Whenever the tech industry rolls out a new innovation, they always quote some great work of science fiction --- but Silicon Valley doesn't really understand the stories they're reading and watching. That's why the three-time Hugo Award-winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct is launching a new miniseries called "Silicon Valley vs. Science Fiction," to explore all the ways that tech companies have misinterpreted or misunderstood the great works of the genre, in order to create marketing hype.
The first episode is a deep dive into some unexpected science fictional inspirations of today’s AI products such as ChatGPT – and reveals some of the extremely unsavory underpinnings of Silicon Valley’s AI philosophy. Future episodes will explore how mad scientist stories fueled the “difficult genius” myth among tech CEOs, and how Ayn Rand’s work is implicated in the gig economy.
Our Opinions Are Correct is a biweekly podcast from bestselling...
The first episode is a deep dive into some unexpected science fictional inspirations of today’s AI products such as ChatGPT – and reveals some of the extremely unsavory underpinnings of Silicon Valley’s AI philosophy. Future episodes will explore how mad scientist stories fueled the “difficult genius” myth among tech CEOs, and how Ayn Rand’s work is implicated in the gig economy.
Our Opinions Are Correct is a biweekly podcast from bestselling...
- 3/24/2023
- Podnews.net
January tends to be a quiet time for publishing as people come back from the holidays and booksellers trust in old favorites. It’s slim pickings, but there are still some options for brand-new space exploration and social commentary this month. Here are our picks for the top new science fiction books in January 2023.
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Type: Novel
Publisher: Tor Books
Release date: Jan. 31
Den of Geek says: Ecological mystery turns cozy in this novel that has been compared to Becky Chambers’ quiet, thoughtful “hopepunk.”
Publisher’s summary: Destry’s life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-e. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.
But the bright, clean future they’re building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist,...
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Type: Novel
Publisher: Tor Books
Release date: Jan. 31
Den of Geek says: Ecological mystery turns cozy in this novel that has been compared to Becky Chambers’ quiet, thoughtful “hopepunk.”
Publisher’s summary: Destry’s life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-e. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.
But the bright, clean future they’re building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist,...
- 1/14/2023
- by Megan Crouse
- Den of Geek
Science fiction has the power to take us away—to escape, to make us reflect back on our own world in challenging ways, to fill us with awe and wonder about the beauties of the universe. There are so many science fiction books out there worth your time, but we only have room to recommend a few. Here are some of the science fiction books we’re most looking forward to in April 2021…
Top New Science Fiction Books in April 2021 The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
Type: Novel
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: April 20
Den of Geek says: Ever since her groundbreaking A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Chambers has been a powerful voice in science fiction. Colorful, creative aliens inhabit a galaxy sparkling with healing and love, “soft” science fiction in the online sense that is also bursting with ideas and thoughtful characterization.
Publisher...
Top New Science Fiction Books in April 2021 The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
Type: Novel
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: April 20
Den of Geek says: Ever since her groundbreaking A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Chambers has been a powerful voice in science fiction. Colorful, creative aliens inhabit a galaxy sparkling with healing and love, “soft” science fiction in the online sense that is also bursting with ideas and thoughtful characterization.
Publisher...
- 3/26/2021
- by Megan Crouse
- Den of Geek
Independent bookstores aren’t just places to peruse and buy your new favorite books, they’re also community spaces in a time to gather, discuss, and share. And, in this time of “social distancing,” they are one of the many vital cultural and community institutions that are in danger.
Some have started taking action to ensure that indie bookstores aren’t left behind in this health and economic crisis. Speculative fiction authors, io9 co-founders, and co-hosts of the Hugo Award-winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct, Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz are part of a group that is organizing fundraisers for their local (Sf/Bay Area) indie bookstores, and they’ve got some pretty cool events lined up.
First up? A conversation between Star Trek: Picard Season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon and fellow Picard writer Ayelet Waldman. (The two also happen to be married.) Chabon and Ayelet will be chatting on April 8th.
