It's time for another somewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Carnival Row, Chapter 2 of It, Ad Astra, Joker, tributes to Terrance Dicks, WorldCon 77, debates about the Campbell/Astounding Award and the Tiptree Award, the 2019 Dragon Award winners and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Leah Schnelbach shares five science fiction and fantasy books to look out for in September.
- The Orangutan Librarian shares some gateway science fiction books for new readers.
- Paul Tassi shares his favourite science fiction books for gamers.
- Lauren Davis shares the origins of 31 common science fiction terms.
- John Marrs shares seven dystopian techno-thrillers to read.
- David Koepp shares seven essential novels about plagues, virusses and contagions.
- Deborah Hewitt shares five books about fantasy versions of London.
- Eric Smith shares five SFF books featuring giant insects.
- Camestros Felapton offers a post-mortem of his project to trace the history of the Hugo Awards through stories featuring dinosaurs.
- Emily Boynton explains how Jewish writers influenced Arthurian legend.
- Kenneth R. Johnson shares a comprehensive bibliography of gothic romances with fantasy elements.
- Hampus Eckerman talks about fandom, entitlement and toxicity.
- First Fandom Experience shares a 1937 letter by John W. Campbell.
- Matthew Tompkins talks about illusions that fooled Arthur Conan Doyle and memory and perceptions in general.
- George Gene Gustines reports that Marvel Comics has changed several lines in a current comic in which Captain America calls the USA a flawed country.
- Amy, wife of writer Jim C. Hines, has lost her fight with cancer.
- Science fiction writer Brad Linaweaver had died aged 66.
- Jack Weaver, longtime fan and webmaster of Fanac.org, has died aged 92.
- Science fiction author Katherine MacLean has died aged 94.
Film and TV:
- Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the season three finale of The Handmaid's Tale
- Zack Handlen offers episode by episode reviews of season four of Preacher.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Boys.
- Paul Levinson calls See You Yesterday time travel meets Black Lives Matter.
- Paul Levinson also finds some reasons to praise Mortal Engines.
- Katie Rife declares that Satanic Panic has a clever premise, but manages to be only lukewarm horror.
- Katie Rife calls Tigers Are Not Afraid a dark Mexican fairytale.
- A.A. Dowd calls the new Jacob's Ladder a crappy remake.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky declares that the time travel aspect are the most convincing thing about the thriller Don't Let Go.
- Phil Hoad shares his thoughts on the documentary Memory: The Origins of Alien.
- Jim Vorel shares his 100 favourite horror movies of the last 100 years.
- Catherine Shoard reports that gender and racial diversity in blockbuster films has increased.
- Rebecca Nicholson interviews actor Joseph Gilgun, who plays Cassidy in the TV version of Preacher.
- Ramin Setoodeh interviews Robert Pattinson, star of The Lighthouse and High Life and soon to be Batman.
- Taryn Rayder reports that actress Kristen Stewart was reportedly told to stop holding hands with her girlfriend in public, if she wanted to be cast in a Marvel movie.
- Stuart Heritage wonders what No Time to Die, the title of the upcoming 25th James Bond film, might mean.
- Gwen Ihnat reports that Hulu is planning to adapt The Testaments, sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.
- Ryan Britt discusses the regeneration of Romana in Doctor Who in 1979 and how it changed the series forever.
- Longtime Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks has died aged 84.
- Tor.com shartes tributes to Terrance Dicks from several Doctor Who writers past and present.
Comments on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance:
- Beth Elderkin calls The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance the groundbreaking fantasy epic we've been waiting for.
- Beth Elderkin also declares that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is about climate change.
- Erik Adams declares that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance unleashes the full potential left untapped by the 1982 movie.
- Emily Asher-Perrin declares that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance could save us from the homogeny of modern cinema.
- Glen Weldon calls The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance gorgeous, multi-faceted and hollow at its centre.
- Jack Seale calls The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance a puppet fantasy purely for fans.
- Donna Dickens explains the ending of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and looks ahead at a possible season 2.
- The BBC shares some background about the original 1982 The Dark Crystal as well as the 2019 prequel.
Comments on Carnival Row:
- Paul Levinson calls Carnival Row searingly relevant Steampunk.
- Tyler Dean calls Carnival Row a surprisingly complex take on Victorian fantasy tropes, race and politics.
- Ed Power calls Carnival Row a riotous Steampunk mash-up.
- Jill Pantozzi finds Carnival Row just dull.
- Danette Chavez declares that Carnival Row might have worked better, if it had gone completely off the rails.
- Hannah J. Davis interviews Cara Delevingne, one of the stars of Carnival Row.
Comments on Chapter 2 of It:
- Peter Bradshaw calls chapter 2 of It a painfully long horror show, the most horrible thing about which is the prospect of a third movie.
