And here is our first weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web of the year in a special New Year's Day edition, this week with wall to wall Star Wars discussion. Most of the articles and posts, which contain spoilers, have spoiler warnings, but reader beware. Though we've also got a couple of non-Star Wars links as well, including some discussion about the Doctor Who Christmas special, several Year's Best lists and discussion of the best SFF book covers of 2015.
Speculative fiction in general:
- The Booksmugglers share their most excellent books of 2015.
- A.C. Wise shares her favourite SFF novels, anthologies and collections of 2015.
- John DeNardo offers the aggregated results of several best SFF of 2015 lists.
- Several scientists share their favourite science fiction novels.
- N.K. Jemisin talks about the latest in science fiction and fantasy.
- OkayAfrica shares the best moments in African science fiction 2015.
- Jeff Somers shares the six most fascinating galactic empires apart from Star Wars.
- John Scalzi talks about ruining science fiction.
- Joshua Adam Anderson presents the case of jettisoning the term science fiction.
- Ryan Britt shares five aspects of science fiction that are far from childish.
- Geek's Guide to the Galaxy discusses former Amazing Stories editor Ray Palmer and what happens when good science fiction goes bad.
- Kieran Cooke talks about Cli-Fi a.k.a. science fiction about climate change.
- At the New York Times, various experts debate which science fiction novel or movie is the most prescient.
- Sean Hutchinson points out that The Revenant is the anti-thesis of The Martian.
- Margaret L. Carter takes a look at the alternate history subgenre.
- Scott Laming shares a Steampunk primer.
- Liz Tracy wonders whether skinwalkers and shapeshifters are a metaphor for terrorism.
- Michael R. Fletcher believes that there is no such thing as grimdark.
- Rhianna Pratchett remembers her father Sir Terry Pratchett.
- Noah Berlatsky muses about the casting of a black actress as Hermione in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
- Laurie Penny points out that in 2015, people other than white cissexual men finally got to be heroes.
- Umapagan Ampikaipakan believes that Asian superheroes are an oxymoron.
- Charline Jao replies and points out that Asian superheroes are neither radical nor an oxymoron.
- Arnie Fenner remembers cartoonists, illustrators and SFF artists who died in 2015.
- Chris Jager celebrates the cover art of the pulp magazine Planet Stories.
- Doug Ellis shares his appreciation for the cover art of Hubert Rogers for Astounding Science Fiction.
- Hodderscape share their favourite SFF covers of 2015.
- The BiblioSanctum share their favourite SFF covers of 2015.
- Darcy Thompson traces the connections between Blade Runner and film noir.
- Lev Raphael explains why the TV show The Expanse is more exciting than Leviathan Wakes, the novel it is based on.
- Clare McBride shares her appreciation for George R. Romero's 1981 movie Knightriders.
- Charlie Jane Anders shares her thoughts about the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas special The Husbands of River Song.
- Jason Motes puts the life of River Song from Doctor Who into chronological order.
- Molly Freeman explains how superhero TV improved in 2015.
- The participants of the SF Signal Mind Meld share their favourite SFF TV shows of 2015.
- Blastr share their ten favourite SFF TV shows of 2015.
- Blastr share their ten favourite SFF films of 2015.
- Brian Merchant shares the eleven SFF films that defined 2015 for him.
- Chris Barsanti claims that Ex Machina was the best science fiction film of 2015.
- Science fiction author and screenwriter George Clayton Johnson has died aged 86.
- Andrew Liptak remembers George Clayton Johnson.
Comments on Star Wars:
- David Annandale muses about the inherent darkness of the Star Wars universe.
- Ken Miyamato shares seven reasons why Star Wars still matters.
- Ferrett Steinmetz talks about how children watch Star Wars, particularly when seeing it for the very first time.
- Frances Donovan reports that Princess Leia was her first feminist role model.
- Eric Hynes talks about the centrality of friendships in Star Wars.
- Matt Hill and Ali Plumb share 13 actors you didn't realise were in Star Wars.
- Marlow Stern explains how Star Wars influenced the US military.
Comments on The Force Awakens:
- Nancy Jane Moore shares her thoughts on The Force Awakens.
- John DeNardo shares his thoughts on The Force Awakens.
- Foz Meadows shares her thoughts on The Force Awakens.
- Adam Roberts shares his spoilerish thoughts about The Force Awakens.
- Nick Mamatas also shares his spoilerish thoughts about The Force Awakens.
- Paul Levinson also shares his spoilerish thoughts about The Force Awakens.
