It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the latest developments in the J.K. Rowling transühobia controversy, the various iterations of Star Trek, Lovecraft Country, Enola Holmes, Raised by Wolves, The Third Day, Scare Me and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction books featuring relativistic relics and time travel problems.
- James Davis Nicoll shares science fiction collections and anthologies set in bars.
- Sarah Waites shares ten standalone fantasy novels to try.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five fantasy novels starring self-taught protagonists.
- Olav Rokne discusses how science fiction promoted capitalism and ignored workers' right due to the influence of John W. Campbell.
- Allison Alexander shares five SFF novels featuring disabled characters who know their own worth.
- Megan Whalen Turner shares eight SFF books featuring deities.
- Amy Shearn talks about literary ghost stories.
- Rachel Ayers shares five Rumpelstiltzkin retellings.
- Jennifer Orme lists LGBTQ fairytales.
- Cam N. Coulter explains how science fiction helped them realise that they are nonbinary.
- Bob Proehl talks about magical schools.
- Erin Meyer shares their appreciation for the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane.
- Daisy Dunn profiles Mervyn Peake.
- Petra Mayer remembers Ray Bradbury for his 100th birthday.
- Constance Grady shares some insight into a supposed connection between US Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney-Barrett and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
- For Banned Books Week, Mike Glyer shares the top ten most challenged books in US libraries.
- Daniel Whyte IV explains why he thinks that Batman is a terrible superhero.
- Mark Evanier shares all the things he learned during fifty years in the comics industry.
- Abraham Riesman shares five myths about Stan Lee.
- Matt Miller shares seven science fiction boardgames.
- Alison Flood reports about the world's strangest books.
Comments on the J.K. Rowling a.k.a. Robert Galbraith transphobia controversy:
- Fifty-eight writers and artists have signed an open letter defending J.K. Rowling a.k.a. Robert Galbraith in the transphobia controversy.
- Roisin O'Connor reports about the open letter in support of J.K. Rowling and shares the full list of signatories.
- The Guardian reports that Eddie Redmayne, who plays Newton Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts movies, has defended J.K. Rowling in the transphobia controversy.
- Ekin Karasin reports that J.K. Rowling has thanked her supporters.
- Alison Flood reports that more than two hundred writers and publishers have signed a letter in support of non-binary and transpeople.
- Scott Mendelsohn shares four reasons why Warner Bros is still making a third Fantastic Beasts movie in spite of the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling as well as stars Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp.
- Luke Plunkett reports that David Hadad, president of Warner Bros' games division, will not condemn J.K. Rowling's transphobia, because she has a right to her opinions.
Film and TV:
- Germain Lussier calls Tenet a frustrating, convoluted mess of a movie.
- Yuan Ren declares that the live action Mulan is a missed opportunity to portray a strong Asian woman,
- Natalie Zutter declares that the series finale of The 100 completely misses the point of the show.
- Mike D'Angelo calls Save Yourselves a clever science fiction comedy.
- Emily Tatti calls the comedy series Zomboat! a surprisingly clever and refreshingly upbeat zombie apocalypse.
- A.A. Dowd calls Possessor a nightmarish body horror film.
- Roxana Hadadi shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Boys.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
- Marion Deeds shares her thoughts on season 1 of Altered Carbon.
- Austin Gilkeson revisits the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1979 horror movie The Amityville Horror.
- Jonathan H. Kantor shares 25 things you probably didn't know about the original Star Wars trilogy.
- Rebecca Nicholson interviews Sarah Paulson, star of American Horror Story and Ratched.
- Rachel Aroesti interviews Hannah John-Kamen, star of Brave New World, Killjoys, Ready Player One and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
- Phil Hoad interviews Tony Todd, star of the Candyman movies.
- Andrew Pulver wonders whether awards bait movies will survive the corona virus pandemic.
- Eliana Dockterman complains about superhero movies, because they supposedly glorify the police and don't fight enough for social justice.
- Dominic Patten shares Netflix's response to an open letter by five Republican senators criticising the streaming service for adapting The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin after the author expressed support for the treatment of the Muslim Uighurs in China in an interview.
