Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for March 22, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery, Captain Marvel, Love, Death + Robots, season 2 of American Gods, Captive State, Us and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Eric Brown offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction and fantasy. 
• Ada Palmer, Jo Walton, Jack McDevitt and David Pedreira share their personal best science fiction books of all time.
• R.E. Stearns shares five books about running away to join the space pirates.
• Joseph Hurtgen talks about gender roles in Revenger by Alastair Reynolds.
• Charlie Jane Anders recommends five books that aren't by men. 
• Meredith Borders lists the thirteen best women writing horror today.
• Ben H. Winters talks about worldbuilding, invented bureaucracies in speculative fiction and what they say about us. 
• Namwali Serpell talks about the predictive abilities of science fiction. 
• Matthew Reardon talks about Sir Terry Pratchett and philosophy.
• Vivian Shaw shares her appreciation for the works of Robin McKinley.
• Nicole Hill shares lessons from fantasy novels about surviving a trip into the dark woods.
• Sarah Pinsker shares five speculative fiction books which gave her unreasonable expectations about post-high school life. 
• Tor.com shares seven books that reimagine favourite classics. 
• Frankie Thomas recalls an encounter with Madeleine L'Engle as a child and explains why most of her novels no longer work for her as an adult. 
• Thomas Ling reports that J.K. Rowling felt compelled to let us know that Dumbledore and Grindelwald once had a physical relationship. 
• Jonathan Crowe talks about fantasy maps.
• Parvati Sharma explains what happens when a book finds you.
• Laura Benedict shares a brief history of unlikeable protagonists.
• Alison Flood reports that there is still a gender gap regarding reviews and general coverage of works by male and female writers. 
• Christopher Maverick takes a look at the symbolism of superhero costumes and logos. 
• Ross Johnson celebrates Batman's 80th birthday by picking the ten greatest Batman stories from Detective Comics.
• Bill Ward attempts to explain what sword and sorcery is.
  
• Ryan Harvey discusses the influence of Steve Reeves and the Italian sword and sandal epic on the sword and sorcery genre. 
• Alec Nevala-Lee offers an overview of the iconic cover and interior art of Astounding Science Fiction. 
• Cora Buhlert takes a look at post-WWII architecture and its science fictional implications.
• Katy Waldman discusses the recent cancellations of YA books just before publication.
• Richard Lea reports that Francis Stufford has penned an unauthorised Narnia novel entitled The Stone Table. 
• Arkady Martine finds some unexpected links between Byzantine literary culture and modern fanfiction. 
• Ana Valens reports about the links between Gamergate, 8chan and the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand.
• Cartoonist Tom K. Ryan has died aged 92.
• Artist Ellen Vartanoff has died aged 68.
• Radio announcer, fanzine editor and longterm science fiction fan Frank Johnson has died aged 65.
  

Film and TV:

• Evan Narcisse calls Little Monsters a parade of the usual zombie comedy clichés that works depsite itself. 
• Carrie Vaughn shares her thoughts on the film version of Mortal Engines.
• Ellen E. Jones wonders what precisely Russian Doll is about. 
• Katherine Mack praises the accurate physics of The Expanse. 
• Emily Asher-Perrin shares four theories about what Pepper Potts is doing in Avengers: Endgame.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1990 TV version of The Flash. 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1964 Doctor Who episode "Marco Polo". 
• Rosemary Benton revisits the 1964 movie The Last Man on Earth.
• Nicholas Barber asks if Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune is the greatest film never made. 
• Michael Heilemann untangles the thorny history of how Chewbacca came to be. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares the ten most monstrous horror movie parents.
• Rebecca Lewis reports that according to Winston Duke, who plays M'Baku, many members of the Black Panther cast had no idea initially which film they were auditioning for. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Clark Gregg who plays Phil Coulson in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Richard Jordan reports that James Gunn has been rehired as director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
• Andrew Pulver reports that Bryan Singer has reportedly been fired from the latest adaptation of Red Sonja.
• Andrew Pulver reports that Danny Boyle quit the still untitled 25th James Bond film over a script dispute.
  
