“The Humans” by Matt Haig is a delightful book that follows an alien visitor sent to Earth to kill Andrew Martin, a Cambridge professor that has unlocked the secrets of prime numbers. This discovery will put the kibosh on death and illness and give humankind a technological leap to include star travel. The not so benevolent aliens believe the history of violence in our society makes us unable to cope with the responsibility that would come with this newfound scientific prowess.

When the novel begins they have already done the deed–Martin is dead and replaced by an alien clone of Professor Martin–the aliens don’t want just to kill Andrew, they want to take out everyone that knows any details of the discovery.  The Vonnadorians, the aliens policing our backwater planet, are not messing around.

This novel is hilarious and follows the professor as he adapts to life on Earth so he can accomplish his mission. Terminator style, he arrives naked and with no language skills. This leads to his immediate arrest and a quick visit to a mental ward. The clone is a master of quickly learning new languages and learns English by reading a few back issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and through interacting with earthlings.

Clone Andrew fools his wife and teenage son who see his quirky new behavior as a result of the mental breakdown that landed him in the hospital. They notice discrepancies, but they are all for the better. In his attempt to acclimate to the human condition he does “strange” stuff around the house such as putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher after eating. In effect, they accept him because the real Andrew Martin was a total jerk and a bad father. Papa 2.0 is an understanding person who is a gentle and loving father.

As the book continues Andrew grows attached to his host family and finds he cannot kill them. He comes to appreciate nature, wine, love, and even peanut butter. It’s this emotional bonding between alien and host family where this novel shines, especially the relationship with his son that anyone with a teenager will cherish. The only negative for this book is the repetition of the clone telling the reader he is an alien and everything he experiences on Earth is new. That point was made crystal at the beginning, and the reader did not need constant reminders.

Subtracting that one small negative I mentioned, “The Humans” is a beautiful novel that explores just what it means to be human, the short life span, the beauty and strength of love, poetry, wine, and of course, peanut butter — a heartwarming look at ourselves from an alien perspective.

I am a little late with this update but I was doing my civic duty! I was picked to be a member of a jury for a court case that lasted five days. At first, I am thinking “Oh, man, what a drag.” Then, the case started, and it was actually exciting to watch, and I feel that I did something good, righted an injustice so to speak, so it’s all good. Anyway, here we go–lot’s of news for you this time… Links in the headlines will lead you to more information when pertinent.

1.

2-22-2019

Vonda N. McIntyre Diagnosed with Inoperable Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Vonda founded the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, WA, and won her first Nebula Award in 1973 for “Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand” a novelette later incorporated into the 1978 novel “Dreamsnake” which won both the Hugo and Nebula award. This news regarding Vonda is sad indeed.

2.

2-14-2019

Love, Death & Robots Premieres on Netflix on March 15, 2019

Buckle up! You are in for a wild ride with this series! Netflix will air “Love, Death & Robots” on March 15, 2019. They bill the show as a raunchy sci-fi wonderland for mature audiences only. The trailer shows blood-soaked robot fights, soldiers wearing power armor running across battlefields, sex scenes, full-body latex outfits, robots crushing skulls, goth girls, and oh so much more. Might want to put the little ones in bed before you push the play button.

3.

2-14-2019

Jason Momoa to Star in Legendary’s “Dune” Reboot

Aquaman star Jason Momoa will play the character Duncan Idaho, a sword master in the house of Atreides, in the 2020 reboot. Jason will join the cast that includes Timothee Chalamet (Paul Atreides), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Stellan Skarsgard (Baron Harkonnen), Dave Bautista (Glossu ‘Beast’ Rabban), Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck), Oscar Isaac (Duke Leto Atreides), and  Charlotte Rampling (Reverend Mother Mohiam), and David Dastmalchian (Piter De Vries).

4.

2-14-2019

The Wandering Earth

With a record opening week China’s “The Wandering Earth” has been making headlines and a flurry of articles have published on China’s smash hit. Here are a few recent items if you are following this topic:

The Ringer: How the film will impact Hollywood.

Variety: Wandering Earth makes $304 Million During Chinese New Year (Over 600 million to date).

The Sun: Streaming Service buys  Streaming Rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea.

5.

2-18-2019

7 Fantasy Romance Novels That Are Out of This World

Seven fantasy romance novel recommendations for you!

6.

2-12-2019

Lord of the Rings Tolkien Biopic Releases First Trailer

Starring Nicholas Hoult as Tolkien, the movie covers his life as he falls in love, fights in World War I, and channels his experiences fighting in the War into the classic “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Cinematic scenes will bring to life the fantastical elements described in his novels.

7.

