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The Most Iconic Speculative Fiction Books of the 21st Century
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Check out a variety of columns on Reactor, from rereads and rewatches, to themed articles, and more! Columns that are currently active, or recently completed, are collected here.

Elantris Reread

Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: “The Hope of Elantris” and Closing Thoughts

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Comment number: 6
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapter Sixty-Three and Epilogue

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Comment number: 5
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapter Sixty-Two

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Comment number: 10
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapter 61

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Comment number: 5
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapter Sixty

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Comment number: 7
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-Seven to Fifty-Nine

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Comment number: 7
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-Five and Fifty-Six

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Comment number: 6
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-Three and Fifty-Four

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Comment number: 8
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-One and Fifty-Two

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Comment number: 0
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Nine and Fifty

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Comment number: 0
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Seven and Forty-Eight 

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Comment number: 0
Elantris cover

Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Four to Forty-Six 

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Comment number: 0
See All Elantris Reread

Five Books About...

Photo of high school lockers
Books
Five Books About

Five Books Where the Real Horror Is High School

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Comment number: 2
Photo of brightly colored pill capsules
Books
Five Books About

Five Books About Fictional Mind-Altering Drugs

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Comment number: 7
Illustration of a succubus and an orc standing back to back behind the counter of a coffee and pastry shop, from the cover of Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes
Books
Five Books About

5 Books That Worldbuild Through Fashion and Food

By
Comment number: 3
Detail from the cover of Sarah Rees Brennan's Long Live Evil
Books
Five Books About

5 SFF Books Featuring Villainous Team-ups

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Comment number: 12
Detail from the cover of Pedro Domingos' 2040: A Silicon Valley Satire
Books
Five Books About

5 SFF Books About Elections and Technology

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Comment number: 14
Collection of 5 gothic horror books
Books
Five Books About

Five Books Featuring Horrific Family Inheritances

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Comment number: 3
Collection of 5 book covers from "middle books" of different SFF trilogies
Books
Five Books About

5 Excellent Middle Books in SFF Trilogies

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Comment number: 15
Photo of a rose laying on an open book
Books
Five Books About

Five Books With Characters Who Hate Everyone… Except You

By
Comment number: 2
Photo of a pine forest
Books
Five Books About

Rooted in Majesty: 5 Novels Set in Real or Imagined National Parks

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Comment number: 7
Illustration of three women with glowing eyes; the central figure also has glowing markings on her skin, and lightning crackles behind her. From the cover of Tobi Ogundiran's In the Shadow of the Fall
Books
Five Books About

5 Books Featuring Smaller West African Deities

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Comment number: 2
Covers of six books that mix SFF with closed-circle mystery
Books
Five Books About

Six Closed Circle Mysteries To Ensnare Your Brain

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Comment number: 8
This artist's concept shows a black hole with an accretion disk -- a flat structure of material orbiting the black hole -- and a jet of hot gas, called plasma.
Books
Five Books

Five Books Whose Physics Broke My Head Open

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Comment number: 16
See All Five Books About...

The Great Superhero Rewatch

Close-up of Night Man in his superhero costume, featuring a black rubber cowl with one red eyepiece
Movies & TV
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“I cannot place my life in the hands of a saxophone player!” — Night Man

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Comment number: 10
Cassandra Web (Dakota Johnson) in a promotional image for Madame Web
Movies & TV
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“Now you’re really showing off” — Madame Web

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Comment number: 16
A scene from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Aquaman (Jason Momoa) holds a trident.
Movies & TV
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“No one hits my brother but me.” — Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

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Comment number: 14
Screenshot from The Marvels, showing Carol Danvers flying.
Movies & TV
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“Families are complicated” — The Marvels

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Comment number: 40
A Scene from Captain Battle: Legacy War -- Close-up of Sam Battle (Cuyle Carvin) wearing an eyepatch
Movies & TV
Superhero Movie Rewatch

