Warhammer 40K in a Nutshell

One of the main attractions of science fiction is world building–the creation of imaginary worlds adhering to a consistent set of "facts" about how that world works. While there are many science fiction books and series that demonstrate all that world building can do, few of them benefit from the creative input of multiple people over decades of construction. Warhammer 40,000 is one such universe. Let's take a bird's eye view of this spectacular world.

The History

Warhammer 40,000 (also known as Warhammer 40K or simply WH40K) began as a game in 1987; specifically as ...

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Of Space Travel and Space Suits

For all the times that I preach about how science fiction offers more than just stories set in space, I have to admit that it's the wonder of space travel that forms the foundation of my love of SF. I have nothing against Earth, mind you...it’s just that space offers an infinite destination of escapism in science fiction stories. Perhaps it's the unknown wonders (and danger!) that space holds, or that outer space is an endless source of understanding our own universe that draws me to the pages of science fiction stories set in space. It ...

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'Tis the Season to Be Jolly...in Spaaaaaace!

Ah, December...the season for sharing, giving and spending time with loved ones. For me, it also usually means time off from work and--as long as no creatures are stirring (including the mice)--more time to read! For others looking to while away the time with some good stories, I offer these Christmas-themed science fiction and fantasy titles. The holidays don't stop when you leave the confines of Earth, as many of these stories show.

Season of Wonder edited by Paula Guran

What do you get when you combine the wonder of short fiction with the most wonderful season ...

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December's Best Bets in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Science fiction and fantasy fans are never lacking for good books to read -- any trip to the bookstore will tell you that. The trick is to find the best picks...the books that will most likely ignite the sense of wonder in the reader. That's where these monthly roundups come in. Check out these titles when you head to the bookstores this month.

A Red Sun Also Rises by Mark Hodder

The two bright yellow suns of the planet Ptallaya mean daylight hours last as long as months. On this world, a race of mimics called the Yatsill have ...

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Science Fiction Series Spotlight: Iain M. Banks' 'The Culture'

Like many other genres, science fiction and fantasy loves a good series. There are good and bad things about series, but it's generally agreed that the good outweigh the bad, otherwise we wouldn't see so many of them represented on bookstore shelves. Even though there are many sf/f series, only a select few have the staying power to run for multiple decades. One of them celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary this month: The Culture series by Scottish author Iain M. Banks.

What is The Culture?

The Culture is the name given to a nine-thousand-year-old futuristic interstellar society formed ...

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How Space Travel Almost Killed Science Fiction

Within the science fiction community, people mark their calendars not with the cycle of seasons, but with a handful of rotating, perennial discussions that usually ignite mailing lists and blogs. One of the most heated of these arguments is whether "science fiction is dying." There are some who believe it to be undoubtedly true, others who believe it to be ridiculous, and still others who are so tired of the subject constantly rearing its ugly head, that to even give it utterance evokes a disgusted eye roll. Some of the more seasoned fans of science fiction have reason to be ...

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Four Things Science Fiction Has Promised Me That I Can't Wait For

People often put science fiction writers in the position of the seer. The thinking goes like this: if science fiction authors are writing about the future, it's because they've spent inordinate amounts of time thinking about a realistic one. Thus, they have some foreknowledge, or at least intuition, about what the future holds. That translates into readers thinking that they are glimpsing the actual future. There are obvious problems in that assumption, but ignoring them allows us the opportunity to imagine the cool things we could see and do in our science fictional future. Here's a look ...

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A Sci-Fi Television Viewer's Guide to Science-Fiction Books

It's a fact of life: More people watch TV than read books. Part of the reason is one of delivery; lots of people have televisions in their homes, but how many have libraries? Another reason is that television offers a different, more visual experience than books. But another reason is because folks simply have a preconceived notion of what science-fiction literature is. They think that science fiction means spaceships and aliens exclusively. Sure, that's the case sometimes, but not always. What folks may not realize is that the very same stuff they are watching on television right now ...

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The Best SF/F Reads in November

When you 're looking for something to read, there are so many excellent books to choose from that it may be difficult to know where to begin. Might I suggest any of the following science fiction and fantasy books headed this month to a bookstore near you?

Check out what SF Signal had to say about getting from here to there in science fiction.

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie

Abercrombie made a splash in the fantasy genre back in 2008 with the beginning of his well-received First Law trilogy. Red Country is his newest stand-alone novel and it promises to ...

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Generation Starships: Fiction and Fact

Last week's article on Getting From Here to There in Science Fiction offered a brief look at several methods science fiction writers use to move characters about in their stories. Some of these involved travelling at speeds faster than the speed of light. Unfortunately, such technology exists only in the imagination and in the pages of science fiction. The cold, hard reality is that space travel to other galaxies will easily exceed the single human lifespan.

The key word to note here is "single." It is conceivable that a long-term space mission could be launched to other galaxies so ...