2-9-2019

Noted Chinese Author Xia Jia gets English-Language Translation 

Chinese science fiction authors are finally getting the attention they deserve. Xia Jia, who writes under the pen name Wang Yao, is getting a collection of her short fiction translated to English via a Clarkesworld Kickstarter which has already raised over $27,000. Support a worthy cause and pitch in a few bucks.

8.

2-8-2019

Captain Marvel’s Geocities Fansite

Captain Marvel is a 90s period piece down to and including Carol Danvers Geocities webpage. Click the headline link above to view the page. Man, that brings back memories from the early days of the internet. Marketing genius is all I got to say about this! I think I might cry. I love this so much. Do check it out.

9.

2-8-2019

How a NASA Robot Corrected the Creators of The Expanse 

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft explored the dwarf planet Ceres and found that the dwarf planet had lots of water. In Leviathan Wakes the authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck imagined ice haulers bringing the thirsty inhabitants of Ceres water by the spaceship load. Well, the tiny spacecraft Dawn proved them wrong in spades. This article is a part of National Geographic’s “Dear Spacecraft” series where they ask authors to share how they feel connected to robotic space explorers. I love this article–this is the must-read pick for the week. The responses by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck are priceless.

10.

2-8-2019

New Robert A Heinlein Rework of  “The Number of the Beast”

Phoenix Pick to publish recently found Robert A. Heinlein novel titled “Six-Six-Six” created as an alternative text to “The Number of the Beast.” The novel follows the first third of the original manuscript but differs significantly in the two-thirds of the book and has a significantly different ending. This version of the story doesn’t contain much of the more controversial material of the first book and has a more traditional Heinlein ending.

From a Certain Point of View: A Book Review by Kyle Pollard.

If you are a Star Wars fan and have not read “From a Certain Point of View” you need to move the title to the top of your “must read” list. Seriously, it’s that good.

Del Ray Books created the novel to honor the fortieth anniversary of the first film–A New Hope–and comprises forty short stories which give voice to minor supporting characters glossed over in the movie. A different author created each account to give each Star Wars tale its own individual uniqueness. I am not saying you will fall in love with every story because there are some I did not like, but you will absolutely find this an enjoyable read. If you wanted to know more about the band the Modal Nodes playing in the cantina where Luke hooks up with Han Solo, well, here is your chance to live the dream (Not for Nothing by Mur Lafferty).

My favorite story in the collection is Nnedi Okorafor’s story “The Baptist” which takes the point of view of the large cephalopod in the trash compactor on the Death Star. The garbage dweller in this tale has a soul. In “The Baptist,” the large sentient being named Omi is a female Dianoga captured from a swamp and transported to the Death Star against her will. The language in Okorafor story is ephemeral and hauntingly beautiful. Take, for instance, this section describing Omi’s captivity:

Everything stopped. Quiet, nothing, but everything. There was purpose. Omi twitched. Then involuntarily her body shifted to being transparent and then the black color with pricks of starlight. Home will stay home, but you must go she understood more than heard, and she knew deep in her hearts that she would not die. No, she was in the right place in the right moment. Stay your path. This time she heard the words in the deep complex humming language that her people often spoke in when they weren’t feeding. To speak this language was to scare away all nearby food, the reverberations carried so completely in the water. To hear it now was like feeling a final breeze from home. Though she was gazing into space, she heard the voice humming from her flesh. Maybe it came from within the tiny links that her people said chained with one another to form her flesh? There was a great flash, and Omi instantly knew. She was positive at least in that moment that this place she was in was going to burn, and the moment passed, and she was no longer sure of anything, except that feeling of oneness. What did that feeling even mean though? She was no longer so sure. Maybe it was just her fear of death.
~ Nnedi Okorafor, The Baptist

Isn’t Okorafor’s language ravishing? It’s like drinking Indian tea made by a good friend. There are many such special moments in “From a Certain Point of View” put under the microscope and explored by a cadre of talented writers. For example, there is a story of a Jawa from a sand crawler who dreams about living in the stars. A story about the red droid that blows up on Tatooine forcing Owen Lars to purchase R2-D2 instead. In the highly emotional story “Eclipse” by Madeline Roux we stand with Leia’s parents, Breha and Bail Organa as the Death Star obliterates their planet.

Projects like this are rare so get out there and find this title. So Good. I highly recommend the audio version as the production quality is excellent. All authors contributing stories agreed to give all proceeds to First Book–a nonprofit organization providing new books and learning materials to educators and organizations serving children in need. A must-read for fans of “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

1.

1-30-2019

Stephen King’s The Stand TV Series on the Way

Great news for fans of Stephen King and his novel “The Stand” as it’s being adapted into a ten-episode TV series by CBS All Access. Dangnabbit! I have so far resisted signing up for the CBS streaming service, but my resolve is wearing thin. First off, I am number 121 in line for the First Season of “Star Trek Discovery” at the library. Now, this new King series chronicling a scattering of survivors on Earth after a plague wipes out most of the population. Josh Boone and Ben Cavell to direct the project.

