Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 4, 2020

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best science fiction and fantasy of the year, tributes to Ben Bova, David Porwse and Hugh Keays-Byrne, season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general, Possessor, Godmothered, problems at Fireside Magazine and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll shares four science fiction novels that subvert the cozy catastrophe subgenre. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction novels that are inspired by the counterculture of the 1960s. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories driven by a disregard for basic safety.
  
• James S. Murray shares five horror novels that are pulpy in all the right ways.
• Evie Green shares five books about the horrors of winter.
  
• K.T. Howard shares non-binary SFF authors to read. 
• Lizzy Saxe talks about nostalgia, colonialism and food in fantasy writing.
  
• Natalie C. Parker talks about the metaphor of modern vampire stories.
• Andrew Shaffer offers a primer to the 21st century slasher novel. 
• Clare Mackintosh declares that it isn't the genre that matters, it's the story. 
  
• Paul Collins attempts to uncover America's first science fiction writer.
• Michael Curtis profiles Poul Anderson. 
• Gwen Katz talks about the value of portraying problematic relationships in fiction, using Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir as an example.
  
• Brian Murphy compares the 1975 sword and sorcery novel Bloodstone by Karl Edward Wagner with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. 
• Input explains how long it took Ray Bradbury to write Fahrenheit 451 and how many dimes he had to put into the rent-by-the-hour typewriter.
  
• Vanessa Thorpe shares a photo of Arthur Conan Doyle cosplaying as Professor Challenger.
• Tolkien scholar Richard C. West has died aged 76.

 

Best of 2020:

• Adam Roberts shares his favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2020.
  
• Simon Ing shares his five favourite science fiction books of 2020. 
• Book Page shares their favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2020.
• AudioFile Magazine shares the best science fiction, fantasy and horror audio books of 2020.
  

 

Tributes to Ben Bova:

• Science fiction writer Ben Bova has died aged 88.
• The SFWA remembers Ben Bova.
• Locus remembers Ben Bova.
  
• Mike Glyer remembers Ben Bova.
• Adam Whitehead remembers Ben Bova.
• Benjamin William Bova remembers his father Ben Bova.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Tom Breihan declaes that The Old Guard redefined the superhero genre.
  
• Ellen E. Jones calls The Glass Man a chilling psychological horror film. 
• Jason Shawhan calls After Midnight the most unappreciated horror film of the year.
  
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Superintelligence is not even mildly clever. 
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the horror movie To Your Last Death. 
• Myles McNutt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of His Dark Materials. 
• Gwen Ihnat shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Next.
  
• Randall Colburn shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Moonbase 8. 
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
  
• Charles Bramesco discusses how pop culture handles good and evil.
  
• Peter Bradshaw shares his ten favourite movie villains.  
• Cheryl Eddy lists six science fiction movie remakes that don't suck.
  
• Ben Child notes that with the integration of Spider-Man and the former 20th Century Fox movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer as isolated as it once was and may be becoming a multiverse. 
• Ben Child also wonders once again whether superhero movies will survive the corona pandemic.
  
• Zoe Williams laments that Pixar movies have ruined her children for classic cinema.
  
• Brian Silliman lists twelve families from SFF movies and TV shows with whom he'd like to spend Thanksgiving. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1965 dystopian movie Alphaville and the 1965 fantasy film The Saragossa Manuscript. 
• Beatrice Loayaza revisits the 1990 horror thriller Misery for its 30th anniversary. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1990 science fiction thriller Total Recall for its 30th anniversary.
  
• Tom Breihan revisits the 2000 holiday movie How The Grinch Stole Christmas and calls it an abominable adaptation.
• Noah Berlatsky revisits the 2016 science fiction TV series Cleverman.
• David Steffens proposes the Universal Transitive Headcanon.
• Michael Sainato reports that Disney is firing thousands of theme park employees, while the executives are getting yet more bonuses. 
• Andrew Liptak reports that Warner Bros will be releasing Dune, Matrix 4 and other major 2021 releases simultaneously in theatres and on streaming platforms. 
  
• Rebecca Davis reports that the Chinese science fiction film The Wandering Earth will be getting a sequel in 2023.
  
• Beth Elderkin reports that actors Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh will be leaving Doctor Who after the New Year's Special "Revolution of the Daleks". 
• Halle Kiefer reports that Peter Dinklage will play the lead in a reboot of the 1980s cult movie series Toxic Avenger. 
• Andrew Tejada reports that actress Hailee Steinfeld will be playing Kate Bishop in the upcoming Hawkeye live action series.
  
• Catherine Shoard reports that actor Elliot Page, best known for his pre-transition performances in Juno, the X-Men movies and The Umbrella Academy, has come out as trans.
  
• Italian horror actress and screenwriter Daria Nicolodi has died aged 70.  
• Australian actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, best known for playing Toecutter in the original Mad Max and Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road, has died aged 73. 
• Luke Buckmaster shares his appreciation for Hugh Keays-Byrne.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Unification III", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Unification III".
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Unification III". 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Unification III". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Unification III". 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Retrospect" and "The Killing Game, Part 1".
  
