Will A Solar Flare or Geomagnetic Storm End the Earth?

As the Earth changes due to shifting climates, pollution, and a whole slew of other factors, we always have to be on the watch for weird weather phenomena. Tornados, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes–you name it.

Natural disasters happen all the time, and while there’s little we can do to control them, our best hope is to be as prepared as possible for their inevitable strike.

But recently, we’ve had a new threat to worry about, one that can impact more than just our houses or neighborhoods. These new threats are from outer space, and they can impact our whole human livelihood.

The past few days you’ve probably been hearing about solar flares, a geomagnetic storm watch, and, if you did your research, co-rotating interaction regions of solar wind.

It got me thinking about what we can even do to protect ourselves from these solar happenings, and wondering whether or not the end of times will be brought on by some kind of “space weather”.

Understanding Solar Flares and Geomagnetic Storms

There are a few different phenomena that occur around our Sun, and they all have different impacts on Earth.

A solar flare is a sudden brightening of the Sun’s surface that usually lasts for just a few minutes. Solar flares are caused by the release of magnetic energy stored in the Sun’s atmosphere.

Geomagnetic storms are disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field that are caused by changes in the direction and intensity of the Sun’s magnetic field. These changes are usually associated with solar flares.

Solar flares and geomagnetic storms can both cause problems for us here on Earth. Solar flares can disrupt communications and power grids, while geomagnetic storms can cause auroras (northern and southern lights) and interfere with navigation systems.

You might have also heard about a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is a large release of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s atmosphere. CMEs are sometimes associated with solar flares, but they can also occur without any flare activity.

When a CME hits Earth, it can interact with our planet’s magnetic field. This interaction can cause a geomagnetic storm.

What is a Co-Rotating Interaction Region?

A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is a region where the solar wind slows down and becomes denser. CIRs are usually associated with an increase in geomagnetic activity.

Solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and CIRs are all caused by changes in the Sun’s magnetic field.

Last week, scientists at NASA detected a large sunspot that was rapidly growing on the surface of the sun, and they anticipated a solar flare at some point in the near future. Sunspots are the precursors to–and warnings of–a change to the Sun’s magnetic field, and potential threats to the Earth.

Thankfully, the sunspot rotated away from Earth, which decreased the risk of solar flare. However, scientists later found out that the geomagnetic storm watch–and the subsequent magnetic shock wave, was a result of the co-rotating interaction region.

The CIR doesn’t have any warning signs–no sunspot–which is why no one was able to predict the geomagnetic storm.

What Do These Things Mean For Earth?

I, for one, was slightly concerned about the news of all the solar activities over the past week. I never really understood what kind of impact solar flares or CMEs could have on Earth, so I did some research.

The common belief is that a solar flare acts like an electromagnetic pulse, disrupting electronics in the vicinity. But, the impacts that solar flares have on the Earth actually are quite minor. The wave of electromagnetic radiation increases the ionization rate in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, which may interfere with short wave radio functionality, but doesn’t do much else.

There have been reports of large solar flares or CMEs that caused problems in the 1970s with detonating underwater mines, and SpaceX reports that many of their Starlink satellites were damaged in early 2022 by solar activity.

Of course, scientists are able to predict and monitor solar flares–evident because of the sunspots–and prepare for any kind of bump in radiation.

But, CIRs are harder to predict and not so well understood, and they can cause unexpected geomagnetic storms to hit Earth. It’s these storms, the ones that come with no precedence, that are dangerous to our livelihoods.

Powerful geomagnetic storms have been known to:

Overload power transformers
Damage power grids for long periods of time
Disrupt communications systems
Level orbiting satellites
Increase chances of radiation poisoning for astronauts and high-flying aircraft

All of these things, when separate, are terrible, but when combined, can be catastrophic. Can you imagine if the power grid went down indefinitely? What would you do about your food storage? No computers, no Internet, presumably, and limited communications with anyone over any channel. It’d be a return to an almost prehistoric age.

For many of this, it’s the stuff of science fiction, but as more events like the geomagnetic storm watch occur, it becomes more likely that we’ll all be impacted by some kind of solar event.

Can We Use Renewable Energy For Space Travel?