Read the article here: King’s The Stand Gets TV Series

2.

1-29-2019

AI Reading List

Want to read some fascinating science fiction stories featuring AIs? This Verge, “AI Reading List,” may just be what you are looking for. Recommendations include “Weapons of Math Destruction” by Cathy O’Neil, “Machine Learning for Humans” by Vishal Maini And Samer Sabri, “Profiles of The Future” by Arthur C. Clarke, and “The Diamond Age – A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer,” by Neal Stephenson, to name but a few. Check out the article to see more recommendations and a detailed synopsis of each title.

Read the article here:  AI Reading List

3.

1-29-2019

Historical Novels with Famous Authors as Characters in the Story

If you are like me, you love it when a work of fiction uses historical figures as a character in the tale. This short article suggests the following titles: “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, “The Book of Salt” by Monique Truong, “King of Shadows” by Susan Cooper, “Vanessa And Her Sister” by Priya Parmar, and “Mr. Dickens and His Carol” by Samantha Silva. A book I read not on this list is “The Map of the Sky” by Félix J. Palma, a part of The Map of Time Trilogy. Palma’s trilogy features the authors H. G. Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Lewis Carroll as characters.

Read the article here: Famous Authors in Historical Fiction

4.

1-28-2019

Another Wandering Earth Trailer Released

“The Wandering Earth” – a Chinese Sci-Fi movie based on a story by author Liu Cixin, will release in China on February 5th. There are predictions that this will be the Chinese film that breaks into the international film market. I believe this to be true as well. Liu Cixin first showed up on my radar at the 2015 Hugo Awards where Ken Liu’s 2014 translation of his novel “The Three-Body Problem” took the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel. If you have not read “The Three Body Problem,” the first novel in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, you are behind on your required reading!

Fun fact about Liu Cixin:
In a New Your Times interview in 2014 Liu said he was writing for “beer money.”

5.

1-28-2019

“Memory: The Origins of Alien”

Heads Up: A documentary is in the works to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic “Alien.” This will be a love letter to the movie celebrating the collaborative process of making films. “Memory” will explore the symbolism found in the movie and bring to light never seen goodies from the Dan O’Bannon (Alien screenwriter) and H. R. Giger archives. There is no release date announced. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Below is a great article on the film and a video of an interview with the film’s director Alexandre O. Philippe.

Read a review here of the film here: The Origins of Alien

6.

1-28-2019

Judging a Comic Book by its Cover

Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover? I have, and I bet you have too! I remember John Scalzi speaking about the importance of the cover artwork in drawing people to your title in a bookstore. So, you would think this news bulletin is about book covers? Fooled You! This featured news snippet is a cool article by Eric Cline of AIPT featuring comic book covers that captured the eye of publication contributor Forrest Hollingsworth and Manga Editor Eric Cline.

Read the article here: Covers That Caught My Eye

7.

1-27-2019

Amazon’s Wheel of Time Series

About frickin’ time–so say we all. Sony Pictures Television has scheduled production of their “Wheel of Time” series to begin in September 2019. It will be interesting to see how the director translates fourteen massive novels into something that will fit on the small screen. The show will follow Moiraine, “a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organization called the Aes Sedai,” and five men and women, one of which may be the reincarnation of an ancient power that can save the world.

8. 

1-27-2019

Is Sci-Fi Correct About Wormholes?

Interesting technical article on wormholes by Forbes contributor, astrophysicist, and professor Brian Koberlein. To make a long story short, Einstein and Rosen’s bridges are too unstable to work reliably as ways to travel between two locations in space. That’s why science fiction writers are looking at Kerr black holes that rotate and twist space around them and have a different composition than Schwarzschild black holes. Models in two-dimensional space have shown it’s possible to create stable traversable Kerr wormholes that don’t collapse. The theory is there, now we need to make it work in a three-dimensional universe.

Read the article here: Stable Wormholes

9.

1-26-2019

Build a New Solar System by Marko Kloos

In my humble opinion, this is the best article of the bunch as it features self-made author Marko Kloos who started as a self-published author with his book “Terms of Enlistment.” Reviewers compare his books to Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” and John Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War” series. After Amazon purchased his novel, he wrote five sequels. He will set his new series in a different universe from his previous six books. This article discusses how Kloos built the universe from the ground up for his next series of novels which will open with “Aftershocks” set to release this July.

Read the article here: Building a New – Marko Kloos

10.

