Dune may be one of the best-known, most-read science fiction novels of all time, but it was hardly an overnight success. Publishers rejected it, critics misunderstood it, and fans question it even to this day. In the spirit of “Dune is awesome” (and in honor of the new Dune movie trailer), here are a few things you might not know about Frank Herbert’s masterpiece, and its long journey to the sci-fi hall of fame. Two Separate Ideas Merged to Create It Frank Herbert had assembled a moderately impressive publishing resumé by the time he started working on Dune. His debut  ..read more

If there’s a defining element to the Star Wars universe beyond the existence of the Force, it’s the ubiquity and showmanship of its villains. They tend to arrive wearing fascist-inspired armor (0ften all in black), riding around in ships with a geometry that positively advertises that flair for genocide.  Heck, even their lightsabers are color-coded to make their moral landscape patently obvious. But none of means all Star Wars villains are created equal, and so, to celebrate the release of The Rise of Skywalker, we’ve ranked all the major ones, from the most ineffective (if still scary) to th ..read more

Had he lived an easier life, Philip K. Dick might have lived to see today—what would’ve been his 91st birthday. But a different life might’ve meant an entirely different legacy, and certainly he’s achieved a kind of immortality as one of the gods of the science fiction pantheon. For evidence, look no further than the persistent availability of his backlist: nearly everything he ever published—44 novels and more than 120 short stories—remains in print in multiple formats. Add to that the fact that more than a dozen films have been adapted from his work, not to mention a trio of TV series, and h ..read more

Space is terrifying. Outside the protective layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, you find yourself in an environment which has made exactly zero accommodations for human existence, where we must rely wholly on technology before we even begin to think about survival. Space is so absolutely petrifying, in fact, that it’s surprising that more sci-fi novels don’t dig deep into the possibilities it presents for a good horror yarn—but those that do exist are truly scary. Celebrate this chilly Friday the 13th in December with one of these seven books, which stand with the most terrifying sci-fi novels ev ..read more

As a species, trolls could use a better PR plan. These mighty creatures have never recovered from the damage “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” inflicted on their image. Most fantasy novels deploy them as heartless, hungry monsters or even more often as hulking, stupid obstacles. But a precious few novels dare to put trolls front and center, as real, living, thinking characters. We applaud them for their progressive but still capable-of-beating-you-to-a-pulp sensibilities. Unnatural Magic, by C.M. Waggoner Waggoner’s whimsical first novel follows two main threads. The first is tied to Onna, a p ..read more

The creative process has been famously described as the leaves of ideas and stories falling and composting in the mind, where after some years, new shoots spring up from the mix. I’ve always liked that metaphor and with a couple of my novels featuring transhumanism in bookstores, someone was asking me about influences and roots. As the metaphor goes, some of the influences are visible, while others are fragmented and mulched, nourishing future creativity. Transhumanism itself wasn’t a concept I understood I’d been using until after the fact. Using technology to improve the human experience see ..read more

This month in SFF, comics, and manga bestseller news at Barnes & Noble: Our hardcover bestseller list for November includes a surprising title at number one: the anniversary edition of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, originally released a half-decade back. It’s back on top because we’re offering signed copies for the holidays, and there are still copies available online and perhaps at your local store—though obviously they are going fast. Less surprising, with The RIse of Skywalker arriving in just a few weeks, is the strong debut for Rebecca Roanhorse’s new tie-in novel Resistance Reborn. This ..read more

This past summer, we celebrated Orbit Books release of Evan Winter’s The Rage of Dragons—originally self-published, the book was picked up for major distribution after it caught the eye of an editor—by turning the blog over to Winter and fellow Orbit author James Islington (The Shadow of What Was Lost); the latter interviewed the former about the perils and pleasures of debut author-dom. Now that Winters’ book is out and winning legions of fans (including Barnes & Noble booksellers; last week we named it one of their favorite fantasy novels of the year), we are turning the tables: Winters ..read more

There’s nothing quite like an epic fantasy debut: that first taste of the expansive imagination of a new author aching to show you a world that has heretofore existed only in their head. Next May, debut author Nick Martell is sharing his vision with you (with a little help from Saga Press) in The Kingdom of Liars, a richly charactered saga set in a world where the cost of magic is the loss of memory. He’s already earned the attention of no less than The Stormlight Archive author Brandon Sanderson, who called it, “n excellent fantasy debut, with engaging worldbuilding and a good mix between act ..read more

One need look no further than the new releases table to confirm that Michael Crichton remains a powerful force in pop culture despite his untimely death in 2008. Despite having departed this Earth more than a decade ago, his name adorns the cover of the recent bestseller The Andromeda Evolution, an official sequel to his career-making debut novel The Andromeda Strain, penned by New York Times‘ bestselling author Daniel H. Wilson. Part of Crichton’s brand longevity can of course be attributed to his continuing legacy in the film and television world; the man who gave us Jurassic Park will neve ..read more