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science fiction

[Convention News] Star Wars Celebration 2020 Cancelled, New Date for Anaheim Announced

by Tori Ann June 15, 2020

written by Tori Ann

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim has officially joined the rank of cancelled events for 2020. The announcement was made today on both the Star Wars and Celebration websites, citing the impact of the COVID-19 virus and local public health guidelines:

At Star Wars Celebration, the health and safety of our fans, attendees, exhibitors, guests and staff is always our number one priority. Due to the global impact of the COVID-19 virus and in speaking with local and state authorities on the latest public health guidelines related to indoor conventions, we have made the decision to cancel Star Wars Celebration for 2020.

The good news is that a new date for the convention has been announced, and will now take place August 18-21, 2022.

Further good news is that fans who already purchased thier tickets for the convention can choose to transfer their tickets to the new date, receive a refund, or receive a credit for Star Wars Celebration merchandise. If you choose to transfer your tickets, you will be mailed a free exclusive Star Wars Celebration stormtrooper pin for each ticket.

Related: [Convention] List of Changes to Events Due to COVID-19

The period for refund and merchandise credit request will begin on June 22nd and must be completed by August 26th. In addition, all ticket holders will be sent an e-mail with detailed instructions about the process. If you had booked a hotel room through the official housing portal, that reservation will be automatically cancelled and no further action is necessary.

What do think about this announcement? Will you be attending Star Wars Celebration’s new date?

June 15, 2020 1 comment

Vote NOW on Inductees to the Museum of Pop Culture’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame

by Jason Bennett May 11, 2020

written by Jason Bennett

MAKE YOUR VOTE NOW FOR WHO AND WHAT WILL BE INDUCTED INTO MoPOP’S SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY HALL OF FAME

You are invited to vote for the next creators and creations to be inducted into the Museum of Pop Culture’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame! In the poll, running now through May 27, 2020, individuals are instructed to select one creator and one creation. The top two nominees from each category that received the most votes will be included in the next class of the nonprofit museum’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame exhibition invites visitors to explore the lives and legacies of the current inductees through interpretive films, interactive kiosks, and more than 30 artifacts, including Luke Skywalker’s severed hand from George Lucas’ The Empire Strikes Back, the Staff of Ra headpiece from Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, author Isaac Asimov’s typewriter, and more.

Founded in 1996, the Hall of Fame was relocated from the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to its permanent home at MoPOP in 2004. The inductees are nominated by the public and a panel of award-winning science fiction and fantasy authors, artists, editors, publishers, and film professionals.

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE!

Voting ends Wednesday, May 27, 2020!

About the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

Now in its 20th year, MoPOP is a leading-edge nonprofit museum in Seattle, dedicated to the ideas and risk-taking that fuel contemporary pop culture. With a mission to make creative expression a life-changing force by offering experiences that inspire and connect our communities, MoPOP reaches multigenerational audiences through our collections, exhibitions, educational programs and community partnerships. At MoPOP, artists, audiences, and ideas converge, bringing understanding, interpretation, and scholarship to the pop culture of our time. For more information, visit MoPOP.org.

May 11, 2020 0 comment

Movies / TV News

[TV News] ‘Doctor Who’ Announces Writers and Directors, Wraps Filming

by Tori Ann August 20, 2018

written by Tori Ann

Filming has now wrapped on Series 11 of Doctor Who, the first series featuring Jodie Whittaker as the latest incarnation of The Doctor. With Chris Chibnall as the new showrunner, he seems dedicated to having diverse talent both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Whittaker’s Doctor will have three new companions of differing ages and backgrounds, and BBC has just announced the writers and directors for Series 11 for Doctor Who, nearly all of whom are coming to the show for the very first time.

Chibnall stated:

“We have a team of writers who’ve been working quietly and secretly for a long time now, crafting characters, worlds and stories to excite and move you. A set of directors who stood those scripts up on their feet, bringing those ideas, visuals and emotions into existence with bravura and fun. Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”

The list of writers includes author Malorie Blackman, Skins writer Ed Hime, playwright and screenwriter Vinay Patel, creator of female prison drama Wentworth Pete McTighe, and screenwriter Joy Wilkinson. The directors include Jamie Childs, who directed Whittaker’s introduction video; veteran television director Sallie Aprahamian; writer and director Jennifer Perrott; and TV and film director Mark Tonderai.

In the past, the show has been criticized for not having a diverse set of voices in the creative team behind it. Patel and Blackman are the first writers of color to write for the show, which is now in its 55th year. The two female writers are also the most the show has ever had. It may seem like a small step, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. The Doctor Who fanbase is one that covers much of the world, and is therefore quite diverse. It seems only right that the creative team behind the show should do its best to reflect that. Many of the new writers and directors also grew up as fans of the show, as well as other sci-fi shows, and are thrilled to be part of telling the adventures of The Doctor.

Doctor Who will premiere sometime this fall. The premiere will be simulcast on BBCAmerica in the United States and BBC One in the UK.

August 20, 2018 0 comment

Novels/Books

[Book Review] ‘The Jim Baen Memorial Award: The First Decade’ by Baen Books

by April Carvelli November 24, 2017

written by April Carvelli

When I first saw this book and its title I thought it was going to be a documentary on the history of Jim Baen and Baen Books, it seemed like it would be pretty dry reading. I had never heard of the Jim Baen Memorial Award, and to be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to reading it. I was in for a pleasant surprise.

