If you’ve heard of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses book series, then you are possibly (likely?) a rabid fan. Frequently abbreviated to ACOTAR, the fantasy series tells the story of Feyre Archeron, a young mortal huntress who gets swept into a journey in the faerie lands of Prythian. With a sprawling world, deeply flawed and intriguing characters, and a whole lot of steamy love scenes, the ACOTAR series has attracted legions of fans since Maas published the first book in 2015. And now the beloved book series is becoming a TV series for Hulu.

In 2021, Maas first shared the news via a now-deleted Instagram post. But that post let us know she was working with Ron Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) to adapt A Court of Thorns and Roses for Hulu. Since then, we haven’t heard any updates for a while, but recently, Moore shared with TVLine that Hulu is still game for the ACOTAR series. He noted, “It’s still in development… We’ve written some scripts, and we’re just sort of waiting. I think the whole town is kind of waiting to see if we have actors before things really move forward, but it’s still in development.” Hey, we’ll take it.

If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that Moore has plenty of material to work with. The first book, which carries the title of the whole series, is a loose adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. As punishment for killing a faerie, a faerie leader, Tamlin, imprisons Feyre in Prythian. He and everyone else in his court wear face-obscuring masks; a curse affixed the masks to their faces. Things just get progressively wilder from there in each of the 600-plus-page books.

Bloomsbury Publishing

A Court of Thorns and Roses TV series would have a vast playground to explore. And given Moore’s experience in telling epic stories, he seems like an excellent choice to work with Maas. Especially given his role in bringing Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander to the screen. Given the rise of fantasy books coming to the screen, with series such as Shadow and Bone delighting viewers on Netflix, it’s no surprise to see that it’s ACOTAR‘s turn.

Maas is also known for her Throne of Glass series (which Nerdist Book Club read a portion of). But just anecdotally, I feel like folks get most excited about A Court of Thorns and Roses. By folks, I mean myself. I definitely named my Animal Crossing: New Horizons character Feyre. I’ll just be over here daydreaming about who will play Rhysand.

Originally published on March 26, 2021.

The post A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES Hulu TV Series Adaptation Is Still in the Works appeared first on Nerdist.

This week we heard discussions about the original Avengers returning to the MCU, saw a Mean Girls sequel (kind of), and learned the secrets of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 post-credits scenes and Easter eggs. But in the mix of all of that, there have been some truly exciting announcements and reveals we wouldn’t want you to miss out on.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News

Jump to:

• Poltergeist TV Series Is in Development at Amazon MGM Studios 
• Disney+’s Cancelled Captain Nemo TV Series Nautilus Saved By AMC
• The Fall of the House of Usher Prop Auction Invites You to Purchase Something Haunted and Stylish
• Another John Wick Spinoff Series Is Apparently In Development
• Bratz Dressed Up as Barbie for Halloween, and Rick and Morty Dressed as Five Nights at Freddy’s
• The Boys Will Likely Have More Seasons Than Originally Planned
• Sesame Street Is Changing Its Format to Include “More Peril”
• Fourth Wing TV Series in the Works From Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society
• Jurassic World LEGO Sets Are Roaring to Life in January 2024
• Horror Sequels Galore! The Black Phone 2 and It Follows 2 Are On the Way, Terrifier 3 Sets Release Date

Poltergeist TV Series Is in Development at Amazon MGM Studios 

You can never be free of some ghosts. Variety reports a series adaptation of the classic ’80s movie Poltergeist is in the works at Amazon MGM Studios. Currently, no plot details or writers are attached to the series. However, we know “Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce on behalf of Amblin Television.” In 1999, Showtime released a four-season series adaptation set in Poltergiest‘s world—but television has come a long way since.

For more horror-based TV, check out what we know about Max’s The Conjuring show.

Disney+’s Cancelled Captain Nemo TV Series Nautilus Saved By AMC

In a worrying streaming trend, shows are being ordered and completed only to be canceled before release. But sometimes, there is good news. Deadline reports that although Disney+ canceled its Nautilus series, a 10-episode TV show based on Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, AMC has now saved the series. Nautilus will air on AMC and AMC+ in 2024 and tell the origin story of the iconic Captain Nemo.

To see what we learned about Nautilus initially, check out our write-up here:

The Fall of the House of Usher Prop Auction Invites You to Purchase Something Haunted and Stylish

Mike Flanagan’s final show with Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, was filled with horrifying yet beautiful visuals. If you loved the show’s aesthetic, you can now take a part of it home with a special prop auction.

The Fall of the House of Usher auction will take place from November 15-29 with 100% of its proceeds going to charity. Among other items, you can bid on “Verna’s (Carla Gugino) Rave Costume with Red Cloak,” “Napoleon ‘Leo’ Usher’s (Rahul Kohli) Drywall-Covered ‘Thor’ Hammer Replica,” and “Arthur Pym’s (Mark Hamill) Briefcase with Files and Accessories.”

For more about The Fall of the House of Usher‘s aesthetic, take a look at what its use of color really means.

Another John Wick Spinoff Series Is Apparently In Development

Surprise! Another John Wick spinoff series is apparently in development, according to John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Stahelski noted to Collider, “We’re doing a John Wick TV show, which, again, keeps my head going.” And added, “I would love to do a couple of episodes of the TV show just because I think I’d have fun trying things that we didn’t get to try in the films. I mean, absolutely. There’s some great ideas. And to work with a different cast and a different story structure without John Wick, it would be a fun challenge.”

Another John Wick spinoff show, aside from The Continental, which recently aired, doesn’t seem to have been widely announced yet. So we guess we’ll stay tuned to see what develops.

As if that weren’t enough John Wick, John Wick 5 is still on the table.

Bratz Dressed Up as Barbie for Halloween, and Rick and Morty Dressed as Five Nights at Freddy’s

Happy Halloween from our favorite franchises. In a bit of a shady move, some Bratz dolls dressed as the unimpressed teens looking at Barbie for Halloween—a truly hilarious spin on a Barbie movie costume which was, admittedly, very popular this year.

Meanwhile, Rick and Morty‘s characters disguised themselves as Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronics, homaging the popular game series that just released its movie adaptation. We love series dressing as series!

If you enjoyed Five Nights at Freddy‘s, you may be wondering what that sound at the end of the credits means.

The Boys Will Likely Have More Seasons Than Originally Planned

The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke originally planned for the series to have a five-season run. But it looks like that number is now defunct, and The Boys will likely have more seasons than that. Kripke shared with Inverse, “I have since realized that literally, no one in history is worse at predicting the amount of seasons of a show, like literally. I have learned my lesson, and I’ve stopped predicting how many seasons these shows go. You will find out in hindsight.” With the popularity of The Boys and its spinoff Gen V, that seems like a fair assessment to us.

Catch up with Gen V‘s most gory and shocking moments, here:

Sesame Street Is Changing Its Format to Include “More Peril”

Sesame Street wants you to know you can reinvent yourself at any age. Recently, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Sesame Street‘s format would be “reimagined” for season 56. The show will drop its “magazine style” format, which has been around for decades, in favor of “two longer, more narrative-driven segments, which will be paired with a new animated series, Tales From 123.”

Wilson Stallings, the executive VP and chief creative development and production officer for Sesame Workshop shared, “Kids love a little bit of peril, they love having emotional stakes, and in nine minutes, it’s kind of hard to really dive into those areas really effectively.” The show hopes to be able to tell a more compelling tale with these changes.

Be that as it may, we have to wonder, does Sesame Street really need more peril?

All we have to say is that Sesame Street had better keep gems like this.

Fourth Wing TV Series in the Works From Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society

Amazon MGM Studios and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society will be bringing to life a TV series based on Rebecca Yarros’ popular fantasy series, Fourth Wing. This overall deal includes all the books from the Fourth Wing universe titled The Empyrean, including its sequel Iron Flame, releasing on November 7, and the three books slated to follow.

Per Variety, the logline for the TV series shares:

Enter the brutal world of Basgiath War College where there is only one rule: Graduate or Die. Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail expected to live a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general― her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. If the fire-breathing beasts don’t kill her, one of her fellow riders just might. Suspense, action, romance, and dragons blend together in a propulsive fantasy adventure from NYT bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

In other fantasy novel adaptation news, House of the Dragon season two will release in the summer of 2024.

Jurassic World LEGO Sets Are Roaring to Life in January 2024

Show off your dino love with these two new Jurassic World LEGO sets. First up is a Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull LEGO set, which turns LEGOs into bones. The official description of the set shares, “The first Jurassic World set made for display features a skull with an opening jaw, a stand with an information plaque, a hidden ‘amber’ piece at the back of the model and a ‘fossilized’ footprint.” Honestly, building a T. rex skull out of LEGOS, teeth and all, is pretty cool.

Also available is the “Baby Dinosaur Rescue Center” LEGO set and it comes complete with a bunch of, you guessed it, baby dinos. D’aww. Both Jurrasic World LEGO sets will release on January 1, 2024.

Click To View Gallery

For more creative and nature-focused LEGO fun, check out LEGO’s insect collection.

Horror Sequels Galore! The Black Phone 2 and It Follows 2 Are On the Way, Terrifier 3 Sets Release Date

October may be over, but Halloween season never is. And it’s a good thing, too, because a ton of horror sequels are coming our way.

First up, the truly terrifying Universal and Blumhouse movie, The Black Phone, will get a sequel. The Black Phone 2 is currently set to release on June 27, 2025 and, per Variety, will be the “launch of a sinister new franchise.” We have chills already.

Next, It Follows will also receive a sequel titled They Follow. The writer and director of It Follows, David Robert Mitchell, will return for the sequel alongside star Maika Monroe. It Follows was a movie that encapsulated the terrifying feeling of someone always lurking behind you, and we bet its sequel will double the sensation.

Finally, Terrifier 3 and its terrifying slasher Art the Clown will arrive in theaters on October 25, 2024, for another round of Christmas horror. We can’t wait to see what terrifying naughty-list mayhem will transpire.

In case you were curious, we’ve broken down the horoscopes of 12 iconic horror villains.

The post Another JOHN WICK Series in the Works, JURASSIC WORLD LEGO Sets, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

How did Panem devolve into the casual cruelty we see in The Hunger Games? The capitol of the nation prospers while citizens in many of its districts suffer and struggle to survive. Author Suzanne Collins explored the events before the 74th Hunger Games in a prequel novel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, set 64 years in the past. The story, which Lionsgate is adapting into a film, specifically focuses on Coriolanus Snow. He later becomes the tyrannical leader of Panem. But as a young man, he doesn’t see the world—or the games—so clearly. A girl from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird, gives him a new perspective.

Before you see The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, here’s what you should know about the characters and how they connect to what and who you know from The Hunger Games. We also have a few exclusive character images to share.

Coriolanus Snow

Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, is an 18-year-old looking out for his family. He’s decades away from becoming the President Snow we know from the books and movie adaptations. Here, he’s trying to regain status for his family, as the aftermath from the war has left them under financial duress. Snow wants to keep up appearances and improve their situation. As part of this, when he is chosen to mentor a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games, he accepts the position with aplomb—even when he is stuck with a tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird.

Lucy Gray Baird

Lucy Gray Baird, from District 12, is the captivating and enigmatic tribute in the 10th annual Hunger Games who young Coriolanus mentors. Rachel Zegler portrays Lucy Gray. District 12 is, of course, the coal-mining district where we later meet Katniss Everdeen. Lucy Gray charms the Capitol at the reaping and makes a memorable entry to the games. A performer in a musical singing troupe, the Covey, with her family, Lucy Gray is unafraid of the Capitol and the architects of the game. She doesn’t hesitate to enlighten Snow about what life in the districts is like.

Casca Highbottom

Oh, Casca Highbottom. Peter Dinklage plays this character, dean of the Academy and the person who came up with the concept for the Hunger Games. Highbottom once shared that idea with Coriolanus’ father and eventually, their hypothetical ponderings became reality, leaving Highbottom (rightfully) morally conflicted. Highbottom has an addiction to the painkiller morphling.

Tigris

Remember Tigris from Mockingjay? She appeared in Mockingjay – Part 2, played by Eugenie Bondurant. In that time, she owns a clothing shop and has altered her appearance; she offers shelter to Katniss. But Tigris is Coriolanus’ cousin. Hunter Schafer plays her in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Tigris is already stylish and resourceful, and she believes in her cousin and his character.

Sejanus Plinth

Josh Andrés Rivera plays Sejanus Plinth. He attends the Academy with Snow and is also chosen to mentor a Tribute for the 10th Hunger Games. He’s in a privileged position, with his now wealthy and powerful family at his back, but he still must define his allegiance to the Capitol and prove himself.

Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman

Caesar Flickerman brings pizazz to the Hunger Games in Katniss’ time. He’s a well-known figure, playing a key part in the Games’ success. But it’s his predecessor, Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman who kicks off this legacy. Jason Schwartzman plays Lucky, the first-ever host for The Hunger Games broadcast. He’s a weatherman and amateur magician eager for a chance to show his talents in the national spotlight and make the games a can’t-miss event.

Dr. Volumnia Gaul

Dr. Volumnia Gaul, played by Viola Davis, is a cruel force behind the games. An instructor at the Academy and the Head Gamesmaker, Dr. Gaul ensures the Hunger Games are riveting. She wants to show the Capitol’s commitment to the punishment of the Districts and make it an unforgettable spectacle. She operates the Capitol’s weapons division, coming up with inventive and horrific ways to torment the Tributes.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will arrive in theaters on November 17.

The post A Guide to THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES Characters appeared first on Nerdist.

In Stranger Things 4, fans met and fell in love with Eddie Munson. But, unfortunately, they didn’t get to spend too much time with him. After all, there were tons of characters and plots that divided the screen time. And then, of course, Eddie met his untimely death, much to the sadness of all. But happily, Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, a Stranger Things prequel novel by Caitlin Schneiderhan, sets aside time for us to spend just with Eddie Munson. In the pages of this Eddie Munson-centric book, fans get to uncover many fascinating facts about Eddie, some we already kind of knew and some we were delighted to discover.

Although the book has many other fun facets for you to explore, like Eddie blackmailing Hawkins High’s principal into letting Hellfire Club exist (but only after he was blackmailed first), his early meetings with Reefer Rick, and his relationship with Wayne—here are some of the best things we learned about Eddie Munson from the Stranger Things prequel book Flight of Icarus.

Eddie Munson Is Corroded Coffin’s Lead Singer and Writes His Own Songs

Since Stranger Things 4, fans have speculated about who exactly played the role of Corroded Coffin’s lead singer. Although many imagine it was Eddie, in truth, Stranger Things never let us know for sure. But Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is here to unequivocally confirm that Eddie Munson is Corroded Coffin’s lead singer.

But not only that, the Eddie Munson prequel book reveals that Eddie is also a songwriter. In Flight of Icarus, Eddie plays his/Corroded Coffin’s original song “Fire Shroud” during an important story moment. We have to say, between songwriting and DM-ing, we love the idea of Eddie Munson growing up to be an author should he mysteriously return to life.

Eddie and Chrissy Bonded Over Their Bad Parents at the Middle School Talent Show

To the delight of many HellCheer fans, Eddie and Chrissy’s meeting at the middle-school talent show gets a long flashback in this Stranger Things prequel book. Stranger Things 4 mentioned the encounter, but Flight of Icarus puts a lot of meat on its bones.

As they wait their turn to perform, Eddie and Chrissy run into one another away from everyone else. They’re both trying to sneak a peak at the audience and thinking of their respective bad parents. Eddie is looking for his dad, who isn’t there though he promised to be, and Chrissy is looking at her mother, who, though present, only wants to pick at her daughter. Eddie and Chrissy commiserate over their shared lack of support and promise to cheer one another on in lieu of having anyone else who will. After the show, when Eddie’s father has indeed bailed, and Chrissy’s mother is indeed criticizing her, they share a smile that salvages the evening.

Eddie Loves to Discuss the Intricacies of Elven Politics in Tolkien

We knew Eddie was a J.R.R. Tolkien nerd. (“The Shire is burning, so Mordor it is,” anyone?) But we didn’t know how deep the nerdery went. In the book, we learn Eddie Munson can give a half-hour monologue on the “intricacies of Elven politics in Tolkien.”

Eddie Munson’s Mother Taught Him to Love Music (But Sadly, She Died)

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus reveals that although Eddie Munson’s father taught him how to play the guitar, it’s Eddie’s mother who taught him to love music. While we only learn a little about her, it’s clear Eddie’s mom wasn’t a fit with Hawkins either. And she used her favorite music, Chicago blues, as a way to connect to the wider world and learn its stories. Eddie’s mom taught him music could be transformative, a means to go somewhere he couldn’t literally. He shares, “My mom’s music was plane tickets. I guess that makes my music a portal to another dimension.”

Eddie Was Gareth’s Mentor Figure Before He Was Dustin’s

Hawkins, Indiana, sees Eddie Munson as a big bad wolf, but the truth couldn’t be further from that vision. In Stranger Things 4, we see Eddie as a brotherly figure to Dustin, helping him find his way in the world and treating him as an equal and friend. But it turns out, much like Steve Harrington, Eddie has had an assortment of younger friends that he’s helped evolve. In Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, we meet future Corroded Coffin member Gareth. While Gareth is a seasoned member of Hellfire Club by the time of Stranger Things 4, in the Eddie Munson prequel book, he barely knows or likes Dungeons & Dragons. He’s mostly looking for a place he can fit in, and that’s what brings him to Hellfire Club.

Ultimately, Eddie provides that place for Gareth, and we see him teaching Gareth how to love the game and, more importantly, how to love and be true to himself.

Eddie Munson Got to Meet Will Byers

Speaking of mentoring, one of the biggest fan regrets that came after Eddie Munson’s Stranger Things 4 death is that he didn’t get to meet Will Byers. Fans rightfully believed Will would have delighted Eddie and that Eddie would have been aspirational for Will. But happily, Eddie Munson and Will Byers get to interact in Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus.

When some bully jocks heckle Will, Eddie steps in to distract them and save Will and then passes on words of wisdom to the distraught younger boy. It’s a big moment for Eddie, who is finally ready to embrace his own advice, and probably had an impact on Will. (“To hell with what they think./You’re the only person who knows who you are.”) Eddie also tells Will that Zombie Boy is a metal nickname and invites him to Hellfire Club after immediately clocking that Will plays Dungeons & Dragons.

Eddie Often Puts Himself Between His Flock and Bullies’ Fists

Will isn’t the only mini-Freak that Eddie saves from terrible jocks, though. Almost any time a younger nerd is in danger in Flight of Icarus, Eddie Munson steps in to distract the bully. Sometimes he protects kids he doesn’t even know. The idea that Eddie thinks he’s a coward is especially ridiculous after this Stranger Things prequel novel. Eddie Munson is taking literal punches, baseball bats to the stomach, and a lot of ridicule to protect those who are part of his freak flock. We can’t think of anything more heroic than that.

Eddie Munson Had a Best Friend Who Rocks (And Is Possibly Queer)

Eddie’s best friend Ronnie is also his first friend, and he’s known her since childhood. According to Eddie, they’re pretty similar, “same broken home, same trailer park, same haircut.” Except unlike Eddie, “Veronica Ecker is going places. She’s headed to college, she’s headed to law school, she’s getting the hell out of Indiana.” (“Eddie Munson? He’s gonna die in this town.”)

It’s devastating that Eddie ends up being right about this summation because Ronnie would not have disagreed harder with it. Throughout Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, Ronnie is the person who believes in Eddie the most overtly, except for his Uncle Wayne. Ronnie can see what’s so special about Eddie and the space he creates for other “freaks” in need of it. Ronnie and Eddie have a real “platonic life partners” energy that both resembles Robin and Steve’s Stranger Things dynamic but is completely different. It’s a shame that Ronnie and Eddie end things on a sad note.

Another cool thing about Ronnie is that Flight of Icarus implies she’s queer. After Eddie tries to make a move on her, Ronnie lets him know that she doesn’t like anyone that way and “didn’t think she’d ever have a crush on anybody.” It certainly feels queer-coded.

Eddie’s Guitar Is the Only Thing That Survived a Fire in His House

Eddie’s sweetheart is one metal guitar. Not only does she play a concert in the Upside Down, but she’s actually the only thing that survives a major fire in the house Eddie once shared with his dad. Eddie loses all of his other belongings, including his mom’s records, some of the last things he had to remember her by, but miraculously his guitar survives. This Flight of Icarus backstory makes Eddie Munson’s Upside Down weapon of choice that much more special.

The post The 9 Best Eddie Munson Facts We Learned From the STRANGER THINGS Prequel Novel appeared first on Nerdist.

For fans of the character, an Eddie Munson prequel book was always going to be a bittersweet offering. After all, many fell fast for Eddie in Stranger Things 4, only for him to meet a harsh death. The figure of Eddie Munson attracted so much love so quickly because his narrative, however short, resonated powerfully with anyone who had ever felt othered in their lives. And conversely, his death brought so much pain because it seemed like an undeserved end for a character who had already survived so much and in whom so many saw themselves. All of this left Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus with a tall order on its hands. Could going backward in Eddie Munson’s story be as satisfying as a much-hoped-for going forward?

The answer is complicated. But mostly, it boils down to the fact Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan deeply understands what makes Eddie Munson so loved. Although delving into those purely good aspects of Eddie leaves a sting behind given his ending, the novel offers fans more time with their favorite character at his best.

Moved by forces unknown, the first part of the book I read was the acknowledgments. At the very end, author Caitlin Schneiderhan notes, “Thank you to everybody out there who has ever been an Eddie Munson, been saved by an Eddie Munson, or loved an Eddie Munson. You’re not alone.” And ultimately, that is the most powerful summary of this novel I could offer. Despite the balancing act it faced, Flight of Icarus shone because it was a love letter to Eddie, to the way the character has made many feel seen, and to the struggles he survived, which feel so resonant to those facing the same obstacles in reality.

Although a first-person narrative can be a tough sell, in this case, it worked because it brought the reader intimately into Eddie’s world, offering up his thoughts about himself and those around him, his hopes, and his fears, and allowing him to truly be at center. Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus lets readers sit next to Eddie for a time and experience another portion of his life with him. In that way, it let everyone feel less alone.

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus‘ Plotlines Build Up the Eddie Munson We Know

In a more literal sense, three main plotlines run through Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus. One focuses on Eddie’s backstory and his fraught relationship with his wayward father, Al Munson, who envisions Eddie as his mini-me, at least when convenient. A second features an original character named Paige, who sees Eddie as a rock ‘n roll god and seeks to help him get his big break in music. And a third stars the Hellfire Club and Eddie’s at-the-time best friend named Ronnie, who really just wants Eddie to love himself.

Of the three, the strongest Flight of Icarus plot was the arc between Ronnie and Eddie. Although sadly, this arc was also the shortest of the trio. Ronnie and Eddie’s playful but snarky dynamic gives Eddie a confidant to challenge and check him and offers up that incredible “platonic life partners” dynamic that we don’t see enough of in fiction. It strongly calls to mind the friendship between Robin and Steve. There even seems to be a subtle implication Ronnie is also queer. (Eddie notes that “she didn’t think she’d have a crush on anybody.”) Suffice to say, this friendship definitely leaves fans wondering what mischief the four would have gotten up to in another life.

Meanwhile, the storyline between Eddie and Paige is fun and gives readers a look at an Eddie Munson romance if that’s what they’re into. For me, it was the plot that moved the story forward the least. But it did feature some poetic descriptions by Schneiderhan of Eddie immersing himself in his music which will stay with me. It also lets Eddie see that even a good vision of who he is that isn’t true to himself isn’t right.

Finally, of course, there’s Al Munson. Meeting Eddie’s dad puts an even sharper focus on the hardship Eddie has experienced his whole life. In Hawkins, Al Munson exists as a huge pariah. And Hawkins has tarred and feathered Eddie with the brush of perceptions only his father has earned. This, of course, does heap onto Eddie’s shoulders. But it’s not really the Munson-aversion that hurts the worst. In Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, we learn Al Munson has been leaving Eddie behind his whole life. And, in a sense, no differently than Hawkins, Eddie’s father can’t truly see Eddie as a person, not unless he needs something from him. There’s more than one scene that will make your heart clench for Eddie, who truly just wants to be loved.

The true throughline of every part of the Flight of Icarus is Eddie Munson learning what it means to be just Eddie Munson and not only squaring with that but celebrating it. Every argument, aspiration, disappointment, and joy in the novel steps him closer to figuring out that Eddie being happy with Eddie is the most crucial success of all. And that’s exactly the journey we and Eddie deserve to go on.

Stranger Things Cameos in Flight of the Icarus

When it comes to Stranger Things cameos beyond Eddie Munson, fans can expect some treats. It’s clear that Flight of Icarus saw at least a portion of what the internet was asking for. HellCheer fans get an extended and emotional memory of Eddie and Chrissy meeting at the school talent show, cementing headcanons for how their friendship and romance could have blossomed. Wayne Munson appears as the father figure that Eddie sorely needs, a true voice of love in Eddie’s life who encourages him, more than anyone, to just be himself. Reefer Rick has some jovial and hilarious moments as Stranger Things gives us the origin story of Eddie’s business ventures. Gareth and Jeff get more flesh on their bones. The cherry on top is Will Byers and Eddie Munson finally getting to meet. (And make one another smile. And talk Dungeons & Dragons, kind of.)

To all my Steddie comrades-in-arms, I am honor-bound to say that although Steve Harrington does not appear in Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, he is confirmed to not approve of any beating up of freshmen… And the one mention Eddie makes of him does feature an, ehm, interesting body part, so we’ll take it.

Eddie Munson’s Backstory Is Beautiful, but It Hurts Us

Ultimately, getting lost in Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is an excellent adventure for Eddie Munson fans. But the journey Eddie goes on to embrace himself, the figure he becomes to all the other “freaks” around him, and all the pains, hopes, and dreams we learn he has do converge to make his ultimate death an even tougher pill to swallow. Flight of the Icarus would become that much more of a satisfying origin and backstory for Eddie Munson if we could one day see him triumph in the face of all his naysayers by the simple act of getting to live on. It’s your move, Stranger Things 5.