Some have started taking action to ensure that indie bookstores aren’t left behind in this health and economic crisis. Speculative fiction authors, io9 co-founders, and co-hosts of the Hugo Award-winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct, Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz are part of a group that is organizing fundraisers for their local (Sf/Bay Area) indie bookstores, and they’ve got some pretty cool events lined up.
First up? A conversation between Star Trek: Picard Season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon and fellow Picard writer Ayelet Waldman. (The two also happen to be married.) Chabon and Ayelet will be chatting on April 8th.
- 4/1/2020
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
Kayti Burt Alana Joli Abbott Delia Harrington Megan Crouse Tony Sokol Lacy Baugher Natalie Zutter Dec 30, 2019
Here were the 20 books that meant the most to our Den of Geek contributors in 2019.
To cover and consume popular culture in this era of #PeakContent is to constantly be making choices. This means it is more important now than ever to reflect on the ways in which "best of" lists, just like pop culture itself, are subjective—shaped by a group of people with specific identities, interests, and storytelling sensibilities.
Therefore, in presenting our list of the Best Books of 2019 to you, we note that these stories are not just what may have felt Important in a year when we are more desperate than ever to understand the seemingly increasingly destructive forces at work in the world, but also what meant the most to us personally.
Here are 20 books, in no particular order,...
Here were the 20 books that meant the most to our Den of Geek contributors in 2019.
To cover and consume popular culture in this era of #PeakContent is to constantly be making choices. This means it is more important now than ever to reflect on the ways in which "best of" lists, just like pop culture itself, are subjective—shaped by a group of people with specific identities, interests, and storytelling sensibilities.
Therefore, in presenting our list of the Best Books of 2019 to you, we note that these stories are not just what may have felt Important in a year when we are more desperate than ever to understand the seemingly increasingly destructive forces at work in the world, but also what meant the most to us personally.
Here are 20 books, in no particular order,...
- 12/10/2019
- Den of Geek
Kayti Burt Nov 7, 2019
A brief guide to the hopepunk movement—its origins, and its possibilities.
This feature originally appeared in Den of Geek's Nycc 2019 print magazine.
When author Alexandra Rowland (A Choir of Lies) first posted to Tumblr in 2017, "The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on," she had no idea how intensely that sentiment would resonate with the platform’s community and beyond.
"Initially, I was just vaguely bemused that anyone was listening to me," Rowland says, "but at the same time, I understood intellectually why hopepunk was resonating with people. Simply put: they were hurting, and hopepunk was a thing that helped comfort the hurt."
What is hopepunk? It depends on who you ask...
Rowland, quoting her essay “One Atom of Justice, One Molecule of Mercy, and the Empire of Unsheathed Knives,” says: “Hopepunk is a subgenre and a philosophy that ‘says kindness and softness don’t equal weakness,...
A brief guide to the hopepunk movement—its origins, and its possibilities.
This feature originally appeared in Den of Geek's Nycc 2019 print magazine.
When author Alexandra Rowland (A Choir of Lies) first posted to Tumblr in 2017, "The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on," she had no idea how intensely that sentiment would resonate with the platform’s community and beyond.
"Initially, I was just vaguely bemused that anyone was listening to me," Rowland says, "but at the same time, I understood intellectually why hopepunk was resonating with people. Simply put: they were hurting, and hopepunk was a thing that helped comfort the hurt."
What is hopepunk? It depends on who you ask...
Rowland, quoting her essay “One Atom of Justice, One Molecule of Mercy, and the Empire of Unsheathed Knives,” says: “Hopepunk is a subgenre and a philosophy that ‘says kindness and softness don’t equal weakness,...
- 11/6/2019
- Den of Geek
Kayti Burt Oct 3, 2019
Here are six speculative fiction books we're exciting about this fall season...
This book guide originally appeared in Den of Geek's Nycc 2019 magazine.
Looking for a spooky read, a cozy title, or just the best new speculative fiction to hit the shelves? Here are six new or upcoming selections for your reading pleasure...
