1.

DreamForge: 12-23-2018

“DreamForge,” a new Sci-Fi and Fantasy Magazine, will be available online and as a print version. The magazine’s goal is to publish material that follows the essential principals of “integrity and decency, compassion and creativity, intelligence and inventiveness, the rule of law and liberty under the law, the dignity of the individual, and the power of synergy to unleash the potential of disparate individuals and communities for the betterment of all.” Lofty goals indeed…

More Info Here: DreamForge

2.

Dark Crystal: 12-21-2018

Oh, the Joy. Great article detailing the amazing cast assembled for the “Dark Crystal” prequel. The voice cast will certainly please as it contains names huge in the industry like Mark Hamill, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alicia Vikander, Eddie Izzard, Andy Samberg, Simon Pegg, and Taron Egerton.

Get the full scoop here: “Dark Crystal” Prequel Cast

3.

Anime: 12-20-2018

Fun article that shows familiar scenes from popular Sci-Fi shows first realized in anime productions.

Crunchyroll: Anime Did It First: Sci-Fi

4.

Becky Chambers Interview: 12-17-2018

At Offworlders we love author interviews! Yay! Here is a great one “Locus Magazine” conducted with Rebecca Marie Chambers, author of “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2012);”  “A Closed and Common Orbit (2016);” and “Record of a Spaceborn Few (2018).” I read the Angry Planet novel and it was a fun read.

Read the text of the interview here: Becky Chambers: To Be Spaceborn

5.

Cyberpunk News: 12-16-2018

A fascinating article on forces in play that may crush the soul of Cyberpunk as corporations turn it into a commodity and take away its rough edges to make it appeal to a wider audience. At its root cyberpunk dictates we free ourselves and rebel against massive corporations–now large corporations are packaging and selling us cyberpunk.

A Must Read Article: As Cyberpunk Goes Commercial, It Risks Dulling Its Anarchist Edges

“Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters, and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…” ~ William Gibson, Neuromancer

6.

Chinese Surveillance State: 12-16-2018

The Chinese government has plans to operate a massive surveillance state as a means of social control. In this system, the government will rate your trustworthiness and use collected data to assign you a “citizen score” that will determine where you fit into the society, the speed of your internet access, your creditworthiness, and even if you can get a visa to travel abroad. This is an Orwellian nightmare that may overtake China in the next five years.

Bonus Short Story:
Here is a link to a short story by author Chen Qiufan that explores China’s planned surveillance state: “The Reunion: a new science-fiction story about surveillance in China.”

7.

Sci-Fi Short Film: 12-15-2018

Have I ever told you I love film school films? Well, I do and I just so happen to have one for you. It’s only a little over three minutes so sit back and enjoy!

“The Endless” by ArtFx School.

8.

Nightflyers: 12-13-2018

A must read on George R. R. Martin’s upcoming show “Nightflyers” and the history of Horror in science fiction. Boo!

9.

Conan: 12-11-2018

Conan the Barbarian to Team-up with Marvel’s Avengers. That’s what I am talking about! I never read many comic books growing up as a lad. The only exception to that was Conan the Barbarian. I was a voracious reader of Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories starting in grade school. My mother bought me any book I wanted and I ordered up a ton of Robert E. Howard novels and short story collections.  Marvel plans to insert Conan into “Avengers: No Road Home,” starting with the sixth issue, March 2019.

Conan and Marvel: More info here.

10.

Debut Novels: 12-10-2018

This is one of my favorite news links. I am a huge fan of debut novels.

Here are 31 debut novels to add to your must reads: Complete list here.

11.

12-10-2018 to 12-21-2018

The end of the year is a time for holiday celebrations, gifts, self-reflection, and it’s the time of the year the media inundates you with a plethora of “Best Of lists” of everything imaginable! I perused through buckets of these and have provided you with a selection to choose from:

Verge: Our favorite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018
Paste Magazine: The 15 Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comics of 2018
Den of Geek: Best New Science Fiction Books in December 2018
Paste Magazine: The 15 Best Fantasy Novels of 2018
Vulture: The 10 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2018
The Guardian: The best recent science fiction and fantasy
Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Sci-Fi 2018
Space.com: Best Space Books: Science Fiction 2018
Kirkus Reviews: Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018

Our recommendation? Read the “Murderbot’ Diaries”–Book 4 was released October 2nd, 2018

That should keep you busy!

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!

1.

