writer of fictional words ✽ doer of magical deeds ✽ lover of social justice, dope street art & pretty, girly things ✽ blogger of spec fic, sci-fi & fantasy bookish things
Animal Farm: George Orwell's Other Dystopian Classic
On this day 75 years ago, George Orwell's dystopian political fable Animal Farm was published. It became an instant classic, and was adapted into a cartoon less than a decade after its release – you can watch that cartoon here in its entirety to start off your week.
An allegory of the events that led up to the Russian Revolution – and a critique of the brutal Stalinist dictatorship that followed as a result – Orwell intended his novella to be a "fairy story" for adults. Which is perhaps why people overlook this as a dystopian tale, though it is.
Animal Farm tells the story of a group of farm animals who revolt against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy – but what happens next offers a warning for all would-be revolutionaries and changemakers not to replace one tyrannical oppressor for another in the quest for change.
While progress is impossible without change, Orwell's classic tale is still a much needed reminder that not all change brings progress. Just remember: if the pig in charge starts saying, "Sure, all animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others..." then he is not a true leader for all and that pig has got to go before you end up in a dystopian nightmare like the animals of Manor Farm.
As a totally unrelated aside... after you've watched this cartoon classic, visit vote.org to make sure you're registered to vote this November.
Today is Earth Day, that day of the year when we’re reminded to take care of our planet. It’s the only one we’ve got, after all… for now, at least.
But in the world of speculative fiction, reminders aren’t really needed. Sci-fi authors have long thought up future scenarios impacted by every sort of ecological disaster imaginable, whether caused by our own careless pollution or technology gone awry, some strange alien virus, or just a pissed off Mother Nature who’s had enough of our shit. It even has its own cute genre name: cli-fi, for climate fiction (see what they did there?).
Though the name is a recent invention, writers have pondered the perils of climate change as far back as Jules Vernes’ 1889 adventure novel, The Purchase of the North Pole, while J.G. Ballard’s dystopian novels The Drowned World (1962) and The Drought (1964) are considered early cli-fi classics. Today, with terms like “global warming" and “carbon footprint” now part of our everyday lexicon, climate change and environmental disaster are in everyone’s thoughts — and climate fiction has grown right along with our awareness.
Even if climate change has never once crossed your mind (you could be a monk, I guess?), these 10 books are sure to get you thinking about the environment and our impact on it…
5 Speculative Fiction Books for International Women's Day
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world! The day also marks a call to action toward increased gender equality and women’s rights, something which current affairs have shown is still so necessary.
While SFF can be pretty male driven in general at times, some of the best speculative fiction examines themes relevant to women specifically. It’s one of the reasons I so love speculative fiction, because it often examines social themes like: What does it mean to be a woman in an unequal world? What if gender was fluid, or non-existent?
In speculative fiction, you can imagine a world where anything is possible — from oppressive regimes that are exaggerated versions of real issues facing women today, to worlds where sexual prejudice doesn’t even exist. So in that spirit, here are five speculative fiction books for International Women’s Day…
Mardi Gras, Carnival, Shrovetide… whatever you call it, I love the weeks-long celebration between Three Kings Day and Fat Tuesday. In fact, one of my bucket-list items is to experience all the different flavors of Carnival from around the world. I mean, the decadence, the partying, the dancing and floats and sparkly costumes… what’s not to love?
Alas, this year’s Carnival season has now come to an end. But books are forever! If you’re not quite ready to move on from the festive party mindset, or if you missed it this year, or if you just want to read pretty words, here are three YA(ish) books that evoke the dreamy decadence of Mardi Gras.
Another year, another SFF awards season is well underway, as the Hugo Award finalists were announced earlier this month. Get a jump start on your award reading with all the 2018 Hugo nominated short stories and novelettes (and one lonely novella) available to read online right now.
Keep in mind that only supporting and attending members of Worldcon 76 (and members with equivalent voting rights) who join the convention before the end of final ballot voting will be eligible to vote on the final ballot. Makes sense! This year's Worldcon will be August 16-20 in San Jose, so you have until summer to get your read on and your membership happening. Hopefully having these 13 stories all in one place will help.
Now updated with the 2018 Hugo Award winners...
