News Reactor Welcome to Reactor! Here’s Where Everything Went and How to Use It Welcome to Costco. I love you. By Chris Lough | Published on January 23‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Reactor lives! If you’re reading this‚ it means the redesigned and renamed Reactor magazine site (formerly Tor.com) is now live and ready to face the hideous light of judgment for you to use and read. Things have shifted during travel–mostly on purpose–so we’ve assembled a quick guide on how to relocate your favorite writers‚ columns‚ and topics. Note: These directions are for the desktop version of the website‚ but the icons displayed are the same on the mobile version. If you just want to report a bug or error‚ you can use this form. Creating And Updating Your Account &; Favorites Where do I login or sign up? Select the circle icon at the top right of the homepage (pictured here). Your username and password are the same as they were on Tor.com. You can also login at the new comment field within any article that has comments open. How do I favorite/bookmark a writer I like‚ an article‚ a column‚ etc.? If something can be bookmarked and saved to your user account‚ it will have a white flag-shaped icon (pictured above). Just click that and it should fill in. If a bookmark symbol is already filled in‚ that means you already bookmarked it! Where do I see all my bookmarks? They’re within your user account page. Click the circle icon on the top right of the homepage or‚ if you’re already logged in‚ you can click the bookmark flag on the top right of the homepage to go directly to them. All my favorites from Tor.com are gone! These proved harder to liberate from Tor.com than we expected‚ but they should be back into everyone’s user accounts by February. Commenting on Reactor No time to read the article‚ I must comment! Jump straight to comments by clicking the word bubble icon at the top of an article (pictured here) or by the article’s published date on the homepage. How do I comment? This one is pretty straightforward. You can input your name and email and go through the CAPTCHA or login to your Reactor account to add a new comment. OH MY GOD I CAN REPLY TO OTHER COMMENTS NOW Yes! We took a bold step into the year 2009 and changed our comments from a single thread to nested. (For newer users‚ if you see old comments that start with @# that is how we used to have to reply to other commenters.) How do I flag an inappropriate comment? Apologies for putting you on blast like this‚ noblehunter. For the record‚ this was not an inappropriate comment. Just select the flag icon in the comment itself. You can also give a comment a thumbs up if you really love it. And if you really want to confuse us‚ you can do both. I made a comment but it’s not appearing. Some articles will hold comments until the moderator team can approve them. Tends to happen a lot on the weekends so we can go touch grass. Alternately‚ you may have run up against our Moderation Policy. I made a comment on this older article but now it’s gone! Comments on Tor.com from October 2023 to January 2024 are proving trickier to import into Reactor. They’ll get here eventually‚ but it may take a few days. Where To Find Everything Where is my favorite reread/rewatch/series? They’re called “Columns” now and you can get to them through main navigation or through the “Latest Columns” carousel at the top of the homepage. Right now‚ only currently active and recently completed Columns appear in the “Columns” page. We’ll be adding more of our completed Columns (rereads/rewatches/themes/etc.) over the course of February. They’re not gone. We just need a bit more time to make them navigable on the new site. Where is my favorite short story‚ poem‚ book excerpt/piece of fiction? Under the “Fiction” menu in main navigation.  Where is my favorite author/writer? If you see their byline anywhere on the site‚ click their name and you’ll be taken to their profile‚ which contains everything they’ve ever written on Reactor (formerly Tor.com). Alternately‚ you can manually find them by typing out “www.reactormag.com/author/firstname-lastname”. You can also search for them alphabetically in the “Authors” link in the footer of the site. Where is my favorite topic/interest/subject to read about? It might be in the “Interests” menu in the main navigation! If not‚ you can click on the tag when you see it in an article or manually type “www.reactormag.com/tag/space-horse-stories” or whatever it is you’re into. No judgments. Keep it clean. Where is just ONE PAGE where everything is listed in ONE PLACE in the order it was published‚ like you used to do? Just click “Latest” in the main navigation. Or go to the “All Articles” section at the bottom of the homepage. What is “Books”‚ or “Movies &; TV”‚ or “Featured Essays”? It means the articles in those sections are about books‚ movies &; TV‚ or are feature essays/thinkpieces that the writer worked really hard on and which no longer get pushed off the site after only a day! New sections will appear and disappear as time goes by‚ depending on how weird we’re feeling that day. Where’d the RSS feed go? It will return soon and we will let you know! We love it‚ too. Where did your social media accounts go? Here!  Random Stuff Uh‚ what happened here? Didn’t you used to be Tor.com? “You’ve redecorated. I don’t like it.” Screencap: BBC. We did! It’s the same people and same fiction and articles‚ but a new site and a new name. We answer most of everyone’s questions about it here. Why does your website ask if I’m 13-15 years-old? It’s an off-putting thing we have been mandated to do by our parent company in order to comply with recent updates to the California Consumer Privacy Act. We’re very sorry about it. Please just click it away and it shouldn’t appear again. I have an idea for an article. Head over to our Submissions Guidelines. Reactor is a paying outlet and accepts unsolicited article pitches. Is the Tordotcom Publishing book imprint and/or Tor Books changing its name? No! I FOUND A BUG. Report it through this form. [end-mark] More From Reactor See All Posts News Reactor Tor.com To Become Reactor‚ Debut New Site‚ On January 23rd By Tor.com January 9‚ 2024 Comment 0 News Reactor Answering Your Questions About Tor.com’s Change to Reactor By Tor.com January 11‚ 2024 Comment 3 Blog internships Apply For the Tor Books Fall 2020 Virtual Internship Program By Tor.com July 23‚ 2020 Featured Essays Best of 2019 Some of the Best Articles on Tor.com in 2019 By Tor.com December 2‚ 2019 Comment 5 icon-left-caret Caret See All Posts The post Welcome to Reactor! Here’s Where Everything Went and How to Use It appeared first on Reactor.

