D&D on the Big Screen, Mid-Apocalyptic Fiction, and the Bad Batch

To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( CLI-FI GETS REAL [Mid-Apocalyptic Fiction: Writing Against a Climate Catharsis]( Speculative fiction has long been looking at the possibility of a climate catastrophe on earth—and most often, it looks like an apocalypse. And sometimes it seems like only stories of anxious, hyperbolic futures could get at that feeling of barreling toward the end of ours, but what if there’s another way to look at the climate issues our planet faces? Writer and environmental lawyer Theodore McCombs looks at climate change in fiction, and how “mid-apocalypse” stories better capture the sense of creeping dread that we currently feel. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( SPACE DISASTERS [Five Ways to Justify Huge Rocks Smashing Into Earth (in Spite of Science)]( There is no lack of astronomical calamities in science fiction—asteroids hit earth, for any number of reasons, causing unimaginable damage—and propulsive plots for readers to dive into. Sure, NASA insists the chances of such an event are extremely low, but who listens to them? James Davis Nicoll highlights five works in which calamitous asteroid and comet impacts occur (despite the best efforts of scientists to spoil our fun). [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( CHILD OF THE HOUSE [Tracing the Affinities Between Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and C.S Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew]( There are many similarities between Lewis’ Narnia origin story, The Magician’s Nephew, and Susanna Clarke’s latest novel Piranesi —fauns, imposing magical figures, and worlds between worlds. The affinities between the two books illuminate the major themes of both, particularly their interest in the ethics of scholarship and different ways of knowing. Piranesi’s reworking of Lewis reveals just how profoundly our childhood reading can shape us, providing us with our first Other Worlds to explore. Iona Glen looks at the links between these two stories. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( CREEPING HORRORS [Seven Scary Stories About Frightening Fungi]( Mushrooms are having a moment right now. The term “sporror” (spore horror) has been gaining traction lately, but while the term is newly coined, the subgenre has been festering away for many years. Here, Lorna Wallace recommends seven unsettling stories about frightening fungi sure to creep their way into your subconscious. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WAIT FOR JARNATHAN [Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Is a Charming Adventure]( Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has spectacle, CGI chaos, a Big Bad attempting to take over the world, nice-to-look-at heroes who you know will probably not die despite the dangerous situations they find themselves in, and incredible feats. But underneath the flair, it’s a fun, funny, chill movie about four friends hanging out and going on adventures together. Alex Brown reviews the film here. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( GO FIRE FERRETS! [Five SFF Sports I Would Try in a Heartbeat]( Sports and games can contribute to our understanding of the culture of a fantasy or sci-fi world, even if they aren’t central to the narrative. These pastimes—whether played for fun or for much higher stakes—bring the structure of competition into magical and futuristic settings. Cole Rush shares five SFF sports that he’d sign up to play right now, if he could! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Jean-Luc Picard]( PLAN 99 [Season 2 of The Bad Batch Is Lightyears Ahead of the First — But It Still Needs to Clear a Few Things Up]( In a predictable turn of events, The Bad Batch has formed up in its second season to become some of the best television Star Wars has on offer. Emmet Asher-Perrin reviews the second season here. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Coyote and Road Runner Looney Tunes]( THE BOOGEYMAN [The Suffering Is The Point: Negotiating Pain With John Wick]( The thing that sets Wick apart from other action movies is the relentlessness. In the first few films especially, John Wick walks into each new battle knowing it’s gonna hurt, but that he’s gotta get through it one opponent at a time. Continuing on through the pain becomes a central theme of the film series. For many, including Leah Schnelbach, suffering through pain is a daily experience, and it has shaped the way they experience the John Wick films. Here, Schnelbach discusses chronic pain, weariness, and finding ways to get back up again. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Coyote and Road Runner Looney Tunes]( READING MATERIAL [Reprint: “The Stars We Raised” by Xiu Xinyu]( We’re delighted to share “The Stars We Raised” by Xiu Xinyu, translated from Chinese by Judy Yi Zhou, reprinted from the groundbreaking anthology The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, edited by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang, now available in paperback! “The Stars We Raised” was originally published as 逃跑星辰 in March 2017 by Master (大家). [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( Follow Tor.com to get updates on all of our original fiction. 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