1-24-2019

Tales From the Loop

This Amazon TV series will be based on the artwork of Swedish artist Simon Stalenhag who mixes high tech imagery with visions of rural life. The production is said to have a large budget and will require constructing many intricate sets. I know that ain’t saying squat, but if you are a fan of the art, you are jumping up and down right now saying, “Please let this TV series come to life.”

Make it so!

Artwork by Simon Stalenhag

View more of his artwork here: Simon Stalenhag

That’s all folks! I hope you find our genre news roundup helpful…

1.

1-20-2019

Starship Test Rocket

We need a wet cleanup in aisle three! My God, did you see Musk’s Starship Test Rocket? Well, it looks like something straight out of the 1950s pulp sci-fi magazines. It’s gorgeous! It looks similar to the ship on the cover art for Analog Science Fact – Science Fiction, December 1962, Vol: LXXX, No. 4.

Our first news item features Caleb Kraft’s wonderful article covering the 1962 issue of Analog Science Fact – Science Fiction mentioned above.  It’s such a fun read it gave me goosebumps.

Read the article here: Sci-Fi Sunday, December 1962

2.

1-17-2019

A Discovery of Witches Field Guide

What a far-out write-up of the magic and alchemy in Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches. This is seriously a cool article by io9’s Sarah Durn. What makes this series different from others is that Deborah Harkness is a history of science professor and much of what she uses in her novel is based on a historical study of magic and science. Kick back and enjoy this medievalist guide to the scientific and magical elements of this fascinating series.

Read the article here: Guide to A Discovery of Witches

3.

1-16-2019

The 2019 Sci-Fi TV Guide

The title says it all. A quick article complete with trailers for upcoming Sci-Fi shows of note.

Read the article here: The Guide

4.

1-16-2019

Babylon 5 Remembered

Great article for Babylon 5 fans that features everything from how the show got started to the intricate plot lines. A must-read for fans.

Read the article here: Remembering Babylon 5

5.

1-16-2019

The Truth is out there…

Harvard Astronomer speaks out on ‘Oumuamua,” a mysterious interstellar object named after the Hawaiian word for scout, or messenger. The Harvard professor co-authored a paper suggesting that the object, based on its acceleration, could be from an extraterrestrial civilization. There is indeed a lot of interesting aspects to this object.

Read the article here: Have Aliens Found Us?

6.

1-15-2019

Science Fiction and Climate Change

This BBC article on Sci-Fi and climate change shows how dystopian novels help people understand the devastating effects of climate change far better than a scientific paper could ever hope to achieve.

Read the article here: Sci-Fi and Climate Change

7.

1-15-2019

Injecting Ideas into your Dreams

These quotes hooked me on the next must-read article:

“For the first time, we can actually look inside your dreams and decode the content.” ~Moran Cerf

“There is a lot of business interest,” says Cerf. “Everyone wants to be the first to own the world of dreams.”

Possible applications include injecting Hollywood movies into your dreams to create realism, spending additional time with online dates; and removing trauma using mind manipulation, and more.

Read the article here: Israeli Scientist Can Inject Ideas into Dreams

8.

1-14-2019

Better Worlds Project by Verge

This news is a little aged by now but if you haven’t seen it you must. This project features 10 science fiction animated short stories that focus on vision and progress over dystopian visions of the future. I love this project since the constant beating of the drums of doom slowly crushes one’s spirit. Nice to come up from the dystopian nightmares once in a while to take a deep breath of fresh air.

Read the article here: Better Worlds

9.

1-12-2019

The Rise of Chinese Science Fiction

This is an article you should make time for as Chinese Science Fiction continues to gain in strength and power. Good stuff.

Read the article here: The Rise of Chinese Sci-Fi

10.

1-8-2019

New SFWA Grand Master

The Science Fiction Writers of America will induct William Gibson as next Grand Master

I cannot think of anyone that deserves it more. Such a fabulous author.

Read the article here:  Grand Master of Science Fiction

“All Our Wrong Todays” by Elan Mastai: A Book Review by Kyle Pollard

At year’s end I normally put together a best of list highlighting the top ten posts for the year. I am a little late putting that out, and everyone is fed up with top ten lists by now, so I forwent that exercise and instead decided to write a book review of my favorite novel of 2018.

Before reading this gem, I did massive amounts of research on the author, talked to my college advisor, and did some on the street interviews.

Seriously? Naw, that’s not how it happened at all. Picture this scene: I have three minutes before the library closes. I frantically run around the stacks looking for the science fiction genre stickers placed on the audiobooks. Eureka, I find one in time, run down to the checkout and out to my car where I put in CD number one, then CD two and so on. Within five minutes the words swept me away. Listening to the book was like adding another heaping helping of butter on toast already slathered with homemade jam.

