Dani-Kessel-Odom

Hi Debbie,

You are correct. It was funded through Kickstarter. The first campaign in 2019 didn't meet the threshold. The second one in 2020 not only hit the minimum but met the stretch goal.

Hi Nyrox, I actually mentioned Dragonriders of Pern in the introduction! I tore through those when I was a teenager. It's a great book series, even if they're a little dated by today's standards.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your comment! I didn't include Void Moon because I was never a big fan of Cassie Black. That said, I'm glad you shared your thoughts so others who haven't read the book can check it out. I'm sure other people will jive with it more than I did. :)

The Expanse books are great and definitely worth reading.

As for the deathless enemy, unless I missed something big in The Faith of Beasts, we have no confirmation yet of what they are. The Swarm is a nanotech spy used by them, but the deathless enemy and the Swarm aren't confirmed as synonymous at any point. Also, it wouldn't make sense for the deathless enemy to be created by humans, considering they predate humanity.

Saying he was the protagonist wasn't my intention, but I phrased it clumsily. Apologies. I will make that clearer.

However, I stand by the statement that he's an anti-hero. That becomes obvious to me if you look at his statements when he's Wit in The Stormlight Archives. The quote that stood out to me was when he told Dalinar not to trust him because he would let the world of Roshar burn to get what he needs. Also, his talking about pulling a man apart and piecing him back together feels morally dubious. Idk. That, to me, sounds like someone who is only an ally out of convenience. I could be reading him wrong, though.

Hi David,

You are correct that Bruce Bethke coined the word. Perhaps it was an oversight not to include that detail. I'm willing to own that. I still wouldn't necessarily include his book, though, as I thought the short story was better. As far as I remember, the short story was punchy and had sharp commentary. The book felt like it overstretched the story and didn't develop the characters quite enough for a full-length book.

As for Snow Crash, it's an amazing book. I'd definitely put it up there with the bests of all time. However, it didn't come out until 1992.

Hi Chad, thanks for your comment! You are absolutely correct! Biopunk is frequently considered a subgenre of cyberpunk.

I personally think of it as a Venn diagram. Some cyberpunk isn't biopunk. Some biopunk isn't cyberpunk. And there is a lot of that middle crossover area.

Neuromancer was one of the foundational cyberpunk novels. The reason I call him a pioneer of the genre is that he didn't create it alone. Neuromancer and Blade Runner are considered the two foundational pieces of media for the genre, and they were both inspired by the Metal Hurlant comics.

Hey Terry,

Thanks for your comment and for sharing your recommendation. :)

I love Fringe!

I actually went back and forth on whether to put it on the list. The only reason I didn't include it here was that I felt it was more alternate universe than alternate history. You could definitely make an argument for both, though.

Hey there! I meant to mention the Blackbeard & Stede romance in the sentence you mentioned as weird, which is where it diverges. That was my mistake. Thank you for pointing it out.

Oh my goodness, I accidentally cut out the most important sentence of that section during editing. I have no clue how I did that. I guess this is my own version of a goof, haha.

Dustin (Gatten) says, "Finn, let him go," instead of "Mike, let him go."

Thank you for pointing out the omission. I am adding it back in now.

Hi Jr.,

Thanks for the question. The streaming and buying options are listed in the tag card at the bottom of the article, next to the button labeled "where to watch." I'm not sure where you're located, so I can't speak to your regional availability. However, it is available on Paramount+ for streaming rather than for purchase in many locations. I hope that helps!

Hi Mr.,

I would LOVE for Shadow King to join the MCU!

He's such an epic character, and your idea about him breaching into the universe feels like a smart way of introducing him. My only worry is, how would he affect Doomsday?

He feels like too big a villain to be defeated in a single movie. It would also feel weird to ignore his existence in the MCU with a version of Professor X appearing in the upcoming Avengers movie. But, I also have a feeling Doomsday is going to focus solely on Doom as the villain. I'd almost rather wait and have him be the big bad in the first X-Men reboot movie.

Then again, if Sadie is Jean Grey, they could have her trap him temporarily, since she's powerful enough as a psychic.

Either way, he would be such a great addition, whether in Brand New Day or later on.