Best Short Story:
Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim
Published: Beneath Ceaseless Skies — May 11, 2017
Zee lives with her father in a windup world. Bored with her life, she decides to visit the carnival. She meets a boy, and things go from there. (7,257 words ● 24 minute read)
Read Now >>
Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde
Computron was the only intelligent robot built in the 1950s. Now all he does is answer questions from children and write fan-fiction about the robot in the Hyperdimension Warp Record TV show. (3,542 words ● 11 minute read)
Read Now >>
The Martian Obelisk: A Tor.com Original by Linda Nagata
Published: Tor.com — July 2017
A powerful science fiction story about an architect on Earth commissioned to create (via long distance) a masterwork with materials from the last abandoned Martian colony, a monument that will last thousands of years longer than Earth, which is dying. (5,908 words ● 19 minute read)
Read Now >>
Sun, Moon, Dust by Ursula Vernon
Published: Uncanny Magazine — May/June 2017
Allpa receives a magic sword on his grandmother’s deathbed. Three spirits in the sword are supposed to train him to be a mighty warrior, but he really just wants to be a better farmer. (4,264 words ● 14 minute read)
Read Now >>
★ Winner: Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse
Published: Apex Magazine — August 8, 2017
Jesse uses virtual reality to give tourists a vision-quest experience. It’s demeaning, but it pays the bills. Then a tourist turns up who wants a really authentic experience. (5,815 words ● 19 minute read)
Read Now >>
Best Novelette:
Children of Thorns, Children of Water by Aliette de Bodard
Published: Uncanny Magazine — July/August 2017
Two people from a secret, underwater House try to infiltrate a troublesome surface House that rules much of a Paris still recovering from long-ago magical wars. (11,966 words ● 39 minute read)
Read Now >>
Extracurricular Activities: A Tor.com Original by Yoon Ha Lee
Published: Tor.com — February 2017
A space opera adventure set in a distant future where an undercover agent has to go behind enemy lines to recover a lost ship and a possible traitor. (14,259 words ● 47 minute read)
Read Now >>
★ Winner: The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer
Published: Clarkesworld Magazine — September 2017
The ship hadn’t activated Bot 9 in a long time—it’s an unstable model—but in a desperate situation it needs all its resources. And how much trouble can it get into hunting down a rat? (8,975 words ● 29 minute read)
Read Now >>
A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Published: Clarkesworld Magazine — January 2017
A blackmailer forces Helena to make entire fake steaks for him or else he’ll tell the authorities about her business printing fake beef for shady restaurants. She’s never tried to make a whole steak though. (7,943 words ● 26 minute read)
Read Now >>
Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M. Szpara
Published: Uncanny Magazine — May/June 2017
When Finley gets bitten by a vampire, he’s pissed because he didn’t consent. When he learns he’s going to become a vampire, he’s really upset, because it’s not legal for a trans person to be a vampire at all. (9,183 words ● 30 minute read)
A generation ship loses most of its historical records some years back, and the narrator tries to use music to maintain a connection with distant Earth; a story full of fiddles and history and questions about what we carry with us. (14,537 words ● 48 minute read)
Read Now >>
Best Novella:
And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker
Published: Uncanny Magazine — March/April 2017
The inventor of trans-multiverse travel invites hundreds of instances of herself to a conference. It’s great fun until one gets murdered. (18,912 words ● 1 hour read)
Read Now >>
*Mini synopses come from either Tor.com or Rocket Stack Rank, an awesome review site for short SFF fiction!
