Jovian Close Encounter. Image Courtesy of NASA
Those of you in the USA, or who observe the holiday, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Everyone else, have a great day tomorrow!
There will be no column next week. I’ll be back on December 5, 2018.
Books and Writing:
Unbound Worlds will no longer be providing original material as a blog, although features may be incorporated into other venues within Penguin Random House.
Last week Jonathan Franzen posted 10 Rules for Writing. They might be useful for emerging writers; they were definitely useful for established writers of all genres (but particularly speculative fiction) who had fun with them –and made fun of them — for days. Here are the Ten Rules for Writing by a triceratops, one of my favorites.
Who Knew? I didn’t. (c) Marion Deeds, 2018
Book Smugglers is hosting a giveaway of Micah Bolender’s City of Broken Magic.
Kat recently reviewed a couple of A.E. van Vogt’s books here on the site. The other day, I learned that he had co-written a nonfiction book on hypnotism in the 1960s. Who knew?
Seven years after The Night Circus was published, Erin Morgenstern is ready for her sophomore novel (in 2019) The Starless Sea.
This article talks about the role of writers-in-residence in libraries, and how they help readers become writers.
Bitter Root is an indie comic about Black monster hunters during the Harlem Renaissance. Looks like one to check out!
TV and Movies:
For the first time in, well, a long time, (since 2010) the Doctor Who special will not air on Christmas but on New Year’s. I’m sure the new showrunner is doing this solely to inconvenience me, since I will be away from home on New Year’s and not near a television.
The release date, some details and a trailer for Season Four of The Magicians.
Jovian White Oval. Image courtesy of NASA.
Um, okay… a PG version of Deadpool? With Fred Savage? For Christmas, with a portion of proceeds going to charity? Seriously? Apparently, seriously. File770 has the story and the trailer. And the trailer is hilarious.
Entertainment Weekly provides the latest Aquaman trailer.
Anime:
The final season of Sailor Moon is finally available in the USA.
Internet:
Just in time for the winter holidays, a lightsaber that retracts and extends.
Ars Technica gives us a gift list of items for home and home office. I’m curious about the vertical mouse. (And I like those tiny speakers!)
Gaming:
White Wolf released a tabletop game called “Vampire; Masquerade: The Heritage” last month. Set in a fictional Chechnya ruled by vampires, the game uses names that are close versions of the actual current Muslim rulers of Chechnya, and religious landmarks within the country, while imagining the vampire Muslim rulers engaging in torture, mutilation and human sacrifice. The similarity to current rulers with no attempt to change the names drew a lot a negative attention. (Please note that this article has a definite point of view, and that point of view is pro-Chechnya and pro-Russia.) White Wolf’s parent company, Paradox Interactive, has re-organized White Wolf and withdrawn the game.
Earth:
Let me introduce the pink fairy armadillo. It looks a little bit like an animated plushy lobster tail, but it’s definitely an armadillo.
I’m going to miss Unbound Worlds.
Me, too. Good stuff.
Bitter Root sounds good. Hadn’t heard of it yet for some reason.
I hadn’t either — I’ll have to check it out!