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Getting From Here to There in Science Fiction

A while back we took a look at space elevators as a way of moving things into orbit from the planet's surface. When you consider the range of activities required for space travel, it turns out that getting into Earth orbit is the easy part. The real difficulty is getting to where you want to go because of one cold, hard truism: Space is big. Unimaginably big. Even if a spaceship averaged 10 percent of light speed (roughly 67 million mph—a mind-blowing feat in itself), it would still take 40 years to reach Proxima Centauri, the nearest star ...

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October: The Perfect Month for Zombies, Vampires and Ghosts

Thanks to Halloween, October is traditionally the month that readers look to the weirder side of the fiction spectrum. And there's no shortage of books to satisfy your zombie, vampire and ghostly needs. Here's a look at some recently released books that will help you get your weird on...

Check out SF Signal's top picks for October in SF/F titles.

Remember Why You Fear Me: The Best Dark Fiction of Robert Shearman

Sometimes you'll get the sharpest shock in short fiction, which is why you'll find five books containing short fiction on this list ...

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Can't-Miss Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for October

I know what you're saying, gentle-but-overwhelmed readers: "The are so many books being published, I have no idea where to start!" That's true—there are a lot of books being published every month. But fear not! You are hereby armed with the following list of suggested reads to help you find your way through piles of new science fiction, fantasy and horror book releases...

Be sure to check out New & Notable October fiction and nonfiction titles.

After edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

The subtitle of this anthology describes it perfectly: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia. Between ...

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Demystifying Science Fictional Terms (+ Reading Recommendations to Help You Understand), Part 4

Science fiction is often accused of using hard-to-understand terms. Well... Okay, guilty as charged. But just because science fiction has an occasional tendency to use complex language doesn't mean that it's impossible to understand—especially when you have the following glossary at the ready the next time you pick up a science fiction book from the shelf.  Continuing on from earlier parts in this series, here's an additional key to understanding more of the "mumbo-jumbo" in science fiction.

Check out SF Signal on the Library of America's recent sci-fi releases.

CLONE

A clone is an individual ...

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Library of America Goes SciFi

With regards to world events, they say those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it. As applied to literature, I would modify that statement to read that those who don't know their history are missing out. There are a large number of absolutely wonderful books that have fallen out of print and are in danger of being forgotten. Sure, some classics are reprinted annually to support school reading lists. But what about the slew of others that don't make the cut? And what about science fiction, a field often overlooked by mainstream audiences? Wouldn ...

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Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books to Read Along with Your Kids

School's in session, and that can only mean one thing: More free time for parents! What's a parent to do with all that free time? Margarita lunches! Okay, what's a responsible parent to do with all that free time? A suggestion: Since you'll have less time to bond with your children, make the precious few moments you do have count. Why not bond over and share your love of reading? Start with this list* of recent YA books that will be enjoyable for readers of all ages.

Check out Sci Fi Signal's 10 SF/F ...

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10 Must-Read September Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

With a veritable smorgasbord of science fiction and fantasy books released each month, readers have probably found themselves pondering, more than once, how to invest their hard-earned book money. Below are this month’s best bets for enjoyable science fiction and fantasy reads. Start drawing up your checklist! 

A Star Shall Fall by Marie Brennan

In this period fantasy, Brennan takes readers back to the Age of Enlightenment, an 18th-century cultural movement intended to advance society through science and reason. When the Royal Society of London hosts a meeting-of-the-minds, they encounter an unexpected hiccup: a magical race of Fae living ...

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Mars in Science Fiction (Part 3)

With the recent landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars, interest in our planetary neighbor has never been greater. And why not? Mars has long been believed the most viable planet to support life, and if we ever send mankind to another planet, it makes sense that we see what's next door.

The purpose of the Curiosity mission, in fact, is to investigate whether Mars is, or ever was, capable of hosting microbial life. If they find it, let me be the first to welcome our Martian microbial overlords. In the meantime, let's complete our journey that began ...

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Mars in Science Fiction (Part 2)

With the recent landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars, interest in our planetary neighbor has never been greater. And why not? Mars has long been believed the most viable planet to support life, and if we ever send mankind to another planet, it makes sense that we see what's next door.

The purpose of the Curiosity mission, in fact, is to investigate whether Mars is, or ever was, capable of hosting microbial life. If they find it, let me be the first to welcome our Martian microbial overlords. In the meantime, let's continue our journey from Part ...

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Mars in Science Fiction (Part 1)

With the recent landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars, interest in our planetary neighbor has never been greater. And why not? Mars has long been believed the most viable planet to support life, and if we ever send mankind to another planet, it makes sense that we see what's next door. In fact, the purpose of the Curiosity mission is to investigate whether Mars is, or ever was, capable of hosting microbial life.

If they find it, let me be the first to welcome our Martian microbial overlords. In the meantime, let's take a look at how ...

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