Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 14, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale, Dark Phoenix, season 3 of Jessica Jones, season 5 of Black Mirror, the final season of Game of Thrones, Men in Black International, I Am Mother, Chernobyl, Toy Story 4, the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction in Disneyland and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

•  Bookish shares ten science fiction and fantasy novels to read this summer.
  
• Discover Sci-Fi shares their favourite space opera series of all time. 
• Cora Buhlert talks about the gradual vanishing of the planetary romance. 
• Tor.com shares five competent and likeable spaceship crews. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about revenge and one whose protagonist finds a better way. 
• Liz Bourke shares some recent fantasy novels she enjoyed.
• Rocket Stack Rank lists the outstanding LGBT short science fiction and fantasy of 2018. 
• Natalie Zutter praises the quotidien queerness of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. 
• Sarah Gailey explains what makes a story queer for her. 
• Jeff Somers explains how six beloved and popular SFF authors perservered through career hardships.
• Jean Kwok praises unreliable narrators. 
• Alex Brown shares her appreciation for C.B. Lee's Sidekick Squad series.
• Alison Flood reports that Patrice Lawrence will write new stories in Enid Blyton's beloved Malory Towers series and that these stories will finally also feature pupils of colour. 
• Stephen Moss reports that print book sales are rising in the UK and the number of independent bookstores is growing as well.
• Jameson Hampton reports about a controversy surrounding the comic Man-Eater by Chelsea Cain. 
• Holly Swinyard reports that cartoonist Matt Furie, creator of the unwitting far right icon Pepe the Frog, has won 15000 US-dollars in a settlement with the far right conspiracy website Infowars over the unauthorised use of his creation. 
• Nicole Carrico reports that the Gary Lee Watson comics collection has been donated to the University of Southern California.

Film and TV:

• A.A. Dowd calls The Dead Don't Die a half-arsed horror comedy.
• Eric Adams declares that Los Espookys isn't Ghostbusters but that it is different in many weird and wonderful ways.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the giant shark movie The Meg.  
• Emily Asher-Perrin shares ten details you might miss in Good Omens, if you haven't read the book. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
• Jennifer Giesbrecht shares her love for the 1993 space opera series Babylon 5.
• G. Kendall remembers the 1983 Dungeons and Dragons cartoon.
• Ethan Alter interviews Buzz Dixon, writer on Dungeons and Dragons and other Saturday morning cartoons of the 1980s.
• Mike Chomko celebrates sixty years of the original Twilight Zone. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1964 movie The Horror of Party Beach. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares eight zombie movies that are effective, but were made relatively cheaply.
• Sarah Hughes declares that binge-watching TV may be fashionable, but that it is ultimately unsatisfying.
• Andrew Pulver wonders whether the new James Bond movie is cursed or whether the many problems are just a sign that the series has lost direction. 
• Matt Miller reports that in the original screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader was not supposed to be Luke's father.
• William Hughes reports that the next season of the afterlife sitcom The Good Place will be its last. 
• Rick Porter reports that Love, Death and Robots has been renewed for a second season. 
• The Guardian reports about Spielberg After Dark, a new horror show that can only be watched when the sun has set.
• Mike Glyer reports that YouTube has removed some of Vox Day's videos for violating their community guidelines.
• Lisa Peet reports that the University of Pittsburgh has acquired George Romero's archives and will found a horror studies center.
• Mara Reinstein interviews Sigourney Weaver, star of Alien and many other SFF movies. 
• Gwen Ihnat interviews Tom Skerritt, best known for Alien, Top Gun, Picket Fences and many other films and TV shows.
• Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland interview each other.
  

Comments on season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale:

• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on "God Bless the Child", the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale. 
• Allison Shoemaker also interviews Madeline Brewer who plays Janine in The Handmaid's Tale.
• Beth Elderkin interviews Ann Dowd who plays Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale.