The finalists for the 2018 Hugo Awards, Award for Best Young Adult Book, and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer are:
Best Novel
The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi (Tor)
New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
Provenance, by Ann Leckie (Orbit)
Raven Stratagem, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris)
Six Wakes, by Mur Lafferty (Orbit)
★ Winner: The Stone Sky, by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
Best Novella
★ Winner: All Systems Red, by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
“And Then There Were (N-One),” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny, March/April 2017)
Binti: Home, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing)
The Black Tides of Heaven, by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)
Down Among the Sticks and Bones, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.Com Publishing)
River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)
Best Novelette
“Children of Thorns, Children of Water,” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny, July-August 2017)
“Extracurricular Activities,” by Yoon Ha Lee (Tor.com, February 15, 2017)
★ Winner: “The Secret Life of Bots,” by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, September 2017)
“A Series of Steaks,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld, January 2017)
“Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time,” by K.M. Szpara (Uncanny, May/June 2017)
“Wind Will Rove,” by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s, September/October 2017)
Best Short Story
“Carnival Nine,” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, May 2017)
“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand,” by Fran Wilde (Uncanny, September 2017)
“Fandom for Robots,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny, September/October 2017)
“The Martian Obelisk,” by Linda Nagata (Tor.com, July 19, 2017)
“Sun, Moon, Dust” by Ursula Vernon, (Uncanny, May/June 2017)
★ Winner: “Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex, August 2017)
Best Series
The Books of the Raksura, by Martha Wells (Night Shade)
The Divine Cities, by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway)
InCryptid, by Seanan McGuire (DAW)
The Memoirs of Lady Trent, by Marie Brennan (Tor US / Titan UK)
The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson (Tor US / Gollancz UK)
★ Winner: World of the Five Gods, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Harper Voyager / Spectrum Literary Agency)
Best Related Work
Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate, by Zoë Quinn (PublicAffairs)
Iain M. Banks (Modern Masters of Science Fiction), by Paul Kincaid (University of Illinois Press)
A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, by Nat Segaloff (NESFA Press)
Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia E. Butler, edited by Alexandra Pierce, and Mimi Mondal (Twelfth Planet Press)
★ Winner: No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters, by Ursula K. Le Guin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Sleeping with Monsters: Readings and Reactions in Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Liz Bourke (Aqueduct Press)
Best Graphic Story
Bitch Planet, Volume 2: President Bitch, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Valentine De Landro and Taki Soma, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick, lettered by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
Black Bolt, Volume 1: Hard Time, written by Saladin Ahmed, illustrated by Christian Ward, lettered by Clayton Cowles (Marvel)
★ Winner: Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood, written by Marjorie M. Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda (Image Comics)
My Favorite Thing is Monsters, written and illustrated by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
Paper Girls, Volume 3, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chiang, colored by Matthew Wilson, lettered by Jared Fletcher (Image Comics)
Saga, Volume 7, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Blade Runner 2049, written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Alcon Entertainment / Bud Yorkin Productions / Torridon Films / Columbia Pictures)
Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele (Blumhouse Productions / Monkeypaw Productions / QC Entertainment)
The Shape of Water, written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, directed by Guillermo del Toro (TSG Entertainment / Double Dare You / Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson (Lucasfilm, Ltd.)
Thor: Ragnarok, written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost; directed by Taika Waititi (Marvel Studios)
★ Winner: Wonder Woman, screenplay by Allan Heinberg, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs, directed by Patty Jenkins (DC Films / Warner Brothers)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Black Mirror: “USS Callister,” written by William Bridges and Charlie Brooker, directed by Toby Haynes (House of Tomorrow)
“The Deep” [song], by Clipping (Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes)
Doctor Who: “Twice Upon a Time,” written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay (BBC Cymru Wales)
The Good Place: “Michael’s Gambit,” written and directed by Michael Schur (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television)
★ Winner: The Good Place: “The Trolley Problem,” written by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, directed by Dean Holland (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television)
Star Trek: Discovery: “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” written by Aron Eli Coleite & Jesse Alexander, directed by David M. Barrett (CBS Television Studios)
Best Editor, Short Form