Featured Essays Star Wars Rebooting Star Wars Is a Great Idea‚ Actually By Charlie Jane Anders | Published on January 23‚ 2024 icon-comment 3 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed More From Luke Skywalker See All Posts News Academy Awards Here Are the Genre Films That Scored 2024 Oscar Nominations By Vanessa Armstrong January 23‚ 2024 News Jurassic Park Welcome to Even More Jurassic Park: New Jurassic World Movie in the Works at Universal By Vanessa Armstrong January 22‚ 2024 News star wars: the bad batch The Bad Batch Face Off Against an Infamous Foe in Season 3 Trailer By Vanessa Armstrong January 22‚ 2024 News Fountain of Youth Film Picks Up Natalie Portman‚ John Krasinski and Eiza González By Vanessa Armstrong January 19‚ 2024 icon-left-caret Caret See All Posts Matthew Vaughn has a new movie coming out (Argylle) and interviewers are almost certain to ask him more about his thoughts on Star Wars—which means you’ll be seeing a lot more headlines about Vaughn’s blasphemous views. For those who missed it‚ Vaughn said a while ago that he would love to direct a Star Wars movie‚ but only if he could retell the story of the Skywalker family. To Vaughn’s mind‚ the story of Luke and his dad is the story of Star Wars‚ and it deserves to be rebooted‚ the same way Batman and Spider-Man already have been. He’s right‚ of course. I know there’s a lot of reflexive skepticism around the idea of reboots‚ and I have contributed to that in the past myself. Some reboots do feel like cynical cash grabs‚ or attempts to rehash for the umpteenth time a story that has already been told perfectly well. That said‚ nobody would want Batman to be stuck forever in the Tim Burton-Joel Schumacher continuity‚ with every Batman film required to call back to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance as Mr. Freeze. I’m actually quite pleased that we got the Nolan trilogy and The Batman. How do you know if a reboot is necessary? There are probably a bunch of factors. Like‚ how long has it been since this story was last told? Are there aspects of the earlier telling that now feel dated or even problematic? Did the original version brush over key parts of the story that a newer telling could explore in greater depth? Most importantly‚ perhaps‚ is there a potential that a new refreshed continuity can prove fertile and give rise to an exciting new set of stories? All of these factors weigh heavily in favor of rebooting Star Wars—with the exception of the length of time since the last installment. We have definitely not been starved for Star Wars content of late‚ especially on television. That said‚ there hasn’t been a Star Wars film since 2019. Still‚ on balance‚ the saga of Anakin and Luke is crying out for a fresh retelling. It’s nearly fifty years since Mark Hamill first appeared as Luke Skywalker‚ and filmmaking has‚ to put it mildly‚ changed a lot since then. The prequels and the original trilogy are full of important events which George Lucas brushed over or simply ignored. Some of this was because Lucas just didn’t care about it—but a lot of the backstory became hopelessly tangled after the retcon in The Empire Strikes Back that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. I would actually love to see a series of movies that took these characters’ emotional journeys more seriously. From Anakin’s harsh childhood to his introduction to the Jedi to his romance with Padmé and his fall from grace‚ there’s so much rich material that the prequels were unable to explore in much depth. Anakin Skywalker ought to be an Aristotelian (or Shakespearean?) tragic figure: a noble man who is brought down by a tragic flaw. (You certainly glimpse some of this in the Clone Wars animated series.) And then you get the original trilogy‚ where a lot of those inconsistencies pop up. Why doesn’t Darth Vader ever notice a kid named Luke Skywalker living with his relatives on his old family farm? Why doesn’t he notice that Senator Organa has a daughter who seems uncommonly strong in the Force? I’ve written about this before‚ but I would love a version of the Original Trilogy that focuses more heavily on the central question about Luke Skywalker: Will he go bad‚ the same way his father did? This is a theme that comes up from time to time in those three films‚ but it deserves a much deeper examination. Most of all though‚ I would really welcome a new film series that took the female characters of the saga‚ especially Padmé and Leia‚ more seriously. Why does Padmé like Anakin anyway? Isn’t it kinda weird that she knew him as a little kid first? In general‚ she deserves a stronger character arc (the kind of stuff the Clone Wars animated show dipped into)‚ and of course a much better death. And meanwhile‚ to my mind‚ Leia is as much a protagonist of the original trilogy as Luke—but her feelings are often swept under the rug‚ including when her family and friends are murdered by the Death Star. The Empire Strikes Back drops some tantalizing hints that Leia has the potential to be as powerful a Jedi as Luke‚ but nothing much ever comes of it‚ apart from a few cool moments in The Last Jedi. Even as a child‚ I remember being disappointed at Leia’s lack of mastery of the Force in Return of the Jedi. Also‚ a rebooted original trilogy could do so much more with Lando Calrissian!  And what if even a hint of the political sophistication we see in Andor could find its way into a retelling of the prequels and original trilogy? Exploring how a democratic society can fall prey to fascism—and the ways that people continue to resist fascism until it is finally banished—is one of the coolest ideas George Lucas ever had. But I believe it could be explored with more depth‚ both of ideology and of feeling‚ in a rebooted version. The original Star Wars was not just a product of its own time—it was a crucible of nostalgia. George Lucas was looking back on the movie serials of his youth‚ as well as World War II movies‚ Westerns‚ and Samurai films‚ and borrowing liberally from them. I love the original Star Wars‚ but many of its shortcomings come simply from its strong connection to 1940s and 1950s culture‚ and all of the assumptions that went with it. As always‚ it’s worth pointing out that any Star Wars reboot would not erase the original‚ which would still be there for anyone who wanted to watch it. Bear in mind that the original Star Wars has already been retold in other media‚ with some versions making an effort to explore the characters in greater depth. (There have been novelizations and comics adaptations‚ including a comic based on Lucas’ original unfilmed script.) Most notably‚ National Public Radio adapted the Original Trilogy for radio in the early ’80s‚ with A New Hope turning into thirteen half-hour episodes. (George Lucas sold the radio rights to Star Wars to his local NPR affiliate for $1.) These radio plays (which you can pretty easily find on YouTube) take a lot more time to explain the characters and their motivations‚ and provide some hint as to the places a new version might go. It takes a full hour to get to the start of A New Hope! So when journalists ask Matthew Vaughn to clarify his comments about wanting to reboot Star Wars‚ I hope he doesn’t shy away from what he said. I hope he doubles down‚ in fact. Rebooting Star Wars is not only a good idea‚ it is absolutely going to happen at some point. Disney has invested too much in this property to ignore such an obvious opportunity. That said‚ I do disagree with one aspect of Vaughn’s comments: I don’t think the Skywalker family is the only interesting part of Star Wars. I still wish that ancient‚ distant galaxy would spend more time exploring the stories of people who’ve never even heard of the Skywalkers—or even the Jedi. Star Wars would not be nearly as popular as they are today if people weren’t in love with this expansive‚ immersive setting—and I would love to see Star Wars take more risks and explore more far-flung corners of the galaxy. I’m ridiculously stoked to watch The Acolyte‚ the brand new Star Wars show from Leslye Headland‚ which apparently takes place long before the prequels. But if it’s a choice between recasting Luke Skywalker and seeing Mark Hamill’s face digitally de-aged or recreated using CG‚ I know which one I’d prefer. As long as Star Wars continues to tell stories that weave in and around the nine films of the Skywalker Saga‚ why not just retell the story itself?[end-mark] This article was originally published at Happy Dancing‚ Charlie Jane Anders’ newsletter‚ available on Buttondown. The post Rebooting <;i>;Star Wars<;/i>; Is a Great Idea‚ Actually appeared first on Reactor.