• Michael Schneider reports that Neil deGrasse Tyson's show Cosmos will return soon.
• Andrew Pulver reports that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have confirmed that a third Bill and Ted movie called Bill and Ted Face the Music is in the works. 
• Actress Emilia Clarke, best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, shares her experiences surviving two life-threatening brain aneurysms.
• Matthew S. Schwartz reports that Disney now officially owns 21st Century Fox. 
• Larry DiTillio, story editor on Babylon 5, has died aged 79.
• Film editor Norman Hollyn has died aged 67.
  

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general (spoilers):

• Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Project Daedalus", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Project Daedalus".
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Project Daedalus".
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Project Daedalus".
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Project Daedalus".
• Kayti Burt shares her thoughts on "Project Daedalus".
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thought on "Project Daedalus". 
• Ryan Britt points out that "Project Daedalus" also explains why Kirk and Picard never trust holograms. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw interviews Gersha Phillips, costume designer for Star Trek Discovery.
• Camestros Felapton runs a poll regarding the identity of the mysterious Red Angel in Star Trek Discovery.
• Marissa Martinelli reports that US politicians Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Stacey Abrams have both outed themselves as longterm fans of Star Trek Voyager.
  

Comments on Captain Marvel (potential spoilers): 

• Meredith B. Kile calls Captain Marvel an Avengers origin story like no other.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore discusses the complicated political messages of Captain Marvel.
• Angie Dahl declares that the depiction of female friendship in Captain Marvel is exactly what the Marvel cinematic universe needed. 
• Inspired by Captain Marvel, Clara Mae points out that many Marvel movies fall into the pattern of featuring a white hero and a sidekick, sometimes superpowered themselves, of colour. 
• Scott M. Sandridge points out that the Captain Marvel vs. Alita: Battle Angel conflict is fabricated and completely unnecessary, because there is room for both movies. 
• Narayan Liu shares director Anna Boden's explanation for the smile scene in Captain Marvel.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw explains why Nick Fury doesn't use the Captain Marvel pager for twenty years. 
• Renaldo Matadeen feels that Captain Marvel features the best villain in the Marvel cinematic universe so far. 
• Sam Adams points out that Captain Marvel takes a shot at True Lies, which Adams considers one of the most sexist movies of the 1990s. 
• Based on new information uncovered in Captain Marvel, James Whitbrook creates a timeline of a certain important artefact in the Marvel cinemate universe.
• Brandon Zachary traces the history of the Infinity Stones in the Marvel cinematic universe.
• The Nerdist interviews Clark Gregg who plays Phil Coulson in Captain Marvel and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. among others.
• John Boone interviews Kevin Feige, mastermind behind the Marvel cinematic universe.
• Erin Nyren reports that Captain Marvel has passed the 200 million US-dollar mark in the US alone.
• Pamela McClintock reports that Captain Marvel continues to soar at the box office.
• Renaldo Matadeen reports that Gal Gadot, best known for playing Wonder Woman, has congratulated Brie Larson on the success of Captain Marvel, proving once more that there is no rivalry between the two.
  

Comments on season 2 of American Gods: 

• Emily L. Stephens is stunned to find that American Gods has a backstory.
• Jamie Sugah shares her thoughts on the latest episode of American Gods. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that American Gods has been renewed for season 3 and will get yet another showrunner.
  

Comments on Love, Death + Robots:

• Nick Schager calls the anthology series Love, Death + Robots a sex-filled science fiction extravaganza.
• Ben Travers calls Love, Death + Robots hyper-masculine, half-baked and all too often style over substance. 
• Graeme Virtue calls Love, Death + Robots prestige TV with added sexbots.
• Camestros Felapton shares his initial impressions of Love, Death + Robots. 
• Camestros Felapton also shares an epiode by episode viewing guide to Love, Death + Robots.
• Terry Schwartz reports that the anthology series that eventually became Love, Death + Robots was originally intended to be a Heavy Metal reboot. 
• John Scalzi explains how three of his stories got adapted for Love, Death + Robots. 
• Ross Johnson explains where you can read the stories that were adapted for Love, Death + Robots.

Comments on Captive State:

• Germain Lussier claims that Captive State is not the science fiction movie we think it is.  
• A.A. Dowd calls Captive State a curiously dour alien occupation drama. 