John Joseph Adams
Neil Clarke
Lee Harris
Jonathan Strahan
★ Winner: Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
Sheila Williams
Best Editor, Long Form
★ Winner: Sheila E. Gilbert
Joe Monti
Diana M. Pho
Devi Pillai
Miriam Weinberg
Navah Wolfe
Best Professional Artist
Galen Dara
Kathleen Jennings
Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
Victo Ngai
John Picacio
★ Winner: Sana Takeda
Best Semiprozine
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor-in-chief and publisher Scott H. Andrews
The Book Smugglers, edited by Ana Grilo and Thea James
Escape Pod, edited by Mur Lafferty, S.B. Divya, and Norm Sherman, with assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney
Fireside Magazine, edited by Brian White and Julia Rios; managing editor Elsa Sjunneson-Henry; special feature editor Mikki Kendall; publisher & art director Pablo Defendini
Strange Horizons, edited by Kate Dollarhyde, Gautam Bhatia, A.J. Odasso, Lila Garrott, Heather McDougal, Ciro Faienza, Tahlia Day, Vanessa Rose Phin, and the Strange Horizons staff
★ Winner: Uncanny Magazine, edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas, Michi Trota, and Julia Rios; podcast produced by Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
Best Fanzine
★ Winner: File 770, edited by Mike Glyer
Galactic Journey, edited by Gideon Marcus
Journey Planet, edited by Team Journey Planet
nerds of a feather, flock together, edited by The G, Vance Kotrla, and Joe Sherry
Rocket Stack Rank, edited by Greg Hullender and Eric Wong
SF Bluestocking, edited by Bridget McKinney
Best Fancast
The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
★ Winner: Ditch Diggers, presented by Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace
Fangirl Happy Hour, presented by Ana Grilo and Renay William
Galactic Suburbia, presented by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts; produced by Andrew Finch
Sword and Laser, presented by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt
Verity!, presented by Deborah Stanish, Erika Ensign, Katrina Griffiths, L.M. Myles, Lynne M. Thomas, and Tansy Rayner Roberts
Best Fan Writer
Camestros Felapton
★ Winner: Sarah Gailey
Mike Glyer
Foz Meadows
Charles Payseur
Bogi Takács
Best Fan Artist
★ Winner: Geneva Benton
Grace P. Fong
Maya Hahto
Likhain (M. Sereno)
Spring Schoenhuth
Steve Stiles
There are two other Awards administered by Worldcon 76 that are not Hugo Awards:
Award for Best Young Adult Book
★ Winner: :Akata Warrior, by Nnedi Okorafor (Viking)
The Art of Starving, by Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan (Big Mouth House)
A Skinful of Shadows, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK / Harry N. Abrams US)
Summer in Orcus, written by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), illustrated by Lauren Henderson (Sofawolf Press)
Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer. A multiple recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, Butler was one of the best-known women in the field. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship, nicknamed the “Genius Grant”.
Octavia Butler was the first black sci-fi author I ever read, and it was sort of life changing for me as a young black girl very into speculative fiction of all kinds. It let me know that I wasn’t alone or as weird as I thought, and that it was okay to be black and female and like science fiction. Not only was it okay to like sci-fi, Butler showed me it was possible to be represented in those stories, and even to create those stories myself (which I’ve since done). It sounds almost silly now, but it was a very big deal for thirteen-year-old me.
While gearing up to re-read her Parable of the Sower series (since dystopian reads are all the rage now, thanks to our current political climate), I discovered there were people who haven’t heard of her! So, in honor of new discoveries, I’m reblogging this Octavia Butler starter list in case you’ve not read her before (or if you just need a refresher).
Kindred
If you’re new to Butler, I suggest you start with her best-selling novel. This combination of time-travel sci-fi, slave memoir and historical fiction is a stand alone novel rather than a series, and just an excellent read all around.
Synopsis: Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.
Parable of the Sower
If you prefer a book series instead, then start with this YA dystopian novel written before YA dystopian was even a thing. Once you’re finished, you’ll definitely want to go straight to the second book, Parable of the Talents, if only to marvel at Butler’s prescience in documenting the near-future political rise of a blustering neo-fascist who just wants to “make America great again.”
Synopsis: Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, war, and chronic shortages of water, gasoline, and more. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.
When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is facing apocalypse. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.
Multiple Nebula and Hugo Award–winning author Octavia Butler’s iconic novel is “a gripping tale of survival and a poignant account of growing up sane in a disintegrating world” (The New York Times Book Review).
Bloodchild and Other Stories
And if you’re the impatient type, start here with a collection of award-winning short stories – you can even read Bloodchild online for free right now.
Synopsis: A perfect introduction for new readers and a must-have for avid fans, this New York Times Notable Book includes “Bloodchild,” winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards and “Speech Sounds,” winner of the Hugo Award. Appearing in print for the first time, “Amnesty” is a story of a woman named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is “The Book of Martha” which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself?
