Dune

10 Books That Were Better Off on Paper

It's happened to all of us. We read a novel that blows us away, and a few years later its title appears on posters underneath the face of Harrison Ford or Natalie Portman. But at some inevitable point in that darkened theater, the movie takes a turn we didn't expect. Our eyebrows go up, our lips turn down, and the disappointment begins. Maybe the wrong director or writer can curse an otherwise excellent project — or maybe some things were just never meant to be filmed. Here are 10 books that we think should never have been committed to celluloid. More »

12:00 PM on Sun Jun 29 2008
By Nivair H. Gabriel
79,440 views, 121 comments

Latest by n/a: Nineteen Eighty-Four. 'nuff said. And George Orwell KNEW it shouldn't be a movie (he refused to release the rights to it. Before his wife died, she released the rights but she insisted that there be no modern special effects.) Not only more »

dune

Master Of Male Danger Will Write Dune Movie

Peter Berg's movie of Frank Herbert's desert epic novel Dune could be a tense thriller about men who barely repress their inner monsters, if screenwriter Josh Zetumer gets to write the script. Zetumer, who's in talks to script it, is "especially good at developing complex male characters in whom danger is always lurking just beneath the surface," says a Warner Bros. exec in last year's Variety profile. He's also done production work on the new James Bond movie and written two other scripts, including a psychological thriller about "two brothers at odds in the Alaskan wilderness." And he's in an indie rock band that sounds quite good. So, yay then. [Hollywood Reporter]

11:50 AM on Fri Jun 6 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
1,572 views, 36 comments

Latest by n/a: Peter Berg's Dune: All i'm saying is, they'd better not make the female characters weak and weepy. Princess Jessica, Irulan, Chani, Mohaim, little Alia, even Shadout Mapes are incredibly strong, exceptional women and the story wouldn't be the same if more »

ask a biogeek

Where Are My Bioengineered Ecologies?

It's another installment of Ask a Biogeek, a column where UC Berkeley biology researcher Terry Johnson answers all your questions — especially the weird ones.

Reader Daniel wonders:

As a biologist who studies whole organisms and populations, I find that more and more of biology (in terms of funding, positions and emphasis) is going to the sub-organismal level. We now have lots of cell biologists, geneticists, neurologists, biochemists, biomechanics, bioengineers and so on, but not a lot of behaviorists, population ecologists, biodemographers and others who study the emergent properties that arise at the higher levels of organization. What role, if any, do you foresee for understanding of these higher level biological phenomena in the future sci-fi-ish stuff?

I believe we're rapidly reaching the point where scientists will be both ready and able to consider artificially-induced emergent biological properties — in other words, terraforming. Let me take you on a tour of today's state-of-the-art in this emerging field.

More »

9:00 AM on Thu Jun 5 2008
By Terry Johnson
2,563 views, 28 comments

Latest by Terry Johnson: @corpore-metal: For a planet with a reasonable atmosphere, it might be easier to change us than the planet. For something as desolate as Mars, I think we'd reasonably have to fiddle with the planet first, or meet somewhere in the more »

islam in science fiction

SF Writers Use Islam To Explore The Familiar Alien

The Islam And Science Fiction website is addictive reading, mostly because it shows how many different ways non-Muslim writers have portrayed Islam in SF works. I already knew that Dune borrows tons of ideas from Islam, but I'd forgotten that Philip K. Dick's Eye In The Sky used a fundamentalist Islamic world to reflect paranoia about McCarthyism and Communist hysteria. (In a few works, Islam seems to be the "safe" other to project an author's fears of oppression onto.) But since 9/11, portrayals of Islam have actually become more sympathetic in novels such as Charles Stross' Accelerando and Brian Aldiss' Harm. [Islam In Science Fiction]

12:10 PM on Wed May 7 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
1,166 views, 25 comments

Latest by n/a: Uhg...If Frank Herbert was alive today he would slap Brian's mama. more »

triviagasm

Forget Warp Speed, Try One Of These Alternative FTL Ideas

In Star Wars and Star Trek, the main way to get around the galaxy is to use warp speed or flip on your hyperdrive, which is a bit like hitting the gas pedal as hard as you can so you'll get there a bit quicker. There's more science to it than that, involving subspace fields and hyperspace and all that jazz, but the end result is that you're traveling very quickly. But besides speed, what other faster than light alternatives are there? Check out our list of other ways to get there in scifi. More »