- Katie Rife declares that chapter 2 of It sinks rather than floats.
- James Smythe explains why he will always prefer the 1990s TV mini-series adaptation of It to the movie duology.
- A.A. Dowd revisits the original 1986 novel and compares it to both film version of It.
- The AV Club lists the best, worst and weirdest Stephen King adaptations.
- Camestros Felapton offers some not entirely serious suggestions for future It sequels.
Comments on Ad Astra:
- Nicholas Barber calls Ad Astra a rewarding combination of pulpy B-movie and ominous, atmospheric drama.
- Xan Brooks calls Ad Astra a suberb space opera with serious daddy issues.
Comments on Joker:
- Nicholas Barber calls Joker a dark, dingy drama about urban decay, alienation, and anti-capitalist protests.
- Stephanie Zacharek declares that Joker wants to criticise the emptiness of our culture, but instead becomes a prime example of it.
- Christina Newland declares that the violence in Joker is horrific, but that the film refuses to take sides.
- Germain Lussier calls Joker powerful, confused and provocative, just like the titular character.
- Xan Brooks calls Joker a daring reboot and praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the titular character.
- Owen Gleiberman is impressed by Joker and praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance.
- Jim Vejvoda calls Joker amazing and also praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance.
- Jenna Bush also praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the titular character in Joker.
- Richard Lawson calls Joker bracing and disturbing.
- Steve Weintraub calls Joker a comic book movie unlike any other.
- David Ehrlich calls Joker the boldest and most exciting superhero movie since Dark Knight.
- Ben Child wonders whether there is encounter between the Joker as played by Joaquin Phoenix and Batman as played by Robert Pattinson in the works and whether the resulting film could rival Marvel's box office.
Awards:
- The winner of the 2019 Eugie Foster Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2019 Dragon Awards have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2019 Booker Prize has been announced.
- The winner the 2019 James White Award has been announced.
- The winner of the 2019 Year's Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers' Choice Award has been announced.
- CoNZealand has announced that they will host the 1945 Retro Hugos.
- Peter Libbey reports about the Campbell Award name change.
- John-Henri Holmberg weighs in on calls to rename the Tiptree Award.
- The James Tiptree Jr. Award motherboard explains that they will not change the name of the award.
- Nicholas Whyte weighs in on the viability of the best art book category, which was trialed this year at the Hugo Awards.
- Doris V. Sutherland shares her thoughts on the 2019 Dragon Award winners.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2019 Dragon Award winners.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Chris Winkle shares some tips for turning your fanfiction into original fiction.
- R.J. Theodore shares some worldbuilding tips for creating worlds without monocultures.
- Joe McDermott talks about worldbuilding and the labour of food.
- Rena Barron talks about drawing inspiration from black magic.
- Maura Yzmore shares her experiences as a slush reader for a speculative fiction magazine.
- Marie Bilodeau talks about her issues with her publisher.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about licensing in.
- The new SFWA pro rate of eight cents per word for short fiction is now in effect.
Interviews:
- Sarah Hughes interviews George R.R. Martin.
- Khalia Strong interviews Nalini Singh.
- Carl Slaughter interviews Charlie Jane Anders.
- The Word on the Street interviews Amal El-Mohtar.
- John Parker interviews Sarah Pinborough.
- John Parker interviews Hanna Jameson.
- Tia Kalla interviews Jennifer McKeon.
- A.M. Justice interviews C.T. Phipps.
- Summer H. Paulus interviews Todd Lockwood.
Reviews:
- Danielle Kurtzleben reviews The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
- Alex Clark reviews The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
- Liberty Hardy reviews Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- Christina Tucker reviews The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett.
- Camestros Felapton reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
- Lee Mandelo reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
- Lis Carey reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: Stories of the Xuya Universe by Aliette de Bodard.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse and Other Situations by S.B. Divya.
- Bill Capossere reviews Dark Age by Pierce Brown.
- Maya Gittelman reviews Red Skies Falling by Alex London.
- Adrienne Martini reviews Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.
- Kat Hooper reviews Reticence by Gail Carriger.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews Small Spaces by Katherine Arden.
- Alex Brown reviews Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron.
- Rebecca Fisher reviews Crown of Dreams by Katherine Roberts.
- J.C. Kang reviews Descendant of the Crane by Joan He.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Sanctuary by V.V. James.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews Miranda in Milan by Katherine Duckett.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Lent by Jo Walton.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall.
- Colleen Mondor reviews An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley.
- Mark Yon reviews The Song of the Sycamore by Edward Cox.
- Paul di Filippo reviews Sing Your Sadness Deep by Laura Munro.
- L.A. Young reviews Bound by Mark Lawrence.
- Mark Yon reviews The Grip of It by Jac Jemc.
- Tracy Robinson reviews Grind Your Bones to Dust by Nicholas Day.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Weeping Season by Sean O'Connor.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Slash by Hunter Shea.