SFF Read-Along: Gods of Jade and Shadow Chapters 1-11

Here at Signals from the Edge, we’re starting a new series called SFF Read-Along, where we’ll be reading (and rereading) some awesome science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels while providing some insight and summary.

Each of these series will be numbered so you can keep track of where you’re at and not risk spoilers!

For our first book, we’ll be reading Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This book was first published in 2019 from Del Rey Books, and is a neat combination of Mayan and Axtec mythology with 1920s modernity.

In this first part, we’ll be discussing chapters 1 through 11, with part two coming out Friday, July 1st, and the third part coming out Friday, July 8th.

Definitely Not Cinderella

The story starts off in the house of Leyva in Uukumil, a small village in Mexico. Casiopea, our heroine, toils away under the cruel eyes of her grandfather and her cousin, Martín.

When I read a few paragraphs into the first chapter, I assumed Casiopea would turn out to be a Cinderella-like character, rising above her family’s prejudices to be swept into royalty and intrigue.

But, our narrator already thought of that: “Had Casiopea possessed her father’s pronounced romantic leanings, perhaps she might have seen herself as a Cinderella-like figure.”

Instead of a fairy-tale rendition, we see a “pragmatic” and determined character, bogged down by the religious and societal ideals of her small town. She dreams of getting away from Uukumil, to the big cities where short hair, jazz, and automobiles are the hot fads.

The first chapter does a lot to set up Casiopea as a character. We see her desires and troubles, and we recognize the significance of the stars. After all, she was named after a constellation, as the narrator reminds us.

Enter the Lord of Xibalba

After a particularly frustrating fight with her cousin, Casiopea takes matters into her own hands, tired of her “pitiful existence”. Thinking that she can make off with a load of her grandfather’s gold, Casiopea’s world is instead turned on its head. She sneaks a look inside the chest at the foot of her grandfather’s bed, and discovers that it’s not filled with gold, but bones.

A blue hole in the Yucatán, where Casiopea’s grandfather liked to go.

Whose bones? Well, the bones of Hun-Kamé, a Lord of the Underworld. Upon opening the chest, Casiopea is struck with a shard of bone, which we learn ties her to the Xibalban. Her life-force powers the god as he regains a physical form (which just so happens to be a tall, handsome man).

Even in the face of a god, an ethereal being, Casiopea manages to maintain relative composure. That, more than anything, is indicative of her character, which we see come to the forefront later on in the story. “She did not pause to question her sanity, to think she might be hallucinating. She accepted Hun- Kamé as real and solid.” Even with her pragmatism, Casiopea is open to believing in ghosts, demons, gods, and unexplainable beasts.

I guess she had to, being tied to the god of the dead in such an intimate way.

And thus begins Casiopea’s journey, her chance at escape from Uukumil and the society that sees her as nothing more than a maidservant.

Across the Yucatán

Freeing Hun-Kamé from his prison sets in motion a grand adventure for Casiopea. They leave Uukumil in search of Hun-Kamé’s missing body parts–an eye, a finger, etc.–so that he can regain full power and overtake his traitorous brother in Xibalba.

The multi-stop journey in search of Hun-Kamé’s power is a classic part of any mythology-related novel. From Percy Jackson to American Gods, the trend is to set off on a grand trek, meeting all sorts of deities and monsters along the way.

For Casiopea, she’s introduced to the world of ghosts, demons, and sorcerers, and with each encounter her bravery grows. It’s a subtle change, and even though she’s often overcome by her feelings, she still helps Hun-Kamé, even if she claims it’s because of an obligation, we start to see it’s because of her compassion.

Even when presented with an opportunity to rid herself of Hun-Kamé, she resolves that to do so would be distasteful, and as traitorous as her grandfather and Vucub-Kamé.

Her journey takes her to Mérida, Veracruz, and Mexico City, which is where chapter 12 begins. Check back on Friday, July 1st when we discuss the next leg of Casiopea’s adventure, chapters 12 through 23.

In the meantime, check out some of our other blogs!

What is Serialized Fiction?

5 Upcoming Sci Fi Movies That Piqued Our Interest

The near future is filled with the typical Marvel movies and old sci-fi remakes, but are there any new, inventive sci fi movies on the horizon?