Waiting on Wednesday is a regular feature that spotlights those upcoming, can't-wait-for-them books that are definitely going on my reading list... check out previous Waiting on Wednesday picks here ➤
Scorn the witch. Fear the witch. Burn the witch...
So, it should be obvious that I love short stories. And I may have mentioned a time or two how much I also love witches in fiction. I can't help it; witches are just so compelling!
Who doesn't love reading about rebellious outsiders, bold women who dare to be both powerful and different — despite the social, sometimes political, life or death costs? As a woman myself, it's hard not to be drawn to witchy women living life on their own terms, with not a fuck to give about what society says they should and should not do. Plus, there's magic! It's easy to see why witches are so alluring.
With all of that, it's a given that an anthology called Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft would make my can't-wait-to-read list, especially since I enjoyed the previous anthology about badass girls by the same editor.
Add in stories full of diversity, from authors like Nova Ren Suma and Brenna Yovanoff, both of whom write so beautifully and hypnotically, and Zoraida Cordova, whose Brooklyn Brujas series I adore — August can't come fast enough! Check out this week's Waiting on Wednesday pick...
Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
Edited by Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe
YA | Fantasy | Short Story Anthology | Witches
RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2018
HARDCOVER: 416 pages
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen
Scorn the witch. Fear the witch. Burn the witch.
History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features fifteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure—and to kill.
A young witch uses social media to connect with her astrology clients—and with a NASA-loving girl as cute as she is skeptical. A priestess of death investigates a ritualized murder. A bruja who cures lovesickness might need the remedy herself when she falls in love with an altar boy. A theater production is turned upside down by a visiting churel. In Reconstruction-era Texas, a water witch uses her magic to survive the soldiers who have invaded her desert oasis. And in the near future, a group of girls accused of witchcraft must find their collective power in order to destroy their captors.
This collection reveals a universal truth: there’s nothing more powerful than a teenage girl who believes in herself.
PRE-ORDER ON:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | APPLE IBOOKS | GOODREADS
Beautiful Dreamer: A Poignant Sci-Fi Short Film for Mother's Day
Ken Liu writes such beautifully touching sci-fi and fantasy. I dare you not to be moved by his short stories The Paper Menagerie, a multiple award-winning tale of a biracial boy in a Northeastern suburb whose paper menagerie comes to life with the magic of his mother's love, or Memories of My Mother, an incredibly poignant sci-fi tale of a dying mother who goes to great lengths to steal a few moments through the years in order to watch her daughter grow up.
With stories packing such an emotional punch, it's no surprise that filmmakers have adapted his work. Beautiful Dreamer is one such adaptation. Based on Memories of My Mother above, this 26-minute short captures all the love and heartache shared between a mother and daughter through the years that was so affecting (and, for me at least, emotionally devastating) in Liu's original flash fiction tale.
Take the time to read and watch them both this weekend — you'll only need half an hour for both. It'll be worth it, I promise.
Beautiful Dreamer
Based on the short story Memories of My Mother by Ken Liu
A dying mother travels at near-light speed, bending time to watch her baby daughter grow up.
Beautiful Dreamer is a sci-fi, time travel tale set in a striking near future world of drones, robots, holograms and transport pods. But it’s also a personal story. A mother, facing a terminal disease, leaves her baby daughter and travels into space at near-light speed. Using relativity, she is able to stretch her final two years over her daughter’s entire lifetime but is only able to visit her daughter for one night every seven years. The visits are sometimes sad and sometimes beautiful. The daughter reaches her own mother’s age and then passes far beyond that while the mother is left stranded at the same age she was when she first left. The characters are torn apart by the same technology that unites them - briefly - over a lifetime.
Director: David Gaddie
Starring: Jo Armeniox, Natalie Smith and Lynn Cohen
Run Time: 26 minutes (26:11)
Waiting on Wednesday is a regular feature that spotlights those upcoming, can't-wait-for-them books that are definitely going on my reading list... check out previous Waiting on Wednesday picks here ➤
I absolutely loved Hidden Figures, last year's Oscar-nominated biopic about the black female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race in the early '60s, and I'm here for all the stories of women working in that field, whether they're of the factual or science fictional variety. So when I came across The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel, of course it went right on the can't wait to read list!
