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For many of us, it's still Independence Day weekend, and we're still grilling hamburgers and celebrating our country's freedoms. To commemorate the occasion, John T. Ottinger looks at a dozen science fiction books and stories that are uniquely American. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5579855&view=rss&microfeed=true The list of Hugo Award finalists, announced yesterday, is a bit less mystifying than the Nebula finalists, which came out a while back - especially in the novel category. All five of the novel finalists are books we enjoyed, and would be delighted to see win. Meanwhile, it's good to see Charles Coleman Finlay's "The Political Prisoner" and Mary Robinette Kowal's "Evil Robot Monkey" getting recognition. (There seems to be a bit of a monkey theme with the short-story finalists.) I also loved Ted Chiang's "Exhalation." And congrats to our pals Chris Garcia and Cheryl Morgan, for the fan-writer nods. Finally, props to Tor for taking three out of five slots in the "best editor, long form" category, and congrats also to Lou Anders. More »
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The latest Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction features stories from two of their most interesting contributors. And they're serving up political, trippy and unsettling tales. More »
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Once again, the best thing in the current Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction is a very political novella about spying during wartime. Like Robert Reed's "Five Thrillers," which we praised a few months ago, "The Political Prisoner" by Charles Coleman Finlay features spies, political turmoil and genetically altered human colonists at odds with the ortho-humans. This time around, though, it's a sequel to the taut spy story "The Political Officer," which F&SF has just posted online for free. Meanwhile, Maurizio Manzieri, who illustrated Reed's "Five Thrillers," has posted his full artwork. You can see a detail above — click through to see the whole thing. More »
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