On this day in 1903, Ruth Graves Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn, created the chocolate chip cookie. Thank you, Ruth!
Angus McKie
Writing, Editing, and Publishing
The finalists for the Chesley Awards, given by the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA), have been announced. I’m excited to see Todd Lockwood on the list, whose work we have featured before in WWW. Click through to check out the rest of the nominees.
The winners for the Campbell and the Sturgeon Awards have been chosen: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North, and “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” by Cory Doctorow, respectively. Congrats!
Finally this year’s inductees into the Fantasy and Science Fiction Hall of Fame have been chosen: James Gunn, John Schoenherr, Kurt Vonnegut, and George Méliès, an early filmmaker (he made Trip to the Moon). If you’d like to help make sure that James Gunn can make it to the ceremony, there is an online fundraising effort here.
This is kind of cool: now, when you buy books by Norton or Nebula Award winners, the book might have a shiny foil medallion on it, like Caldecott winners. The designs for the medallions were just finalized. I’m not in love with them, but I do like shiny things.
I love systems of magic. Here, Martin Cahill, writing for Tor.com, introduces us to the many magical systems of Brandon Sanderson.
For those who wanted to read Tolkien but were intimidated by the size of the books, Starlight over at StarlightGeek.com has broken down exactly what you need to read, and what you can skip, in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Andy Weir did a secret Reddit AMA on The Martian. Read it all here.
Terry Pratchett’s daughter Rhianna, also an author, said that the forthcoming Discworld novel The Shepherd’s Crown will be the last Discworld novel. She may continue to work on other tie-ins to her father’s work, but Discworld, she says, “is sacred.”
I don’t know how I missed this, but apparently there is a Wheel of Time Companion coming out this fall. In November, Harriet McDougal (Robert Jordan’s widow) and editorial assistants Alan Romanczuk and Maria Simons will release this book, which unveils reams of information that Jordan created for his world but didn’t incorporate into the books.
Also, Gregory Maguire has a new book coming out this fall, and I am thrilled.
David Schleinkofer
Film and Television
So, somebody died on a show that many people watch. I won’t tell you who, but if you want to see some internet articles about this (and how this person might not actually be dead), you can do that here. Also, a Williamsburg memorial to that person.
The American Gods TV project is finally moving forward. It has been picked up by Starz and will be written and run by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green.
Apparently Damien Lewis might be the next James Bond. That’s fine. He’s debonair enough, and he’s a ginger, although it would have been great to see Idris Elba tapped for the role.
Uh, this sounds cool: a movie about a giant prehistoric shark terrorizing the coast of China is going to be made. Title? “Meg.”
And if you’re tired of bad dinosaurs, there’s a film coming out soon called The Good Dinosaur. It’s a Pixar film built on the premise that dinos didn’t go extinct, but continued evolving well into the age of humankind. Pretty cute, huh?
Finally, if you’re not watching Orphan Black, what exactly are you doing with your life? Here Foz Meadows weighs in on the women of Orphan Black.
Snow Dinosaur
Internet Stuff
If you were wondering how much it would actually cost to build and run a Jurassic World-style park, now you can find out. And the answer is: absolutely too much.
And look at these cool little guys: the Christmas tree worm!
This theory about Jurassic World is hilarious, and now I’m a Whit Hertford fan.
Featured Art
We were looking for more places to get good art online, and Kat shared this great Twitter account with us, @70sscifiart. Aren’t these images fantastic? My favorite is the last one, which was unattributed, but I also like the bright colors of the first and the space cowboy in the second.
I thought the swimming thing in JURASSIC WORLD was going to be a megladon AKA “meg,” but of course I’m in the wrong era entirely and it’s a mossosauris or mosessauris, mosasaurus…or big toothy swimming thing.
And I’m confusing “Meg” by Steve Alten with a book from the 80s, called “The Meg,” that I thought was written by Peter Benchley that came out after Jaws. I can find no reference to it anywhere, though, so I probably have it wrong.
I love the magic systems of Brandon Sanderson. Warbreaker is a book that doesn’t get enough attention, it is good and different.
And Christmas Tree Worms? Love them. I want an aquarium just for them.
Right! They’re gorgeous! There is so much pretty sea life … and land life, too, for that matter.
If Chris Pratt had played the snotty kid in the first Jurassic Park movie, I would be totally on board with the idea that he grew up to “show a little respect” for raptors. But he didn’t, so we should all give Whit Hertford his due.
And “Snow Dinosaur” is definitely my favorite of today’s images.
I have a saltwater coral aquarium. I’m going to get some Christmas Tree Worms!