WandaVision, Nynaeve, and the Worst Lex Luthor

To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( IT'S ALL WANDA [Portraying Grief in SFF: From Beloved to WandaVision]( Speculative fiction is uniquely equipped to tell stories about grief. With science fiction there’s a whole arsenal of clones, robots, and time travel that can allow mourners to confront their lost loved ones. In fantasy, it’s easy to blur the lines and visit the dead. Leah Schnelbach explores themes of grieving and death in speculative fiction, from the fiction of N.K. Jemisin, Ted Chiang, and Jeff VanderMeer to the MCU. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WHEEL OF TIME [The Wrong Lesson: Nynaeve al’Meara and Bodily Autonomy]( In The Fires of Heaven, Elayne Heals Nynaeve’s black eye while she sleeps, without permission. It’s a small moment until you consider the larger context of Nynaeve’s story arc, and a pattern of violating the character’s personal autonomy begins to emerge. Sylas Barrett, reading through The Wheel of Time series for the first time, dives into Nynaeve’s narrative and issues of consent in The Fires of Heaven. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( NO AGE LIMIT ON HEROISM [Five SFF Books Featuring Middle-Aged and Elderly Heroes Who Still Kick Ass]( Sometimes characters look strong and noble at the start of their story, but what happens to them after they win the battle, defeat the great evil, and save the world? Do they all ride off into the sunset or board a ship to the Undying Lands? Are they okay? Life doesn’t stop just because someone says “the end,” so it stands to reason that stories shouldn’t either. Sarah Beth Durst shares five books about older heroes called to save the world again. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE [Ranking the Live-Action Members of Superman’s Supporting Cast]( Over the years, the Man of Steel has been interpreted and re-interpreted in several different mediums, and along with him, we’ve met different versions of Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and Lex Luthor. Is Superman’s story only as good as its supporting cast? Joe George ranks the best live-action portrayals of Superman’s friends and foes--come let us know what you think of the results! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( HIDDEN TREASURES [Turns Out Hunting Down a Story Can Be Very Satisfying: On the Rise of Lore]( Videogames aren’t a new media; they’ve been around for fifty years now. So why do the stories games tell often feel so derivative? That’s not always the case: what if there was an exciting new type of tale that is unique to videogames—one that immerses players in a way that a book or movie absolutely couldn’t? Ferrett Steinmetz considers gameplay, storytelling, and the increasing use of lore as a compelling way to draw people more deeply into a fictional world. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( PLEASE RECYCLE! [Trashy Tales: Five Stories About Space Garbage]( If there is one lesson that the popular film Space Sweepers teaches us, it is that audiences worldwide love science fiction about garbage and garbage collection. After all, who knows what’s floating around up there? James Davis Nicoll shares five SF stories involving space litter. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( VOX MACHINA [An Introduction to Critical Role: Prepare Your Emotions]( So, you want to get into Critical Role--the increasingly popular series in which a group of voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons--but you don’t know where to start and are kind of overwhelmed. It’s a daunting task, as Critical Role is currently some 240+ episodes and each episode is at least three hours long. It makes for thousands of hours of content. Thankfully, Critical Role enthusiast Emily A. Duncan is here to help you through it. Grab your dice and dive in! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BEING PEOPLE IS HARD [Raya and the Last Dragon Is a Stunningly Animated Reminder That No One Saves the World Alone]( Disney’s highly anticipated new animated film Raya and the Last Dragon dropped on Disney+ last week, to the delight of audiences worldwide. Raya and the Last Dragon is a lush, gorgeous work of animation with epic fight scenes, a doubting heroine, and a giddy water dragon—and it’s a movie that highlights the experience of food as community, as a reason and a way to come together. Molly Templeton reviews the new film. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL [How Meta Sitcoms and The Truman Show Shape WandaVision’s Stages of Grief]( With the finale of WandaVision last Friday, the series managed to pull off a confrontation that was inevitable but still surprising, using the language of the modern meta sitcom to move its protagonist through the five stages of grief. Along the way, we saw parallels with other key influences, like 1998’s The Truman Show, as its fictions started falling apart. Natalie Zutter analyzes the fascinating ways in which WandaVision finally broke the fourth wall for good. [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.