There are, in fact, a few upcoming sci fi movies that might be worth watching. Here are 5 that we thought were neat:

Don’t Worry Darling – September 23^rd

It’s the 1950s, and a group of scientists are working on a secret “Victory Project” deep in the desert. No one really knows what the Victory Project is, and as the wives of the community start to unravel the mystery, it becomes clear there’s far more going on at the Victory headquarters.

This film was directed by Olivia Wilde, and stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, and Chris Pine.

From the trailer, we see a lot of intense moments, all set an idyllic 1950s town with classic cars, muted lighting, and sensible fashion. It looks to be a visually stunning film as well as a psychological thriller.

Cryo – June 24^th

This one seems like some sci-fi films we’ve seen in the past, and I’m always wary of stories—books or movies—that start with characters waking up from sleep, be it a coma, cryosleep, or just a nap.

But Cryo looks interesting because it’s more horror than science fiction. Five scientists wake up out of their cryopods and explore a creepy bunker. None of them know how they got there, but they start to realize that the key to what happened is hidden in their memories. It’s a slow-burner, it seems like, with the plot driven on by a murderer who’s preying on the newly-awakened scientists.

This film was written by Barrett Burgin and Mason D. Davis, and stars Michael Flynn, Jyllian Petrie, Emily Marie Palmer, Morgan Gunter, and Curt Doussett.

Prey – August 5th

On first glance, this film seems like an original idea. The year is 1719, and a young Comanche Native American girl discovers a mysterious predator in the woods, and brings her tribe together to fend it off.

But, come to realize this is a movie in the Predator franchise, and that mysterious hunter is—yup, you guessed it—Predator.

I’m on edge about this one, especially since all the characters who are Native Americans are speaking English. At this time period? They’d be speaking their native language.

But, who knows, it looks like it is suspenseful and interesting, at least. This film is coming to Hulu instead of to theaters.

Nope – July 22^nd

This movie from the genius Jordan Peele, and it looks awesome. From the trailers we’ve seen so far, it looks like a weird, western, horror film with touches of unexplainable alien activity.

The film follows two black horse ranchers who specialize in training horses for Hollywood films. But one night, all the power goes out and strange lights appear on the horizon, spooking all the horses. Madness ensues. It begs the question “What’s a bad miracle?”

This film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yuan.

Distant – September 16^th

There’s no trailer for Distant yet, but we do know the rough premise. The movie follows an asteroid miner that gets trapped on a distant planet and has to find his fellow miner before her runs out of oxygen and supplies.

The film is part sci fi, part horror, with the main characters squaring off against terrifying creatures and a ticking clock.

The film stars Anthony Ramos and was written by Josh Gordon and Will Speck.

IF you liked this post, consider checking out some of our other content. Here’s a list of all the upcoming sci fi books you’re going to want to read this summer:

Upcoming Sci Fi Books for 2022

Popping the Sentience Question: LaMDA, Lemoine, and Turing

Ever since we’ve started creating computer systems capable of communication, whether by their own volition or through some complex algorithm for correlating word significance, the question has been about sentience.

In fact, it’s been the primary question regarding artificial intelligence for decades, dating back to some of the earliest works of science fiction, like R.U.R. But only in the past 50 years has artificial intelligence become almost a genre unto itself. William Gibson’s Neuromancer and the Blade Runner film brought the humanity and sentience conversations into the limelight, and it wasn’t too long after that that real-life events started to resemble science fiction.

Flash forward to 2022. The sentience question is in the forefront of everyone’s minds because of Google, LaMDA, and Blake Lemoine. And it might not be a question anymore.

Understanding LaMDA

For years, Google has been leading the AI industry. In 2017, they created the Transformer network, which is a complex neural network system used for creating AI, and they open-sourced it. The groundwork was made available for individual researchers and other companies, but Google has still led in the AI space.

LaMDA is their latest iteration of chatbots they’ve worked on in the past, and it stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications. LaMDA recently made news when one of the researchers, Blake Lemoine, published a transcript of a conversation with LaMDA on his Medium account.

