Growing up in the 70s and early 80s, I was morbidly fascinated by Grimace, the McDonaldland character. I'm old enough to remember when Grimace was a) an evil character who stole milkshakes, and b) possessed of two sets of arms. (To this day, I still mentally draw him—her? — Read the rest

A an impatient Karen at an Australian McDonald's in New South Wales blew a gasket when her meal didn't instantly appear in front of her (video below).

"Twenty fucking minutes," the 28-year-old woman shouts. To which an employee tells her to "settle." — Read the rest

Fifty one years ago today, the first incarnation of the prog rock band, King Crimson, gathered in a cramped basement space below the Fulham Palace Cafe in London. One of the instruments the band would use that would come to distinguish their early sound was that strange, iconic 60s instrument, the Mellotron. — Read the rest

Tsunami Democràtic is a radical, decentralized wing of the resurgent Catalan independence movement, centered around an anonymously authored app designed to coordinate revolutionary uprisings.

Ian McDonald's Luna trilogy is filled with fantastically detailed grace-notes that give his lunar society an uncanny veneer of reality; one of the most fascinating and thoughtful of these details is the cocktails that McDonald's clannish lunarians consume, each great house with its own signature tipple.

Locus Magazine has published its annual Locus Award finalists, a shortlist of the best science fiction and fantasy of the past calendar year. I rely on this list to find the books I've overlooked (so. many. books.). This year's looks like a bumper crop.

Every year, the readers of Locus Magazine collaborate with its editorial board to nominate and vote on their favorite science fiction and fantasy works; this year's finalist list came out today, and I'm pleased to see my novel Walkaway among some very good company indeed.

Every year, Locus Magazine's panel of editors reviews the entire field of science fiction and fantasy and produces its Recommended Reading List; the 2017 list is now out, and I'm proud to say that it features my novel Walkaway, in excellent company with dozens of other works I enjoyed in the past year.

It's that time of year again! Welcome to Boing Boing's 2015 Gift Guide, where you'll find toys, books, gadgets and many other splendid ideas to humor and harry your friends and family! Scroll down and buy things, mutants!

The Locus Award — nominated and voted by science fiction fans — has published a particularly fine shortlist this year (in contrast to the hijacked Hugo Award ballot); I'm extremely proud to see my novella The Man Who Sold the Moon from Hieroglyph on the list.

A compendium of some of my most popular novel reviews from the past year, from 'My Real Children' to 'Raising Steam.'

In the tradition of August's book-review roundup, I've pulled together a collection of my favorite young adult reviews from the past decade. Hope you — and the young adults in your life — enjoy these as much as I did! — Read the rest

Welcome to this year's Boing Boing Gift Guide, a piling-high of our most loved stuff from 2012 and beyond. There are books, comics, games, gadgets and much else besides: click the categories at the top to filter what you're most interested in—and add your suggestions and links in the comments.

Today marks the publication of Be My Enemy, the absolutely triumphant sequel to Ian McDonald's pulse-pounding young-adult science fiction novel Planesrunner.

Planesrunner — a rollicking, multidimensional tale of a young boy who holds the key to infinite universes, seeking to rescue his physicist father from sinister powers — finished on a brutal cliffhanger, leaving its readers gasping and cursing for more. — Read the rest

Last night's Hugo Award ceremony at the World Science Fiction Convention in Reno were just great, and some damned fine writers, creators, editors and books were nominated and won. Some of the balloted works/writers you've seen reviewed here this year include:

* The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Campbell Award for Best New Writer, winner)
* Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (Campbell Award for Best New Writer, nominee)
* Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang (Best Novella)
* The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Best Novel, nominee)
* Robert A. — Read the rest

I'm about to fly to Edinburgh for a gig at the Edinburgh Festival, tonight at 8:30PM. There are still a few tickets left.

From there, I'm headed straight to Renovation, the World Science Fiction Convention in Reno, where I'll be doing a ton of stuff:

Wednesday, August 17
11.00-11.45am – Author in the Library, Sierra View Library (off site), 4001 S. — Read the rest

Scott Morse (one of the contributors to the terrific art book, The Ancient Book of Sex and Science) says:

Are you planning your San Diego comics excursion this summer? There's something new and unique being planned by a host of comics, film, and illustration artists including Mike Mignola, Mike Allred, Craig Thompson, Paul Pope, Brian McDonald, and more.

Locus magazine has announced the finalists for this year's Locus Award, a popular science fiction, fantasy and horror award voted on by the magazine's readers. I reviewed several of these; I've hotlinked them to their Boing Boing reviews, in case you're interested:

Science Fiction Novel

* Surface Detail, Iain M.

Congrats to the nominees for the 2011 Hugo Awards, to be presented at this year's World Science Fiction Convention in Reno, NV. I'll be there and rooting for my favorites!

Best Novel
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Feed by Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K.

Pawel Hynek's 2006 image "Obsolete" depicts a homeless robot begging for electrical power; it's striking and funny as well as a little uncomfortable-making. It reminds me of one of the most demented scenes in science fiction history: the moment in Ian McDonald's stupendous novel The Broken Land in which a re-animated severed head is reduced to performing sexual favors on a street-corner in exchange for nutrient bath to fill the shallow dish in which its neck-stump rests. — Read the rest