The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award is a yearly writing contest for short stories of 8,000 words or less, that shows the near future of manned space exploration. These stories portray the best of what man is capable of achieving while depicting Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice and adventure.

The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award: The First Decade is a compilation of the best short stories from the first ten years of the The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Awards.

“Each tale is set in a plausible, near-future setting, and yet the variations are as limitless as the imaginations of the array of authors represented. Stories that ask, “What if?” Stories that dare to say, “Why not?” Stories that continue the grand science fiction tradition, looking to the future with a positive outlook on humanity’s place in the universe.”

This is a compilation of sixteen great science fiction shorts, with no fluff. You won’t find cutesy aliens, adorable pets or murderous computers. Navigation, discovery, politics, retirement, life, birth, and death are what you will find as you journey with each character. These are everyday people struggling with choices as they move through life in a near future.

Some stories are reminiscent of Asimov’s writing style, while others are purely modern, yet all of them give you the feeling of great sci-fi. A few of them are sure to become sci-fi classics. All of the stories are well-written, several of them give you a different perspective of what could be.

A few of the stories are not my normal reading style, but I still enjoyed them. There was only one story I did not enjoy, but as they say, you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

Overall it is a good read and great for those that don’t have time to invest in a whole novel. It’s great science-fiction in bite-size chunks. My favorite three short stories would be “Cylinders” by Ronald D. Ferguson, “A Better Sense of Direction” by Mjke Wood and “To Lose the Stars” by Jennifer Brozek.

“Introduction” copyright 2017 by William Ledbetter.
“A Better Sense of Direction” copyright 2007 by Mjke Wood. First appeared Jim Baen’s Universe, October 2007.
“Letting Go” copyright 2008 by David Walton. First appeared in Jim Baen’s Universe, August 2008.
“Cathedral” copyright 2009 by Michael Barretta. First appeared in Jim Baen’s Universe, August 2009.
“Space Hero” copyright 2010 by Patrick Lundrigan. First appeared in Baen.com, 2010.
“That Undiscovered Country” copyright 2011 by Nancy Fulda. First appeared in Baen.com, 2011.
“Taking the High Road” copyright 2012 by R.P.L. Johnson. First appeared in Baen.com, 2012.
“The Lamplighter Legacy” copyright 2013 by Patrick O’Sullivan. First appeared in Baen.com, 2013.
“Low Arc” copyright 2014 by Sean Monaghan. First appeared in Baen.com, 2014.
“We Fly” copyright 2015 by K.B. Rylander. First appeared in Baen.com, 2015.
“Dear Ammi” copyright 2016 by Aimee Ogden. First appeared in Baen.com, 2016.
“Citizen-Astronaut” copyright 2011 by David D. Levine. First appeared in Analog, June 2011.
“Gemini XVII” copyright 2013 by Brad R. Torgersen. First appeared in Lights in the Deep, August 2013.
“Scramble” copyright 2015 by Martin L. Shoemaker. First appeared in Digital Science Fiction, September 2015.
“Balance” copyright 2014 by Little Lost Stories. First appeared in Baen.com, June 2014.
“To Lose the Stars” copyright 2017 by Jennifer Brozek.
“Cylinders” copyright 2017 by Ronald D. Ferguson.

PopCultHQ Rating

How we rate our Books

1 = We finished the book with effort

2 = Readable, but more fluff than substance

3 = Good

4 = Pretty Good and worth passing on to your friends

5 = We couldn’t put the book down

November 24, 2017 0 comment

Comic Book News Comic Books Comic Creators Comic Reviews independent Comic New Comic Book Day Pop Cult News

PopCultHQ Comic Book Review: ETERNITY #1 from Valiant Entertainment

by Joshua Winchester October 4, 2017

written by Joshua Winchester

PopCultHQ received a review copy of ETERNITY #1 from Valiant Entertainment. Available October 25^th, 2017, the creative team for this series features writing from Matt Kindt, art from Trevor Hairsine, and colors by David Baron.

Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…

ETERNITY #1

Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Trevor Hairsine
Colorist: David Baron

In Shops: October 25, 2o17
SRP: $3.99

A VISIONARY NEW SERIES!

From the minds of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (X-O MANOWAR, Mind MGMT) and blockbuster artist Trevor Hairsine (DIVINITY, X-Men: Deadly Genesis) comes an expedition into the Unknown. Beyond time… Beyond space… Beyond reality itself… ETERNITY awaits!

This October, Valiant unveils a new plane of existence beyond our own and unleashes a universe of new worlds, new beings, and new myths…

PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
ETERNITY #1

Writing:

Matt Kindt’s writing does a nice job of setting up the next chapter of Divinity’s adventures. It’s got a bit of everything in it: drama, science fiction, super-heroics, family. All rolled up into one ball of excellent script work, laying a foundation for what is sure to be an excellent series.

Art:

Trevor Hairsine’s artwork does it again. As he is already well-known for his art in Divinity, this is just another step on the road of comics glory. His layouts for the science-fiction elements are amazing. Like something from one of the classic outer space shows of 60’s TV. Truly, Trevor is a master artist and this first issue shows it in spades.

David Baron’s colors are out of this world. Quite literally in the case of the pages devoted to the issue’s science-fiction and superhero angles. The vividness of the colors makes the artwork jump right off the page and into the reader’s face.

PopCultHQ’s overall assessment:

Buckle up comics fans, it’s time to blast off for another adventure. This time Divinity and his wife will be put to the ultimate test, one that will take them to the limits. So loyal Valiant fans and lovers of comics, take a dive into the first issue of this new series!