Holiday Horror, Middle (Book) Child Syndrome, Growing Mountains, and More SFF News!
Hello, all you space kittens and fairytale dragons! In today’s round up of recent sci-fi and fantasy links, we’re going to talk about a new holiday comic, Richard Dean Anderson vs. Superman, being the middle (book) child, and more. It’s going to be an epic nerdpurr!
Over the Garden Wall’s Creator Is Bringing His Brand of Holiday Horror to Christmas
Ain’t that just the way: I had to start off with this news, because Over the Garden Wall is one of my favorite things in the history of things. If you are unfamiliar with it, it is an animated miniseries that ran in 2014. It’s about two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who get lost in a strange forest and are trying to find their way back home before they encounter The Beast. It is so unusual and delightful, filled with short songs and many famous voices, and it is perfect for fall (though I watch it year-round.) And like all amazing things, fans have been clamoring for more OTGW from its creator, Patrick McHale, since it aired. Well, we aren’t getting more OTGW right now, but he has a comic in the upcoming anthology Through the Boughs: A Yuletide Offering. His story is about a witch who warns her goblin children to beware of the man in the blood-red coat. Hmmm, who could that be? Other contributors include James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children) and Sweeney Boo (Harley Quinn).
Stargate SG-1 Set a Sci-Fi Guinness World Record That Was Broken By Superman
Recently, I realized I have started using the expression, “I’m so old, I…” a lot. As in, “I’m so old, I saw Stargate in the theater on opening night.” Which is a true story. I also watched a lot of Stargate SG-1, but fell off after the third season, which means I missed seven more seasons! According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the first Stargate spin-off held the record for the Longest Consecutive Running Sci-Fi TV Show with 209 episodes. That is, until Smallville came along and broke its record with 218 episodes. (Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job.) The X-Files later matched 218 episodes, but its seasons weren’t consecutive. Sorry, Mulder and Scully, but no alien dice.
5 Excellent Middle Books in SFF Trilogies
Hey, don’t write your shelf off yet: It is a popular opinion that in many book trilogies, the middle book seems like a lot of filler just to get readers to the conclusion. Not that it’s a bad thing, especially if you get to spend more time in a world you enjoy. But the second book is rarely named as the best of the three. Author Chloe Gong weighed in on the maligned middle book and why she chooses the second book to read when she revisits a trilogy. “They’re not just an easy way to gallivant from one important installment to the other: they’re at once self-contained but also pivotal to the essence of the trilogy.” I definitely agree with Catching Fire, mostly because (WARNING: UNPOPULAR OPINION AHEAD) I don’t think Mockingjay was very good. I also loved The Twelve from Justin Cronin’s The Passage trilogy the best.
Mount Everest is Taller Than it Should Be — and a Weird River May Be to Blame
In science news, researchers have come to the conclusion that Mount Everest is taller than it should be. And it is blamed on river erosion from 89,000 years ago. According to researchers, the mountain’s peak is 820 feet higher than the next-tallest peak in the Himalayas. And “GPS data shows Everest is growing at a rate of around 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) per year, which is higher than the expected rate of uplift for the mountain range.” So it’s still growing! It reminds me of Ascension by Nicholas Binge. And I love the idea that someone researched this. What else can they check??! “The water in that river is wetter than the water in other rivers. That great white shark bites harder than the other great white sharks.”
40 Random Bits of Sci-Fi Trivia to Beam Into Your Transporter Chamber
And to end things, here is a bunch of esoteric trivia to rub on your brain squiggles. These are really random, but some might make you go, “hey, did you know?” or kick you in the nostalgia. (Which, according to a new book, is bad for you.) I was delighted to see Gattaca mentioned here because I love that movie. Possibly because it has my favorite character actor, Xander Berkley, and a Tony Shaloub appearance, which is always a gift. (But you can’t make me watch the Monk movie again, I won’t do it.)
Take the knowledge you have learned here today, friends, and use it for good!
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