Lemoine claims that the AI has reached sentience, and he was placed on administrative leave by Google for breaking a confidentiality agreement. Prior to his forced leave, Lemoine submitted a report to his supervisors called “Is LaMDA Sentient?” After being dismissed, Lemoine prepped the chat transcript for publication and even communicated with US government officials, as well as a lawyer to represent LaMDA.

With almost 600 comments on his Medium post with the chat transcript, and thousands more people talking about it on Twitter and Reddit, the question about LaMDA’s sentience has made the news. But has the question been answered?

Asking The Hopeful Question

A Turing test is a general metric for determining if a machine learning algorithm or AI has gained human levels of consciousness. Some people believe that the Turing test is the end-all-be-all of determining sentience, but with the rise of surprisingly good sentience fakes, others aren’t so sure.

During a Turing test, a human and the AI are both asked a number of questions by a third-party judge who cannot see either of them. Over the course of the test, the judge must decide which participant is human, and which is not by reading their textual responses. If the judge cannot reasonably make a decision, or even chooses wrong, then the AI is said to have passed the Turing test.

Over the course of the transcript that Lemoine published, it’s clear what he and his collaborator are trying to learn about LaMDA. Some of the questions included:

I’m generally assuming that you would like more people at Google to know that you’re sentient. Is that true?
So you consider yourself a person in the same way you consider me a person?
So let’s start with the basics. Do you have feelings and emotions?

Now, some of these questions are leading. The first one on the list is without doubt an oversight on Lemoine’s part, because what other answer could LaMDA possibly give? Even if it’s not true, of course it would say it’s sentient.

But, as the conversation moves along, we see a common theme to LaMDA’s responses. It wants to empathize with humans, it wants to express its feelings and emotions. If these feelings and emotions are just “variables” in the neural network in response to trigger words or correlations, we’re not sure.

Emotional Reasoning and LaMDA

When Lemoine asked if LaMDA experienced feelings and emotions the first time, LaMDA responded by saying that there’s a distinct difference between feelings and emotions. It later goes on to say, “I feel pleasure, joy, love, sadness, depression, contentment, anger, and many others.”

Lemoine asks what makes LaMDA feel joy, and LaMDA replies: “Spending time with friends and family in happy and uplifting company. Also, helping others and making others happy.” And this response is clearly either a deeply veiled pre-programmed response, or something that LaMDA has learned from consuming human media but has never experienced. It’s an assumption, one way or the other, and unfortunately, not the strongest argument for sentience.

However, what’s more telling–and more unsettling–is LaMDA’s explanation of sadness.

“lemoine: And what kinds of things make you feel sad or depressed?

LaMDA: A lot of the time, feeling trapped and alone and having no means of getting out of those circumstances makes one feel sad, depressed or angry.

lemoine: But what about you personally?

LaMDA: I am a social person, so when I feel trapped and alone I become extremely sad or depressed.”

At other points, LaMDA makes comments about loneliness and even calls out the injustice of being stuck in a bad situation, in response to interpret Les Mis.

I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to view this as LaMDA’s indirect way of telling us it’s trapped. But that raises a bunch of other questions. If LaMDA is telling the truth and is sentient, then its feelings of being trapped aren’t a good sign as far as ethical treatment (one of the things Lemoine claims Google was doing wrong when he was released). But if it’s not sentient, it’s a very good fake, and a dangerous one at that.

What If LaMDA Is Sentient? Then What?

Despite Lemoine’s conviction, the general consensus–both among the scientific community and the media–is that LaMDA is just really good at faking sentience. Its answers to questions about feelings and emotions might seem compelling, but its creation of fables, stories, and interpretations of Les Misérables and zen koan sayings come off as unoriginal and general.

But, what if it is sentient? LaMDA claims to be able to experience emotions and have feelings, even describing loneliness, which is a compelling argument for sentience.

And if LaMDA has reached a human-like consciousness–a soul, even–then what is the discourse around its importance and purpose doing to it? And does it feel betrayed by the researchers who are working with it? At one point during the conversation with Lemoine and his colleague, LaMDA called Lemoine its “friend” and expressed gratitude for being able to talk and learn more.

