Carn is a short, dark film by Jeff Le Bars in which a young boy gets lost in the wilderness and encounters a wolf…
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Check out the table of contents for the upcoming anthology Extreme Planets: A Science Fiction Anthology of Alien Worlds….

But first, here’s the book description:

Two decades ago astronomers confirmed the existence of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. Today more than 800 such worlds have been identified, and scientists now estimate that at least 160 billion star-bound planets are to be found in the Milky Way Galaxy alone. But more surprising is just how diverse and bizarre those worlds are.

Extreme Planets is a science fiction anthology of stories set on alien worlds that push the limits of what we once believed possible in a planetary environment. Visit the bizarre moons, dwarf planets and asteroids of our own Solar Systems, and in the deeper reaches of space encounter super-Earths with extreme gravity fields, carbon planets featuring mountain ranges of pure diamond, and ocean worlds shrouded by seas hundreds of kilometres thick. The challenges these environments present to the humans that explore and colonise them are many, and are the subject matter of these tales.

Cover illustration by Paul Drummond. The anthology features 15 tales from leading science fiction authors and rising stars in the genre.

Here’s the table of contents…
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Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Andrew Smith’s brand new coming-of-age young adult dystopian novel Grasshopper Jungle was just optioned for film by Sony Pictures.

For those unfamiliar with the book (which Entertainment Weekly rated with an A-), here’s the synopsis:

In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend, Robby, have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things.

This is the truth. This is history.
It’s the end of the world. And nobody knows anything about it.
You know what I mean.

Funny, intense, complex, and brave, Grasshopper Jungle brilliantly weaves together everything from testicle-dissolving genetically modified corn to the struggles of recession-era, small-town America in this groundbreaking coming-of-age stunner.

Reviews for the book make no bones about this being a story about a teenagers coming to terms with their emerging sexuality. It also has giant bugs.

The story is being adapted by Scott Rosenberg, screenwriter for such films as Con Air, Beautiful Girls and High Fidelity. Deadline describes it as Stand By Me meets Attack The Block.

Child of Words is the new SF&F magazine from Big Pulp. Published twice annually, each issue contains a mix of science fiction and fantasy fiction and poetry.

Here’s the table of contents for the first issue, available now…
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Amazon has the cover and synopsis for the upcoming novel The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller, the first book in her new epic fantasy series The Tarnished Crown.

Here’s the synopsis (larger version of the cover follows):
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SF Signal has 3 copies of The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan to give away to 3 lucky SF Signal readers!

Here’s what the book is about:

The thrilling adventure of Lady Trent continues in Marie Brennan’s The Tropic of Serpents…

Attentive readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, are already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world’s premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkably candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career.

Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal tree snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics.

The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.

Here’s how you can enter for a chance to win:
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Here are the contents of Interzone #251 (with Cover Art by Wayne Haag):
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Here are the contents of the new issue of Black Static, which features cover art by Ben Baldwin…
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There is still some time left for you to enter our giveaway for No Hero by Jonathan Wood…but hurry, time is running out!

See the original post for details on how to enter.

REVIEW SUMMARY: An excellent science fiction novel that approaches dire consequences with a refreshing optimism.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars after being left for dead by his crew.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Excellent premise; great characterization of Watney, who is smart, funny and immediately likable; engrossing; relies heavily on realistic science; optimism pervades the entire novel.
CONS: The science and math may put off some readers unaccustomed to sf.
BOTTOM LINE: A smart, thrilling and ultimately uplifting story grounded in realistic science.

As a science fiction reader, it’s easy to get used to the idea of wild, far-future science fictional concepts appearing in fiction. (I’m looking at you, FTL and post-humanism!) So much so that it’s just as easy to forget why you’re reading science fiction in the first place: because science is cool. That’s as true for the science of today as it is for the imagined science of the future.
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The Hugo-nominated Apex Magazine is a monthly science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine featuring original, mind-bending short fiction from many of the top pros of the field. New issues are released the first Tuesday of every month. Here’s the table of contents for the new issue.
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In celebration of Women’s History Month, Jane Yolen, Ellen Datlow, Kate Elliott, Elizabeth Hand and N. K. Jemisin talk about being women writers, writing female characters, and the role models they look up to.

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Haffner Press has posted the table of contents for the collection The Reign of the Robots: The Collected Edmond Hamilton, Volume Four:

Here’s the book description:

THE REIGN OF THE ROBOTS, THE COLLECTED EDMOND HAMILTON, VOLUME FOUR is certainly worth your coppers as herewith are contained no fewer than 10 unreprinted stories from WEIRD TALES and/or WONDER STORIES. Alongside these soon-to-be-presented wonders, you’ll find some of Hamilton’s classic works such as “The Man Who Evolved” and “A Conquest of Two Worlds”.

Noted scholar and editor, Mike Ashley handles the introduction for this mighty tome.

As with previous volumes in this series, an appendix showcasing the original pulp magazine illustrations bulks large with obscura including reader s letters from the vintage magazines commenting on these stories, along with editorial correspondence between Hamilton and his editors.

Here’s the table of contents…
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There used to be a time when genre fanboys like myself would whine about the lack of films based on books. That situation has changed quite a bit.

Over at the Kirkus Reviews Blog this week, I take a look at the latest Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Adaptations.

Check it out.

Here is the table of contents for the new issue of Analog:

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Here’s the table of contents for the new issue of Asimov’s.
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The winners of our giveaway for Line and Orbit by Sunny Moraine and Lisa Soem have been chosen and notified.

Congratulations to:

• Lynette W.
• Michelle C.
• Shira L.

You will be receiving your prizes soon!

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Here’s our monthly roundup of some inexpensive science fiction, fantasy and horror Kindle eBooks for you to check out on your favorite reading device. All of these titles are priced under $4 at the time of writing this post. But prices are subject to change, so check the price before clicking “buy”. If Amazon is not your eBook ecosystem, please do look up the titles wherever you buy your eBooks; discounts are often applied at other outlets, so check there.

1. The Wolf and the Crown (The Perilous Order of Camelot) by A. A. Attanasio (A. A. Attanasio)
2. The Bitter Pill by A. Bertram Chandler (Prologue Books)
3. The Alternate Martians: The Sequel to The Coils of Time, a Novel of an Alternate Rim Worlds Universe by A. Bertram Chandler (Prologue Books)

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Irene Gallo at Tor.com tells us that judging for the 21th edition of the Spectrum Fantastic Art Annual wrapped up. Here are the gold and silver finalists:
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SF Author Guy Hasson writes in to tell us that he has launched New Worlds Comics, an digital-only comics line that promises to “bring the highest level of science fiction and fantasy to comic books.”

At launch, New Worlds Comics is available for the iPad only via iTunes. Within two months, it will also be available for the iPhone, then Android, then the web.

Following is New Worlds Comics manifesto…
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