- Lucy Campbell reports that the late Chadwick Boseman gave up part of his salary for the thriller 21 Bridges to co-star Siena Miller.
- Ben Child reports that Avatar 2 is ready for release, but wonders if anybody still cares.
- Joe Otterson reports that a Nick Fury series starring Samuel L. Jackson is planned at Disney Plus.
- Nellie Andreeva reports that Netflix is planning a Conan the Barbarian series.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin reports that actress Iman Vellani has been chosen to play Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel in the eponymous TV series.
- Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi, best known for Ringu and Miss Sherlock, has died aged only 40.
Comments on the many versions of Star Trek:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Crisis Point", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- Noah Berlatsky revisits the 1968 original Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun".
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Scorpion, Part II" and "The Gift".
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro revisits the Star Trek Deep Space Nine tie-in novel The Missing by Una McCormack.
- Watch a video for "Trek the Vote", an initiative by several Star Trek stars to encourage Americans to vote and make sure that the elections are fair and equitable.
Comments on Lovecraft Country:
Comments on Enola Holmes:
- Adam Roberts explains what he liked and did not like about Enola Holmes.
- Olivia Rutigliano shares her thoughts on Enola Holmes.
- Jeff Reynolds shares his thoughts on Enola Holmes.
- Guy Lodge shares his thoughts on Enola Holmes as well as his favourite Sherlock Holmes adaptations in general.
- Laura Miller discusses feminist Sherlock Holmes spin-offs like Enola Holmes, Laurie King's Mary Russell Holmes series and Sherry Thomas' Lady Sherlock series.
- Shawn S. Lealos explains how Enola Holmes sets up a sequel.
- Christian Bone reports that Netflix is supposedly planning an Enola Holmes spin-off featuring Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes.
- Actress Millie Bobby Brown breaks down her fight scene in Enola Holmes.
- Watch a blooper reel from Enola Holmes.
Comments on Raised by Wolves:
Comments on The Third Day:
Comments on Scare Me:
Awards:
- The winners of the 2020 Imadjinn Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 Salam Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 SFPA Poetry Contest have been announced.
- The 2021 Kitschies are open for submission.
- The 2020 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest is open for submissions.
- The Sunburst Awards are going on hiatus.
- Andrew M. Butler, Chair of Judges for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, shares his speech about the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Awards.
- YA fantasy writer Tomi Adeyemi is one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2020.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Samantha Penn talks about creating characters.
- Charlie Jane Anders explains that weirdness gives her the strength to keep going with her writing.
- Dan Rockmore explains how storytellers use math without scaring people away.
- K.T. Howard shares some tips for hosting a virtual writing retreat.
- Mike Glyer reports that controversial small press ChiZine Publications has resurfaced.
Interviews:
- Tor.com interviews V.E. Schwab.
- The Qwillery interviews Kevin Hearne.
- Locus interviews Maria Dahvana Headley.
- A.M. Justice interviews Sarah Chorn.
- Andrea Johnson interviews P. Djèlí Clark.
- Naomi Novik and Christopher Paolini interview each other.
- Cat Luria interviews D.L. Podlesni.
- Daniel Scott White interviews Ellen Datlow.
- Scott Edelman interviews Danny Fingeroth.
- Cat Rambo interviews David Steffen.
Reviews:
- Adrienne Martini reviews Architects of Memory by Karen Osborne.
- Cassie Schulz reviews To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- L.A. Young reviews Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- SFF World reviews Fury from the Tomb by S.A. Sidor.
- Liz Bourke reviews The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters.
- Liz Bourke reviews The Adventure of the Naked Guide by Cynthia Ward.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart.
- Rob Bedford reviews The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart.
- Andrew Mather reviews The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie.
- Alasdair Stuart reviews The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell.
- Andrew Mather reviews The Kraken's Tooth by Anthony Ryan.
- Robin Agnew reviews The Last Curtain Call by Juliet Blackwell.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Wild Times by Rose Biggin and Keir Cooper.