Comments on Us:

• A.A. Dowd calls Us an expertly crafted horror film. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Us a brash and brilliant beach holiday horror.
• Evan Narcisse interviews Jordan Peele, director of Us.
• Mike Ryan interviews Jordan Peele.
• The BBC interviews Lupita Nyong'o, one of the stars of Us.

Awards:

• The winners of the 2019 Lord Ruthven Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2019 Darrell Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2019 Philip K. Dick Film Festival have been announced.
• The winner of the 2019 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2019 Rita and Golden Heart Awards have been announced with some love for genre novels. 
• The finalists for the 2019 Premio Italia have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2019 Tolkien Society Awards has been announced.
• The finalists of the 2018 Self-published Fantasy Blog-off have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 science fiction in translation poll have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2019 Colorado Book Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 31st Annual IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards have been announced.
• Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials books, has won the J.M. Barrie Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia, has won the E.B. White Award for Literature.
• The 2019 Bertram A. Chandler Award is open for nominations.
• The nominees for the British Academy Games Awards have been announced.
• Camestros Felapton takes a look at the rather strange rules for the Dragon Award.
• Mary Robinette Kowal shares some tips for new authors who have been nominated for an award.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Annie Neugebauer asks if there is such a thing as trying too hard, when it comes to writing. 
• Rachel Gardner tackles the dilemma of having too many ideas and not enough time to write them all. 
• Rayne Hall shares some tips for writing novel opening scenes.
• Sarah Kuhn points out that stereotypes only become a problem, when a character has no other traits beside the stereotypical ones. 
• Phil Parker explains how to use the western zodiac for characterisation.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about punctuation and voice. 
• Alma Katsu explains why she chose to write about the infamous Donner party. 
• Sarah Pinsker shares the music that inspired her various stories.
• Tonya Thompson shares ten tips for writing great flash fiction. 
• Patrick LeClerc offers some tips for dealing with bad reviews.
  

Interviews:

• Emily Wenstrom interviews Charlie Jane Anders.
• Ilana C. Myer interviews Kameron Hurley.
• Her husband Peter interviews Zen Cho. 
• Locus interviews S.A. Chakraborty.
• A.C. Wise interviews Sarah Pinsker.
• The Qwillery interviews Sarah Chorn.
• Jonathan Maberry interviews Chris A. Jackson.
  

Reviews:

• Paul Weimer reviews Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik.
• Aidan Moher reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
• Publishers Weekly reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
• Publishers Weekly reviews This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. 
• For Winter Nights reviews Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey.
• Liz Bourke reviews Luna: Moon Rising by Ian MacDonald.
• Liz Bourke reviews Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston and Farmer's Crown by M.C.A Hogarth.
• Liz Bourke reviews The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse. 
• Paul Weimer reviews Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds.
• Ross Johnson reviews Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds.
• Rachael McKenzie reviews The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley. 
• Nicole Hill reviews Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Burning Bright by Melissa McShane. 
• JJ at File 770 reviews Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. 
• Amy Goldschlager reviws Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett.
• Colleen Mondor reviews Bluecrowne by Kate Milford. 
• Marion Deeds reviews Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi.
• Martin Cahill reviews The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson.
• Tadiana Jones reviews The Fever King by Victoria Lee.
• Publishers Weekly reviews Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone. 
• Nicole Hill reviews The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan.
• Ian Mond reviews I Am The River by T.E. Grau.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Uncommon Miracles by Julie C. Day. 
• Tim Pratt reviews The People's Republic of Everything by Nick Mamatas. 
• Erik Henriksen reviews Radicalized by Cory Doctorow.
• Joseph Hurtgen reviews Radicalized by Cory Doctorow.
• Bill Capossere reviews The Municipalists by Seth Fried. 
• Michael Patrick Hics reviews Boomtown by James A. Moore. 
• Amy Goldschlager reviews The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Break the Body, Haunt the Bones by Micah Dean Hicks. 
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books reviews We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia.
• Mahvesh Murad reviews New Suns - Original Speculative Fiction by People of Colour, edited by Nisi Shawl.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Readymade Bodhisattva: The Kaya Anthology of South Korean Science Fiction, edited by Sunyung Park and Sang Yoon Park.
  