But, in the meanwhile, Eddie Munson got to live a little longer in our world, and that, we will celebrate.

⭐ (3.75 of 5)

The post STRANGER THINGS: FLIGHT OF ICARUS Offers Excellent But Painful Eddie Munson Quality Time appeared first on Nerdist.

Are you ready for more Eddie Munson? That’s a trick question; of course you are. But even if Stranger Things doesn’t delight fans by bringing Eddie back to life in Stranger Things 5, more Eddie is happily heading our way. Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is a Stranger Things prequel novel all about Eddie Munson, and it lets us meet the character two years before Stranger Things 4. Because this prequel book is all Eddie all the time, it leaves space for insights into Eddie Munson’s backstory and formative experiences that we couldn’t get during the show. The novel explores Eddie’s complicated familial ties, especially his relationship with his dad, Al Munson, his complex feelings about himself and his legacy, and his struggle to survive in a town that loathes him. But crucially, this Stranger Things prequel book also spotlights the immense bravery and goodness that are the true hallmarks of Eddie Munson.

In the below excerpt from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, we see Eddie imparting some crucial wisdom onto future Corroded Coffin member and current freshman Gareth. Gareth is still trying to find his place in Hellfire Club, but knows implicitly that as a “Freak,” it’s the only place he can go. As Eddie helps him build his new Dungeons & Dragons character, he really guides him toward the idea of being himself, gently pushing him to figure out who Gareth is and what he wants to be. “You don’t have to be anything.” Eddie says, “Don’t let yourself get boxed in… it’s never worth it.” And isn’t that the Eddie Munson thesis statement?

Of course, while shepherding his flock gives Eddie true joy, it’s never that simple for our favorite metalhead. Al Munson has just come back into town, and it’s clear the return of his dad spells trouble for Eddie, emotionally and otherwise. This excerpt from the Eddie Munson prequel book is just a taste of what’s to come for readers and for Eddie, and you can enjoy it in full below in both text and audio forms.

Exclusive Excerpt From Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus

Jump to: Audiobook Excerpt from Eddie Prequel Book

“The question is pretty simple, at the end of the day. Who do you wanna be?”

Gareth frowns at me across the expanse of the lab table. I’m starting to think that’s just his default expression, and I can’t really fault him for that. If I was stuck with that adorable halo of fluffy brown curls and a mouthful of chrome, I’d probably frown a lot too. “I want to be Illian.”

“Illian is fish food. Work with me here.”

“I don’t know,” Gareth snaps, stabbing his pencil into his pad of graph paper like it slapped his mother.

He’s been in a pissy mood since he walked in the door twenty minutes ago, and he hasn’t exactly sweetened since. We’re squatting in the chemistry lab with the lights off be-cause I didn’t have time to sweet- talk Mr. Vick into letting us do this on the books. It’s easy enough to jimmy the locks on these old doors, but I always hate doing it. For one thing, the odds of some nosy teacher walking by and spotting me are better than good. For another—

I need another set of hands.

For another, I’m not sure I like knowing how to do it in the first place.

I’d left Dad snoring loud enough to bring the house down, sprawled out on the sofa. He didn’t even twitch when I opened the front door, and I’d taken a moment to watch him in the early morning light, swallowing back the complicated feelings rising in my chest.

Al Munson has come crashing back into my life in more flavors than I can count. Sometimes he’s just gotten out of prison and needs a place to lie low. Sometimes he needs to borrow money from Wayne. Sometimes he’s got an honest- to- God job (“For keeps, this time.”) Those are always the shortest stays.

But he’s never come back for me. And even if it’s not like he’s trying to pay off a quality- time deficit, he came back because he wants me to work with him. He could have gone to any of his buddies, and he came to me.

I shouldn’t be happy about that, right? I definitely shouldn’t. But—

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” I ask Gareth. “You knew when you made Illian.”

Gareth is perched on one of the science department’s death- trap stools, and he keeps rocking back onto two of the legs. He’s also favoring his left arm. I haven’t called him out on either of these things yet, because I don’t want Gareth to start using me as a sparring dummy instead of his graph paper.

“Jeff made Illian,” he says. “He said, you can’t walk into Hellfire without a character, and he didn’t want to wait a billion years for me to figure out how to fill out a character sheet, so he gave me one.”

“Well, that’s . . . unhelpful.”

“Whatever.” The floating legs of Gareth’s stool slam back onto the linoleum, and he shoves to his feet. “We don’t have to—”

“Okay, first things first, freshman.” I risk life and limb and smack my hand down on his graph paper so he can’t pack it away. “I’m the DM, right?”

Gareth’s eyes are wary. “. . . Right.”

“So I’m the one running our sessions. I say when they’re over. Understand?” Gareth nods. “Good. Now sit your butt back down and let’s work this out.”

He sits his butt back down. “Thank you,” I say. “Now we’re gonna start with the basics. Dwarf, Elf, Human, Gnome— what’s calling to you?”

“Illian was a half- elf—”

“I didn’t ask what Illian was, I know what Illian was. Illian was Jeff’s. I asked what’s calling to you.”

“I . . . like dwarves,” Gareth says.

“Dwarf. Awesome. May I?” I pull the pad of paper toward me and gingerly, like disarming a gunman, pluck the pencil from Gareth’s hand. “Dwarf,” I write, and underline it twice. “The next question is what’s gonna inform your class, okay?”

“Okay,” he says, easier now.

“Alignment. What are you feeling?” He stares blankly at me, and I move yell at Jeff a few notches up my mental to-do list. “This is, like. Who you are, at the core of you. Lawful, chaotic. Good, evil. So, for example, if you’re playing a dwarf, then the rule book says you’d probably be more on the lawful end of the spectrum, though the good- versus- evil conundrum is some-thing you’d make a call on for yourself. And once you figure out what combo you prefer—l awful good, lawful evil, even lawful neutral, you’ll figure out the sort of . . . I don’t know. Moral code? You’ll be making decisions with during the game.”

There’s a line between Gareth’s brows as he takes this in. “So if I’m a dwarf, I have to be lawful—”

“You don’t have to be anything,” I say. “That’s just what’s suggested. What most people think a dwarf is. Lawful good.” Gareth’s nose wrinkles, and I laugh. “I know. Buzzkill. Now, me? I like to mix things up. Chaotic evil dwarf? Hell yeah. Don’t let yourself get boxed in by what the book says you should be, it’s never worth it. Do what you think is gonna be the most fun.”

“Chaotic,” Gareth says the second I shut my mouth, jumping in so fast that the word clips the end of my last sentence. His eyes are glowing. The kid’s got the spirit. “I wanna be chaotic. Chaotic . . . good.”

“Classic choice, dude,” I say, nodding approvingly. “Now let’s talk classes. Have you thought about playing a thief?”

Over the next hour, Hodash the Breaker is born. I can’t hold on to last night’s dark cloud as I watch Gareth roll his way through his stats and scribble down ideas for backstory. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s obvious to me now that Illian was never his to begin with— Gareth’s never been so invested in a Hellfire session as he is right now, bent over his graph paper and breathing life into his chaotic little dwarf rogue.

“Question, freshman,” I say, once the foundations for Ho-dash have been established and we’re shoving papers and books back into our bags, getting ready to leave.

Gareth peers at me, wary, over the top of his humongous backpack. “Yeah?”

“It’s not a pop quiz, calm down.” I sling my jacket over my shoulders, shoving my arms through the sleeves. “I’m just curious. If you never played D and D before you got to high school— never filled out a character sheet or anything— why join Hellfire?”

Gareth shifts from foot to foot. “Where else was I supposed to go?”

Reprinted from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan. Copyright © 2023 by Stranger Things™ / Netflix. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Audiobook Version of This Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus Excerpt

If audiobooks are more for you, you can also enjoy our exclusive excerpt directly from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus‘ official audiobook. Lee Osorio does a great job of taking the mantle from Joseph Quinn and bringing Eddie, Gareth, and the rest to life.

Audio excerpted courtesy Penguin Random House Audio from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan; Read by Lee Osorio © 2023, Caitlin Schneiderhan, ℗ Penguin Random House, LLC.

More About the Eddie Munson Stranger Things Prequel Book

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is written by Caitlin Schneiderhan, a TV writer and novelist who has worked on Netflix’s Stranger Things series. The 272-page novel’s summary notes, “Two years before the events of Stranger Things: Season 4, Eddie Munson—Hellfire Club leader, metalhead, and Hawkins outcast—has one shot to make it big.” This Eddie Munson book’s glorious cover art is by Tracie Ching.

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus will release on October 31. It’s fitting this book will offer us more of Eddie Munson’s backstory on Halloween. You can pre-order this Stranger Things tale in book, e-book, and audiobook forms today.

The post Eddie Munson Builds a Home for Freaks in Excerpt From STRANGER THINGS Prequel Book appeared first on Nerdist.

Whatever promise streaming services once offered is not just dead, it has been replaced by existential dread. Viewers no longer have to only worry their favorite films and TV shows will get pulled from sites at month’s end. They now have to worry new, finished films and TV shows will never see the light of day. Warner Bros. shelving the completed Batgirl film was not an isolated incident. It was a harbinger of things to come. Disney+ canceled its The Spiderwick Chronicles series before it could debut, despite the fact it was already completed.

The only good news was another studio or platform could ultimately bring it to the small screen. And happily, in this increasingly rare case, that has come to pass. The Roku Channel has “landed the exclusive, premiere U.S. rights to The Spiderwick Chronicles.” Roku will release the now-saved The Spiderwick Chronicles series in early 2024.

We first learned about Disney+’s decision not to release its live-action The Spiderwick Chronicles show in August. It’s based on the children’s fantasy novel series from Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. All eight episodes—starring Christian Slater, Jack Dylan Grazer, Lyon Daniels, Noah Cottrell, Joy Bryant, and Mychala Lee—are totally finished. But in 2023, that simply doesn’t matter much of the time. In this case, Disney+ treated The Spiderwick Chronicles as a write-off, as it continues to service investors at the sad cost of creatives and fans.

The good news is that, unlike Batgirl, this show had a chance to live again. It was developed at Disney but comes from Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television. And these studios worked to find a new streaming home for The Spiderwick Chronicles. We’re glad it will appear on The Roku Channel. In 2008, we saw a movie version of The Spiderwick Chronicles, but a series will allow us to journey even deeper into the magical world. As mentioned, The Spiderwick Chronicles series will release on The Roku Channel in early 2024.

Of course, despite this saving, The Spiderwick Chronicles series might not be available for good. Even shows and movies that do make it to streaming don’t always stay there very long. That’s the complete opposite of what streaming seemed to be offering not too long ago. But, at least for the previously canceled The Spiderwick Chronicles series, there’s a happy ending for now.

Originally published on August 28, 2023.

The post Roku Saves THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, Disney+’s Canceled but Completed Series appeared first on Nerdist.

Some moments stick with you. Perhaps the moment is a memory, good or anxiety-inducing. Maybe it’s a particular conversation. Or it could be a scene from a story, one so impactful and so wondrous you feel it viscerally. You never forget it, not after reading thousands of pages, not after years pass. Then an adaptation of the book series brings that scene to the screen more beautifully than you could have hoped. And it builds on the scene in a way that further sears the moment into your heart. That’s what happened in The Wheel of Time season two finale when Mat sounded the Horn of Valere. Time slowed. Music softened, then swelled as the horn rang out across Falme. Fog unfurled with pops of color, and then cleared to reveal the Heroes of the Horn.

The Heroes of the Horn. And Mat Cauthon, who has been so unsure about himself and his place, is one of them. He realizes who he is, who he has been all along. Mat, beautifully performed by Dónal Finn, swings his quarterstaff and dagger—his ashandarei—with confidence and knows he is one of them. He is a hero.

The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins, who co-wrote the season two finale with Timothy Earle, tells Nerdist, “I still tear up. I’ve literally seen it 100 times, and I still tear up because it was one of those things that we talked about very early in the writer’s room. Writers who didn’t know the books were like, ‘We can’t do that. You can’t really pull it off. It’ll feel silly.’”

They’re not wrong. On paper, the scene sings. Mat sounds this artifact from legend and changes the tide of the battle. An army of dead heroes bound to the Pattern and to the Horn charge into battle. It has every reason not to work on the screen. But Judkins says they were committed to showing the Heroes of the Horn and doing it right. “Everyone worked so hard. Even those writers, too. Everyone really got on board with this idea of, ‘We’re going to figure out how to pull off this moment and make it emotional and make it work,’” Judkins says.

Judkins explains everyone from the VFX team to director of photography Maja Zamojda leaned into what the moment is from the books. That means smoke and mist and heroes from different ages of The Wheel of Time. VFX supervisor Andy Scrase recalls, “Rafe, at the time, was making a point to me about how this would be a big moment for the fans seeing this happen, ‘It’ll mean an awful lot to them.’”

Judkins says everyone started with the scene as written in The Great Hunt. Then they built on it. He says, “We spent unlimited time, really, trying to build to that moment correctly and get every single team building towards it. It took a lot to pull that off. It’s probably the most expensive shot in season two in terms of the costumes and the hair and makeup and the VFX, and all of it.”

The Sounding of the Horn of Valere

The Horn of Valere shines brightly against Falme’s blue skies. It’s plastic (though they considered white glass), prop master Lukas Katakalidis says, but electroplated with real gold. Katakalidis recalls, “We started with different concepts of, you could say, more traditional horns. It was quite a long process and we tried different shapes and sizes. But then, at some point when we showed Rafe—I think he had the idea that this item would come from the Age of Legends era, so we didn’t need to stick to a traditional shape and could come up with something new. We made a new shape that could fit the request.”

The Great Hunt describes the sound of the Horn as “a clear note, golden as the Horn was golden.” The very sound of Horn resonates through the ground and sky. Supervising sound editor Matthew Skelding knew it had to sound beautiful and unlike anything else in the series. “We had to design something completely from scratch, but then we threw out all those ideas and went with the music to see what that was doing,” Skelding says. “Then we worked around Lorne [Balfe]’s score to create something completely new that weaved in and out of the music so that it could tell the story but then disappear. Just sound unique really, and different to anything we’ve done before.”

The sound team combined several elements for the Horn of Valere. They bought a few things off eBay, they used bells. But above all, they wanted to work with Lorne’s music to make sure the horn sounded elegant. But they had to give the Horn of Valere its moment. Skelding says, “We shaped the world around that sound and created the space for it to take over. Doug [Cooper], the mixer, did a great job of shaping that and allowing it to be that big, massive thing and giving that sound some weight.”

The Heroes of the Horn Appear

“The heroes revealing themselves from this mystical fog that forms behind that—I think that was our most expensive shot actually [in season two],” Scrase says. “Just because of the time that goes into it and the type of work requires, there’s a lot of effect simulations, which in the VFX world, it’s a very time-consuming and expensive process. That was one of those moments where you wanted to pour a lot of time and effort into it.”

The Horn of Valere summons at least a dozen of the Heroes from ages past. Artur Hawkwing, Amaresu, and Birgitte Silverbow are easy to spot. They show up in The Great Hunt, as do Rogosh Eagle-eye, Gaidal Cain, Mikel, Paedrig, and Otarin, among others. The heroes appeared through the fog—Scrase notes they took care to make the fog distinct from the mist that obscured the Whitecloaks’ arrival to Falme. It needed to be an eye-catching moment, so Scrase says they went for an idea of explosions of colors in the smoke itself as the heroes formed. The colors are based on the main colors in each hero’s costume. He says, “There was lots of different inspiration I saw for that. Different things were fireworks going off in thick smoke, and the Holi Festival, and exploding paints and things. I looked at loads of different references for that.”

The Heroes Enter the Battle

That exploration led to the look of the heroes as they jumped into battle, holding back the Seanchan across Falme. It wouldn’t make sense for them to move like the other characters, so Scrase turned to his usual sources of inspiration in arts and science and other film and television to depict the heroes in action. He landed on a photography technique to help give the Heroes of the Horn different movement.

“I found some really cool looking things for the heroes early on, which was long exposure photography. I’d used it for inspiration on one or two other areas in the show,” Scrase explains. “But I think for the Heroes of the Horn, it gave a very dramatic look. The look for our heroes came about from all that, and it was executed really well from the Framestore, the VFX vendor working with me on this. What helps is it almost conveys this visualization of movement and drama when the heroes are fighting.”

Amaresu in particular sticks in Scrase’s mind. “With her, I think that’s a really good example because of her colors and her costume by Sharon Gilham. Combining the costumes with the environment, with our effect got this really dramatic look that I was quite happy with in the end. We had the idea that when the heroes first appear, they didn’t feel quite normal. When they’re moving into action, when they’re fighting, when they’re running, you see this hero’s effect on them that makes them stand out.”

The heroes each have a unique look and they have different sounds, too. Skelding says they used the sound to keep the audience focused through the many battle sequences in the last episode. That was especially the case around each of the Heroes of the Horn. “We tried to design sounds for each of them, to be able to pick out each person individually with bigger impacts on the huge hits. It was about picking up Mat onto his journey throughout that entire charge as well. The design is very much based around each of the different fighting styles of each of the heroes and trying to tell each of their own stories throughout the battle.”

Mat Cauthon As a Hero of the Horn

Mat recognizes the heroes immediately. He remembers himself. Artur Hawking tells Mat, “I have fought by your side times beyond number.” Bringing that revelation to Mat was an important part of the scene, Judkins says. “[We wanted to] make it have an emotional impact for Mat who… We needed a way to clearly communicate to the audience that one of his core character traits is that he doesn’t believe he’s a hero, but he is one. That’s a big part of what we wanted his story to hit hard to the audience who isn’t familiar with the books by the end of the season. This is a guy who is a hero, even if he doesn’t believe it.”

By making Mat one of the Heroes of the Horn, The Wheel of Time TV series brings together different pieces of Mat’s history. “There’s a couple of different things that happened for Mat in the books in terms of his ability to speak Old Tongue, the memories in his mind, the holes in his memories, the skills he has with the staff,” Judkins explains.

He continues, “There’s all of these various disparate traits that he has. Sometimes in the show, we’ll try to—Dave Hill from Game of Thrones always calls it fantasy duplication, where sometimes there’s multiple reasons that things happen and that one thing to look for in adaptation is how to bring it to one thing. Mat’s most iconic thing is blowing the Horn of Valere. We tried to tie some of these things to this moment of blowing the Horn of Valere. I think it actually tracks really cleanly and makes a lot of sense.”

And of course, Mat wasn’t the only familiar face among the Heroes of the Horn. Uno Nomesta, who the High Lady Suroth had executed earlier in the season in an extreme departure from the books, is among the heroes. Judkins says, “We did have that plan [for Uno] because we’re combining… This is a little bit of an Easter egg spoiler. Some hardcore fans will notice. But we signal very clearly another character in the books that we’ve combined Uno with. Two swords.”

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It’s never a bad time to be a fan of the Percy Jackson books. However, it certainly is an auspicious time to be a fan these days. The Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians series debuts later this year and we’ve seen the first trailer. The first new Percy Jackson story in 14 years arrived in the world yesterday. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Chalice of the Gods has undoubtedly been flying off shelves. Author Rick Riordan held an event to launch the book and he revealed some huge news to fans attending the event. The author unveiled another brand-new Percy Jackson book! Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess arrives in September 2024.

We first saw this news on Twitter. As you can see from the below video, fans expressed enthusiasm for the news. Though there’s no official word on how many more Percy Jackson books we’ll get, it seems likely Riordan may publish a complete trilogy about this phase of Percy’s life. Chalice of the Gods sees Percy preparing to head to college. That’s not a simple change for a regular human, much less a demigod. And let’s be real. Percy’s been busy with the gods. His school record is not impeccable. Wrath of the Triple Goddess, which will be the seventh book in the Percy Jackson series, will follow Percy as he continues his quests for college recommendation letters.

Two things we do know about Wrath of the Triple Goddess thanks to fans at the launch event: it will feature Hecate and also Mrs. O’Leary. Mrs. O’ Leary is Percy’s pet hellhound and a very good dog.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess will be out on September 24, 2024. It’s not available for pre-order yet. But that’s okay, we have Chalice of the Gods to keep us busy.

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The highly-anticipated Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians gave fans a great gift on August 18. Of course, this special day is Percy Jackson’s birthday so it is only right to celebrate it with some buzzy announcements. Disney+ released a new Percy Jackson and the Olympians teaser trailer to welcome everyone back into this world. That’s enough to get everyone excited about more adventures and battles involving great gods and half-bloods. But that’s not the end of the treat. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series now has a release date of December 20. This year’s holiday season is looking merrier than ever. 

Here’s a quick Percy Jackson and the Olympians synopsis to give more context to the teaser trailer: 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus. 

The series stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood. Its guest stars include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Megan Mullally, Toby Stephens, Virginia Kull, Jason Mantzoukas, Jay Duplass, Glynn Turman, the late and great Lance Reddick, Adam Copeland, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Olivea Morton, Suzanne Cryer, Timm Sharp, and Timothy Omundson.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ December 20 release date will give us the first two episodes. After that, we will get weekly drops for the rest of the season.

A new look at our trio in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' from Entertainment Weekly

The show premieres on Disney+ on December 20th #PercyJackson pic.twitter.com/0PZzNuBFFr

— Percy Jackson TV News (@pjotvshownews) September 18, 2023

With Rick Riordan in the mix alongside showrunners Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz, it promises to be a great time. In fact, Riordan tells Entertainment Weekly, “We have been involved in the series since its inception, since the very, very earliest conversations about what a new Percy adaptation might look like, how it would be sketched out, whether it would be episodic… So, I feel comfortable telling fans of the books who have been waiting—in some cases, decades — for this kind of faithful adaptation, that this is the one you’ve been waiting for. We are involved, and I think you’re gonna love it.”

We can’t wait to see you again, Percy Jackson.

Originally published on August 18, 2023.

The post PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS Disney+ Series Reveals New Teaser Trailer and Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

Rick Riordan released the first book in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians fantasy series in 2005. The five-book fantasy novel series focuses on Percy Jackson, a young demigod. He learns about his special history and then gets thrown into stopping the Titans from destroying everything. We did get movie adaptations of the first two books in 2010, but they were not well received. (Rick Riordan himself wasn’t a big fan). But now, Percy Jackson gets another chance at an on-screen adaptation, this time on Disney+. Here’s everything we know about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series.

Title

This adaptation of Rick Riordan’s book is called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This matches the title of Riordan’s overall book series centered on Percy Jackson.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Plot

Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ teaser trailer gives us our first real taste of the series. The gods are gathering and everything in Percy’s life is about to change.

In a release, Disney+ shared that Percy Jackson and the Olympians…

…tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.

So, first season is focusing on the first book, The Lightning Thief. In the book, Percy discovers the truth about himself and his background: he’s a demigod. He goes to Camp Half-Blood for the first time and meets others like him. Then, he goes on a quest with his closest friends Annabeth and Grover. Percy must find a thief who stole Zeus’ master bolt, all while reckoning with the identity of his father (I’m not sharing who, because spoilers) and his new life.

Behind the Scenes

Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg wrote the pilot for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. James Bobin is directing the pilot. Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz. Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.

Season one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will have eight episodes.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Cast

The cast for the Percy Jackson series is age appropriate for the series, which is a good start. Walker Scobell (The Adam Project) plays Percy Jackson. Aryan Simhadri plays Grover Underwood and Leah Sava Jeffries plays Annabeth Chase.

We also have:

• Virginia Kull as Sally
• Glynn Turman as Mr. Brunner, a.k.a. Chiron
• Jason Mantzoukas as Mr D.
• Megan Mullally as Mrs. Dodds
• Timm Sharp as Gabe
• Adam Copeland as Ares
• Suzanne Cryer as Echidna
• Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa
• Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes
• Jay Duplass as Hades
• Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus
• Lance Reddick as Zeus
• Toby Stephens as Poseidon

Riordan noted that these are all the main characters who will appear in season one.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Release Date

The Percy Jackson series will officially release on December 20, 2023. It will debut with a two-episode premiere and new episodes will follow weekly.

Originally published on August 3, 2022.

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It may be a minute until season four of The Mandalorian arrives, but you don’t have to wait too long for new stories about Din Djarin and Grogu. A new Star Wars book will put the duo into an adorable and fun cartoonish setting from Jeffrey Brown, known for Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess. The Mandalorian and the Child brings Brown’s aesthetic to Din and Grogu, showing vignettes of their family life.

The cover alone makes us want to see this scene on-screen. No, it wouldn’t make sense for Din to have a bubble machine built into his weaponry. But what if he did? Other pages from the book promise more hijinks for Grogu, too. The little guy has charmed a number of beings during his adventures with Mando. We see Ahsoka and IG-11 in the below art, both sharing precious moments with the baby.

A press release from Chronicle Books says the book will also include Luke Skywalker, Peli Motto, Moff Gideon, Bo-Katan, and the Armorer. The synopsis is as follows:

Fans of the acclaimed, hit television show will be excited to see Brown’s colorfully funny, all-ages style terse Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin, with the adorable Grogu in tow, complementing the show’s gritty milieu while highlighting the found family sweetness at the heart of the story. Whether he is keeping Grogu from fussing with the controls of the Razor Crest or stopping him from using the Force to steal extra snacks, Mando’s lessons as a caretaker will be instantly fun and recognizable to all families.

The Mandalorian and Child arrives on November 7. You can place a pre-order now.

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It is impossible to talk about the last 10 years of horror films without bringing up Jordan Peele’s name. His impact on the genre with game-changing offerings like Get Out, Nope, The Twilight Zone, Wendell & Wild, and Us is undeniable, encouraging more Black creatives to unleash their complex horror stories into the world. While we can dissect and analyze his works in perpetuity, we are always wondering what he will do next. Following on the heels of Nope’s success, Jordan Peele is heading into the print space with Out There Screaming, a horror anthology book featuring a slate of stellar writers and scary short stories. 

