Category: fiction

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Roundup: Valentine’s Day is obligatory

Is it love, or just KJA? Only the Holocron knows for sure.It’s Valentine’s Day! Alas, we’re all pretty tied up here (not a euphemism, pervs) but feel free to check out our past sappy stuff, particularly James’ look at Star Wars Valentine’s Day cards and love in the Expanded Universe.

StarWars.com has a bunch of valentiney stuff as well.

Roqoo Depot dreamed up some Star Wars romance novels, a few of which gave me the giggles. Just remember, nerds: They’re not suggestions.

Over at EU Cantina, Nanci takes a look at some of the heart-breaking romances of the Expanded Universe. Includes snarking on Luke’s romantic track record, because that shit is never not funny.

Lane at Roqoo Depot isn’t having any of this romance crap: Instead, he’s looking at bromances in Star Wars. However, I’m pretty sure there’s slash out there about all those dudes. Sorry, Lane.

My Valentine nausea kicked up real hard on this one, but the art is nice, if you’re into the whole Captain Cardboard thing. Have at it, Jag/Jaina fans.

Head on over to Topless Robot to bask in their list of 8 villainous couples. No Star Wars, but I’m sure you’ll recognize a few.

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‘Women don’t read sci-fi’ incites chaos on Twitter

What started out as a lovely tribute to the awesomeness of A Wrinkle in Time has ignited a hashtag frenzy on Twitter.

In the article, Pamela Paul, a children’s book editor at The Book Review, cites some sad surveys that indicate the number of women who identify as reading sci-fi is depressingly low.

So rather than talking about the book, the statistics got Twitter going.  The hashtag #womenreadSF has gotten the geek women on Twitter recommending all sorts of awesome titles and authors.

In the face of these depressing statistics, what would you recommend? Do you try to engage the girls in your life with some good sci-fi?

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Harrison Ford returns to space in Ender’s Game

It was rumored several weeks back that the producers of the Ender’s Game movie were pursuing Harrison Ford to play Colonel Hyram Graff, and today it’s been confirmed that he’s signed on for the role.

The adaption of Orson Scott Card’s well-known novel, which will star Hugo’s Asa Butterfield as Ender, has been in the works for years – soon after The Phantom Menace, Jake Lloyd was being considered for the lead.

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The quick guide to Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels (by someone who hasn’t read them in years)

When we heard the news that Anne McCaffrey had died earlier this week, I found myself unexpectedly effected by it. For several years in my childhood and teens, Pern was one of my chief obsessions. I think that if I had run across Pern fans instead of Star Wars fans when I got online at 17, I might be running a very different kind of SF/F blog.

But instead, I gave up on following the series in 2001, after what I thought were several lackluster books. I can’t in good conscience recommend any of the recent Pern books, as I haven’t read them (and was actually shocked at just how many there are now!) But, for anyone who wants a grounding in the series, here are my recommendations. Continue reading “The quick guide to Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels (by someone who hasn’t read them in years)”

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Dark Horse teams up Star Wars, Firefly and Zack Whedon for Free Comic Book Day

No, it’s not a crossover, sadly. But you do get two-in-one: A Han and Chewbacca story shares a flip book with the Serenity folks, both tales penned by Zack Whedon (he co-wrote Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog with brothers Joss and Jed.) And Dark Horse will offer another flip book with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Guild. (via)

Free Comic Book is, as always, the first Saturday in May: This year, that means May 5, 2012. You’ll be able to find a participating comic shop near you with the Comic Shop Locator.

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Science fiction author Anne McCaffrey has passed away

The beloved science fiction author – best known for her Dragonriders of Pern novels – has passed away, reports Galleycat.

She passed away at her home in Ireland following a stroke says her publisher. She was 85, and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

McCaffrey published her first novel, Restoree, in 1967. She later became the first woman to win a Hugo for fiction and the first woman to win a Nebula, plus became the first female science fiction author to appear on The New York Times best seller list with The White Dragon in 1978.

The Pern books were some of the first ‘adult’ books that I read, and one of my earlier obsessions. While I drifted away from the series a decade ago, it still remains one of my early favorites. McCaffrey was not without her faults, but her books – with their focus on female protagonists when such things were uncommon in the genre – opened up the world of SF/F to many of us.