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 ]

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


BANNED TOGETHER: Empowering Teens and Fighting for the Right to Read

Teens have been at the forefront of fighting for the freedom to read. BANNED TOGETHER, publishing in March, is a YA anthology to encourage and support them while talking frankly about contemporary book censorship. Check it out! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-11 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Tech World’s Greatest Living Novelist, Robin Sloan, Goes Meta

In which Robin Sloan writes Moonbound—a science fiction book about science fiction—and our writer writes his way into total insanity. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2024-06-11 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Deals for June 10, 2024

An elaborate water trap, three generations of empathetic witches, a space thriller, and more of today's best science fiction and fantasy book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-10 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Here are the winners of the 2023 Nebula Awards.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of American (SFWA) has announced the winners of the 2023 Nebula Awards, one of SFF’s most prestigious honors, “given to the writers of the most outstanding speculative fiction works released in 2023.” Here are the winners: NOVEL Vajra Chandrasekera, The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-06-10 12:14:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Comic Anthology for Pride Month and Beyond

Dive into this comic anthology featuring 29 transgender and nonbinary comic artists sharing their unique coming out journeys. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-05 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Stories Are Weapons,’ by Annalee Newitz

In a new book, the journalist and science fiction writer Annalee Newitz shows how we have used narrative to manipulate and coerce. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-06-05 09:05:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Uncles in Minneapolis Celebrate 50 Years of Bookselling Perseverance

Four years after two Minneapolis specialty bookstores were destroyed amid unrest following George Floyd's murder, Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore and Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore are thriving in their new locations. Their owner, Don Blyly, is also celebrating his 50th anniversary as a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


8 Spectacular Backlist Sci-Fi and Fantasy Series Worth Reading

"This list is a pretty balanced blend of science fiction and fantasy, spanning cultures and space, past and future, authors familiar and under-the-radar." Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-29 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘AI’ is now a meaningless term — thanks, Cooler Master thermal paste

AI is being shoved into everything now, from laptops to kitchen appliances to celebrity gossip news. (No, none of that is an exaggeration.) The term is so ubiquitous that it’s fast becoming meaningless, just like “performative” or “green.” So, I’d like to thank Cooler Master for taking... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-05-22 14:28:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Deals of the Day: May 20, 2024

Out of this world deals on some of the best science fiction and fantasy–grab these excellent reads for under $3. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-20 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The 2024 Locus Awards Finalists Are Here

Here are the finalists for the 2024 Locus Awards honoring the best in science fiction and fantasy across several categories. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-13 14:32:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Morning After: Those geomagnetic storms are messing with farming tech’s GPS systems

Over the last few days, heightened solar activity (and those heady geomagnetic storms) led to outages in the GPS navigation systems that guide some modern tractors from John Deere and other brands. 404 Media reported farmers have been told to pause using high-tech tractors that use GPS systems... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-13 11:15:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


What we’re listening to: Trail of Flowers, Hyperdrama, Science Fiction and more

In this installment of What We're Listening To, Engadget writers and editors discuss some of the recent music releases we've had on repeat. It's safe to say there's some variety on this list. Sierra Ferrell - Trail of Flowers  Sierra Ferrell seems almost like an anachronism in 2024, but in the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-11 14:30:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Marvel’s making an ‘interactive story’ based on the What If...? show for Apple Vision Pro

As a bona-fide hater of actual reality, virtual reality is very appealing to me. However, I’m not that into 100 hour AAA games like Asgard’s Wrath 2 or Half Life: Alyx. I’m into short interactive experiences that can’t be had anywhere else. Good news for me? The Apple Vision Pro is getting a... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-08 18:39:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jerome Rothenberg, Who Expanded the Sphere of Poetry, Dies at 92

His anthology “Technicians of the Sacred” included a range of non-Western work and was beloved by, among others, rock stars like Jim Morrison and Nick Cave. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-05-05 19:47:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Fed rate cuts unlikely thanks spending by rich Americans

As baby boomers have aged, they have accumulated more assets leading to more discretionary spending. Since retiring two years ago, Joan Harris has upped her travel game.Once or twice a year, she visits her two adult children in different states. She’s planning multiple other trips, including to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-04-29 13:22:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Deals for April 29, 2024

Murder aboard a claustrophobic space ship, an island hidden by magic, a tale of blood and loyalty, and more of today's best science fiction and fantasy deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-04-29 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How realistic is the planetary orbit in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’? A physics professor explains

The answer lies at the heart of theoretical physics. Note: The following article contains spoilers about the Netflix series 3 Body Problem.I first encountered the three-body problem 60 years ago, in a short story called “Placet is a Crazy Place” by American science fiction writer Frederic Brown. Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-04-27 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Oakland’s Poet Laureate Receives Rainin Arts Fellowship, Plans Anthology with New Indie Press

Ayodele "WordSlanger" Nzinga, honored for her theater innovation, is co-editing a bilingual anthology with Oso Perezoso Press, launched by indie publisher J.K. Fowler. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ryan Gosling and Miller/Lord’s Project Hail Mary could be the sci-fi event of 2026

Do you like rip-roaring science fiction books? Do you like movies? Then you are in for a treat in, well, two years. Amazon MGM Studios just set a release date of March 20, 2026 for Project Hail Mary, according to Deadline. It’s based on the Andy Weir novel of the same name, which was one of our... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-04-19 17:44:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this