Monkeypaw Productions made the big announcement about the anthology of Black horror, which Jordan Peele edited and curated, on its Twitter page. According to publisher Penguin Random House, the book will explore “not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.” 

Here’s a detailed description of Out There Screaming:

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Jordan Peele put together quite the list of horror authors for Monkeypaw’s Out There Screaming anthology book, including the following: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.

Out There Screaming releases on October 3 and pre-orders are currently available. We can’t wait to see what delightful frights lie within its pages.

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Andy Serkis has had one foot in Middle-earth since The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in 2001. His initial connection to J.R.R. Tolkien’s work was as Gollum in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Ring movies. But in 2020, Serkis went back to Middle-earth in a different way. He read The Hobbit aloud nonstop to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts. Then Serkis recorded The Hobbit audiobook and in 2021, he recorded The Lord of the Rings audiobook trilogy. But he isn’t done. Andy Serkis also narrated The Silmarillion for a new, unabridged audiobook (via The Bookseller).

If you’ve read The Silmarillion, you know it’s a beast of a book—a beautiful one, but a beast nonetheless. Published in 1977, the book goes into the history of Middle-earth before the One Ring. It starts with a creation myth and moves through the ages in poetic, dense prose. And if the names in The Lord of the Rings are complex, the ones in The Silmarillion are on another level.

Serkis said the following in a statement about this new audiobook version of The Silmarillion:

The Silmarillion was always going to be a hard mountain to climb, and therefore perhaps the most rewarding. I was seriously daunted. Whereas the narrative structure and characters of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings provide the narrator with an immense propulsion, The Silmarillion is like reading an extraordinary, ancient bible, with its own creation mythology spanning many ages, written over many years. But once in the flow of Tolkien’s poetic imagination, and limitless authority of his universe, there were passages that I found myself completely mesmerised by as I was reading, and it became a thrillingly wild and magical experience. I can only hope the listener feels the same way.

If you’d like to get a taste of Serkis narrating Tolkien’s words, watch the below video. It’s Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party speech from The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Serkis-narrated unabridged The Silmarillion audiobook will arrive on June 22, 2023. You can place a pre-order now.

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For those who have seen it, David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune is always a conversation-starter. Based on Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name, the sci-fi flick starred Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides. It’s undoubtedly earned a place in pop culture history. A new book from Max Evry, A Masterpiece In Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History, will go behind the scenes “like never before” with an oral history detailing the film’s wild journey.

How much detail are we talking? Well, this Dune oral history is well over 500 pages. Evry conducted three dozen interviews with the film’s stars, creatives, and executives. He also spoke with David Lynch himself. They look back at the making of the ambitious movie and how things went right (and wrong). The book also examines its aftermath and pop culture legacy.

In a statement Evry said:

Dune has always been the black sheep of David Lynch’s filmography. After spending two years speaking to dozens of people involved in its making, hopefully readers of this book will come away thinking of Dune not only as a proper Lynch movie, but a worthy entry into the pantheon of sci-fi greats. They will also get hints of how it came to be so compromised, and how mind-blowing it could have been. In our modern era of cookie cutter blockbusters, Dune stands as a glorious oddity worthy of reconsideration.

A Masterpiece In Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History will arrive on shelves in the US on September 5, 2023. You can place a preorder now.

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No knock to any other big franchises, but Dune: Part One was easily one of the most gorgeous science-fiction films of the 21st century. And the visual splendor was captured in several behind-the-scenes photographs, many of which will soon be available to fans of Frank Herbert’s saga in a new book from Insight Editions. Coming this summer is Dune: Part One – The Photography, by Chiabella James. You can see a preview of several images from the book, as well as read the official synopsis, below.

From the cliffs of Norway to the deserts of Jordan, unit photographer Chiabella James was on set to capture every moment of Dune, director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated sci-fi epic based on Frank Herbert’s classic novel. Dune Part One: The Photography is curated from thousands of stills shot throughout the filming of Dune. This deluxe volume compiles the most compelling photos to form a remarkable visual journey that fully captures the unique spirit of the production.

Encompassing the epic vistas witnessed on location shoots, through to candid moments between Villeneuve and key cast members including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Jason Momoa, this book also features a foreword by executive producer Tanya Lapointe (The Art and Soul of Dune), a preface by Ferguson, and an afterword by Brian Herbert.

Click To View Gallery

Dune: Part Two hits theaters everywhere around the world later this year on November 3. This book is the perfect way to immerse yourself ahead of time into the world of Arrakis once more. Not only does this book offer you a detailed look at director Denis Villeneuve’s epic world-building, but it also offers candid photos of the cast and crew just trying to relax in the desert heat. Dune: Part One – The Photography by Chiabella James arrives on July 25. You can pre-order the book now.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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It seems old franchises are continuing to get new life. The Scream universe is back and thriving, a Gremlins animated series is coming soon, and now it seems we are getting more Twilight. Yes, you read that right. A Twilight TV series is in the works via Lionsgate Television. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Twilight TV series is in the very, very early stages of development with no network/streaming service attached. Per the publication, writer Sinead Daly will pen the script.

Sources say that Twilight author Stephanie Meyer could be working behind the scenes for this show. And honestly, it is not a bad idea to have a Twilight TV series at all. There are certainly a plethora of stories that could be told in that universe outside of the dramz we got with Bella, Edward, and Jacob over the course of the Twilight film franchise. Of course, we may just see a retelling of the main trio’s story. What will Renesmee look like this go-around? Only time will tell. But whatever the Twilight TV series has in store for us, we are certainly keeping our eyes open for more information. Hold on tight, Spider Monkey. We’re in for another wild ride.

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Oftentimes, the “black sheep” of a family is not someone who has caused their relatives any harm. Instead, the “black sheep” is someone who acts and thinks outside of their family’s rigid social norms. They reject confines and dare to be their authentic selves, even if that means alienating themselves from their family structure. It takes a lot of courage to be the black sheep… especially if your family is hiding a possibly nefarious secret that will make you question everything you thought you knew. That’s what author Rachel Harrison will explore in Black Sheep, her fiery and highly anticipated horror novel. And, we are proud to reveal the sinister cover for Black Sheep. 

The tagline for this book is simple: There’s one in every family. Because, well, that is true. But this book’s titular outcast will go on quite the frightening journey. Check out this intriguing Black Sheep synopsis: 

Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly…something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep.

Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.

When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.

Me promoting my book for the next six months: pic.twitter.com/s3MbrBQzlm

— Rachel Harrison (@rachfacelogic) March 20, 2023

Rachel Harrison’s subversive and feminist horror lens shines in her previous offerings, including Such Sharp Teeth, Cackle, and The Return, the latter of which got a Bram Stoker Award nomination for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. So, we expect that same energy to permeate in Black Sheep, especially with that striking cover art. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long for its arrival.

Black Sheep will hit shelves in the US on September 19 and is already available for preorder.

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In addition to being a talented wordsmith, Tolkien also created many incredible works of art for his writings. Over the years, we’ve seen more of these pieces released in many ways. And that includes in new editions of The Lord of the Rings books. And now, it’s The Hobbit‘s turn. Releasing this fall is a brand-new version of this Tolkien text. And this edition of The Hobbit comes complete with “over 50 sketches, drawings, paintings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien, himself.” Not to mention, the complete text comes printed in two colors. Here’s what we know about this new The Hobbit illustrated edition.

The description for this new edition of The Hobbit shares more about what we can expect from the tome:

Tolkien’s own selection of finished paintings and drawings have become inseparable from his text, adorning editions of The Hobbit for more than 85 years. But the published art has afforded only a glimpse of Tolkien’s creative process, and many additional sketches, colored drawings and maps – although exhibited and published elsewhere – have never appeared within the pages of The Hobbit.

In this unique enhanced edition of Tolkien’s enchanting classic tale, the full panoply of his art is reproduced for the first time, presenting more than 50 illustrations to accompany Bilbo Baggins on his adventure ‘there and back again.’

A release further shares:

The tale of the little hobbit on a big adventure was first read by the professor to his children as part of their winter “reads,” using his “home manuscript” of the story. Imagine hearing the tale told to you by its author, spun from golden yarn as he wove the adventure for you thread by thread? Christopher Tolkien recalls that special time in his foreword included in this new illustrated edition of The Hobbit, and leading Tolkien scholars Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull add that, in this “home manuscript”, Tolkien would have been free to illustrate his story using any medium he wanted to: colored pencil, chalk, crayon, ink and washes, a far cry from the restrictions imposed by the publisher on the illustrations printed in the published book.

‘Now, in this new edition, readers will at last be able to enjoy the full panoply of J.R.R. Tolkien’s paintings, drawings, maps and designs that richly capture the enchanted world of Bilbo Baggins.’

We’ve likely seen some of this Tolkien artwork before. But there’s nothing like seeing illustrations in-situ with the text they imagine. Although both pieces delight fans separately, they work best together. The illustrated version of The Lord of the Rings has indeed become immensely popular. And we’re sure the same will absolutely prove true with this enhanced edition of The Hobbit once it publishes. The new edition of The Hobbit releases on September 19, 2023. You can pre-order it now.

Originally published March 22, 2023.

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When Marjan learns that her father was secretly a veterinarian to magical creatures before his death, she has a lot to unravel. Kiyash Monsef’s Once There Was explores what happens when Marjan uncovers this truth. It’s a story of the unexpected, of discovery, and yes, of magic. Marjan must follow in her footsteps to help creatures in distress and learn who killed her father. Nerdist has an exclusive excerpt from Once There Was, featuring the first time Marjan learns about her father’s unusual vet business. This is one fantasy book we cannot wait to read.

I convinced Dr. Paulson to lend me her tech for a few minutes to watch the lobby. Then I led the woman back to my dad’s office and shut the door behind us.

The office wasn’t really designed for meetings. The walls were too tight, and the desk was too big. You could fit two people comfortably enough, if one of them sat on the floor, which has what I usually did when my dad was alive. But this wasn’t that kind of meeting, and so we both bumbled around the desk, shuffling the chairs so that we could sit, see each other, and not be too cramped against a wall or a bookshelf. I had the odd feeling that my dad was somehow standing between us, shouldering this way and that, making things even harder. But of course, that was impossible.

Finally, we figured out how to both sit without bumping knees. The woman placed one hand on the table, palm up, and smiled at me.

“Can I see your hand?” she said.

I don’t know what I thought she wanted my hand for, but the confidence with which she asked for it was enough for me to place it on top of hers, palm up. Before I could say anything, she had jabbed a needle into the tip of my index finger, and squeezed up a tiny red pearl of blood.

“Ow!” I said. “What the hell?”

It wasn’t until I tried to pull my hand back that I noticed how tight her grip had become.

“Just a minute,” she said calmly. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”

She dabbed up the blood with a thin strip of paper, which she then set on the table between us. As I watched the blood spread up the paper, she let my hand go.

“Have you ever heard of the Hyrcanian Line?” she asked.

“Um, have you ever heard of asking before you stick someone with a sharp object? What was that?”

“A sterile needle,” she said. “Promise.”

She picked up the test strip and held it to the light. It was hard to say for sure, but it seemed like some kind of pattern was emerging in the places where my blood had bloomed. The woman smiled to herself, a smile of relief and satisfaction.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “It won’t happen again. Now, the Hyrcanian Line: have you heard of it?”

I had not heard of the Hyrcanian Line.

“I’m going to assume, then, that you don’t know anything at all,” said the woman, “and that what I’m going to tell you will come as a surprise.”

She opened her bag and took out a brown envelope, then slid it across the desk to me.

“I need you to go to England,” she said. “Tonight.”

“Excuse me?” I said.

“Everything’s paid for,” she continued. “It’s all there. The only ticket available was first-class. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“Are you joking?” She didn’t look like she was joking. “Who are you? What’s the Hyrcanian Line?”

She ignored my questions. “A man named Simon Stoddard will pick you up at the airport and take you to an estate in the Midlands. Does this make sense so far?”

“Sure,” I said. “I fly to the other side of the world, where some guy I don’t know takes me somewhere I’ve never heard of. Then what happens?”

“Then you’ll meet a griffon,” she said. “It’s sick. You’ll help it.”

“A griffon,” I said. “You mean, like a dog? A Brussels griffon? You know I’m not a vet, right? You know I’m fifteen.”

“I know,” she said. “And no, nothing like a dog.”

I kept checking her face for signs that this was some kind of elaborate prank, but all she gave me was a half-hidden smile that seemed like it had been baked into her face. Finally, I took the envelope and opened it. Inside was an airplane ticket — first-class, as promised –and a stack of candy-colored English currency. All of it looked very real.

“A griffon,” I said again. “What am I supposed to do with a griffon?”

“Meet it, examine it, make a recommendation,” she said. “That’s all. And then you’ll come back.”

“A recommendation?”

“You’ll understand,” she said.

“Who are you?” I said. “What is this?”

She took off her glasses, folded them, and set them on the desk.

“This,” she said, “is the work.”

“Why should I believe you?” I said. “Why should I believe any of this?”

“Because if you trust me, maybe I can help you find out who killed your dad.”

Her face, playful a moment before, became suddenly serious.

“I don’t know who it was,” she said, in answer to the question my face must have been asking. “But I’d like to know. I’d like to help. We’d like to help.”

“Who’s we?”

She sat forward, resting her hands on the table. “Did he ever mention Ithaca?”

“Ithaca?”

“I know this is a hard time. And I know you have questions. Right now, it’s better this way. We can talk more when you get back.”

“Who says I’m going? I have the clinic. I have school.”

“Of course you do,” she said. She stood up to go, a movement that would have been dramatic if not for the tight quarters. She nodded at the envelope, its contents fanned out on the desk in front of me. “Well, hang onto all that, in case you change your mind.”

Then she turned and walked out the door.

Technically I did have the clinic. But I was pretty sure we would be out of business within months. When I looked at the numbers, I couldn’t for the life of me see how they had ever worked. Even Dominic, who had managed the office with unwavering confidence for the last two years, was starting to remind me of an old shelter dog who’d given up all hope of ever being adopted.

And school, well. I hadn’t been there since Dad died. I wasn’t really looking forward to going back. I didn’t need my whole class looking at me and trying to figure out what to say.

Still, I collected the things the woman had left behind and put them back into the envelope. It was easier to be reasonable with myself when I wasn’t looking at a stack of money and a first-class ticket to somewhere else. I stood up and walked back out to the lobby.

There was a picture of my dad on the wall. Dr. Paulson had put it up after he died, after checking with me that it was okay. It was the same picture that he’d used for everything—the website, all the brochures that the medicine companies printed for us for free. I’d seen it a million times. He was wearing his white jacket, with a light blue button-down shirt underneath.

His face was long and thin and the color of chestnut. He had a serious expression, like someone in a picture from a hundred years ago who’s never had their picture taken before. Eyebrows clenched together, mouth tight, thick black hair swept away from his face, his dark glaring eyes softened by long, delicate lashes. Jamsheed Dastani—a man of education and wisdom, a man of compassion, a man you’d trust with your pet.

It was a convincing illusion. If you really looked, though, the eyes broke it. They were heavy and haunted, the eyes of a lost soul. The picture’s secret—the one you’d only figure out if you studied it a million times, like I had—was that he wasn’t really looking at the camera. His face was tilted the right way, and the eyeline was close enough to fool almost anyone. But his gaze was really fixed on something far away and sad, just like it had been when he was alive.

I looked at the picture then. It was demanding my attention, like it had just cleared its throat, like it had something to say. But it didn’t say anything. My dad’s eyes gazed out of the frame, looked past me toward things in the distance, things he never talked about.

It would, of course, be incredibly reckless to get on an international flight, bound for a mysterious destination, to administer care I was unqualified to give to a creature that didn’t exist. No thinking person would ever do something so dangerously stupid.

I looked at my dad’s picture until I couldn’t stand it any longer. This was his fault. All of it. This clinic, this waste of time and money that was now legally my responsibility: his fault.

This strange woman and her unreasonable requests: his fault.

The fact that I was even considering them: his fault.

Someone had murdered him one afternoon, in his own home: his fault.

I walked back to Exam One, where Dr. Paulson was just finishing with her patient. I knocked gently on the door, then opened it a crack.

“Something wrong?” asked Dr. Paulson.

I’d always liked Dr. Paulson. She was blunt, but in a way that felt compassionate. Our resident avian specialist, she loved all animals, but birds in particular. She had a pair of lovebirds named Tristan and Iseult, and an African gray named Hemingway that recited T. S. Eliot and Emily Dickinson with manic glee whenever she brought him into the office. She kept a copy of The Sibley Guide to Birds on her desk, and two framed prints from Audubon’s Birds of North America hung on her wall. She even reminded me a bit of a bird sometimes—something still and patient and precise, a heron maybe. She was tall and slender and serious, but it wasn’t that. It was the stillness—the way certain kinds of hunting birds can freeze and become part of the landscape. That’s how she seemed to me in that moment.

Poised and alert, scanning for information.

“I think I’m going to go home, Dr. P,” I said.

That was it—I would go home and think about things in a rational way, and having done that, I’d see that getting on a plane to England with no idea who or what awaited me there was reckless and irresponsible.

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” said Dr. P. “Everything okay?”

“Yep,” I lied. “All good. I think I just need to rest a bit.”

And stop thinking delirious thoughts about flying halfway across the world.

“You have to take care of yourself,” said Dr. Paulson.

“Oh, and I might take a couple days off.”

Wait, what? Had I just said that?

“Of course,” she said. “Whatever you need to do.”

“Thanks, Dr. P,” I said.

I must have been making a weird face. It felt like too much work to be a normal face.

“Marjan?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I said. “I’m fine.” I don’t think I sounded fine.

“If you ever want to talk,” she said, “I’m here.”

She looked like she wanted to talk, which made me want to talk even less. The last thing I needed to hear was how someone else was handling the death of my father.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m good.”

Before she could say another word, I drew back out of the room and shut the door behind me. I stopped one last time in front of the picture of my dad, and tried to stand so that he was actually looking me in the eye. But everywhere I tilted and cocked my head, he was still looking past me.

“If I die,” I said to the picture, “it’s your fault.”

Excerpt from Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef Text copyright © 2023. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Once There Was arrives on shelves on April 4. You can pre-order a copy now.

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Netflix’s Shadow and Bone has taken on the unenviable task of combining two different book series set in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. Characters and plots from Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology blend together in the Netflix adaptation. While it’s been exciting to see characters who would have never interacted on the page have adventures together on the screen, it’s a lot to pack into a single series. Happily, series showrunner Eric Heisserer has told Entertainment Weekly he’s been developing a Six of Crows spinoff.

A Six of Crows spinoff would put the spotlight on the Crows of Ketterdam. We love those messy, crafty Crows, so we couldn’t be more happy about this news. Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and everyone else have shone in Shadow and Bone. Imagine a whole series focused on their world. As the Shadow and Bone series is mostly focused on Alina Starkov’s story, a Six of Crows spinoff would pull directly from that duology. That means we’d get the Ice Court heist and the jurda parem plot.

Heisserer told EW some of the spinoff would take place during Shadow and Bone‘s season two finale (season two dropped on Netflix on March 16) and that they have scripts ready for a full season. He said:

One of the reasons, not all of them, that I got the privilege of working with Daegan Fryklind as co-showrunner in season 2 is that I was busy with the writers’ room for Six of Crows. We are ready to launch that as its own story. The eight-episode scripts are phenomenal and I’m really proud of my team for those.

The Six of Crows spinoff is still in early stages. Netflix hasn’t greenlit anything. But we know we have a phenomenal cast in place as the Crows. The world is already set up. We hope all of the characters get space for their stories. Then maybe we can talk about the King of Scars duology spinoff.

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Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio is a story that seems to endlessly inspire creators. Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion adaptation of the tale just won an Oscar. But today, we have a peek inside Pinocchio as you’ve never seen it before. Beehive Books is releasing an illustrated and annotated edition of Collodi’s Pinocchio with some showstopping talent. Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart, and Lemony Snicket are joining forces for Pinocchio: The Illuminated Edition, launching on Kickstarter today. Nerdist has an exclusive look at two pieces of Mignola’s striking, unique illustrations for the book.

This hardcover edition features a stack of Mignola’s work. The Hellboy creator’s style gorgeously fits the tale of Pinocchio. Mignola and Stewart accentuate all of the story’s wildest and weirdest aspects. Pinocchio: The Illuminated Edition also includes more than 100 full text annotations from Snicket. Snicket shared with Nerdist, “All great literature is strange. To read weird things is to be reminded that a desire for normalcy is merely a desperate coping mechanism for the inherent bewilderment of being alive. The theme that the universe is a parade of cruelty occasionally punctuated by startling bouts of kindness or peace which proceed utterly independently from one’s own behavior is a theme which is either regularly and deeply resonating with me or I have had too much tea.”

Now, let’s take a look at a couple of Mignola’s Pinocchio illustrations. First, the Fairy with Azure Hair:

Mignola told Nerdist, “My favorite character to illustrate was the Fairy with the Azure Hair. Coming up with my own look for her was a challenge but I really like what I ended up with. And, of course, that giant with seaweed hair. I could have drawn him all day long.”

We also have a peek at one of his spot illustrations.

Mignola said, “I didn’t go through a lot of sketches to get the look of the characters for the Beehive Books’ Illuminated Edition, but I did spend months thinking about them before I tried drawing them.”

We look forward to seeing all of these illustrations in the finished book! You can preorder your copy of Pinocchio: The Illuminated Edition by supporting the project on Kickstarter.

The post Get an Exclusive Look at Mike Mignola’s Art from PINOCCHIO: THE ILLUMINATED EDITION appeared first on Nerdist.

Season two of Shadow and Bone is almost here. Alina Starkov is set on bringing down the Shadow Fold and stopping the absolutely not-dead General Kirigan. She discovered her ability as the Sun Summoner in season one of the show, based on the book series of the same name by Leigh Bardugo. The end of Shadow and Bone‘s first season saw Alina gain an amplifier, in the form of the stag’s antlers, that increased her power. And now, Alina needs more amplifiers to strengthen her power enough to take on Kirigan and his new army of shadow monsters. In Shadow and Bone, Alina searches for three specific amplifiers known as Morozova’s amplifiers which take the form of mystical creatures.

If you’re wondering what exactly amplifiers do, though, and why they’re so important to Alina, we have answers for you without spoiling precisely what happens with the amplifiers in the Shadow and Bone TV series or books.

What Are Shadow and Bone’s Amplifiers and What Do They Do?

In short, Shadow and Bone‘s amplifiers increase a Grisha’s power. Whatever the Grisha’s order or particular abilities are, an amplifier bolsters it. Amplifiers are animals, humans, or any remains of such beings. Known amplifiers in the Grishaverse have included shark teeth and a bear skin. Sometimes amplifiers are living beings, as is the case with Morozova’s amplifiers—the very ones Alina is trying to collect.

Grisha usually only possess one amplifier, if they have any at all. For one thing, it’s not easy to come by an amplifier. Also, using more than one amplifier is impossible for most Grisha. It throws too much out of balance. Grisha use amplifiers simply by wearing them on their person and using their abilities as usual.

Morozova’s Amplifiers

Ilya Morozova was one of the early Grisha and was considered a saint, or Sankt. Focused on creating amplifiers, the Fabrikator made three living amplifiers in the form of mythical creatures. Many in Ravka believe Morozova’s work to be mere myth. In fact, stories about Morozova’s amplifiers appeared in Istorii Sankt’ya (The Lives of Saints), a children’s book of tales about Ravka’s thirteen saints (it’s a book within the Shadow and Bone series, but also exists as a book on its own).

However, Alina and Mal found proof of Morozova’s amplifiers when they found the stag. To make the amplifiers, Morozova used pieces of his own bones. The very act—creating something from nothing—was forbidden. This unnatural origin made the amplifiers powerful but also volatile, especially if a Grisha tries to use all three of Morozova’s amplifiers at once.

The Stag Amplifier

Alina and Mal found the stag at the end of season one. The few Ravkans who believed in the myth searched for the stag and its herd for ages. Whoever killed the stag, or any of the living amplifiers in Shadow and Bone, gained the strength from its amplifier powers. Alina decided not to kill it, realizing she could claim the stag’s power without ending its life. However, General Kirigan killed the stag and had one of his Grisha turn the stag’s antlers into a permanent collar for Alina. The collar connected Kirigan to Alina, and he tried to use her Sun Summoner powers against her.

The Sea Whip Amplifier

Season two will see Alina and Mal trying to locate the mythical Sea Whip and Firebird, Morozova’s other two amplifiers. The sea whip is a sea-dwelling dragon. The legendary beast was found in the pages of stories. Bardugo’s books describe the sea whip as “a shimmering, undulating white shape.”

The Firebird Amplifier

The mythical firebird appears prominently in Ravkan folklore. With wings of flames, diamond tears, and healing feathers, legends held the firebird in awe. The books describe the firebird as having a large, powerful beak, sharp talons, and wings with flames along the edges. Like all of Morozova’s amplifiers, the firebird is white.

Shadow and Bone season two premieres on Netflix on March 16.

The post What Are SHADOW AND BONE’s Amplifiers? The Three Objects and Their Powers, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Author Shannon Messenger recently shared some excellent news for fans of her Keepers of the Lost Cities series. The sprawling fantasy series is making the jump to the sequential page. Your favorite characters are coming to Keeper of the Lost Cities The Graphic Novel Part 1. Yes, you read that right: a Keeper of the Lost Cities graphic novel. And since we all know the story is epic, the graphic novel adaptation will be split into two parts. Hold onto your hats, Fitzphie fans, because we have the exclusive cover reveal for Part 1.

That beautiful depiction of Sophie and Fitz is by Gabriella Chianello. She illustrates the graphic novel, while Celina Frenn adapts the story from Messenger’s books. Messenger has described the Lost Cities in extraordinary detail throughout her prose. It’s all too easy to imagine those descriptions making their way to the page in Chianello’s art. Just imagine seeing all the characters and places you love illustrated for the first time!

