Speculative fiction in general:
- Chaos Horizon offers a "Best SFF of 2015" meta-list.
- Damien Walter discusses what science fiction novels can tell us about artificial intelligence.
- M.D. Jackson shares his appreciation for Philip K. Dick.
- Shaun Nichols discusses Murray Leinster's 1946 short story "A Logic Names Joe".
- Lois Lowry shares her appreciation for Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
- Keith Allison shares his appreciation for the works of Jack McDevitt.
- Doug Ellis remembers the Chicago Science Fiction Club of the 1930s.
- Joe Hart talks about genre blending and crossover thrillers.
- Ceridwen Christensen shares nine things about Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson.
- Myke Cole explains that diversity is tradition in both history and fantasy.
- Crystal Paul shares 14 of the best characters of colour in SFF novels.
- Kaye M. talks about islamophobia in young adult fiction.
- Steve Berman discusses the trope of the tragically dying LGBT character in SFF and why he hates it.
- Sarah Hollowell and Chester the Corgi implore writers to put fat girls into their young adult SFF.
- Various readers explain how Harry Potter changed their lives.
- Amanda Ann Klein and R. Barton Palmer explain why modern Hollywood is built on unoriginal ideas.
- Fantasies of Possibility remembers British TV writer Malcolm Hulke, who worked on Doctor Who and The Avengers among others.
- Adam Frank explains why he believes that The Expanse is the best science fiction show in a decade.
- Justin Andrews shares his appreciation for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Carrie Goldman shares an open letter to Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh.
- James H. Burns shares his appreciation for the Marvel Comics of the 1960s and 1970s.
- Barry Hines, British author who wrote the screenplay for Threads among other things, has died aged 76.
Comments on season 2 of Daredevil:
- Jacob Hall believes that Daredevil season 2 is better than ever.
- Katharine Trendacosta and James Whitbrook shares eight things they loved about season 2 of Daredevil and four things they didn't.
- Katharine Trendacosta also points out that for her, Foggy Nelson is the true hero of Daredevil.
- Alex Abad Santos shares his appreciation for the portrayal of Elektra in season 2 of Daredevil.
- Tansy Rayner Roberts reminds us that Daredevil is not bulletproof.
- Ryan Lohner explains how Daredevil manages to avoid the issue of fridging its female characters.
Comments on Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice:
- Matt Singer has seen Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and remains rather unimpressed.
- Andrew Pulver is also rather unimpressed by Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
- Alex Abad Santos calls Batman vs. Superman a crime against comic book fans.
- Walter Chaw views Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice in the historical and political context of the 21st century.
- Michael Calla discusses the political power play of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
- Zoe Williams think Batman vs. Superman should rather be called Wonder Woman vs. Supersexism.
- Marc N. Kleinherz discusses the pro and cons of whether you should watch Batman vs. Superman.
Comments on Allegiant:
- Todd Cunningham shares five reasons why Allegiant didn't deliver at the box office like the first two movies in the Divergent series.
- Jordan Mintzer reports that there is nothing very divergent about Allegiant.
- Jeanette Catsoulis calls Allegiant plodding and padded.
- Lou Lumenik calls Allegiant a slog set at an airport.
- Kenneth Turan thinks Allegiant is only for devoted fans of the series.
- Beatrice Verhoeven wonders whether Allegiant might signal the end for dystopian YA movies.
- Meredith Woerner also wonders whether Allegiant means the death of dystopian YA movies.
- Meanwhile, Jordan Taylor explains that the terrifying dystopian future of the Divergent series is already here.
Comments on Midnight Special:
- David Sims calls Midnight Special a chase movie with supernatural chills.
- Tim Robey calls Midnight Special a darkly addictive mystery.
- Drew McWeeny views Midnight Special as a strangely beautiful parable on parenting.
- Tasha Robinson sees Midnight Special as a mix between Stephen King and Steven Spielberg.
- David Fear believes that Midnight Special proves that you can make science fiction films for adults.
- A.O. Scott reviews Midnight Special.
- Inspired by Midnight Special, Kat Sommers asks which movie handles psychic powers best.
- Mekado Murphy interviews Jeff Nichols, director of Midnight Special.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky also interviews Jeff Nichols.
Comments on High-Rise:
- Peter Chadwick offers a Brutalist guide to the film High-Rise.
- Jon Astbury interviews Ben Wheatley, the director of High-Rise.
- Cora Buhlert places High-Rise into the context of various architectural horror movies and novels of the 1970s and 1980s.
Awards:
- The nominees for the 2016 Sir Julius Vogel Awards have been announced.
- Aimee Ogden has won the 2016 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- David Farland shares some tips for boosting your story.
- Kate Elliott delves into history to explain how to write women characters into your epic fantasy without quotas.
- David Neth discusses inspiration for character names.
- Ken Liu talks about the grand evolution of books.
Interviews:
- The Qwillery interviews Elizabeth Bonesteel.
- Goodreads interviews Patricia Briggs.
- Rosemary Ponnekanti interviews Emily St. John Mandel.
- Hilton Als interviews Junot Diaz.
- Charlie Hopkins interviews Brian Staveley.
- Kristin Centorcelli interviews Beth Cato.
- Kristin Centorcelli also interviews April Genevieve Tucholke.
- Kristin Centorcelli interviews Michael Boatman.
- Carl Slaughter interviews Lucienne Diver.
- Carl Slaughter also interviews Susan Forest.
- Carl Slaughter also interview S.B. Divya.
- Carl Slaughter interviews Richard Zwicker.
Reviews:
- Ladybusiness reviews Black Wolves by Kate Elliot.
- Paul Weimer reviews Empress by Alma Alexander.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker.
- Aaron Pound reviews The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson.
- Joe Sherry reviews Lightless by C.A. Higgins.
- Nicole Kastronis reviews Cold Cut to Xentia by C.S. Arle.
- Carl Slaughter reviews And Again by Jessica Chiarella.
- Adrienne Martini reviews MARTians by Blythe Woolston.
- Hans Cummings reviews the Shadowrun Omnibus by Nigel Findley.
- Jonathan Correia reviews the movie Vicious.
Crowdfunding:
- Phil and Katja Foglio are looking for funding for City of Lightning, the latest volume in the Girl Genius comic series.
- Whispers from the Abyss 2: The Horrors That Were and Shall Be, an anthology of short fiction edited by Kat Rocha, is looking for funding.
- The trade paperback edition of Atlas Origins, a comic by Dave Swartz, is looking for funding.
Con reports:
- Jim C. Hines shares some photos from Millennicon in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Ann Leckie shares some photos of Vericon at the Harvard University.
- Marion Deeds shares her experiences at FogCon in Walnut Creek, California.
- Patrick S. Tomlinson shares six ways to manage the post-con crash.
Science and technology:
- Mars once had a vast ocean covering half its Northern hemisphere.
- The mystery of Jupiter's Northern lights.
- NASA finally got a closer look at the mysterious bright spots on Ceres.
- Adam Roberts points out that the fact that computers can beat humans at board games does not mean that they will take over the world.
Free online fiction:
- "The Elixir of the Not-So-Disgusting Death Smell" by Carlie St. George in Mothership Zeta.
- "One Way Out" by Ethan Robinson.
- "The Weather" by Caighlan Smith at Tor.com.
- "The Name of the Forest" by Margaret Killjoy at Strange Horizons.
- "The God of Au" by Ann Leckie at Transcriptase.
- "The singing of the whales, the rising of the waters, the harvest of tears" by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz.
- Chapter 3 of "Day of Recovery", part 93 of The Descendants by Landon Porter.
Odds and ends:
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