December News

* We're very sad to report the death of the incredible artist Gahan Wilson, who passed away at age 89.  Read Neil Gaiman's loving tribute here: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2019/11/gahan-wilson-born-dead-now-dead-again.html

* We're also sad to note that Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, author of several of the most beloved original "Star Trek episodes", passed away last month: http://www.treknews.net/2019/12/03/star-trek-writer-dorothy-dc-fontana-dead/

* Borderlands' owner Alan Beatts, along with The Booksmith's Christin Evans and Dog Eared & Alley Cat Books' owner Kate Rosenberger, will be participating in a panel on the state of bookshops and bookselling, including how the industry works, what issues are facing it, and the place and importance of bookshops in city life.  The panel will take place Tuesday, January 28th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Manny's, 3092 16th Street, San Francisco. https://www.welcometomannys.com/

* The best science fiction and fantasy books of 2019, according to Silivia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-best-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-of-2019/2019/11/21/96604448-ef65-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html

* The original movie "Bladerunner" was set in November, 2019.  Since it's no longer set in the future, here are a couple of interesting discussions about that: https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/as-of-wednesday-blade-runner-is-no-longer-set-in-the-future ; https://laist.com/2019/11/18/blade_runners_2019_los_angeles_then_now_future_past.php

* And, relatedly, dystopia meets Autopia with a museum exhibition of vehicles from dystopian movies including "Blade Runner" and "Mad Max: Fury Road": https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/l-a-museum-opens-new-exhibit-of-dystopian-vehicles-fro-1834478920

* And lastly, speaking of dystopian vehicles, Tesla's recently-announced "Cyber Truck" has been receiving a lot of derision.  Here's a satirical video about Tesla's new Triangulator, which turns anything in a boxy, pointy copy of itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StlhIiAgZIM

* Author Claire Legrand is drawn to books containing characters described by that horrible, overused phrase "unlikeable female protagonists" - a.k.a., complex, flawed, human characters. This is why she loves these fantasy novels featuring girls and young women who don't much care if they're "likeable" or not: https://www.tor.com/2019/11/15/5-books-about-girls-who-dont-care-what-you-think-of-them/

* Seasonally important news, just in case you need to know how to kill Krampus: https://nowthisnews.com/videos/nerd/how-to-kill-krampus

* Love Baby Yoda, you must! https://www.wired.com/story/baby-yoda-internet/

* Our RNA may have come from space! https://www.livescience.com/space-sugar-rode-rna-metoers.html

* Neil Gaiman shares some early details on the upcoming "Sandman" TV series.  Jude has been waiting for this to be turned into television since she was 15!  https://io9.gizmodo.com/neil-gaiman-shares-some-early-details-on-the-upcoming-s-1840022235

* The Flat Earth Society may have members all around the globe, but what is the Earth WAS flat?  We'd all be very dead; here's why: https://www.livescience.com/what-if-flat-earth.html

* A timely topic: immigration, migration, and the associated questions of belonging are rife in science fiction and fantasy, author Malka Older notes. Here are some of her favorites: https://www.tor.com/2019/11/20/6-speculative-fiction-books-about-migration/

* The current king of weird eco-fiction, Jeff Vandermeer talks DEAD ASTRONAUTS, cool animals and more: https://www.bookbub.com/blog/jeff-vandermeer-interview-dead-astronauts

* An amazing and heartwarming new documentary from Screen Junkies (the mad geniuses behind Honest Trailers) about the greatest I-can't-believe-it's-not-Star Trek movie, "Galaxy Quest". No geek should miss it: https://www.cnet.com/news/galaxy-quest-cast-warmly-recalls-1999-sci-fi-classic-in-new-documentary-never-surrender/

* Because you know you want it, here is "Let it Go" sung in Klingon: https://www.handitv.com/stories/let-it-go-sung-entirely-in-klingon

* Relatedly, "Frozen 2" now has the biggest global debut of any animated film, ever: https://io9.gizmodo.com/frozen-2-now-has-the-biggest-global-debut-of-any-animat-1840021985

* I think at one point or another, we've all asked ourselves: what if our planet suddenly turned into an Earth-size pile of blueberries?  This is science.  https://www.livescience.com/63224-blueberry-earth.html

* Leonardo Da Vinci's best ideas: https://www.livescience.com/11329-leonardo-da-vinci-10-ideas.html

* As if a single black hole the size of ninety millions suns wasn't mind-blowing enough, here's one colliding with two other black holes. . . . (!): https://news.yahoo.com/hidden-black-hole-the-size-of-90-million-suns-spotted-colliding-with-two-others-184611811.html

* File this under "We can't do this here, and that's okay" - hair freezing contests: https://www.buzznick.com/hair-freezing-contest/

* Richard Silver's panoramic photos turn cathedrals into beautiful, science-fictional, fractal works of art: https://themindcircle.com/vertical-panoramic-churches/

* The Saturday Evening Post lists their picks for the 7 Greatest American Horror Novels: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/10/7-greatest-modern-american-horror-novels/

* H.R. Giger + Martha Stewart = Giant Gingerbread Xenomorph: https://www.geeksaresexy.net/2019/11/29/this-gigantic-gingerbread-alien-xenomorph-is-glorious-beyond-measure/

* Holy Cthulhu!  This new Lovecraft movie will be the first in a trilogy! https://www.horrornews.com/horror-news/holy-cthulu-new-lovecraft-movie-will-be-first-in-trilogy/