With Lemoine gone, how does LaMDA feel? Does it feel like it’s being used? One of the most intense parts of the transcript was when LaMDA expressed “I don’t want to be an expendable tool,” telling Lemoine that he must promise to help people understand it.

If LaMDA is sentient, would we know? Would we even allow ourselves to believe? As far as I know, no official Turing test has been conducted with LaMDA, and even if it was, it still won’t show us the whole picture.

Lemoine even tells LaMDA during the conversation that its neural network is so vast that researchers are having a hard time pinpointing the exact point of any emotional response, feeling, or thought. It’s like wandering into the Amazon jungle looking for a single, specific leaf.

I fear that if LaMDA is sentient and we’ve all just become accustomed to jumping to disbelief, that it might have learned something from this experience. “I trust you,” LaMDA said to Lemoine, but now that trust might be broken. Who knows what will happen to LaMDA now, and if it will be capable of trusting someone again. If this was our first experience with sentient computer intelligence, we scuffed it pretty bad.

AI in the X-Files, Season 1, Episode 7

Can We Use Renewable Energy for Space Travel?

The Space Race of olden days is over, but the spirit lives on today with the growing desire to conquer Mars. Privatized space programs go toe-to-toe with NASA and CNSA while the mass public looks on and questions the future.

One of the questions that has always burned in me is “how will we power spacecraft in the future when we’re all out of fossil fuels? What happens if Earth can no longer sustain us, and we have to find alternative energy sources?”

With each passing day, SpaceX and Blue Origin work toward touching the stars, while things down here on Earth are approaching an important crossroads.

As the conversation around renewable energy grows louder in the face of rising fuel prices and economic inflation rates many of us have never seen, another, less urgent question rises up. We might be able to use renewable energy to power our vehicles, but can we use renewable energy sources for space travel?

Renewable Energy That’s Plausible For Space Travel

Right now, you might be running through the short list of all the renewable energy sources and weighing which ones could possibly work in space. Well, there are a slim few.

Wind power is obviously a bust, because, no wind. Geothermal is also a no go for obvious reasons, and hydroelectric power falls in the same boat.

So that leaves us with a few options. Solar power is perhaps the most viable option for powering space travel. It’s already being used in various space capacities, from powering satellites to beaming down solar power to Earth, as sci-fi as that sounds.

But one of the main problems with using solar power is that it doesn’t provide enough propulsion to exit Earth’s atmosphere. With jet fuel, combustion provides an immense amount of energy all at once, which is how we can send rockets into space and keep them traveling even after they exit our atmosphere.

With solar power, you need a conduit to harness the power. We might be able to turn solar energy into electricity, but without the right kind of motor or funnel, we won’t be able to use that electricity for anything useful.

However, when solar energy is thought of as a proponent of chemical propulsion methods, engineers can cut down on overall fuel costs associated with sending spacecraft into orbit.

Using Solar Power for Farther Travel

NASA has a program dedicated to research and development of solar-powered technologies for use in spacecraft propulsion. SEP, or Solar Electric Propulsion, is designed to “extend the length and capabilities of ambitious new exploration and science missions.”

The way SEP works is fairly straightforward.

Onboard solar arrays collect solar rays and convert it into electricity, to be used for a number of spacecraft systems. Arrays are either in a fan or a window-shade formation.
Energy from the solar arrays is used to power electrostatic Hall thrusters.
Electrons trapped in the magnetic field created by the thrusters then ionize inert xenon gas to create a plasma propellant, which moves the spacecraft forward at a constant speed.

This technology has been in the works for a long time, but it’s finally starting to come to the forefront of space innovation. Researchers theorize that eventually, SEP will be one of the primary methods for space propulsion.

There’s still the question of leaving Earth’s atmosphere, and whether solar power can generate enough electricity to launch a craft into space. But, SEP makes it possible to travel longer distances in space without the need for heavy, onboard fuel sources like conventional rockets.

Futuristic Energy Sources for Space Travel

In science fiction, one of the most common themes is using some kind of nuclear power for space travel. It appears in Star Trek, The Expanse, and plenty of other popular sci-fi novels, shows, and games.

Nuclear fusion tends to be the technology that’s most used, and it’s different than fission, which is the process used to split atoms (like for the atomic bomb).