Mary Robinette Kowal’s book began life as a novelette: The Lady Astronaut of Mars, about the first female astronaut's later years on a Mars colony. But there's so much more to this unexpectedly poignant tale than simply life on another planet, namely the desire for purpose and passion complicated by the heartache of aging and loss.
The Calculating Stars seems to be a prequel to the novelette, telling of how this first lady astronaut came to be, long before she ever stepped foot on Mars. Give the short story a read and, if you love Elma’s tale and voice like I did, you'll want to add the book to your must read list too...
The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel
Mary Robinette Kowal
Science Fiction | Space | Alt-Historical
RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2018
PAPERBACK: 432 pages
PUBLISHER: Tor Books
On a cold spring night in 1952, a meteorite falls to earth and destroys much of the eastern seaboard of the United States, including Washington D.C. The Meteor, as it is popularly known, decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth’s efforts to colonize space, and allows a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.
One of these new entrants in the space race is Elma York, whose experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too—aside from some pesky barriers like thousands of years of history and a host of expectations about the proper place of the fairer sex. And yet, Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions may not stand a chance against her.
PRE-ORDER ON:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | APPLE IBOOKS | GOODREADS
What to Watch This Month: The Best SFF Movies & TV in May
It hardly feels like we're just now getting into the summer blockbuster season, seeing how we've already had a couple of massive blockbusters thanks to the unstoppable, uh... marvel that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe! But it's May, which means summer is coming. Get your popcorn ready!
On the big blockbustery front this month: Deadpool 2, hopefully bringing even more of the snarky, wise-cracking, ass-kicking, potty-mouthed comic book hilarity we all loved so much in the first one. And for Star Wars lovers everywhere, Han Solo finally gets his own movie (but not until the end of the month, instead of the obvious May the 4th, which was a missed opportunity if you ask me).
As for smaller screens, if you're into a post-apocalyptic dystopian vibe, you're in luck! This week brings Netflix original The Rain, a Danish post-apocalyptic import, as well as the season 3 return of Colony, USA's alien invasion drama set in a dystopian LA. I'm most excited for later in the month when HBO brings us its adaptation of Ray Bradbury's iconic novel Fahrenheit 451, starring some of the best Michaels in Hollywood right now: Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon.
Here are the best SFF movies & shows to check out this month on screens big and small...
On the big screen:
The Cleanse (May 4)
Johnny Galecki (TV's Big Bang Theory) plays Paul Berger, an unemployed, down and out, heartbroken man searching for happiness. When Paul sees an ad for a spiritual retreat promising to restart your life, he immediately signs up, hoping to cleanse himself and fix his broken life. But after only a few days, he discovers the cleanse is releasing more than just everyday toxins... a lot more. A darkly humorous, weird, and soulful fantasy that examines the inner demons in all of us. Also starring Anna Friel, Oliver Platt and Anjelica Huston.
Watch this if you... are in the mood for an offbeat, sweetly funny, lowkey kind of horror film; like Johnny Galecki, Angelica Huston or Oliver Platt; want to see a unique take on releasing one's "inner demons".
Higher Power (May 11)
When the Universe decides what it wants, it's pointless to resist. With his family's life at stake, Joseph Steadman finds himself the unwilling test subject of a maniacal scientist in a battle that could save the world, or destroy it. Starring Ron Eldard.
Watch this if you... want to see a sci-fi thriller featuring striking superpowers that looks like a big blockbuster, but is actually a low-budget indie film made on a shoestring budget.
Deadpool 2 (May 18)
After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Miami's hottest bartender, while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor - finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World's Best Lover. [side note: this synopsis is hilarious]
Watch this if you... loved the first Deadpool and can't wait for more of that snarky fun; can't get enough of villainous Josh Brolin for whatever reason; saw Avengers: Infinity War and really just need a lighter comic book movie (and possibly a hug) to cheer you up.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga's most unlikely heroes. Directed by Ron Howard. Starring Aldren Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover.
Watch this if you... love all things Star Wars (I mean, duh, as if that's not a given); have always been Team Solo (or even Team Chewie) and want to see how the iconic Han Solo came to be.
