Thanos, Porgs, Mr. Rogers, and Animorphs!

Plus an Abundance of SFF TV! To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( MISTER ROGERS [What Mister Rogers Can Teach Us About Storytelling]( This year marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, giving us ample reason to revisit the many valuable lessons Fred Rogers imparted to his viewers over the years. Robert Repino explores what storytellers can learn from Rogers’ focus on imagination, creativity, optimism, persistence, and empathy. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( THE WORST PLAN [Heads I Win, Tails YOU DIE: Thanos’ Plan is Even Worse Than You Know]( Thanos is bad with numbers. And justice. Mathematician Michael Carlisle breaks down just some of the many questions that linger in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War. (Full spoilers ahoy, for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie yet.) [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ANIMORPHS [Why the Animorphs Are Overdue for a Revival]( Balancing humor, horror, and the best photoshopped covers the late '90s had to offer, the Animorphs series was a major gateway to science fiction fandom for a generation of young readers. Meghan Ball explains what made the books so special, and why they’re overdue for a revival! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( DETECTIVES [Five Mystery Series with Awesome Detectives]( Sometimes, even science fiction writers like to take a break and read some non-SF as a change of pace. Author Emily Devenport loves a good mystery novel, which often share certain elements with SFF. In this piece, she discusses five favorite fictional detectives, with plenty more recommendations in the comments! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( GENRE TV [So Much Genre TV, So Little Time]( Liz Bourke’s latest Sleeps With Monsters column discusses the difficulty in keeping up with the sheer number of interesting SFF television shows that are currently available—particularly shows featuring women in lead or prominent roles. So, what do you recommend? [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( SFF ARCHAEOLOGY [SFF Archaeology: Excavating the Superhero World of the Wild Card Series]( Katie Rask, a professor of archaeology and classics, brings her expertise and training to the world of superheroes and cataclysmic alien events, asking what urban excavation could tell future generations about the lives, deaths, and dire changes wrought by the events of Wild Card Day. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( HISTORY OF BLACK SF [Mightier Than the Gun: Nalo Hopkinson’s Midnight Robber]( In the latest installment of her History of Black Science Fiction column, Nisi Shawl covers Nalo Hopkinson’s stellar second novel, Midnight Robber, which thoroughly entertains readers while also providing a model for how speculative fiction can rescue them… [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( STAR WARS [Podraces, Porgs, and Prop Replicas: Our Favorite Star Wars Stuff]( This year, we celebrated May the Fourth with an ode to all the weird, random stuff we love about Star Wars, from toys, games, and collectibles to ALL THE PORGS to weird presents from a certain Ewok shaman. Tell us about your own favorite Star Wars items (real or fictional) in the comments! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( EXCERPTS [Artificial Condition]( It has a dark past—a past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks… [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Death Doesn't Bargain]( Kalder Dupree sacrificed himself for his crew and is in the demon Vine’s hands. Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser, it’s her calling, and she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation. To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( Follow Tor.com to get updates on all of our original fiction. FOLLOW US: [Follow Us on Facebook]( [Follow Us on Twitter]( [Follow Us on Tumblr]( [Follow Us on Pinterest]( This email was sent by: Macmillan 175 Fifth Ave., 6th Floor New York, NY, 10010, US We respect your right to privacy - [view our policy]( Macmillan believes piracy hurts writers, readers and everyone who loves books. Learn more and report suspicious activity [here.]( To subscribe to this or other email communications from Macmillan, please click [here](. Visit our [profile center]( to update your email address and/or other information. If you no longer wish to receive this email communication, click [here]( to unsubscribe.