First off, the novel is in the first person point of view in a quasi-memoir format featuring the character Tom Barren. The writing is funny, sharp, gritty and raw. Elan has this masterful way of sucking you into the novel and getting you to care about the protagonist. A connection between writer/reader must happen, or you will put the book down after the first chapter. Perhaps sooner. That’s the risk an author takes when employing the first person narrative. Mastai’s novel is so engrossing that I found myself breathing heavy at times while listening to the audiobook.

So, what’s it about? Time travel. Yep, you heard me right–the most overdone science fiction trope of them all. A writer that pens a first-person narrative about time travel and pulls it off has my respect. Fist Pump!

The main character Tom is from a 2016 timeline where the world has blossomed into a technology-based utopia complete with flying cars, space tourism; anything you can think of that should be in a techno-utopian society is there. Tom’s father invents the time machine and plans to use it for time travel tourism. In the utopian timeline, Tom is an outcast of sorts and has a terrible relationship with his father. He is cruising through life doing nothing in a society where creating something is everything. His life, while not uncomfortable, is aimless and basically sucks.

A mishap with the time machine sends him to an alternate timeline version of 2016 and screws up the entire fabric of the universe. The 2016 Tom winds up in is our 2016 with global warming, avocados that go bad, and a world where punk rock exists. In this timeline, however, Tom is a success, his dad is not an asshole maniac scientist, he has a sister, his mom is alive, and he finds love with Penny, the standoffish perfect female astronaut in utopian 2016.  His quandary: Does he fix the timeline he destroyed, or does he stay in our 2016? You see when Tom altered the fabric of the universe billions of people died, and the ones who survived are not who they are supposed to be. They are all living the wrong todays. Perhaps all of us are living the wrong today this very moment?

The novel traverses other timelines and spans continents in Tom’s search for self, romance, and for what makes us human. Along the way, Elan Mastai fills his wonderful novel with epiphany after epiphany that forced me to reevaluate my life, my place in the universe, and come to grips with the person I have become. This novel will force you to look at the people around you as never before, and it portrays emotions with words like no other book I have read. Take for example this sample text:

Death is slippery. Our minds can’t latch onto it. Over time, you learn to accommodate the gap in your life that the loss opens up. Like a black hole, you know it’s there because it’s the spot from which no light escapes. And there’s the sinewy exhaustion, the physical toll of grief that you just can’t seem to sleep away.

Beautiful, huh? The book is constructed with layer upon layer of meaning such as the role of the writer in a techno-obsessed world. Is the novel dead? Is there any difference between memoir and fiction? A sci-fi romance that warps reality, human emotion, explores truth and even has an ending that satisfies.

Yes, this was my favorite read in 2018, and I hope you like it too!

The Tor.com eBook Club Rocks!

This month’s selection is LUNA: NEW MOON by Ian McDonald. This novel, book one in the series, explores the seedy underworld swirling around the Corta dynasty, one of five families who control industry on the moon. The novel is often referred to as “Game of Thrones in space.”

To get this free download from Tor you need to act fast as the download expires today at 11:59 PM ET, December 14th, 2018.

Go here to get your free copy: Tor.com eBook Club

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!

A Blind Jedi’s Journey to the Force

If you are a Star Wars fan, kick back and watch the story of blind Jedi Master Ko Hoshino and how she became one with the force. I am sure you will like it! Great cinematography, special effects, sound and makeup, acting and a general all around Star Wars vibe.

I love the pinned comment to this fan film from creator Stephen Vitale:

“One year and 1.5 million views (now over 2 million)! Thank you to all who have watched HOSHINO! Eric and I appreciate the love/comments/questions regarding the film. We adore Star Wars so much, and this was a blast to make–an even greater gift to have it find so many of you. Thanks again!”

Credits

Director, Producer, Editor: Stephen Vitale
Writer/Executive Producer Eric Carrasco

Actors:
Anna Akana as Ko Hoshino
Tim Mckernan as Master Jaan-Xu
Eric Carrasco as Darth Oriax
Patrick Sullivan – Voice of Darth Oriax

Cinematography: Ryan Broomberg and Alyssa Brocato
VFX Supervisor John Schick

Composer: Joey Newman

~ There were a lot of folks involved with the production of this gem–see the full list of credits accompanying the youtube video. Cheers! I hope you enjoyed the video. Pass it along to your friends.

1.

November 28, 2018

Herman Melville in Space

Yep, you heard me right! A scripted TV series is being developed by Topic Studios based on the 1855 Herman Melville short story Benito Cereno. The catch–this time the story that features a revolt on a Spanish slave ship will go down in space.

More Info Here: Melville in Space

2.

November 27, 2018

Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl is set for release in US theatres on August 9, 2018. Check out the snazzy trailer below for more info.

More Info: Bringing  ‘Artemis Fowl’ to Life

3.

November 27, 2018

Great “Den of Geek” article on differing approaches to Worldbuilding

The piece features thoughts on the subject by Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, and more.