Captain America (Very) Lite — Captain Battle: Legacy War

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Comment number: 12
Rereads/Rewatches
Superhero Movie Rewatch

Ain’t Nothin’ But a Family Thing — Blue Beetle

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Comment number: 24
Rereads/Rewatches
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“It really is good to have friends” — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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Comment number: 0
Rereads/Rewatches
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“We’re gonna need more Skittles” — Shazam!: Fury of the Gods

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Comment number: 25
Rereads/Rewatches
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“I have holes!” — Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania

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Comment number: 41
Rereads/Rewatches
Superhero Movie Rewatch

Because Nobody Demanded It… — R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned

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Comment number: 0
Column
Superhero Movie Rewatch

“Only the most broken people can be great leaders” — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

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Comment number: 38
Column
Superhero Movie Rewatch

We Don’t Need Another Hero — Black Adam

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Comment number: 36
See All The Great Superhero Movie Rewatch

Mark As Read

abstract painting of a seated woman reading a book next to a table with books, papers, a bottle and glass, and a vase of flowers
Books
Mark as Read

A Modest Request for a Little More Genre Chaos

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Comment number: 8
Painting of a woman sitting on a lawn with a parasol and a book
Books
Mark as Read

In Praise of Things Being Just Plain Good

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Comment number: 14
Watercolor painting of the earth
Books
Mark as Read

Coming to Terms With Climate Fiction

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Comment number: 0
Photo of a leather bound travel journal and a square book of maps
Column
Mark as Read

The Road Goes Ever On: When Fantasy Sends You on Your Own Journeys

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Comment number: 1
Painting of an old woman wearing glasses and a head scarf; she is seated at a table and holds an open book. Three candelsticks and a plate with two apples rest on the table.
Column
Mark as Read

When It’s Time To Change Your Reading Habits

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Comment number: 11
Painting of St Catherine seated at a table, reading a book that rests on a tasseled cushion
Books
Mark as Read

What Happens After the World Gets Saved?

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Comment number: 51
Oil painting of a woman seated at a table, reading a book. The woman rests her elbow on the table with her head resting on her fist.
Column
Mark as Read

The Joy of Reading Books You Don’t Entirely Understand

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Comment number: 29
Illustration of a woman weeping, kneeling at a desk with her head down near an open book.
Books
Mark as Read

In Search of Big Feelings

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Comment number: 19
Painting of a man sitting at a desk, bent over a pile of papers and books, writing on one of the papers
Book Recommendations
Mark as Read

To Write or Not to Write (In Your Books)

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Comment number: 24
Painting of three children seated at a table, reading.
Column
Mark as Read

Can a Book Really Be For Everyone?

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Comment number: 0
Photograph of a bookshelf, looking up at an angle. A ladder leans against the shelf.
Book Recommendations
Mark as Read

On Letting Go of the Idea of “Keeping Up”

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Comment number: 13
Photograph of a bookshelf with old hardback books stacked at various angles.
Column
Mark as Read

Bookish Death Cleaning: On What We Keep, and What It Means

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Comment number: 27
See All Mark as Read

Reading The Weird

Cover of Lightspeed #170, July 2024

Never Respond to Rejection Letters: Aimee Picchi’s “The Only Writing Advice You’ll Ever Need to Survive Eldritch Horrors”

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Comment number: 1
Book cover of Pet Semetary by Stephen King

Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Ideas: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (Part 13)

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Comment number: 0
Cover of the June 2024 issue of Nightmare Magazine

The Viral Post From Beyond: Manish Melwani’s “Mammoth”

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Comment number: 0
Book cover of Pet Semetary by Stephen King

The Limits of Horror: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (Part 12)

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Comment number: 0
Cover of Hutchinson’s Magazine, April 1922

The Award for Worst Person Ever: E. F. Benson’s “The Outcast”

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Comment number: 4
Book cover of Pet Semetary by Stephen King

The Joy of the Vulture: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (Part 11)

