Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for March 13, 2020

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek: Picard, series 12 of Doctor Who, season 5 of Outlander, season 2 of Altered Carbon, The Outsider, Noughts and Crosses, Amazing Stories, Bloodshot, Onward, The Hunt, tributes to Max von Sydow, the latest convention cancellations due to the corona virus and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Joel Cunningham shares six recent SFF books that don't give a damn about genre distinctions. 
• James Davis Nicoll talks about science fiction stories where humanity has abandoned Earth. 
• Len Vlahos shares three books where AI doesn't take over the world and two where it does.
• Ana Dávila Cardinal shares five SFF books by Afro-Caribbean authors. 
• Suyi Davies Okungbowa shares five SFF books set in contemporary African locales.
• Sara Holland shares five books set in a fantastical America. 
• C.D. Covington discusses the linguistic aspects of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
• Claire Eliza Bartlett talks about the joy of history and academia in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
• Kelly Lagor talks about Iain M. Banks and genetic engineering. 
• Mark Matthews talks about addiction horror. 
• James Queally lists the best reporters in comic book history.
• George Gene Gustines takes a look at Batman's many Robins for the boy wonder's 80th anniversary.
• Hugo winner, fanzine editor and former WorldCon chairperson Earl Kemp has died aged 90.
• Fan and filker Ariel Makepeace has died aged 66.
  

Film and TV:

• Timothy Donohoo declares that Stargirl may be the best DC Comics based TV series yet.
• Sydney Bucksbaum explains how the popular "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" song from The Witcher came to be. 
• Lisa Weidenfeld shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Avenue 5.
• Arielle Bernstein shares her thoughts on the TV adaptation of Philip Roth's alternate history novel The Plot Against America.
• Peter Bradshaw calls Bacurau a disquieting horror film. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that the horror comedy Butt Boy is even stranger than the title suggests.
• Benjamin Lee calls Fantasy Island schlock horror that lacks imagination. 
• Jacob Trussell remembers how very strange some of the pre-Marvel Studios Marvel movies were. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1965 disaster movie Crack in the World. 
• Jason Torchinsky offers a handy chart explaining how the shape of spaceships matches the type of space-based science fiction film or TV shows.
• Anne Bilson wonders why black cowboys are so much rarer in movies than they were in reality.
• Leonard Maltin reviews special effects specialist John Dykstra. 
• Bonnie Burton reports that animatronics engineer and TV personality Grant Imahara has built an animatronic Baby Yoda robot, which will cheer up sick children in hospital.
• Charlie Ridgeley reports that Lost in Space will be cancelled after season 3.
• The BBC reports that the release of the movie Peter Rabbit 2 will be postpone by two months because of corona virus fears. 
• Benjamin Lee reports that the release of Fast and Furious 9 and A Quiet Place 2 has also been postponed due to corona virus fears.
• Actor Nicholas Tucci, best known for his appearances in You're Next and Channel Zero, has died aged only 38.
  

Tributes to Max von Sydow:

• Swedish actor Max von Sydow, best known for The Seventh Seal, Flash Gordon, The Exorcist, The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones, Never Say Never, The Three Days of the Condor and many others, has died aged 90.  
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Max von Sydow.
• Robert Berkvist remembers Max von Sydow.
• Beth Elderkin remembers the many genre roles of Max von Sydow.
• Ben Child also remembers the many genre roles of Max van Sydow.
• The BBC remembers eight of Max von Sydow's most famous roles.
  

Comments on Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek in general (warning, spoilers):

• Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Nepenthe", the latest episode of Star Trek Picard.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "Nepenthe".
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Nepenthe".
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Nepenthe".
• Brad Gullickson shares his thoughts on "Nepenthe". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Nepenthe". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Nepenthe".
• Camestros Felapton revisits the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 and 2". 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Jetrel" and "Learning Curve".
• Aron Garst explains how Star Trek's prime directive is influencing real world laws.
• Wired and Google Autocomplete interview Sir Patrick Stewart, who plays Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek Picard.
• Jodi Guglielmi reports about some of the more offbeat terms of the divorce settlement between actor William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek, and his fourth wife Elizabeth.
  

Comments on series 12 of Doctor Who (spoilers):

• Huw Fullerton shares his thoughts on series 12 of Doctor Who.
• Max Curtis talks about religious themes and symbolism in series 11 and 12 of Doctor Who.
• Jonathan Wright shares the BBC's responses to criticism of the series 12 finale of Doctor Who.
  

Comments on season 5 of Outlander:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
  

Comments on season 2 of Altered Carbon:

• Beth Elderkin shares seven things she liked and three things she didn't about season 2 of Altered Carbon.
• Beth Elderkin interviews Simone Missick, one of the stars of Altered Carbon.
  

Comments on The Outsider:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Outsider.
• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Outsider.
• Zack Budryk takes a look at The Outsider and the evolution of the mildly autistic super-detective.
  

Comments on Noughts and Crosses:

• Nikki Onafuye calls Noughts and Crosses must-see TV.
• Ellen E. Jones calls Noughts and Crosses vital viewing.
  