And if you’re not familiar with Keeper of the Lost Cities, this will be a wonderful entry point. The series follows 12-year-old Sophie Foster as she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth. Sophie has to leave everything she knows behind to find out who she really is.

The first novel in the series sets the exciting tone for the rest of the books. Messenger unravels more and more mysteries as the epic story continues. So far, the Keeper books have nine installments (the most recent one was Stellarlune).

We can’t wait to see more art from the Keeper of the Lost Cities graphic novel. I’m looking forward to experiencing the story in a whole new way.

Keeper of the Lost Cities The Graphic Novel Part 1 arrives on shelves in the US on November 7, 2023. You can place a preorder now.

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The gods never rest, do they? Neither does author Rick Riordan. The beloved author announced last year that he would return to the world of the Olympians with a new Percy Jackson book. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods is coming in 2023. Riordan will reunite Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood once again for another quest. It’s been 14 years after the fifth book in the Percy Jackson series, The Last Olympian and well timed with Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians on the horizon.

Riordan talked with Publishers Weekly about the return to the world of the Olympians. He said this sixth installment started as a way to get Hollywood studios support the TV adaptation. He told Publishers Weekly:

What if I sweetened the deal by giving the readers something they’ve been wanting for the last decade, a classic Percy Jackson novel from his point of view, featuring Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, just like the original five books? It would be the first time since The Last Olympian in 2009 that we had an honest-to-goodness Percy Jackson novel.

To be back in Percy’s head again navigating the complex, and often lethal, world of the gods? What a gift. Riordan’s a king at bringing Greek mythology into these stories in compelling and inventive ways. It sounds like that tradition will continue. The Chalice of the Gods will see Percy and his friends help Zeus’ cupbearer Ganymede find the missing Chalice. It’s an artifact that can grant immortality. Riordan teases new gods and monsters. And my favorite part is it’s not a save the world adventure. Riordan described it as, “a day in the life of a demigod.”

Percy’s 17, nearly 18, in this book and looking towards college. Riordan doesn’t rule out additional installments in the series, so keep those fingers crossed.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods arrives September 26, 2023.

Originally published on October 19, 2022.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will arrive in theaters on March 31. However, you don’t have to wait until then to learn more about the movie’s adventurers. Prequel novels for Honor Among Thieves will get you ready for the movie before you sit down to watch it. The Road to Neverwinter by Jaleigh Johnson focuses on Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine plays him in the movie). Nerdist has an exclusive excerpt from the D&D prequel novel, and guess what? Edgin has a daughter—a daughter who works alongside him on heists. It’s a solid family business.

Before you meet Kira in the below excerpt, here’s the synopsis for The Road to Neverwinter:

Edgin Darvis’ life is a mess. All that he has left are his lute, his dashing good looks, and…not much else. After a chance encounter with badass bruiser Holga, Edgin is forced to take a hard look at his bad choices. But the road to redemption is long, and paved with unforeseen expenses. Fortunately, the world is full of rich fools begging to be parted from their money.
 
And so Edgin and Holga do what any sensible entrepreneurs would do—they form a crew.
 
Joined by a charming rogue, Forge Fitzwilliam, and Simon, a sorcerer with an intense inferiority complex, the team sets out to line their pockets with both well-earned and ill-gotten gold. Together, Edgin’s crew battles monsters across the realms: gnoll raiders, fey witches, and more fall beneath their sharp weapons and sharper wit. But when they encounter a new, more sophisticated villain, keen blades and piercing blue eyes may not be enough.
 
Their target? Torlinn Shrake, a wealthy eccentric known for abusing his servants and hosting lavish parties.
 
The plan? Play dress-up, sneak into the Shrake estate, and fill their pockets with as much loot as they can carry.
 
The catch? Shrake is hiding a terrible secret: one that could endanger the lives of everyone Edgin has come to care for—even if the loot is too good to pass up.

“We’ll all be murdered by the faceless dead!”

It was definitely a challenge to pick a lock while the lord and lady of the house were screaming their heads off downstairs, but Edgin was a professional.

“Set the scene for me, Holga,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “What’s Kira doing?”

Standing watch at the door to Lord Bantakent’s study, Holga was shaking her head in pure admiration. “Told you that invisibility pendant would pay off, Ed. She’s a master.”

The lock clicked open. Edgin threw back the lid of the chest and buried his hands in a pile of gold and gems. Sweet victory. He scooped the loot into a bag and tossed it over his shoulder before joining Holga at the door.

Downstairs, the Lord and Lady Bantakent, one of the most un­scrupulous merchant power couples in the city of Neverwinter, were huddled together in their nightclothes in the center of their grand foyer, while a pair of what looked like priceless vases floated around their heads. The rest of the room was a shambles. All the paintings had been turned upside down or pulled off the walls, tables and chairs were knocked over, and through it all, a high-pitched, disem­bodied voice intoned, “Yooooouuuu shall join me in the emptiness of the beyoooooond!”

“She improvised that line,” Edgin said, nudging Holga.

The servants had all fled as soon as Kira started throwing plates and dinnerware against the dining room walls and howling in a voice of ghostly despair. Lord and Lady Bantakent had retreated to the foyer, where an invisible Kira had cornered them to continue the haunting while Edgin and Holga cleaned out the upstairs.

“Miffles!” Lady Bantakent wailed. “No, not my baby!”

“Oh, that’s a nice touch,” Edgin said, “using the dog.”

He watched Lord and Lady Bantakent quail before the sight of Miffles the terrier sailing through the air, dipping up and down, his pink tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, to all appearances hav­ing the time of his doggy life.

“Time to go,” Holga said, pulling Edgin toward the half-open window and the rope they’d left hanging there.

The three of them met up at the rendezvous point in an alley a few streets away, Kira appearing in front of Edgin with a huge grin on her face. “Did you see me, Dad? Did you see?”

“Fantastic job, kid,” Edgin said. “That was a one-in-a-million haunting.”

“Profitable too,” Holga said.

It was well after midnight by the time they got back to the cot­tage.

“It’s time to admit the truth,” Edgin said with a sigh as he, Holga, and Kira sorted the loot at the kitchen table. “I’m a damn good thief.”

Holga snorted. “Ought to be, after nine years of practice.”

“Well, I’ve always known it, of course, but I’m a humble man,” Edgin said.

Kira laughed as she sorted the coins from the small pile of gems. Edgin did a double take every time he looked at her these days. She’d grown from a squalling newborn to a nightmare of a toddler and was now all skinned knees, skinny arms, and dark curly hair at nine years old. The change from baby to person had seemed to hap­pen in an eyeblink.

Of course, as soon as she was old enough to understand what they did for a living, Kira had insisted on joining him and Holga on their heists. Edgin had been unsure at first, but she’d quickly become invaluable. The rest of the time . . .

Edgin had hoped that when she was able to walk, dress herself, and take care of the basics of being a person, to speak and tell him exactly what she needed, things would get easier when it came to raising Kira.

Oh, what a sweet, innocent, naïve man he’d been.

Being able to walk meant that she could run. With sharp objects. Toward horses or deep bodies of water.

Being able to speak meant that she had opinions. Suggestions about when her bedtime should be, or critiques of his cooking.

After nine years, he still had no idea what he was doing.

Reprinted from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Road to Neverwinter by Jaleigh Johnson. © 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC. © 2023 Paramount Pictures Corporation. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Road to Neverwinter hits shelves on February 28, about a month before the film. You can place a pre-order now.

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The last time we saw the Darkling, a.k.a. General Kirigan, he was in the Shadow Fold and definitely not dead. Alina Starkov didn’t know that, though. But she’s about to find out. The first trailer for Shadow and Bone season two shows that the Darkling is back. He’s ready to terrorize Ravka and he’s not alone. He’s created an army of shadow monsters. His powerful rise means Alina has to strengthen her relatively new powers. She’ll need all the help she can get to defeat him and tear down the Shadow Fold. She has allies at her back, but the Shadow and Bone season two trailer shows it will be anything but easy.

To increase her power, Alina must acquire more amplifiers. Baghra mentions them in the trailer, and we see Alina point them out in a book. Alina ended up with Morozova’s collar at the end of season one. She must find the Sea Whip’s Fetter and the Firebird to match the Darkling. But what will it cost?

The Shadow and Bone season two synopsis spells out danger:

Alina Starkov is on the run. A beacon of hope to some and a suspected traitor to others, she’s determined to bring down the Shadow Fold and save Ravka from ruin. But General Kirigan has returned to finish what he started. Backed by a terrifying new army of seemingly indestructible shadow monsters and fearsome new Grisha recruits, Kirigan is more dangerous than ever. To stand a fighting chance against him, Alina and Mal rally their own powerful new allies and begin a continent-spanning journey to find two mythical creatures that will amplify her powers. Back in Ketterdam, the Crows must forge new alliances as they contend with old rivals and even older grudges that threaten not only their place in the Barrel, but their very lives. When a chance at a deadly heist comes their way, the Crows will once again find themselves on a collision course with the legendary Sun Summoner. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, SHADOW AND BONE returns for a second season of new friendships, new romance, bigger battles, epic adventures — and a shocking family secret that could shatter everything.

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The story of the Crows continues to cross paths with Alina and Mal’s in Shadow and Bone season two. Netflix is melding the worlds of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows together in fresh ways. And since showrunner Eric Heisserer has said they’re not bringing the Ice Court job from the Six of Crows duology into the Netflix series just yet, but we wonder if the heist will be connected to an amplifier.

Shadow and Bone season two arrives on Netflix on March 16.

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In 2019, the groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror gave us a vital education. Based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s 2011 scholarly text Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present, it resonated deeply with Black horror fans, teaching us something new about a genre that we all have a complex relationship with. For those of us who have been into horror for a while, our resources prior to Horror Noire included sites Mark H. Harris’ Blackhorrormovies.com, a digital Rolodex of films by and about us. It has the perfect blend of humor, information, and analysis about horror’s Black flicks over several decades.

Now, Dr. Coleman and Mr. Harris have joined their brilliant minds together to bring us The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar, a brilliant exploration of Black horror to add to your collection. (Let’s call it The Black Guy Dies First for brevity’s sake.) Nerdist caught up with the authors to discuss the book, their gateway into horror, and hopes for the genre’s future. 

Nerdist: What drew you into the world of horror?

Mark H. Harris: Well, I’ve kind of always been interested in the darker side of storytelling. One of the earliest horror movies I remember watching was Night of the Living Dead. And I was fascinated by the fact that the main character was a Black guy. And it was a black and white movie, which to me seemed ancient. So the fact that the lead character was this Black guy who was bossing white people around and slapping them and stuff, and he was the hero of the story was really fascinating. Then, on top of it, he ended up dying at the end.

It really struck me as a child… I think it was probably 12 or so when I watched it [for the first time]. It reflected the realities of life. Not everything has a happy ending. And you can tell a story that’s a great story and not have the people walk into the sunset and everything be great. That’s kind of what horror does. It looks at the darker side of life and how things don’t always have happy endings. And it just really resonated with me. So that sent me down the horror spiral, I think.

Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman: Romero is going to loom large in this first response. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My family is still there. And that’s obviously where Night of the Living Dead and the Dead films were filmed in or around. So there was this sort of omnipresence of Romero growing up. He was at Carnegie Mellon University and I was even a student at CMU. At one point, it sort of felt like, “Oh, I’m walking in the footsteps of George Romero.” …There’s something about Night of the Living Dead.

And I will have to admit that much later than most [people], I didn’t quite understand it as a proper horror movie because I was so focused on the character Ben, portrayed by Duane Jones, and what was happening there. I didn’t have that language at the time, but it felt very ethnographic. Night of the Living Dead has real Pittsburghers in it that other people may not know, but we recognized them. And so it sort of hit different for Pittsburghers. That [film] was probably my introduction to social justice questions. Understanding that there were narratives about anti racism that we should be engaging with. So that is how I got into it. 

That explains why this film is such a cornerstone in your work! It was truly revolutionary at the time. 

Coleman: Yes… Ben represented something else that was so powerful. Now, horror has been with me for so long. And there’s a blurring of genres for me, because we talk a lot about horror. And sometimes people are so serious about the horror genre. Horror is super funny. And I write a lot about comedy and I laugh until my cheeks hurt sometimes with these horror films. And so in that way, because I don’t fully immerse myself in the super gross out horror, it’s easy for it to be in my life because it’s super entertaining.

Absolutely. When it comes to The Black Guy Dies First, it feels like a continuation of what we saw in the Horror Noire books and documentary, both of which are vital additions to Black horror history. How do you think this book expands on that previous work and adds something new to the conversation?

Harris: I think it serves as a good companion piece to Horror Noire. It’s designed to be a little less academic [than the book] and have more popular appeal. It has more humor and little lists and sidebars and stuff but it doesn’t touch on a lot of the same topics… We’re taking more of an entertaining kind of aspect to kind of draw people in before we drop the big message.

I love the marriage of humor and knowledge. The Black Guy Dies First has a universal appeal in many ways, but some of the humor is absolutely for us. It’s so enjoyable and meant for only us to understand.  Robin, how do you think that it really expands on Horror Noire?

Coleman: Mark is absolutely right. And Mark has been so deeply involved, including the second edition of Horror Noire, which came out in November, more than 10 years after the first edition. So it was happening at the same time as The Black Guy Dies First and there was a lot of conversation. The first Horror Noire is very much a scholarly text. There’s a significant theoretical, undergirding there, there’s a different reliance on data, the audience and readership is different, even though I can’t get away from the accessible tone in my writing in some ways, which makes it a popular text to be adopted in the classroom.

But Horror Noire is very US based and though The Black Guy Dies First focuses a lot on US cinema, because that’s what we know, I would say that we’ve done a good job of also gesturing outside of US bounds. And you’re absolutely right, this is a FUBU book. It’s for us by us… But I also do think it’s clearly a love letter to the genre from two people who are big fans.

Yeah, and there’s so much encompassed in about 300 pages of content. How did you two partner together to tackle such an expansive project? 

Coleman: it really all starts with Mark’s Blackhorrormovies.com website. Mark is a horror scholar, super smart, and has a really nice writing style that is accessible. That is what the framework of The Black Guy Dies First is. And I relied heavily on his website as a resource to write the first edition of Horror Noire. There’s so many voices out there who will dissuade you from taking horror, particularly Black horror, seriously.

But Mark’s website isn’t just a laundry list of films. He’s got an encyclopedic knowledge and the way that he’s writing about the films on that site lets you know that he’s a brilliant scholar who understands the genre in front of and behind the screen… And then I totally turned into a fangirl and called him and said, “We got to do something,” and it was out of the blue… And it actually happened. So I’ve been in his life as a sort of writer-scholar for almost a decade. And I knew—he might have not known—but I knew that eventually we were going to partner on a project together because he is really a smart, gorgeous writer. And so I think that’s my definition of the process. I’m sticking to it. 

There are so many Black writers who looked to Blackhorrormovies.com for inspiration and guidance, myself included! 

Harris: Yeah. I think Robin definitely has the drive that I did not have. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be sitting on my sofa just writing for myself, basically. But I think she kind of pulled me into this world and made me realize that it is possible for us to write an actual book. Like, I never envisioned that I would write a book. Even on my website, I was just doing it for fun… I think it goes to show that you just write about what you like, you know, find your own little niche, and then things can happen for you. 

Coleman: There’s a lot more books in Mark and a lot of great ideas. So we’re not done hearing Mark’s incredible voice!

I certainly hope we get more! Let’s dig into a book just a bit. In chapter three, you get into horror that’s infused with social commentary and analysis. I love the line where you say “Black horror is our social syllabus.” I’d love to hear both of you expand on that statement. 

Harris: That was your line [Robin]. That was a good one. 

Coleman: I want to preface by saying that I’m not saying every horror movie needs to be a message movie, and it doesn’t need to always center either black trauma or struggle… I’m not saying that. But the pure existence of Black horror in some ways is an intervention on those systems and structures that confined Blackness in the first place, right? The horror genre often allows us to break out of that. What I find really interesting is that if it’s a US horror movie, most often you have to reflect on the trauma, not the torture porn trauma that people talk about with slavery, but the institution of racism in the US in the first place. It looms large in Black American stories.

And so Black horror often turns kind of pedagogical. That social syllabus is not only an examination of those structures, but it also offers solutions, which I love. And in horror, the solution isn’t always simple. In fact, the solution in horror is wholly uncivil in its approach. And so we learn a lot about the civil rights movement and civility and respectability, and how to show up. And Black horror was like, “I see you, respectability politics, and I’m going to throw that out, and I’m going to eviscerate you.” And these are the powerful, symbolic solutions to a country that hasn’t always loved us. 

All of this. Absolutely true. Mark, what are your thoughts? 

Harris: I think horror in general has always been kind of a metaphorical genre that will often have deeper meaning beneath the surface. The monsters might represent something else. [With] Dawn of the Dead, there were a lot of messages about consumerism, you know, and Rosemary’s Baby was talking about the role of women. So I think when you infuse race into it, like you said, it’s kind of part and parcel with American society, everything to do with America has race, we’ve woven into the fabric.

I think when you have race in horror, it will inevitably—even if it doesn’t mean to—have  some sort of social impact. Just the image, for instance, of a Black person being killed in a violent manner will trigger some people to say, “Oh, this is too close to home, too close to instances of police brutality.” So it’s always some sort of social inclination to imagery of Black horror, whether or not it’s really intended.

Yeah, for sure. And there’s also intersectionality within our identities, too. One of the things that you cover in the book towards the end was LGBTQ representation in horror. The pitfalls are disheartening, because I see horror as something that is very othered and outside the “norm.” So it is kind of inherently queer by definition. What do you think about the shifts in Black LGBTQ characters and do you think it will improve in our current landscape?

Harris: I think we’re at a crossroads right now with Black horror in general. It could go in a number of different ways. This whole resurgence of Black horror really kicked off in 2017 with Get Out, so we’re at the five or six year mark, where historically things can either fade out like the Blaxploitation era or the ‘90s urban movie era when Hollywood eventually found something else to pay attention to. Or [Hollywood] can find new voices to carry on…  We’re at a key moment right now where we need to have voices who are willing to support Black queer stories and have studios and distributors willing to give them a chance. 

It’s so important to see that representation in mainstream media. Yes, we do have lots of indie creatives who are making excellent and diverse content, but the mainstream still matters. Those films get big budgets and marketing and open doors for more stories. 

Coleman: I think you’re absolutely right. I’ve pointed to technology as the next frontier. People have better access to digital technologies, and they’re saying, “We’re not going to wait for Hollywood, we’re gonna make our own.” That’s incredible but diversity in sexualities and genders needs to be mainstream and accessible, they can’t sit in the indie realm. 

Right. Now that we are in this new and hopeful era, what do you want to see in Black horror? 

Harris: I just hope that we get more voices. Right now, Jordan, Peele is kind of the dominant voice, and he’s kind of the representation of all Black horror. And I think there are so many other voices out there that can be elevated as well. Other than him, there haven’t been too many regular Black directors, in the horror genre, that have gotten a lot of publicity and mainstream release… But, thanks to Jordan Peele, hopefully people realize that the genre can be taken seriously. It can win Oscars, if it’s nominated. And it can be artistic and break grounds… Hopefully, studios will stop looking for “the next Get Out” and have a broader vision about how Black stories can be told.

Coleman: I have to pick up Mark’s thread. I don’t think every Black horror film has to be pedagogical and our social syllabus. Rachel True said it best in the Horror Noire documentary: “Everybody lives or everybody dies.” And that encapsulates what I want from my Black horror. Sometimes I just want it to be horror. I want it to be entertaining, it doesn’t have to be deep social commentary. There are so many inventive stories that are rooted in Blackness that can be told, and I’m waiting for that. And it doesn’t all have to be Get Out. It doesn’t have to be powerful social commentary, elevated horror, all of that… Sometimes it can just be everybody dies.

The Black Guy Dies First is currently available for purchase.

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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air aired its final episode in 1996; however, it feels like the show never truly left us. It’s become an ubiquitous influence on pop culture, from Will Smith’s catchy theme song to endless memes and GIFs on social media everyday. We see consistent reruns on television and HBO Max gave us the gift of The Fresh Prince reunion special. We also have Bel-Air, the dramatic reimagining of the series that is encouraging a new generation of fans to check out its predecessor. And, of course, Will Smith is an entertainment legend yet he always shows love to the place where his acting career was born. Basically, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is iconic and worthy of being preserved and studied much like its white counterparts.

That’s where The Fresh Prince Project: How The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America comes in. (We will call it The Fresh Prince Project.) Written by sports journalist and author Chris Palmer, this book gives a comprehensive and entertaining account of the making and success of this classic show. From interviews to in-depth historical dives that coincide with The Fresh Prince’s DNA and inextricable tie into ‘90s Black culture, The Fresh Prince Project is truly a must-read for fans of the show. Nerdist chatted with Chris Palmer about his intense research process, relationship with the series, and favorite Fresh Prince moments. 

Nerdist: When did you become a Fresh Prince fan? And what impact has the show had on your life?

Chris Palmer: I’m pretty much one of the originals. I saw the first episode when it debuted in 1990. So that was when I first became a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan. But even before that, I was a fan of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. At the time, hip-hop was really starting to gain traction in the mainstream, and that was the only rap that we were allowed to listen to.

I remember my mom got me a DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince album. It was He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper, which had big hits. That was the first hip-hop I listened to. And so when the show came out, I was looking forward to it because there were no shows that had this sort of hip-hop vibe to it. It was all very fresh and very new at the time. So I’ve been there from the very beginning of the show. It ran for six seasons, from 1990 to 1996.

I was very young when the show was on, of course. But it had a big impact on me, just the vibe and how cool Will was. And I saw a little bit of myself in Carlton as well. But yeah, I was there from the very beginning.

I love that. It’s interesting that you saw a little bit of yourself in both Will and Carlton, because a lot of the book really focuses on their dynamic. Why do you think it was vital to do a deep analysis of their relationship?

Palmer: From a television storytelling standpoint, we had never seen that [type of dynamic] before. Because if you look at The Fresh Prince, it’s a classic fish-out-of-water show. You take one character, and you put him in an unusual environment. We’ve seen fish-out-of-water shows with Black characters, but they’re usually placed in a white environment. But [The Fresh Prince] was a unique fish-out-of-water show taking a Black kid and putting him with a Black family, but they were culturally and socioeconomically different. Will came from the hood and the Banks family lived in the richest neighborhood in America.

And so you could still have conflict and misunderstandings, but you could have the conflict of Blackness where you had two different types of Black folks who would interact with each other. So that was very new about the show.

Now, from a personal standpoint, when I watched the show, I saw a little bit of myself. I’m a biracial kid, so I saw a little bit of myself in Will because I was a little bit athletic, and I dressed similar to him. But I saw a lot of myself in Carlton, where I was really into books and reading and things of that nature. I was never quite either one of them, so I saw myself as sort of a mix of the two. And so that’s one of the reasons why I focused so much on their dynamic.

And their dynamic is what motors the show. It gives you a lot of the humor. “You’re not black enough.” “Well, you’re too this or too that.” And it also gives you an entryway into a lot of things like, what is Blackness? Carlton and Will both had their definition of Blackness, and they were both wrong because there is no one definition. Will saw it one way and Carlton saw it this way, and it took them the whole series to realize that they’re both right.

Right! They have my favorite dynamic on the show because they learned a lot from each other, but they also imprint on each other in different ways. I think through Will, Carlton was able to find his voice, stand up for himself in a different way, and was really able to see the world for what it was. Whereas with Will, he had this very, like you said, narrow idea of what Blackness was because he had only seen one facet of what it meant to be Black. And so he got a chance to expand his horizons. Even in Bel-Air, we are once again seeing the Will/Carlton story play out in today’s times. 

Palmer: Right. When you look at these two, Will is the cool guy. He’s a confident guy. He’s always got the best lines. He can talk to the ladies. He can do all this stuff. And Carlton comes off as very nerdy. But in reality, Carlton is way more confident than Will is. Will is pretending. He’s playing a character. Carlton is actually much more confident because he is comfortable in his own skin, while Will is a bit of a wayward sort who is still trying to figure out who he is. Carlton’s life has been laid out for him. He knows exactly who he wants to be, which gives him that sort of natural confidence. And Will, over the course of the series, starts to see that about Carlton. And then they come together, and they have each other’s back like no other.

It’s truly one of the best aspects of the series. And it’s honestly so cool that you’ve reached this peak level of fandom by writing an entire book! Why did you write The Fresh Prince Project and what do you hope fans take away from it?

Palmer: Everyone knows me from basketball and sports. I cover the NBA. It’s what I’m known for. But I’m super into pop culture, whether it’s TV, film, movies, fashion, music, anything. And I read a lot about it. I have tons of books on The Simpsons, books on The Wire, and all this stuff. And I thought to myself, since I love the show so much, I was like, “Well, I’d like to read a book on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” So I started looking for one, and I quickly found that one didn’t exist, so I wrote it.

That was the whole jumping-off point. I want people [who read it] to understand how groundbreaking it was because it was the first hip-hop show, the show with the hip-hop edge. That didn’t exist before. Now it’s normal for every rapper to be an actor. But that wasn’t the case back then. Will [Smith] was the first and he became incredibly good at it. 

Absolutely. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has been written about and analyzed a lot, but The Fresh Prince Project takes things a step further. You can tell this is a truly comprehensive project. So, I’d like for you to walk me through some of your research process and your overall timeline. 

Palmer: It always begins with the research. So I spent maybe six months to eight months… well, first of all, you’re researching the entire time, but you have your initial research block in the beginning. You’re studying. You’re learning because there’s going to be many things that you don’t know. There are going to be many people who populate this story, this world, that you’ve never heard of. And you have to find out who they are, and you have to learn everything about them and their impact on this whole landscape. So that takes a long time. You’re just doing everything. You’re searching everywhere, and you have these mounds of information.