Comments on Dark Phoenix: 

• Glen Weldon declares that a faithful adaptation of the comics would have been unworkable within the constraints of a tweo hour movie and is quite pleased with how Dark Phoenix turned out.
• Richard Newby declares that Dark Phoenix is better than the critics make it seem.
• George Kelley shares his thoughts on Dark Phoenix.
• Phil Pirello laments the end of the Fox X-Men era and praises the movies' political stance.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore explains who the character played by Jessica Chastain in Dark Phoenix is supposed to be.
• Narayan Liu explains the ending of Dark Phoenix.
• Brandon Zachary declares that Dark Phoenix has a more hopeful ending than the original comic.
• James Whitbrook attempts to make sense of the tangled timeline of the X-Men movies now the series has ended.  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Simon Kinberg, director of Dark Phoenix. 
• Brian Davids interviews Alexandra Shipp who plays Storm in Dark Phoenix. 
• Variety reports that Dark Phoenix has had the worst opening weekend of any X-Men film.
• Mia Galuppo reports that Dark Phoenix did poorly at the box office and was beaten even by the animated children's film The Secret Lives of Pets 2.
• Borys Kit attempts to explain why Dark Phoenix did so poorly at the box office.
• James Whitbrook blames the failure of Dark Phoenix on the fact that its release date was postponed because of Alita Battle Angel.
• Meagan Damore reports that Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso finds the name "X-Men" outdated, because the team also includes several women.
• Graeme McMillan shares the comic background of the Dark Phoenix saga.
• Brandon Zachary explains how Dark Phoenix compares to the original comics.
• The AV Club shares fourteen classic X-Men stories that would make good movies.
  

Comments on season 3 of Jessica Jones:

• Charles Pulliam-Moore declares that season 3 of Jessica Jones feels a little too familiar and is not a fitting swan song for the Marvel Netflix shows and their mini-universe. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Carrie Ann Moss who plays Jeri Hogarth in Jessica Jones.
  

Comments on Game of Thrones:

• Tyler Dean discusses Game of Thrones' complex relationship to racism and colonialism. 
• Ryan Harkness chronicles the Lovecraftian influences hidden in Game of Thrones.
• Laura Bradley lists everything George R.R. Martin is doing instead of finishing The Winds of Winter.

Comments on Men in Black International:

• Beth Elderkin calls Men in Black International a galaxy of fun for a new generation.
• Peter Bradshaw calls Men in Black International galatically gormless and requests that the series be retitled Meh in Black.  
• Katie Rife calls Men in Black International lifeless.

Comments on season 5 of Black Mirror:

• Abigail Nussbaum shares her thoughts on the Black Mirror episode "Striking Vipers".
• Charles Pulliam-Moore declares that "Striking Vipers" is an important exploration of black masculinity and sexuality. 
• Stuart Heritage explains why the "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" episode of season 5 of Black Mirror hits the wrong note.
• The AV Club ranks every episode of Black Mirror to date.
• Ross Johnson also ranks every episode of Black Mirror to date. 
• Stuart Heritage also ranks every episode of Black Mirror to date. 

Comments on I Am Mother: 

• Mike D'Angelo calls I Am Mother a twisty science fiction thriller. 
• Bob Mayer shares his thoughts on I Am Mother.
  

Comments on Chernobyl: 

• Sophie Gilbert calls Chernobyl a gruesome and riveting drama.
• Also inspired by Chernobyl, Sophie Gilbert laments that TV episodes are just too damned long these days.
• Natalia Antonova declares that Chernobyl is still horrifyingly relevant, because the lessons have not been learned.
• Esther Addley and Stephanie Convery report that Craig Mazin, screenwriter of Chernobyl has criticsed tourists for taking inappropriate selfies in Pripyat.
• Andrew Roth reports that the Russian TV channel NTV will make its own Chernobyl film, where the CIA is to blame for everything.
  

