Le Guin, Star Trek: Voyager, and Joker

plus original fiction from Maria Dahvana Headley To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( LE GUIN FOREVER [Introducing the Ursula K. Le Guin Reread]( Ursula K. Le Guin might very well be the most critically celebrated author of SFF, beloved of both the literary and genre worlds. Her influence has gone beyond the literary, making waves in political circles, among anarchists, feminists, activists for racial and decolonial justice, and many others. In this introductory essay, Sean Guynes details his approach to rereading Le Guin’s work, from The Left Hand of Darkness to The Last Interview. Come read along, and join the discussion! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( POSITIVITY IN SFF [Five Books That Leave You With Hope for Humanity]( Sometimes dark, morally gray stories with heavy, bleak endings can be a struggle. Sometimes we need something uplifting that leaves us hopeful for the future! Life isn’t all shiny rainbows, but there’s something to be said for a book that makes readers feel good at the end of it. Author M.K. England shares five books that make you feel like things just might turn out okay after all... [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( CELEBRATING LEGACY [Voices: An Ode to Black Science-Fiction & Fantasy Writers]( In recent years there has been an uptick in works by fantasy writers of color finally entering the mainstream. These stories are as broad and wide sweeping as the culture itself, from The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, to N.K. Jemison’s The Fifth Season --beautiful novels with intricate, fully imagined, complicated characters and worlds. But Black voices have always been creating stories. Author Rita Woods celebrates the enduring legacy of Black speculative fiction, from W.E.B. Du Bois to Toni Morrison. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( CLASSIC SFF [Introducing the Star Trek: Voyager Rewatch!]( Twenty-five years ago today, the United Paramount Network debuted with the premiere episode of the third live-action Star Trek spinoff, Voyager. The first Trek show to have a female lead, Captain Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, joined Kirk, Picard, and Sisko in the ranks of Trek captains. We’re delighted to announce that every Monday and Thursday, starting this week, Keith R.A. DeCandido will be rewatching every episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Yes, really. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ON WORLDBUILDING [“Where in your affidavit does it say you’re Black?”: Why Worldbuilding Can’t Neglect Race]( Years ago, Riot Baby author Tochi Onyebuchi took part in a Mock Trial case that brought up the question: what happens when we neglect to consider race as part of our worldbuilding? Stories don’t exist in a vacuum. No matter how much the world we create may differ from our own recognizable reality in its physical laws—its moons, its architecture, its quantum mechanical legislation—we take our world with us when we build another. So what happens when we don’t investigate the implications of racial diversity? Onyebuchi explains how and why race is part of telling a story. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BACK TO MIDDLE-EARTH [Celebrating Christopher Tolkien’s Cartographic Legacy]( With the passing of Christopher Tolkien last week, we’re celebrating his legacy as J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary executor and the editor of his posthumous works. But before that, Christopher Tolkien served as his father’s first reader—and his cartographer. Map expert Jonathan Crowe explores the influence the younger Tolkien’s work had on the fantasy genre, including the creation of the first published maps of Middle-earth, which became the blueprint for many fantasy maps to come. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( KA-BOOM [Five Thrilling Tales of Deadly Nuclear Reactors]( Why are we, as a culture, obsessed with disaster and destruction? The extraordinary catches the imagination when the commonplace doesn’t. Thus far, real-life nuclear disasters have been unusual, but that certainly doesn’t stop people from writing stories and novels about Atomic-Powered DOOOM! James Davis Nicoll takes a look at five classic examples, from a tale set in Heinlein’s Future History to Frederik Pohl’s take on Chernobyl. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( SEND IN THE CLOWNS [The Superhero Movie Rewatch: "That’s life” — Joker]( The character of the Joker has had numerous origin stories over the years, most recently with Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker . Keith R.A. DeCandido takes a look at the controversial film, the Joker’s origins, and more in this latest installment of the Great Superhero Movie Rewatch. We’ve officially run out of live-action superhero movies to discuss, so the Rewatch will be taking a pause, but you can always revisit the full series archive for excellent, in-depth discussions of the superhero movie genre from the 1960s up through the current moment! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WHEEL OF AMAZON [All of The Wheel of Time Episode Titles Revealed Thus Far]( Over the past year or so, the cast and crew of Amazon Prime’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time have been slowly uploading pictures of the scripts, unveiling titles and writers, and inciting tons of speculation. Take a look at everything we know so far, and what it might mean for the show’s storyline — spoilers ahead! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION ["A Girlfriend’s Guide to Gods" by Maria Dahvana Headley]( “This is the first myth: that your boyfriend from when you were fifteen will come and get you out of hell. He might come, but he won’t get you.” Gods won’t save you. Gods will break you. Nevertheless, you will persist. And become anew. [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.