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Comment number: 1
Illustration by James McBryde for M. R. James's story "Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad", first published "All Hallows Eve 1904"

There Were Two Beds! — M.R. James’ “Oh Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad”

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Comment number: 17
Book cover of Pet Semetary by Stephen King

We Go On: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (Part 10)

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Comment number: 2
Cover of Uncanny Magazine, Issue #44

Reticence and Revenge: Sarah Monette’s “The Haunting of Dr. Claudius Winterson”

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Comment number: 2
Book cover of Pet Semetary by Stephen King

Problems That Smell: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (Part 9)

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Comment number: 0
Cover of Apex Magazine #143

Love in the Time of Fungi: Nika Murphy’s “The Ghost Tenders of Chornobyl”

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Comment number: 0
Book cover of Pet Semetary by Stephen King

 “He Stinks of the Ground You Buried Him In”: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (Part 8)

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See All Reading the Weird

Reading The Wheel of Time

Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Tarna Plans and Cadsuane Wonders in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 15)

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Comment number: 6
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Alviarin Comes Home, and Meets the Dark One’s Hand inCrossroads of Twilight (Part 14)

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Comment number: 10
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Dreams of What’s To Come in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 13)

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Comment number: 18
Egwene al'Vere from Amazon Prime's Wheel of Time

Egwene Becomes Rand’s Counterpart as She Readies the White Tower for Tarmon Gai’don

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Comment number: 4
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Receives a Surprise, and the Hall Makes a Decision in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 12)

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Comment number: 9
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Considers Iron, Negotiation, and Cuendillar in Crossroad’s of Twilight (Part 11)

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Comment number: 20
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: High Seats Plot and Darkfriends Kill in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 10)

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Comment number: 8
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Elayne Meets Some Children and Learns About Her Own in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 9)

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Comment number: 11
Cover of Crossroads of Twilight

Reading The Wheel of Time: Elayne Always Pays Her Debts and Does Her Duty in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 8)

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Comment number: 7
See All Reading The Wheel of Time

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch

Composite image of three captains from various Star Trek series: Kirk, Picard, and Sisko
Rereads and Rewatches
Star Trek

These Were the Voyages — Looking Back on 13 Years of Star Trek Rewatches

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Comment number: 65
Captain Archer gives the Vulcan salute. Screenshot from Star Trek: Enterprise "Kir'Shara"
Column
Star Trek

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: Fourth Season Overview

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Comment number: 45
Screenshot of T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) and Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise
Rereads and Rewatches
Star Trek

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “These are the Voyages…”

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Comment number: 52
Screenshot of T'Pol holding a baby in Star Trek: Enterprise, "Terra Prime"
Rereads and Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Terra Prime”

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Comment number: 11
Image from Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Demons”

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Comment number: 42
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II”

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Comment number: 0
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “In a Mirror, Darkly” (Part I)

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Comment number: 57
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Bound”

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Comment number: 3
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Divergence”

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Comment number: 0
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Affliction”

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Comment number: 0
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “The Aenar”

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Comment number: 0
Rereads/Rewatches
Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “United”

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Comment number: 0
See All Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch

Terry Pratchett Book Club

Cover of The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: The Shepherd’s Crown, Part III

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Comment number: 25
Cover of The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: The Shepherd’s Crown, Part II

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Comment number: 10
Cover of The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: The Shepherd’s Crown, Part I

By
Comment number: 10
Cover of Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Raising Steam, Part IV

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Comment number: 11
Cover of Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Raising Steam, Part III

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Comment number: 22
Cover of Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Raising Steam, Part II

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Comment number: 11
Cover of Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Raising Steam, Part I

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Comment number: 18
Cover of Terry Pratchett's Dodger, showing the title character entering or exiting a manhole in a dark street, tipping his high hat, and holding a blade, with a dog by his side.