Comments on Toy Story 4:

• Peter Bradshaw declares that Toy Story 4 features some new characters, but tells the same old story that the series has told three times before.
• Germain Lussier feels that Toy Story 4 is a heartwarming and boundary-pushing addition to the series.
• A.A. Dowd calls Toy Story 4 breezy but strange.
  

Awards: 

• The finalists for the 2019 John W. Campbell Memorial Award has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2019 Mythopoetic Awards have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2019 Sunburst Awards has been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Ditmar Awards have been announced.
• The winners of  the 2019 Australian Shadows Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Norma K. Hemmings Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Kurd Laßwitz Preis have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2019 Royal Society Young People's Book Prize has been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Tony Awards have been announced with lots of love for the Greek mythology based musical Hadestown.
• The winners of the 2019 Rockie Awards have been announced.
• George R.R. Martin has been awarded the 2019 Carl Sandburg Literary Award.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Lauren Sapala explains how to fight the self-doubt that comes with writing your first book.
• Kameron Hurley explains what writers can do in case of burnout. 
• Alexa Grave shares some self-care tips for writers.
• Mark Waid explains how to become a comic book writer. 
• Ajit George explains how writing games helped him to test the waters of his identity. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses the many ways that writers measure success.
• Kellie Doherty shares some tips for planning book-related events.
• Alexandra Alter and Tiffany Hsu report that Barnes & Noble has been sold to a hedgefund.
• Ed Nawotka interviews James Daunt who will soon be running Barnes & Noble.
  

Interviews:

• The Odyssey Writing Workshop interviews Travis Heerman.
• M.H. Thaung interviews Stephen Briggs.
• Blue Book Balloon interviews James Brogden.
• Kendall Reviews interviews Ren Warom. 
• The Civilian Reader interviews Cameron Johnston.
• Paul Weimer and Daniel Haeusser interview Megan O'Keefe.
• Jeff LaSala interviews Justin Gerard.
  

Reviews:

• Martin Cahill reviews The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz.
• Paul Weimer reviews Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe.
• Rob Bedford reviews Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe. 
• Ross Johnson reviews Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe.
• Nicole Hill reviews The Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone.
• Mark Yon reviews Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• For Winter Nights reviews Across the Void by S.K. Vaughn. 
• Steve Stred reviews Artemis One-Zero-Five by Christopher Henderson. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell.
• Bill Capossere reviews The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken.
• Liza Graham reviews Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Gather the Fortunes by Bryan Camp. 
• Rich Horton reviews For the Killing of Kings by Howard Andrew Jones. 
• Tadiana Jones reviews The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher. 
• Adri Joy reviews The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde. 
• Roshani Chokshi reviews The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty.
• Amy Goldschlager reviews The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. 
• Samuel Chapman reviews Empire of Grass by Tad Williams.
• Nina Shepardson reviews The Siren Depths by Martha Wells. 
• Katharine Coldiron reviews The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan.
• Marion Deeds reviews The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman.  
• David Stewart reviews Nevernight by Jay Kristoff.
• Ceridwen Christensen reviews The Games House by Claire North.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco.
• Joe Sherry reviews Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker. 
• Logan Noble reviews Nothing is Everything by Simon Stranzas. 
• Tadiana Jones reviews Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim.
• Bill Capossere reviews Kellanved's Reach by Ian C. Esslemont. 
• Ian Mond and Adrienne Martini review Golden State by Ben H. Winters.
• Sam Reader reviews The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Ghost Bride by Yangze Choo. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Song for Unravelling the World by Brian Evenson. 
• Paul di Filippo reviews Recursion by Blake Crouch.
• The Qwillery reviews Recursion by Blake Crouch. 
• Nicole Hill reviews Recursion by Blake Crouch. 
• Paul Levinson reviews The Fractal Man by J. Neal Shulman.
• Sam Reader reviews Fall, or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson. 
• Michaael Patrick Hicks reviews Fire & Rain, book 1 of The Fearing by John F.D. Taff.
• Bill Capossere reviews The Hunger by Alma Katsu. 
• Kat Hooper reviews We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix.
• Paul Weimer reviews A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods, edited by Jennifer Brozek.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation, edited by Ken Liu.
• George Packer reviews The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 by Dorian Lynskey.
• Paul Levinson reviews Three Laws Lethal by David Walton. 