Comments on Amazing Stories:

• Lucy Mangan calls Amazing Stories an SFF anthology series full of heart. 
• Rob Hunter declares that Amazing Stories offers romance, optimism and a great John Williams theme. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Amazing Stories is the first show on Apple's new streaming service that's actually a pleasure to watch.
• Alex McLevy declares that Amazing Stories does not live up to its title.
• Patricia Puentes finds Amazing Stories nostalgic. 
• Inspired by Amazing Stories, Jack Seale wonders whether anthology series haven't lost their way.
• Steve Davidson, editor of the magazine Amazing Stories, shares his thoughts on the series Amazing Stories.
  

Comments on Bloodshot:

• A.A. Dowd calls Bloodshot dumb fun pretending to be smart science fiction. 
• Charles Bramesco calls Bloodshot brainless action schlock. 

Comments on Onward:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Onward a standard, but entertaining quest fantasy.  
• Glen Weldon calls Onward a lost opportunity.  
• Leonard Maltin calls Onward heartfelt and eminently satisfying. 
• Dan Persons calls Onward more magical than meaningful.
• Christopher Campbell recommends some movies to watch after watching Onward.
• The BBC reports that Onward has been banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia over gay references.
  

Comments on The Hunt:

• Adrian Horton declares that The Hunt is more hype than horror. 
• Katie Rife calls The Hunt an anaemic political comedy wrapped in a blood-soaked thriller. 

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2019 Kitschies has been announced. 
• David Gaughran and John Picacio will be the recipients of the SFWA's 2020 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. 
• The recipient of the 2020 Kevin O'Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Australian Romance Readers Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 Colorado Book Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Philip K. Dick Film Festival have been announced.
• The Carl Brandon Society's Parallax and Kindred Awards are open for submission.
• File 770 lists eligible editors and works for the 2020 Best Editor Short Form Hugo Awards.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• John McMahon talk about the importance of letting your main character take a beating on occasion.
• Sarah Maria Griffin explains how she learned storytelling from videogames.
• John Lawton talks about researching historical fiction. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about some recent issues in the publishing world.
• Camestros Felapton and ErsatzCulture discuss more fake account shenangigans going on at Goodreads.
• Josh Cook shares ten ways to support your indie bookstore through the corona crisis.
  

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews K.B. Wagers. 
• Liz Bourke interviews K.B. Wagers. 
• The Odyssey Writing Workshop interviews Carrie Vaughn.
• Andrea Johnson interviews Premee Mohamed.
• Michael Koryta and Alma Katsu interview each other.
• Shelf Awareness interviews Cassandra Clare.
• The Qwillery interviews Kawai Strong Washburn.
  

Reviews: 

• Paul Weimer reviews Down Among the Dead by K.B. Wagers. 
• Genine Tyson reviews The Immortal Conquistator by Carrie Vaughn. 
• The Juggling DragonWorm reviews Remanence by Jennifer Foehner Wells.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Critical Point by S.L. Huang. 
• Rob Bedford reviews Sixteenth Watch by Myke Cole. 
• Adri Joy reviews Sixteenth Watch by Myke Cole.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Re-Coil by J.T. Nicholas. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer and Stray Bats by Margo Lanagan.
• Foz Meadows reviews Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. 
• Paul Weimer reviews The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Echoes of Another by Chandra K. Clarke. 
• Joe Sherry reviews A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff.
• Maya Gittelman reviews Spellhacker by M.K. England. 
• Bill Capossere reviws Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy. 
• Carolyn Cushman and Amy Goldschlager review Angel Mage by Garth Nix.
• Amy Goldschlager reviews The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman. 
• Zoraida Córdova reviews The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Deep by Rivers Solomon.
• For Winter Nights reviews The Deep by Alma Katsu.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews Sealed by Naomi Booth. 
• Ian Mond reviews Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Providence by Max Barry.
• Thomas J. Millay reviews Agency by William Gibson. 
• Kat Hooper and Ryan Skardal review Agency by William Gibson. 
• Suzy Michael reviews Boy in the Box by Marc E. Fitch.
• Suzy Michael reviews We Are Monsters by Brian Kirk.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews To Be Devoured by Sarah Tantlinger.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews American Monsters Part 2, edited by Margret Helgadottir.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Shadows & Tall Trees 8, edited by Michael Kelly.
• Alex Brown reviews A Phoenix Must Burn, edited by Patrice Caldwell.
  

