m. c. de marco

Controversial author Orson Scott Card has been making a lot of media appearances lately, presumably to flog his latest in a seemingly endless line of Ender's books. Perhaps the series should be called No-Enders. The new book is called Ender in Exile and it sounds like it is more of the same. I loved the first book then read some sequels which I have totally forgotten and given up on the rest. There has long been talk of a movie adaptation of the original book, but nothing is imminent. It's more likely that a video game adaptation will happen first, but before then OSC is working on another game adaption of his Empire book. He's also busy writing anti-homosexual polemics and other outrageous opinion pieces that get people riled up. I wonder if it's all part of some brilliant marketing plan to keep his name in the news in order to sell more books.

The Sci Fi Channel website has spun off its popular Sci Fi Wire as a standalone website at scifiwire.com. The new site also incorporates their long-running Sci Fi Weekly pages which consisted primarily of interviews, reviews and other feature items. I think it's a smart move. I frequently visit the Sci Fi Channel website to read the news items on Sci Fi Wire and routinely ignore the site's marketing propaganda for their shows since I can't even watch their programming here in Canada. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I really like the look of the new site which seems to take inspiration from IO9 and the rest of the Gawker blog stable. Without the news content, scifi.com now features more content to promote the channel's programming, including several full episodes of their series, although they are not viewable outside of the U.S.A. although if you cared you could use a proxy server or one of the peer-to-peer video sites to watch their shows. This isn't the first time that Sci Fi Channel had spun off part of its site as standalone blogs. Their two other ventures include a site about gadgets, called Dvice, and another about gaming, called Fidgit.

The new Doctor Who is none other than Matt Smith? Doctor "who," indeed. Don't be embarrassed if you've never heard of him because the 26-year-old actor doesn't have the longest resumé. He only has a few TV acting credits to his name and when he appears on screen in 2010 as the new doctor, he will be the youngest ever to take on the role. Will that mean his companions will be older than him? Many names had been rumoured prior to the announcement, but few, if any, of the reports pegged Smith as David Tennant's replacement. I guess the bookies in England are happy since few people will collect on their bets. We'll see if the fans are happy with the choice. I predict that the average North American geek male will rage against it, while the younger, and more female, audience in the U.K. will welcome the change towards Doctor Who 90210. I will reserve judgement until I've seen some episodes. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the last of the Tennant specials that will air during the course of this year, but before then I suppose I should watch last season's episodes that I have been stockpiling on my hard drive.    

Believe it or not, there was a time that science fiction blogs were rare. Now they are a dime a dozen so I'm always pleased when I find one that stands out from the crowd by specializing in a niche that no other genre blog follows. Marooned is a great example. It's a blog that focuses all of its attention on science fiction stories set on Mars. Who doesn't like stories set on Mars? It's the planet in our solar system that I think is most attractive to writers and readers alike. It certainly helps that several landers have been exploring the planet for the past several years with tantalizing clues pointing to the possibility that life may have existed, or may yet exist, on our neighouring planet. That idea still captures our imaginations. I think that fascination dates back to the time when we thought canals existed on the planet to bring water to the dying cities on the dusty world. Those ideas permeated early science fiction for a long time. Nostalgia for those stories inspired this artist to combine retro-style travel posters with old-fashioned notions of our solar system. The results are great. Here's another blog that has targeted an underserviced niche. It's name describes it perfectly: Science Fiction Wallpapers. It could be a little better organized, but you'll find plenty of nice images from popular TV shows and movies as well as some good space shots to use as desktop wallpaper.

The beginning of a new year is almost upon us which can mean only one thing, The Website at the End of the Universe is once again offering its annual science fiction calendar as a free PDF download. As usual, helpless female space explorers in metal bikinis continue to be threatened by leering aliens who just can't get enough of Earth women. Each month of the 2009 calendar features a different pulp magazine cover with a different space babe in peril and this year the pictures are even bigger so you won't need to use your reading glasses. Download your copy for free from http://www.theendoftheuniverse.ca/calendar2009/calendar2009.pdf. If you print it out, be sure to scale it your paper size. It's designed for letter-size paper, but if you use A4 or some other size, you will have to adjust your settings accordingly. This is our sixth year that we've been offering a calendar. If you want to check out previous editions , click on the following links to get the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 installments. If you're new to TWATEOTU, don't just leech the calendar and run. Take a second to add our newsfeed to your reader so you can get a regular injection of irregular science fiction links throughout the year. I hope your 2009 is a happy and prosperous one and that all of your science fiction dreams come true.

