Revisiting Omelas, Universal Translators, Hollywood's Fictional Writers and more!

To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( [A selection of photos from various SFF film adaptations]( MARK AS READ [Maybe There’s a Better Way to Think About Adaptations]( For as long as there have been movies, there have most likely been people who insist, with absolute certainty, that the movie is never as good as the book. And maybe we should stop asking them to be. Stop wishing for the same thing to happen on page and on screen, because it can’t be the same. In a new Mark As Read column, Molly Templeton argues that adaptations are actually retellings, and ought to be treated as such. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A painting in blue tones of cthuhlu-esque tentacles in space]( MOON'S HAUNTED [Five Space Books to Send a Chill Down Your Spine]( Why are there so few ghosts in space? Put more ghosts in space! Space is already very scary, and if all your redundancies are designed to prevent mechanical failure and resulting hypoxia, that means they probably are not designed to stop ghosts. Here, Jenny Hamilton shares five books about hauntings in space (that may or may not have been about capitalism all along). [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [The book covers from Naomi Novik's Scholomance series]( MAGIC & MORALITY [The Maw-Mouth of Omelas: Reading Naomi Novik’s Scholomance Series as a Response to Ursula K. Le Guin]( There are few short stories more famous than “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin—Le Guin’s iconic work about the awful bargains society makes for happiness and luxury. And while many writers have paid homage to Le Guin in their work, an unexpected response to Omelas can be found in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. Here, Elyse Martin looks at Novik’s work and the way it shines new light on Le Guin’s original thesis. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A screencap from the film adaptation of Stephen King's Misery]( WRITING IS HARD [Seven Stories About Fictional Writers That Need a Reality Check]( As any author knows, the writing game takes years of trying, rewriting, editing, criticism, and maybe some drinking (lots of caffeinated beverages, if not something stronger). And while it’s true that some fictional depictions seem to acknowledge the challenges of being a writer, for the most part even well-made shows seem to side with fantasy over reality when it comes to portraying literary success. Randee Dawn looks at some memorable portrayals of writers in TV and movies and rates them on believability. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [The covers of Robert Jackson Bennet's Founders series]( PLEASE ADAPT [Going Rogue: An Adaptation of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Founders Trilogy Could Steal the Spotlight (and Everything Else)]( Robert Jackson Bennett’s fiction hasn’t made the leap to visual media, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time considering how reliably excellent his work is. The Founders Trilogy weaves together some of the tried-and-true fundamentals of fantasy with new ideas so seamlessly that it feels like a perfect fit for a series or movie. Here, Cole Rush argues why Bennett’s work should be adapted. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A depiction of the Babel Fish from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]( FROM CHARLIE JANE [What the Universal Translator Tells Us About Exploring Other Cultures]( Science fiction is full of miraculous technology. You’ve got instantaneous teleportation across great distances, time travel, faster-than-light starships, cryogenic suspension that lasts centuries, and so on. But one of the most fascinating science fiction tropes is the universal translator, and the aspiration (and unrealistic) idea of almost magically understanding other languages and cultures. Charlie Jane Anders investigates this trope and how it’s used in everything from Doctor Who and Star Wars to Star Trek and beyond. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A collection of SFF book covers]( BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS [Five SFF Stories With Interesting Takes on Mass Media]( In most of the world, our knowledge of and views of events are inescapably shaped by the way mass media packages them–by methods that are often hidden from public awareness. Authors have long been concerned about the implications of this process. Here, James Davis Nicoll shares five works of SFF that incorporate aspects of the media landscape into their settings and plots. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Coyote and Road Runner Looney Tunes]( CLOSE READS [Speed Racer Is Both an Explosion of Color and a Masterpiece of Economical Storytelling]( The Wachowski Sisters’ Speed Racer ’s opening scenes are a gradually unfolding miracle of context clues, nested flashbacks, origin stories, and character motivation that seed every single relationship and conflict that are explored for the ensuing two hours. People dunk on the other Wachowski films for being baggy and overstuffed, but the first 17 minutes of this film are full of efficient and exuberant storytelling. In a new Close Read, Leah Schnelbach revisits this overlooked film and all its bright, bold colors. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Art from the story Counting Casualties by Yoon Ha Lee]( ORIGINAL FICTION [“Counting Casualties” by Yoon Ha Lee]( Commander Niaja vrau Erezeng is up against an enemy that doesn’t just destroy all the beings, ships, and planets in its path, but also consumes their greatest arts, somehow scratching them from existence everywhere… [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](. 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