More Info Here: Worldbuilding

4.

November 26, 2018

Looking for the perfect Sci-Fi novel to give as a gift this holiday season? Try this Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction of 2018 by The Amazon Book Review: Best Of 2018

5.

November 24, 2018

Fantastic article discussing Mystery Science Theatre from the perspective of a lifelong fan who discovered the show as a fifteen-year-old flipping through the channels late at night. The piece digs into the psyche of Brett White, the article’s author, and his discovery of Mystery Science Theatre MST3K as a young lad and discusses it reemergence from the ashes in the form of a Netflix series.

Read the Article Here: MST3K 

6.

November 23, 2018

As a sci-fi fan, I rejoice in the many and varied voice acting performances in the genre. This den of Geek article shines a light on many of the greats: Douglas Rain as HAL (2001: A Space Odyssey); Nicholas Briggs as The Daleks (Doctor Who); Richard Burton as The Narrator (Jeff Wayne’s War of The Worlds); James Earl Jones as Darth Vader (Star Wars), and more.

Read More Here: The Most Memorable Voice Performances in Sci-Fi History

7.

November 23, 2018

The Chinese believe they know how to make a space elevator. Scientists think carbon nanotube fiber is the key to making this sci-fi concept a reality. This is a project also in development in Japan.

Read More Here: Space Elevator

8.

November 23, 2018

This article is a must read – Nature.com Looks into the decades-long search for the perfect climate controlled enclosure. The article mentions Buckminster Fuller who came up with a concept whereby Manhattan would be enclosed in a dome; the 1844 Palm House at London’s Kew Gardens; and the Glass City of Europa, pictured on the cover of Amazing Stories in 1942, to name but a few. Good stuff!

Read More Here: History of Climate Shelters

9.

November 21, 2018

A reminder from Patrick Rothfuss to not forget the Worldbuilders 2018 Anniversary Fundraiser

More Details Here: Worldbuilders 2018

10.

November 20, 2018

Next, we have a set of conflicting articles. The first one discusses using moon dust to create lunar colonies on the moon, and the other is saying that living on Mars is Science Fiction. There is definitely a pull between those forces that feel we cannot settle other planets before we figure out how to make the one we already have work–and those that dream beyond the possible and want to start colonizing now.

Article 1: 3D printing with Moon Dust
Article 2: Bill Nye – Living on Mars is Sci-Fi

11.

November 17, 2018

Quite a few stories on Cli-Fi literature (climate fiction). Here are a few articles that I felt stood out:

From Geek.Com: 8 Cli-Fi Books of Note

From Factor Daily: The literature of the Anthropocene: A genre called Cli-Fi

1.

November 12, 2018

RIP Stan Lee

Monday certainly started out on a down note with the passing of Marvel’s Stan Lee. For an excellent article on Stan read this: Marvel Icon Stan Lee Leaves a Legacy as Complex as His Superheroes

2.

November 12, 2018

We lost a familiar voice on Sunday the 11th when Douglas Rain, the voice actor who voiced HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey,” died at the age of ninety. HAL = IBM H then I, A then B, L then M. I know this happened on the 11th, but I first noticed he passed on the 12th, and how can I not mention the voice actor for HAL passing.

3.

November 12, 2018

The Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America approved the first Nebula Award for game writers. Woot! The requirement for eligibility: “an interactive or playable story-driven work which conveys narrative, character, or story background.” No word count was listed, and there must be at least one credited writer to be eligible. Here is SFWA’s announcement: Nebula Awards Rules Changes: Associate Members Granted Voting Privileges, Game Writing Award Added

4.

November 13, 2018

Locus announced a new books list on the 13th. The titles include: Not One of Us: “Stories of Aliens on Earth,” Neil Clarke editor; “A Winter’s Promise” by Christelle Dabos; “Vita Nostra” by Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko; “Dark Mind Rising” by Julia Keller; “Terran Tomorrow” by Nancy Kress; “A Rising Moon” by Stephen Leigh; “None of This Is Normal: The Fiction of Jeff VanderMeer” by Benjamin Robertson; “The Winter Road” by Adrian Selby; “Bedfellow” by Jeremy C. Shipp; “The Sky-Blue Wolves” by S. M. Stirling; “Empire of Sand” by Tasha Suri; and finally, “Creatures of Want and Ruin” by Molly Tanzer.

For full details to include plot summaries, look here: LOCUS 13 New.

5.

November 13, 2018

HBO announced that Season 8 of Game of Thrones will premiere in April of 2019

6.

November 14, 2018

It looks as if Hulu is going to acquire the rights to the George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards sci-fi books. These books were written by a variety of authors but were organized by Mr. Martin and co-edited by Melinda M. Snodgrass.

