September News Roundup

* Overheard in the Store:
"C'mon, you know that everything is better with more arms and legs."
"Wow, that was so much faster than Amazon! And --- better!"

* A challenge was laid at Neal Stephenson’s feet asking science fiction writers and scientists to work together and imagine an optimistic future.  This lead to Project Hieroglyph. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28974943

* The 2014 Parsec Awards, for excellence in science-fiction podcasting, announce their winners!  Bookmark these for the next time you need something to listen to while working out or on a road trip.  Congratulations!  http://www.parsecawards.com/2014-parsec-awards/2014-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/

* Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announces that he will be playing Black Adam in the Warner Bros. upcoming Shazam film.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2014/09/03/dwayne-johnson-cast-but-warner-bros-shazam-remains-shrouded-in-mystery/

* Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain is in talks to star opposite Matt Damon in the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s THE MARTIAN, which will be directed by Ridley Scott.  http://variety.com/2014/film/news/jessica-chastain-to-joins-matt-damon-in-ridley-scotts-the-martian-1201214554/

* Congratulations to the 2014 Golden Duck Awards winners for excellence in children's science fiction.  http://www.locusmag.com/News/2014/08/2014-golden-duck-awards-winners/

* A pilot script has been commissioned for a potential Supergirl TV series.  Our only fervent hope is that original Supergirl Helen Slater makes a guest appearance.  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/supergirl-tv-series-works-730356

* Arthur C. Clarke’s classic science fiction novel CHILDHOOD’S END will be turned into a six-hour miniseries by the Syfy network.  http://www.blastr.com/2014-9-3/syfy-picks-arthur-c-clarkes-childhoods-end-six-hour-miniseries

* Ra’s Al Ghul will make an appearance in Arrow Season 3.  Unfortunately the character has, once again, been whitewashed in casting.  http://www.scifinow.co.uk/news/arrow-season-3-makes-ras-al-ghul-white-again/

* Film director Mike Cahill has been chosen by Syfy to direct its upcoming TV series adaptation of Lev Grossman’s THE MAGICIANS.  http://sciencefiction.com/2014/09/04/mike-cahill-set-direct-pilot-syfys-new-series-magicians/

* The first TV spots for the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are out, and everyone is wondering if the events of the film The Winter Soldier and the repercussions felt in the TV series are enough to bring back the viewers who left it.  http://collider.com/agents-of-shield-season-2-tv-spots/

* Expect the Starz TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS in 2016! http://screenrant.com/american-gods-tv-show-details-air-date/

* Congratulations to the 2014 Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards!  http://www.mythsoc.org/news/mythopoeic-awards-2014-winners-announced/

* Over at io9 Rob Boffard explores whether the oft-used science fiction dystopian villain of the Evil Mega Corporation could actually exist.  http://io9.com/could-an-evil-mega-corporation-ever-exist-in-real-life-1630401831

* Tor.com theorizes that the inspiration for the second season of "True Detective" could be a classic Thomas Pynchon novel.  http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/09/did-we-just-learn-the-plot-of-true-detective-season-two

* The Netflix original series Hemlock Grove (which has struck a chord with a large and vocal group of fans but remains a target for critical mockery) is having a good news/bad news moment. The good news being that it has been renewed for a third season, the bad news that it will be the final season for the show.  http://www.latino-review.com/news/hemlock-grove-gets-a-third-and-final-season-from-netflix

* The 2014 Hugo Awards were announced at Loncon 3.  Congratulations to all of the winners, including previous Borderlands guests Ellen Datlow, Mary Robinette Kowal, Sofia Samatar, Charles Stross, and more!  http://www.loncon3.org/

* Veteran science fiction actors from Babylon 5, Star Trek, The X-Files, Buffy, StarGate and Falling Skies team up for the Kickstarter series Space Command.  Check out the trailer revealed at Comic Con, but keep in mind all the special effects are temporary at this point.  http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/scifi/space-command-comiccon-trailer-teases-cast-full-familiar-scifi-faces.html

* The Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, which is housed at UC Riverside, just got a bequest of $3.5 million, the largest gift ever received by the UCR library.  http://www.pe.com/articles/collection-749160-klein-ucr.html

* Author and recipient of the 2014 Hugo for Best Fan Writer and Best Related Work Kameron Hurley talks about the limitations of genre, the difficulties in getting published when you write something genre-bending, and lessons learned after genre-bending the first time in THERE IS NO GENRE, ONLY STORY http://www.sffworld.com/2014/09/genre-story-kameron-hurley-mirror-empire-blog-tour/

* The 2014 winners of the Sidewise Award, for excellence in alternate history writing, include local author Vylar Kaftan!  Congratulations to Vylar and her fellow winners.  http://www.uchronia.net/sidewise/

* The discovery of some intensely bizarre sea creatures has made it necessary for scientists to add to the categories of life.  io9 has all the details here: http://io9.com/bizarre-sea-creatures-force-scientists-to-create-new-ca-1630460043

* Margaret Atwood becomes the first author to join an art project where trees are planted, and authors are commissioned to write novels that will not be published until the trees are cut down to make the books in 100 years.  This means that the next novel she writes won’t actually see publication until 2114.  http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/09/margaret-atwood-future-library-project-100-years

* Very cool interview with John Scalzi, who was kind enough to visit us in early September and sign about a million books: http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/john-scalzi-comiccon-lock-in/Content?oid=3126373

* Speaking of signed books, if you missed any of our recent signings, we still have some autographed copies of works by Joe Abercrombie, Dana Fredsti, Ray Garton, Brian Herbert, Glen Hirshberg, Richard Kadrey, Katharine Kerr, Richard A. Lupoff, Kelli Stanley, John Scalzi, and Brent Weeks!  Call or email us for details.

* I don't know what to say about this at all, except it's very, very weird.  Epic Rap Battles of History: Edgar Allen Poe vs. Stephen King.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56R3hU-fWZY

* We're extremely sorry to report the death of author Graham Joyce, who passed away September 9th at the age of 59.  Graham was a brilliant writer, a true gentleman, and a dear friend.  We will miss him terribly.  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/10/graham-joyce-fantasy-author-dies-aged-59