A science fiction blog featuring science fiction book reviews and with frequent ramblings on fantasy, computers and the web.
Who doesn’t remember the awesomeness that was the 90′s X-Men animated series? The folks behind this pretty nifty stop-motion animation version of the intro to that cartoon, that’s who!
Check it out after the jump!
Recently, I was honored to have one of my short stories, Charisma, included in a new shared world anthology called An Uncommon Collection. Published by the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group, a non-profit 501(c)3, the anthology highlights contributions from fifteen of the forty members of CSFWG and has walked an interesting path from conception to publication, one that I thought I would share with you by chatting with Mike Reid and J.T. Evans, who co-edited the anthology (a first for them both). In the interest of full disclosure, J.T. is the President of the CSFWG and I am the VP. We both sit on the board for the 501(c)3. We both have stories in the collection.
Patrick Hester: First up – why don’t you both tell people who you are and what you do.
Mike Reid: My name is Mike Reid and I am a graphic designer for the Colorado Springs Business Journal. I am also a former member and officer of the CSFWG.
J.T. Evans: My name is J.T. Evans and I currently pay the mortgage as a software engineer, but in my spare time, I am the president of the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group, webmaster for the Pikes Peak Writers, father of a wonderful five-year old, and still manage to crank out a few thousand words a week on my second fantasy novel.
Day 5 0f my totally stealing this idea from both John Scalzi and Chuck Wendig, and changing it up a little for SF Signal.
I want to know which genre comics out there you like and why. They can be comics on the web or in print – doesn’t matter. Tell us about them. Leave your thoughts in the comments, along with a link to their website (I suggest 1 per comment if you don’t want the moderation bot to hold you in purgatory). I plan to do something with these for the SF Signal podcast, so pile on people, and promote those comics!
In episode 169 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats with Christopher J. Garcia, winner of the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Fanzine (along with James Bacon) for The Drink Tank.
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Day 4 0f my totally stealing this idea from both John Scalzi and Chuck Wendig, and changing it up a little for SF Signal.
I want to know which genre book bloggers out there you like and why. They can have their own website or can be doing it for a site like this one – doesn’t matter. Tell us about them. Leave your thoughts in the comments, along with a link to their website (I suggest 1 per comment if you don’t want the moderation bot to hold you in purgatory). I plan to do something with these for the SF Signal podcast, so pile on people, and promote those book bloggers!
Day 3 0f my totally stealing this idea from both John Scalzi and Chuck Wendig, and changing it up a little for SF Signal.
I want to know which genre publishers out there you like and why. Big publishers, small publishers – doesn’t matter. Tell us about them. Leave your thoughts in the comments, along with a link to their website (if they have one) (I suggest 1 per comment if you don’t want the moderation bot to hold you in purgatory). I plan to do something with these for the SF Signal podcast, so pile on people, and promote those publishers!
Day 2 of my totally stealing this idea from both John Scalzi and Chuck Wendig, and changing it up a little for SF Signal.
I want to know which genre news websites out there you like and why. Leave your thoughts in the comments, along with a link to the website (I suggest 1 per comment if you don’t want the moderation bot to hold you in purgatory). I plan to do something with these for the SF Signal podcast, so pile on people, and promote those websites!
Hi there! So, I am totally stealing this idea from both John Scalzi and Chuck Wendig, and changing it up a little for SF Signal.
I want to know which podcasts out there you like and why. Please stick to Genre stuff. Leave your thoughts in the comments, along with a link to the podcast (I suggest 1 per comment if you don’t want the moderation bot to hold you in purgatory). I plan to do something with these for the SF Signal podcast, so pile on people, and promote those podcasts!
In episode 168 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats with the NY Times Bestselling Author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera books, Jim Butcher.
Warner Brothers has given us a proper trailer for next summer’s Man of Steel from director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan. Definitely looks to be a darker take on Superman than what we’ve seen in the past, but is it enough to wash the creepy/stalker Supes from Superman Returns from our memories?
Check it out after the jump.
As you may or may not be aware, I’m an author. I’ve got a few different things out there that you can read, and hope to have many more out there as soon as possible. I also do a podcast here at SF Signal, and another one over at Functional Nerds. So when JohnD linked me to this piece from Sword and Laser, I saw a melding of medias that deserved a little attention here at SF Signal.
Sword and Laser is the podcast from Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont that incorporates Tom’s love of Scifi and Veronica’s love of Fantasy, along with a popular book club, to promote genre fiction to readers of all ages and tastes. It’s a great show and you should check it out either in audio or video. Your choice. But now they’re doing something different, something that bridges their podcast with their love of fiction – The Sword and Laser Anthology.
A new trailer is up for the Will Smith / M. Night Shyamalan scifi flick, After Earth.
Synopsis:
A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.
Looks pretty sweet – check it out after the jump!
I know it’s not a genre show, but Castle has it’s genre moments, including this shiny montage of Firefly references.
In episode 167 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
2012 YEAR IN REVIEW
Marvel Comics is shaking things up with their new Marvel Now! Among the changes comes some huge stuff for the mutants of the X-books following the events of Avengers Vs. X-Men. Enter X-Men Legacy #1, kicking off the all-new ongoing series from acclaimed writer Simon Spurrier and Eisner Award Winning artist Tan Eng Huat!
Legion, the most powerful and unstable mutant in the world and son to Professor Charles Xavier, has killed gods and reshaped the face of the universe. Now, Legion will finally attempt to conquer his demons and establish his place among mutantkind!
Trailer is after the jump.
Came across this recently and wanted to share – Archetype, a short film by Aaron Sims.
RL7 is an eight-foot tall combat robot that goes on the run after malfunctioning with vivid memories of once being human. As its creators and the military close in, RL7 battles its way to uncovering the shocking truth behind its mysterious visions and past.
Starring Robert Joy (Land of the Dead, CSI:NY) and David Anders (Heroes, 24).
This short film has some stunning visual FX.
Check it out after the jump.
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I love the ‘How It Should Have Ended’ series. Today, they take a look at how Looper should’ve ended.
Favorite line?
“Whatever you do, don’t blink.”
“Blink? Where we’re going, we don’t need to blink.”
Check it out after the jump. (Warning for Looper spoilers!)
In episode 166 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
Gifts for the Science Fiction and Fantasy person in your life. Or, heck, just tell your own family to listen for ideas of what to buy for you…
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Can’t get enough of The Walking Dead? The good folks over at Macmillan sent us a link to an audio clip from the latest The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga. It centers on the character Brian Blake, who features prominently in that book. The narrator is Fred Berman, and his voice is perfect for this material. Gave me chills listening to the clip. Check it out below and let us know what you think.
In episode 165 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with Douglas Hulick, author of Among Thieves.
About Douglas Hulick: Douglas Hulick was born in Fargo, ND, but spent much of his life moving about the Midwest. Somehow, he kept ending up in the vicinity of Chicago, IL, which helps explain his abiding love of deep-dish pizza, Ferris Bueller, and Goose Island beer. Somewhere along the way, a copy of A Dictionary of the Underworld by Eric Partridge fell into Douglas’s hands. Having sold a few fantasy short stories, Douglas thought a book that defined historical thieves cant (criminal jargon) and described some of the practices of that world might come in handy at some point. Little did he know. Among Thieves, his first novel, grew out of this unlikely seed over the course of a decade. It was acquired by Roc/Penguin U.S.A. on Douglas’s 44th birthday in 2009. Douglas lives with his wife and two sons in Minnesota. When not writing or chasing after his kids, he likes to practice and teach 17th century Italian rapier combat (in the tradition of Ridolfo Capoferro), cook, read, and hang out in coffee shops.
