Science fiction cover art has a bad reputation. Not without reason: much of it is pulpy, overly brash, or just plain scary — it’s kind of the name of the game. Yet there are also plenty of science fiction novels and collections that buck the trend and manage to be not only palatable to those that (for instance) love the insides but hate that naked green woman on the cover, but downright gorgeous. Click through for a selection of some of the best, from vintage paperbacks to new and shiny… Read More
Books
10 New Must-Reads for June
It’s finally June, and you know what that means — it’s officially time to kick-start your summer reading. Luckily for you, this month will see the release of a veritable book barn of new, exciting releases, from retold classics to masterful essay collections to blockbuster novels. After the jump, ten of the most exciting books hitting shelves this month. Which ones are burning a hole in your reading list? Weigh in in the comments. … Read More
Flavorwire Short Fiction Contest Winner: “The Art and Science of Growing Back Your Arm” by Kim Winternheimer
In honor of May’s National Short Story Month, Flavorwire held its first-ever short story contest and, after much deliberation, emerged with a first-place story, along with three honorable mentions. Over the course of the week, Flavorwire will be publishing each of the four winners. After the jump, read the story that won the contest: “The Art and Science of Growing Back Your Arm” by Kim Winternheimer. … Read More
10 Things George R.R. Martin Is Doing Instead of Writing the Next ‘Game of Thrones’ Book
If you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, your ears (or eyes, as it were) likely perk up every time his name surfaces in the news. But every time we catch wind of Martin, it’s because he’s doing something other than finishing A Song of Ice and Fire. Sure, many of these are good things, but they aren’t working on the next Song of Ice and Fire installment, and thus they are cause for some nail-biting. Will Martin finish his beloved series inside of two decades? Will the HBO show catch up? Will Martin heed the many calls of fans to write like the wind? After the jump, ten things George R.R. Martin is doing instead of writing the next book in everyone’s current favorite fantasy series — make your own judgements as you will. … Read More
Rachel Kushner’s Literary Success Has Nothing to Do With Her Gender
When Rachel Kushner’s The Flamethrowers was published last month, it garnered almost universal acclaim. Indeed, this reviewer would go so far to say that it’s already one of the best books of the year. It’s vivid and skillful and important, a thrill to read, a firestorm. Adam Kirsch, a contributing editor for Tablet magazine, did not enjoy The Flamethrowers. That’s his prerogative, of course. But he thinks everyone else only liked it because Kushner’s a woman. … Read More
Here Are the Really Lurid Parts of the Michele Bachmann Romance Novel
She might become a news anchor. She might host a game show. She might fall in love with a burly stalker who builds her a Jacuzzi and saves her from a gang of Kalashnikov-toting itinerants in eastern Russia. Most predictions about the future of Michele Bachmann, the divisive Minnesota congresswoman who announced this week that she would not run for re-election in 2014, are rife with reasons to gasp and grimace.
The same might be said about Fires of Siberia, a romance novel inspired by Bachmann’s public persona, released on Wednesday by artist Paul Chan’s e-book imprint Badlands Unlimited. The book centers around the plight of Danielle Powers, a conservative Republican senator whose campaign-season trip from Seoul to Moscow is interrupted when a plane crash leaves her and a mysterious fellow survivor named Steadman Bass stranded in the Siberian wilderness. … Read More
Flavorwire Short Fiction Contest Honorable Mention: “The Ten Headless Dead” by Ian Bassingthwaighte
In honor of May’s National Short Story Month, Flavorwire held its first-ever short story contest and, after much deliberation, emerged with a first-place story, along with three honorable mentions. Over the course of the week, Flavorwire will be publishing each of the four winners. After the jump, read the third of three honorable mentions: “The Ten Headless Dead” by Ian Bassingthwaighte. … Read More
10 Famous Literary Characters That Are Significantly Younger Than You Think
When an author creates a character, he or she bestows upon this fictional person specific attributes — age, looks, certain proclivities — that may or may not be made explicit on the page. But whether the character is explained fully or not, there’s no telling what will happen when the culture at large gets a hold of him. Especially if the notoriously age-garbling film industry gets involved. After the jump, prepare to be shocked at famous literary characters that are significantly younger than you (probably) think they are. … Read More
Amazing Psychedelic Vintage Norwegian Sci-Fi Book Covers
They just don’t make book covers the way they used to. That is: epically weird, like this series of science fiction books published by Norwegian imprint Lanterne in the ’60s and ’70s and spotted by Caustic Cover Critic. Designed by Peter Haars, the covers are not only deliciously bizarre and psychedelic, but also pretty compelling, as book covers go. Check out some highlights from the series after the jump, and then head over to this Flickr page for more. … Read More
Flavorwire Short Fiction Contest Honorable Mention: “At Home” by Chris Poole
In honor of May’s National Short Story Month, Flavorwire held its first-ever short story contest and, after much deliberation, emerged with a first-place story, along with three honorable mentions. Over the course of the week, Flavorwire will be publishing each of the four winners. After the jump, read the second of three honorable mentions: “At Home” by Chris Poole. … Read More
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