It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the Baen's Bar controversy, the many iterations of Star Trek, WandaVision, Superman and Lois, Behind Her Eyes, Wrong Turn, season 2 of For All Mankind and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Tor.com recommends some wintery SFF reads.
- Rachel Griffin shares five fantasy novels set in sinister forests.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction works that explore the mysteries of Alpha Centauri.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction works featuring Dyson shells.
- Daniel Polansky shares five science fiction books about memory.
- Sylvain Neuvel shares ten mindbending alternate histories.
- Joe Burgett shares forty times where science fiction was wrong about predicting the future.
- Russell Contreras talks about the rise of afrofuturism.
- Namina Forna explains how as a black person she could not see herself in the fantasy novels she read as a teen, so she wrote her own.
- Brett Devereaux tackles the myth of the supposedly universal experience of soldiers.
- Ferrett Steinmetz wonders whether prequels are ever necessary.
- Lucy Atkins explains why Oxford is such a great setting for crime novels and fantasy.
- Tatiana de Rosnay explains how smart homes can upgrade the sinister house trope.
- Chris Talbot profiles Greg Bear.
- Laine Kaplan-Levenson profiles Octavia Butler.
- Andrea Stewart talks about the validity of escapism.
- Jim Wampler traces Andre Norton's connection to Dungeons & Dragons.
- G.W. Thomas shares his appreciation for the Gree stories by C.C. MacApp.
- Michael R. Brown shares his appreciation for the Nick Nightmare supernatural detective stories by Adrian Cole.
- Jason Sacks takes a look at the status of American comics in 1966.
- Roy Thomas shares his displeasure with True Believer, Abraham Riseman's biography of the late Stan Lee.
- George R.R. Martin remembers the late Tor editor Wanda June Alexander.
Comments on the Baen's Bar controversy:
- DisCon III, the 2021 WorldCon in Washington, DC, reports Baen publisher Toni Weisskopf has been removed as Guest of Honour following the revelation that the publisher was tolerating hate speech and calls to violence at its private forums Baen's bar.
- Toni Weisskopf makes a brief statement about her disinvitation.
- Camestros Felapton weighs in on the removal of Toni Weisskopf as Guest of Honour from DisCon III.
- Cat Rambo weighs in on the removasl of Toni Weisskopf as DisCon III Guest of Honour.
- Walt Boyes, editor of the Baen associated Grantville Gazette, points out that Baen's Bar hosted much more than just a politics subforum were the threats of violence happened.
- Baen author Larry Correia expresses his anger at Toni Weisskopf being disinvited by DisCon III.
- Camestros Felapton shares some more responses by Larry Correia to the removal of Toni Weisskopf as DisCon III Guest of Honour.
- Baen author David Weber reponds to Toni Weisskopf being disinvited from DisCon III and declares that he will not attend either.
Film and TV:
- Arturo Serrano declares that Space Sweepers looks gorgeous.
- Ani Bundel shares her thoughts on the latest episode of American Gods.
- Keith Roysdon praises the parallel world spy thriller series Counterpart.
- Elyse Martin talks about fundamentalism, fanaticism and found family in The Mandalorian and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
- Cath Clarke calls The Dark and the Wicked a predictable, but well directed farmhouse horror movie.
- Leslie Felperin calls Shadowlands a hopelessly inept Highland horror film.
- Leslie Felperin calls Hellraiser: Judgment a misogynist and diminishing return of a classic horror series.
- Caroline Siede praises the costume design in Birds of Prey.
- Robert Repino shares nine deeply humanist science fiction films.
- The Master Cylinder revisits the 1962 horror film Burn, Witch, Burn, an adaptation of Fritz Leiber's 1943 horror novel Conjure Wife.
- Bryant Dillon and Phillip Kelly revisit George Lucas' 1971 dystopian movie THX 1138.
- Tom Breihan revisits the 2005 Star Wars film Revenge of the Sith.
- Rachel Swindale wonders how the covid pandemic may influence cinema.
- James McMahon wonders why Vikings are so popular in pop culture these days.
- Inspired by Zack Snyder's threat to make a King Arthur movie, Ben Child wonders why Hollywood always messes up King Arthur.
- Luke Walpole wonders whether the world really needs another Paddington film.
- David Alexander shares the ten best movies that are more than a century old.
- Connor Sheehan shares his least favourite science fiction movies.
- Marah Eakin interviews Tim Story, director of the latest Tom and Jerry movie.
- Olivia Rutigliano looks aheads at the Sherlock Holmes spin-off series The Irregulars.
- Angela Watercutter takes a look at the controversies surrounding Joss Whedon and Gina Carano and talks about the crushing disappointment of fandom.