- Tobias Carroll reviews Cold Storage by David Koepp.
- Nina Allan reviews The Institute by Stephen King.
- Sarah Ditum reviews The Need by Helen Phillips.
- Amal El-Mohtar reviews Palestine + 100, edited by Basma Ghalayini.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Monster She Wrote by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson.
Classics reviews:
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1905 feminist utopian novel Sultana's Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1953 science fiction novel Star Rangers a.k.a. The Last Planet by Andre Norton.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Authors (1958 - 1966), edited by Gideon Marcus.
- Margarita Mospanova revisits the 1960 science fiction novella From Beyond by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the 1964 science fiction novel Greybeard by Brian Aldiss.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1964 issue of Analog.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1974 science fiction novel Icerigger by Alan Dean Foster.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 science fiction novel Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 science fiction novel The Shattered Stars by Richard S. McEnroe.
- Jana Nyman and Rebecca Fisher revisit the 1984 fantasy novel In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1986 science fiction collection Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin.
- Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King.
- Kelly Lasiter revisits the 1993 historical fantasy novel The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman.
Crowdfunding:
- The Fantastic Fiction of Hannes Bok, a hardcover collection of the three fantasy novels written by SFF writer and artist Hannes Bok, is looking for funding.
- Phoenix Pick is looking for funding to publish Robert A. Heinlein's unpublished novel The Pursuit of the Pankera.
- Elements: Earth, a comic anthology by creators of colour, is looking for funding.
- Don't Go Without Me, a comic collection by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, is looking for funding.
Reports about WorldCon 77:
- Karlin Lillington reports about WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
- Cheryl Morgan shares an extensive report about WorldCon 77.
- Jay Faulkner shares his experiences at WorldCon 77.
- Runalong the Shelves shares their experiences at WorldCon 77.
- Nell Jenda shares her experiences at WorldCon 77.
- First time attendant Sara of Not Another Book Blogger shares her experiences at WorldCon 77.
- Hedwig's World shares her experiences at WorldCon 77 as well as several photos.
- John Coxon shares his experiences at WorldCon 77.
- Espana Sheriff shares her experiences at WorldCon 77.
- Greg Hullender and Eric Wong share their experiences at WorldCon 77.
- Brenda Clough shares her experiences and several photos of WorldCon 77.
- Cora Buhlert shares some photos of the Hugo reception as well as of the Raksura Colony Tree project at WorldCon 77.
- Steamtinkerer's Klönschnack reports about WorldCon 77 and shares some photos.
- George R.R. Martin shares his experiences at WorldCon 77 and TitanCon in Belfast.
Comments about the issues with the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 77:
- George R.R. Martin weighs in on the issues with the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 77.
- Alex Acks responds to George R.R. Martin.
- Kat Tanaka Okopnik responds to George R.R. Martin.
- Tammy Coxen offers a brief history of the Hugo Losers' Party.
- George R.R. Martin shares his personal recollections of past Hugo Losers' Parties.
- Cora Buhlet shares some photos of the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 77.
Other con and event reports:
- John Hertz reports about SpikeCon in Layton, Utah.
- Geoff Matthews reports about VoyagerCon in London, UK, and shares some photos.
- Emily Stein reports about PodCon 2019 in Seattle, Washington.
- Mark L. Blackman reports about the latest edition of the New York Reviewof Science Fiction Readings Series in Brooklyn, New York, featuring Gregory Feeley and Michael Swanwick.
- Mike Roe reports about the Oogie Boogie Bash, a Halloween themed event at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
- Erik Adams and Allison Shoemaker report about a visit to the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
Science and technology:
- Andrew Jones reports that the Chinese Lunar Rover Yutu-2 has made a strange discovery on the far side of the moon.
- Scottie Andrews reports that NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars.
- Jonathan Amos reports about the James Webb Space Telescope.
- William Harwood reports how Kennedy Space Center in Florida is preparing for hurricane Dorian.
- Zachary Fryer-Biggs reports about battlefield robots.
- Jon Hamilton reports that lab-grown mini-brains start having brainwaves after approximately six months.
Free online fiction:
- "A Bird, a Song, a Revolution" by Brooke Bolander in Lightspeed.
- "Exile From Exinction" by Ramez Naam in Lightspeed.
- "Brigid Was Hung By Her Hair from the Second Story Window" by Gillian Daniels in The Dark.
- "A Song for the Leadwood Tree" by Aimee Ogden in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Sweetest Fruit of Summer" by R.K. Duncan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Beyond the High Altar" by Ray Nayler in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Next Year In" by Merridawn Duckler in Jewish in Seattle Magazine.
- "Crunchers Inc." by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- "The Bleak Heath" by Cora Buhlert.
- Read an excerpt from The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
Odds and ends:
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