Science fiction isn't just for books and movies anymore. Authors are now writing SF stories designed for Twitter on an online magazine called Thaumatrope. I discovered it via this blog. Amazingly, it also pays its writers, although it is currently closed for submissions. Could you write a story in 140 characters or less? Music is another medium that science fiction writers are using to tell their stories. This site is an example of someone expressing themselves uusing that method. Sci-fi-inspired music is not really new, but it's never been very common. Thanks to the internet, it's certainly becoming easier to find. The Deuce Project is a long-running radio show that airs music with a geeky flavour. Of course, it now available for download as a podcast. Audio adventures are also nothing new since they've been around since the early days of radio, but today's audiences are getting them as podcasts instead. The Leviathan Chronicles is just one example of a polished dramatic show that you can download and listen to at your leisure or listen to online.

There's an interesting essay on the Tor blog by a Toronto writer that ponders why Austrailan science fiction writer Greg Egan is not a superstar. His writing and ideas are brilliant and those who faithfully follow his work love his books yet fandom at large doesn't seem to buy it. I've read a few of his books and several of his short stories and agree that among hard science fiction writers, his fiction is diamond hard. I suspect that this is what turns off many readers. While his stories are impeccably researched and mind-blowing at times, it is easy to feel stupid when reading his stuff. One writer who the essayist mentions as someone who he hasn't been able to latch on to is Neal Stephenson. Unlike Egan, he has become a superstar. I think the difference between the two is that Stephenson's impeccable research and mind-blowing ideas are presented in a more accessible way than Egan. Here's an interview with Stephenson where he describes his process of world building. Another Australian author who can't hold a candle to Egan when it comes to writing about science, but is equally obscure is A. Bertram Chandler. His books are one of my guilty pleasures so I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across this site recently - The Rim Worlds Concordance which collects all sorts of trivia about his sprawling space opera series for which he is best known.

It's rare to hear news that a Hollywood studio has abandoned a planned sequel to a series of films, but word on the street is that Disney is dropping the Dawn Treader movie which would have been the third Narnia film. The report cites high production costs and a lower return on the last movie. Maybe the public is finally getting bored of endless sequels and rehashing of old stories. Nah. Studios are still plundering other source material for movies so they don't think the public is getting bored with their lack of imagination. Here are two examples in the pipeline that actually sound like they could be fun. One is an animated/live-action adaptation of the Stanislaw Lem story The Futurological Congress and the other is a take on Homer's classic story Odyssey which will star Brad Pitt. I guess Troy was such a hit that they want to do it again. In other movie news, the Watchmen movie, which is set for a march release from Warner Brothers, is still on track, but a court has ruled that 20th Century Fox owns the copyright to the film. I'm sure the movie will still be released, but there will a whole lot of litigation while the two studios fight over who owes who how much money.

So how many among you have science-fiction themed ornaments on your Christmas tree? Check out this tree that is decked out with just about every Hallmark Star Wars and Star Trek ornament imaginable. Have you seen how much those things cost? They must have spent several hundred dollars on their decorations. Wow. Our house doesn't have any of the light-up ornaments, but we do have a few Star Wars decorations for the tree that are made from ceramic so I guess we qualify as holiday nerds, although I draw the line at watching the Star Wars Holiday Special. Christmas shows up in science fiction and holiday stories now and again. The Doctor Who Christmas specials have become something of a tradition and now and again you see holiday-themed SF art, although it's not as common as it once was. One of my favourite examples is from the January 1954 cover of Astounding Stories, a copy that I have stashed away in my collection. I think any SF fan can identify with the portrait of a youngster with his rocket ship under the tree dreaming of tomorrow. Just don't get all Freudian on me about the placement of the rocket and what he's doing with it. Have yourselves a happy holiday and I hope all of your wishes come true.