- Emma Bullimore reports that actress Alex Kingston, who played River Song in Doctor Who, is writing a Doctor Who novel.
- Tatiana Tenreyro reports that the title of the next Spider-Man film has finally been revealed.
- Sonaiya Kelley reports that Disney+ has ended content warnings to a few episodes of The Muppets Show.
- Steve Vertlieb shares a tribute to Ed Kemmer, star of the 1950s science fiction TV series Space Patrol.
Comments on Star Trek in general:
- Adam B. Vary takes a look at the upcoming animated series Star Trek: Prodigy as well as at other Star Trek news.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Latent Image" and "Bride of Chaotica"
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews the 2017 Star Trek Deep Space Nine tie-in novel Original Sin by David George III.
Comments on WandaVision and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):
- Andrew Ellard shares his thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall", the latest episode of WandaVision.
- Stephen Robinson shares his thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall".
- Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall"
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares his thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall".
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall".
- Font Folly shares his thoughts on "Breaking the Fourth Wall".
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discusses the twist in "Breaking the Fourth Wall".
- The Daily Mail reports that viewers of WandaVision crashed Disney+'s servers in the UK.
- Kevin Tran reports that WandaVision has more viewers than the popular Netflix historical romance series Bridgerton.
Comments on Superman and Lois:
Comments on season 2 of For All Mankind:
Comments on Behind Her Eyes:
Comments on Wrong Turn:
Awards:
- The winners of the 2020 British Fantasy Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards have been announced.
- The nominees for the 2021 Rhysling Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2020 Ursa Major Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2021 Dell Magazines Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 41st Japan SF Grand Prize have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2021 Zsoldos Péter Award have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2020 Australian Romance Readers Awards have been announced.
- The first round nominees for the 2021 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire have been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 Audie Awards have been announced.
- Charles Yu has helped to establish the Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes for Taiwanese American writers.
- Ian Moore discusses some issues with the eligibility of dramatic presentations for the Hugos
- Anne R. Allen shares five common storytelling mistakes.
- Noah Berlatsky declares that worldbuilding does not have to be meticulous to be effective.
- Tiffany Meuret explains how and where writers can find their crew.
- Tim Waggoner talks about the vagaries of writing careers.
- Alison Flood talks to several writers about their problems to write during the pandemic.
- Erika Kanda talks about the unusual problems of researching a story featuring wedding gowns.
- Molly Odintz hosts a roundtable about mentorship in publishing.
- Sarah Maria Griffin discusses her experiences with the Electric Zinemaker software.
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and founder of the famous City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco, California, has died aged 101.
- Peter-Astrid Kane shares some tributes to Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Interviews:
- Lisa Allardice interviews Kazuo Ishiguro.
- Meg Gardiner interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
- Locus interviews Brandon Sanderson.
- Paul Weimer interviews Aliya Whiteley.
- The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy interviews David Gerrold.
- Andrea Johnson interviews Francesca Forrest.
- Gordon B. White interviews Hailey Piper.
- Cora Buhlert interviews Jeff Goad and Ngo Vinh-Hoi.
- Cora Buhlert interviews the team behind the Hugo, Girl! podcast.
- Cora Buhlert interviews Charles Payseur.
- Cora Buhlert interviews Shaun Duke and Jen Zink.
Reviews:
- Lesa Holstine reviews Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb.
- Liz Bourke reviews Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Last Emperox by John Scalzi.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Blackthorn Winter by Liz Williams.
- Tadiana Jones reviews The Russian Cage by Charlaine Harris.
- Paul Weimer reviews Doors of Sleep by Tim Pratt.
- L.A. Young reviews The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons.
- Fantasy Faction reviews Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw.
- Joanna Z. Weston reviews The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich.
- Lis Carey reviews Witches of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg.
- Alex Brown reviews Soulstar by C.L. Polk.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Winterward by Hannah Mathewson.
- Phoebe Wagner reviews The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.
- Terry Weyna reviews Empire of the Wild by Cherie Dimaline.
- J.C. Kang reviews God of Gnomes by Demi Harper.
- Mark Chitty reviews Domesticating Dragons by Dan Koboldt.
- Paul Weimer reviews Transgressions of Power by Juliette Wade.
- Maya Gittelman reviews Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots.
- Mark Yon reviews The Black Coast by Mike Brooks.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Swimmers by Marian Womack.
- Rob Bedford reviews We Ride the Storm by Devin Madsen.
- Anne Enright reviews Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Call Me Home by C.L. Clark.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Residium by Dominic Dulley.