Then, when you’re done with that… well, you’re never done, but you’re comfortable. Then you begin the interview process. So, you’re interviewing showrunners, writers, actors, stagehands, and people that didn’t work on the show but that were part of TV. Maybe somebody worked for a network. And for me, I’m a basketball guy. If I’m doing a basketball book on this guy, I can pick up the phone and call 75, 80 people easily, like that. But with The Fresh Prince Project, I didn’t know one single person that I talked to.

So I had to call everybody cold. I had to email them cold. I had to hit them up on social media cold. And I’m this strange guy saying, “Hey. Can you devote your time to me for free? Then I can do this book.” A lot of people were incredibly helpful and forthcoming. Some people were like, “No.” Some people never called me back. But I talked to a couple hundred people, just under that. 

Wow, that is a really daunting task. 

Palmer: For sure. You begin to compile all this stuff. And every time you talk to somebody, you’re learning something new that you now have to go and research deeper. So the research never really ends. Now you have to write. You’ve done all this for a year and a half, and now you start your writing process.

And for me, the writing process is the easiest part about it because I have all the research. I have everything. I know what my structure is… how I want to layer the chapters, kind of move back and forth in the timeline. 

It truly took a lot to get to this point! I know another part of your research process was going back to watch the entire series. There are some that stick in fans’ minds like “Papa’s Got a Brand-New Excuse,” but are there other more underrated episodes that feel important to the show’s DNA?

Palmer: There’s one episode that I really love and I wish I would’ve touched on it more. [It’s] when Will becomes a basketball star, and Carlton becomes jealous because now Phil is giving him all of the attention. And then to win back that attention, he tries to hit the game-winning shot, and he messes up, and he just sails wide-right. That’s one of my favorite ultimate underrated episodes. But now it lives on, because there’s a meme of Carlton missing the shot.

And I think one of my favorites, which I touched on in the book, is the finale, “I, Done” and that famous scene, which is also a meme, of Will standing in the living room by himself. He’s like, “Man, I’m going to miss this place.” Uncle Phil comes in and says, “You’re my son.” And if you go back into the first episode, [Uncle Phil] shuns him. When Aunt Viv says, “He’s family,” he says, “By marriage.” But now you go all the way to the very end, he was like, “You are my son.” That was really special, a powerful moment. If you just watch reruns here and there, you’ll never make that full connection from the first episode to that last really poignant moment. 

Will truly became one of the Banks kids. When you were rewatching some of those episodes for the first time in decades, what new revelations did you discover? 

Palmer: When I watched it as a kid, it was cool, and it was fun, and it was comedy, and that’s why I watched the show. And a lot of the themes went over my head, the themes of family and togetherness… I certainly didn’t understand the themes of Blackness back then, because when I was watching, I was very young… But now when I watch it, it’s what I see. They weaved in those themes but didn’t preach to you because it’s a comedy show first and foremost.

And I think it was written by a lot of really, really, really smart people, even though sometimes the early comedy is slapstick. It’s meant to be that way because it’s meant to make you laugh. But the themes behind it, the rhythm of the jokes and the back and forth, were done by a lot of very, very intelligent writers. You don’t notice it as a kid, but you now see it as an adult. It’s much deeper and layered, even before the more serious episodes.. That’s the legacy of the show, that those themes are still relevant. Even though it was this colorful, flamboyant, bouncy kind of show, the themes that they hit are still here today. You know what I’m sayin’? They’re still relevant.

Indeed. So, let’s wrap up with a little fun. Which episodes make you “gut laugh” whenever you see them? 

Palmer: That’s easy! It’s the one when Geoffrey goes to Will’s school, and he’s De La Ghetto. And he does the famous speech. “Cannons to the left of them! Cannons to the right!” …man, I cry every time I see it. And 72 Hours, when Will bets Carlton he can’t hang out and survive in the hood. Will and Jazz leave him there, and when they come back, Carlton pops up with the durag on. He’s like, “What’s up?! You dissin’ me?!” That kills every time. I love it.

That episode is hilarious! I love when Aunt Viv shows up and turns into everyone’s mama. And it’s truly that continuous nostalgia for those moments that prove why The Fresh Prince Project is vital. 

Palmer: It’s a very nostalgic show. And I’m a sucker for nostalgia. 

The Fresh Prince Project is currently available for purchase.

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Even though it’s been over 40 years, we can’t help but keep returning to the Overlook Hotel. Stephen King’s The Shining is one of the most beloved books and horror films of all time. Now there’s the ultimate gift for the aficionado in your life: a 2,198 page collector’s set that dives deep into the behind the scenes story of Kubrick’s classic 1980 film. It includes behind the scenes photos and tidbits collected from interviews with the cast and crew. The limited edition Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining by the late J.W. Rinzler, edited by Lee Unkrich is available for pre-order now for a cool $1,500. 

From the Taschen’s description of the two-volume tome:

Equally a study of the intricate mechanics of Kubrick’s genius as an in-depth look at the making of a visual masterpiece, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining gathers hundreds of hours of exclusive new interviews with the cast and crew in an unprecedented look at the 1980 cult classic. Slip in through the back door of The Overlook Hotel to witness Kubrick’s endless rounds of script rewrites, his revolutionary use of the Steadicam, the mechanics behind the infamous blood elevator, the mysterious mid-filming fire at Elstree Studios, and the countless takes needed to satisfy the meticulous force that was Kubrick.

While we know what happens to people who are all work and no play, it’s also easy to appreciate the dedication that went into this collector’s set. And just how much went in to making the film, with its alternate endings and other changes. While many have made movies based on Stephen King novels, Kubrick’s is certainly one of the finest.

Other Shining compendiums include a Kickstarted cultural history made to look like Jack’s manuscript from the film. The iconic horror film still clearly resonates with fans all these decades later. WandaVision made multiple references to it. The prop axe used on-screen by Jack Nicholson recently sold for $140,000. And then of course there’s the twins. The actresses who played them, Lisa and Louise Burns, even attended the book’s launch party. 

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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If you’ve visited the world of Elfhame through Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series, you probably wanted to go back immediately. It’s the kind of world that pulls you in. Though you had to wait a little while, you can now return with The Stolen Heir. Black’s newest book jumps eight years into the future of Elfhame. It’s not a Folk of the Air book, but it does include characters from that series. Suren, the queen of the Court of Teeth, has been through a few things. She has fled to the human world, on the run from the storm hag and her family. Oak, heir to Elfhame, saves her. Thus begins an uncertain alliance, one that began when Oak and Suren were once betrothed.

We talked with author Holly Black over email about returning to the world of Faerie, about Suren’s struggles, Oak, and what the next book in this duology has in store.

Nerdist: Readers are excited to return to the world of Elfhame. I read you knew you’d go back to the world after you finished The Queen of Nothing. What was it like for you to return to Faerie?

Holly Black: While I was away, I wrote my first adult novel, Book of Night, and the whole time when I was inventing new characters and a new magic system I told myself that everything would be easier when I came back to Elfhame. I knew Oak! I had lots of ideas about Suren! I had written an outline that I turned in when I proposed the duology to my editor, Alvina, and it seemed like it might be the sort of outline that withstood the actual writing process.

It turned out that none of those things were true. I love Faerie, but this was not the easy romp of a book that I promised myself it would be. I’ve never written a character quite like Suren before. In some ways, she is a much gentler person than most of my protagonists. And in other ways, she is more ferocious. And their road trip through Faerie let me introduce new characters and new possibilities. It also made me think about the future of Elfhame.

Oak is older, and as the story progresses, Suren and the reader are never positive about his intentions and motives. How did Oak’s immediate family’s traits and where/how he grew up affect how you developed him?

Black: Oak is beloved and protected by his fierce family, but he’s also been a pawn in a huge conflict within Elfhame and the High Courts since before he was born. With Jude for a sister, it stands to reason he’s learned spy craft and the sword. Madoc is, of course, a master strategist and excellent with a blade, and even after he was exiled to the mortal world, he’s been in Oak’s life. Not only that, there are rumors that Oak’s birth mother, Liriope, had certain powers of persuasion. All that adds up to a charming boy whose motivations are hidden behind his clever fox eyes.

Suren exists in a kind of in-between place between humans and faerie. Having a foot in each world seems to take a toll. How did you approach her connection to her human unfamily?

Black: With Wren, I am both echoing and reversing some of Jude’s story—Jude was taken from her family of origin, whereas Wren was taken by them. Jude saw both the wonder and horror of Faerie, while Wren saw only horror. And so she wants to return to the mortal world, but is too afraid of being rejected, or that they will be hurt, so she is in a kind of stasis when we meet her.

I often write about people who find themselves straddling two worlds. Thematically, it is often set up as a binary choice—one world or another. Over the course of the narrative, they have to learn to reject the choice itself.

Suren looks for external validation—even when she knows that’s what she’s doing. It means she, maybe unintentionally, tries to see the best in Oak at every turn in their quest but she’s also ready to believe others when they say Oak’s manipulating her. How did you explore this seeming tug-of-war within Suren?

Black: Suren has been through a lot! The love of her family was taken from her by magic, and she was whisked off to be neglected, abused, and terrorized by Lord Jarel and Lady Nore in the Court of Teeth. It’s no wonder she has no idea who or what to believe in—she was thrown into the world of Faerie with even less protection than Jude and Taryn, who were themselves terrified. Suren is constantly on guard. She doesn’t know any other way to be. And she is well aware that her greatest vulnerability is her desire to be loved.

The Stolen Heir’s antagonists get under your skin in the best kind of creepy way. What kind of inspiration do you look to when creating foes in faerie?

Black: I always look to the folklore when I can. That was particularly the case with Bogdana, where I got to draw on stories of hags and their powers.

But with Lady Nore, I wanted to write about someone who was awful in a way that bent reality a little. She enjoys cruelty. She’s genuinely horrible, but in a way that I felt had some real-world resonances. When I was writing the book, I read a little about children who’d been killed by parents (a haunting topic and so upsetting that I would do pretty much whatever my own kid wanted for weeks on end). Although in certain places I was drawing from us “mortals,” the behaviors I was reading about truly seemed inhuman.

What can you tell me about the next installment of the duology?

Black: The next book carries on from where this one ends, but it’s told from Oak’s perspective. When I decided to write a duology, I wanted to do something fun with the format. This allows me to not only move the story forward, but also give previously withheld information about the events of the first book, the backstory, and hidden motivations of the Folk.

Also, a lot of readers asked about seeing Jude and Cardan, and they definitely will in Book 2.

The Stolen Heir is available now wherever you buy books.

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Netflix’s adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse premiered in April 2021. Shadow and Bone‘s first season brought the sweeping fantasy story with magic, danger, and destiny to the screen. The show’s impeccable casting made the jump from the page all the more irresistible. And soon, we’ll see our favorites back in season two. Netflix announced that Shadow and Bone season two will premiere on March 16, 2023. That’s not all the news, either. We have our first look at the next season through photos, and the photos show highly anticipated new characters.

When we left off in season one, Alina Starkov was on the run with Mal. She left a not quite dead General Kirigan behind in the Shadow Fold, which she wants to destroy. As for the Crows, they always find their own trouble. The synopsis for season two reads:

Alina Starkov is on the run. A beacon of hope to some and a suspected traitor to others, she’s determined to bring down the Shadow Fold and save Ravka from ruin. But General Kirigan has returned to finish what he started. Backed by a terrifying new army of seemingly indestructible shadow monsters and fearsome new Grisha recruits, Kirigan is more dangerous than ever. To stand a fighting chance against him, Alina and Mal rally their own powerful new allies and begin a continent-spanning journey to find two mythical creatures that will amplify her powers.

Back in Ketterdam, the Crows must forge new alliances as they contend with old rivals and even older grudges that threaten not only their place in the Barrel, but their very lives. When a chance at a deadly heist comes their way, the Crows will once again find themselves on a collision course with the legendary Sun Summoner. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, Shadow and Bone returns for a second season of new friendships, new romance, bigger battles, epic adventures — and a shocking family secret that could shatter everything.

Ah, that deadly heist. If you’ve read the Six of Crows duology, you know what’s coming. Regardless of whether you’ve read those books, I sense none of us are ready to see that story play out. But it does mean we get Wylan! And Alina’s journey will take her into the path of Nikolai, Tamar, and Tolya. We cannot wait to see them all on the screen. You can get a glimpse of everyone in the gallery below.

Click To View Gallery

A handful of additional images was also more recently revealed.

Grishaverse author Leigh Bardugo said the following about Shadow and Bone season two in a statement:

Every part of the Grishaverse is coming into play. We are going to get to see some incredible new characters. We’re going to see characters interacting with each other, questing with each other, fighting and laughing with each other, who we never got to see together in the books. And I think that’s a unique thing about this show. Readers are not only going to be surprised by the way that these storylines crash into each other, they’re never going to know where the next move is coming from—and that actually was a pleasure for me because I got to be surprised by my own stories.

Is it time to return to this world yet? March 2023 suddenly feels quite far away.

Originally published on December 8, 2022.

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His Dark Materials will soon return to HBO for its third and final season. It’s been so long since the show’s second season ended, though, that you might not remember everything that happened previously. If you find yourself adrift like a hot air balloon caught in a storm don’t panic, because we have you covered. Here’s everything you need to remember about His Dark Materials season two.

Additional Reading: Everything You Need To Remember About His Dark Materials Season 1

Dust & Dæmons

There are no dæmons in Will and Mary Malone’s world (which is our world). If they have souls they are internal.

Dust does exist in their dimension, though, only it’s called Dark Matter. And like Lyra with her alethiometer (the proverbial “golden compass”), Mary was able to communicate with Dust. She initially used a computer to speak with it. But by season’s end the show revealed Dust is not just some particle; Dust is really angels.

Witches Go to War With Cardinal MacPhail and the Magisterium

Witches have reunited and declared war after the Magisterium bombed their homes. Father MacPhail, now the Cardinal of the powerful religious sect, attacked the witches as a show of force. This was one of his first acts as leader. But his power is not absolute. Mrs. Coulter conspired with him to make sure he rose to the position, and she is willing to blackmail him to get what she wants.

Both groups are now heading for the rift between worlds opened by Lord Asriel, though they both know a far bigger was is coming.

Will Parry: Bearer of the Subtle Knife

Will Parry lost two fingers in Cittàgazze, the city that seems to sit between all parallel worlds. But his fingers were the price to gain a tool of unimaginable power. Will is now the Bearer of the Subtle Knife (a.k.a. Æsahættr). The double-bladed knife can “cut the very fabric” between worlds. The Bearer can then zip shut those portals with his fingers. The Subtle Knife had unlimited possibilities, but the philosophers who created it used it to enrich Cittàgazze, instead. (But not without a cost.) And others want the knife for their own purposes, including Lord Asriel.

Spectres Terrorize Adults of Cittàgaze

Cittàgaze is overrun with Spectres, ghostly, swirling figures of black without form. It’s not clear what they are or where they come from. All we know is they attack adults, and though they do not kill them, they leave grownups as lifeless shells. Children are safe from Spectres until the moment they reach adulthood. The only adult immune to Spectres is Mrs. Coulter, who quickly mastered the terrifying creatures. All she had to do was abandon her humanity to make them listen to her.

Lee Scoresby, John Parry, and Lord Boreal Are Dead

The Magisterium killed Lee Scoresby, who died still in the loyal service of Lyra, whom he loved “like a daughter.” His brief traveling companion, the Shaman John Parry (a.k.a. Jopari, a.k.a. Stanislaus Grumman) also died in the season two finale, but only after reuniting with his son Will. John Parry told his son that Lord Asriel needs the Subtle Knife in the coming war. And Mrs. Coulter killed the ambitious Lord Boreal in Cittàgaze.

Mrs. Coulter Kidnapped Lyra

Mrs. Coulter found her daughter, briefly separated from Will, and kidnapped her at the end of season two. It’s unknown where she’s taking her, or even why. It’s also unclear if the dangerous woman actually loves her daughter or sees her only as a valuable asset. But the bond Lyra shares with Will means he will seek her out.

Angels Sent Mary Malone on a Mission to Another World

Dust/angels told Mary Malone to travel to Cittàgaze on a mission. There the angels protected her from Spectres. Mary also helped the children of the town before following a path she believes is laid out for her.

Lord Asriel Recruited an Army of Angels to Fight the Authority

During his only season two appearance Lord Asriel appeared on another new world where he recruited an army of angels to his cause. His speech about freedom and morality was enough to sway the otherwise hidden figures to appear and support him in his war against “The Authority.”

The Prophesy About Lyra

Mrs. Coulter finally got a witch to tell her the truth about the prophesy surrounding her daughter. Lyra’s “true name” is Eve, “the Mother of All,” and she is “destined to bring about the end of destiny” itself. And while we don’t yet know what that means, the many different factions lining up to fight with or against Lord Asriel all agree Lyra is important to winning.

A Voice From Lyra’s Past

During an unexpected post-credits scene in the finale, Lyra’s dead friend Roger appeared from the darkness and called out to Lyra for help. She responded by asking him, “What is this place?” before the season ended.

His Dark Materials season three premieres on HBO on December 5.

The post Everything You Need To Remember About HIS DARK MATERIALS Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been two years since season two of HBO’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. We’ve had a long time to think about Lyra, Will, Iorek, and everyone else. We left the world on the brink of war. And now, it’s time to return to the suspense and family drama. HBO brought news about His Dark Materials season three to New York Comic Con, including the premiere date, some news about Lee Scoresby, and a preview of what’s ahead. First, watch the first trailers for His Dark Materials season.

So… things are a bit intense. When it comes to His Dark Materials, though, intense is the norm. The show has followed Lyra as she attempts to solve mystery after mystery and navigate the tumultuous relationship with her two parents. The Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel combo makes for all kinds of traumatic situations. And that’s not even accounting for the battle between the Authority and everyone else.

But the trailer does have one bright spot: the return of Lee Scoresby. Lin-Manuel Miranda returns as the Texan aëronaut. The season two finale left his fate up in the air so at least we can breathe a sigh of relief on that front.

A second, longer trailer for His Dark Materials reminds us further of all our major players and both the perils they face and the hope and love they share.

The synopsis for season three of His Dark Materials says:

Based on “The Amber Spyglass,” the final novel in Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy, in the final chapter of this epic fantasy series, Lyra (Dafne Keen), the prophesied child, and Will (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, must journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned. As her father’s great war against the Authority edges closer, they will learn that saving the worlds comes at a terrible price.

His Dark Materials‘ third season will premiere on December 5 with two episodes. The season has eight episodes total, so the series finale will air on December 26.

Featured Image: HBO

Originally published on October 7, 2022.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Editor-in-Chief for Nerdist and the author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, The Jedi Mind, and more. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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Joan He is one of the most exciting fantasy and science fiction writers working today. Her debut mystery, Descendant of the Crane, introduced readers to her propulsive and engaging storytelling. We loved her her immersive and heartbreaking sci-fi YA novel, The Ones We’re Meant to Find. He’s newest novel, Strike the Zither, is a vibrant reimagining of the Chinese historical epic Three Kingdoms. It’s a dynamic fantasy tale of adventure and self-discovery which will delight and devastate readers. In the lead up to the book’s release we chatted to He over email. He told us about her newest book, its beginnings, and what she can’t wait for readers to discover. 

Nerdist: Could you tell me about the origin of Strike the Zither and why you decided to reimagine Three Kingdoms? 

Joan He: Three Kingdoms might not seem like an obvious choice to reimagine for a young adult audience at a glance, but it felt right to me. The novels are full of historical figures fictionalized into heroes and villains, warriors and strategists, all grouping themselves into archetypes and not straying from what they’re known for, much like teens sorting themselves into jocks and geeks in a high school cafeteria.

Like many kids of the Chinese diaspora, I was told stories about these larger-than-life figures growing up, but it wasn’t until college that I really read and analyzed the text in full. As I thought more deeply about the enduring legacy of the story, I came up with a “what if” question that I ultimately decided to explore through my midpoint twist (from which my stories tend to spring). If you’re familiar with how certain characters of Three Kingdoms are worshiped to this day in Chinese society, then you’ll see how Strike the Zither is my textual response to that worship.

Your books always feature complex and layered female characters and Zephyr continues that tradition delightfully. What made her your perfect lead?

He: Interestingly enough, Zephyr in some ways to me feels like a departure from the characters I’ve written before, largely because of her confidence. Most of my previous POV characters all have an obvious insecurity or inadequacy that they then overcome or reconcile with as a part of their arcs. It’s during that painful process that I weave in complexity. Zephyr is the opposite of insecure; in my mind, she’s much more of a traditional YA main character, the kinds that I often encountered in books as a teen, full of bluster and armed with a scathing quip whenever an opening arises. 

But this is exactly the kind of personality that I thought a young adult-tified Zhuge Liang—the figure that Zephyr is inspired by—would have. He is, after all, one of the greatest strategists in Chinese history. There’s literally nothing in the original Three Kingdoms books that he can’t do. So I wanted to give Zephyr her arrogance, but I also wanted to make sure that her arrogance felt earned—and to unleash the most dire of consequences upon her the second it’s not. It’s when characters fall down that they’re forced to look at the lie they’ve been telling themselves, and Zephyr has to face her lie—that the world will only remember her if she’s the best strategist—big time.

It feels radical to read such an epic book that features a nearly all female cast. Could you talk about that choice and how it shaped the book?

He: In the original books, the cast is 99% male (there are over 1000—yes, 1000—named male characters, and probably fewer than 10 named female characters for comparison). And no one questions why that is—it just is, because of how Confucian values had molded China into a very patriarchal society. However, I always knew from the start that my book wouldn’t be set in China-China, just like Descendant of the Crane isn’t set in a real historical era of China. 

There are many books that do a fantastic job at unpacking traditional Chinese gender roles, such as She Who Became the Sun and Iron Widow—but mine are not that. It’s just not something that I, as a creator, feel like I have the emotional bandwidth to explore, and setting my Chinese- inspired books in alternate universes where I can keep most of the culture but remake the social mores without the 重男轻女 (“revere the man over the woman”) component of Confucian values is my little bit of indulgent escapism, you could say. 

So since I have the freedom to create my own world, I figured why not flip it? If people are able to accept the mostly-male cast for the classic, shouldn’t they be able to accept the alternative in my reimagined spin on it? Is that really that radical?

What were the challenges of balancing intrigue, action, and deep character development? 

He: I think as readers, we often want to see more of everything. More of the plot, more of the world, more of the characters. I definitely empathize, as a reader myself! The challenge for me is trying not to listen to that voice when I’m in writer mode, because there’s no way to tell a completely balanced tale when you’re writing a very close point of view. Why? Because people themselves are not balanced. 

In Strike, we see the world and the cast through Zephyr’s eyes, and this is just one example of imbalance, but she definitely isn’t going to spend as much time interacting with every character she meets. Some characters, she has a first impression of that’s going to be very difficult to change, either because she doesn’t respect them or care to understand them deeper. Those characters, unfortunately, won’t develop until Zephyr develops. So not to be contrary, but the challenge is really listening to the story and letting the character take the reins and embracing the imbalance.  

One of the things that really struck me about this is the importance of sisterhood and building a believable sisterhood. Why did that matter for this book?  

He: This is actually something that was extremely well done in the original Three Kingdoms books—the brotherhoods, that is. Despite there also being a heavy thread on the importance of belonging to the correct bloodline and fighting for your relatives, some of the best relationships are those that we would nowadays consider found family. The names Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei (Xin Ren, Cloud, and Lotus in my book) are synonymous with brotherhood, and in a tome filled with advisors who don’t hesitate to switch sides when their own lords fall, Zhuge Liang’s undying loyalty to Liu Bei, as a strategist to his lord, really hit me as the heart of the book.

Now, I must clarify that the relationship between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei isn’t really that of a brotherhood (or sisterhood, in the case of Zephyr and Ren). It’s a relationship laced through with Confucian values—a loyalty born not out of romance or personal debt or familial (found or not) obligation, but ordained by the most righteous of natural orders. And this was a Confucian construct I absolutely wanted to preserve the spirit of, even if I was flipping some of the genders.

Is there a particular moment you’re most excited for readers to discover when they pick up the book? 

He: I’m very excited for readers to reach the epilogue (or should I say Intermezzo)! If you’ve read my previous books, then you know I always like to save some twists for last just when you think you’re out of the woods. Strike the Zither is no different, and because I’m lucky enough to be writing this as a duology, I saved one of my meanest reveals for last!

Strike the Zither is available now wherever you buy books.

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A certain mood is in the air and it smells like pumpkin spice. Fall approaches. The days will soon get shorter, nights colder. It’s the ideal time to get cozy with dark fantasy stories. Luckily, Amazon Original Stories will debut their first such collection soon. Into Shadow brings together seven incredible authors and their twisting tales. Nerdist has the cover reveals for each short story and an exclusive excerpt from one of the shorts.

Let’s look at the Into Shadow covers first:

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The covers all definitely have an imposing vibe. This collection features characters “who venture into the depths where others fear to tread.” And as you can see from Into Shadow‘s covers, the stories come from impressive Hugo and Nebula award-winning authors. Into Shadow includes these short stories:

The Garden by Tomi Champion-Adeyemi
In this dreamlike short story told in alternating prose and verse, number one New York Times best-selling author Tomi Champion-Adeyemi weaves a tale of a young woman’s journey to find her mother and uncover her secrets.

Persephone by Lev Grossman
A teenage nobody crosses a line that will change her life forever in this short coming-of-age story by number one New York Times best-selling author Lev Grossman.

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow
The Saint of War spares the life of a servant girl so she can fulfill her destiny as the kingdom’s greatest warrior in this short story of love and loyalty by New York Times best-selling author Alix E. Harrow.

What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo
A woman posing as a medium who can channel the spirit world comes face to face with the truth in this short historical fantasy by Hugo Award–winning author Nghi Vo.

Undercover by Tamsyn Muir
When a stranger comes to town, secrets are sure to come out. New York Times best-selling author Tamsyn Muir spins a twisty—and twisted—short story of revenge and survival.

