Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 13, 2015

And here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web:

Speculative fiction in general:

• At io9, Charlie Jane Anders explains why it matters if the science in science fiction is accurate.
• The Wall Street Journal talks about slipstream fiction going mainstream. 
• At Electric Literature, Henry Stewart discusses the themes of death and growing up in the works of Ray Bradbury.  
• Joyce Chng talks about world SF and being a hybrid writer.
• At SF Signal, Rachel Cordasco takes a look at upcoming SFF novels in translation. 
• Mark Bould has a round-up of African science fiction.
• At Bookriot, Jeremy Anderberg wonders why we love apocalyptic fiction. 
• Micah Ackerman explains why preppers and survivalists deserve respect rather than ridicule.
• Jen Williams shares her appreciation for five great no-nonsense women of fantasy. 
• Ann Somerville talks about the challenges of being a woman writing SFF. 
• William Meikle shares his top 10 fantasy novels of all time.
• At SF Signal, Marshall Ryan Maresca explains why epic and urban fantasy aren't always mutually exclusive.
• Adrian Tchaikovsky talks about the depiction of war in epic fantasy.
• C.P.D. Harris explains the importance of gladiatorial combat in the world of his Domains of the Chosen series. 
• Leanna Renee Hieber talks about writing gothic fantasy. 
• At SF Signal, Leanna Renee Hieber talks about gaslamp fantasy.
• Ren Thompson talks about writing erotic horror. 
• The Daily Beast attempts to explain why fan fiction is the future of publishing.
• BoingBoing tackles the term "guilty pleasure".
• At Pornokitsch (which is totally safe for work BTW), Jared Shurin discusses the extremely complicated rules and regulations of many SFF awards.
• At Cracked, Chris Buchholz takes a look at some largely forgotten SFF subgenres that were once hugely popular.
• The AV Club discusses the power and pitfalls of shipping.
• Fantasy Fraction takes a look at beloved SFF films of the 1980s. 
• At the LA Times, the Wachowski siblings talk about the long journey of making Jupiter Ascending.
• Entertainment Weekly attempts to explain how the Wachowski siblings became George Lucas. 
• Marvel Studios and Sony have announced that they will collaborate to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel cinematic universe. 
• At Blastr, Trent Moore argues that Marvel should retire Peter Parker and make Miles Morales Spider-Man in the Marvel cinematic universe.
• Marvel Comics has announced an all-female Avengers team named A-Force.
• A leaked letter to his publishers reveals George R.R. Martin's original plans for A Song of Ice and Fire.
• At io9, Charlie Jane Anders explains what really went wrong with Star Trek's third season.
• SFWA has announced its guidelines for self-publishers.
• Writer Melanie Tem died aged 65.
• The nominations for the 2015 eFestival of Words are open.

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Harry Connolly talks about writing rituals and how they can both help and hinder us.
• At Novelciraptor, several authors talk about their favourite part of the writing process.
• Marie Brennan talks about undermining the unreliable narrator. 
• Jennifer R. Povey introduces her character Dorothy Mayling.
• Landon Porter talks about turning superpowers into storytelling devices.
• Karen Dudley talks about the challenges of research. 
• David Farland shares some advice about when to stop polishing a manuscript.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the perils of trend following.
• Jacqui Lofthouse talks about taking yourself seriously as a writer.
• Kameron Hurley discusses how the challenges that writers, particularly women and minority writers, face now are very different from those faced by writers ten or twenty years ago.
• Sherwood Smith talks about rapid changes in publishing in the 18th and early 19th centuries and draws some parallels to the situation today.
• At the Smashwords blog, Mark Coker talks about e-books as annuity.
• Ruth Nestvold shares some places to advertise your permafree.
  

Interviews:

• Sever Bronny interviews C.N. Crawford.
• Mihaela Perkovic interviews Milena Benini.
• The BBC World Service interview William Gibson (audio link). 

Reviews:

• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Pendle Curse by Catherine Cavendish.
• Michael Patrick Hicks also reviews Master of Blood and Bone by Craig Saunders.
• Elena Linville reviews Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig.
• Jennifer R. Povey reviews Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone.
• Second Run Reviews review The Witching Elm by C.N. Crawford.
• New Writer Podcast reviews Brush with Darkness and Blood of the Water by Jamie Maltman.
• Omni Reboot reviews Jupiter Ascending. 
• The Stranger also reviews Jupiter Ascending.
• Tor.com also offers its take on Jupiter Ascending.
• At the Huffington Post, Christopher Rosen admits that he actually liked Jupiter Ascending.
• Paul Levinson reviews episode 1.4 of the TV show 12 Monkeys.

Crowdfunding:

• The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast is looking for backers.
• Slow Boat to Fast City, an anthology of retro style science fiction, is looking for funding. 
• Dreams from the Witch House: Women of Lovecraft, an all-female Lovecraft anthology edited by Lynn Jamneck, is looking for backers. 
• Selfies from the End of the World: Historical Accounts of the Apocalypse, an anthology of apocalyptic fiction published by the editors of Mad Scientist Journal, is looking for funding.

Con reports:

• Jodie O'Dell remembers her interactions with the Next Generation cast at a Star Trek convention in San Francisco.

Science and technology:

• A thin bubble-wrap-like coating can hide submarines from sonar.
• At the Guardian, Nate Berg talks about visions for the city of the future through the ages.
• The Hubble telescope captured a triple solar eclipse on Jupiter.
• BoingBoing explains why comets are like deep-fried ice cream.
• In Bulgaria, archaeologists have found the grave of a suspected vampire with a stake through his heart.
• Steven Kotler and Ken Goffman are arguing that the future is arriving faster than expected.
• In South Korea, a robot vaccuum cleaner accidentally tried to eat its sleeping owner.
• Will religions try to convert superintelligent artificial intelligences?
• Should we send messages to aliens?

Free online fiction:

• "Bundle of Joy" by Tiffani Angus at Pornokitsch. 
• "Common Denominator" by John D. MacDonald at Pornokitsch. 
• "The Lost City of Osiris: A Tale of Western Adventure" by Carol Borden at Pornokitsch.
• "The True History of Jewish Wizards at Hogwarts" by Nathaniel Stein in The New Yorker (yes, they publish fanfic now!)
• "Light in the Darkness" by V.A. Jeffrey 
• "Courting Rites" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• "Tuesdays" by Suzanne Palmer in Asimov's.
• Part 1.52 of "Blade Breaker"in The Shadow Wolf Sagas by C.P.D. Harris.
• Chapter 8 of The Dragon of Ankoll Keep by K.S. Augustin. 
• Section 1 of Captive Spirit by Jodi Ralston.
• "All Cats are Grey (in Cyberspace)", part 38 of Musketeer Space by Tansy Rayner Roberts
• Chapter 1 of "Darkness Falling", part 84 of The Descendants by Landon Porter. 

Odds and ends: 

• A Captain America fan from Venezuela has gone to rather extreme length to turn himself into a real life replica of the Red Skull.
• Actor Hfthor Bjornsson, who plays Gregor Clegane a.k.a. the Mountain in Game of Thrones, has broken a 1000-year-old weightlifting record and is now officially the world's strongest viking.
• Watch a teaser for the new season of Orphan Black.
• Watch a trailer for season 5 of Games of Throne.