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 2020, season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general, the season 2 finale of His Dark Materials, season 5 of The Expanse, Wonder Woman 1984, We Can Be Heroes, Soul, The Midnight Sky, tributes to James E. Gunn and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Renn Tan shares five speculative fiction anthologies by authors of colour to enjoy.
- James Wallace Harris declares that getting older has made him more critical of science fiction.
- Lynell George profiles Octavia E. Butler.
- Livia Gershon takes a look at the friendship between Joanna Russ and James Tiptree Jr. a.k.a. Alice Bradley Sheldon.
- Sam Weller and Dana Gioia discuss Ray Bradbury for his centennial.
- Michael Moorcock shares his appreciation for the works of Robert E. Howard.
- Adventures Fantastic shares a tribute to Karl Edward Wagner.
- Deuce Richardson takes a look at Fritz Leiber's lengthy career as a literary critic and scholar.
- John M. Bowers wonders whether J.R.R. Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings, because he was avoiding his academic work.
- SFF author Kevin H. Evans has died.
- Aaron Couch shares an obituary for James E. Gunn.
- Locus remembers James E. Gunn.
Best of 2020:
- Christina Marie shares her seven favourite SFF books of 2020.
- Waterstones shares their favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2020.
- Fantasy Faction share their favourite fantasy novels of 2020.
- The New York Public Library shares its favourite fantasy novels of 2020.
- The New York Public Library shares its favourite horror novels of 2020.
- The New York Public Library shares its favourite science fiction novels of 2020.
- Margaret Kingsbury shares her ten favourite under-the-radar fantasy and science fiction books of 2020.
- The team of SFFWorld share their favourite SFF works of 2020.
Film and TV:
- Leslie Felperin calls the horror film Let It Snow misanthropic, predictable and gloriously good fun.
- Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the martial arts science fiction film Jiu Jitsu.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the thriller Perfume, which is at least partly science fiction.
- Kayla Kumari Updhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Stand.
- Phoebe Wagner talks about appreciating speculative film.
- Shelly Jay explains why Legends of Tomorrow is the perfect show to enjoy in these difficult times.
- Victoria Zelvin discusses her problems with how the character of Vanessa Carlyse was treated in Deadpool 2.
- Dorian Lynskey interviews Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, co-creators of Black Mirror.
- Lindsay Poulton and Jess Gormley interview Alina Manolache and Vladimir Potop, directors of the documentary 2020: A Covid Space Odyssey.
- Martin Morse Wooster revisits the 1933 post-apocalyptic movie Deluge.
- Vicki Lucas revisits the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball.
- Nicholas Whyte revisits the 1989 adventure movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- The Radio Times reports that fans have voted for their favourite Doctor Who Christmas Special.
- Patrick Brzeski reports that the anime movie Demon Slayer has become the biggest box office success in Japan ever.
- Douglas Parkes looks ahead at The Three-Body Problem adaptation.
- Lin Qui, producer of The Three Body Problem, has died aged 39, following a poisoning by a colleague.
- British actor Basil Moss, best known for his appearance in UFO, You Only Live Twice and First Among Equals, has died aged 85.
- Actress Dawn Wells, best known for playing Mary-Ann in Gilligan's Island, has died aged 82.
- French actor Robert Hossein, best known for playing Joffrey de Peyrac in the Angelique movies of the 1960s, has died aged 93.
Comments on season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Su'Kal", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Su'Kal".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Su'Kal".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Su'Kal".
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Su'Kal".
- James Whitbrook interviews Doug Jones who plays Saru in Star Trek Discovery.
- Mike Joest reports that the producers of the James Bond movies were not pleased by the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir".
- Jacqui Goddard reports that the ashes of actor James Doohan who played Scotty in the original Star Trek were smuggled onto the International Space Station by astronaut Richard Garriott.
Comments on season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general (spoilers):
- Matt Zoller Seitz shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian.
- Louise A. Hitchcock finds some parallels between the Star Wars universe as presented in The Mandalorian and ancient Mediterranean societies.
- Julia Alexander sketches a possible way forward for Star Wars and what it can learn from Marvel Comics' woes in the 1990s.
Comments on Wonder Woman 1984:
- Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Wonder Woman 1984 is bursting with unfinished thoughts.