In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books‚ Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers‚ scientists and engineers‚ explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as “alarums and excursions”: battles‚ chases‚ clashes‚ and the stuff of excitement. When reading obituaries after David Drake’s recent death‚ I noticed one of his books I hadn’t read before being mentioned by a number of people as one of his best. That novel is Redliners‚ and I decided to seek it out. I’m glad I did‚ because the book is indeed one of his best. And among Drake’s always gripping depictions of the horrors of war‚ it offers something that had not been present in his earlier works: a sense of hope and redemption. Like many science fiction and fantasy fans‚ I was saddened to hear about David Drake’s passing. I had read many of his books‚ although since his output included over 40 solo novels‚ and at least that many more collaborations and short story anthologies‚ I doubt there are many who can say they’ve read everything he wrote (near as I can tell‚ I’ve read about a third). But late in the 1980s and on into the 1990s‚ during Drake’s most prolific years‚ I was going to school in the evenings‚ busy with service as a reserve officer‚ and began reading less in general (and significantly less science fiction). So‚ I missed much of Drake’s later work. I’ve caught up on a few of those books since then‚ and after finding a treasure like Redliners‚ I expect I will be reading more in the future. About the Author David Drake (1945-2023) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy whose career began in the 1970s and ended when he retired from writing due to health issues in 2021. You can see an obituary of Drake here‚ and also a column by James Davis Nicoll that discusses five seminal books from Drake’s career. He was known especially for tales‚ whether science fiction or fantasy‚ which gave the reader a stark and unflinching view of warfare. I’ve looked at David Drake’s work before in this column‚ reviewing The Forlorn Hope‚ an early military adventure novel; The Forge‚ his first collaboration with S.M. Stirling in the General series; Hammer’s Slammers‚ the first collection in a series that grew to about seven to ten books’ worth of short stories‚ novelettes‚ and novels; and “Contact!”‚ a short story included in the collection Body Armor: 2000 (because of Drake’s popularity‚ there weren’t many military science fiction collections from the end of the 20th century that didn’t include one of his stories). Those earlier columns also included biographical information‚ and references to his other work. Several of Drake’s books are available to download free of charge from the Baen Books Free Library. The Costs of Service Drake’s military books‚ especially the earliest ones‚ focused on the horrors of war‚ and were shaped by his service in America’s failed involvement in the long‚ brutal war to determine the post-colonial fate of Vietnam. Like many veterans of that war‚ Drake was traumatized by the experience‚ and he was often quoted as saying about his Hammer’s Slammers series‚ “The stories…were more important to me as self-therapy than they were as the start of a career.” The stories he wrote were brutal‚ and the fear and anger of the protagonists were palpable. But as his career progressed‚ you could see that Drake was coming to terms with his experience‚ and the tone of his stories began to moderate. I didn’t read Redliners when it first came out in 1996‚ but now that I have‚ I can see the book was a turning point not only in Drake’s career‚ but in his efforts to come to terms with his wartime experience. The book is still as blunt and violent as his earlier work‚ but there is an additional element in the book‚ a thematic strain of hope and reconciliation. Drake himself stated on his website: Redliners is possibly the best thing I’ve written. It’s certainly the most important thing‚ both to me personally and to the audience I particularly care about: the veterans‚ the people who’ve been there‚ wherever ‘there’ happened to be. Having said that‚ Redliners isn’t a book for everybody. It’s very tough even by my standards‚ and to understand the novel’s underlying optimism you have to have been some very bad places. Soldiers in Vietnam fought in miserable conditions‚ waging a conflict whose goals were ambiguous at best. And when they came home‚ they learned from sources like the Pentagon Papers that the war had been lost years before the fighting ended. I did not serve in Vietnam‚ but I served during the Vietnam era‚ and remember being spat at and called a “baby killer” a few times in public‚ simply because I wore a uniform. Those were not days when veterans were greeted with a “thank you for your service.” Returning soldiers were denied peace even after the conflict ended. In Redliners‚ Drake looks at that other side of war‚ and raises some interesting questions. What might happen if veterans were given a more noble task than killing the enemy‚ and offered gratitude instead of scorn? What might happen if the people they protected were able to see and appreciate their suffering? What might happen if their leaders treated them as people‚ and not just as resources to be expended on the battlefield? Redliners The book starts not on the battlefield‚ but with a first-person prologue from a man who calls himself John Smith‚ the Chief of Administration of the Unity‚ a government that leads all of humanity. He speaks about the ongoing war with a humanoid species that calls themselves the Kalendru. Like many senior civil servants‚ he has a computer grafted into his nervous system. His powers are dictatorial‚ and he describes himself as ruthless and merciless. He worries that he is nearing a time when he is losing his edge‚ and must retire. We then join an advance party for Operation Active Cloak‚ the “strikers” of Strike Force Company C41‚ leading an invasion of a Kalendru world‚ commanded by Major Arthur Farrell‚ and dropped into action in a captured enemy starship. Drake uses the action to introduce the members of that unit‚ which had been on the sharp end of many such actions (probably too many such actions). Drake