An essay at Locus makes a case that the most important year in the history of science fiction cinema was 1958. The writer certainly makes a compelling case, but I wonder if you can really pick any single year for such an honour. A common theme in a lot of SF movies from that time was the mad scientist. Author John Scalzi wonders if those visionaries may have received a bad rap. The following year of 1959 was also important as it was the year that Sputnik launched the space race and fuelled all sorts of science fiction dreams. One of the writers from that era who obssessed on the subject was Willie Ley. Finally, if you are looking for some science fiction movie reviews from the 50s and beyond, this site collects dozens of write-ups that may be of interest to you.

It seems that the migration of the web series Sanctuary to television has prompted everyone in his brother to get out the green screens and start producing web science fiction shows of their own. It's like the Klondike Gold Rush out there. The latest announcement is that Whoopi Goldberg, who's SF pedigree includes her stint as Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation, will be starring in a new web series called Stream. I guess it pays better than Hollywood Squares. Other recent entries include something called Starjackers, which began life as a video game, and another show called After Judgement. Interestingly, both shows are post-apocalyptic adventures. I guess the effects are easier. You can film on a construction site or abandoned factory somewhere and you don't have to spend anything on set construction. And in the U.K., MSN has something called Kirill. One show that seems like a natural for a reverse migration from network TV to the web is Mystery Science Theater 3000. The production costs are virtually nothing. Just get yourself an old movie and superimpose some figures and a soundtrack and you are all set. My question always is who is watching this stuff? I barely have time to watch what's already on the networks. I still haveall of last year's Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who episodes waiting to be watched, not to mention the nine episodes of Fringe that have aired since the premiere.

You've probably seen lots of Mars photos by now from the various rovers that NASA has on our neighbouring planet, but have you taken the time to look at the 3D ones? They're pretty cool. Even cooler, was this NASA link I found on how to make your own 3D photos. We're all still looking for that one photograph that will prove that life might have once existed on a world that may have been very much like a young Earth at one time. Some scientists think that there was a time that one-third of the planet was covered with oceans of water. Maybe that photographic evidence of life already exists. Here are the discoveries made on Mars that NASA will never tell you about.

I've been gathering ideas for this year's science fiction calendar and have encountered some wonderful old-fashioned science fiction art in my online travels. This collection of vintage SF covers from a Japanese artist who I have never heard of was quite an eye-opener. I'm always fascinated about how American pulp art is copied in other countries. This Flickr pool of old science fiction book covers was also a treat. There are thousands of entries for you to ogle. You've probably got some of them in your own collection. I know some of them can be found on my shelves. If you're new to the world of pulp art, this is one of the better overviews of the topic that I have read in a while. It covers all the big names who's art now fetch big dollars. As much as I admire the old-time covers, the modern 3D art that today's artists are creating with computers is nothing short of astounding. As for the Robocop on a unicorn art, I'll leave that for you to decide what to think about it.

If you're like me, you have too many books. I've got enough science fiction books to start a bookstore and I have interests in so many subjects that I have a library of non-fiction books that is threatening to take over the house. My wife's not quite as bad a bibliophile as me, but she' not far off and now I find myself buying books for my kids to the point that their shelves are bursting. Is it time to stop the madness? I'm getting to an age where I know that I will never read all the books on my shelves and have to be selective about what I pick up. There are scores of classics that I will never get a chance to read before I shuffle off this mortal coil. Should I really be reading that Perry Rhodan novel instead of something more important? I also wonder if it is not time to start culling my collection. I pity the person who has to go through my books after I die. Chances are it will all end up at some charity where some future collectors will pick up my cherished tomes for a pittance. Either that or they'll all end up in a recycling bin. I'm mentioning all this as a leadup to two interesting essays I read recently on the subject of culling books from your collection. The first is a New York Times piece called The Well-Tended Bookshelf which discusses some philosophies certain book lovers have regarding their efforts to keep their collections manageable and the other is about an academic's desire to get rid of a lifetime of books that were starting to resemble little more than ugly wallpaper. How do you decide which books to keep and which to get rid of?

