WWWednesday: April 17, 2019

Gene Wolfe. Image (c) Locus Magazine

Obituary:

Gene Wolfe died on Sunday, April 14. Wolfe was a master writer who is probably best known for THE BOOKS OF THE NEW SUN. Wolfe’s work dealt with identity, memory and mystery, often featuring a main character who didn’t realize that he (and it was usually a “he”) had only a small part to play in a much larger story. His prose is amazing, and he will be missed. Tor.com celebrates the life of this master storyteller.

Awards:

File 770 presents the long list for the Best Books in Translation award.

Books and Writing:

Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer is re-reading Lois McMaster Bujold’s Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, and sharing her insights.

The state of Washington is easing its ban on sending free books to prison inmates, but only easing it.

Richard Powers won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Overstory. It’s not every year that we’ve reviewed a Pulitzer Prize winning book.

From January, Sebastien de Castell shares a fun story on his blog about his chocolate addiction. He’s completely wrong about dark chocolate, of course, but it’s still funny.

Sad news for me as a reader and a writer. Apex Magazine is going on hiatus. They are going out on a high note, though.

Mike Glyer posted these terrible jokes in a post titled “Terrible Jokes.” You can count on File 770 for truth in advertising.

Dani and… I assume that’s Jon? Image courtesy of HBO

Movies and TV:

Now the official story is that there are 10 more years of Star Wars-themed films in the works, even though the upcoming film scheduled for release on December 10 wraps up the “Skywalker Saga.”

Daniel Dae Kim talks about his role in the Hellboy remake, and trusting his gut.

Speaking of Hellboy, this article lifts the veil on the creation of a genuinely creepy character, the director’s vision of Baba Yaga.

The Game of Thrones premiere of Season 8 drew 17.4 million viewers. Here’s a review with only mild spoilers.

Arya Stark. Image courtesy HBO

Internet:

Thanks to File 770 for this one; this site gives you random statements that may have been made by William Riker from Star Trek; Next Generation.

The strange case of the Chinese national who breached security at Florida’s Mar-a-Lago got even stranger. Apparently the thumb drive she carried will immediately start loading files onto any PC as soon as it is plugged in.

Games:

Unforgiven: Eliza is an augmented reality game being played in Taiwan. This game and others like it are allowing a modern generation to face and come to grips with a history that they may have been denied.

Space:

Larry Kimura, a  Hawaiian language professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, has given a name to the black hole we all met last week. The black hole at the center of galaxy M87 is now called Powehi.

Earth:

The undersea thermal vents off the coast of Mexico create an “upside down” lake and waterfall. These vents host types of life seen nowhere else on the planet.