Here is an early edition of our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web:
Speculative fiction in general:
- At Moviepilot, Matthew Surprenant looks at what each decade's horror films say about the social and cultural preoccupations of the time.
- The Daily Beast has a great essay by Arthur Chu on GamerGate, Disco Demolition and the roots of reactionary rage.
- Jim C. Hines talks about GamerGate and diversity.
- At The Galaxy Express, Heather Massey wonders whether science fiction romance is becoming a code for taboo erotica in some places.
- Gail Z. Martin talks about female characters in Steampunk.
- Kyoko M. shares the second part of her top 18 most hateable villains. Some interesting choices there.
- At Book Riot, Josh Corman defends superhero and other genre movies.
Writing, publishing and marketing:
- Charlie Jane Anders explains how to create a killer opening for a science fiction story.
- Justin McLachlan shares 25 science fiction writing prompts.
- Tammy Salyer talks about the problem of maintaining internal consistency in speculative fiction.
- Mark Feggeler shares a pep talk for slow writers.
- William D. Richards introduces his character Nem Aster.
- Jeffrey Aaron Miller talks about the setting and background of his novel Shadows of Tockland.
- Joe Vasicek shares the most unmarketable story idea ever conceived.
- Michael Patrick Hicks discusses the old adage "Writing is Rewriting".
- Elena Linville shares 10 useful links to stay motivated during NaNoWriMo.
- Mel Finefrock shares eight useful tops for editing your book.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- SF Signal reviews Pennsylvania by Michael Bunker.
- The New Yorker offers an appreciation of Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Last Mile by Tim Waggoner.
- Elena Linville reviews The London Project by Mark J. Maxwell.
- Judy Goodwin reviews The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson.
- Brian Olsen shares ten thoughts on the controversial Disney film Song of the South.
- Jodi McAlister discusses the TV adaptation of Outlander and particularly the way the show caters to the female gaze.
- C.P.D. Harris shares his impressions of the TV show Gotham.
Crowdfunding:
- Strange Horizons are holding their 2014 fund drive.
- The "We Need Diverse Books" project is looking for funding.
- Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things is looking for backers.
- The 2015 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide, an anthology of middle grade science fiction edited by Corie and Sean Weaver, is looking for funding.
- Doctor Puppet, a group that makes lovely stop-motion animated Doctor Who fan videos, need funding for their 2014 Christmas special.
- A highschool theatre group in Maiden, North Carolina, had their production of the play Almost, Maine cancelled by their principal because it was feared a gay scene would upset the more conservative inhabitants of the town. Now the theatre group is looking for funding to allow them to put on the production without school support. Excess funds will be donated to a project for LGBTQ youth in the area.
Con reports:
Science and technology:
- An unmanned Antares rocket carrying supplies for the International Space Station exploded mere seconds after launch for reasons still unknown.
- Katy Greene explains why an all-women mission to Mars might be a better solution than an all-male or mixed gender crew.
- A satellite mock-up was destroyed in a test chamber to study the effects of space junk collisions.
Odds and ends:
- Marvel announces upcoming superhero movies until 2019.
- Watch a clip from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
- Air New Zealand has made a hilariour Hobbit inspired flight safety video.
- The BBC wonders whether real life Jedi have created a new religion.
- Darth Vader was banned from voting in the Ukraine parliamentary elections.
- This knit Cthulhu mask makes for one very cool Halloween costume.
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