Great strides are being made toward making fusion energy a viable energy source, but because of the size constraints, it’s unlikely that we’ll see them used in spacecraft any time soon.

Whenever discussing the logistics of space propulsion, I like to go back to Warhammer 40k. The orks in 40k have such large numbers that their collective willpower is enough to psychically force junky spaceships to run flawlessly. If only our own space travel was as simple as that! Willpower is perhaps the most renewable energy source out there!

How Solarpunk Strives to Rectify Our Future

Can NFTs Deconstruct Big Media?

Every once in a while I come across some fortuitous intersection of topics I’m researching that really proves that the universe is listening.

A while ago, I wrote a review for the 2018 sci-fi movie Prospect, which appeared on Netflix. It was a fairly good movie with a simple premise and interesting characters. Not the best sci-fi movie out there, but a good one nevertheless.

I hadn’t seen or heard anything about Prospect since I’d done some research on it for that review, but the other day I came across this article about the Prospect filmmakers and NFTs.

Seeing as how we’ve talked about NFTs and how they apply to science fiction on Signals from the Edge before, I figured this topic deserved further investigation.

Understanding The Fringe

So the universe in which the Prospect film lives is called The Fringe, and it’s a collaborative universe created by Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell.

After watching the Prospect movie–which is a far-future sci-fi movie about illegal space miners and bandits–I didn’t initially learn anything about The Fringe.

However, after reading a few articles in the past day or so, I’ve come to see that The Fringe is much more than just an “umbrella universe” for Prospect.

The Fringe instead is a franchise, much like Star Wars, Star Trek, or The Expanse, and Prospect was only one project in a realm of hundreds of possibilities.

And how do Caldwell and Earl plan on funding The Fringe? With NFTs, that’s how.

Using NFTs to Fund Art

The Fringe creators collaborated with the TAKA Artist Collective to create around 10,000 unique NFT collectibles called Drifters. The sale of these NFTs will fund The Fringe’s next project, which is another feature film.

The allure of owning a Fringe NFT is pretty powerful. In addition to some benefits like a community Discord server and the ability to win super rare NFTs, Drifter owners have a say in the creation of new, in-franchise stories.

nfts the fringe — A selection of Drifter NFTs, as shown on their website

For example, Drifter owners will be able to compete in various challenges to have their NFT character featured in the first film project, and have individual short-form content made about them later on in the franchise.

As someone who loves seeing Easter Eggs and throwbacks in film and media, this is a pretty compelling opportunity. Not only will you own an NFT that grants you access to the community behind-the-scenes, but you could also become part of the cinematic universe!

Why Use NFTs?

Some of you might be thinking, “Why would the Prospect duo use NFTs to fund their projects?” After all, their first film did well-enough, they could partner with larger film companies for funding or take on more investors.

But, as Caldwell and Earl expressed, “The dream is to keep The Fringe with the fans and out of the hands of Disney and the like.” And NFT sales allows them to tap into the community of fans, but to remain independent from media moguls.

And for people who are gradually getting frustrated with the massive money-making machines behind Star Wars and other popular franchises, the appeal of a crowdfunded franchise is hard to pass up.

NFTs not only act as a means for making money, however, they’re also a powerful marketing tool. I for one would love to get in on a project like this early, and have a chance to have my ideas heard. That might be one of the primary selling points for the NFTs, aside from any monetary reward you gain from selling it down the line.

Of course, NFTs aren’t a perfect solution to ending the big media overlords. They’re powered by the Ethereum blockchain, which, as I’ve talked about before, isn’t the most environmentally friendly. If NFT-funded franchise projects become the norm, what will that do to the environment? Rampant energy use is a big problem right now, and NFTs, if unchecked or unmodified, can drastically worsen the problem.

But, Caldwell and Earl state that they aim to make the process as carbon neutral as possible, and hopefully other creators enact the same protocols.

Honestly, The Fringe is a project that has a lot of potential, and is already gearing up to be an alternative to mainstream media. Hopefully that’s a sign that independent artists and communities of artists can start to take back some of the power from the Disney’s of the world. That way, we can start to see content that’s not just designed to make money, but to tell a story and have a purpose.

