Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for September 18, 2020

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with tributes to Charles Saunders and Diana Rigg, the various iterations of Star Trek, Lovecraft Country, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet, The Third Day, Raised by Wolves, the live action Mulan, Challenger: The Final Flight, a lot about sword and sorcery and much more.


Speculative fiction in general:

• Amal El-Mohtar recommends recent science fiction and fantasy novels.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction novels featuring floating habitats. 
• Lincoln Michel is sick of the science fiction and fantasy versus realism debate.
  
• Damien Walter declares that the science fiction genre is short-changing itself.
• David Mack shares six novels of alternate and secret history. 
• Rita Wang shares five Asian SFF novels by Asian SFF authors.
  
• G.W. Thomas shares some sword and sorcery stories by women. 
• Brian Murphy explains that sword and sorcery is more than just hypermasculine heroes in the Conan mould. 
• Brian Murphy revisits the later Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber in a two part post
• E. Foley and B. Coates share the top ten goddesses in fiction. 
• Tessa Gratton explains how being genderqueer has influenced her fiction.
• Lauren Panepinto takes a look at the covers of Dune through the decades. 
• D.M. Ritzlin shares their ten favourite sword and sorcery stories by Robert E. Howard. 
• Michael Gonzales shares his appreciation for the art of Jeffrey Catherine Jones.
  
• Tom Lamont talks about sharing his love for Spider-Man with his young son. 
• Alasdair Stuart explains what Warren Ellis' work has meant to him over the years.
• Dan Hanks talks about the power and pitfalls of nostalgia.
• Brad Parks wonders whether crime fiction writers would survive a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. 
• Alison Flood reports that the fantasy novel Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by debut author Annabel Steadman has received a record-breaking advance. 
• Filker Naomi Pardue has died.
• Fantasy author Terry Goodkind has died aged 72.
• Science fiction author Frances Ferris Yerxa Hamling has died aged 101.
  

Tributes to Charles Saunders:

• Greg Mele remembers Charles Saunders. 
• Ron Fortier remembers Charles Saunders.  
• Brian Murphy remembers Charles Saunders.

Film and TV:

• Leslie Felperin calls Magical Adventures in the Forbidden City an allegorical Steampunk fantasy.
  
• Roxana Hadadi calls Utopia a muted adaptation. 
• Vance Kotrla declares that there is a lot to love about The Love Witch. 
• Sam Barsanti calls Dragon's Dogma a fun, if forgettable videogame adaptation. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season 11 premiere of Archer.
  
• Jesse Hassenger shares his thoughts on Jurassic Park: Camp Cretaceous. 
• Christopher East shares his thoughts on Devs and Years and Years.
  
• Joe George grades his favourite time travel movies. 
• Kate Wyver reports about 7 Hours on Earth, a feature film made and directed by the students of a secondary school in Graveney, London, UK.
  
• Martin Belam calls the animated reconstruction of the 1968 Doctor Who series "The Fury from the Deep" a solid slice of 1960s Doctor Who. 
• Cullen Gallagher revisits the 1959 Edgar Wallace thriller Face of the Frog.
• Ed Power explains how the 1973 folk horror movie The Wicker Man changed the face of horror cinema.
  
• Noah Berlatsky revisits the 1986 science fiction horror movie The Fly
• K.A. Laity revisits the 1991 supernatural noir movie Cast a Deadly Spell. 
  
• Sarah Hughes interviews David Tennant, star of Doctor Who and the serial killer drama Des. 
• Jonathan Romney interviews Guillermo del Toro, director of Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water and many others. 
• Thomas Hobbs interviews Tom Six and Ashley C. Williams, director and star of the infamous horror film The Human Centipede. 
• Rich Pelley interviews Tom DeLonge, host of Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation.
• Angelica Frey discusses the haute couture history of Sailor Moon.
• Julie Muncy reports that the directors of the science fiction film Synchronic are asking audiences not to watch their movie in the cinema.
• Stuart Heritage reports about Chris Evans, best known for playing Captain America, accidentally sharing a penis photo and the surprisingly kind reaction to that mishap. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin reports that Tatiana Maslany has been cast as Jennifer Walters a.k.a. She-Hulk in an upcoming TV series.
  

Tributes to Diana Rigg:

• Anita Gates shares an obituary for Diana Rigg.
• Robert Lloyd shares a tribute to Diana Rigg.
• Adam Whitehead remembers Diana Rigg.
• Bill Koenig remembers Diana Rigg
• David Hofstede remembers Diana Rigg.
• James Hibberd shares the memories of the Game of Thrones cast and crew of Diana Rigg.
  

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts about "Much Ado About Boimler", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Displaced" and "Worst Case Scenario".
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 Star Trek tie-in novel How Much For Just the Planet? by John M. Ford.
  
