A Flood of Science Fiction

While the debate about global warming rages on, science fiction has not missed the opportunity to use the effects of climate change to spin excellent stories. More specifically, science fiction often examines the environmental effects of drastic climate changes caused by a technological society and natural catastrophes. The phenomenon of worldwide flooding in particular has been nicely represented in science fiction.

Let's roll up our pant legs and take a look at some examples, shall we?

Read the last SF Signal on the best new SF/Fantasy books for August.

The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard

Ballard's ...

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11 Not-to-Miss Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for August

Many fantastic new science fiction and fantasy reads are hitting the shelves this month. That's the good news. The bad news is trying to figure out how best to spend your book-buying dollar. Wouldn't it be great if you had a helpful guide to help steer you toward the better picks? Well look no further!

Here's a look at some of science fiction and fantasy's best reading bets for August.

Read the last SF Signal on finding, reading and loving science fiction.

A Guile of Dragons by James Enge (Pyr)

Enge is not only a writer ...

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Have We Passed the Point Where Science Fiction is Fiction?

One of my goals has been to introduce readers unfamiliar with, or—gasp!—averse to, all that science fiction has to offer. Sci fi often offers the same literary kicks as, if not more than, other genres. To that end, I have been exposing readers to the characteristics of science fiction in an attempt to show what it can achieve.

Recently, I began to wonder if I was approaching this from the wrong direction. I'm not fond of stepping on the shoulders of others to make a point, however it occurs to me that instead of discussing the merits ...

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Demystifying Sci-Fi Terms, with 10 Recommended Books (Part 3)

Science fiction often gets a bad rap for using hard-to-understand terms. Well...OK, 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.  

In Part 1 and Part 2, we looked at scientific terms. Here, we look at words and phrases that are less scientific, but whose meanings are illuminated with a brief explanation.

Cozy Catastrophe

What's so cozy about the end ...

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Parallel Worlds: The Grass Isn't Always Greener, But it is More Fun

No matter how good life is we always want something better. It may be as simple as wanting nice weekend weather or a traffic-free ride into work, or as sophisticated as wanting to be the Supreme Overlord of the entire universe where every living being grants your every wish without question. (Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?) While it's unlikely that everything you wish for will come to pass, you can at least take some comfort that in another dimension, your dream probably came true.

Let me explain...

Read the last SF Signal on finding the best ...

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SF Signal’s Guide to Finding the Best SF and Fantasy Collections

Besides beach reading, summer also seems to be the season for publishing a slew of "best of" science fiction, fantasy and horror anthologies.

This is great news for you, the discerning or time-crunched reader who must closely discriminate what you read. You don't have time to read everything, so how do you find just the good stuff? The good news is, with a science fiction "best of" anthology, editors have already done the hard work of culling the best for you!

Read SF Signal's picks for July in the best SF and fantasy.

Here are the answers to ...

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9 Top Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books for July

Summer is upon us, and there is no shortage of books to fuel our precious, hard-earned reading hours. What you need is a guide to point you to the best bets. For science fiction and fantasy books, look no further than this list of top releases out in July.

Read the last SF Signal on sci fi and fantasy's love affair with airships. 

An Officer's Duty by Jean Johnson

An Officer's Duty is the second book in the Theirs Not to Reason Why series, an exciting military science fiction series featuring the tough-as-nails female protagonist named Ia ...

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Science Fiction and Fantasy's Love Affair With Airships

There are lots of ways for characters to travel in science fiction: spaceship, wormhole and teleportation to name a few. All of these are useful for getting characters to move across long distances in a hurry. But from the days of early science fiction (before mankind mastered the power of flight) to the steampunk books found on shelves today, a particular method has persisted as being one of the most beloved modes of transport: the airship.

Read the last SF Signal on 5 sci-fi series a decade old that are still going strong.

Speaking of Steampunk

In our reality, it ...

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5 SF/F Series At Least a Decade Old That Are Still Going Strong

Love ’em or hate ’em, book series are a fact of genre publishing. The science fiction and fantasy genres are not immune to it—bookstore shelves are filled with titles that are sequels or more inconspicuously labeled as a "something-something" novel. But readerships often dwindle and thus few series stand the test of time.

Read the last SF Signal on the pros and cons of SF/F series.

However, some long-running series are still going strong. This is great news for readers who love to immerse themselves in a world for the long haul. A handful of recent SF/F ...

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The Pros and Cons of Science Fiction and Fantasy Series

Just like some things are a fact of life—death and taxes—some things are a fact of publishing. One is that books can't stay in print forever. Another is that, if a book is popular, there's a good chance it will become a series. In fact, it's quite possible that a book was planned to be part of a series before even the first word was written. 

With so many series populating bookstore shelves, it stands to reason that it's because they sell. So, everyone wins, right? Well, it's not as cut and dried ...

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12 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books For June

June is a busy month for publishers looking to provide readers with the perfect summer read. What better way to escape than the pages of science fiction and fantasy?