On smaller screens:
Colony (May 2 on USA | TV Show)
In the wake of a mysterious alien invasion, a family fights to stay together in a new world order.
Watch this if you... love dystopian or alien invasion stories; love Sawy... I mean, Josh Holloway from Lost (sorry, but he'll always be Sawyer to me).
The Rain (May 4 on Netflix | TV Show)
Netflix's Danish import about siblings who emerge from the safety of their bunker six years after a rain-carried virus wipes out almost everyone in Scandinavia; they join a group of survivors and set out on a dangerous quest through the abandoned land, searching for signs of life.
Watch this if you... love post-apocalyptic stories; enjoyed Netflix's other imported show, Dark; don't mind watching shows with either dubbed English or subtitles.
Cargo (May 18 on Netflix | Movie)
Stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic, an infected father desperately searches for a new home for his infant child and a means to protect her from his own changing nature.
Watch this if you... are in the mood for a lowkey horror survival movie; want to see Martin Freeman do something a little different; love thoughtful zombie movies that are more about human connection than the guts and gore of the undead.
Fahrenheit 451 (May 19 on HBO | Movie)
In a future society where books are banned and burned, a fireman begins to read in secret and discovers an underground rebellion committed to protecting literature.
Watch this if you... loved the book and want to see HBO's modern take on this iconic classic; love thought-provoking dystopian fiction in general; are a fan of either Michael Shannon or Michael B. Jordan and want to see them show off their acting chops in this Cannes Film Festival entry.
Waiting on Wednesday is a regular feature that spotlights those upcoming, can't-wait-for-them books that are definitely going on my reading list... check out previous Waiting on Wednesday picks here ➤
I'm a huge fan of diversity in sci-fi and fantasy, so when I came across Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning and saw it described as an Indigenous Mad Max: Fury Road with a primary cast of Navajo characters that takes place on a Navajo reservation, this went straight to the top of my can't-wait-to-read gimme-gimme-now list, obviously.
While Indigenous Mad Max: Fury Road is pretty much a mic drop all on its own, there's even more awesome to this! It's #ownvoices, with a Native American author whose short story, Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™, is nominated for both a Nebula and a Hugo award. It's an all-out breakneck apocalyptic adventure in a dystopian world where devastating climate change has awakened ancient legends and powers (and I was just thinking about climate fiction).
There are monsters and magic and a fierce female monster-hunting protagonist. And it's the start to a series, the next of which promises to be a post-apocalyptic road trip down Route 66! I mean... tell me this doesn't sound awesome? Take a look...
While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.
Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.
As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.
Welcome to the Sixth World.
Pre-Order On:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple iBooks | Goodreads
Where are all the Latino genre fiction writers? RIGHT HERE!
Can we talk honestly for a moment? I’m a big science fiction and fantasy fan, but lately I’m really thinking it’s just not a genre that has room for me. See, I’ve spent a lifetime reading this stuff and a lot of time searching, and as far as I can tell there are very few high-profile mainstream American Latino/Latina speculative fiction authors out there.
I’m not exaggerating. According to Wikipedia, we don’t exist at all. I’ve come across a few authors with Spanish-sounding last names, only to find out that they’re actually Italian. Or worse, that it was just a pen name adopted by a white guy.
I’ve come across a couple of others through blogging and social media, but for the most part they’re all indie/self-published authors. There’s something really wrong here — it really feels like the stories we write about the issues that matter to us just don’t matter that much to major genre publishers.
Now, there are publishers and editors out there who are trying to fix this problem in genre fiction, and I don’t want to overlook them. Far from it! I’m not posting this to whine.
I’m posting this so I can put out the names of the Latino authors I HAVE found in my search. Not all of these people are necessarily well-known. Some of them are self-published, some are new to the field, and others are established with traditional publishers. I want you to follow them on social media, check out their books, and support their projects!
Please share this list of Latino sci-fi and fantasy writers with anyone you know who thinks we need more diversity in genre fiction! This post is a work in progress, so keep checking back. :)
Canadian/US Latino Genre Authors
Richie Navarez: Website, Twitter, Amazon
Chris J. Randolph: Google+, Twitter, Website
(His novel Biotech Legacy: Stars Rain Down is available for FREE download!)