• CTV News reports that John Horgan, premier of British Columbia, used the Vulcan salute when he was sworn in.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general: 

• Paul MacInnes shares his thought on "The Jedi", the latest episode of The Mandalorian.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Jedi".
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares his thoughts on "The Jedi".
• Will Thorne shares his thoughts on "The Jedi". 
• Mike Vanderbilt shares his thoughts on "The Jedi". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Jedi". 
• Anthony Breznican interviews Dave Filoni, writer/director of "The Jedi", and Rosario Dawson who plays Ahsoka Tano.
  
• Nivea Serrao reports that the "jeans guy" blooper has been digitally removed from The Mandalorian.  
• James Whitbrook explains the history of the planet Tython, which The Mandalorian will be visiting next.
  
• Victoria Zelvin talks about the gradual hollowing out of Padmé Armidala.
• TMZ reports that Darth Vader's helmet as well as several other original Star Wars props were almost stolen during a burglary in Santa Monica, California.
• British actor David Prowse, best known for playing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died aged 85.
• Andrew Liptak remembers David Prowse.
• Adam Whitehead remembers David Prowse.
• Ben Wasserman shares the responses of David Prowse's family to the outpouring of sympathy for the late actor.
  

 

Comments on Possessor: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Possessor a terrifying science fiction horror film. 
• Mark Kermode calls Possessor a gleefully gory science fiction horror film. 

Comments on Godmothered:

• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the fairytale romantic comedy Godmothered. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell, the stars of Godmothered.
  

 

Awards: 

• Nalo Hopkinson has been named the 37th SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master.
  
• The winner of the 2020 Diagram Prize for oddest book title of the year has been announced.
• The winner of the 2020 Evans-Freehafer Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2020 Rotsler Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2020 Prix Goncourt has been announced and it is a science fiction thriller. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Grammy Awards have been announced with some love for SFF-related music. 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tracy Townsend gives some tips for post-NaNoWriMo revisisions. 
• Monsters and Manuals points out that formulaic doesn't necessarily mean bad.
  
• Eric Del Carlo recounts how he came to write a mystery with Robert Asprin. 
• Jeff VanderMeer recounts how a fictional animal and an equally fictional festival he created for a story accidentally took on a life of its own.
  
• Derek Murphy shares some social media marketing tips for authors. 
• David Gaughran explains that authors are having their Facebook ads rejected and sometimes their and ad accounts closed. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch shares some tips what writers can do during the corona pandemic.
  
• Pablo Defendini has resigned from all editorial position at Fireside Magazine and Fireside Publishing and Brian J. White will take over as interim editorial director. 
• The Washington Post reports about the Fireside controversy.
  
• Shaun Bythell asks what's the worst kind of book thief.  
• Alison Flood reports that UK bookshops are hoping for the holiday business after being forced into lockdown yet again.
  
• Lulu Garcia-Navarro reports about reactions from the writing and publishing community to Bertelsmann planning to buy Simon & Schuster after already owning Penguin Random House.

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Tim Pratt.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Stina Leicht.
  
• Andrea Johnson interviews Kacen Callender.
  
• The Qwillery interviews Evie Green. 
• Laurie Powers interviews Will Murray.
  
• Janna Miller interviews Avra Margariti.
• Walter Day interviews Betsy Wollheim.
• Dan Hanks interviews Scott H. Andrews.
• The Imagination Desk interviews Regina Kanyu Wang.
  

Reviews: 

• Paul Weimer reviews Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen. 
• Kat Hooper reviews The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill.
  
• Camestros Felapton reviews City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. 
• Elizabeth Fitzgerald reviews Hollow Empire by Sam Hawke.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. 
• Alex Preston reviews The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark. 
• A.A. Freeman reviews The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson. 
• Elyse Martin reviews Piranesi by Susannah Clarke.
  
• Adrienne Martini reviews A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and The House of Styx by Derek Künsken.
  
• Luna Station Quarterly reviews Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Sorcery of a Queen by Brian Naslund.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir. 
• Alex Brown reviews Ruinsong by Julia Ember. 
• Rachael McKenzie reviews Serpentine by Philip Pullman.
  
• Adri Joy reviews A Snake Lies Waiting by Jin Yong, translated by Anna Holmwood and Gigi Chang. 
• Ian Mond reviews I Hold a Wolf by the Ears by Laura van den Berg.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.
• Beejay Silcox reviews Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam.
  
• Alec Nevala-Lee reviews Stillicide by Cynan Jones. 
• Paula Guran reviews Velocities: Stories by Kathe Koja.
  
• Mark Yon reviews The Ankh-Morpork Archives Volume 2 by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs
• James E. Person Jr. reviews Bradbury Beyond Apollo by Jonathan R. Eller. 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1927 horror novel The Dark Chamber by Leonard Cline. 
• Joe Kenney revisits Overlord of the Damned, a 1935 Spider novel by Grant Stockbridge a.k.a. Norvell Page. 
  