The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring, Now Available — Imprint
Debut author Sara Faring bursts onto the literary scene with a gothic Ya horror inspired by her Argentinian heritage. When teen protagonist Mavi agrees to teach English at an elite girls school in remote Patagonia to escape the military regime that disappeared her mother, she soon learns that not all dangers are earthly. Vaccaro School is haunted, and Mavi must solve the mystery of the missing tenth girl before it is too late.
Read our interview with Sara Faring here.
The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz,...
Here are six speculative fiction books we're exciting about this fall season...
This book guide originally appeared in Den of Geek's Nycc 2019 magazine.
Looking for a spooky read, a cozy title, or just the best new speculative fiction to hit the shelves? Here are six new or upcoming selections for your reading pleasure...
The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring, Now Available — Imprint
Debut author Sara Faring bursts onto the literary scene with a gothic Ya horror inspired by her Argentinian heritage. When teen protagonist Mavi agrees to teach English at an elite girls school in remote Patagonia to escape the military regime that disappeared her mother, she soon learns that not all dangers are earthly. Vaccaro School is haunted, and Mavi must solve the mystery of the missing tenth girl before it is too late.
Read our interview with Sara Faring here.
The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz,...
- 10/3/2019
- Den of Geek
Spencer Mullen Sep 17, 2019
One lucky winner can win a copy of The Future of Another Timeline by speculative fiction author Annalee Newitz!
Named as one of our favorite new science fiction books of September, The Future of Another Timeline by io9 founding editor Annalee Newitz is a stunning work of speculative fiction. To celebrate this read, we're giving away one copy of the book to one lucky winner. The below synopsis of The Future of Another Timeline will give you a hint of the thrilling, time-bending drama imagined by Newitz:
1992: After a confrontation at a concert, seventeen-year-old Beth finds herself in a car with her friend's abusive boyfriend dead in the backseat, agreeing to help her friends hide the body. This murder sets Beth and her friends on a path of escalating violence and vengeance as they realize many other young women in the world need protecting too.
2022:...
One lucky winner can win a copy of The Future of Another Timeline by speculative fiction author Annalee Newitz!
Named as one of our favorite new science fiction books of September, The Future of Another Timeline by io9 founding editor Annalee Newitz is a stunning work of speculative fiction. To celebrate this read, we're giving away one copy of the book to one lucky winner. The below synopsis of The Future of Another Timeline will give you a hint of the thrilling, time-bending drama imagined by Newitz:
1992: After a confrontation at a concert, seventeen-year-old Beth finds herself in a car with her friend's abusive boyfriend dead in the backseat, agreeing to help her friends hide the body. This murder sets Beth and her friends on a path of escalating violence and vengeance as they realize many other young women in the world need protecting too.
2022:...
- 9/16/2019
- Den of Geek
Natalie Zutter Jul 15, 2019
One lover time travels, while the other waits… until Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s epistolary time travel novella breaks the mold.
Before time travel agent Red finds the first letter from rival Blue on the battlefield, she thinks there is only one way to win the time war: her side’s way, barreling through time and ruthlessly cutting strands as needed. Similarly, before This Is How You Lose the Time War, Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar’s new epistolary science fiction novella, the time travel love story had become stuck in an outdated formula that too often left one lover at a disadvantage. But, as Red and Blue leave one another love notes on infinite battlefields, they remix a time-crossed love story into a wholly new take that elevates the subgenre.
What had become the archetypal time travel love story came to a head in 2013. Following...
One lover time travels, while the other waits… until Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s epistolary time travel novella breaks the mold.
Before time travel agent Red finds the first letter from rival Blue on the battlefield, she thinks there is only one way to win the time war: her side’s way, barreling through time and ruthlessly cutting strands as needed. Similarly, before This Is How You Lose the Time War, Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar’s new epistolary science fiction novella, the time travel love story had become stuck in an outdated formula that too often left one lover at a disadvantage. But, as Red and Blue leave one another love notes on infinite battlefields, they remix a time-crossed love story into a wholly new take that elevates the subgenre.
What had become the archetypal time travel love story came to a head in 2013. Following...
