One of the most-discussed YA novels of the last year is Fran Wilde’s Updraft, the first of a series set in the wild “Bone Universe,” where humans live in gigantic towers of bone and fly above the clouds on manufactured wings. The book has been nominated for a 2016 Nebula and the Andre Norton Award. Does it live up to the hype?
Author Archives: JD DeLuzio
Orphan Black Review: “The Collapse of Nature”
Orphan Black‘s fourth season begins as prequel. Save for the final scene, the episode depicts the events leading up to the pilot: Beth Childs, the Neolutionists, and the original Clone Club.
And, of course, a woman in a creepy sheep mask. Hello, Dolly.
Can Stephen Hawking and some famous investors get us to the Centauri system?
Although Hawking has expressed concern about the consequences of alien contact, he nevertheless has thrown his support behind Starshot. The near-future project wouldn’t take us to Alpha Centauri, but would use laser tech and light-sails to send iPhone-sized ships to our stellar neighbor.
With investments from Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg, among others, we just might send the ships and receive the results within our lifetime.
Legends of Tomorrow Review: “The Magnificent Eight”
This week, the Legends mosey on back to the Old West to meet Jonah Hex.
Supergirl Discussion: “Myriad”
In the penultimate episode of Season One, Supergirl faces world-conquering aliens and mindless humans– and Superman himself is in thrall, because the writers say so.
Will we have closure next week, or cliffhanger?
Legends of Tomorrow Discussion: “Progeny”
Legends heads to a grim future of corporate feudalism and really bad gray suits, and addresses those perennial favorites of time-travel questions: if you could go back in time and kill Hitler Per Degaton while he was still a boy, whould you do it? Should you do it?
The consideration of the question is good, if not original. The execution of the show remains uneven, and it raises several questions:
Arrow Discussion: “Eleven-Fifty-Nine”
Darhk gets his power back, an ally proves deceptive, and Team Arrow loses a member.
Will this loss be permanent?
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Puny god makes a guest appearance:
Live, from the uncanny valley:
As robotics technology develops, I suppose it was inevitable that some guy would build a Scarlett Johansson-bot.
And speaking of uncanny creepiness:
King Louie isn’t an orangutan in Disney’s strange new Jungle Book adaptation: he’s a Gigantopithecus!
What? You want actual news from space?
Blue Origin has another successful flight of its suborbital vehicle New Shepard.
And below….
Legends of Tomorrow Review: “Left Behind”
When the Rapture occurs, the Legends of Tomorrow must battle demons…
Actually, this week’s episode deals with the fallout from the previous week, with three characters abandoned in the mid-twentieth century and the rest under attack.
Chronos is unmasked, and Ra’s al Ghul makes an appearance.
Marvel retcons Wolverine, Squirrel Girl from mutants to Inhumans
Despite years of comic-book history identify both as mutants of the X-Men variety, forthcoming Marvel titles will reveal that both Wolverine and Squirrel Girl are, in fact, Inhumans. This won’t be the first time Marvel has made such changes; Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver had their origins tweaked to tighten Marvel Studios’ grip on both characters. And few non-comic-book readers have much sense of Squirrel Girl, rumored to be making an appearance in either the forthcoming Luke Cage series, or the next season of Jessica Jones. But Logan, aka Wolverine, has been identified with the X-Men since nearly his first appearance.
The move comes as part of a broader strategy by Disney/Marvel….