like matter, and yet don’t tear the universe apart—either your time travel is hand-wavy and doesn’t really need an explanation or you have to deal with the laws of physics. Some of my opinions are controversial. There are lots of people who don’t like psychic cats, or happily-ever-after endings. And again, that’s fine! Many things are a matter of taste. But I’ll be honest—I think those people are missing out.

So I’m giving in to the urge to recommend the things I love: You should read cute stuff.

Shakespeare

The Speculative Worlds of William Shakespeare

Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:00am 2 comments 6 Favorites [+]

"Titania and Bottom" by Edwin Landseer (c.1848-51)

There’s a weird moment near the end of Shakespeare’s most realist and domestic comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor, when the plot to expose Falstaff’s failed sexual exploits gets all “Midsummer Nights” dreamy. Suddenly, there’s an enchanted oak tree which is haunted by fairies and a monstrous figure of Herne the Hunter. It’s all a kind of prank at Falstaff’s expense, of course, but it hinges on the fat knight thinking it’s real, and for a few minutes the play feels like its moved into an entirely different genre. The reality of Windsor’s small town doings gives way to the stuff of Puck, Oberon and Titania. It’s as if Shakespeare has gotten frustrated by the mundane, prosaic world of the play and needs to find a little whimsy, even if he will finally pull the rug out from under the fairies and show that it’s all just boys with tapers and costumes.

The Stormlight Archive

Oathbringer Reread: Interlude Five—Taravangian

Alice Arneson, Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham

Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:00am 41 comments 3 Favorites [+]

Calling all conspiracy theorists! You’re wanted on the Oathbringer Reread this week! We have secret societies, deception among the leadership, calls for murder, charges of idiocy… Yes, if you couldn’t tell, we have a Taravangian interlude this week. Join in to figure out what he’s up to—or at least what he thinks he’s up to.

[Light and truth. Save what he could. Abandon the rest.]

Series: Oathbringer Reread

On Our Radar

We Want to Join Spider-Man’s Book Club!

Stubby the Rocket

Wed Dec 12, 2018 3:00pm 2 comments Favorite This

Are you seeing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse this weekend? (You should, because if the opening half hour shown at New York Comic-Con is any indication, this will be The Greatest Spider-Movie.) We’re even more excited for the film than before, because we’ve just learned just learned that Miles Morales’ first big screen adventure contains a fabulous literary Easter egg: a new fictional book by Black Leopard, Red Wolf author Marlon James!