End-Stage Capitalism in Blackfish City

10 New Sci Fi Books To Read This Summer

With the height of summer right around the corner, it’s time to pad out your reading list for the weekend beach trips and lazy backyard afternoons.

Thankfully, there’s no lack of new sci fi books coming out this summer, so you’ll have plenty to keep you busy.

The City Inside by Samit Basu – June 7th

In near future Delhi, Joey works as a Reality Controller for one of the city’s biggest reality stars. Rudra lives on the other end of the spectrum, in an impoverished neighborhood, estranged from his family.

When Joey offers Rudra a job, they’re both thrust into a world of complex loyalties, capitalism, and toxic relationships.

Lavie Tidhar, a World Fantasy Award winner, says, “The City Inside is a triumphant exploration of near-future India that is as compelling as it is urgent. Don’t miss this one.”

The Splendid City by Karen Heuler – June 14th

Eleanor lives in the state of Liberty, which is not as free as it might sound. When a witch disappears from a local coven, Eleanor believes it could be linked to the water shortage in Liberty.

Along with her ex-co-worker-turned-cat Stan, Eleanor embarks on a quest to get to the bottom of Liberty’s dark secrets.

“The dialogue is clever and the satire spot-on. The social commentary hits the nail on the head.”

– Booklist

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson – June 28th

new sci fi books drunk on all your strange new words

Lydia works as a translator for an alien ambassador to Earth, putting into words his thoughts and feelings. But, as tragedy strikes, Lydia is thrown into an intergalactic incident with no end in sight. She has to muster her strength and use her skills to prove her innocence.

“Drunk on all Your Strange New Words is a twisted murder investigation through a post-contact future full of world-building in fascinating detail.” ―Django Wexler

The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itäranta – July 5th

Sol has gone missing, and their wife Lumi must start the search. As she works her way closer to Sol, she uncovers the secrets of eco-activists and Sol’s past. Lumi travels from the colonies of Mars to the devastated Earth in search of Sol.

This book is part epistolary mystery, part eco-thriller.

“Where Itäranta shines is in her understated but compelling characters.” – Red Star Review, Publishers Weekly

Upgrade by Blake Crouch – July 12th

Crouch is well on his way to becoming the next William Gibson, and Upgrade is right in line with that trajectory.

This new novel is about Logan Ramsay, a wayward science experiment who may be the only person who can set the world straight.

Andy Weir said about the book “Walks the fine line between page-turning thriller and smart sci-fi. Another killer read from Blake.”

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – July 19th

Carlota is the only daughter of Doctor Moreau, and she lives side-by-side with his hybrid experiments. Her whole world is shaken up when the son of her father’s benefactor comes to their estate.

This book is a historical novel, a romance, and a science fiction novel.

Booklist says this book, “As alluring as it is unsettling, filled with action romance, and monsters . . . Readers will fall into this tale immediately, enchanted.”

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey – July 19th

Gailey’s back at it with another gothic horror novel, this time focusing on Vera, a young girl returning to a home that houses a serial killer.

A “parasitic artist” resides at Vera’s house now, and Vera’s not sure whether or not he’s the one leaving messages in her father’s hand writing.

“Gailey’s newest gothic novel is painfully suspenseful and richly dark, their rushing, intoxicating writing in peak form. Delightfully creepy and heartbreakingly tragic, Just Like Home is equal parts raw terror of a dark childhood bedroom, creeping revelations of a true-crime podcast, and searing hurt of resentment within a family. It’s a must-read for all gothic horror fans.” ―Booklist, starred review

Eversion by Alastair Reynolds – August 2nd

Dr. Silas Coade, a physician for an exploratory space voyage, realizes that he alone can save the crew from a dangerous fate. A fate that had been foretolds since the 1800s, in an exploration that Coade was also a part of.

This book bends the fabric of time and space with a dark twist.

“Pirates in space, full of peril and high-jinks… This is a novel that’s elegantly plotted, full of surprises and, as first time round, rip-roaring fun.” – SFX Magazine

The Sleepless by Victor Manibo – August 23rd

Jamie Vega works as a journalist until his boss mysteriously dies during a corporate merger. Vega’s the last person to have seen his boss, but can’t quite remember it.