The Candles Are Burning by Veronica G. Henry
Amid the modern trappings of 1950s Savannah, an ancient evil threatens a young widow and her daughter in this chilling short story by award-winning author Veronica G. Henry.

Out of the Mirror, Darkness by Garth Nix
A cynical “fixer” for a silent-film studio must confront the shadows behind the bright lights in this noir-tinged short story by New York Times best-selling author Garth Nix.

We have an extra special treat from Into Shadow. Read on for an excerpt from Alix E. Harrow‘s The Six Deaths of the Saint.

You were a child the first time the Saint of War came to you.

You had fallen ill again, in the tiresome and inevitable way of the underfed, and the steward had sent you out to the barn so the Lord and Lady might not be disturbed by your fevered moaning. You weren’t missed; you were one of a dozen fatherless, half-feral children that squabbled and starved in the shadows of the keep. Only the stable boy came to visit you: a waifish, bowlegged creature who had trailed after you like a stray dog ever since you took a beating from the cook in his place.

You hadn’t done it out of any particular affection, but you liked the way he looked at you afterward, as if you were a hero stepped out of some bard’s song, tall as an oak and twice as strong. Now he crouched at your side, sometimes holding a cup to your chapped lips or pressing the fragile bones of his hand to your brow. You thought you would probably die soon.

And then the Saint came.

You were staring up at the rotten thatch of the roof, wondering if anyone would remember your name long enough to mark your grave, and then you were looking at a woman’s face.

She didn’t seem much like the saints in the songs. Her lips were sunken where teeth were missing, and her skin was puckered with old scars. There was a fresh wound above her jaw, livid and weeping, and the armor that lapped her shoulders was dented and scored with battle. Her eyes were rather fine, you thought—the lavish blue of the Virgin’s own robe, just like yours—but she carried no cross and wore a rusted mail hood instead of a halo.

But she said, in a voice like a dull blade dragged across a stone, “I am the Saint of War,” and you lost a great deal of faith in the bards’ songs. “Rise,” she said, “your kingdom needs you.”

You rose. Your joints grated, and your vision spun in sickening lurches, but you rose, because she was a saint and you were nothing, because no one had ever needed you before.

“Go,” the Saint said, “he waits for you.”

You stumbled out of the dimness of the stables and into the hard light of day. You could only open your eyes for a few stinging seconds at a time, so that the yard emerged in a series of flashes. Strange men on horseback. Winter light on steel. The sleek, foreign shine of well-bred horses.

You kept walking until you couldn’t, until the pale stalks of your legs simply folded up on themselves.

Someone high above you said, “Is this the girl?” and someone else answered, in a voice like a well-greased hinge, “Yes, sire.”

Then there were boots beside your face. You rolled onto your back and saw, for the second time that day, the face of a saint. This one looked much more like the songs said: young and beautiful, entirely unmarred. There was a shine to him, a subtle emanation of health and prosperity. He even wore a halo, you thought; you had never seen a crown before.

He asked your name, but before you could answer, you heard your Lady’s voice, breathless and mean, “Forgive us, my Prince, she is no one! A devil, sent to plague us.”

The Lady had often called you a devil, as had the cook, the steward, the master of hounds, all the laundresses, and the woodcutter, but it had not previously concerned you. Now you found yourself ashamed, filled with a freshly hatched fear that you would be banished from the golden presence of the Prince, unwanted, unneeded.

But he only smiled down at you. He wore an expression you had never seen before, an avid, scorching hunger, which you thought must be love.

He lifted you in his arms—you were hideously aware of every scabbed sore, every flea scuttling through the reddish mat of your hair—and said to the Lady, “Well, she is my Devil now.”

And you found you did not mind being a devil, so long as you were his.

Into Shadow arrives on November 15 in ebook and audiobook. The collection is free for Prime members and available in Kindle Unlimited. Non-members can also purchase Into Shadow.

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We love being scared, but only if it’s the right type of scared. We prefer great terrifying stories, the kind of nightmares we can get away from by putting down our novel. Fortunately, there are plenty of great horror books for us to read without having to spend any money on them. Here are classic horror books you can download for free right now at Project Gutenberg.

Note: We’ve already recommended Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as fantastic science fiction books you can download. Both are fabulous horror stories too.

Dracula (Bram Stoker)

Bram Stoker’s iconic Gothic horror novel Dracula is still a masterpiece of the genre. First published in 1897, it’s responsible for many of the vampire tropes we know to this day. It’s also absolutely terrifying for a modern audience, in an unexpected way. It tells the story of a monster who leaves his home to spread a terrible disease. But don’t worry. Vampires aren’t real. Maybe. You can also download more of Stoker’s scary stories, including The Lair of the White Worm and The Jewel of Seven Stars.

The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe

It’s impossible to pick just one or two of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories to recommend. Arguably the greatest horror writer ever, he produced so many iconic works. So don’t pick. Read his Complete Works, which includes all-time classic short stories like “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” as well as famous poems like “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” If you want to skip “The Masque of the Red Death” right now though, we understand.

The Turn of the Screw (Henry James)

Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw has inspired countless adaptations in film, television, and literature since it was published. That hasn’t made the original story any less terrifying though. In fact, readers are till debating the true nature of evil in the classic ghost story. It makes us feel better about being trapped in our own, non-haunted homes. Things can always be worse. When you finish, you can also start working your way through James’ extensive bibliography.

The King in Yellow (Robert W. Chambers)

The King in Yellow was first published in 1895, but Robert W. Chambers’ collection of supernatural short stories is just as terrifying today as it was then. And while it’s a fantastic example of early horror fiction, it also includes elements of mythology, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and romance. Even if you’ve never read it, you were probably already terrified of it. It inspired season one of HBO’s True Detective, which spoke of the Yellow King of Carcosa.

The Mysteries of Udolpho (Ann Radcliffe)

A classic of the Gothic genre, Ann Radcliffe’s 1794 novel The Mysteries of Udolpho was wildly popular when it was first released with good reason. Featuring ruined castles, the Italian countryside, a beautiful young heroine and an evil uncle trying to force her into a marriage she doesn’t want, it also features strange, possibly supernatural occurrences. If you’re looking for an even darker Gothic novel, you can also read Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto.

The Shunned House (H. P. Lovecraft)

One of the most famous horror writers of all-time, H.P. Lovecraft is almost a genre unto himself. His weird “Lovecraftian” tales of monsters and madness could fill days and days with terror. Unfortunately, most of his works or not yet in the public domain. But you can still download his great novella The Shunned House for free. It’s creepy and unsettling, and you can follow it up with his fantastic short story “The Dunwich Horror.”

The Wendigo (Algernon Blackwood)

One of the most celebrated and prodigious horror writers of all-time, Algernon Blackwood left behind a cornucopia of creepy works. That includes his 1910 novella The Wendigo. It’s a terrifying monster story whose influence can still be seen any time someone goes running through the woods or snow. And when you finish that you can work your way through more of Blackwood’s scariest stories, which includes plays, novels, and short story collections. We highly recommend his Incredible Adventures collection.

Ten Days in a Mad-House (Nellie Bly)

Not every nightmare is a work of fiction. That includees Nellie Bly’s firsthand, undercover 1897 account of being a patient at a New York City insane asylum. What she saw and experienced there was so terrifying, it led to major investigations and reforms. The book, which was taken from her series of newspaper articles, remains a journalism classic.

Originally published April 6, 2020.

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When it comes to horror documentaries, Horror Noire certainly stands out from the crowd. Its focus specifically on the history of Black people in horror, from the abhorrent days of blackface to epic films like Jordan Peele’s Get Out is incredibly comprehensive. But there’s always more conversation to be had about how Black people fare in scary films, whether they survive deep trauma or meet their demise. That’s exactly why we are getting The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar. The book is written by Horror Noire executive producer Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman and film critic Mark H. Harris and explores tropes, overarching horror themes, and much more. 

The Black Guy Dies First blends humor with deep analysis and critique of the genre from 1968 through today. Several major topics include Black horror film deaths, whether they be truly heroic or the cringeworthy “Sacrificial Negro” one. You know, the Black person who dies to save a white character directly or to advance their story.

Stereotypes like the “sidekick,” how religion permeates horror films, and Black queer identity are just a few of many avenues to explore. There will certainly be some deeper dives into not only the failures of horror to represent Black people well but the many wins over the years as well. (Really hoping for some praise of The Girl With All the Gifts. It is a truly stunning and wonderful example of a leading Black girl.) And, with Dr. Coleman’s essentially encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, there will be something for even the most staunch horror fan to learn along the way.

The Black Guy Dies First will arrive on shelves on February 7, a fitting month to highlight Blackness indeed. Sounds like a horror book club pick is on the horizon for fans of spooky and downright scary movies.  

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Skandar Smith flew into readers’ lives earlier this year in A.F. Steadman’s Skandar and the Unicorn Thief. Since then, the book has become a smash hit and a staple of the New York Times bestseller list. The stunning kids’ fantasy introduced us to a world of bloodthirsty unicorns and the young boy whose dream was to ride them. Capturing the imaginations of kids and adults alike, fans have been wondering when Skandar will return. And we have great news, he’ll soon be back on bookshelves with a new adventure, Skandar and the Phantom Rider. And, equally as exciting, we have our first look at the cover of Skandar and the Phantom Rider. Check out the cover reveal below.

Just like his debut, the book sounds like a thrilling and fantastical adventure. You can learn all about it in the official description for the second book in the bestselling series. Here’s what Skandar and the Phantom Rider is all about.

Skandar’s adventure among the warrior unicorns continues in this spectacular sequel to the instant New York Times and international bestseller Skandar and the Unicorn Thief.

Skandar Smith has achieved his dream: to train as a unicorn rider. But as Skandar and his friends enter their second year at the Eyrie, a new threat arises. Wild unicorns—supposedly immortal—are somehow being killed, an ancient prophecy warns of danger, and terrible storms begin to ravage the Island.

Meanwhile, Skandar’s sister, Kenna, longs to join him, and Skandar is determined to help her, no matter what. As the storm gathers, can Skandar find the key to stop the Island tearing itself apart before it’s too late for them all?

We can’t wait to return to the magical world of the Eyrie and reconnect with Skandar and his friends. And with a new danger rising, the world will need Skandar more than ever. So if you’re in need of a new fantasy read, or have just always wondered whether unicorns might actually be bloodthirsty beasts, then make sure to add Skandar and the Phantom Rider to your to-read list today!

Rosie Knight is a staff writer at Nerdist and author of The Haunted High-Tops and Godzilla: Rivals vs. Battra.

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Welcome back to the Nerdist Reading List. Each month I curate book recommendations that’ll delight, charm, and terrify. Basically, this is the place to find the best fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance books and comics to add to your books-to-read pile. To make things easier, each month will include a selection of already released books you can grab instantly. We also have new books you’ll definitely want to pre-order or add to your library holds. For October books we’ve got epic trans led YA fantasy, a reimagining of a classic Chinese novel, a clutch of spooky horror reads, and even a saucy Holiday romance! Basically there’s something for everyone. 

Fantasy October Books

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas – Available now

One of the best books I’ve read all year, The Sunbearer Trials has already become an indie bestseller. This immersive fantasy is filled with vibrant queer characters stunning action and a central set of trials as engaging as The Hunger Games. In this Mexican-inspired fantasy young every ten years teen semidioses must battle through a series of dangerous challenges to protect their world. Teo is a Jade, one of the “lesser” semidioses who lives in the shadow of the Golds. But when Teo is selected for the trials along with another Jade his world is thrown into turmoil as he gets the chance to shape and save the home he loves so much. 

Eternally Yours by various authors – Available now

This stunning paranormal romance anthology edited by the brilliant Patrice Cauldwell is a perfect spooky season treat. Featuring YA stories from many of our favorite writers, this collection features romantic tales about angels, demons, merpeople, vampires and more. And the list of authors is just as exciting as the concept. Kalynn Bayron, Kendare Blake, Kat Cho, Melissa de la Cruz, Sarah Gailey, Hafsah Faizal, Chloe Gong, Alexis Henderson, Adib Khorram, Anna-Marie McLemore, Casey McQuiston, Sandhya Menon, Akshaya Raman, Marie Rutkoski, and Julian Winters. What more could you want from an anthology this month?? 

Blood Moon Prophecy (Legend of the Nyx, #1) by Dilani Kahawala – October 11

Tilly Nyx is living in the shadows of her own mistakes. Her mother’s death and exile haunt her every day. Now after over a decade living undercover in New York city she has the burning desire to return home, though she has no idea where that is. It’s here that her unbelievable quest begins sending Tilly into an uncanny world of magic, fleets, and potions. Will she be able to find her family and the truth about who she is? Or is it too late to turn back the clock on what happened so many years before? 

The Witch Hunt by Sasha Peyton Smith- October 11

The highly-anticipated sequel to The Witch Haven drops this month continuing the story of Frances and her fellow witches. Now living a peaceful life in the cozy halls of Haxahaven Academy, Frances feels like her woes are behind her. But when her magic begins to act strangely and she’s suddenly called to France, her adventures begin once again. It’s in the cobbled streets of Paris where she learns that her actions from the first book have had dire consequences. So, now she has to rectify her wrongs in this lovely fantasy yarn. 

Strike the Zither by Joan He – October 25

We adore the writing of Joan He here at Nerdist. From her daring mystery debut Descendant of the Crane to her sophomore sci-fi masterpiece The Ones We’re Meant to Find she never disappoints. Her newest book reimagines the classic Chinese novel Three Kingdoms, but replaces its predominantly male cast with a roster of brilliant complex women. Our story centers on Zephyr, a startlingly intelligent strategist for a ruthless warlord. After she’s forced to infiltrate an enemy camp Zephyr is drawn into an unexpected adventure and quest for survival in this must read historical fantasy from one of the most exciting authors working today. 

Horror October Books 

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson – Available now

Alexis Henderson’s The Year of the Witching was one of the standout novels of 2020. She’s back to follow up that searing debut with this stunning gothic novel. Marion answers an oddly worded advertisement to take a position working for the upper echelons of society in a far off part of the country. Soon she’s enmeshed in the strange happenings of the House of Hunger. Rich aristocrats who hire “bloodmaids” in order to drink from them at will. It’s a shocking arrangement that becomes even more dangerous when some of her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing, pitting Marion against Countess Lisavet, the powerful woman at the center of it all. 

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson – October 4

A queer reimagining of Dracula told through the eyes of his first bride? You can sign us up just based on that description. And that’s before we get to the complex, dreamy, and lyrical style that S.T. Gibson brings the world of Constanta and her new paramour to life. Soon though she realizes her husband is capable of terrible things, putting her new life into question. Originally released in 2021 through the independent publisher Nyx, Redhook acquired the title and are rereleasing it in October in perfect time for the spookiest of seasons. So if you need some gothic polyam / bisexual romance in your life then make sure to add this to your pre order list. 

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce – October 4

Camilla Bruce broke onto the scene with her atmospheric chiller You Let Me In. And her followup The Witch in the Well looks to be just as darkly delightful. Elena and Cathy grew up together but as so many friends do grew apart with age. But when they’re flung back together, both inspired to write about a terrible tragedy centuries before their worlds collide. The past and the present weave a treacherous puzzle as the pair try to find the truth about the witch hunts that had hundreds of years before torn apart the idyllic summer paradise they once visited. But soon their story begins to echo that of the women that came before with deadly consequences.  

You can check out a ton more spooky reads on our Halloween Reading List!

Comics

The Best of 2000AD by Various Creators – Available now

You’ve likely heard of Judge Dredd, but did you know he comes from a brilliant British comics series called 2000AD? In this new quarterly graphic novel series from editor Owen Johnson collects some of the best and most iconic stories from the publisher and pairs them with thoughtful essays from some of comics criticism’s best minds. The first volume has a gorgeous cover from Jamie McKelvie, stories by icons like Alan Moore, John Wagner, and Alan Grant. And it features an incredible essay from comics editor and historian Adam Karenina Sherif.

Demon in the Wood, by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast – Available now

The GrishaVerse has already inspired a smash hit Netflix show and multiple brilliant books, but now the sprawling fantasy universe has its first comic book. Creator Leigh Bardugo teams up with awesome artist Dani Pendergast to bring to life the prequel story of the Darkling. Centering on the villain when he was just a boy, this tragic and beautiful story adds layers to the villain we know and the scared child he once was. And Pendergast’s art brings a whole new visual language and magic to the world of the Grisha. A must read for fantasy lovers everywhere. 

Timothy Dinoman Saves the Cat By Steve Thueson – Available October 4 

If you’ve yet to discover the vibrant and hilarious works of Steve Thueson then you’re in for a treat. The Philly based cartoonist has long been delighting readers of their self-published works. But in a new Middle Grade graphic novel they introduce us to Timothy Dinoman. Basically, imagine James Bond if they were a cool, kind, anthropomorphic iguanodon. This is one of the funnest books of the year as Thueson brings to life an all-ages friendly espionage adventure. Filled with gadgets, action, and cool disguises, you don’t want to miss Timothy Dinoman’s debut! 

Holiday Books…Early

Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone – Available Now

It’s a bestseller match made in heaven as authors Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone collaborate on this absolutely delightful plus size Holiday love story. Bee Hobbes is already a successful performer when she’s cast in a clean cut Christmas movie on the Hope Channel. The only problem is her other career is as a beloved plus-size adult film star. She has to keep that under wraps as the film begins to shoot and that becomes a lot harder when her childhood crush and co-star Nolan Shaw, discovers the truth and the pair begin a steamy romance. Saucy, fun, and delightfully dirty this is a Christmas romance for adults only, and it’s all the better for it.

Featured Image:  Ace Books/Viking Books for Young Readers/Roaring Brook Press

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Magic school books have carved out a place in the hearts of many young readers, often becoming lifelong favorites. Recent stories like Dhonielle Clayton’s The Marvellers are bringing a more inclusive vision of the classical fantasy setup to life. Aislinn Brophy adds another dynamite offering to the magical school canon with How to Succeed in Witchcraft. Her YA debut introduces us to a wholly imagined world that echoes ours but with one small change: magic exists.

In How to Succeed in Witchcraft, we meet Shay, who dreams of getting a prestigious scholarship through her elite school. But to do it, she’ll have to team up with her beautiful school nemesis. Plus, catch the eye of the cool young teacher who runs the school musical. But when her teacher begins to show her too much attention, Shay has to rethink her vision of success. She has to protect herself. 

As huge fans of wonderfully cozy stories that don’t shy away from tough topics, we were very happy to chat with Brophy. We discussed their debut YA, its backstory, and the joy of queer romance.

Nerdist: What are the origins of How to Succeed in Witchcraft.?

Aislinn Brophy: I’ve been going through a period of my life for a long time where I’ve really loved writing about women and I think I wanted to write something that pulled together a lot of experiences that I’ve had in my life. I grew up in South Florida, so I really wanted to write something where I grew up. A lot of the places in [the book] are actually places I spent a lot of time in. So I think I was really inspired by that. 

I also just wanted to write a book about power and navigating academic spaces as a mixed person. So I think that that’s kind of where a lot of that came from. Also taking from some negative experiences that have happened in academic spaces, and also theater spaces. Like, who has power? Who’s able to be in charge of what’s happening? And whether or not you feel like you have the power to actually do anything about that.

The book definitely deals with a lot of pretty heavy stuff—particularly in terms of the way authority figures use and exploit their power in academic spaces. But you also build this incredibly cozy, lovely world. Could you talk about balancing those two aspects? 

Brophy: For me, as a person as well as as a writer, I’m not one to be really in the hard stuff for a long period of time. I really like to balance it with joy, laughter, and jokes. So humor was always a really big part of the book. I think that people who can just write sad books are incredibly beautiful. But I am not one of those people. So I knew I couldn’t write this book to be really sad. It just doesn’t work for me because then I’ll get really sad! 

I always wanted there to be this balance of fun things in the book with difficult things. To me it makes looking at difficult things a little easier, if you know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. There are going to be scenes where you can feel happy and you can enjoy what you’re reading. So the magic in the book was always kind of a foil to the difficult content. When it’s talking about authority figures abusing their power and grooming, I think that the magic was always present as a way to make that a little bit more digestible. 

That’s why I also wanted the romance to be a pretty meaty part of the book. The relationships that Shay has are really what provide her the ability to—even beyond a romantic relationship—have the bandwidth to do something about this really difficult thing that’s happening to her. Also because that creeping nature of [grooming] is so important because she doesn’t necessarily notice what’s happening. So she needed to have something else that she was focusing on, to allow it to blindside not just the audience but also her. 

Another thing that immediately struck me about the book was how organic and whole the magic system felt. How much work went into creating that part of Shay’s world?

Brophy: That took a lot of work. I think that was one of the hardest parts of developing the book. I started the book and initially it was a magic book with almost no magic in it! And that did not work! That was the thing that I kept getting notes on throughout the process of developing the book. So eventually I sat down and said, “I’m going to write a really big handbook on what this world is and answer all these questions that my incredible editor gave me.” So I wrote up a 10-15 page document that was a history of generally where the history of our world diverged at the sort of “discovery” of magic in this world. 

That was really helpful. I knew that I needed to have class and race in America function roughly similarly. So I had to pick a point in history where history could diverge so it would be close enough to the modern day where things would be slightly different, but not so far back in the past that things just seem unrecognizably different. Then I had a lot of fun trying to grab historical moments and see how magic would have made them slightly different or perhaps the same but with some magical nuances. So I had a lot of fun trying to develop that. In our world Shay would be a stem person, so it feels like magic has a lot of rules. It’s about manipulating matter, so I really had to spend a lot of time thinking of how functionally that would work!

Speaking of Shay, she’s such a likable and lovely entry point into this world of magic. What made her the perfect lead for your story? 

Brophy: I didn’t have a lot of difficulty coming up with her. She’s very much a love letter to the person that I was when I was in high school. Both the really strong qualities of that person and also my flaws from that time period. I wanted a character who was intensely driven, who really deeply wants to succeed and has very rigid ideas of what success is. But who is then forced to challenge those ideas because things aren’t working out, which is frustrating for her because she’s following all the “rules” for how to succeed.  

You have a lot of fun introducing Ava and playing with the enemies to lovers trope. Is that a trope that you love? It’s one of my all time favorites. 

Brophy: I think it’s my favorite trope! I do also like academic rivals to lovers. Then I put them on the page and they didn’t do exactly what I wanted them to do because I found that I don’t actually enjoy writing to people being nasty to each other. So then I just thought it would be really hilarious to have characters who just had really different perspectives on what was happening. So the base of the whole thing is a strange misunderstanding based on this sort of insecurity that you get from being two women of color in a very white environment and pitted against each other. I really enjoyed that. I also just wanted to write like a really cute, sweeping queer romance book because I enjoy that sort of thing!

How to Succeed in Witchcraft is available now.

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Though it’s still almost 100 degrees while I write this, we are officially in spooky season. September has hit and with it comes the promise of ghosts, ghouls, and warm spiced cider. Basically all the loveliest things fall has to offer. To help you make the most of this delightful time I’ve curated a list of 15 brilliant books to help you embrace Halloween. From final destination-inspired folk horror to witchy romance there are plenty of new stories for every type of reader. So wrap up warm—or get your fan running—and prepare ready to get spooky with these Halloween book recommendations.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson – Available Now

Taking on a legendary horror novel like Carrie is no easy feat but in The Weight of Blood, Tiffany D. Jackson does just that and makes it look effortless. This contemporary YA reimagining centers Madison Washington, a young biracial woman in Georgia. As her high school embarks on its first integrated prom the star quarterback asks Madison to the dance. She’s always been an outcast but prom offers a chance to be “normal.”

However, as anyone who has read Carrie knows, things aren’t what they seem. Madison has a secret too and it’s a powerful one. 

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Various Authors – Available Now

Folk horror is one of our favorite genres here at Nerdist. And there have been some brilliant new additions and explorations of the genre in recent years.  A new anthology featuring a ton of brilliant authors looks to add to that this fall. Collecting tales from Erica Waters, Chloe Gong, Tori Bovalino, Hannah Whitten, Allison Saft, and more, this book takes on local myths, urban legends, and classical folklore bringing them to life in terrifying ways. A perfect autumn read that will deliver a story for every kind of spooky season mood. 

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine – Available Now

Slasher fans rejoice! Danielle Valentine has delivered a Scream level meta-homage horror that delivers wild final girl fan service. When a man stabs Alice’s sister Claire during a Halloween party, Alice’s life falls apart. She spent years studying horror to stay safe and yet she let her sister go into a corn maze alone. But just as Alice is about to testify against the man who killed her sister she’s attacked by a Sidney Prescott look-alike who throws her back in time to the night Claire was killed. Alice has until midnight to find out the truth about what happened and save her sister in this wonderfully twisted thriller. 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne – Available Now

Looking for something more romantically inclined but with a spooky gothic edge? Then look no further than Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match. This charming spin on the classic Mary Shelley yarn sees the titular inventor become inspired by her more famous brother’s experiments to create a man all her own. Angelika’s delightfully chaotic choice sparks the events of the book. It leads her on a monstrous romance featuring plenty of candles, shadows, and a mystery to be solved.

Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentino – Available Now

Disney has been doing a delightful job of recontextualizing some of their most famous films recently. And their newest title takes on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! Kat Van Tassel is sick of the legend that defines her family. But when her mother gifts her her namesake’s diary on a very special anniversary, Kat is suddenly dragged into the very past she’s desperate to ignore. Then, when a delightful new girl arrives to town, Kat suddenly has to reimagine her life, her history, and her love life while trying to solve a 200-hundred-year-old mystery to save the place she loves.

The Depths by Nicole Lesperance by Available Now

We’ve been getting a lot of great tropical horror recently and The Depths is another delightfully terrifying addition. When Addie’s mother drags her along to her secluded island honeymoon Addie couldn’t be less enthused. Eulalie Island seems like a paradise but Addie is lonely and tired. That is until she meets a mysterious boy who tells her the “island loves you” and suddenly Eulalie Island opens itself up to her. But behind the beautiful foliage and sandy beaches lie dark secrets connected to the deaths of two girls. 

Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert – Available Now

If you can’t wait until Christmas but want to embrace the inherent spookiness of the season, make sure to add this to your to-read list. Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story takes place over the festive season as a lonely young writer, Ro, hopes to find companionship. After bumping into some strangers in a diner she organizes an impromptu dinner party which quickly becomes a stage from shared ghost stories. But stories have a certain power and at Christmas the veil between worlds is thinner than ever…

Valley of Shadows by Rudy Ruiz – Available September 20

This startling neo-Western blends the boundaries of horror, magical realism, and mystery. Solitario Cisneros’ life has been lost to tragedy. But when a savage series of killings begin to ravage his quiet life he has to reluctantly embrace the living once again. Finding unexpected inspiration and support from Onawa, a gifted and enchanting Apache-Mexican seer, the pair head into the desert. This genre-defying literary thriller delves deep into the dark past of the US Mexico border shining a light on the injustice, suffering, and isolation it’s built on. 

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling – Available September 20

Expanding the world of her charming witchy romance The Ex Hex, Erin Sterling returns to Graves Glen. It’s here we first met the founding Penhallows and Gwyn Jones. Cousin to the first book’s leading lady Vivi, Gwyn became a firm fan favorite and is now getting entangled with a new handsome Penhallow of her own. This time it’s Wells, the dutiful Penhallow son who has come home to set up shop in Graves Glen. But when a new band of witches arrives in town he’ll have to team up with Gwen. Don’t be surprised if some magical sparks fly. 

Demon in the Wood Graphic Novel by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast – Available September 27

If you know us here at Nerdist, then you know we love Shadow and Bone. Leigh Bardugo’s brilliant fantasy series has been delighting us for a decade and now she’s bringing the Darkling to comics. Adapting her prequel Demon in the Wood with artist Dani Pendergast this is an absolutely vital addition to the Shadow and Bone world and hopefully the first of many comic book stories set in the Grishaverse. Centering on the Darkling when he was just a boy, this tragic and beautiful story adds layers to the villain we know and the scared child he once was. 

Lute by Jenn Thorne – Available October 4

Final Destination meets The Wicker Man is this utterly enthralling folk horror story. Lute is the kind of book you’ll read in a single sitting. Lute takes its name from the small island where it’s set. Nina Treadway thought that The Day was nothing but a silly tradition when she first moved from Florida. Of course someone would have noticed if seven people died every seven years on the exact same day. But Nina is wrong. The Day is very real. Affecting, unexpected, and both terrifying and joyfu,l Lute is like nothing else you’ll read this year.

As a spooky season treat, Jenn Marie Thorne shared this exclusive insight into the story with Nerdist. “The origin of Lute is a mystery to even me. Sometimes my ideas come from news stories or events in my life, but in this case, the set-up for Lute simply popped into my head right before I fell asleep one night. Once I’d outlined the “what if,” though, bigger questions arose, ones that were definitely tied into what I was experiencing at the time, particularly as an American living in England, looking out at the shifting political landscape around me. I wanted to look at the personal choices we make when faced with fear—do we protect ourselves or embrace community? Often folk horror is about the perils of tradition, of the community over the individual. With Lute, I wanted to examine that more critically and turn it on its head.”

Malice House by Megan Shepherd – Available October 4 

There’s plenty of family-based horror on our list this spooky season and we’re eternally grateful. Excavating the horrors of home is fertile ground for genre and Malice House adds depth and darkness to a monstrously good tale. Haven Marbury wants nothing more than to be an artist, but the death of her father and a duty to clear out his rambling seaside home must be dealt with first. Uncovering a lost—and rather terrifying—manuscript by her Pulitzer-winning patriarch seems like the opportunity she needs but when the monsters from the pages begin to appear in her very real world, suddenly she has to rewrite everything she knows about herself and her life. 

Little Eve by Catriona Ward – Available October 11

Catriona Ward has firmly established herself as one of the best horror authors of our age with her novels Last House on Needless Street and Sundial. Little Eve focuses on another unusual family, this time living in an isolated area of Scotland during the early 1900s. This gothic novel already won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel and promises to be a delightfully gothic chiller about family, home, and the end of the world. 

Will Do Magic for Small Change by Andrea Hairston – Available October 11

Another perfectly timed rerelease is Andrea Hairston’s stunning historical fantasy Will Do Magic For Small Change. This epic family saga follows Cinnamon Jones, the granddaughter of famed performers and conjurers, Redwood and Wildfire. You may have read their tale in Hairston’s award-winning 2011 novel. If not, no worries as this is a wonderful novel in its own right and a great jumping on point. When Cinnamon is given a book about a Dahomean warrior woman and an interdimensional alien at the 1893 World’s Fair, she’s drawn into a centuries old mystery that she dedicates herself to solving alongside her theater troupe in this utterly unique tale. 

Black Paradox by Junji Ito – October 25

It wouldn’t be Halloween without Junji Ito and Viz has a gorgeous new edition of one of his most infamous stories. Four strangers meet on a strange website known as Black Paradox: a nurse, Maruso; Taburo, a man with a strange obsession; an engineer, Pit-tan who has created something terrible; and Baracchi, a woman devastated by a birthmark on her face. There, they plan to end their lives. But their chance encounter leads them to an unexpected fate. Ito is a master for a reason and this lengthy tale showcases exactly why he’s as beloved as he is.

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“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood…” If you’re a fan of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, you might recognize this sentence as the opening line from the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. But now you can recognize it as something else, the opening to the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Disney+ Percy Jackson series. If that doesn’t make your heart beat fast, I don’t know what will.

The Percy Jackson teaser trailer continues with more lines from the book by Rick Riordan. Percy warns us all that being a half-blood may not feel as good as it sounds. In fact, it’s downright dangerous. The trailer gives us just a small taste of the show to come. We definitely like what we see so far, though.

Using lines from the book is a clever way to promise long-time fans that this series will remain faithful to the original content they love. The Disney+ Percy Jackson teaser trailer seems to say, you’re safe with us. And that will likely go a long way to get everyone excited for the show.

It helps that author Rick Riordan has been very involved in the creation of this Percy Jackson series. It seems like he has a real hand in the behind-the-scenes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and it shows. Camp Half-Blood has come to life before our eyes. And though we don’t see too much of Percy, Grover, or Annabeth (played by Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, and  Leah Sava Jeffries), we know they’ll wow us when we do.

The teaser trailer also doesn’t offer us a specific synopsis for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. So, of course, we don’t know a release date for the series yet. But hey, we have a whole set of books to get us ready for this epic quest. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, the adventure is just getting started.

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We’re big fans of Cemetery Boys author Aiden Thomas here at Nerdist. His vibrant writing style and inclusive worldbuilding make them a truly unique storyteller. Thomas’ newest book The Sunbearer Trials might be his best yet. An expansive fantasy adventure pitched as Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games, it manages to live up to those lofty comparisons. The book follows Teo. Teo, the teenage son of a god, lives in a world that reveres the children (semidioses) of deities as athletic celebrities. But only certain gods and certain children. So when Teo—a “lesser” semidioses known as a Jade—is selected for the famed and deadly Sunbearer Trials he can barely believe it. Soon the wild world of the trials and the famed semidioses known as the Golds becomes Teo’s world. The teen begins to question everything about the trials and how competitors win them. 

The Sunbearer Trials is one of the best releases of 2022. We talked with Thomas over email about the book, its origins, and the power of inclusive queer fantasy. 

Nerdist: Could you tell me about the origins of The Sunbearer Trials?

Aiden Thomas: I came up with the idea for The Sunbearer Trials based on my love for series like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but I wanted to do something that was based on my own heritage and culture. I’ve also always been a huge fan of The Hunger Games, and wanted to do a kind of Survivor-style, capital-g Games book. I watched the Crash Course series on Mythology and learned about the patterns and tropes of different cultural pantheons, and then I created my own and made it SUPER queer! 

You have the greater gods of elements needed for human survival, like Lumbre (fire), Tierra (earth), and Agua (water). But then I have lesser gods like Quetzal (birds), Maize (harvest), and Pan Dulce (home and hearth). Guerrero, the nonbinary god of war who is half jaguar and has top surgery scars, is a personal favorite of mine!

How soon did you know that Teo would be your lead? What made him your perfect in to the story?

Thomas: Teo was actually not the original protagonist when I came up with the idea for The Sunbearer Trials! It was originally going to be a dual POV story and the two main characters are still in the book! (Can you guess who?) Originally, Teo was actually the love interest! But as I started telling this story I realized Teo was really the one at the center of it. He’s the one who can see past all the fame and luxury of the upper class (the Golds), and he’s the one who’s going to make change. Teo is the hero of this world and the only one these other characters would rally behind! 

It feels so wonderful to be immersed in a fantasy world where queerness and transness is the norm, could you speak to building that in?

Thomas: I can’t tell you how empowering it was to create a world where the intersections of my identity are celebrated, and even revered. I think it’s wild that inclusivity is still such a rare thing to find in fantasy worlds — there’s this idea that high fantasy needs to be “historically accurate” and have all these Western biases and bigotry about gender and sexuality. I created this world for me and my community and my friends, and the characters within really reflect that. 

Queer folks have been here the whole time, and we deserve our own fantasy worlds, too. We are powerful, we are divine, and we are heroes.

These stories about a group of people fighting against each other to survive-–-or not be sacrificed in—a deadly game are so iconic, Hunger Games, Battle Royale, Squid Game, what do you think makes them resonate so much? How did the impact of stories like these play into The Sunbearer Trials? 

Thomas: I think we’re living in a period of a lot of political anxiety, and figures like Katniss Everdeen really resonate because she’s this underdog from District 12 who never should have survived the first 20 minutes, let alone win the whole thing. She’s got conviction and morals and things she’s willing to die for, and I think we all want to be like that! I think we all like to imagine that, even in the most dire of circumstances, we’d still do the brave and right thing. 

I also think it’s really important to write stories like this for teenage readers, specifically, because they are the future—it’s corny, but it’s true! Kids today are so aware of the world around them, and are often left feeling completely powerless. They need stories where equally powerless characters are able to seize agency and make a real change, because it shows them that they can do the same thing! 

I know it’s like picking a favorite child but could you tell me about your personal favorite(s) competitors in the trials? 

Thomas: I have a real soft-spot for Niya, Teo’s best friend, because she’s just SO fun to write! I think anyone who is really attached to Julian in Cemetery Boys will have a new favorite in Niya. She’s got a lot of that same big puppy dog energy, you know? Like, she’s always kinda bouncing along, singin’ her song, happy to be along for the ride, but also if you mess with her friends she’ll bite you. She’s a Gold, but kind of an outcast because her dad, Dios Tierra, accidentally aided in the Obsidians’ (the betrayer gods) coup. So, even though she’s one of the elite semidioses, she loathes them just as much as Teo does. 

I also love Aurelio’s arc, but I don’t want to say too much about that yet because I think it really starts to shine in book two and I’m not allowed to talk about it! 

Is there a moment or character beat you’re most excited for readers to discover when they pick up the book?

Thomas: Oh absolutely! There’s a twist right at the end that I almost didn’t even include! I wanted to keep it for the next book, but while I was revising my final draft, I realized the ending needed a little extra something to set the pieces for Part 2. And it turned into something REALLY fun and devastating. I’m excited to see what readers think!

What are you hoping for readers to take away from The Sunbearer Trials?

Thomas: That caste systems are bad, actually! And also that The Chosen One is a bogus and deeply flawed trope that’s been glorified by American Individualism. We need to focus more on uplifting each other and our communities as a whole. In the Trials, it’s inherently set up to be very you-against-the-world, but what’s revolutionary about Teo and his friends is that they refuse to play into that, and I think that’s something we’re all working through on a more global level at the moment, especially in the United States. That’s crap, frankly, and I delight in tearing it to shreds in this fun, super queer, magical secondary world I’ve created!

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Welcome back to the Nerdist Reading List. Each month I curate book recommendations that’ll delight, charm, and terrify. Basically, this is the place to find the best fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance books and comics to add to your books-to-read pile. To make things easier, each month will include a selection of already released books you can grab instantly. We also have new books you’ll definitely want to pre-order or add to your library holds. This month we have highly anticipated follow-ups that defy genre, an Obi Wan Kenobi YA, a ton of fantastical fantasy, and our first delightful holiday novel sneaks onto the list. 

Fantasy and Sci-fi to Read

Padawan by Kiersten White – Available Now

Kiersten White turns her unique talent for eerie mystery and relatable characters to the galaxy far, far away here with great success. Being a teenager is never easy, but it’s even harder when you’re training to be a Jedi. Obi Wan wants adventure and mystery, but his master is more concerned with meditation. Things only get worse when Qui-Gon Jinn doesn’t turn up for a mission. So, Obi-Wan heads out on his own. Soon the young Padawan is swept up into a strange mystery when he comes across a community of feral young force users. As he grows closer to them he grows further from his Jedi training and soon begins to question whether he was meant to be a Jedi at all… 

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia – Available Now

This thrilling fantasy adventure takes inspiration from the Mexican legend of La Llorona. Tehlor Kay Mejia delivers an enchanting and haunting tale in this Rick Riordan presents release. Paola’s passion is space, she adores the cosmos almost as much as she loves her friends, Emma and Dante. The trio know the rule: Don’t go to the river. Ever since a schoolmate of theirs drowned they’ve stayed away. And Paola’s mother has long warned her of a crying woman in the reeds. Paola’s a firm believer in science and doesn’t believe her mother’s superstitions until the weeping woman appears to the trio as they stargaze and their world turns upside down. 

Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting by Roseanne A. Brown – September 6

Another brilliant release from the Rick Riordian presents line is this horror-tinged adventure. Bestseller Roseanne A. Brown makes her middle grade debut with this exciting story that introduces readers to Ghanaian folklore. Serwa doesn’t take catching fireflies lightly, that’s because she knows some of them are actually shape shifting vampires known as adze. As one of the foremost adze slayers of her age, Serwa’s life and mission seem set in stone. But when a witch destroys her home and she’s sent to live with her aunt in Maryland all that changes. Can Serwa be a “normal” girl and when an adze infiltrates her school, what will she do?

How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy – September 27 

Need a new magical school book in your life? How to Succeed at Witchcraft will satisfy your cravings and likely become an instant fave. Shay Johnson is one of the most talented young witches at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School. She studies hard and dreams harder. She knows that to become the witch she really wants to be she needs to get the highly-competitive Brockton Scholarship. Pitted against her academic rival in the school musical, Shay thinks she’s a shoe-in but soon realizes her enemy might not be that bad and the musical theater teacher she’s meant to impress might not be the great guy everyone thinks he is. This delightfully cozy story doesn’t shy away from dealing with real issues and wraps it all up in fantastic magical world building. This is one of the best YA debuts of 2022. 

Romance to Read

Drunk On Love by Jasmine Guillory – September 20

There’s no better way to end a steamy hot summer than with a new novel from romance powerhouse Guillory. Margot loves running her Napa Valley winery with her brother. As a successful businesswoman she’s far too busy for love, that is until she meets Luke. The pair instantly hit it off when they cross paths in a bar and flirting quickly turns to something more. It’s a great night but when Luke turns up at her winery as Margot’s newest employee things look like they could get complicated quickly. Guillory brings her trademark charm and steam to this one. If you’re looking for love this fall you have to pick this up. 

A Highly Anticipated Follow-Up Novel to Read

People Person by Candice Carty-Williams – Available September 13

After her brilliant best-selling debut novel Queenie, Candice Carty Williams is back with another beautiful book that deftly avoids being slipped into any of our categories. This punchy read follows Dimple Pennington and her half-siblings. The children of the titular “people person” Cyril Pennington, their charming yet absent patriarch. The only thing the siblings have in common are their abandonment issues until a shocking turn of events brings them together. This is the kind of read that you won’t be able to put down, but that’ll leave you warm and satisfied when you turn that final page. Carty-Williams has blessed us once again. 

Horror/Thriller to Read

Bloody Fool For Love by William Ritter – Available Now 

If you’ve been missing everyone’s favorite goth vampire bad boy then you’re in luck. This new YA novel centers on Spike and his paramour Drusilla as they struggle in the wake of Angel’s abandonment. This punky tale takes place in Spike’s hometown of London, and is a total riot. Relocated and without their patriarch the family are trying to find a new purpose. With Dru a wreck, Spike decides to steal her a powerful relic, so yes… this is a Spike heist story!! How fun! And it’s filled with wit and sarcasm that’ll send you right back to your teenage Buffy fandom. So strap in for a wild bloodsucking ride.

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus – Available Now 

The queen of contemporary murder mystery is back! Karen M. McManus’ new novel is another twisty thriller centering around a shocking killing and its fallout. After the horrific murder of a beloved teacher Brynn left St. Ambrose school. Four years later she’s headed back home with a new job and a mission. As an intern at her favorite true crime podcast Brynn is determined to find the truth about what happened to Mr. Tripp. But as she reconnects with her ex-best friend whose testimony was key to making sure none of the kids who found Tripp were jailed, Brynn realizes she might end up unearthing darker and more terrible secrets than she ever expected. 

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Various Authors – September 13 

Jane Marple is headed back to our bookshelves. Agatha Christie’s whip-sharp detective has been charming readers for decades in her classic mysteries. But a new anthology puts the iconic sleuth in the hands of an impressive array of authors. Lots of our faves in the radical roster: Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse, and Ruth Ware. Each author brings their own twist to Marple in this delightful collection. 

Comics/Manga/Graphic Novels to Read

Birds of Maine by Micheal DeForge – Available Now

If you’ve yet to discover the amazing work of Michael DeForge, this hardcover tome is a joy. Collecting his Birds of Maine webcomics, this is an abstract utopian story about a better world and way of living told through DeForge’s inventive and eye-catching cartooning. Birds of Maine is a rare positive post-apocalyptic tale, and it’s vibrantly hopeful and engaging. This is the sort of book that has to be read to be believed, so add this one to your to-read list today to discover the kind of expansive and brilliant work that publisher Drawn & Quarterly constantly delivers. 

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales by Melanie Gillman – Available September 20

Melanie Gilman has been delighting comics fans for ages with their incisive, sweet, and beautifully illustrated stories. This gorgeous collection brings together some of their best work, subversive, romantic, and delightful queer fairytales brought to life in Gillman’s unique style. “What if the giant who abducted you was actually thoughtful and kind? What if you didn’t want to marry your handsome, popular, but cold-inside suitor? What if your one true love has all the responsibilities that come with running a kingdom?” This tease perfectly sets up what you can expect from this stunning soon to be classic collection.

Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto – Available September 20 

Originally released by the Chainsaw Man creator as a webcomic, this gorgeous, moving manga is finally in book form and it’s lovely. Far from the fantasy horror of his most famous work, Fujimoto turns his hand to a friendship between two young women. Ayumu Fujino and Kyomoto meet in elementary school, their passion for drawing manga pits them against each other but over the years eventually brings them together. This one-shot follows the pair as they grow up and apart, but when a tragedy strikes a strange turn of events gives them another chance. 

Holiday Stories to Read

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish – Available September 6 

Yes it is that time of year already where I’ll be popping a roster of holiday reads on our list as they roll into bookshops near us. The inaugural selection is this delightful queer rom-com from Roan Parrish that’s perfect to get you in the holiday mood. Taking inspiration from the beloved movie, The Holiday, two strangers swap houses for Christmas. It’s a fun experiment that gives both of the home-swappers a chance to explore, but when the two begin to find love in their new cities they’ll have to decide whether or not their new lives and lovers are worth fighting for.

The post 13 Spectacular Books to Read This September appeared first on Nerdist.

Enola Holmes has been charming readers since 2006. Sherlock’s younger sister gained an even bigger audience after her delightful feature debut on Netflix. Brought to life by Millie Bobby Brown, Enola is a radical young woman who loves to solve a mystery as much as her famous brother. But she wouldn’t exist at all if it wasn’t for author Nancy Springer’s popular books. The latest entry into the witty detective series sees Enola go on an epic adventure to save a friend. Nerdist is excited to reveal an exclusive excerpt of the book here.

Here’s Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade‘s official synopsis. 

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola’s friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soon becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help. 

Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily’s mother to find the missing girl – Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London. 

Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities – one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed, is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again – before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot. 

Author Nancy Springer teases that this story will see Enola challenge Sherlock for most inventive disguises used while solving a mystery! “Considering that she used to wear Sherlock’s hand-me-downs, it’s remarkable how much Enola Holmes loves to dress up—and in The Elegant Escapade, she does so to her clever, scheming utmost!”

You can read the prologue to Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escape below! 

Prologue

Seventeen-year-old Lady Cecily Alistair took a knitting needle in her left fist and used its point quite forcibly to scratch a crude, life-sized caricature of her father on the inside of her locked bedroom door. Then she stepped back, barefoot, in her nightgown, to look at the pudgy, fat-headed portrait she had just etched in splintery brown scratches on the door’s white paint. She could have done far better with paint or charcoal, but her father had not allowed her any when he had shut her in here a week ago. He had not allowed her journals to write in, either, or pencils, or pen, or books to read, or anything to do except knit, which he knew she did not like and never had, not even before.

Before it all happened, only a year ago, she had been an obedient if not particularly happy daughter, and all she had to worry about was preparing to be presented to the queen, practicing how to curtsey nearly to the floor without displacing the three large white feathers ab- surdly sprouting atop her coifed head. And, after that, “coming out” as a debutante and finding a suitably rich and titled husband.

Thinking about those times, Lady Cecily aimed her knitting needle like a dart and hurled it hard at the imaginary target of her father’s heart—or lack of one.

Not that she had exactly dreamed of “coming out” or marriage, but she would have gone along with her parents’ plans; it was not she who had spoilt them. Certainly, it was not her fault she had been hypnotized and kidnapped, of all things.

Lady Cecily’s projectile clattered against the locked door but missed its target.

Frowning, picking it up to try again, she wondered not for the first time why she had been so meek, so docile, so utterly possessed by—by her family’s expectations, yes, but more disturbingly, by the villain’s power. He, the charismatic kidnapper, had Mesmerized her so that she might never have escaped his control if it were not for a strange, gawky, gallant girl named Enola who had appeared out of the night and, after rescuing Cecily and saving her life, disappeared back into the night as if she were a phantom.

Enola: mystery. Enola’s name written backwards spelled “alone.” If Cinderella had a fairy godmother, then Cecily seemed to have a fairly odd godsister.

If her life were a fairy tale, she would have returned home to live Happily Ever After, but not so. Papa had fulminated and thundered even though nothing had happened between his daughter and the kidnapper except that he had starved her, overworked her, and oh, by the way, tried to kill her. But to Papa, and most  of society, this was all scandalous and she, Cecily, the victim, was soiled, stained, ruined matrimonial goods. She could never be presented at court, be a debutante, or attract an aristocratic husband.

Papa had not even given her time to recover from her ordeal before he had turned her over to his two odious sisters in a plot to have her marry, perforce, her toad-like cousin. Her darling father had very nearly succeeded in selling her like a slave into wedlock. She did manage, at a lucky chance encounter in a public lavatory, to slip a coded message to Enola, but with very little hope of rescue. By the morning of her nuptials, Cecily was so weakened by starvation and ill-usage that she would have let herself be dragged like a rag doll through the ceremony. She would have been shackled by law to a loathsome husband if it were not for Enola. Enola, appearing at the last moment like a fairy-tale hero, or at least like a fairly tall one. Cecily had learned more about Enola that day, for Enola had delivered her to her brother, who had turned out to be the great detective Sherlock Holmes! So, Enola was Enola Holmes, but to Cecily it seemed as if . . . truly, somehow Enola was her very best friend even though they had only met twice, last January and last May . . . well, three times, if one included a very brief and wordless encounter in the First Ladies’ Lavatory of London.

Sherlock Holmes had escorted Cecily to the safety of her mother’s arms, and then, for a while, it had seemed as if all would be well. But far too soon, Papa had found them and taken them back, and he had imprisoned Cecily in her room, stating his intention to marry her off to someone, somehow, at the first opportunity. Not only had he deprived Cecily of her books and her art for punishment, but, to prevent even the most remote possibility of her escape, he had taken all of her clothes away.

Which was why, in the middle of a sunny October afternoon, she had nothing to wear except a nightgown and nothing better to do than scratch a big, fat likeness of her father on the inside of her locked bedroom door. Cecily’s hand, holding the knitting needle, tightened into a fist. And instead of hurling her weapon at her target anymore, she marched over and forced its point into the wood. Defiantly, with her forbidden left hand, she stabbed the effigy of Sir Eustace Alistair, Baronet.

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade arrives on September 6, 2022. You can place a preorder now.

The post Read an Exclusive Excerpt from ENOLA HOLMES AND THE ELEGANT ESCAPADE appeared first on Nerdist.

Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont is the kind of sci-fi adventure we love here at Nerdist. The story of a young inventor who stumbles across an alien visitor in his local town has all the hallmarks of the classic science fiction we grew up on. As award-winning filmmaker and author Nick Brooks told us over email, that’s entirely the point. 

“Ethan grew out of a conversation I had with Dhonielle Clayton of Cake Creative, around centering Black and Brown boys in sci-fi,” Brookes explained. “Dhonielle suggested we tell a story featuring a young Black inventor and instantly I was hooked because it’s a character we don’t get to see often but one that reminds me a lot of myself when I was a kid. Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont pays homage to film classics like E.T. and Short Circuit, and hopefully, Ethan will inspire a new generation of young readers the way those films inspired me.”

The official description of the book gives readers even more insight into Ethan’s epic adventure.

Something cool happening in Ferrous City? Not a chance.