Classics reviews:

• James Bacon revisits the classic 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1964 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• John Boston revisits the July 1964 issue of Amazing Stories.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits The Dramaturges of Yan, a 1972 science fiction novel by John Brunner. 
• Charles R. Rutledge revisits the 1972 planetary romance Jandar of Callisto by Lin Carter und its sequels. 
• George Kelley revisits the 1976 non-fiction book Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers: The Makers of Heroic Fantasy by L. Sprague de Camp. 
• Alison Flood revisits the 1977 children's book The World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts.  
• Paperback Warrior revisits Resurrection, a 1983 novel in the post-apocalyptic Wasteworld men's adventure series.
• Rebecca Diem revisits the 1983 science fiction novel Superluminal by Vonda N. McIntyre.
• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1983 short fiction collection Exeunt Murderers by Anthony Boucher.
• Nisi Shawl revisits the 1999 alternate history novel The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Alex Shvartzman is looking for funding to publish his fantasy novel Eridani's Crown.
• Several 2019 Hugo finalists are looking for funding to go to WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland. 

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that CoNZealand, the 2020 WorldCon, in Wellington, New Zealand, will also host the 41st NewZealand national science fiction convention.
• Z shares their panel notes from Continuum 2019 in Melbourne, Australia.
• Spencer Kornhaber reports about the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. 
• John Hetz also reports about the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction.
• The Cymera Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, shares videos of some panels.
• Frank Catalano shares some photos of the memorial for Vonda N. McIntyre in Seattle, Washington.
  

Science and technology:

• George Musser talks about the future of the US space program. 
• The BBC reports about the Indian moon lander Chandrayaan 2. 
• Shannon Hall reports about new initiatives to explore Venus. 
• Joe Palca explains how NASA is using the Curiosity Mars Rover to explore the origins of a mysterious sand mountain on Mars. 
• George Dvorsky reports that the ocean underneath the frozen surface of the Jupiter moon Europa may contain sodium chloride, i.e. table salt.
• Merrit Kennedy reports that a swarm of ladybugs so huge that it showed up on a weather radar has been spotted in California. 
• Jonathan Amos reports about the search for an ancient meteorite crater in Scotland.
• Adam Pockross reports that cannon balls used by Vlad the Impaler in the 15th century have been discovered in Bulgaria.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Skinner Box" by Carole Johnstone at Tor.com. 
• "An Advances Reader's Picture Book of Comparative Cognition" by Ken Liu in Lightspeed.
• "Between the Dark and the Dark" by Deji Bryce Olukotun in Lightspeed.
• "The Weight of a Thousand Needles" by Isabel Cañas in Lightspeed.
• "In a Cavern in a Canyon" by Laird Barron in Nightmare Magazine.
• "On Highway 18" by Rebecca Campbell in The Dark.  
• "The Painter of Trees" by Suzanne Palmer in Clarkesworld.
• "Revival" by Lisa M. Bradley in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Five Stories in the Monsoon Night" by Nghi Vo in Fireside Magazine.
• "Aging Elements" by Ben Francisco in Fireside Magazine. 
• "Fast Cars" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
• "Silver Springs" by T.R. North in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The Seething Sea Sufficeth Us" by Catherynne M. Valente in Current Futures.
• "Mother Ocean" by Vandana Singh in Current Futures.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for The Rook. 
• Watch a trailer for Carnival Row. 
• Watch a trailer for Doctor Sleep.
• Watch a trailer for Frozen II.