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We all know that reading about heroic characters in impossible situations can be thrilling and a great escape from our otherwise drab lives. But new research shows that reading fiction can actually make us better people as well — the more we identify with fictional characters on the page, the more we try to act like them. More »
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May 2012 is not for the faint of heart of the unwary. This month is packed with science fiction and fantasy goodness, that will shake your very soul to its foundations. Including the long-awaited release of The Avengers! New Star Trek books! New Kim Stanley Robinson and China Mieville! Free Comic Book Day! And tons and tons of author appearances and conventions. More »
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What does April have in store for you in science fiction and fantasy? A new Dark Tower novel by Stephen King! Christopher Moore on book tour! Joss Whedon's long-awaited Cabin in the Woods! Nazis at the Center of the Earth! And much, much more. More »
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March brings a lot of excitement to the universes of science fiction and fantasy. At the movies, there's The Hunger Games and John Carter. On television, almost all of your favorite shows are returning. And there are new books by Naomi Novik, C.J. Cherryh, Tim Pratt, Raymond E. Feist and Elizabeth Bear. Plus tons of conventions and author appearances. More »
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This year, February has an extra day, and it's packed with more excitement than you can possibly handle. There's a new Anne Rice book. Our favorite new TV show, The River, debuts. John Scalzi and Dan Dos Santos are at Boskone. The fantastic superhero movie Chronicle comes out, plus there are inexplicable sequels to Ghost Rider and Journey to the Center of the Earth. More »
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Happy New Year! Now that the apocalyptic year of 2012 is dawning, science fiction and fantasy are going into overdrive, to prepare you for the impending future. More »
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December opens up whole new universes for science fiction and fantasy fans! How can you prepare for the onslaught of awesomeness? Only by living in the future today, with the indispensible io9 calendar. More »
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You love spaceship fights and zooming through futuristic cities like Coruscant. But you also love gladiator fights and seeing 1920s Atlantic City recreated for Boardwalk Empire. Why is that? Though historical fiction is supposedly based in facts about the past, the genre has a surprising amount in common with the speculative tales of science fiction. Here are ten major themes and ideas shared by HF and SF. More »
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Science fiction fans live with one foot in the future — so here's a sneak peek of November's science fiction and fantasy. More »
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Last week it came to our attention that the phrase "blast off" was coined—not in a purely scientific context, but a science fictional one—by E. E. Smith, an early science fiction author often referred to as "the father of space opera." The term appeared in Smith's 1937 story Galactic Patrol, when one character inquires of another, "How long do you figure it'll be before it's safe for us to blast off?" More »
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October will fill your days and nights with horror. There are four new and returning horror/dark fantasy TV shows, including Walking Dead. There are tons of monster movies, plus the dystopian In Time. And there's loads of dark fantasy novels, including new Richard Kadrey, Richard K. Morgan and N.K. Jemisin! Plus new Terry Pratchett! More »
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In the decade since 9/11, the US government has cracked down on civil liberties at home and invaded nations abroad in the name of national security. And a whole crop of futuristic and fanciful tales have sprung up to satirize and justify "the war on terror." These tales generally deal with one of five crucial post-9/11 themes. More »
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Science fiction and fantasy heat up in September. There's Dragon*Con! New television shows, including Spielberg's dinosaur epic Terra Nova! New Scott Westerfeld dieselpunk insanity! Star Wars on Blu-ray! And Stephen Soderbergh's plague thriller Contagion. And so much more... More »
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Hollywood has been pumping out a prodigious amount of movies about aliens in recent years, and the public has been eating them up. But just why is it that we can't get enough of extraterrestrial life? More »
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What do August's science fiction and fantasy have in store for you? There's loads of movies, including David Tennant's vampire-hunting Fright Night. There's the return of Doctor Who! Loads of conventions, including Renovation/Worldcon! And tons of author appearances! More »
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July is the hottest month for science fiction and fantasy. At the movies, there's Harry Potter and Captain America. On TV, there's Torchwood and Warehouse 13. Plus A Dance With Dragons! And San Diego Comic-Con! More »
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Peter David is one of the most prolific authors of the past couple decades, writing his own original novels as well as Star Trek tie-in novels and countless novelizations. But he's never gone into the publishing business... until now. More »
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Science fiction and fantasy are exploding in June! New television shows! Tons of movies! Loads of books! How will you cope with all the excitement? Good thing we've got the complete guide to everything fantastic this coming month. More »