also‚ without clogging the narrative with too much exposition‚ introduces us to the weapons used by the strikers and their enemies‚ including their ranges and capabilities‚ displaying his usual meticulous attention to detail. The action is brutal‚ and some of the strikers die soon after we meet them. Almost as soon as the unit lands‚ an enemy task force is detected inbound‚ and C41 is ordered to retreat to a retrieval craft (which may or may not arrive). In addition to the Major‚ two characters stood out for me; heavy weapons unit member Esther Meyer‚ and scout Caius Blohm. Meyer ends up one of the only survivors when her comrades are obliterated by an enemy missile. Blohm incinerates the occupants of an enemy barracks only to be horrified when he finds the building was full of non-combatants—women and children. The unit suffers grievous losses in their retreat‚ which would have been even worse had Meyer not taken out an enemy tank single-handed. We then get another interlude where Mr. Smith takes a personal interest in the fate of the troops involved in Active Cloak‚ explaining to his aide‚ Ms. Chung‚ how difficult it is to re-integrate combat troops back into society. We then cut to the garrison world of Stalleybrass where C41 veterans are refused entry into a military bar because they are in combat attire‚ and return with an armored car and weapons to shoot the place up and steal some beer‚ proving Mr. Smith’s point about returning troops. Mr. Smith and Ms. Chung then discuss how not just the individuals in C41‚ but the entire unit has been redlined—a designation which means they are no longer considered capable of serving reliably. But Smith has a plan for the unit‚ which does not involve standing them down. C41 then receives orders to deploy again‚ and they grimly comply‚ despite not having had time to recover from their last action. They improbably find themselves on Earth‚ not at a military starport‚ but at an Emigration Port. Their mission will be to accompany a colonization team to a new world‚ acting as their security element‚ and protecting them from hostile flora and fauna as they establish a base. The unit is in tatters‚ with only a couple of officers left‚ and only a couple of heavy weapons troops remaining. They meet the project manager‚ Jafar al-Ibrahimi‚ and his aide‚ Tamara Lundie. The colonists are involuntary‚ the occupants of a middle-class apartment complex‚ Chicago’s Horizon Towers‚ who have been ordered to leave their homes and travel to another world (the Unity‚ as Mr. Smith mused in the prologue‚ is indeed ruthless in doing what has been determined as being in the best interest of humanity as a whole). In a positive sign‚ members of the unit step in to protect the colonists as they are being abused by local police‚ and Farrell‚ unused to compliments‚ is stunned when al-Ibrahimi commends the strikers’ actions. But striking a more ominous note‚ Striker Blohm becomes twitchy upon seeing that so many of the colonists are children‚ just like those he accidentally murdered during Operation Active Cloak. And in an even more ominous development‚ during their outbound flight the strikers learn that the ecology of their destination is extremely dangerous; in fact‚ outright hostile. The team’s mission goes wrong as soon as they land. Instead of the magnetic landing grid their automated craft had been intended to land on‚ the ship has homed in on an iron-rich asteroid of the type used to guide enemy Kalendru warships into their destinations. They find enemy dead‚ killed by lethal plants. And the landing site is in a large circular lowland‚ surrounded by dense forests‚ and filled with the deadliest of the planet’s many threats. Their ship is severely damaged‚ and they must recover as much equipment as they can. They have an aircar‚ and attempt to scout the path between themselves and the intended landing site‚ but bacteria clogs the fans and it crashes. The team has two large earth-moving tractors that can tow the gear that the colonists and strikers need‚ but the colonists refuse to part with their personal belongings until it becomes inescapably clear that these must be left behind. The deaths begin before their journey is even underway‚ as both strikers and colonists succumb to the perils of the wilderness. Caius Blohm’s skills as a scout are invaluable‚ as he is one of the only strikers who can move through the wilderness without triggering deadly responses. He is equipped with a converter that can take local vegetation and turn it into edible food‚ but he refuses to surrender it as he might need it during his scouting expeditions. Instead‚ he is tasked‚ when in camp‚ to use the converter to feed others‚ and is assigned to a widowed woman who cares for children already orphaned. Blohm finds comfort in protecting the children‚ especially a little girl‚ Mirica. Esther Meyer‚ because of her armor and heavy weapons‚ is assigned to one of the bulldozers to fight off threats that cannot be flattened by its earthmoving blade. She in turn finds some peace in the arms of a colonist who has lost his wife. Jafar al-Ibrahimi and Tamara Lundie prove to be able leaders‚ deferring to the Major and his strikers on matters of security—but it also becomes obvious that they have computer enhancements‚ and are far from ordinary leaders for a typical colonization effort. As the party makes their way toward their intended landing site‚ the planet’s attacks grow fiercer. Soon they are facing primitive humanoids that‚ while individually not very capable‚ fight as if they are guided by one mind. They encounter more Kalendru survivors‚ and become convinced the only way to save themselves is to discover the secret of this horrifying lowland‚ an answer that can only be found at its center. Their only slim chance of salvation is to travel to the depths of hell itself. Final Thoughts Redliners is indeed one of Drake’s finest novels. While I found some of his earlier books a bit too grim‚ this one offers‚ along with a compelling depiction of the horrors of war‚ a sense that if veterans are treated humanely‚ and given tasks that are meaningful‚ even the most damaged among them can find at least some measure of peace. The ending is more compelling emotionally than logically (I still don’t see the sense in sending a random cross section of humanity to a hostile colony world)‚ but I found it very satisfying. And now that you’ve listened to my thoughts‚ I’d like to hear yours‚ whether you’ve read Redliners yourself‚ or just want to comment on your favorite military science fiction stories in general.