Harry Potter is the most successful bit of YA fiction ever conceived, but there are many more genre titles out there that are geared toward a young audience. This interesting thread on a teaching forum lists many recommendations. Don't let Richard Dawkins see the site. He's planning a book that examines how feeding kids a diet of fantasy novels isn't good for their mental health as it harms their ability to think scientifically. I wonder what he'd think of Bruce Coville, another highly succesful children's writer who was not quite the equivalent of J.K. Rowling in his heyday, but still a hit with young SF fans. Depending on the age of the child, I'd steer him or her to this trio of fantasy novels which are recommended on a bookstore blog as essential titles. I don't read much fantasy, but those three top my list. And whatever you do, don't let Dawkins check out this trailer for We Are Wizards, a movie about Harry Potter fandom. He'd probably blow a gasket.  

Harry Potter is the most successful bit of YA fiction ever conceived, but there are many more genre titles out there that are geared toward a young audience. This interesting thread on a teaching forum lists many recommendations. Don't let Richard Dawkins see the site. He's planning a book that examines how feeding kids a diet of fantasy novels isn't good for their mental health as it harms their ability to think scientifically. I wonder what he'd think of Bruce Coville, another highly succesful children's writer who was not quite the equivalent of J.K. Rowling in his heyday, but still a hit with young SF fans. Depending on the age of the child, I'd steer him or her to this trio of fantasy novels which are recommended on a bookstore blog as essential titles. I don't read much fantasy, but those three top my list. And whatever you do, don't let Dawkins check out this trailer for We Are Wizards, a movie about Harry Potter fandom. He'd probably blow a gasket.  

Now we're sure to be invaded by aliens. The producers of the remake of the Day the Earth Stood Still are planning on beaming it into space. However, we may be safe because the extraterrestrials may just conclude that it's evidence that no intelligent life exists in our solar system, judging from the early reviews of the movie which are baaad. I had my suspicions that it might be craptastic based on the volume of hype that I've been seeing about the movie. The film's star, Keanu Reaves, has been interviewed by just about everybody for the film. Here's one sit-down with the Boston Herald and another with canada.com. Even the director's been talking up the movie. One of the more interesting articles I read about the movie is from IO9 that looks at some of the science behind the re-imagined robot Gort. He sounds cool, but probably not as cool as the original. No  matter how terrible the reviews, I'll still probably check this movie out just to see how Hollywood approached the remake of a beloved science fiction classic.

It's hard to believe that the International Space Station is already 10 years old. At this rate, we're all going to be old people before they ever finish the darned thing and start heading out to the moon or Mars. To mark the occasion, the Boston Globe's fantastic photo blog, The Big Picture, has collected some impressive shots of the space station for you to gawk at. (if you like space pictures, they're also offering a Hubble telescope advent calendar.) If you've ever wondered just how big the ISS is, here's a graphic that will give it some scale compared to well-known sci-fi space ships. It's pretty darned big, but most of it is solar panels. If you think a decade to build a space station is a long time, don't hold your breath waiting for a space elevator to be made to haul stuff up into orbit. Some scientists are throwing cold water on the idea saying it's a lot more complicated than it looks. Maybe we should just use balloons like these teddy bears did to reach the edge of space.

hristmas is coming and it's time to start thinking about what science fiction books to buy the fan in your life. Who better than The SF Chronicle to help guide you? Yes, the SF stands for San Francisco, but let's pretend it stands for science fiction. Here are their holiday picks for 2008. The Times also has a list of holiday recommendations for you to consider. For more books to consider, here is a roundup of recent genre books from the Washington Post as well as this review of Poul Anderson's latest book. There's also a book about the science of science fiction that will appeal to any fan. If none of those catch your fancy, then do what I do, browse for a book by its cover. Buy the one with the coolest cover or title. I chose Sci-Fi Baby Names. The next person I meet who is struggling up with a baby name will get my recommendation - Slartibartfast. Of course you could call him Bart for short. So what SF book do you want for Christmas? Have you got any books from 2008 that you would recommend as good gifts?