More info here: George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards

7.

November 14, 2018

Rapper Common and Jonny Lee Miller set to headline an adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel “Nine Lives.” The tale takes place on a remote planet called Libra. The two main characters, Pugh and Martin, are miners. Libra is a desolate, barren place prone to earthquakes. The theme of the story is the concept of self which Le Guin explores through the use of clones. She also explores sociological and ethical issues by using technology to illustrate her points. The story was first published in Playboy magazine and gained national attention when President Lyndon B. Johnson read the story and endorsed it.

More info here: Nine Lives

8.

November 15, 2018

Authors Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Moorcock and Douglas Adams penned novels about a planet that orbits Barnard’s Star, a world approximately three times the size of our Earth. Barnard’s Star B is perhaps one of the closest suns to our solar system and is reachable by a probe using current tech in 30 years. Scientists are a persistent lot as they have been searching for this planet for over twenty-one years. This discovery is somewhat on the cool side–not because the planet’s surface temp is said to be around -150C–but because this is a planet we can actually get to out there in the big empty.

More info here: Barnard’s Star

9.

November 15, 2018

Are you a John W. Campbell fan? If so, here is a great LA Times article for you: John W. Campbell, a chief architect of science fiction’s Golden Age, was as brilliant as he was problematic

10.

November 15, 2018

Netflix has ordered an adaptation of “The One,” a novel about DNA and Dating by John Marrs. Season one will be ten episodes and handled by Howard Overman, the creator of “Misfits.”

More info here: The One

Rest in Peace Stan Lee – Your Fans will Miss You!

Stan died yesterday at 95–A life well lived and a man that we will never forget. His life was not without controversy as few are, but what is certain is that he has forever impacted the way we perceive superheroes. To make them relatable, Stan gave them human problems we all experience. One thing he never neglected was his throngs of adoring fans. A rite of passage for many was to get their picture taken with Stan at a comic convention or elsewhere. This post, my tribute to Stan Lee, features those now “once in a lifetime” photos with Stan the Man.

Starting a new feature on Offworlders: The Sci-Fi and Fantasy News Roundup. Three to four times per month I will sift through the flotsam and jetsam tossing about on the internet and bring interesting tidbits to your attention. I will cut through the information overload to provide you with the good stuff–not to be confused with Russ Grissom’s “Right Stuff,” little nuggets of sci-fi and fantasy goodness.

Saddle up pardner – here we go:

November 4, 2018

There was a tie for Best Novel in the 2018 World Fantasy Award. The winners were Fonda Lee for her novel “Jade City;” and Victor LaValle for his novel “The Changeling.” Congratulations to both! More Details Here: 2018 World Fantasy Awards.

November 4, 2018

After Limited Run Success – “Prospect” Gets National Release:

Prospect, a Sci-Fi Western based on the short of the same name started playing in select New York and Los Angeles venues on November 2nd. A nationwide release is scheduled for November 9, 2018. The flick premiered at the South by Southwest Music Festival and won the ‘The Adam Yauch Hörnblowér’ award for originality. Reviews for this film go either way so you will need to see this one yourself to decide its merits. Check out the short below that sparked the project.

November 4, 2018

Sci-Fi Film Persephone adds Deadpool’s Brianna Hildebrand to the Cast

Since playing the teen Warhead in the Deadpool movies, Brianna’s acting career is taking off. Written by Jeffrey Morris, Persephone follows three astronauts aboard a colony ship carrying 20,000 souls from earth, now inhabitable, to a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. She will play the part of a pilot born on the fifty-year journey to their new home planet. More Details Here: Brianna Hildebrand Joins Persephone.

November 5, 2018

Great article you should read: “How the Giants of Science Fiction Helped America’s World War II Effort.” This piece by James Barber on military.com discusses Alec Navala-Lee’s new novel “Astounding,” a history of science fiction in America. The book, which focuses on John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, sounds fantastic! As a matter of fact, it’s sitting on my nightstand upstairs now. Is it bedtime yet? The link to the article is here: How the Giants…

November  7, 2018

SpaceX announced that Starman is now beyond Mars. Fare thee, well brother!

November 7, 2018

Barnes & Noble published their Sci-Fi & Fantasy novel recommendations for October 2018. Don’t buy every book from Amazon – check out their suggestions here: Short Fiction Roundup: October 2018

November 8, 2018

The good folks at geek tyrant recommend the Indie film Time Trap as a “mind-bending – low budget” flick worth watching. Students follow their archeology professor into a remote Texas cave and rappel into a rift in the space-time continuum. The film is in limited release so it may not be available in your area, but it will be available On Demand on November 13^th if you cannot catch it in a theater.