[end-mark] The post Hope Amid Horrors: <;i>;Redliners<;/i>; by David Drake appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations A Vicious And Enthralling First Contact: Seth Dickinson’s Exordia By Charles Bonkowsky | Published on January 23‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed What would you do if you met an alien in Central Park? Anna Sinjari has a plan. Anna Sinjari knows exactly what she would do—and though it doesn’t quite work out the way she thinks it should‚ it gets the alien’s attention. Enter Ssrin‚ hydra-headed and beautiful‚ who finds Anna again after that first encounter‚ crawling wounded into her shower. Ssrin is clearly dangerous‚ with a dozen different types of venom contained throughout her heads and a taste for red meat. Not to mention‚ she’s on the run from something even deadlier than she is. But none of that matters to Anna—she and Ssrin are inexorably‚ narratively drawn together. Exordia has a fascinating‚ complex‚ metaphysical order at play—and it wastes little time establishing it. Ssrin tells Anna that she has a soul‚ an imprint of her mind in the realm of virtue and meaning that allows for bending and breaking pure physical determinism—that is‚ establishing free will. The soul was established by the dead creator gods so that the universe would not be overrun by swarms of solely self-replicating creatures…but they screwed it up in the process. A soul that breaks physics can be exploited so that the correct configuration of thoughts can warp the universe itself; and the rulers of the galaxy‚ the Exordia‚ have figured out how to enslave souls to drive machines or build weapons that mark their enemies’ souls for damnation. Buy the Book Exordia Seth Dickinson Buy Book icon-close Exordia Seth Dickinson Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Souls tell stories‚ and souls abide by the rules of the stories. There are seven great passions‚ bonds between souls‚ stories that are told over and over again—it is the last of them‚ serendure‚ similar souls drawn together whether they want to be or not‚ that has drawn Ssrin to Anna. “It’s very unlikely you’ll die right now‚” Ssrin tells Anna during a dangerous undertaking—not because Anna is specially protected or secretly resistant to alien technology‚ but because “it wouldn’t be narratively complete.” But the Exordia want everyone to abide by the rules of their story and their story alone‚ in which they are the rulers and the galaxy’s life are the ruled. Only they haven’t bothered to reach Earth yet‚ and so Ssrin is chasing something here——an old story‚ an artifact—that has a chance to break the Exordia’s iron grip. And then the artifact appears‚ and plunges the world into disaster as the Exordia show up looking for it. And the book becomes not just Anna and Ssrin’s story‚ but that of the soldiers and scientists and ordinary people caught up in its investigation on Earth‚ human stories and alien colliding. One of the very human stories at the center of Exordia is that of the Kurds‚ brought into focus as the alien artifact surfaces in the mountains of Kurdistan. That means the soldiers and their scientific divisions of the US‚ Russian‚ and Chinese military sent to understand it can’t be treated as the glorified saviors of humanity against alien invaders—because in Kurdistan‚ each country is already an invader or betrayer of the Kurds almost as foreign as the artifact itself. As Dickinson says‚ the book’s long road to publishing (from first draft in 2017 to publishing in 2024) was enough time to see the US abandon the Kurds in Syria again in 2019. Anna herself is a survivor of the Anfal genocide of the Kurds‚ grappling with the choices she was forced to make as she returns home. Where Dickinson succeeds—where he turns Exordia into a truly exhilarating‚ dizzying work—is that he can take these human stories‚ human choices on the personal and on the international scale‚ and set them against a deeply alien intelligence. What do we look like to eyes wholly unfamiliar with our heuristics‚ our shortcomings‚ our wants and our needs? What choices still matter‚ then‚ for ourselves or for our soul? On my first read‚ I was a little overwhelmed by the dense explanations of the soul and its manipulations barely two chapters in. Couldn’t Dickinson have eased us in? I wondered‚ couldn’t he have shown us bits and pieces of the whole rather than undercutting known cosmology in one fell swoop? But as I read further‚ I understood why Dickinson needed to lead up front with the spiritual intricacies. Once we as readers have those tools‚ our understanding of the soul become a lens that magnifies and unravels every character we follow: from Major Erik Wygaunt’s lockstep moral code‚ his personal unwavering righteousness; to Deputy National Security Advisor Clayton Hunt’s layered‚ for-the-greater-good schemes; to Professor Li Aixue’s focus on mathematical underpinnings that blinds her to the world around her. Sometimes‚ those traits benefit them; more often‚ especially as our cast run up against one other‚ they frustrate or confound the people around them. But we as readers are taught to read these traits at a deeper level‚ to understand the shape of Wygaunt’s and Hunt’s and Aixue’s souls and how they fit into the seven great passions Ssrin describes. Exordia is a book that grabs your attention and doesn’t let it go: Dickinson creates a world that feels twice as vivid as normal and does it without ever slowing down the frenetic pace of the plot. It can be a lot to handle—Exordia certainly isn’t light bedside reading—but it’s an incredible work and an enthralling way to kick off your 2024 reading. Exordia is published by TorDotCom Publishing. Read an excerpt. The post A Vicious And Enthralling First Contact: Seth Dickinson’s <;i>;Exordia<;/i>; appeared first on Reactor.