- Mark Yon reviews The Nobody People by Bob Proehl.
- Bill Capossere reviews A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto.
- garik16 reviews Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova.
- Eve Morton reviews Unbecoming by Lesley Wheeler.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Famished by Anna Vaught.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling.
- Ian Mond reviews Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare.
- Sean Dowie reviews Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones.
- Jana Nyman reviews The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Dracula's Child by J.S. Barnes.
- Hank Wagner reviews Eden by Tim Lebbon.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Edited By, edited by Ellen Datlow.
- Cass R. Sunstein reviews Stan Lee: A Life in Comics by Liel Leibovitz.
- Steven Paul Leiva reviews Bradbury Beyond Apollo by Jonathan R. Eller.
Classics reviews:
- Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys review the 1869 horror story Lost in a Pyramid, or The Mummy's Curse by Louisa May Alcott.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1906 prehistoric adventure novel Before Adam by Jack London.
- Steve J. Wright revisits the January 1940 issue of Unknown.
- Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1953 paranormal mystery Under the Influence by Geoffrey Kerr.
- Mark Yon reviews the October 1965 issues of Science Fantasy and New Worlds.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1965 issue of Analog.
- Paul Fraser revisits the November 1965 issue of New Worlds.
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1968 science fiction novel The Last Starship From Earth by John Boyd
- James Davis Nicoll revisits A Thunder of Stars, a 1968 Venturer science fiction novel by Dan Morgan and John Kippax.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1972 postapocalyptic novel Quake by Rusolph Wurlitzer.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1973 disaster novel Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu, translated by Michael Gallagher.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1983 gothic novel Wheel of Stars by Andre Norton.
- Erin K. Wagner revisits the 2004 historical fantasy novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
Con and event reports:
- Tracy Brown reports that the L.A. Comic Con is planning to hold an in person event in December, even though conventions and other large gatherings are still banned in California.
- The 2021 Arisia in Boston, Massachussetts, shares its third progress report and announces that it will be a virtual convention.
- Corflu Concorde in Bristol, UK, shares its first progress report.
- Mike Glyer reports that Tempe, Arizona, is bidding for the 2023 Westercon.
- Mike Glyer shares the program for the 2020 Philip K. Dick European Film Festival in Lille, France.
- Brian Kenety and Vaclav Müller report about the exhibition "A Journey into the Depths of the Robot’s Soul" at the Karel Capek Memorial in Stara Hút, Czech Republic.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- Matthew S. Schwartz explains how astronauts aboard the International Space Station vote.
- Andrew Griffin reports that multiple water bodies have been found under the surface of Mars.
- Will Lockett asks if humanity has discovered an alien megastructure.
- Dwayne A. Day wonders what became of several reality shows who planned to send a contestant into space.
- Radio.com reports that a man in Utah has stolen a truck to go and meet aliens, who failed to appear.
- Physicist Arthur Ashkin, inventor of a real life tractor beam, has died aged 98.
Free online fiction:
- "The Judas Goat" by K.S. O'Neill in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Arrows of Conquest" by Marcus Vance in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Swarm Mechanics" by Andrew Johnston in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Ask the Fireflies" by R.P. Sand in Clarkesworld.
- "The Heart That Save You May Be Your Own" by Merrie Haskell in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "A Tally of What Remains" by R.Z. Held in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Ashes Around Twenty-Three Strangers" by Jeremy Packert Burke at Tor.com.
- "My Boy Builds Coffins" by Gary McMahon in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Every Plumage, Every Beak" by Nin Harris in Clarkesworld.
- "The Book Reader" by Keishi Kajifune, translates by Toshiya Kamei in Clarkesworld.
- "A Worship" by Andrea Goyan in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The E-Mail Heiress" by Malka Older in Reservoir.
- "The State Machine" by Yuhanjaya Wijeratne in Slate: Future Tense.
- "The Smokescreen of Pluvistan" by Nihal Ijaz Khan, winner of the 2020 Salam Award.
- "Harvest" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Odds and ends:
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