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Andrew Liptak

@andrewliptak.com
2.4K followers 682 following 2.6K posts

Writer, historian, cosplayer, Vermonter. Author of Cosplay: A History. Newsletter: www.andrewliptak.com

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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 29/09/2026
Hello, my name is Raven and I’m a hyperactive menace that smells like cheese.
A black and white dog looking intently out of frame
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 19/09/2026
Karin Lowachee’s Warchild and sequels.
A stack of books. The top one is warchild by Karin Lowachee
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 18/09/2026
I'm just going to keep tossing this story out there: issues.org/futuretensef...
But the episode with the Chinese ship underscores a different, and more immediate risk: human beings making disastrous decisions based on inaccurate or misleading information generated by AI or other automated systems. Sources said that the military is rapidly turning to AI to help with targeting, an area which holds the obvious risk of fatal mistakes.
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 11/09/2026
New arrivals: Cosplay: A History by me! The past couple of years, I’ve gotten a stack of these from Book Depot, and I’ll take them with me to conventions and talks to sell on my own or to give as gifts. Want one signed and personalized? Drop me a message!
Two giant stacks of cosplay: a history by Andrew Liptak
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 03/09/2026
Book 27 of 2026: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I’d been looking for something a little different and this was recommended by a friend. I love how this story is told in letters, how it brings out heartbreaking revelations and growth in all of its characters.
A copy of the correspondent by Virginia Evans
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 02/09/2026
If you see this, post a not-quite Star Trek…
A scene from Stargate SG-1's episode "200".
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 31/08/2026
Also, 12 people thought to nominate Transfer Orbit for the Fanzine category. That's pretty cool! (Thanks to those who did so!)
A screenshot of the nominations long-list for Best Fanzine category. Transfer Orbit is at the bottom with 12 votes.
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 29/08/2026
Farewell, #LAcon, that was fun.
Palm trees
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 28/08/2026
This is so cool.
A lunar eclipse
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 28/08/2026
Eclipse!
A partially obstructed moon
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 27/08/2026
Can I say how much I despise Facebook? They’ve shifted to a model where I have to subscribe to post links to my writer’s profile. Apparently, I could post two links for free but after this, I have to pay around $50 a month to just get eight links per month.
A pop-up that says get more links with Meta oneTry Meta one advanced free for one week
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 26/08/2026
WorldCon bound!
A pair of green bags
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 25/08/2026
Book 26th of 2026: The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present by @stevebrusatte.bsky.social. I love Steve’s two books about dinosaurs and mammals. This is just as excellent an overview of how birds came to be and how they’ve changed over millions of years.
They copy of the story of birds
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 17/08/2026
Book 25 of 2026: A Trade of Blood by @robertjbennett.bsky.social. Man, this series keeps getting better and better. Go for Ana and Din working another weird mystery, stay for the fungal murders and reckoning over empires and the uncomfortable truths about industrial agriculture.
A copy of a trade of blood
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 17/08/2026
I brought Bram with me, saw friends, sold some copies of my book, and got to check out some really cool artwork.
A work of art A work of art An art display that shifts from red to blue Detail of clouds in a painting
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 17/08/2026
I’ve been meaning to visit for ages: the museum acquired the collection of the Higgins Armory Museum when it closed and opened a big armor exhibit showcasing that collection in a spectacular open storage scheme.
An open storage display featuring armor
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 17/08/2026
Today was a lot of fun: I went down to the Worcester Art Museum to talk about the history of cosplay and costuming for their Arms and Armor Day.
Suit of armorSuit of armor Suit of armor
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 11/08/2026
This isn’t a costume (although if I want to do an Arrival cosplay, all I need is a face shield and white board), but an actual hazmat suit. I’ve always wanted one. What I appreciated about wearing it is that it’s one thing to read that they’re hot, but another to *feel* it when it’s zipped up.
A scene from Arrival with three people in hazmat suits
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 11/08/2026