News Academy Awards Here Are the Genre Films That Scored 2024 Oscar Nominations By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on January 23‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed More From Academy Awards See All Posts News sci-fi tv Traveling to Outer Space Will Mess Up Your Mind‚ According to Constellation Trailer By Vanessa Armstrong January 22‚ 2024 News Jurassic Park Welcome to Even More Jurassic Park: New Jurassic World Movie in the Works at Universal By Vanessa Armstrong January 22‚ 2024 News Fountain of Youth Film Picks Up Natalie Portman‚ John Krasinski and Eiza González By Vanessa Armstrong January 19‚ 2024 Featured Essays Star Wars Rebooting Star Wars Is a Great Idea‚ Actually By Charlie Jane Anders January 23‚ 2024 Comment 3 icon-left-caret Caret See All Posts The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 2024 Oscar nominations this morning‚ and more than a few genre films received recognition across more than a few categories. Here is a rundown of who won what! Oppenheimer Is Oppenheimer‚ the Christopher Nolan film centered on the man who created the atomic bomb‚ genre? In our hearts it is‚ and it won the Oscar nomination game. It got thirteen nominations‚ count them all below! Best Picture Best Actor (Cillian Murphy) Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.) Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt) Best Director (Christopher Nolan) Adapted Screenplay Original Score Costume Design Film Editing Sound Production Design Makeup and hairstyling Poor Things The latest Yorgos Lanthimos film‚ Poor Things‚ placed second in total Oscar nods‚ with eleven total. The movie‚ like all Lanthimos movies‚ is weird. It centers on Bella Baxter (Emma Stone‚ pictured above)‚ a woman created‚ Frankenstein-style‚ who goes on a journey of self-discovery in an off-kilter version of Europe. Here are the nods it racked up: Best Picture Best Actress (Emma Stone) Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo) Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos) Adapted Screenplay Original Score Cinematography Costume Design Film Editing Makeup and Hairstyling Barbie Barbie got shafted this year‚ especially with Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie getting snubbed. (The fact that “Ken” received a nomination‚ however‚ almost proves the thesis of the film‚ but I digress.) The movie did get some deserved nominations‚ however‚ and here they are: Best Picture Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling) Best Supporting Actress (America Ferrera) Adapted Screenplay Original Song (“I’m Just Ken”) Original Song (“What Was I Made For?”) Costume Design Production Design Other genre films made appearances in other categories but didn’t garner as many nominations as the three above. Visual Effects The Creator and Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One earned nod shere‚ as well as one for Sound. Other Visual Effects nominees were Godzilla Minus One‚ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‚ and Napoleon. Animated Feature Films The nominees were The Boy and the Heron‚ Elemental‚ Nimona‚ Robot Dreams‚ and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. I bet you a dollar The Boy and the Heron will win‚ with an outside chance for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Other genre-specific nods include an Original Score nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; an Animated Short Film nomination for Pachyderme‚ which is apparently about a mother who must find food for her son who craves human flesh; and Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. [end-mark] The post Here Are the Genre Films That Scored 2024 Oscar Nominations appeared first on Reactor.

The body of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez was found wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in a laundry basket under her bed last summer. Police report that Maria was sexually assaulted and murdered while her father was at work‚ according to KHOU 11.   Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez‚ an illegal alien from Guatemala‚ is facing murder charges in Texas for Maria’s death. Garcia-Rodriguez was released into the interior of the U.S. in early 2023 after surrendering to Customs and Border Protection.   Maria’s story is one of about a dozen serious criminal incidents Sen. Roger Marshall shared in a long X thread Tuesday. Each recorded crime is alleged to have been carried out by an illegal alien who entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.   ?The impacts of Joe Biden's border crisis compounded by Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies have been catastrophic. As Biden downplays the severity of this crisis‚ we will bring awareness to the violent crime happening across America &; we will not stop until we secure our borders.— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) January 23‚ 2024 “The cartels seem to have more operational control of our border than our own government‚” Marshall‚ R-Kan.‚ told The Daily Signal in an email Tuesday‚ adding that “fentanyl is now killing over 300 Americans a day‚ and violent crime is skyrocketing.”   In August of 2023‚ an illegal alien from Venezuela was charged with raping a woman in front of her young child in Cheektowaga‚ New York‚ Marshall reports in his X thread. Around the same time‚ an illegal alien from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting an employee at a Best Western hotel in the same New York community just outside Buffalo.  “By defying the law and undermining our national security‚ every state has become a border state‚” Marhsall said‚ adding‚ “this is not a talking point but the unfortunate reality of Joe Biden’s unprecedented border crisis.”  The thread on X will be continuously updated with more incidents of serious crime committed by illegal aliens who entered the country under Biden’s presidency‚ according to Marshall’s office.   “Each day this crisis continues‚ the national security threat grows‚” Marshall‚ a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee‚ said.   “We are telling the real stories of this crisis that this president refuses to address‚” the senator explained. “In our efforts‚ we are fighting for the families who have been tragically impacted and hoping to save future families from becoming a victim of the lawlessness embraced by Joe Biden and soft-on-crime Democrats. It is past time for the Biden administration to secure our borders‚ safeguard our communities‚ and support law and order in our country.”  Marshall shared the illegal alien criminal activity X thread less than a week after two mothers testified before the House Homeland Security Secretary Committee and placed blame at the feet of the Biden administration for the death of their daughters.   “In my humble opinion‚ Mr. Mayorkas’ border policy is partially responsible for my daughter’s death‚” Arizona mother Josephine Dunn told the House committee Thursday‚ referring to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.   Dunn’s daughter Ashley died in 2021 at age 26 after a drug dealer sold her a pill containing fentanyl.    “We’re losing our children‚” Dunn told the committee. “We’re losing a generation of children. We’re at war. We need our military at the border. That’s what we need. We don’t need more Border Patrol. We need our military at the border stopping the drugs.”    