- For Winter Nights reviews Purgatory Mount by Adam Roberts.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews His Dark Materials: Serpentine by Philip Pullman.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Just Add Water by John Dodd.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Big Score by K.J. Parker.
- Jason Heller reviews The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews The Original by Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews John's Eyes by Joanna Corrance.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Searching Dead by Ramsey Campbell.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews These Lifeless Things by Premee Mohamed.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews A Broken Darkness by Premee Mohamed.
- Paula Guran reviews In That Endlessness, Our End by Gemma Files.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Deity by Matt Wesolowski.
- No More Grumpy Bookseller reviews The Minders by John Marrs.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Children God Forgot by Graham Masterton.
- Ian Mond reviews Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold.
- Arley Sorg review Latinx Screams, edited by V. Castro and Cynthia Pelayo.
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1909 lost world novel The Land of the Lost by Roy Norton.
- Frank Ormond revisits the 1928 horror story "The Call of the Cthulhu" by H.P. Lovecraft.
- Bill Ward revisits the 1939 sword and planet novel Almuric by Robert E. Howard.
- James Malizewski revisits the 1939 Prince Raynor sword and sorcery story "Cursed Be the City" by Henry Kuttner.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1950 postapocalyptic novel Shadow on the Hearth by Judith Merril.
- Paul Di Filippo revisits the 1962 science fiction collection The Society of Time by John Brunner.
- David Hardy revisits the 1963 space opera novel Space Viking by H. Beam Piper.
- Ken Lizzi revisits the 1963 anthology Swords and Sorcery by L. Sprague De Camp.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1966 science fiction novels The Watch Below by James White and The Lost Perception by Daniel F. Galouye and the 1966 science fiction anthology New Writing in SF 7, edited by John Carnell.
- Mark Yon revisits the March 1966 issues of Impulse and New Worlds.
- Paul Fraser revisits the 1966 science fiction story "Entry from Earth" by Daphne de Castell.
- Paul Fraser revisits the 1966 science fiction story "Hi, Sancho" by Paul Jents.
- George Kelley revisits the 1967 science fantasy novel The Palace of Love by Jack Vance.
- Paul Fraser revisits the 1988 time travel story "Ripples in the Dirac Sea" by Geoffrey A. Landis.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1989 Discworld fantasy novel Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett.
- Sean Guynes revisits the 1990 Earthsea fantasy novel Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- Kelly Lasiter and Jana Nyman revisits the 1996 fantasy novel The Wood Wife by Terry Windling.
Con and event reports:
- The SFWA offers a preview of the program of the virtual 2021 Nebula Conference.
- Mike Glyer offers an update on the latest staus of the lawsuit of Jon del Arroz against Worldcon 76.
- Patty Wells reports about the Space Agency Fan Fund SAFF, which arranges for atsronauts to appear as guests at Worldcons and other science fiction conventions.
- Science fiction fan and former Worldcon chair Don Lundry has died.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- Marcia Dunn reports that the parachute, on which the rover Perseverance landed on Mars, carried a secret message.
- Isaac Schultz lists the five greatest technology failures on Mars.
- Jason Dearen reports how a fungus that attacks agricultural plants spread to humans via contaminated steroid injections.
- The Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia reports that a surviving thylacine has been sighted, even though the species was believed to be extinct.
- Krystal D'Costa wonders why Victorian houses went from status symbol to creepy.
- Alma Katsu explains why the sinking of the Titanic still matters more 109 years later.
- Bruce Blackburn, designer of the NASA logo, has died aged 82.
Free online fiction:
- "Cleaning Up after the Blackout Boys" by Evan Marcroft in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Quintessence" by Andrew Dykstal in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Tyger" by Tegan Moore in Tor.com.
- "A Resting Place for Dolls" by Priya Sridhar in The Dark.
- "And Lucy Fell" by Erica Ruppert in Nightmare Magazine.
- "History in Pieces" by Beth Goder in Clarkesworld.
- "In the Library of Longing" by Xan van Rooyen in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Gaslight Gourmet" by Sarah Totton in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Jupiter Stone" by Kelly A. Jacobson in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Diamonds and Pearls" by J.L. George in Fireside Magazine.
- "The Circus and the Library" by Melodie Corrigall in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Destination of Beauty" by Alexander Weinstein in Lightspeed.
- "Sidewalks" by Maureen F. McHugh in Lightspeed.
- "The Bridge" by Joyce Chng in Anathema Magazine.
- "Flight" by Innocent Chizaram Ilo in Fantasy Magazine.
- "We All Become Our Mothers" by Kate Felix in Mystery Tribune.
- "Death Stopped for Miss Dickinson" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
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