Here's a look at 12 science fiction and fantasy books being published this month that you don't want to miss...

Read the last SF Signal on social science fiction.

Amped by Daniel H. Wilson

Wilson wowed audiences last year with his novel Robopocalypse. Once again he leverages his scientific background to create a believable near-future thriller. Amped depicts the division of humanity resulting from a device implant that gives ...

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Science Fiction Gets Social (Part 3)

One of the characteristics of great literature is that it says something meaningful about life. Science fiction does that, too, except that the perspective is usually seen from an outsider's viewpoint and is often focused on society in general.

Being fond of subcategorizing as we are, science fiction fans call such fiction "social science fiction," and it's concerned less with the tropes usually associated with sf (like spaceships and technology) and more concerned with human activities and how people interact in groups. Or, to tie it back to the "science" label, it's concerned with "soft" sciences like ...

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Science Fiction Gets Social (Part 2)

One of the characteristics of great literature is that it says something meaningful about life. Science fiction does that, too, except that the perspective is usually seen from an outsider's viewpoint and is often focused on society in general.

Being fond of subcategorizing as we are, science fiction fans call such fiction "social science fiction," and it's concerned less with the tropes usually associated with sf (like spaceships and technology) and more concerned with human activities and how people interact in groups. Or, to tie it back to the "science" label, it's concerned with "soft" sciences like ...

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Science Fiction Gets Social (Part 1)

One of the characteristics of great literature is that it says something meaningful about life. Science fiction does that, too, except that the perspective is usually seen from an outsider's viewpoint and is often focused on society in general.

Being fond of subcategorizing as we are, science fiction fans call such fiction "social science fiction," and it's concerned less with the tropes usually associated with sf (like spaceships and technology) and more concerned with human activities and how people interact in groups. Or, to tie it back to the "science" label, it's concerned with "soft" sciences like ...

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11 Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Books for May

With countless new science fiction, fantasy and horror books being released each month, traversing bookstore aisles looking for something to read can be a daunting task. Fortunately you have lists like this one to steer you toward that path of good reading. 

Here's a look at 11 enticing sf, fantasy and horror books being released this month.

Read the last SF Signal on three ways people are tricked into reading SF.

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Bacigalupi is a multiple award-winning and critically acclaimed author. Billed as a companion to his highly acclaimed novel Ship Breaker, his new ...

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3 Ways People Are Tricked Into Reading Science Fiction and Fantasy (And Why It's a Good Thing)

About 10 years ago, I sat down to watch From Dusk Till Dawn, a film co-written by Quentin Tarantino (then hot off the films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) and directed by Robert Rodriguez (who wowed with El Mariachi and Desperado).

The film started pretty much as I expected—witty banter, over-top-top drama and utterly captivating. But then halfway through, it took a serious left turn. Seriously. (Warning; spoiler ahead. But hey, this is a 16-year-old movie. The moratorium on spoilers has passed. So there.) Suddenly the movie was no longer a crime drama, which I was totally looking forward ...

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Judging Books By Their Covers in Sci Fi and Fantasy (Part 2)

Last week, we took a look at science-fiction and fantasy cover art, specifically its purpose, what goes into making it happen, and how eBooks might affect it. This week, we're going to a look at some of the talented illustrators behind the wonderful imaginative art that graces the covers of science-fiction and fantasy books, and point you to where you can find some examples of their art work.

Early Influencers

From the days of early science fiction, several artists (for both books and magazines) stood out and became well known for their portrayals of fantastic art. They have since ...

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Judging Books By Their Covers in Sci Fi and Fantasy (Part 1)

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but we do it all the time. Literally.

You’re walking the aisles of a bookstore and something catches your eye, so you pick it up thinking that it might be interesting. Or you notice someone reading a book, and the cover of it doesn't appeal to you so you dismiss it. Maybe you picked up a media tie-in book because your favorite actor was on the cover. Or you pick up a book because it looked like something your friend would rave about. All of these assessments ...

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Before ‘Game of Thrones’: 5 Books by George R.R. Martin

If ever there was a success story coming out of the field of literary science fiction and fantasy, it has to be the story of George R.R. Martin.

These days, Martin is famous because of HBO's adaptation of his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, an ongoing, multivolume series of epic fantasy novels depicting the struggle for control over the fictional continent of Westeros.

Read more books by George R.R. Martin.

But long before the drama unfolded in House Lannister, Martin was involved in many other worthwhile projects. He was an editor for the New ...

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Turn It Up To 11: Anticipated Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books for April

If there's one thing I like as much as reading books, it's browsing books. Just wandering the aisles of the bookstore—seeing the books lined up, fawning over some cool cover art, glimpsing a new title by an author I admire—all of it incites me to read.

Read the last SF Signal on demystifying sci-fi terms.

While I may be hopeless case in the bookstore, you can learn from my folly and arm yourselves with the following list of science-fiction and fantasy books coming out in April that are definitely worth a look...

After the Fall, Before ...

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