Mother Tammy Nobles‚ who also testified‚ recounted the tragedy of losing her child in 2022.  Less than a week after Kayla Hamilton turned 20‚ her mother testified‚ she was violently killed in her Maryland home by a MS-13 gang member who was an illegal alien. The gang member strangled Hamilton with a phone-charging cord and sexually assaulted her.  Following the testimony from Dunn and Nobles‚ all 18 Republicans on the House Homeland Security committee issued a statement in support the impeachment and removal of Mayorkas.   Axios reports that the House Homeland Security Committee plans to mark up four articles of impeachment for Mayorkas on Jan. 30.   Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.   The post EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Roger Marshall Tracks Serious Crimes Committed by Illegal Aliens During Biden Presidency appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The following is a lightly edited transcript of remarks by Dr. Kevin Roberts‚ president of The Heritage Foundation‚ delivered at the 2024 National Pro-Life Summit‚ hosted by Students for Life of America‚ on Saturday at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Washington‚ D.C. Look‚ thanks for inviting me to be here. What a tremendous program and how about a round of applause for Alison [Centofante]‚ Kristan [Hawkins]‚ everyone at Students for Life. Most of all‚ from this old history teacher. Thank you for being the Students for Life. A round of applause for you. I’m in a candid mood this week‚ so I’m going to be candid with you. Just got back from Switzerland‚ a place I never thought I would dread going in the battle for the soul and future of our nation. There’s no more important fight‚ as you know‚ than the right to life. And there’s no organization more important to winning that fight than yours. Today’s students for life are tomorrow’s parents for life. Teachers for life. Workers and entrepreneurs and doctors for life. And yes‚ think about this—legislators‚ governors‚ congressmen and even presidents for life. Maybe even the one singing now. As the dad of four‚ I love that sound. We’re going to need them. We’re going to need all of you‚ for we meet today amid a pro-abortion media narrative of smug triumphalism. You’ve heard the story: Less than two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe‚ the abortion industrial complex is celebrating an unprecedented political winning streak. Across the country‚ pro-life bills have failed‚ abortion referenda have passed‚ Democrat leaders are crowing‚ while too many Republican leaders are cowering from the fight. The pro-life movement in general‚ and Washington Republicans in particular‚ were caught flat-footed by Dobbs. Our losses since—especially in red states like Kentucky‚ Ohio‚ Montana and Kansas—have been painful. And like it or not‚ despite a handful of brave stalwarts‚ the GOP remains a fickle ally in the fight for the unborn. If it were up to the Republican establishment‚ the pro-life movement would simply go away. Thank God it’s not up to them. It’s up to you. Long before the Dobbs decision‚ Students for Life understood that the fight for the unborn was generational. Like every great moral crusade‚ victory in the defense of unborn children and their mothers will be measured in decades‚ not mere election cycles. And just like America’s other decisive battles for freedom‚ against segregation‚ against totalitarianism‚ against slavery‚ the fight for life is first and foremost spiritual. That’s what I want to talk to you about this morning. If you’ve seen the schedule for today’s summit‚ you know it’s saturated with practical and tactical advice. That’s why you’re here‚ to learn those important practical skills that will help you defend the unborn through democratic advocacy. But as important as those resources are‚ ultimately‚ the fight for human dignity and freedom‚ this fight for the inalienable rights of every human soul‚ transcends politics. We’re not fighting merely against a policy or a party‚ and we’re certainly not fighting against our opponents on the other side‚ all of whom we are called to love and pray for. Remembering that reminds us that instead‚ we are in a fight against evil itself. St. Paul’s reminder to the Ephesians is timely and timeless. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood‚ he wrote‚ but against the rulers‚ against the authorities‚ against the cosmic powers over this present darkness‚ against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This is an uncomfortable truth‚ I know‚ but set aside the talking points and the legalisms and ask yourself: What is abortion? It’s the contract killing of defenseless children by white-collar professionals for profit. It’s the invasion of the womb by instruments of torture and mutilation. It’s the ultimate treason‚ man’s betrayal of a mother‚ her child‚ and the natural and supernatural bonds between them. In Genesis‚ God … “put enmity between [the serpent] and the woman‚” between its offspring and hers. In abortion‚ the serpent puts enmity between the woman and her offspring‚ and the most powerful men in the world call this progress‚ for true evil‚ spiritual evil‚ is never satisfied with its own success. Pride depends on degrading others. Unlike the agnostic who’s clouded by doubt‚ or the atheist blinded by hatred‚ the devil himself knows firsthand he cannot deny or replace God. Old Screwtape‚ as you know‚ learned long ago that the surest path to corrupting the souls of the strong is denying the humanity of the weak. This‚ rather than the comparable body counts‚ is the evil that underlies mankind’s greatest horrors—every slave auction‚ every lynching‚ every concentration camp‚ every abortion mill‚ every pogrom‚ every terrorist bombing from the Middle East to Kermit Gosnell‚ from Herod to Hitler to Hamas‚ has been justified on the same inhuman pretense that the victims aren’t really people—that human dignity is not universal‚ not inherent to our nature‚ but contingent on the convenience to the powerful. And the butcher’s bill of history is chillingly clear. Once a society deems certain individuals not fully human‚ it soon treats them as if they weren’t human at all. And it never stops with one group. Consider the telling example of the pigs on George Orwell’s “Animal Farm‚” who declared some animals are more equal than others. Is it any surprise that the same party of death celebrating violence in the womb also justifies and even cheers the surgical mutilation of children‚ the euthanizing of the depressed‚ the persecution of parents and churchgoers‚ even a genocidal war to exterminate the Jewish people? Make no mistake: This idea of human inequality that some people count and some people don’t doesn’t come from the media or the government or the elite or the Left or even Planned Parenthood. It comes straight from hell. Forgive them‚ Father‚ for they know not what they do. God bless the Dobbs majority‚ the Dobbs majority‚ and the men and women who fought for decades to put them there. But they would be the first to tell you‚ we can’t defeat evil with court orders. The only weapon powerful enough to do that is love. Active love. Building a culture of life