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro revisits the 2014 Star Trek Deep Space Nine tie-in novel Lust's Latinum Lost (and Found) by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann 
  
• Kate Gradner interviews Alexander Siddig who played Dr. Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 
• Zach Seemayer shares the 19 coolest starships in the Star Trek universe.
• Daniel Hollway interviews Noah Hawley, director of an upcoming Star Trek film and Lucy in the Sky and showrunner of Fargo. 
• Scott Campbell reports that Paramount is planning to cast Will Smith in a Star Trek movie.
  

Comments on Lovecraft Country: 

• Alex Brown shares her thoughts on "Strange Case", the latest episode of Lovecraft Country. 
• Ellen E. Jones shares her thoughts on "Strange Case". 
• Joelle Monique shares her thoughts on "Strange Case".
• Marah Eakin interviews Wunmi Mosaku and Abbey Lee, who play Ruby and Christina in Lovecraft Country.
• Andrew Tejada reports that Jonathan Majors, who plays Atticus in Lovecraft Country, has been cast in Ant-Man 3, most likely to play Kang the Conqueror.
  

Comments on Bill and Ted Face the Music: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Bill and Ted Face the Music a sweet adventure.
• Emma Fraser explains why Bill and Ted's timeless friendship feels revolutionary. 

Comments on The Third Day:

• Joel Golby calls The Third Day a sinister, artfully created curio. 
• Lucy Mangan calls The Third Day spooky but absurd. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls The Third Day a thrilling, experimental folk horror series.
  
• Monica Castillo shares her thoughts on the first episode of The Third Day. 

Comments on Raised by Wolves:

• Arielle Bernstein shares her thoughts on "Nature's Course" and "Infected Memory", the latest episodes of Raised by Wolves.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Nature's Course" and "Infected Memory".
  
• Andrew Liptak reports that Raised by Wolves has been renewed for a second season.
  

 

Comments on Tenet:

• Candace Carty-Williams thinks that Tenet is okay, but that being able to go to the cinema again is what truly matters.
• Julie Muncy reports that Warner Bros is refusing to share detailed box office figures for Tenet.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that Tenet is a box office bomb.

Comments on the live action Mulan:

• Jeannette Ng talks about the latest version of Mulan, Han hegemony and Chinese propaganda.
• Pei Li chronicles the reception Mulan received in China.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that the Chinese government has adviced media outlets not to cover or review Mulan
• Samuel Gelman reports that the box office performance of Mulan in China is underwhelming.
  

Comments on Challenger: The Final Flight:

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the documentary Challenger: The Final Flight. 
• Adrian Horton shares his thoughts on Challenger: The Final Flight. 
• Tim Grierson shares his thoughts on Challenger: The Final Flight.
  

Awards: 

• The nominations for the 2020 ESFS Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2020 Dwarf Star Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2020 Prix Utopiales BD has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2020 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Prize have been announced. 
• Margaret Atwood has won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. 
• The finalists for the 2020 Booker Prize have been announced.
• The winners of the 2020 Ig Nobel Awards have been announced.
  
• Camestros Felapton wonders which Hugo fiction finalists don't have Wikipedia pages.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Christina Henry explains how to use multiple points of view to generate story tension. 
• Charlie Jane Anders talks about worldbuilding. 
• Kellie Doherty talks about writing fanfiction. 
• Destiny Soria shares three ways roleplaying has made her a better writer.
• Sarah Manavis explains why Goodreads is bad for books. 
• Daniel Greene talks about the difficulties of being a booktuber.
• Alison Flood reports that bookshops in the UK are experiencing a record sales week due to a glut of books being released all at once.
• Dorany Pineda reports about the difficulties facing bookstores in Los Angeles, California, due to the corona pandemic.
  

Interviews:

• Justine Jordan interviews Susanna Clarke.
• Alasdair Stuart interviews Joanne Harris. 
• The Qwillery interviews Dan Hanks.
• Cat Luria interviews Elizabeth R. Moore.
• Mike Glyer interviews Kathrin Hutson. 
• The Qwillery interviews Jon Richter.
  
• James Whitbrook interviews Junji Ito.
  

Reviews: 

• Janet Webb reviews Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb.  
• Liz Bourke reviews The Vanished Seas by Catherine Asaro. 
• Lis Carey reviews Prime Deceptions by Valerie Valdes.
• Paul Weimer reviews Repo Virtual by Corey J. White. 
• Jana Nyman reviews Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Fearless by Allen Stroud.
  
• Adri Joy reviews The Last Emperox by John Scalzi.
  
• Tadiana Jones reviews A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde.  
• Marion Deeds reviews Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena
  
• Bill Capossere reviews A Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons. 
• Dan Kois reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
• Kate Nepveu reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. 
• Paraic O'Donnell reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. 
• S. Qiouyi Lu reviews The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. 
• J.C. Kang reviews The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo.
• Paul Weimer reviews The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell.
• Summer H. Paulus reviews Songs of Insurrection by J.C. Kang.
• Mark Yon reviews The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Sweet Harmony by Claire North.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall.
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox. 
• Lis Carey reviews The Rue Stone by Janet Stock.
• Marion Deeds reviews Ballistic Kiss by Richard Kadrey. 
• John Hulet reviews Quantum Shadows by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
• Paul di Filippo reviews The Mother Code by Caroline Stivers.
• Paul Weimer reviews An Unnatural Life by Erin K. Wagner.
• Ian Mond reviews Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell.
• Maya Gittelman reviews Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro. 
• Angela Maria Spring reviews Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera.
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Breach by M.T. Hill.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Dark Harvest by Cat Sparks.
• For Winter Nights reviews The Dance of the Serpents by Oscar de Muriel.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Quickening by Rhiannon Ward.
• Joe Sherry reviews The Dystopia Triptych Vol. 1: Ignorance Is Strength, edited by John Joseph Adams, Hugh Howey and Christine Yant.
  