Ernest Hogan: Facebook, Twitter, Website
(Check out a free sample of his novel High Aztech on Smashwords!)
Rudy Ch. Garcia: Twitter, Website
(You can read the first chapter of his novel The Closest of Discarded Dreams online!)
Daniel José Older: Twitter, Website, Amazon
Junot Díaz: Website, Amazon
Cesar Torres: Twitter, Website
Lisa Bradley: Twitter, LiveJournal
Julia Rios: Twitter, Website, Podcast
Daniel Olivias: Twitter, Website, Amazon
(He works in multiple genres, but his most recent novel, The Book of Want, dabbles in magical realism.)
Sabrina Vourvoulias: Twitter, Website, Amazon
Jóse Iriarte: Twitter, Website
Alberto Yáñez: Twitter, Website
William Alexander: Twitter, Website, Amazon
Kelly Parra: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Amazon
M.C.A. Hogarth: Twitter, Website, Amazon
Mario Acevedo: Twitter, Website, Amazon
David Bowles: Twitter, Website
Philip José Farmer: Facebook, Website, Amazon
Christopher J. Garcia: Twitter, Drink Tank
(Chris writes about science fiction, but he won a Hugo for his fanzine, so he totally counts.)
Julie M. Rodriguez (me!): Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Patreon
(And obviously, you can read my writing for free here on Tumblr.)
Sandra Y. Desjardins: Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon
Guadalupe Garcia McCall: Website, Amazon
Lee Gimenez: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Amazon
Victor Cass: Twitter, Website, Amazon
(Not normally a science fiction writer, but has a genre novel in the works, shopping for publishers.)
Carlos Hernandez: Mundania Press
Jesús Salvador Treviño: Amazon
Hank Lopez: Amazon
Daniel Da Cruz: Amazon
R. Garcia y Robertson: Amazon
Rosaura Sanchez & Beatrice Pita: Amazon
Latin American Genre Fiction Authors
Working on adding some suggestions here! I’m not really looking for magical realist authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez because I think they already have a good deal of recognition as a separate, more mainstream genre. My Spanish is terrible so recommendations are appreciated here. ;)
Daína Chaviano: Twitter, Website, Amazon
Angélica Gorodischer: Amazon
Marcial Souto: Amazon
Adolfo Bioy Casares: Amazon
Jorge Luis Borges: Amazon
Oscar Hurtado: Wikipedia (If anyone knows where his books are available let me know.)
Ángel Arango: Wikipedia (Ditto!)
Spanish Genre Fiction Authors
I would totally welcome some suggestions on this front! These aren’t technically “Latino” authors but I feel they’re a vitally important part of the genre too.
J.J. Merelo: Twitter, Website, Amazon
EXTRA CREDIT: Anthologies & Noteworthy Books!
These are all works in translation from South America and Spain, so no American Latino authors on this list, but there’s a great anthology called Cosmos Latinos that’s totally worth checking out.
Also check out The Emergence of Latin American Science Fiction for a scholarly look into the genre.
Several of the authors listed here have stories in Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond. Give it a read!
Over at La Bloga, Rudy Ch. Garcia is compiling a directory of Latino/Chicano/etc Spec Lit novels. I left it with a few titles on my “must-read” list and I bet you will, too.
Read Three Messages and a Warning for a collection of Mexican genre fiction in translation.
Palabras Errantes is publishing works of speculative fiction by Mexican authors on their website, which you can read for free (in Spanish and in translation). Pretty cool project!
Finally, if you’re looking for translated science fiction from Spain, head on over to Sportula and order a copy of Terra Nova.
Are you a mystery fan? You’re in luck! Check out You Don’t Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens and Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery!
And if you know anyone who should be on this list (or you think your work belongs on this list), PLEASE send me a message and let me know. Any author who identifies as Latino/a, Chicano/a, or Hispanic and writes science fiction or fantasy can be included.
(For clarification on who I include in this umbrella, here’s an article I wrote last year tackling the confusing terminology this community has to deal with. The short answer: basically anyone who thinks they should belong on this list probably belongs on this list.)