3:40 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Kevin Kelly
9,067 views, 123 comments

Latest by n/a: I like books that take the time to really explain how their FTL drives work. The details of what is and isn't possible in terms of interstellar travel would make a huge difference. Snce FTL is made up more »

scifi politics

Thinly-Veiled Allegories About the Middle East in U.S. Science Fiction

If science fiction is really about the present, then it's no surprise that the longstanding tensions between the United States and Middle Eastern countries should make itself known in tales of "desert planets." From Tattoine to Klendathu, planets full of barren dunes are usually not-so-subtle allegorical stand-ins for a stereotyped "Middle East." Let's take a closer look at five science fictional tales from the United States that deal more or less openly with the relationship between that country and the Arab world to find out more. More »

4:00 PM on Fri Apr 4 2008
By Annalee Newitz
10,559 views, 83 comments

Latest by beercheck: @Annalee Newitz: I dunno. Did your post actually make the point you intended? Under the circumstances of the title, it sounded to me as though you were using the bug/Iraqi analogy as an example of a "Thinly-Veiled Allegory About the more »

sci fi drugs

Take A Vacation from Your Mind

We already asked you which science fictional drug you'd like to spend a weekend bingeing on, and now The Onion A.V. Club is reminding us there are way more bizarre drugs in science fiction than even we'd remembered. The Onion's list of fictional drugs includes a number of scifi standbys: Soma, Synthehol, Melange, Substance D, Nuke (from Robocop 2), Snow Crash and Mimezine (from Wild Palms.) What's really great, though, is they throw in a few drugs from real-life urban legends... which are just as strange as the ones Philip K. Dick and friends came up with. Image from Japanese cover to The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch. [Onion A.V. Club, thanks to evilfremen]

11:00 AM on Wed Apr 2 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
813 views, 13 comments

Latest by BlindKarma: Kick from the Marvel U. Something that gets me high and gives me mutant powers, yes plz. more »

superhero spoofs

Hancock And Superhero Movie Will Bring The Pain

Two new movies will make make fun of superheroes this year, but neither one will actually have anything interesting to say about the eminently mockable genre, judging from the latest info. David Zucker's Superhero Movie will stick to sight-gags about well-known characters and serve up dumb innuendo, judging from this new clip. Meanwhile, Hancock, starring Will Smith, has the makings of the next Catwoman, judging from the plot summaries that have leaked out of early screenings. More »

6:30 AM on Thu Mar 20 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
5,493 views, 34 comments

Latest by Turael: I missed everything after Charlize Theron was starring in it. more »

dune

Make the New Dune More Like "Lawrence of Arabia"

Now that we've all reconciled ourselves sourly to the idea that Peter "The Kingdom" Berg will be directing a big-budget remake of Dune, it's time to talk about what the Dune movie really should be: a generation-spanning epic about war, full of vast, dramatic landscapes ala The Searchers or Lawrence of Arabia. Nobody adapting Dune for the screen (big or small) seems to understand that the book isn't so much about spaceships and giant worms as it is about landscape. We've got some suggestions for Berg before he starts filming. More »

3:03 PM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By Annalee Newitz
3,781 views, 60 comments

Latest by n/a: The first three dune books are like my religion, so I take news of any new movie with hope, curiosity, and trepidation. In the case of The Kingdom director's news, trepidation wins out because i don't believe you can make more »

poll

What Movie Remake Are You Dreading Most?

The fact that another science fiction remake is announced every week doesn't mean Hollywood has run out of ideas. It just means nostalgia is the mind-killer. And it's only going to get worse, now that the Omega Man remake I Am Legend was such a huge success. So which planned remake makes you want to firebomb your local cineplex? Click through to vote. More »

11:20 AM on Mon Feb 18 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
10,615 views, 74 comments

money

A Handy Currency Converter For Alien Money

Don't get ripped off by unscrupulous intergalactic exchange bureaus! Consult our guide to alien money, including exchange rates with the U.S. dollar. Click through for a listing of currencies from Dune, Red Dwarf, Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and others. More »

10:15 AM on Fri Feb 8 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
3,707 views, 23 comments

scifi publishers on crack

What's Wrong With This Philip K. Dick Book Cover?