Classics reviews:

• James Traub revisits the 1920 children's fantasy novel The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting. 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1934 gothic horror story "The Werewolf's Howl" by Brooke Byrne.
  
• Steve J. Wright revisits the October 1939 issue of Unknown.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1952 children's science fiction novel Space Cat by Ruthven Todd a.k.a. R.T. Campbell and its sequels.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1965 issue of Galaxy. 
• John Boston revisits the October 1965 issue of Amazing Stories.
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the November 1965 issue of Worlds of Tomorrow.
• Paul Fraser revisits the November 1965 issue of Science Fantasy. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1975 horror novel The Fog by James Herbert.
  
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1977 science fiction thriller Julius Caesar Is Alive and Well by Irving Greenfield.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 space opera novel A Dead God Dancing by Ann Maxwell a.k.a. Elizabeth Lowell.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1980 gothic novel Iron Butterflies by Andre Norton.
• Damien Walter revisits the 1985 cyberpunk novel Neuromancer by William Gibson.
• Molly Majunder revisits the 2001 fantasy novel The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling and its sequels.
  

Con and event reports:

• Gallifrey One, a Doctor Who convention in Los Angeles, California, has postponed the 2021 convention to February/March 2022. 
• William Patrick Maynard reports that the Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship Gathering will actually physically take place in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.  
• Maria Polletta reports that the controversial sheriff Joe Arpaio has recorded a welcome video for Arizon Fur Con in Mesa, Arizona, apparently without knowing what furries are.
• Andrew Paul also shares the video greeting for the Arizone Fur Con that Joe Arpaio recorded.
• Jillian Goltzman profiles the Houston Vampire Court in Houston, Texas, and interviews several members.
• Juliet Bennett Rylah reports about a Halloween exhibition at Decanso Gardens in Flintridge, California.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Aztlan, a Mesoamerican fantasy graphic novel, is looking for funding.
• Teoatl, a sword and sorcery graphic novel retelling the birth of the Aztec empire by Kevin Garcia and Emmanuel Valtierra, is looking for funding.
• The Diesel Bookstore in Los Angeles, California, needs some help to survive to corona pandemic.
  

Science and technology:

• Seth Borenstein reports that researchers have found phosphine in the clouds of Venus, hinting at the presence of life on the planet.
• Jonathan Lunine discusses the implication of the discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Venus.
  
• The Guardian reports that a 62-year-old python has laid seven eggs in an apparent case of immaculate conception, since she has not been near a male python in twenty years.
• Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi report that the sheriff's department of Pasco County, Florida, is using an algorithm based predictive policing program and mercilessly harrassing families identified as targets.
• Harriet Sherwood reports about a campaign to pardon thousands of Scottish women executed for witchcraft in the 17th century.
• Jacob Margolis reports that the Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles, California, is at risk from the wildfires raging in the area.
• Laurel Wamsley also reports about the battle to save the Mount Wilson Observatory.
  

Free online fiction:

• "A Machine, Unhaunted" by Kerstin Hall in Fireside Magazine.
• "Lone Puppeteer of a Sleeping City" by Arula Ratnakar in Clarkesworld. 
• "Note To Self" by Sunny Moraine in Lightspeed. 
• "Persephone of the Crows" by Karen Joy Fowler in Lightspeed.
  
• "The Goatkeeper's Harvest" by Tobi Ogundiran in The Dark. 
• "A Wild Divinity" by Rebecca Schneider in GigaNotoSaurus.
• "Yolk" by Morgan MacVaugh in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Choices" by Mari Ness in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Solution" by Brian Evenson at Tor.com.
• "The Night Has No Eyes" by Kivel Carson in Nightmare Magazine.
• "September at Wall & Broad" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of The Mandalorian. 
• Watch a trailer for Synchronic.
• Watch a trailer for Yohance. 
• Watch a trailer for Love and Monsters. 
• Watch a trailer for Antlers.
• Watch a trailer for Moonbase 8. 
• Watch a trailer for Nocturne. 
• Watch a trailer for The Place of No Words
  
• Watch a side by side comparison of the 1984 and 2020 adaptations of Dune.
• Watch the French trailer for Dune. 
• Watch a trailer for Henchmen.
• Watch Hunted, a short film set in the Star Wars universe.
• Camestros Felapton shares a generator that creates new titles from the titles of Hugo nominated novels and stories.