- Leonard Maltin shares his thoughts on Wonder Woman 1984.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Wonder Woman 1984.
- Nuts4R2 shares their thoughts on Wonder Woman 1984.
- Angelica Jade Bastien calls Wonder Woman 1984 an empty spectacle.
- Kaila Hale-Stern calls Wonder Woman 1984 a sadly disappointing end to the year.
- Ryan Britt explains the post-credit scene of Wonder Woman 1984.
- Alex Cranz declares that Diana Prince is a shitty friend to Barbara Minerva in Wonder Woman 1984
- Briana Lawrence is bothered by the fact that Diana Prince spent six decades mourning Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman 1984.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Steve Trevor and the way he is introduced in Wonder Woman 1984.
- Roxana Hadadi is bothered by the way Steve Trevor is reintroduced in Wonder Woman 1984.
- Roxana Hadadi also takes issue with the dated and racist stereotypes about the Middle East found in Wonder Woman 1984.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore declares that the lasso of truth is the true star of Wonder Woman 1984.
- Germain Lussier is pleased that Wonder Woman 1984 largely stands alone with little connection to the other DC Universe movies.
- Dana Stevens wonders why there are so many negative online responses to Wonder Woman 1984.
- Michael Cavna interviews Patty Jenkins, director of Wonder Woman 1984.
- Rebecca Rubin reports that Wonder Woman 3 is already in the works, once again directed by Patty Jenkins.
- The Guardian reports that Wonder Woman 1984 is doing well at the box office of what cinemas are actually open.
- Dade Hayes reports that the strong showing of Wonder Woman 1984 has also boosted the stocks of movie theatre chains.
Comments on season 2 of His Dark Materials:
- Myles McNutt shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of His Dark Materials.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of His Dark Materials.
- Alexandra Del Rosario interviews Jane Tranter, showrunner of His Dark Materials.
- Beth Elderkin interviews Lin-Manuel Miranda who plays Lee Scoresby in His Dark Materials.
Comments on season 5 of The Expanse:
- Molly Templeton shares her thoughts about "Down and Out", the latest episode of The Expanse.
- Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on "Down and Out".
- Chris Napier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Expanse.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Steven Strait who plays Jim Holden in The Expanse.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Keon Alexander and Dominique Tipper, who play Marco Inaros and Naomi Nagata in The Expanse.
Comments on The Midnight Sky:
Comments on We Can Be Heroes:
Comments on Soul:
- Andrew Tejada declares that Soul aims to spark an appreciation for life.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Soul a surreal out of body journey.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore calls Soul a black movie made with white people in mind.
- Inspired by Soul, Phil Hoad wonders why Pixar is so great at dealing with death.
- Raphael Abraham interviews Pete Docter, director of Soul.
- Michael Cavna interviews Kemp Powers, one of the writers of Soul.
- Marah Eakin interviews Jamie Foxx who leant his voice to the protagonist of Soul.
- Cameron Scheetz interviews three voice actors of Soul.
Awards:
- The nominees for the 2020 Stabby Awards have been announced.
- The SFF Rosetta Awards for speculative fiction in translation have been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fictional Parents has been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year Award has been announced.
- Nominations are open for the 2020 This Is Horror Awards.
- Michael Swanwick has become the first American ever to win the Russian Aelita Award.
- Ann Langley explains how the difficult year 2020 impacted her writing.
- Stephanie M. Wytovich talks about using bibliomancy as a drafting tool.
- Several online writing classes at the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers are on sale right now.
- Elizabeth A. Harris reports that book sales have gone up in 2020, but that most sales happened online at Amazon and other large retailers, while indie bookstores are struggling.
- John Henley reports about the situation of the famous book stalls along the banks of the Seine in Paris, France.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Persephone Station by Stina Leicht.
- Nicholas Whyte reviews Planetfall by Emma Newman.
- Rich Horton reviews The House of Styx by Derek Künsken.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark.
- L.A. Young reviews The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab.
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich.
- James Tivendale reviews The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller.
- Paula Guran reviews The Midnight Circus by Jane Yolen.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Unwanted by Z.T. Soyoye.
- Jennifer Marie Lin reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
- Tadiana Jones and Marion Deeds review Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
- Elizabeth Tabler reviews Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire.