means rebuilding a culture of love—in our communities‚ across our nation‚ and around the world. This is not a project of just political activism‚ as important as that is‚ but of relentless spiritual warfare. Generation Life is not only something young Americans can create‚ it’s something you must become. No party or president will build a culture of life for us. We have to do that all the time‚ every day‚ in everything we do. Through prayer‚ Scripture‚ and devotion. Through fellowship and vocation. In the heroic‚ spiritual adventure of falling in love‚ getting married. And yes‚ having lots of kids. To paraphrase St. Francis of Assisi‚ fight for life at all times. When necessary‚ use words. Nor can this work be reactive‚ simply responding to the outrages of the party of death. On the contrary‚ we need to build a culture of life so vibrant that the outnumbered party of death has to respond to us. Generation Life needs to transcend the abortion debate and carry its love for the good‚ the beautiful and the true into every nook and cranny of our society. Don’t wait. Act. Act‚ like 15-year-old Kristan Hawkins‚ who sought out the Crisis Pregnancy Center in her hometown and volunteered‚ who in her high school and then her college lacked a pro-life student group‚ started one‚ who transformed Students for Life—from a small coalition of campus organizations to a culture-shaping crusade that has touched the lives of millions of Americans. This is what Generation Life can look like—and must. Today‚ there are 4‚ 000 crisis pregnancy centers in America. Generation Life can create 10‚ 000‚ including one on every college campus in this country. Today‚ we bristle against a popular culture that degrades women‚ children and families. Generation Life can lead a renaissance of arts and entertainment that celebrate and promote human dignity. So‚ as I close here‚ to those of you in college‚ yes‚ bring pro-life speakers to your campus. But more importantly‚ be the pro-life speakers on your campus. Suffuse‚ suffuse the world around you with your own love of life in all its forms. To fight evil‚ we must do good. And to do good‚ we must be good. Let pundits and politicians worry about strategies and tactics. You can aim higher. Don’t wait for leaders to make pro-life policymaking possible. Be the leaders in your classrooms‚ in your campuses‚ in your families and social circles‚ in your careers‚ and all across American culture‚ to make pro-life policymaking inevitable in this spiritual war for our children and for our very souls. We need you‚ Generation Life‚ to be more than our hope for the future. Starting right now. Right now. We need you to be the heroes of the present. May God prosper the work of your hands. Amen. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post ‘There’s No More Important Fight … Than the Right to Life‚’ Heritage Foundation President Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

South Carolina Republicans are drawing fire from the South Carolina Freedom Caucus for pushing a pro-abortion former Democratic House leader as the state’s next circuit court judge for the 5th Judicial Circuit. James Smith‚ the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee and the former Democratic leader of South Carolina’s House of Representatives‚ is described by one Planned Parenthood affiliate as a “vocal supporter and advocate for Planned Parenthood.” The former lawmaker was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic (PPVSAT) in May 2018 when he ran for governor of South Carolina. The pro-life group‚ Citizens for Life‚ has said that it will score against the legislators who vote for Smith. Smith was also a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump’s tariffs and voiced his support for Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaign. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In South Carolina‚ members of the Supreme Court‚ the Court of Appeals‚ and the Circuit Court are elected by a joint public vote of the General Assembly. FITSNews.com reports that “Smith has earned the support of a majority of ‘Republican’ lawmakers in his bid for a S.C. circuit court judgeship.” The Daily Signal reached out to multiple Republican members of the South Carolina legislature who did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Proud to stand w/ my colleagues and @MsVivicaFox @ImAngelaBassett in support of @HillaryClinton for President ?? pic.twitter.com/OBasDLnm43— James Smith for South Carolina (@JamesSmithforSC) February 9‚ 2016 Congrats @HillaryClinton @HillaryforSC on the win tonight! It's an honor to support the next President of the United States ?? #ImWithHer— James Smith for South Carolina (@JamesSmithforSC) February 28‚ 2016 According to The State‚ the seat that Smith is seeking has historically been held by a black judge‚ “representing Richland County’s large Black population.” Smith is challenging African American attorney Justin Williams‚ a former assistant solicitor for the 5th Judicial Circuit and an insurance defense lawyer. Members of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus‚ which is opposing Smith’s appointment‚ tore into the former Democratic house leader in statements to The Daily Signal. “This judicial race highlights exactly why South Carolina desperately needs both a reformed judicial system and more reform-minded‚ true conservatives in the South Carolina General Assembly‚” said South Carolina State Freedom Caucus Network Director Evan Newman. NOTE—we just passed the Help Not Harm bill which prohibits gender transition procedures on minors. How do you think the person who reposted this would rule if a challenge arises? pic.twitter.com/I1BQS8ccFs— South Carolina Freedom Caucus (@SCFreedomCaucus) January 22‚ 2024 “The fact that a pro-Planned Parenthood‚ former Bernie Sanders-supported Democrat candidate for governor is the chosen candidate by the Republican establishment is laughable and should serve as a warning to all ‘red’ states that just because someone has an ‘R’ by their name‚ doesn’t mean they are actually representing your values‚” he added. The SCFC’s vice chair‚ state Rep. RJ May of Lexington‚ described Smith as a “Planned Parenthood-endorsed‚ Trump-hating‚ Biden-loving liberal.” “No wonder the South Carolina General Assembly is consistently ranked the most liberal Republican Legislature in all of America‚” he added. “It’s time for judicial reform‚ it’s time to clean house.” State Rep. Adam Morgan of Greenville‚ the SCFC chair‚ also slammed the Republicans in the South Carolina legislature. “The same ‘Republicans’ currently pushing James Smith’s appointment to the bench are also the same ‘Republicans’ who reappointed a liberal justice who struck down the Heartbeat bill‚” he said‚ referring to former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Kay Hearn‚ who struck down the state’s law protecting babies with a heartbeat. He added: “This is just the latest damning evidence that the Republican establishment in SC is no different than the Liberal Democrats.”  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post South Carolina Republicans Slammed for Pushing ‘Trump-Hating’ Pro-Abortion Democrat for Judicial Appointment appeared first on The Daily Signal.

When Reality Bites the LA Times

Canadian Court Sides With Freedom Convoy!