This is Sci-Fi, Issue 13  is a sampling of science fiction news across the mediums. From movies to books, to real life, and any bits in between that I can think of to list. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what’s happening, but it should whet your appetite!

Your Weekly Science-Fiction Inspired Quote:

“Reality is shaped by the forces that destroy it.”
― D. Harlan Wilson, The Kyoto Man

Science Fiction Movies

Science Fiction Movie Suggestion for the Week:

Barbarella is your science fiction movie suggestion of the week. I picked it because you just haven’t lived until you’ve seen Jane Fonda attempt to do a semi-sexy strip tease in zero G.

Barbarella synopsis: Barbarella, an astronaut from the 41st century, sets out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy.

Starring: Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg

Science Fiction Movies Opening this Week (June 23rd):

Transformers: The Last Knight Synopsis: Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth.

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock

Thoughts: Er… Well, lookit, it’s the another Transformers movie directed by Michael Bay.

…yay?

The Bad Batch synopsis: A dystopian love story in a Texas wasteland and set in a community of cannibals.

Starring: Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa, Jayda Fink

Thoughts: I’m not so sure I like a pair of winky-face shorts on the cover for a movie that bills itself as part sci-fi. Not a ‘must see’ first impression, yeah?

Trailer to Watch: Spider-Man: Homecoming releases next month. Let’s be honest, it’s probably going to be another case of them trying way too hard to be funny, packed with predictable action, and whatnot. But, hey, if you dig that sort of thing, watch the trailer on IMDB.

In Theatres Now:

1. Wonder Woman – Review
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 – Review

Science Fiction Books

New Releases

Hecate — JB Rockwell — Release Date: June 23rd, 2017

Black Ops—the intelligence arm of the Meridian Alliance Fleet came calling with an offer Henricksen couldn’t refuse: a ship—an entire squadron of ships, actually—and crew to command. A chance to get back to the stars.

Too bad he didn’t ask more questions before accepting the assignment. Too bad no one told him just how dangerous this particular skunkworks project was.

They call the ship the RV-N: Reconnaissance Vessel – Non-combat, Raven for short. A stealth ship—fast, and maneuverable, and brutal as hell. On the surface, Henricksen’s assignment seems simple: train his crew, run the RV-Ns through their paces, get the ships certified for mission operations and job done. But an accident in training reveals a fatal design flaw in the Raven, and when an undercover operative steals classified information from a Black Ops facility, the Fleet Brass cancels the tests completely, rushing the faulty ships and their half-trained crew into live operations. On a mission to recover the Fleet’s lost secrets.

Out of time and out of options, Henricksen has no choice but to launch his squadron. But a ghost from his past makes him question everything—the ships, their AI, the entirety of this mission, right down to the secrets he and his crew are supposed to recover.

Shattered Minds (Pacifica) — Laura Lam — Release Date: June 15th 2017

She can uncover the truth, if she defeats her demons

Ex-neuroscientist Carina struggles with a drug problem, her conscience, and urges to kill. She satisfies her cravings in dreams, fuelled by the addictive drug ‘Zeal’. Now she’s heading for self-destruction – until she has a vision of a dead girl.

Sudice Inc. damaged Carina when she worked on their sinister brain-mapping project, causing her violent compulsions. And this girl was a similar experiment. When Carina realizes the vision was planted by her old colleague Mark, desperate for help to expose the company, she knows he’s probably dead. Her only hope is to unmask her nemesis – or she’s next.

To unlock the secrets Mark hid in her mind, she’ll need a group of specialist hackers. Dax is one of them, a doctor who can help Carina fight her addictions. If she holds on to her humanity, they might even have a future together. But first she must destroy her adversary – before it changes us and our society, forever.

Transformation (Transcendentals #3) — James Gunn —  Release Date: June 20th, 2017

Planets at the edge of the Federation have been falling mysteriously silent. The arrogant and recalcitrant bureaucracy running the Federation grudgingly allows two transcended humans, Riley and Asha, to investigate. They join forces with the Earth’s Pedia, a global A.I., along with Tordor, a Dorian representative of the Federation, and Adithya, a member of a splinter group vowing to destroy the Pedia. No one on the team trusts one another.

They must find a common ground and the answer to the planetary silences in order to confront an enemy more ancient than the Transcendentals and more powerful than any Pedia.

 The ‘Old’ Sci-Fi Has It: (Covers link to Goodreads)

The Sci-Fi Zone

We’re on to The Best of Season Four in the Twilight Zone. In season four the Twilight Zone switched to an hour long format so there are less episodes. Really, though, the hour long format just doesn’t work very well with Twilight Zone. Part of it’s charm and what packs a punch is the shorter time slot. With the hour long (well, forty five minutes without ads) needs a lot of filler to make the forty five minutes. Also, with the longer time slot the season itself is shorter so this list, in result is not quite ten favorites but the ones listed are very, very good.

1. The Printer’s Devil – One of Burgess Meredith’s few villain roles and he plays it with a gleeful creepiness.

2. He’s Alive – An excellent episode and eerily apropos to the chaos that is the present. I think it will make for some good conversation when it comes up in the Twilight Zone Tuesdays.

3. Of Late I Think of Cliffordville – I have to be honest. The story in this one is fairly good but the real star attraction is Julie Newmar as Miss Devlin. One of the sexier, flirty devils to grace the television. Coyly flirty she definitely steals the show.

4. Jess-Belle – It has a plot with a sung folktale as background about a love triangle between Jess-Belle, Billy Ben Turner and Ellwyn Glover. A favorite part is a double entendre laden  exchange between Jess-Belle and Ellwyn Glover.

5. Passage on the Lady Anne – A husband and wife take a passage on an older boat, the wife desperately trying to save their marriage. Things are not exactly what they seem on the ship, nor are the passengers.

6. The New Exhibit – Ok, wax figures are creepy enough but the obsessive husband in this episode is creepier still.

7. The Thirty-Fathom Grave – I rather like ghost stories set at sea and the main character does his part perfectly.

8. On Thursday We Leave for Home – A man who has kept his pioneers together through meteor storms and hard farming is not very happy to relinquish his power when a ship from Earth comes to take them home.

Sci-Fi Polls Time!

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Science Fiction on the Web

The Han Solo film lost both its directors, and then quickly gained …well.. this guy. – From ScienceFiction

The Smithsonian posted a pretty neat write-up of the latest Future Con.

If you are a supporter of more science fiction for kids, check out this Kickstarter from BoingBoing

Motherboard talks about the silent science fiction film that brought rocket science to the masses.

Interactive medical drones are no longer science fiction reports Huffpost.

Join us in discussing Ender’s Game on July 19th!

Date: July 19th

Time: 8 PM EST

Location: The Sci-Fi & Scary Forums

Book: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

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