What to read this weekend: Near-future dystopian fiction and a new approach to explaining life's origin

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. Hum by Helen Phillips Robots have become a regular fixture of the workforce, and humans are losing their jobs to AI. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the planet. It’s getting harder and harder for the average person to make ends meet. Facial recognition technology is being used for surveillance. Sound familiar? In her new novel, Hum, author Helen Phillips paints a picture of what our near-future could look like. Its main character, May, has lost her job after technology made her role obsolete, and, desperate for money to support her family, she agrees to participate in an experiment that alters her face to make her undetectable to facial recognition. With the extra cushion from the payment, she takes her husband and children on a short, technology-free vacation to the Botanical Garden — but things go dangerously awry. Hum is a captivating, unsettling work of dystopian fiction that makes it impossible not to draw parallels with our current reality. Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence by Sara Imari Walker There’s so much we don’t know about the origins of life on Earth, and how it could appear on other worlds. Arizona State University theoretical physicist and astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker tackles the enduring question, “What is life?” and so much more in her book, Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence. It explores assembly theory, which, as Walker... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-08-10 19:43:55 UTC ]
News tagged with: #enduring question #generating complexity #friendly arguments #kirkus called #comeback continues #featuring stories #corinna bechko #chris condon #matt kindt #artyom topilin #caitlin yarsky #black hole #great followup #horror anthology #anthology #science fiction

Other news stories related to: "What to read this weekend: Near-future dystopian fiction and a new approach to explaining life's origin"


What to read this weekend: Near-future dystopian fiction and a new approach to explaining life's origin

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. Hum by Helen Phillips Robots have become a regular fixture of the workforce, and humans are losing their jobs to AI. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the planet. It’s getting harder and harder for the average person to... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-08-10 19:43:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #science fiction #anthology #black hole #chris condon


Dystopian Fiction’s Popularity Is a Warning Sign for the Future

In the latest episode of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, writer Naomi Klein discusses dystopian fiction and her new capitalism-vs.-the-climate nonfiction book This Changes Everything. The post Dystopian Fiction’s Popularity Is a Warning Sign for the Future appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest episode #warning sign #dystopian fiction #future appeared


5 Historical Fiction Books to Read If You Don’t Like Historical Fiction

Think you don't like historical fiction? Try these books out and prove yourself wrong. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-09-14 10:33:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


Interview: Richard McGuire on His Graphic Novel “Here” and His Reading Life

Ten years ago he published the graphic novel “Here,” an instant classic depicting one room in one house over generations. Now Tom Hanks is starring in the movie. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-10-24 09:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic novel #tom hanks #reading life


Trauma, Transfigured: Pascha Sotolongo on Loneliness, Latin American Lit, and the Fantastic in Fiction and Life

Rarely have I been so moved, awed, amused, satisfied, and softly startled by a debut, but The Only Sound Is the Wind, the gorgeous new fiction collection by Pascha Sotolongo, is a deft, accomplished, utterly fearless book of short stories that seamlessly meld the mundane and the transcendent,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-10-01 08:55:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories #fiction collection


What to read this weekend: The history of overhyped tech, and a new graphic novel from Charles Burns

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/history-of-overhyped-tech-charles-burns-final-cut-richard-powers-playground-163018545.html?src=rss Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-09-28 16:30:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic novel #charles burns


New Historical Fiction Books to Read

A medieval heist, a Halifax murder, a Dutch wartime winter and a daring 1939 journey to Shanghai provide egress for any taste. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-09-11 12:42:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


What to read this weekend: Existential sci-fi, a repair manual for the climate crisis, EC Comics resurrected

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. Toward Eternity by Anton Hur Toward Eternity does not waste any time in getting to the drama. The novel by Anton Hur begins in the not-so-far-off future, and opens with a moment of crisis: a patient in a nanotherapy... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-08-03 18:30:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comic book #chris condon #weird science #fossil fuels


McDonald’s Caters to Anime Fans by Bringing a Fictional Restaurant to Life

McDonald's is giving anime and manga fans the chance to visit fictional chain WcDonald's with a campaign kicking off Feb. 26 in more than 30 markets around the world. An obvious riff off the "Golden Arches," WcDonald's has appeared in many memorable shows from anime and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-02-21 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #manga #manga fans


Must-Read Historical Fiction Set in Italy

The best historical fiction set in Italy, like these nine titles, explores the complex and even chaotic history of the country. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-01-18 11:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in Korea

These books provide us with a deeper understanding of what Korea is beyond what we hear or see in popular culture. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-15 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction #popular culture #deeper understanding


20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in France

These must-read historical fiction books set in France span more than 800 years, from the reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine to post-WWII Paris. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-26 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


Letting the Unspoken Speak: A Reading List of Historical Trauma in Fiction

My sophomore novel, Evil Eye, follows Yara Murad, a Palestinian American woman who begins to confront the psychological and interpersonal aftermath of her emotionally volatile childhood as her carefully constructed life begins to fall apart. In drafting this novel, which explores post-traumatic... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:35:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #daunting task #historical trauma


Read the Winners of American Short Fiction’s 2023 Insider Prize, Selected by Nickolas Butler

Last spring, I approached Nickolas Butler, internationally bestselling author of the novels Shotgun Lovesongs, The Hearts of Men, and Godspeed, to be the judge for this year’s Insider Prize, American Short Fiction’s annual literary award for incarcerated writers in Texas. He’d worked with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:15:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestselling author #literary award #incarcerated writers


Want to understand Elon Musk (and America)? This is the book to read—and it’s fiction

‘Kill the Rich’ by Jack Allison and Kate Shapiro is a lacerating satire of America’s gonzo culture—and no one comes out unscathed. A provocative book title doesn’t always telegraph to readers what awaits inside. When it comes to those self-help books that include a naughty little swear on the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-09-16 03:00:00 UTC ]
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8 of the Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books To Read in August 2023

These new science fiction and fantasy books out August 2023, including More Perfect by Temi Oh, deal with everything from ghosts to aliens to war machines. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-08-03 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #science fiction #fantasy books


20 Must-Read Works of Historical Fiction Set in Mexico

Want to read more historical fiction set in Mexico? We've got you covered with these 20 absolute must-read books! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-07-11 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in India

India is a land of great linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity. Here are 20 of the best examples of historical fiction set in India. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-06-15 10:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


24 New Fiction Books to Read This Summer

A sequel to Colson Whitehead’s “Harlem Shuffle,” new stories from Jamel Brinkley, a debut novel about a teenager who worked for Andy Warhol — and more. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-09 09:01:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel #jamel brinkley #harlem shuffle #colson whitehead #fiction books


9 Science Fiction Reads for Every Mood

Whether you're looking to belly laugh, contemplate the future of humanity, or dig into conspiracy theories, I have a sci-fi read for you! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-30 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #science fiction #conspiracy theories