- David Brin did enjoy The Force Awakens, but also believes that it is not science fiction.
- David Annandale muses about The Force Awakens, nostalgia and the weight of repetition.
- David Sims and Spencer Kornhaber tackle the nostalgia debate around The Force Awakens.
- David Cooke claims that critics are going too easy on The Force Awakens.
- Meagan Damore feels the need to defend The Force Awakens against its critics.
- Ta-Nehisi Coates talks about The Force Awakens and the benefits of low expectations.
- Michael Hiltzik asks people to admit that The Force Awakens stinks.
- Ross Douthat is annoyed the The Force Awakens is too repetitive of the original trilogy, which he views as a sign of cultural decadence.
- Caroline Graham and Peter Sheridan wonder whether The Force Awakens is the most ludicrous Star Wars movie of all time.
- David Futrelle reports that some people are so angry that a woman and two men of colour play the lead roles in The Force Awakens that they have even created insane conspiracy theories to explain this. (Warning: Discussion of offensive material)
- Damien Walter finds some parallels between angry white male geeks and Kylo Ren, the main villain of The Force Awakens.
- Takeia Marie explains why the diverse cast of The Force Awakens is so important.
- Patrick Hester discusss questions, plotholes and weirdness raised by The Force Awakens (with spoilers).
- Dirk Libbey explains a fan theory regarding the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke from The Force Awakens.
- Damien Walter offers his theories regarding the mystery of who are Rey's parents (spoiler warning).
- Damien Walter also explains why Rey and Finn are such great heroes.
- Graham Milne also shares his appreciation for Rey.
- Maddy Myers shares her appreciation for the queer and polyamorous implications of the Finn/Rey/Poe relationship.
- Jonathan Alexandratos reports that many people are still angry about the relative lack of Rey toys.
- To counter the lack of Rey toys, Tariq Kyle shares ten cool pieces of Rey merchandise that are available.
Awards:
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Donna Maree Hanson talks about getting the romance right in romantic speculative fiction.
- Russell James explains why writing takes the fun out of everything.
- Mark Lawrence, Django Wexler and Myke Cole attempt to answer the question whether writing success is due to inborn talent, hard work, skill or luck or a combination of all those.
- Erin M. Evans shares some tips for writing in a shared universe.
- Gail Z. Martin shares some tips for making the most of your launch day.
Interviews:
- Sara Starney interviews Lawrence M. Schoen.
- Bradley P. Beaulieu interviews Megan E. O'Keefe.
- Kristin Centorcelli interviews Jonathan Green.
- Myra Calvani interviews Ken Lizzi.
- Leticia Toraci interviews Laura Woodswalker.
- Francesca T. Barbini interviews Anna Thayer.
- Maurice Emerson Decaul interviews Brandon Caro.
- Michael Tang interviews Kipjo K. Ewers.
- Twinja Book Reviews interviews Michael Wayne Williams.
Reviews:
- Bookworm Blues reviews City of Light by Keri Arthur.
- Bastian's Book Reviews reviews The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Empress Game by Rhonda Mason.
- Andrew Liptak reviews Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald.
- Brenda Cooper reviews Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts.
- Tommy Muncie reviews The Cyborg Chronicles, edited by Crystal Watanabe.
- Paul Weimer reviews Dragon Coast by Greg Van Eekhout.
- Paul Weimer also reviews The Beatriceid by Kate Elliott.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Archivist Wasp by Nicola Kornher-Stace.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Santa Took Them by William Malmborg.
- Elizabeth Hand reviews the Collected Fiction of Leena Krohn.
- Genevieve Valentine reviews the movie Gods of Egypt.
Crowdfunding:
- Honcho, a post-apocalyptic graphic novel by Jeff McComsey and Jeff McClelland, is looking for funding.
- The Reaper Event, a zombie novel by Joe Veillon, is looking for funding.
- Vampress Luxura: The Monster's Gauntlet, a graphic novel by Kirk Lindo and David Hayes, is looking for funding.
Science and technology:
- What does a Christmas dinner on the International Space Station look like?
- How much would it cost to send a Christmas card to Mars?
- Why are so many scientists afraid of artificial intelligence?
Free online fiction:
- "Archangel Gabrielle" by Alma Alexander at The Book View Café.
- "I Seen the Devil" by Alex Bledsoe in Uncanny Magazine.
- "Demon in a Closet" by Floyd Looney.
- "The One That Got Away" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- Chapter 5 of "Rock and Roll Lifestyle", part 91 of The Descendants by Landon Porter.
Odds and ends:
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