Watch the trailer and see what you think:

November 11, 2018

Bad news for fans of HBO’s Westworld: The set for Westworld burned to the ground in the Woolsey Fire in California. The National park Service shared the news on their social media channels. The set was used during the first two seasons of the show and was also used for almost a hundred years as a popular shooting location for numerous movies and television shows. More Details Here: Westworld Burns

That’s it for this week. Let me know in the comments below if you think this feature will be helpful…

Download Edge of Darkness Today!

Just added the Sci-Fi eBook “Edge of Darkness” to the Offworlders’ Bookstore as a free download.

Here is a copy of Vikki Romano‘s biography:

I’ve been a fan of science fiction for most of my life, but stumbling upon Asimov, Le Guin, and Gibson in my early teens shaped what love of the genre I have today.

And what I know of Sci-Fi was only magnified once the dot-com revolution began in the early 80s. I had always had an interest in technology, about data, about how things worked and so my tech career started early setting up networks at IBM, working on satellite projects for Lockheed Aerospace, and later becoming a database engineer and IT supervisor for a few Fortune 500 firms.

And through all of this, one thing remained consistent – my love for Sci-Fi melded with my need to write. No matter the job I had at the time, writing was always grounding for me. It helped me to vent my ideas and my dreams of where technology could go, about where it could take us. And through my stories, I hope to help others find a love of what first sparked my imagination.

~ Vikki Romano

You can download her novel here: Edge of Darkness

Instant by Rod Roddenberry

Instant by Roddenberry Entertainment debuted at San Diego Comic-Con July 19th, 2016. The film was produced by Rod Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek banner carrier Gene Roddenberry. The film is twenty-one minutes in length and packs a wallop by investigating an “instant” in time that changes lives and alters all the connected strands of existence that slowly weave through time. Roddenberry believes that the film will resonate with some and others maybe not so much. If you lost your father at an early age the show can indeed be very powerful.

Let me know how you like the flick in the comments.

Cast and Crew

Manu Intiraymi
Tyler Hilton
Tony Janning
Emily Chang
Tara Perry
Phil Morris

Directed by Alex Albrecht
Written by Todd Beauchamp
Produced by Todd Beauchamp, Chad Kennedy, and Tony Janning
Executive Producer Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry

Star Wars Unofficial Film by Anthony Pietromonaco

The Star Wars film “Dark Legacy: An Unofficial Star Wars Story” is in a word–fantastic. The short takes place on a ruined planet where Kia, a young apprentice, is bullied by a forceful Sith Lord. The tale is from the perspective of the Sith, worshipers of the Dark Side. This is not a low budget fan film as the cast and crew that made the short are not amateurs by any means; the special effects were tweaked by Jaramy Aiello of Star Trek, and The Walking Dead fame; fight choreography provided by Phil Tan from Dragon Ball Z–Light Of Hope, and Pirates Of The Caribbean. Any way you slice it this tiny bit of Star Wars heaven rocks and thrills with outstanding fight choreography, sound, and visuals.

Did you love this Stars Wars film as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.

Cast and Crew

Story:
Anthony Pietromonaco and Alex Chinnici

Producer:
Chadd Dorak

Co-Producer:
Marco De Molina

Co-Produced by:
We Make Movies

Associate Producer:
Joel Hebner

Cinematographer:
Alex Chinnici

Makeup and Special Effects:
Mo Meinhart

3d Effects:
Patryk Kizny

Original Costumes:
Hannah Athena Lawton

Action Design:
Philip Tan

Fight Choreography:
Z Team Films

Composer:
Michael Meinhart

Color:
Matthew Macar

Sound Design:
Unbridled Sound

Concept art and Storyboards:
Mavartworx

Lightsabers by:
Saberforge and Ultrasabers

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark cannot hold a candle to the two star-crossed lovers in the science fiction short film “Orbit Ever After.”

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you could taste it, but you had no idea how you would get the object of your desire? This is the exact predicament the boy Nigel finds himself in aboard a ramshackle spacecraft held together with coils of wire and duct tape. The family spends most of their time attempting to stay safe as they continuously orbit a planet. They remain alive by eating crazy objects like the Russian space probe Sputnik for dinner! That is, the families food source comes from the junk they capture floating in space using a long fishnet. After pulling the metallic objects inside, they use a food processor to turn metal into a tasty green gruel. Yum!

Amidst all this tumult Nigel sees the girl of his dreams orbiting the planet in the opposite direction on another craft. Love must find a way if the two are to be together. Watch this film—you will not be sorry that you made the time to witness this touching short movie.

Credits:
Director: Jamie Magnus Stone
Cast:
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Nigel
Mackenzie Crook as Dad
Bronagh Gallagher as Mother
Bob Goody as Grandpa
Naomi Battrick Naomi Battrick as the Girl