Classics reviews:

• Joshua Glenn revisits the 1909 prehistoric adventure La Guerre du Feu a.k.a. The Quest for Fire by J.H. Rosny. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1940 space opera Gray Lensman by E.E. Smith.
• Paul Fraser revisits the June 1943 issue of Unknown Worlds.   
• Jen Zink revisits the 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
• Mark Yon revisits the 1963 science fiction novel Way Station by Clifford D. Simak.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the April 1964 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• Charlie Jane Anders revisits Ursula K. Le Guin's 1969 science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness for its fiftieth anniversary. 
• Sam Jordison revisits the 1969 science fiction novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
• Will Errickson revisits the 1975 horror novel The Manitou by Graham Masterson. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 non-fiction book A House in Space by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr. 
• Bogi Takács revisits the 1979 science fiction collection Fireflood and Other Stories by Vonda N. McIntyre.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1983 science fiction novel Startide Rising by David Brin. 
• Rich Horton revisits the 1985 historical fantasy novel Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart.
• Summer H. Paulus revisits the 1996 fantasy novel The Son of Summer Stars by Meredith Ann Pierce.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Common Bonds, an anthology of speculative fiction featuring aromantic characters and platonic relationships, edited by Clausie Arsenault, is looking for funding.
• Kickstarter is running a digital conference about the future of publishing. 
• Hope Nicholson talks about creating a graphic novel budget for Kickstarter. 

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer looks ahead at the Vintage Paperback Collectors Show in Glendale, California, and shares the signing schedule.
• SyFy Wire shares videos of several panels at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington.
• Donnie Lederer shares the best cosplay photos from Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington.
• Cecilia Tan reports about a panel on Writing the Other at the 2019 International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida. 
• Cecilia Tan also shares G. Willow Wilson's guest of honour speech at the 2019 Internation Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts.
• Mike Glyer reports that comic artist Sana Takeda and playwright Rosaleen McDonagh will be coming as special guests to WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
• Will Hunt reports about a three day expedition to walk across Paris entirely underground through the famous catacombs.
• Steven McIntosh reports that the musical Frozen is coming to London's West End and will open at the Drury Lane Theatre in autumn 2020.
• Steve Fjeldstaed reports about the Ray Bradbury Live (Forever) event in South Passadena, California.
  

Science and technology:

• Paul Rincon reports that a huge meteor has exploded in Earth's atmosphere over the Bering Sea. 
• Paul Rincon reports that Ryugu, the asteroid explored by Japan's Hayabusa-2 probe, has turned out to be a pile of rubble.
• Paul Rincon reports that Ultima Thule, the distant object explored by NASA's New Horizons probe, offers a unique window into the formation of the solar system. 
• Paul Rincon reports about a planned NASA mission to explore the metallic asteroid Psyche.
• Frontiers reports that dormant virusses activate during spaceflight.
• Thomas McMullan explains how swarming drones will change warfare.
• The BBC reports that robots will assist wheelchair users at the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
• Sam Blum remembers Pan Am's plans to offer commercial moon flights. 

Free online fiction:

• "Example" by Adam-Troy Castro in Nightmare Magazine.
• "A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime" by Charlie Jane Anders in Lightspeed.
• "The Blanched Bones, the Tyrant Wind" by Karen Osborne in Fireside Fiction. 
• "A Hundred Thousand Arrows" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed.
• "Curse Like a Savior" by Russell Nichols in Apex Magazine. 
• "O Have You Seem the Devle with his Mikerscope and Scapul" by Jonathan L. Howard in Apex Magazine. 
• "Every Song Must End" by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Tideline Treasures, or Growing Up Along the Mile-High Dyke" by Jaap Boekestein and Tais Teng in Future Science Fiction Digest. 
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Stranger Things.
• Watch a trailer for Toy Story 4. 
• Watch a Star Wars themed parody of the song "Shallow" from A Star Is Born.
• Read In Ovens Baked, a parody of ordering a pizza in the style of David Weber.
• Diana Whitney shares some recipes for dishes inspired by Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn novels.