Metaphors be with You
Neville Schroeder was a fireplug. He stood barely five feet tall, red, shabby, and pedestrian. Professor Connelly towered over him, a giant oak tree of a man with a silk paneled vest, tweed coat and tie, expensive glasses, and a neatly trimmed beard.
Silence
“Listen to me,” said the Demon as he placed his hand upon my head. “The region of which I speak is a dreary region in Libya, by the borders of the river Zaire. And there is no quiet there, nor silence.”
A Drama in the Air
We were to start at noon. The impatient crowd which pressed around the enclosed space, filling the enclosed square, overflowing into the contiguous streets, and covering the houses from the ground-floor to the slated gables, presented a striking scene.
The Evil Eye
The Moreot, Katusthius Ziani, travelled wearily, and in fear of its robber-inhabitants, through the pashalik of Yannina; yet he had no cause for dread.
The Star
It was on the first day of the new year that the announcement was made, almost simultaneously from three observatories, that the motion of the planet Neptune, the outermost of all the planets that wheel about the sun, had become very erratic. Ogilvy had already called attention to a suspected retardation in its velocity in December.
The Crystal Egg
There was, until a year ago, a little and very grimy-looking shop near Seven Dials, over which, in weather-worn yellow lettering, the name of “C. Cave, Naturalist and Dealer in Antiquities,” was inscribed. The contents of its window were curiously variegated.
‘The Killing Moon’: Where Dreaming Means Death
If you live for reliable magic systems that still feel otherworldly and strange, then the Dreamblood duology is for you.
New Terry Pratchett book out today
Terry Pratchett is one of my all-time favorite authors, and even though he died five years ago, a new book is now out, a collection of never-before-published short stories he wrote for local newspapers back in the 1960s and 1970s.
Season 2 of ‘Umbrella Academy’ Outstrips the First
The “Umbrella Academy” series is worth your while if you love wacky, unique, funny stories that stretch the boundaries of genre and convention.
Netflix sends Hilary Swank ‘Away’ to Mars
Netflix’s new show “Away”, the first 10-episode season of which drops Sept. 4, takes a realistic, personal approach to the first manned trip to Mars.
Six things we will do with Elon Musk’s Neuralink, according to sci-fi
Last Friday, billionaire inventor Tony Stark — I mean, Elon Musk — showed off progress on his latest project, the Neuralink.
Could Science & Technology Allow Us to Cheat Death?
What if one day we could cheat death? What if we could live longer – possibly forever? And if we could, would we want to?
A new quantum paradox throws the foundations of observed reality into question
A new paradox in quantum mechanics – one of our two most fundamental scientific theories – throws doubt on some common-sense ideas about physical reality.
Nikola Tesla: The extraordinary life of a modern Prometheus
Tesla was a real-life Prometheus: the mythical Greek titan who raided heaven to bring fire to mankind, yet in punishment was chained to a rock where each day an eagle ate his liver.
HBO VR events and concerts start today on VRChat
“Garden of Eden,” the first in a series of three live VR art explorations, concerts, and shows organized by HBO, kicks off today at 10 p.m. Eastern time on VRChat, a social VR platform.
Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures are free on YouTube
Sci-fi and fantasy author Brandon Sanderson’s “Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy” lectures are up on YouTube — 13 in all, each about an hour long. They were recorded this spring during a writing class he was teaching for Brigham Young University.
Scientists: ‘Oumuamua may be alien after all
‘Oumuamua, a weird interstellar object that was discovered passing through our solar system in 2017, might be alien after all.
Wormhole travel could be possible, scientists say
According to new research, it’s possible that we could have wormholes large and stable enough for humans to be able to travel to distant stars.
Lava tubes on the Moon and Mars could be our future homes
Living on the surface of the Moon, or of Mars, is dangerous. The lack of a protective atmosphere means that radiation is a constant hazard, for example. Lava tubes can be the solution, scientists say.
N. K. Jemisin’s Short Story Emergency Skin Wins 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novelette
New York Times bestselling author N. K. Jemisin’s short story Emergency Skin was named the winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Short Novelette.
A Memory Called Empire Wins the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel
A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine, wins the 2020 Hugo Award for best novel.
Resources for writers
Resources for writers By Maria Korolov Our list of best resources for writers of fantasy, horror and sci-fi. Writing advice sites Writer’s Knowledge Base: Huge database of more than 40,000 articles about writing. Always my favorite place to start to research any writing problem (other than Google, of course). These are
Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures are free on YouTube
Sci-fi and fantasy author Brandon Sanderson’s “Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy” lectures are up on YouTube — 13 in all, each about an hour long. They were recorded this spring during a writing class he was teaching for Brigham Young University.
14 Reasons to Use Google Docs to Write
14 Reasons to Use Google Docs to Write By Maria Korolov I use Google Docs. Most writers use Microsoft Word, Scrivener, or Google Docs to write their novels, with a few other, lesser-known platforms thrown in. I also use other platforms, including Word and Filemaker — but I like Google
Writing Advice Sites
Writing Advice Sites By Maria Korolov Our list of great sites for beginning speculative fiction writers. Writer’s Knowledge Base Huge database of more than 40,000 articles about writing. Always my favorite place to start to research any writing problem (other than Google, of course). These are the best articles, from