12-9-2018

Great interview of Stephen Hickman, the illustrator for a new Folio Society edition of Robert A. Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers.” This new edition looks outstanding as the illustrations are gorgeous. The new reprint also sports an introduction by Joe Haldeman, author of “The Forever War.”

Read the article here: Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers Folio.
Order Info here: The Folio Society.

2.

12-8-2018

Godzilla 2 King of the Monsters Reveal Trailer (NEW 2019). The King is back and this time he brought Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown with him. For this Kaiju fan, even a bad Godzilla movie is a good one so it’s a no lose situation for me. I even dig the old Japanese ones where Godzilla tosses around toy tanks.

3.

12-5-2018

The Mortal Engines reviews are out and methinks you will have to make up your own mind on this new Peter Jackson film. When reviews are split like this I normally go see the film to make up my own mind. If you have already seen the flick let us know what you thought of it in the comment field below.

Positive: ‘Mortal Engines’ Review from The Wrap
Negative: ‘Mortal Engines’ Variety Review

4.

12-5-2018

2018 World Fantasy Convention Report Posted on Locus.

Read about all the juicy details here: 44th World Fantasy Convention

5.

12-4-2018

The Goodreads Best Books of 2018 winners announced. There were over 5 million votes within 21 categories, making this a powerhouse of an award.

Here are a few category winners:

Science Fiction — Vengeful, by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy — Circe, by Madeline Miller
Horror — Elevation, by Stephen King
Fiction — Still Me, by Jojo Moyes
Debut Author — Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction — Kingdom of Ash, by Sarah J. Maas

For a full list of winners go here: 2018 Goodreads Winners

For a great commentary piece by the Washington Post on the importance and relevance of the Goodreads awards go here: Goodreads Choice Awards by Ron Charles, Critic, Book World

6.

12-3-2018

Forbes Magazine Pick of the five Best 2018 Sci-Fi Movies. Do you agree with their selections?

Go here to see their choices: 2018 Picks Five best Sci-Fi

7.

12-3-2018

Fascinating BBC article titled: “What our Science Fiction Says about Us”

Love how the article takes into account different geographical regions and how world beliefs determine what our science fiction says about us as a people. A must read.

Peruse the article here: Science Fiction and Us

8.

12-3-2018

Ho, Ho, Arrrrrgh–an article on the twelve films of Krampus. Who knew there were that many? I have never been brave enough to watch one as I am more of a Santa purest. If Krampus is your thing this is the article for you.

To read about the twelve films close your eyes and click here: Krampus

9.

12-3-2018

Cool article on weird western fiction that you really ought to read. For example, “Sea of Rust” by C. Robert Cargill certainly sounds wild! It’s about a crazed frontier on a post-apocalyptic Earth sans humans.  Cool beans.

Go Here to check out the piece: A Good Read: A Fistful of stories in weird western fiction

10. 

12-2-2018

Open the Pod Bay Doors HAL. The ISS has a floating robotic helper. I am not sure if it has access to the airlocks? The AI’s name is CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion), and if you ask me its voice sounds like Tars from Interstellar. The little fella, according to IBM, has “the language skills of C-3PO, the conversation abilities of Marvin (from the Hitchhiker’s Guide series), the cuteness of Wall-E, and the technical know-how of HAL 9000, from 2001: A Space Odyssey—just, you know, without the evil part.”

11.

12-2-2018

‘Black Mirror’ Season 5 Release Date: 12-28-2019

12.

12-1-2018

Looking for last minute gift ideas for the science fiction and fantasy reader in your life? Check out this list of ten new fantasy and Sci-Fi books.

Ten Books to check out: Verge Picks

13.

11-30-2018

Are you a mega fan of superhero stories and comic books?

If you answered yes, read this article from Bustle and discover thirteen read-worthy YA novels: 13 YA Novels You Will Love

14.

11-29-2018

Saved the best for last!

** 10 Beautiful Sci-Fi Retro Board Games you can buy and play. **

Get your credit card ready and click here: Classic Science Fiction based board Yas Please

First Trailer for Avengers 4 Released

Thanos was true to his word and with a snap he wiped out half of all living life in the universe. Crap!

Here is our first look at what the Avengers plan to do about the gnarly state of affairs. The remaining Avengers–Hulk, Black Widow, Captain America, Thor and Iron Man will strike back with vengeance. That much is a certainty. Booyah! Time to regroup and fight back with the assistance of Captain Marvel, Antman and even Hawkeye who appears in this trailer.

Endgame is set for US release on April 26, 2019. See you there!