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Dodger, Part III

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Comment number: 6
Cover of Terry Pratchett's Dodger, showing the title character entering or exiting a manhole in a dark street, tipping his high hat, and holding a blade, with a dog by his side.

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Dodger, Part II

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Comment number: 12
Cover of Terry Pratchett's Dodger, showing the title character entering or exiting a manhole in a dark street, tipping his high hat, and holding a blade, with a dog by his side.

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Dodger, Part I

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Comment number: 10
Cover of Snuff by Terry Pratchett, showing Vimes steering a boat, surrounded by chickens, in a chaotic scene.

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Snuff, Part IV

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Comment number: 16
Cover of Snuff by Terry Pratchett, showing Vimes steering a boat, surrounded by chickens, in a chaotic scene.

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Snuff, Part III

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Comment number: 11
See All Terry Pratchett Book Club

Close Reads

Gandalf standing alone in Rings of Power, season 2 episode 2
Column
Close Reads

Gandalf and the Search for One’s True Name

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Comment number: 0
A scene from Star Wars: The Acolyte; Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Koril (Margarita Levieva) stand with the rest of the coven.
Column
Close Reads

A Gentle Request for More Witches in Star Wars

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Comment number: 5
Cover of Herman Melville's Redburn with cover art by Edward Gorey
Books
Close Reads

Illustrating the Subtext: Edward Gorey’s Homoerotic Cover Art for Melville’s Redburn

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Comment number: 2
Alicent (Olivia Cooke) stands with King Viserys (Paddy Considine) in the midst of his model of Old Valyria in House of the Dragon.
Column
Close Reads

A Eulogy for House of the Dragon’s Model of Old Valyria

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Comment number: 2
Cassandra Webb attends a baby shower and tries to lighten the mood.
Column
madame web

The One Truly Great Scene in Madame Web

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Comment number: 4
Books
Close Reads

Chaos Under the Corset: When Romance Covers Hide Revolution

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Comment number: 20
Column
Close Reads

We Could Be “Eggheads”: Sliders and the Celebrity of Smart

By
Comment number: 4
Coraline wears a star-patterned sweater in a scene from Coraline
Column
Close Reads

Considering the Perfect Knits of Coraline

By
Comment number: 2
Scarlett Johansson as an alien in Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin
Column
Close Reads

The Artistic Bravery of Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin

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Comment number: 5
Column
Close Reads

Let’s All Celebrate the Weirdness of Exorcist III’s Dream Sequence

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Comment number: 0
Column
Close Reads

A Bloody Fool? On Mark E. Smith’s Smile

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Comment number: 7
Books
Close Reads

The Wonders of Worf’s Character Arc

By
Comment number: 13
See All Close Reads

Tingle Takeover

Column
Tingle Takeover

“Horror Is Not a Celebration of Death, It Is a Celebration of Life”: Chuck Tingle Talks Camp Damascus

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Comment number: 2
Books
Tingle Takeover

TINGLED BY FIVE OF CHUCK’S FAVORITE HORROR GRAPHIC NOVELS

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Comment number: 2
Column
Tingle Takeover

Not Pounded By The Physical Manifestation Of Chuck Tingle’s Traditional Publishing Deal Because He Writes About More Than Just Pounding However If This Book Was About Pounding That Would Be Okay Too Because There’s Nothing Wrong With Sexuality In Art

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Comment number: 3
Column
Tingle Takeover

YOUR CAMP DAMASCUS MIXTAPES

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Comment number: 0
Books
Excerpt

Read an Excerpt From Camp Damascus, the Horror Debut From Chuck Tingle

By
Comment number: 0
Column
Tingle Takeover

Art in Defiance of the Endless Cosmic Nothing

By
Comment number: 6
Author Chuck Tingle has taken over Tor.com
Column
Tingle Takeover

I, TWO TIME HUGO AWARD FINALIST CHUCK TINGLE, HAVE TAKEN OVER TOR.COM

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See All Tingle Takeover

“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

TPG 2024 • Site Credit