What's the Greatest, Most Terrible SF Series?

plus original fiction from Michael Swanwick To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( I WISH I HAD YOUR FAITH IN THE UNIVERSE [Babylon 5 Is the Greatest, Most Terrible SF Series]( Babylon 5 is one of the best science fiction shows ever made. It also kind of sucks, and that’s okay. Author Jennifer Giesbrecht explores the joys of sci-fi on a shoestring budget, how the terrible parts are part of the charm, and what kept her in love with one of the most fun space crews in the galaxy. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( h SCI-FI/FANTASY LINGUISTICS [Good Fiction, Questionable Science: The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis]( Does the language one learns shape the way people think? It’s certainly an idea that’s popular in speculative fiction. Writer and linguistics expert CD Covington explains the history of (and problems with) the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis in the introduction to her new monthly column on SFF linguistics. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( PRIDE MONTH [Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Reads of the Past Year]( Come read about our favorite QUILTBAG+ books that we read during the past year (though not necessarily published during the last year), including Witchmark by C.L. Polk, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi, and Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( MAMA, LIFE HAS JUST BEGUN [7 Mothers, Mentors, and Matriarchs of SFF Who Are Probably Very Disappointed With Us Right Now]( “Where HAVE you BEEN?” We’re talking about the women who roll up their sleeves and get sh*t done, whether it’s holding down the fort in a wizarding resistance, or standing at the right hand of power in a planetary Empire, including favorites from N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy to Emily Tesh’s Silver in the Wood. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( GENE WOLFE [Introducing the Gene Wolfe Reread on Tor.com: The Reader in the Mist]( Do you remember the first time you encountered Gene Wolfe’s work? When was the first time you heard his name? Fabio Fernandes is looking back at one of fantasy’s greatest writers, working chronologically through Wolfe’s novels, and you’re welcome to read along! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( HEY HEY, WE'RE THE MONKS [From the Jedi Order to the Torturers’ Guild: Science Fiction’s Preoccupation with Monks in Space]( Why are there so many monks in space? What exactly about the monastic lifestyle lends itself so easily to sci-fi storytelling? Author Max Gladstone explores the staying power of the monastic mission in science fiction, from the Jedi Order and Dune to the work of Ursula Le Guin (and even Babylon 5)... [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( QUEER SURVIVAL TACTICS 101 [Five Horror Novels that Move Beyond the ‘Bury Your Gays’ Trope]( The horror genre’s high body count has made dooming queer characters to die a pervasive trope...but horror also delights in the spaces between set categories, including gender and sexuality. Debut author Elizabeth Hirst examines five horror stories that allow their queer characters to grow, thrive, and survive. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BREAKER OF CHAINS?? [Game of Thrones’ Complex Relationship to Racism and Colonialism]( What are the duties of fantasy, both in its inception and in its adaptation, to people of color and issues of race, ethnicity, and colonialism? Tyler Dean explores Game of Thrones’ treatment of these issues and the process of reconciling one’s love of a show or a book with its (sometimes problematic) politics. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( THE FUTURE OF BLACKNESS [White Bears in Sugar Land: Juneteenth, Cages, and Afrofuturism]( Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, is a complex part of Black American history. Author Tochi Onyebuchi takes a look at the ways in which Black Americans still faces cages, and the possibilities for Black liberation expressed in Afrofuturism. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [“The New Prometheus” by Michael Swanwick]( The Arctic wastes stretched wide in every direction, vast and irregular plains of ice which seemed to have no end. At their center, barely visible in the weak light provided by a sliver of sun at the horizon, was a rapidly moving sled. It was pulled by eight dogs with a single wolf at their lead, and ridden by a large man bundled in Sami furs. A new story in the Mongolian Wizard universe. [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 120 Broadway New York, NY, 10271, 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.