Does this really seem like it should be the book cover for The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick's novel about how the U.N. forcibly drafts people into colonizing planets, and then pacifies them with brain-interfaced Perky Pat dolls and weird drugs that give you eternal life? Check out the glowing blue eyes, the desert planet, the winged ships. Could this be the cover for another famous book, that got reused by a cheapo publisher for the Dick novel? More »

7:00 AM on Tue Jan 29 2008
By Annalee Newitz
59,001 views, 44 comments

Latest by Torley: Heh, I prefer the cover that looks like a hamsa, similar to the Second Life logo: » [en.wikipedia.org] more »

space gods

Dumbest Space Gods In Science Fiction

Why do space explorers always wind up meeting some crappy pantheon? It never fails. You're cruising along, fighting monsters and bedding your crewmates (or vice versa) and then all of a sudden some annoying guys in tunics are talking Big Talk and rewriting reality to suit their moronic whims. As Crichton from Farscape says, "Godlike aliens! Man, do I hate godlike aliens. I'll trade a critter for a godlike alien any day." Amen, Crichton. Amen. Here's our round up of the most annoying space gods, with only one example from Star Trek. More »

10:00 AM on Fri Jan 25 2008
By charliejane
8,967 views, 70 comments

Latest by Michael Bauser: @Gyrus: Star Trek: Next Generation was planning an episode with Trelaine and Q (that would reveal Trelaine as a Q), but the actor who played Trelaine died before they finished the script. They also talked about bringing back Harry Mudd, but more »

found footage

A Moment of Profoundly Silly Outfits and Knife-Fighting in Dune Miniseries

A couple of weeks ago, we had a poll where we asked you which science fiction drug you'd most like to get strung out on. The Spice from Dune won by a pretty wide margin (62.4%). Tailing it were Dust, the drug from Babylon 5 (15.4%) and Soma from Brave New World (12.5). You'd really need to be high on spice to appreciate the full impact of this clip, containing an inexplicably large array of silly costumes and bizarre hats — plus a knife fight! Yes, it's another glamorous scene from the extended, uber-director's cut of the already-super-long Dune miniseries from SciFi Channel. More »

7:20 AM on Fri Jan 18 2008
By Annalee Newitz
1,974 views, 29 comments

Latest by Schizohedron: With that red thing on, all you have to do is Photoshop Feyd's face just so and he's Klaus Nomi. more »

triviagasm

The Best Sampled Lines from Scifi in Music

We've already told you about the scifi-themed songs you might be entertained (or tortured) by if you end up stranded on Asteroid B17-X. But the music-scifi relationship goes both ways: music has been sampling your favorite scifi movies and shows for years. When a musician decides to include a line from Solaris (the original, not the Clooney remake) in their work, that frightens us. Sometimes though, they get it right. We've got a list of the most-sampled scifi in the world of music. More »

11:00 AM on Thu Jan 17 2008
By Kevin Kelly
4,782 views, 46 comments

Latest by n/a: One of the bands that made a career out of this was "My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult." Pick a song, there are many to choose from. I think one that fits best for me was "Blue Buddha" off of more »

poll

Which Scifi Drug Do You Wish You Could Take?

Science fiction is full of weird made-up drugs, many of which sound way more fun than boring old smack. There are drugs that make you telepathic, let you navigate space-time, or just give you trippy-ass visions. This wealth of options is due to the fact that science fiction fans are all drug fiends, says one famous author. Click through to learn more, and vote on which SF wonder drug you'd rather be tripping balls on right now. More »

12:20 PM on Fri Jan 4 2008
By charliejane
10,976 views, 126 comments

Latest by phoghat: @tetracycloide: A PanGalactic GargleBlaster! more »

morning spoilers

Dune Remake Will Be Budget-Killer

A new Dune movie will be "big big big," says director Peter Berg (The Kingdom.) The David Lynch version was dandy, but "that interpretation has left the door wide open for a remake," Berg says. If it wasn't for the writers' strike, he'd be working on his version of the Frank Herbert mega-novel right now. [MTV Movies Blog]. Spoilers for Sarah Michelle Gellar's next project, Cloverfield, and AVP-R after the jump. More »

6:00 AM on Mon Dec 24 2007
By charliejane
2,835 views, 7 comments

io9

Space Chimps Monkeying Around Isn't Entertaining

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