- 7/15/2019
- Den of Geek
Kayti Burt Apr 2, 2019
Nominees include Black Panther, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, The Expanse, Doctor Who, and more.
The Hugo Awards are amongst speculative fiction storytelling's most prestigious honors. Given out annually since 1953, the Hugos are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (aka WorldCon), and are presented at the annual event. This year's WorldCon, WorldCon 77, will be held in Dublin on August 15-19.
Earlier today, the Hugo Awards finalists for 2019 were announced—alongside the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and the 1944 Retrospective Hugo Awards nominations.
read more: Den of Geek's Best Fiction Books of 2018
If you're a fan of inclusive science fiction, the nominations are pretty exciting—which hasn't always been the case in recent years.
Finalists included some of the books, TV shows, and movies that Den of Geek has written about over the past year,...
Nominees include Black Panther, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, The Expanse, Doctor Who, and more.
The Hugo Awards are amongst speculative fiction storytelling's most prestigious honors. Given out annually since 1953, the Hugos are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (aka WorldCon), and are presented at the annual event. This year's WorldCon, WorldCon 77, will be held in Dublin on August 15-19.
Earlier today, the Hugo Awards finalists for 2019 were announced—alongside the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and the 1944 Retrospective Hugo Awards nominations.
read more: Den of Geek's Best Fiction Books of 2018
If you're a fan of inclusive science fiction, the nominations are pretty exciting—which hasn't always been the case in recent years.
Finalists included some of the books, TV shows, and movies that Den of Geek has written about over the past year,...
- 4/2/2019
- Den of Geek
Kayti Burt Mar 5, 2019
In The City in the Middle of the Night, Charlie Jane Anders uses a tidally-locked planet to imagine a better way forward for us all.
In an op-ed appearing in The Washington Post in January, Charlie Jane Anders wrote: "Sen. Kamala D. Harris was half right in her speech launching her 2020 presidential campaign when she said we need to address climate change based on 'science fact, not science fiction.' The truth is, we need both."
This belief is more than just lip service for the woman who co-founded (alongside Annalee Newitz) io9.com, a website formed with the mission to keep readers informed about the latest news in both the science and science fiction worlds.
These days, Anders is using a different medium—the speculative fiction novel—to think radically, critically, and empathetically about our present and, perhaps more importantly, all of our potential futures. The...
In The City in the Middle of the Night, Charlie Jane Anders uses a tidally-locked planet to imagine a better way forward for us all.
In an op-ed appearing in The Washington Post in January, Charlie Jane Anders wrote: "Sen. Kamala D. Harris was half right in her speech launching her 2020 presidential campaign when she said we need to address climate change based on 'science fact, not science fiction.' The truth is, we need both."
This belief is more than just lip service for the woman who co-founded (alongside Annalee Newitz) io9.com, a website formed with the mission to keep readers informed about the latest news in both the science and science fiction worlds.
These days, Anders is using a different medium—the speculative fiction novel—to think radically, critically, and empathetically about our present and, perhaps more importantly, all of our potential futures. The...
- 3/1/2019
- Den of Geek
Kayti Burt Sep 12, 2019
Here are the best new science fiction books in September 2019.
There's so much to look forward to in our speculative fiction future. Here are some of the science fiction books we're most excited about and/or are currently consuming...
Join the Den of Geek Book Club!
Best New Science Fiction Books in September 2019 To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Type: Novella
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: 9/3/19
A stand-alone science fiction novella from the award-winning, bestselling, critically-acclaimed author of the Wayfarers series.
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor,...
Here are the best new science fiction books in September 2019.
There's so much to look forward to in our speculative fiction future. Here are some of the science fiction books we're most excited about and/or are currently consuming...
Join the Den of Geek Book Club!
Best New Science Fiction Books in September 2019 To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Type: Novella
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: 9/3/19
A stand-alone science fiction novella from the award-winning, bestselling, critically-acclaimed author of the Wayfarers series.
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor,...
- 2/8/2019
- Den of Geek
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