- Jennifer Marie Lin reviews A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg.
- C.T. Phipps reviews The Last Benediction in Steel by Kevin Wright.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews On the Shoulder of Otava by Laura Mauro.
- Kat Hooper reviews The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson.
- The G. reviews Found Audio by N.J. Campbell.
- Ian Mond reviews The Road to Woop Woop and Other Stories by Eugen Bacon.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews We Are Wolves, edited by Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower and Cynthia Pelayo.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Tales from the Shadow Booth V01, edited by Dan Coxon.
- Tadiana Jones reviews A Very Scalzi Christmas by John Scalzi.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Black Archive #50: The Day of the Doctor by Alasdair Stuart.
- Sarah Cascone reviews Masterpieces of Fantasy Art, edited by Dian Hanson.
Classics reviews:
- Bill Ward revisits the 1930 fantasy story "The Last Incantation" by Clark Ashton Smith.
- Spacefaring Kitten revisits the 1940 satirical novel The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
- MarzAat revisits the 1942 horror story "The Hill and the Hole" by Fritz Leiber.
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1942 science fiction story "With Flaming Swords" by Cleve Cartmill.
- Bill Ward revisits the 1947 planetary romance story "The Moon That Vanished" by Leigh Brackett.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1949 horror collection The Bishop of Hell and Other Stories by Marjorie Bowen
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1952 science fiction story "Death of a Spaceman" by Walter M. Miller Jr.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1952 science fiction story "What's It Like Out There?" by Edmond Hamilton.
- James Malizewski revisits the 1953 science fantasy story "Morthylla" by Clark Ashton Smith.
- John Boston revisits the 1965 anthology The Year's Best SF, edited by Judith Merril, and Gideon Marcus revisits the 1965 science fiction collection Paingod and Other Delusions by Harlan Ellison.
- Mark Yon revisits the January 1966 issues of New Worlds and Science Fantasy.
- Gideon Marcus shares his thoughts on the January 1966 issue of Analog.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 YA science fiction novel The Space Olympics by A.M. Lightner.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1972 occult novel Twilight Candelabra by William J. Craddock.
- Paul Fraser revisits the 1977 science fiction short story "Dream Fighter" by Bob Shaw.
- Ken Lizzi revisits the 1988 sword and sorcery anthology Barbarians II, edited by Robert Adams, Martin H. Greenberg and Pamela Crippen Adams
Con and event reports:
Science and technology:
- Ashley Strickland shares the best space discoveries of 2020.
- Ryan F. Mandelbaum explains how to make a black hole in a science lab (Please don't try this at home).
- Morgan McFall-Johnson explains that the entire solar system revolves around an unseen centre that is not the sun.
- Justin Harper reports that Japan is developing satellites made from wood to cut down on space junk.
- Steven H. Silver shares a brief history of space smuggling.
- Reuters reports that archeologists have uncovered a 2000-year-old street food stall in Pompeii.
- The Guardian reports that another mystery monolith, this one made from gingerbread, has appeared in San Franciso, California.
Free online fiction:
- "Generation X-Mas" by Tony Dunnell in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Come One, Come All!" by Pamela Love in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas in Spaaaace" by A.A. Freeman in Fantasy Faction.
- "Songs of Activation" by Andy Dudak in Clarkesworld.
- "Forward Momentum and a Parallel Toss" by Annamaria Curtis in Clarkesworld.
- "We Have Evacuated, Have a Good Day" by Jendayi Brooks-Flemister in Anathema.
- "The Obscure Bird" by Nicholas Royle in Nightmare Magazine.
- "A Magician" by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe in Omenana.
- "Into the Glass Hall of Supreme Women" by Jaymee Goh in Fireside Magazine.
- "Ann-of-Rags" by P.H. Lee in Lightspeed
- "The Woman Who Destroyed Us" by S.L. Huang in Lightspeed.
- "An Unexpected Holiday Gift" by Rakib Khan in Fantasy Faction.
- "The Gift" by Daria Bezzadina in Three Crows Magazine.
- "Erasure" by Christopher McGrane in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Keloid Dreams" by Simone Heller in Future Science Fiction Digest.
- "Last Day at the Observatory" by A.M. Justice in Fantasy Faction.
Trailers and videos:
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