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Can you survive the onslaught of entertainment that's coming for you in May? There are new movies, including Thor and Pirates of the Caribbean. New John Scalzi! New China Mieville! Tons of conventions! And loads of season finales on television! More »
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April is the coolest month, ending the entertainment drought of March. There are tons of movies, conventions, books and comics. Doctor Who and Game of Thrones come to television. Neil Gaiman tackles vampires. Terry Bisson is back! And more... More »
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When an interviewer asked Hugo- and Macarthur-winning novelist Octavia Butler what she thought of her books being classed as science fiction, she said, "Really, it doesn't matter. A good story is a good story." In honor of Women's History Month, here is (some of) the story of Butler's life. More »
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The science fiction adventure is just beginning! Here's every amazing book, movie, television show, convention and author appearance you can't afford to miss in March. More »
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What does February have in store for you? Tons of popcorn movies, including Drive Angry and I Am Number Four. Plus a new urban fantasy from Doctor Who scribe Ben Aaronovitch! DVDs! Books! Television — and loads of conventions! More »
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Greet the new year by discovering new worlds. January brings tons of conventions, plus the return of all your television favorites, the Green Hornet movie, and new books from Carol Emschwiller and Gene Wolfe. Discover the future — today! More »
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Philosopher John Holbo believes that the future might be the same as the present. Therefore, novels about today's world can count as science fiction - as long as they have the right perspective on technology and society. More »
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December isn't just a month for gifts and vacations. It's also Tron Legacy month. But that's not all — there are holiday specials from Doctor Who, Warehouse 13 and Eureka. Plus conventions and more Vampire Academy and Zombie Star Wars. More »
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The io9 calendar for November science fiction bursts with unprecedented awesomeness. On your movie screens, there's Harry Potter and alien abductions. There's also new Stephen King and tons of author appearances and conventions. The future is here — be prepared! More »
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October is a science fiction thrill ride, and here's your survival manual. The io9 calendar for October includes the returns of Caprica and Sanctuary, the launch of The Walking Dead, and Iain M. Banks' new Culture novel. Plus conventions galore! More »
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September rocks your universe, with William Gibson's long-awaited novel Zero History, the return of your favorite TV shows including Fringe, Venture Bros. and Supernatural, and some of the year's coolest science fiction conventions. Here's the indispensible io9 calendar for September. More »
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What's coming to you in August? Scott Pilgrim and Piranha 3-D! Max Headroom and Lost on DVD! Time Bandits on Blu-Ray! New Hunger Games and Tank Girl! Plus conventions, author appearances and more! More »
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What's in store for scifi fans this July? The San Diego Comic Con, Predators and Inception at the theaters, new seasons of Eureka and Warehouse 13, and scads of conventions, new books, and author appearances! More »
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Summer here is, and there's a ton of sizzling scifi on the way! June brings us the returns of True Blood and Futurama, Splice and Jonah Hex at the box office, and loads of author appearances, new books, and conventions. More »
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What's May have in store for you? Iron Man 2, the season finales of a ton of shows (including Lost!), and more conventions than you can shake a May Pole at! More »
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What tomfoolery awaits you this April? Kick-Ass, a new Freddy Krueger, spring TV in full swing, and a plethora of conventions and new books. It's the April io9 Guide To Science Fiction! No shenanigans! More »
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The "Star Trails" photo pool on Flickr is literally dizzying. People set up long-exposure shots or stacked photos on cloudless nights, and the result shows just how small we are against the hurtling stars. Here are a few humbling photos. More »
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March may be a drab month for weather, but this month has tons of shiny new scifi waiting for you. There's the return of V, io9's Time Bender at SXSW, Roger Corman's Dinoshark, and cons and author appearances galore! More »
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What makes a great science-fiction story work? Most people say the acid test is whether you can remove the scientific speculation and still have the same story. If so, it's not science fiction. But one author says it's the opposite. More »
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Where would we be without genre labels? Free to write new and weird idioms, possibly. But a couple of recent blog posts make the case that genres aren't cages, they're toolkits that tell you how to read a particular text. More »
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Are you ready to fall in love with science-fiction all over again in February? There's the final season of Lost, Connie Willis appearances, and a ton of awesome conventions. Peer into your immediate future with the io9 calendar! (Now updated!) More »
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By now, the apocalypse story – which goes back at least as far as the ancient Hebrews – has fractured into numerous sub-genres. Our favorite, these days, is the soft apocalypse, where the end has come but life goes on. More »
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