Book Reviews Photo by Aideal Hwa / Unsplash If reading Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg’s Robot (Penguin Classics, 2021), translated by Tomasz Mirkowicz, makes you think about Stanislaw Lem’s work, you’re not alone. Indeed, both Robot and Lem’s His Master’s Voice (published in Polish just a few years apart) take up the fascinating but insoluble problem of whether or not we’re alone in the universe. One might even call Robot surrealist science fiction and liken it to Kafka’s work, or even Lem’s Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, since the main character spends most of his time wandering around the halls of an underground shelter, unsure of his own identity and his place in the community that has formed following an apocalyptic event on the surface. His identity confusion derives from his “birth” on an assembly line under a kind of bell jar. Given instructions by a mysterious Mechanism to study the people living in the shelter, the protagonist proceeds as if he is a living machine given a modicum of free will (as explained by the Mechanism). Much of the novel focuses on the protagonist figuring out why those around him are living underground and why many of them believe that he is a physicist named Poreyra. Encountering strange “statues” that weigh several tons in one of the shelter’s rooms, he eventually moves through a mirror there into a replica of the stricken city, where time moves at a fraction of the speed experienced in the shelter.... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2021-11-10 20:14:00 UTC ]
From angry spirits and parallel universes to alien abductions and epic folklore, African writers are offering fresh new horizons for the world’s science fiction landscape. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2024-12-19 08:05:22 UTC ]
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From cyberpunk to space to climate fiction, novels and novellas, here are the 10 best science fiction books of 2024. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-12-17 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The year’s best speculative fiction includes a fantasy novel by Kelly Link, alien epics and promising starts to series. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-12-06 10:02:13 UTC ]
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On the day of the release of ChatGPT 4.0, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted "her"--a reference to the 2013 science fiction film in which an AI chatbot named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, develops an intimate relationship with her human user. The tweet called... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2024-12-04 17:25:13 UTC ]
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In an era of exponentially advancing technology, staying ahead of the curve can feel like a full-time job. This fairly describes the career of acclaimed science fiction author Neal Stephenson, who invented the term “metaverse,” cemented the notion of a digital “avatar,” and received oblique... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-08 09:56:48 UTC ]
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While it is fair to say that Warhammer 40k has so far been underrepresented in science fiction circles, it seems the tide is finally starting to turn. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2024-10-28 17:36:58 UTC ]
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This audiovisual installation feels like being in the middle of a science fiction film. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2024-10-24 12:27:45 UTC ]
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If you’re worried about artificial intelligence taking your job, you might want to sit down for this one. AI startup Anthropic has demonstrated a new “Claude” model called that can look at a computer screen and operate a virtual mouse and keyboard, “the way people do,” according to... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-10-23 19:56:07 UTC ]
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Cherie Dimaline Wins NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature News and Events [email protected] Tue, 10/22/2024 - 17:01 World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of international literature and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-10-22 22:01:04 UTC ]
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A film production company that helped make “Blade Runner 2049” has sued Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for using an AI-generated image resembling a scene from the science fiction movie to market Tesla’s new robotaxis Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2024-10-22 14:38:37 UTC ]
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A new trailer dropped on the opening day of the New York Comic Con for the new six-episode spinoff series Dune: Prophecy, a prequel to the recent films directed by Denis Villeneuve. The new series will premiere November 17 at 9PM on HBO. Each episode will be available to stream on Max on... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-17 21:23:47 UTC ]
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A modern gothic fantasy, a hopepunk space opera, a ghostalker, and more of today's best science fiction and fantasy book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-10-14 14:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s now easy enough to find a laptop with a spiffy, super-vibrant OLED screen. But two OLED screens at once? That’s the stuff of science fiction — and, well, Lenovo’s weird Yoga Book 9i. But if you’re looking for a more conventional laptop design with a keyboard that just happens to go... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-10-11 15:20:01 UTC ]
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Over the course of her career, Judy-Lynn del Rey earned a reputation as a superstar editor among her authors. Think of your favorite fantasy or science-fiction novel. You’ll know the author and title, of course. But can you think of its editor or publisher? Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2024-10-10 19:30:00 UTC ]
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The Terminator not only redefined the science fiction but also explored the dangers of unchecked technological advancement. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2024-10-09 16:12:37 UTC ]
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"What blooded me as a really feral reader in college was the discovery of short story collections." Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-10-09 14:30:00 UTC ]
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This week, Microsoft started rolling out the Windows 11 2024 update, but it quickly became clear that the company was far more eager to unveil new features for its Copilot AI and Copilot+ AI PCs. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about Microsoft's current AI priorities, and what it... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-04 11:30:26 UTC ]
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The Substance is a satirical body-horror and science fiction film underpinned by feminist critique. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2024-09-27 01:41:32 UTC ]
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