• James Malizewski revisits the 1935 Jules de Grandin occult detective story "The Horror on the Links" by Seabury Quinn. 
• G.W. Thomas revisits the Spring 1951 issue of 10 Story Fantasy.
  
• Maddy Schierl revisits the 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1954 science fiction story "Death of a Spaceman" a.k.a. "Memnto Homo" by Walter M. Miller Jr.
  
• Mark Yon revisits the December 1965 issues of Science Fantasy and New Worlds. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1965 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the January 1966 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 Mabinogion fantasy novel The Island of the Mighty by Evangeline Walton.
• Bill Ward revisits the 1970 sword and sorcery story "The Tale of Hauk" by Poul Anderson.
• Brian Keiper revisits the 1972 fantasy novel The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury.
  
• Terhali's Particular Satisfaction revisits the 1974 fantasy trilogy The Chronicles of Corum by Michael Moorcock.
• Davide Mana revisits the 1975 post-apocalyptic novel The Coming of the Horseclans by Robert Adams.
• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1979 sword and sorcery anthology Swords Against Darkness IV, edited by Andrew J. Offutt.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1988 space opera novel Hellspark by Janet Kagan.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1989 space opera novel Henry Martyn by L. Neil Smith.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2008 Vatta's War military science fiction novel Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon.
  

Con and event reports:

• DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon, has sent out a survey to ask people which dates they'd prefer and whether they're prefer an in-person or virtual convention. 
• The 2021 StokerCon in Denver, Colorado, is planning to go-ahead as an in-person convention, but will move to virtual, if necessary.
  
• Watch some panels from the virtual 2020 Loscon.
• Watch some panels from the virtual 2020 BreezyCon.
• Mike Glyer reports about the virtual 2020 SMOFCon 37 1/4. 
• Mike Glyer offers an overview of active Worldcon bids. 
• Camestros Felapton wonders how to deal with Worldcon bids from problematic countries, which some Worldcon members might not be able to visit for political reasons.
  
• Jim Milliot reports that BookExpo and BookCon in New York City have been permanently cancelled after being cancelled in 2020 due to the corona pandemic. 
• Mike Glyer shares some news about Jon Del Arroz's lawsuit against Worldcon 76 in San José, California.
  
• Nicholas Barber reports about the trials and tribulations of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
  
• Jess Nevins talks about the unexpected origins of science fiction fandom in the letter columns of western pulps.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council needs some help to keep their weird memorabilia retail store as well as the annual NecronomiCon in Providence, Rhode Island, going.
• Batman and the Motion Picture & Television Fund are looking for donations to support film crews that are out of work due to the corona pandemic. 
• Project Northmoor is looking for funding to turn J.R.R. Tolkien's former home in Oxford, UK, into a centre for Tolkien studies. 
• Tonya R. Moore, poetry editor of FIYAH literary magazine, has had a medical emergency and needs some help. 

 

Science and technology:

• George Dvorsky reports that the iconic radio dish of the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico has collapsed, following the failure of two support cables. 
• George Dvorsky also shares some video footage of the collapse of the Arecibo observatory radio dish. 
• George Dvorsky reports that the Voyager space probes have discovered a new type of electron burst.
  
• Spencer Burt reports that the mysterious monolith recently discovered in the Utah desert has been removed by an unknown party.
• Rachael Bunyan reports that another mystery monolith has appeared in Romania.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Island of Misfit Toys" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld. 
• "Things That Happen When You Date Your Ex’s Accidentally Restored Backup from Before the Divorce" by Lisa Nohealani Morton in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Long Tail" by Aliette de Bodard in Wired.
  
• "Fifteen Dogs in a Human Suit" by Paul R. Hardy in Fireside Magazine. 
• "Hammer and Tongs and a Rusty Nail" by Ian Tregillis in Tor.com. 
• "Songs of the Leviathan" by Jharice S. Blake in GigaNotoSaurus. 
• "After Me the Flood" by Elizabeth Zuckerman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "For a Successful Haunting" by Jessica Reisman in The Dark. 
• "The Garden Where No One Ever Goes" by P.H. Lee in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "No Period" by Harry Turtledove in Tor.com.
  
• "The Story of How You Died" by Simbiat Haroun in Omenana. 
• "Heard, Half-Heard, in the Stillness" by Iona Datt Sharma in Anathema Magazine.
  
• "The Suicide of Our Troubles" by Karl Schroeder in Slate Future Tense. 
  
• "Fragments of a Falling Out" by Floris M. Kleijne in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Blessings for a New Age" by Jessica Jo Horowitz in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Things to Know Before You Mount Your Dragon" by Madeline Barnicle in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Boz" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for the Doctor Who New Year's Special "Revolution of the Daleks".
• Watch a trailer for Part 4 of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. 
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of American Gods.
  
• Watch a parody video of Batman asking for donations, because he's broke due to the corona pandemic.
  

Odd and Ends:

• Natalie Zutter offers ten comforting SFF podcasts.