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Britain's BBC 2 had a whole evening of book-related programming in celebration of World Book Night, including the promisingly titled The Books We Really Read: A Culture Show Special. So why did the featured books not include genre fiction? More »
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British sci-fi/fantasy writer Michael Moorcock, who turned 71 on Saturday, is well known for his Eternal Champion mythos stories. He's also the rocker whose scifi lyrics drove some of the most iconic rock songs of the 1970s. More »
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If I've learned anything from Alternate History fiction, it's that in 90% of all alternate universes are timelines where A.) Hitler won WWII; or B.) people fly zeppelins instead of planes. Today we'll explore the latter. More »
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Neil Gaiman recently wrote a charmingly roundabout thank-you note to Michael Moorcock for a lifetime worth of inspiration. Is this why Morpheus the King of Dreams is a dead ringer for Elric of Melniboné? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5477344&view=rss&microfeed=true Get yourself a master class in writing from some of the best living writers. The Guardian has been collecting ten writing tips each from some amazing wordsmiths. Among my favorites: Jonathan Franzen, "The reader is a friend, not an adversary or a spectator." Elmore Leonard, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." Neil Gaiman: "Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." And Michael Moorcock: "I always advise people who want to write a fantasy or science fiction or romance to stop reading everything in those genres and start reading everything else from [John] Bunyan to [A.S.] Byatt." Many more illuminating rules at both links. [Guardian and Guardian] More »
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Michael Moorcock's announcement that he'd be writing a Doctor Who novel for release next year has prompted all manner of questions from concerned fans wondering about his Who credentials. Thankfully, Moorcock is happy to provide what they're looking for. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5405229&view=rss&microfeed=true It's the mash-up you never knew you wanted but now will be unable to wait for. Over on his website, Elric creator Michael Moorcock has announced that he'll be writing a Doctor Who novel for release late next year. Meanwhile, Eoin Colfer told Wired he'd like to write a Doctor Who too — although whether he meant a book or a TV episode, it's not clear. [Multiverse] More »
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Have we gone multiverse crazy? Iain Banks' latest novel, Transition, is just the latest of a long line of sideways-traveling books, and this theme is more prevalent than ever. Here are some of my favorites, with spoilers and foul language. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5372389&view=rss&microfeed=true Interviewed by BoingBoing's readers, New Wave legend Michael Moorcock says he's disconnected from science fiction that gets too abstract: "I'm not entirely sure about transhumanist fiction. It holds no attractions for me. Assuming I really know what it is. I've only really ever been interested in 'humanist' fiction. That is, fiction about people. As I've said, I don't read sf for pleasure and very little of it for review, so I'm no expert. I think I'm probably sympathetic to the writers you mention, but personally believe political fiction should be set in at least some version of the here and now. [...] This was always my argument about sf — that generally, by abstracting it, putting it in some 'other place', you lost some of the relevance. That said, I haven't been vastly interested in technological advance since I was young. I have every sympathy with Banks, Mcleod et al, but to be honest I've been no more able to read more than a page of their stuff than I have Heinlein's or Asimov's. The moment a spaceship turns up, you've lost me." — BoingBoing via Tachyon via Ken McLeod. More »
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Their books take you to strange cities from other planets, alternate histories and mythical realms. But what real-life cities inspire Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Nalo Hopkinson and China Miéville? The SharedWorlds project found out, with fascinating results. More »
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As summer brings thoughts of vacation, why not consider stopping off on one of the many Parallel Earths of science fiction? There's an infinite number of possibilities available to you - and here are some of our favorites. More »
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Friendly literary promoter guy Matt Staggs writes in to ask for help on behalf of his friend Michael Moorcock, author of about twenty million amazing multiverse novels (including the popular Elric saga) and occasional lyricist for Blue Oyster Cult. Moorcock is ailing and needs some geeky help finding an unusual kind of PC keyboard that could make writing easier. More »
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The pulp era gave rise to some of the most exciting, innovative science-fiction ever written, but far too many of these classic SF tales have been lost and nearly forgotten. Planet Stories, an imprint of Paizo Publishing, has been working to change that by putting out novels and short story collections on a monthly basis, many of which have been out of print for decades. If doughty heroes, spunky heroines, and pioneering authors fill your veins with fire and your heart with a lust for adventure, you'll want to check out Planet Stories' upcoming publishing schedule. More »
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Nobody knows better than science fiction fans that a few minor changes to the timeline can alter everything. And science fiction istelf could have turned out totally differently if just a few things had changed. Which alternate versions of science fiction history would have resulted in a more interesting SF landscape today? More »
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