Happy Tuesday (particularly to all lovers of the fiber arts out there), and let’s take a moment to remember when the Glory Gospel Singers covered Cruel Angel’s Thesis because we can all use a little beauty in our lives. It’s Alex, with your weekly picnic basket of new releases and news (occasionally very snerk-worthy) from the internet!
This newsletter is sponsored by Doubleday.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world–a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.
New Releases
Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee – A collection of short stories set in the world of Ninefox Gambit.
The Iron Dragon’s Mother by Michael Swanwick – The half-human pilot of a sentient mechanical dragon is framed for the murder of her brother.
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho – Gu Miyoung is secretly a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who devours the energy of men, living in modern Seoul. When she violates her own rules to save the life of a human boy named Jihoon, she loses the fox bead that is her soul in the process. Surrounded by dark forces, Miyoung faces a choice between retaining her immortal life and her developing relationship with Jihoon.
The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter – A young woman raised in the human realm discovers that she’s a fairy tale princess when she manifests the magical ability to commune with mirrors. Faced with betrayal after betrayal, she struggles against the dark side that wants her to be the Evil Queen that is Snow White’s greatest enemy.
The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe – Connie Goodwin, an expert on the history of witchcraft in America, has a secret: she’s the direct descendent of one of the women tried for witchcraft in Salem, and her ancestor was much more magical than history is willing to admit. Her research and clues from her mother lead her to discover a centuries-old deadly curse that threatens the life of her partner–and only she can solve the mystery.
News and Views
Time to hit the app store: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is now available.
If you’re feeling the darker side of science fiction and fantasy short fiction, there are four excellent magazines you should check out.
The Red Sonja adaptation is getting back on track after Bryan Singer got (thankfully) ejected, now with Jill Soloway (who is nonbinary and created Transparent) at the helm.
Netflix promises not to make any more episodes of Amazon’s Good Omens series in response to the unintentionally hilarious petition from a trantrum-y US Christian group.
Slightly related, Michael Sheen (who plays Aziraphale) defended fanfiction on Twitter. What a good.
Looks like The Three-Body Problem is headed for a TV adaptation.
A brief history of Doctor Who’s missing episodes.
Here’s a great list of 8 queer fiction podcasts.
First play demo for Jedi: Fallen Order looks hopeful.
I agree with… most… of these 10 sci-fi-ish music videos that deserve to be remastered.
We’ve got a list of 10 books about AI taking over.
The Vitamin String Quartet covered the Jurassic Park theme and there’s a 16-bit video to go with it.
James Marsden and Amber Heard might be starring in the upcoming CBS All Access miniseries of The Stand.
See you, space pirates. You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me on the (Hugo-nominated!!!) Skiffy and Fanty Podcast or over at my personal site.