Can I say how much I love shooting the header images for reviews? My original plan for that latest one was to use a bunch of masks for the background, but when an actual hazmat suit came up on Facebook marketplace, how do you say no to that?
An orange hazmat suit
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 11/08/2026
Annie Jacobsen’s Biological War: A Scenario is a frightening look at how ill-prepared we are for a biological weapon attack.
Someone holding a copy of Biological War: A Scenario while wearing an orange hazmat suit.
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 10/08/2026
Wild Meadows Books & Café in Williston, Vermont has a copy of my book Cosplay: A History! I stopped by and signed it!
A copy of cosplay: a history
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 08/08/2026
Book 24 of 2026: Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by @paultremblay.bsky.social. This is a scathing look at the horrifying possibilities that Silicon Valley brings. It’s an excellent Black Mirror-esque cautionary tale.
A copy of dead but dreaming of electric sheep
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 04/08/2026
So, uh. I’m going to @laworldcon.bsky.social! I’ll be moderating a panel about the Maya Narrative universe, which is pretty exciting. Who else do I know who’s going?
Thursday, August 27, 2026
1500 PDT 1800 EDT
Maya narrative universe
260C (ACC north), duration: 60 minutes
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 03/08/2026
I've got a new piece in the latest issue of @clarkesworldmagazine.com: Destination: Saturn! It's the latest in my series that looks at how we discovered the solar system and how science fiction authors imagined it: clarkesworldmagazine.com/liptak_08_26
Voyager 1 was the second spacecraft to study Saturn up close. Launched Sept. 5, 1977, Voyager 1’s closest approach to Saturn was on Nov. 12, 1980, at a range of about 78,000 miles (126,000 km). A few days earlier, on Nov. 3, 1980, Voyager 1 took these images of Saturn and two of its moons, Tethys (above) and Dione. The spacecraft was 8 million miles (13 million kilometers) away when it captured the images.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 01/08/2026
Book 23 of 2026: Biological War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. I read The Hot Zone at a formative age, but this kicks that particular story up a notch by asking the question: what would happen if a biological weapon was unleashed on the world? The answer? Nothing good.
A copy of biological war by Annie Jacobsen
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 31/07/2026
#LastFourWatched
Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Batman, The Sheep Detectives, and The Dark Knight
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 15/07/2026
Drop something MONOCHROMATIC 🖤🤍🩶
A movie marquee that reads wonde — orient express and Star Wars the last Jedi
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 14/07/2026
Things are looking apocalyptic today.
The Vermont statehouse. The picture is tinted orange because of smoke from wildfires.
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 06/07/2026
Book 22 of 2026: The Butcher’s Masquerade by @mattdinniman.bsky.social. This series remains a ton of fun. This one felt the most heist-like, but also a little in between big things that are coming?
A copy of the butchers masquerade
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 06/07/2026
Book 21 of 2026: Sublimation by @isabel.kim. This is a phenomenal read, one that delves into everything from the nature of self and identity to the nature of the tech world. I loved every page.
A copy of sublimation
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 04/07/2026
Isaac Asimov’s The Bicentennial Man, 50 years on. It’s an interesting read for the occasion of the US’s 250th anniversary today. www.andrewliptak.com/bicentennial...
A copy of Isaac asimov’s the bicentennial man
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 03/07/2026
My book is Cosplay: A History! It’s a deep dive into the scene, where it came from, and how it evolved. It was fun to put together and research. parents.simonandschuster.com/9781534455825
A copy of cosplay: a history
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 28/06/2026
Four years ago today: my book, Cosplay: A History was released! It’s wild to think that it’s been out in the world for that long, and I’ve been thrilled when I come across it in a store or hear from someone who’s picked it up and enjoyed it.
A copy of cosplay: a history
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 27/06/2026
#LastFourWatched
Totan Ae, Atlantis, ghostbusters, and war of the worlds
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 25/06/2026
41.
A selfie of me
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 24/06/2026
I feel this in the book world as well: I’m inundated with people offering up paid reviews for Amazon and Goodreads, newspapers have shuttered or curtailed their book sections, and commenters increasingly feel like paid influencer campaigns.
Can't trust a review because blogs/mags stopped making money so journalists now get paid off by labels.