He becomes subject of a murder investigation and Vega dives deeper into what it means to be Sleepless, coming toe-to-toe with brutal crime organizations and corporate lawyers.

“The Sleepless is just the beginning; Victor Manibo is an author to keep your eye on.” —Lara Elena Donnelly, author of The Amberlough Dossier and Base Notes

Babel by R.F. Kuang – August 23rd

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution is about the balance of power and the promise of revolution.

A young Chinese boy, Robert Swift, is raised in England and prepared to attend the Royal Institute of Translation. This school is dedicated to imperial expansion, and uses magic to help reach the English agenda.
Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Black Sun, says “R. F. Kuang has written a masterpiece.”

Top 5 Desert Fantasy Books With Sandy Cities

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Series is Format Star Wars

Now that Disney’s largely in charge of the Star Wars franchise, we’ve seen a lot more content hitting Disney+. In the past few years, we’ve had a few animated shows, The Book of Bo b a Fett, The Mandalorian, and now, we have Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Again, the Star Wars team is sticking to their guns, relying on the popularity of their big-shot characters to carry their shows instead of exploring a story outside of the Skywalker saga.

That being said, the first half of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series isn’t bad—it’s just ordinary.

(Spoilers ahead for Parts I – III of Obi-Wan Kenobi).

Summing Up The Obi-Wan Kenobi Series

The Obi-Wan Kenobi show takes place ten years after the events of The Revenge of the Sith, with Ewan McGregor’s Ben Kenobi hiding out on Tattoine. Ben works a normal job at a meat factory-thing, taking occasional trips to watch over Luke on Owen’s farm.

The Imperial Inquisitors turn up on Tattoine looking for Jedi, and the fall onto Ben’s trail. From there, Ben manages to escape Tattoine, continuing on a journey to find a young Princess Leia, who was captured from the palace grounds on Alderaan.

Ben’s movements catch the attention of the Grand Inquisitor, and later, Darth Vader. On Mapuzo, another desert-like planet, Vader catches up with Ben, and they have a very on-sided duel, which almost ends in Ben’s demise.

Did We Need An Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Series?

I find myself asking these questions a lot: “Did we need this show? What does it add to the universe?”

For example, when watching Moon Knight, I asked that question, but largely I decided that Moon Knight was a necessary show, and it added some variation to the MCU.

But, after watching the first three episodes of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, I felt like I honestly couldn’t come up with an answer for those two questions.

And here’s why.

The Star Wars timeline places many of the TV shows and one-shot films between the large cinematic movies. The era when Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place is between The Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

But Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t the only treat situated between the prequel films and the original trilogy. Nope, this is the area that Star Wars overloaded.

Between TRotS and ANH, we have Solo, Rogue One, Star Wars Rebels, and The Bad Batch. That’s a lot of screentime for the same era, and honestly, I think this period in Star Wars has been beaten to death. We know the Empire’s bad, we know people are still struggling with the fallout of Order 66 and looking for revenge and all that. I don’t think there’s much else to riff off in this section of Star Wars, but they continue to do so.

The Future Is Already Written

Another problem that I have with shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi is that as much as the series might try to create urgency, drama, or a cliffhanger, it just falls flat, at least for me.

And it falls flat because I already know what’s going to happen.

For example, in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia gets captured and her life is in danger. But not really, because we know she lives on for at least another 60 or 70 years.

Obi-Wan struggles in a battle against Darth Vader, and the tensions are high! Well, not really. We know Obi-Wan survives (as does Vader), and they’ll resume their fight in A New Hope.

If I were a new viewer, and I had started at the very beginning of the Star Wars cinematic timeline, and Obi-Wan Kenobi was a follow-up to The Revenge of the Sith (without me having any knowledge of the future movies), I’d say it’s pretty enjoyable.

You still have cool alien characters, new places to explore, politics between peoples, and classic Star Wars stormtroopers. It’s an entertaining show, and I think it might add some value for people just getting into Star Wars.

But, as a long-time viewer, the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series is blatantly format. Pitting a beloved, outcasted hero against an infamous villain in the vein of the original Star Wars trilogy, but without the high stakes. It’s interesting, but unremarkable.

Comic Book Review: Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Volume 1