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1931 lost world novel The Drums of Tapajos by S.P. Meek.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1938 space opera Galactic Patrol by E.E. Smith.
• Paul Fraser revisits the June 1944 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 planetary romance novel Shadow Over Mars a.k.a. The Nemesis from Terra by Leigh Brackett.  
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 space opera story "The Free-Lance of Space" by Edmond Hamilton.
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 science fiction horror novelette "Iron Mask" by Robert Bloch.
• Don Briago revisits the 1944 science fiction horror novella "Killdozer!" by Theodore Sturgeon. 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 military science fiction story "I, Rocket" by Ray Bradbury. 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 City short story "The Huddling Place" by Clifford D. Simak.
• Gideon Marcus shares his thoughts on the April 1965 issue of Galaxy. 
• John Boston revisits the April 1965 issue of Amazing Stories
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1966 science fiction collection The Trouble Twisters by Poul Anderson.
• Runalong the Shelves revisits the 1978 science fiction novel Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler.
• Bogi Takács revisits the 1992 speculative fiction collection Memories of the Body by Lisa Tuttle.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Queer Writers of Color Relief Fund is collecting donations to benefit LGBTQ writers of colour who have been affected by event cancellations due to the corona virus.
• The Seattle Artists Relief Fund is looking for donations to help artists in the eattle region affected by event cancellations due to the corona virus.
  

Con and event reports:

• Mysore Srinarahari reports about the 18th Science Fiction Conference in Aurangabad, India.
• The program for the 4th annual HWA Librarians Day in Naperville, Illinois, has been announced. 
• Mike Glyer announced the program for the 2020 Jack Williamson Lectureship in Portales, New Mexico.
• Radio New Zealand reports about CoNZealand, the 2020 WorldCon in Wellington, New Zealand. 
• Jacqueline Brasfield offers some travel tips for people planning to attend CoNZealand. 
• CoNZealand, the 2020 WorldCon in Wellington, New Zealand, shares an official statement regarding the corona virus. 
• Mike Glyer offers an overview of conventions that have been cancelled, rescheduled or will go ahead due to the corona virus. 
• Mike Glyer shares even more news about conventions which have been cancelled or rescheduled due to corona virus fears.
• Trae Dorn declares that every convention staff should discuss what to do about the corona virus.
• The SFWA shares a statement regarding the effects of the corona virus on the Nebula Awards weekend.
• The 2020 International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida, and the 2020 Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird in Conley, Georgia, have been cancelled because of the corona virus.
• Beth Elderkin reports that San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California, and WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will go ahead as planned.
• Michael Cader reports that Book Expo and Book Con in New York City will go ahead in spite of corona virus fears.
• Anastasia Tsioulcas reports that the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, has been cancelled due to corona virus fears. 
• Ace Comic Con Northeast in Boston, Massachusetts, announces that their event has been cancelled as well due to corona virus fears.
• The BBC reports that the annual TED conference in Vancouver, Canada, may be postponed or go virtual because of the corona virus.
• Carlye Wisel reports about the new Avengers Campus attraction in Disneyland in Anaheim, California. 
• Carlye Wisel also takes a look at the foods that will be sold at the Avengers Campus attraction in Disneyland.
• Andrew Dalton also reports about the Avengers Campus attraction in Disneyland.
• Todd Martens reports about a Disney exhibition in Santa Ana, California. 
• Kelly Magyarics reports about an exhibition of the collection of science fiction and horror art owned by Metallica lead guitarrist Kirk Hammett in Columbia, South Carolina.
• The 2020 Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand (FFANZ) is open for nominations.
  

Science and technology:

• Elizabeth Gibney reports that a planetary alignment offers the rare chance for space probes to reach Neptune and Uranus.
• Nancy Atkinson reports that Japan is planning to send a lander to the Martian moon Phobos.
• Passant Rabie reports about the possible reason for the mysterious dimming of Betelgeuse.
• Jonathan Amos reports about Wasp-76b, an exo-planet where is rains iron. 
• Jonathan Shieber reports about the final mission of the first generation SpaceX Dragon capsule. 
• Jonathan Amos reports about synthetic aperture radar technology.
• Dan Levin reports about life inside the so-called "quiet zone" around the Green Bank observatory in West Virginia, where cell phones, bluetooth devices and Wi-Fi are not allowed.
• Jan Eliasberg profiles physicst Dr. Lise Meitner.
• Kris Vyas-Myall traces the history of pirate radio in the UK and continental Europe.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Night Sun" by Zin E. Rocklyn at Tor.com.
• "Living the Quiet Life" by A.M. Dellamonica in Lightspeed. 
• "Tend To Me" by Kristina Ten in Lightspeed. 
• "All Saints' Mountain" by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft, in Hazlitt.
• "The Summer Is Ended and We Are Not Saved" by Natalia Theodoridou in The Dark.
• "My Sister's Wings Are Red" by Christine Tyler in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Salt" by Rosemary Melchior in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Kim" by Nicole D. Sconiers in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Hello, Moto" by Nnedi Okorafor at Tor.com.
• "Leave-Taking" by M.L. Clark in Clarkesworld.
• "Survival Tactics" by Elizabeth Bonesteel.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Black Widow.
• Watch a trailer for The Platform. 
• Watch a teaser for Stargirl.
• Watch a trailer for The Third Day.
• Watch a trailer for Antebellum. 
• Watch a trailer for Soul.
• Watch a trailer for Scoob.
• Watch a trailer for Trolls: World Tour.
• Watch a behind the scenes clip of Warwick Davis and his son Harrison on the set of The Rise of Skywalker.