Can't trust a comment section cause it's full of fake fan accounts saying 'ong their voice to create bandwagon effect

Can't trust YouTube numbers because labels buy them

Can't trust streaming numbers because labels pay for bot farms to drive discovery

Can't even trust that a song was made by human beings

If you're an artist, remember that in 2026 there's not a single part of the system that isn't faked. You're probably doing better than you think.
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 20/06/2026
Book 20 of 2026: A Drop of Corruption by @robertjbennett.bsky.social. I loved The Tainted Cup and I think this one is even better: weird science and biology, a cracking mystery, and some great musings about the nature of power and autocracy.
A copy of a drop of corruption
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 16/06/2026
*cackle* The @subpress.bsky.social edition of @pdjeliclark.bsky.social‘s Master of Djinn has been a white whale of mine for years, and I finally found a copy that was reasonably priced. And now I have one!
A copy of master of djinn
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 12/06/2026
Want to learn everything (well, lots) there is to know about where cosplay came from and how it became such a big thing in fandom? I have the book for you!
A copy of cosplay: a history
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 12/06/2026
@tansyg.bsky.social is cooking with gas in this latest episode of her podcast Going Rogue: Fall of Skywalker: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
I'm going to make a broad sweeping statement here, but I think that ]] Abrams makes movies that make great trailers, and I guess there's an argument that that's the real measure of success for a lot of films. Most studio movies make a majority of their money in the first week, and Star Wars in particular makes an enormous amount in ticket pre-sales and midnight screenings.
That's money made before anyone sees the film, before reviews or word of mouth, so it's really money made from the trailer and the brand. If you want to make yourself sad, well, you could argue that that's the real value test of a film, especially a studio film. Its purpose is to make money for the company and the shareholders.
If anything, there's actually less of an incentive now to make a good film than they used to be because the home video market is dead. We've gotten to the point of making disposable, single-use movies, events that you have to see to understand the next installment and the memes, but you totally forget as soon as you leave the cinema.
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 09/06/2026
A tree against a blue sky
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 06/06/2026
New achievement! You’ve spotted a fellow crawler in the wild.
A copy of the butcher’s masquerade on a table in a cafe
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 04/06/2026
Book 19 of 2026: Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer. Interesting premise, but this feels a *lot* like it’s a screenplay dressed up as a novel with every thrilled cliché loaded into it, and I only finished it because it was a quick read.
Simultaneous by Eric heisserer
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 30/05/2026
Book 18 of 2026: The Gate of the Feral Gods by @mattdinniman.bsky.social Book four of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I’m happy that the series hasn’t been too repetitive, and this was quite a bit of fun to read. Onto the next!
The gate of the feral gods by Matt Dinniman
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 29/05/2026
Sy Snootles and the Max Rebo Band have withdrawn from the Freedom 250 Celebration.
St Snootles & company performing a private performance at Jabba the Hutt’s palace (colorized)
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 28/05/2026
One of the coolest things I stumbled upon by accident was the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, which I knew immediately that I needed to include. This has become one of my favorite pieces of artwork, and I keep meaning to get a print of it made up.
Eglinton Tournament of 1839 by James Henry Nixon in 1839
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 27/05/2026
Book 17 of 2026: And Side By Side They Wander by @mollytanzer.bsky.social. This was a delightful short read about art and fidelity of creation (along with some neat fungus stuff!) wrapped up into a neat heist story.
A copy of and side by side they wander by Molly Tanzer
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 22/05/2026
I didn’t end up suiting up for it, but my kiddo did. (She’s on the left)
Two mandalorian cosplayers
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 22/05/2026
Mando time!
A group of Star Wars cosplayers
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Andrew Liptak @andrewliptak.com · 17/05/2026
A superb owl.
A snow owl
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