Until one day . . . when self-proclaimed genius inventor Ethan Fairmont runs into an abandoned car factory to avoid a local bully and accidentally stumbles across his ex-best friend Kareem, new kid Juan Carlos, and an extraterrestrial visitor. Cheese (the alien) is stuck on Earth in need of some serious repairs, spicy snacks—and absolute, total secrecy. That’s easier said than done when mysterious agents descend on Ferrous City to search for Cheese. With time running out and their family and friends in potential danger, can Ethan, Kareem, and Juan Carlos pull off an intergalactic rescue before they’re all found out?

E.T. meets Stranger Things in the kickoff to Nick Brooks’s middle-grade series that weaves contemporary issues of racial profiling, industrial community struggles, and everyday life in a fast-paced out-of-this-world adventure.

With the book almost out in the world, Brooks shared what he can’t wait for readers to experience when Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont hits shelves. “I’m excited for readers to discover, or even rediscover their curiosity. Curiosity is really what drives innovation, and I can’t wait for readers to become inspired by Ethan’s curiosity. I’m excited for them to go explore, discover, and invent after reading this book.”

You can read our exclusive excerpt of Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont below!

THE SANCTUARY

(SHHH, DON’T TELL ANYONE)

Our house sat at the bottom of a long, slanted block that faces east. I knew that because every morning the sun hit my eyes, trying to burn them or something. I darted through the yard. We were on the corner lot, so we had more yard than most of our neighbors. But no worries; I planned to add a mowing attachment to Handy-Bot to keep me from having to cut the lawn all summer.

I headed up the quiet block, which always felt like a workout. The sidewalks turned this way and that, sloping up and dropping suddenly down as if they couldn’t make up their mind. A few neighbors sat on their porches reading their newspapers, while others watered their lawns. My neighborhood was kind of asleep, if a neighborhood could wake up and go to bed. Most of the people who lived around here were older, like Mrs. McGee, and their children were all grown up with families of their own. I liked it this way—not too many forced interactions with neighborhood kids. Who wants to do all that talking? I was too busy.

At the top of the hill, next to the last house on my street, was a fenced-off field. Overgrown weeds and small trees crawled in and out of the fence. It looked like a giant green wall. But if someone was clever enough—say, a genius inventor with time on his hands—there were ways to sneak onto the field.

The sun had started to sink to the west by the time I snuck around several droopy bushes and behind a rotting tree. I heard something rustling in the bushes down the street, so I turned to make sure no one was following me. Several seconds passed. It looked like the coast was clear.

The fence the city put up surrounded the Sanctuary, except in one particular spot just big enough to crawl under. I hated crawling because I’d scraped my arm on the sharp edges of the chain-metal once. Wasn’t pretty. So, with necessity comes invention. I pulled my Magna-gloves out of my backpack and connected them to a power pack, one of almost a dozen that I’ve put together.

I’ve got to say, the Magna-gloves were one of my coolest inventions. Biker gloves, super-strong magnets, and a little power, and you can climb any metal surface like a giant bug. A giant, awesome bug. I was over the fence and off to my stash in three seconds.

Now, the Sanctuary requires some explaining. Not because of where it is, but because of what it is. See, my secret hideout is an abandoned car factory, but not just any old, regular factory. I’m talking about THE Factory.

Ferrous City was built around The Factory. The town divided into two halves: East End and West End. A river separated them, with the factory sitting on the east side, where I lived. Dad told me once that they built it like that a long time ago so that the river could help power part of the building. But again, that was a long, long time ago, before video games and probably the Internet, too, I think.

Everybody worked there, and I mean just about everybody. If your parents weren’t on the assembly line, they answered the telephones or sat at the front desk or cleaned it as janitors. Dad worked on the line when he was a teenager. His father and mother worked on the line, too.

So when The Factory shut down a few years ago, it felt like we all lost a home. It was no longer The Factory, said with emphasis and pride, but just the factory. Like it had all of a sudden shrunk down.

I cleared the field and jogged across the cracked parking lot. The front door of the factory and all the windows were completely boarded up. But there was a back door that only appeared to be shut. A closer look would reveal a movable piece of wood that opened the building to visitors. I approached the back of the enormous brick building, ducked under the boarded-up door, and slid aside a fallen table. Inside, the air felt dusty and heavy. I pulled out a scarf and tied it around my face until only my eyes were exposed. Always come prepared. Take note.

“Now, then, where are those old speakers?” I asked myself. 

For a while, the inside of the factory had become Ferrous City’s unofficial junkyard. People left their old gadgets and gizmos, whatsits and doodads, and whatchamacallits everywhere. I mean, it was a graveyard of parts, electronics, and, quite honestly, treasure just waiting for an inventor like me to breathe life into it. Things were quiet here. I could think. I could build. I was free, unlike in my cramped-up house. This was my . . . Sanctuary.

The factory was one long, open room, like a warehouse stretched out over a football field. Then again, I never actually played football, so I wouldn’t know. At the very front of the factory was a little hallway with small rooms on either side. One had a sign that said supply room, and the other said storeroom. If the factory were a plane, this was where the captain sat. In the back of the factory were stairs that led down to the basement. I didn’t visit the basement much, not because I was afraid or anything. That’s ridiculous.

The main floor was littered with piles of junk. Some piles were so high, you couldn’t even see over them.

I moved through the dusty, cluttered factory floor to a storeroom in the rear corner. The roof had a fresh hole in it, letting in a stream of sunshine. I stopped and stared at it. “That’s new,” I said to myself. My Sanctuary was falling apart. I felt a pinch in my stomach. I had a huge stash here; I couldn’t lose this place.

I rummaged through old parts, glancing at the long worktable that hosted a collection of some of my other experiments-in-progress. And, to be honest, some of my failed experiments that didn’t fit at home. Combination panini maker and waffle iron. Car muffler that makes bubbles. My favorite, even if it didn’t work yet: a miniature greenhouse, complete with grow-lights. The grow-lights worked, but I couldn’t get the humidity right. But none of this was what I was looking for with regard to Handy-Bot. I scanned the whole room. Far on the other side, I spotted the intercom speakers I’d tossed aside on an earlier trip. 

“Bingo! That robot is going to win me a Nobel Prize in Physics.”

I usually wasn’t concerned with awards. The thrill of watching an invention work was validating enough. Although, I did win first place in the citywide science fair once. But when, well, when the traitor left, I tossed the trophy we were supposed to share into a garbage press.

Good riddance.

I filled my backpack with parts and odds and ends. Handy-Bot 2.0 would be my greatest invention yet.

Something scraped along the floor, and I froze.

What was that?

The noise came again. This time from my left. It was near the entrance. Had someone followed me, I wondered.

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists. Spies! They were going to try and steal my ideas! Inventors always have to guard their secrets. That’s why they write in codes with ciphers to keep other people from taking their ideas.

“Who’s there?” I yelled.

Nobody answered. I slipped on my Magna-gloves and powered them up. Screws and paper clips and other small pieces of metal flew toward my hands. Soon each glove was covered in a wiggling ball of metal.

“I’m warning you,” I yelled again. “If you don’t leave, I’ll pulverize you!”

To be honest, I was scared. Dad had told me time and time again about going to the factory, but I always ignored him. “You can get hurt in there, Ethan,” he would say. “There are sharp objects in that factory,” he’d warn. But never did I think I’d get kidnapped.

“Don’t make me tell you again,” I shouted, banging the metal on my gloves against an old filing cabinet I was hiding behind. “All right, here I come!” I started to yell like I was going to charge. I banged my fists faster. I raised my hands over my head like how red pandas do to make themselves look bigger when they’re ready to fight.

Something shuffled near the entrance to the storeroom. A small head peeked around the corner. A mop of black hair fell over a brown face that looked nearly as frightened as I was.

“Whoa! Don’t pulverize me!” the voice said.

I stopped yelling and banging. “Come out where I can see you,” I said with bravery I didn’t feel.

He came around the corner and inside the storeroom. I relaxed. The voice belonged to a skinny brown boy who looked about my age. He wore shorts and a white T-shirt smeared with red-orange stains. He must’ve shimmied through that hole in the fence. I turned off the Magna-gloves and put them away.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Juan,” came the reply. “Juan Carlos Hernandez. My family just moved here last week.”

Oh, shoot. He’s the new kid my mom told me to introduce myself to. And here I just threatened to pulverize him in a place I wasn’t supposed to be with metal fists I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to have.

“Uh . . .” How do you do introductions? I struggled to remember what Mom always told me to do when starting a new year of school, before reality crashed down and I spent lunchtime hiding out in the library. “Hi.”

Smooth.

“My name is Ethan.” I stepped out from behind the filing cabinet and dusted myself off as if I hadn’t been terrified just seconds ago. “I think I live right across the street from you.”

Juan Carlos nodded. He was shorter than I was—then again, most kids were.

“Yeah, my grandmother said I should introduce myself. I saw you walking up the block and was trying to catch up with you,” he said.

“So you weren’t spying on me?”

“Spying? No.”

He seemed sincere.

“Well, you should have spoken up sooner. I could’ve hurt you.”

“I’m sorry. What were those glove things? And what’s in your backpack?”

I threw my hands up. “What’s with all the questions? For someone who said he’s not spying, you sure do act like a spy.” I took my backpack off and gathered up a few more parts. This Juan Carlos kid was annoying.

“Well, okay, then. See ya’, I guess,” Juan said, sounding disappointed.

Juan Carlos shoved his hands into his pockets and headed back toward the door. For a moment, I thought about apologizing and starting over. Just for a moment. But he didn’t look back, so I shrugged and turned to grab a few more things. In case it wasn’t obvious, I have never been good at making friends. Maybe I was missing that kind of programming.

Something rattled across the room. 

“Don’t touch anything on your way out.”

The noise continued as sections of the junk pile began to shift and slide.

“Juan!”

“What?” a voice said behind me, making me jump. Juan Carlos peeked in from outside again. The junk pile continued to rattle, and my heart started to thud in my chest. If Juan Carlos wasn’t making the noise, then . . .

The junk fell in heaps as something emerged from beneath it. Slowly, a giant silver orb floated higher and higher until it loomed over the factory floor, shaking and rattling as it came to life. It zoomed toward us. I could see it wasn’t actually hovering—it was growing! As the orb gained on us, it expanded, as if preparing to swallow us whole.

Someone started screaming. 

Me. I’m someone.

“Run!”

I turned to escape and almost bulldozed Juan Carlos. “Wait for me!” he shouted.

I ran the fastest I’ve ever run in my entire life, and it still wasn’t quite fast enough. I looked back, and the orb was barreling toward us with no plans of stopping.

As Juan Carlos and I bolted, our mouths were wide open, probably because we were screaming. It didn’t matter, though, because I couldn’t hear anything over the clanging of the metal monster closing in on us.

So this is it. This is my legacy. Boy genius crushed by giant unidentified object.

We could see the sunlight glowing right outside the factory door, almost there. The metallic heap started to turn a bright golden light. Then it made a low humming noise, like it was preparing to blast us! Juan Carlos must’ve heard it, too, because he grabbed my hand. I wanted to snatch it away; but when I looked at him, I could see he was even more terrified than I was.

I clenched Juan Carlos’s hand, dug deep to accelerate, and gave it my all as we lunged out the factory door, crashing through the loose wooden planks and landing outside with a thud. We curled up in a ball and closed our eyes tight, expecting to be squashed.

But we weren’t.

I opened my eyes and the monster was gone. Well, it wasn’t gone, but we could hear it clanging its way around the factory floor. Surely that thing could have blasted its way out of this old brick building, but it didn’t.

Why?

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When most people think about graphic novels and comics, they automatically assume the stories are about wild fantasies, superheroes, horror, or something in the genre vein. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like standard print novels, a graphic novel can be about whatever an author wants it to be. Friendships and mundane routines. A random day in the park. Or what it’s like to tackle the tough world of publishing. The latter is what Kate Gavino does in her new graphic novel A Career in Books: A Novel about Friends, Money, and the Occasional Duck Bun. (The shorter title is A Career in Books.) 

This special story follows three Asian American friends who work in different arenas of publishing for various reasons. It throws in some very slice-of-life elements as they navigate being underpaid, hanging out as friends, eating, and simply existing as people. The trio also makes friends with a neighbor who is accomplished but chose to step away from a successful writing career. Her story opens their eyes in different ways.

Things don’t always go to plan and, unlike the rosy lens TV likes to throw on certain industries, Gavino keeps things realistic. Shirin, Silvia, and Nina are not rich. In fact, they are rather underpaid which isn’t a surprise for 2011 (the year this book takes place) or 2022. They deal with microaggressive behavior, ignorance, and barriers to climbing up the career ladder. And sometimes they just deal with stuff because who has the energy to fight every single day.

If you’re super curious about what to expect from this story, we have you covered. Check out this A Career in Books excerpt with all the panels from its first chapter:

A Career in Books is currently available for readers to purchase.

The post This A CAREER IN BOOKS Excerpt Peeks Into Publishing Highs and Woes appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s not easy having a career in publishing, especially if you’re a woman of color. In an industry that consists of mainly white cis-gendered individuals, there aren’t many stories of people of color working in this field. Even television shows like Younger and The Bold Type center around white women working in writing and publishing, often through a glamorized lens. That’s why author and illustrator Kate Gavino wanted to share a perspective of her—and many others—experiences working as an assistant in the editorial department of various publishing houses for several years. In her upcoming (and refreshingly realistic) graphic novel A Career in Books: A Novel about Friends, Money, and the Occasional Duck Bun, three Asian American women—Shirin, Nina, and Silvia—try to break out in the world of publishing in 2011 while dealing with money issues, daily microaggressions, and relationships. They befriend their elderly neighbor Veronica Vo, a Booker Prize-winning author, and find inspiration in her journey.

To celebrate A Career in Books‘ release on August 2, Gavino chatted with Nerdist about showing love to New York, friendship between Asian women, and the challenges of navigating an industry dominated by white voices.

Nerdist: Your main characters in A Career in Books are three independent, but very different Asian American women who are starting their career in publishing. Give me a breakdown of these characters and how did you establish their personalities?

Kate Gavino: I saw each one [of them] like a different extension of myself. Specifically, I was starting out in the publishing world. Starting with Nina, the most determined and very proactive one who is hell bent on becoming an editor at any cost. She’s very professional and has her career goals all set out. I was like that when I started working in the publishing world. I knew I wanted to be an editor. I was prepared to do the grunt work, climb the ladder, and play by the rules in some sense.

Throughout the book, each of the girls slowly become disillusioned with the publishing world. I think it’s hardest for Nina because she does everything right. She’s assertive and finds books to acquire, but she eventually learns you can do the right thing, but that doesn’t always necessarily mean you’ll come out on top or that it’ll always work out. That’s definitely the kind of journey I wanted her to take on, but still maintain her fierce independence and determination. She’s definitely the character that I aspire to be.

Then there is Silvia whose ultimate goal is to be a writer. A lot of people I knew in publishing, including myself, were always interested in how books are made and wanted to have a close up view of that process, even though we weren’t sure we wanted to be an editor for the rest of our lives. Her character is probably the one I relate to the most. She’s from Houston and comes from a Filipino family. She doubts herself as a writer but she knows that’s what she wants to do.

And, like me, I’m always fascinated by the publishing world and the authors and editors within it. She does get bogged down by the day-to-day interactions with coworkers. Her big conflict in the book is her butting heads with her coworker who takes her for granted as an assistant. So for her journey, I wanted her to assert herself and be okay with taking up space and telling her own story.

Then there is Shirin, who—like a lot of people in publishing—loves books. She takes the job as something to do after she graduated from college. Her relationship to office life is basically my relationship with office life. There is something soul-sucking about sitting at a desk all day in front of a computer, but, at the same time, coming from a family of immigrants, we feel incredibly lucky for a cushy office job and feel so guilty for not 100% loving it.

There’s a lot of guilt towards her feelings about work and begins therapy in the book as well. She’s a very confused 22 year old, which was very me at the time. She’s also one of the funniest characters to write because she’s a bit chaotic and impulsive. Those are the three characters. They’re all different extensions of myself, so it came very natural writing them. 

Veronica Vo is an elderly first-generation Vietnamese refugee-immigrant who came to America, became an established author, and suddenly disappeared from that scene. What was the significance of Veronica in A Career in Books? What does she represent to you and the three main characters?

Gavino: Veronica is a writer that they wish they had known existed back when they were in school studying literature. I come from Houston, Texas where there’s a large Vietnamese community [that I grew up around]. I wanted to portray a character who was very multi-faceted. I made up the writer that I wished I had known existed when I was younger. I also wanted to show how the publishing world hasn’t changed since she was around in the late ’70s/early ’80s.

I also just wanted her to capture my frustrations as an Asian American writer because she is so often pigeonholed in certain genres and she just wants to tell stories that she wants to tell, but book publishing is about making money. Not every writer is given that freedom. I wanted to show how she was frustrated by that time in her life but was still able to find her voice as a writer and find her own way of being free of that – even if that meant her books were no longer in print. Despite all of that, she manages to find her audience. 

You live in Paris now, but lived in New York during your publishing days. And A Career in Books has so many New York scenes. Was this book also a love letter to New York?

Gavino: This is definitely a love letter to my time in New York, which was around 2009 to around 2018. It’s definitely a love letter specifically to that era because I miss New York so much, but I also specifically miss that nostalgia period in my mind—when you’re in your early 20s living with your friends. You romanticize things, but as you get older, you don’t want to return to those things like making a small salary or living in a very cramped, small apartment. But, at that time, it seemed like the best or funnest adventure. So it’s definitely a love letter to that specific time in my life. 

I love all the details you have of the situations that many Asians go through with microaggressions, mental health, dealing with significant others’ parents, and how closely connected we are to being Asian American. What do you want readers to take away from this?

Gavino: I specifically wanted to take a closer look at [being Asian American] through the lens of their friendship. I have a big group of Asian friends and one aspect that was really interesting to me is the subtle similarities and differences between East Asians and Southeast Asians. Shirin and Silvia are Filipino and Nina is Japanese. They go to Shirin’s family home for Thanksgiving and Shirin’s grandpa is not 100% a big fan of Japanese people.

I feel like when you’re Asian American, you have to put up with dynamics like that all the time. Sometimes you embrace them and sometimes you cast a blind eye towards them. I really wanted to emphasize their lives as Asian Americans which means if you live in a big city like NYC, you have access to all these amazing Asian cuisine and seeing another Asian is not a rare thing.

So when they first start school together, they’re very self conscious about not being immediately friends because they didn’t want to be the Asian clique in their writing group. [Those are] just some things that I have experienced too. I’m sure other groups deal with that in their own ways, but I always thought it was interesting to explore that through the lens of their friendship. Mental health is a taboo topic, but I wanted to show how, at least in my generation, it’s becoming a lot more open in terms of something that we talked about. I’m just always a big proponent of talking about something as much as possible and being open about it with the people that are closest to you. 

I appreciated seeing what Asian women and WOC have to deal with in the industry, especially working for white women who see themselves as allies but their actions are actually performative and harmful. Were you ever given feedback on the book to hold off on this conversation or to be careful on what you write because it’s ultimately a white industry?

Gavino: This was something that was weighing on me when I was writing the book. The publishing industry is very women-led up to a certain point because the top is usually men. But it’s mostly women and mostly white women. I think it’s slowly changing more, but still emphasis on slowly. That was a big thing for me because when you’re an assistant, I had a lot of experiences like Silvia did dealing with very pushy women who assumed you’re quiet and that you’re willing to stay at work late and walk all over you.

A lot of my time in the publishing industry sped up my learning that I should assert my own space and that just because I’m an assistant doesn’t mean I don’t have my own ideas or a sense of self. It’s a lesson that people have to learn across all industries. One thing I definitely didn’t want in the book were any clear cut happy endings because these girls are 22-23 [years old]. They still have their whole lives ahead of them.

I just wanted to leave them at a place I thought was realistic for a 22-23 year old where they’re still figuring things out. Some of them decide to stay in the industry and some decide to leave. It’s an interesting industry because most of your bosses are going to be women. There’s definitely not always a solidarity between all women. That’s why I wanted the friendship between the three girls to be so strong because they needed each other as a way to support each other through that. 

It’s been over 10 years since 2011 and you’ve been out of the publishing game as an editor for years. But, do you feel like the industry has changed since then?

Gavino: I still have a lot of friends who work in the publishing world and I am a very nosy person. I like to stay on top of what’s happening in that industry. I do think things are changing. I know Harper-Collins is going on strike. Social media is having more vigor on creating lasting change or calling out what needs to be changed. People have a bigger platform to demand change. I’m not 100% sure how much lasting change is being done, but I think it is getting better in terms of people having more of a voice and being able to express what needs to be changed.

So, the book leaves open some more stories to be told with the three women. Would you ever want to do a follow up especially if you’d want to do a story that relates with today in 2022?

Gavino: That would be fun because I’m in my 30s now and I definitely like the place I’m in now. When I finished the book, I really missed these characters – drawing them and creating their entire universes. I’d love to see where they are in their 30s, especially with how the publishing world has changed and just, personally,  how much your life changes between your 20s and 30s as well. That’s definitely something I’d be interested in doing.

The post Author Kate Gavino on Her Heartfelt Graphic Novel A CAREER IN BOOKS appeared first on Nerdist.

Welcome back to the Nerdist Reading List. Each month I curate book recommendations that’ll delight, charm, and terrify. Basically, this is the place to find the best fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance books and comics to add to your books-to-read pile. To make things easier, each month will include a selection of already released books you can grab instantly. We also have new books you’ll definitely want to pre-order or add to your library holds. This month we’ve got a stack of unreal fantasy to help you escape the heat, as well as radical romance, family horror, and some magnificent manga to make your summer sing! 

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu – Available now

Seeing as the third volume of this smash hit Danmei series comes out this month, we’re recommending that you catch up on the delightful fantasy romance. You might know Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation better by the title The Untamed, which is the popular live-action adaptation. Unlike that series though, here the romance between demonic cultivators Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji is a key part of the story as they battle monsters and discover the shocking history that binds them. With volume three about to come out it’s time to catch up! 

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen – Available July 26

Lying and cheating has kept Violet alive in the cutthroat world of the court. Her prophecies aren’t all made up, but she can be somewhat… imaginative when she needs to be. But when she’s ordered to give a fake prophecy about the love life of the young Prince Cyrus, it sets off a chain of events that puts her and her kingdom in danger. This YA debut is an enchanting and action-packed fantasy that’ll keep you hooked until the very last page. 

Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin – Available August 2

This lush Filipino-inspired tale throws readers into a land of beasts and monsters. Seri knows one thing about the place she grew up: Beasts prowl the forests and hunt the People. That’s why Seri’s job as an assistant to a valiant hunter is so important. Or so she thinks. When she meets a Tsana everything changes. She can speak to the Beasts and Seri begins to question everything that she thought she knew as she grows closer to her enigmatic new friend. 

Alliana, Girl of Dragons by Julie Abe – Available August 2

Julie Abe wrote one of our favorite novels in recent years, Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch. She’s back with her Japanese-inspired Cinderella reimagining Alliana, Girl of Dragons, and it’s just as magical. After the death of her loving grandmother, Alliana puts away her childish dreams of fairy tales, spun-sugar, and seeing the queen in the capital. Now she’s under the thumb of her cruel step-mother, until she meets a dragon and a witch who change her life. 

Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury – Available August 9

In the highly-anticipated sequel to Blood Like Magic, Liselle Sambury returns readers to the world of Voya Thomas. The aspiring witch may have gotten her wish but at what cost? Suddenly finding herself alone she embarks on a new stage of her journey. “Urban fantasy meets Afro-futurism” in this continuation of the radical coming of age tale, that focuses on a young woman trying to come to terms with the legacy of her family’s magic and living up to it. 

Horror/Thriller 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney – Available August 30

There’s been a fair few takes on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None of late. But Daisy Darker offers a truly unique twist on the tale. An estranged and damaged family visits the secluded ancestral nest to celebrate their matriarch’s birthday. But soon—as is always the way—they begin to die in gruesome fashion. Who’s killing them? And what dark secret is the motive? Filled with startling mystery, a truly shocking ending, and unputdownable family drama, Daisy Darker will surely become one of the most talked about books of the summer. 

Romance 

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley – Available now

This unbelievably charming romance will sweep you off your feet and fill your stomach! Jada Townsend-Matthews has had a rough time of it. A reality tv show gone wrong leads to her working in a cult cupcake shop which makes unbelievably tasty treats. The only problem is the owner, a cranky professional football player named Donovan Dell. When the pair are wrongly coined as a couple they come up with a fake dating scheme to use it to their advantage. Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert and Jasmine Guillory this is a tasty treat for romance readers. 

Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J. McAvoy – Available August 23

Regency romances are one of our favorite things here at Nerdist and J.J. McAvoy is here to deliver a delightful new entry to the canon. Aphrodite’s name has always felt like more of a blessing than a curse, even though her beauty is appreciated throughout the ton. She feels like it especially stings seeing as the love of her life left her for another woman. So why can’t she keep away from him when she’s called back to London to help her mother? Ex’s to enemies to lovers is the trope of the day here and it’s a delectable one, so make sure you pick this up. 

Comics/Manga 

The Liminal Zone by Junji Ito – Available July 26

We’re huge Junji Ito fans here at Nerdist and this month Viz is blessing us with a new collection by horror’s greatest mangaka. Featuring four longer stories, The Liminal Zone once again throws readers into the author’s nightmarish world. From weeping women to suicide forests, Ito is at his best once again, offering up haunting and delectable horror stories for the discerning reader. Well done to Viz for publishing Ito’s gorgeous work in stunning releases like this. 

Rooster Fighter by Shū Sakuratani – Available August 16

Viz continues its streak of putting out unique and expensive genre-bending manga, with this shonen series about a monster fighting rooster. In the vein of their recent smash hit Mashle, this story acts as both a fun-filled, action-packed adventure, and a meta-text on shonen stories. As giant creatures attack Japanese cities, the country only has one hope: a brave-hearted bird who will stand against them and shout his fearsome battle cry: Cock-a-Doodle-Do!

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