Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 2, 2021

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy at ninety and the many iterations of Star Trek, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League, The Walking Dead, Godzilla vs. Kong, The Unholy and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Andrew Liptak discusses how science fiction and space exploration influence each other.
  
• Corey J. White shares five modern Cyberpunk stories. 
• Elisa Shoenberger shares seven thrilling SFF murder mysteries. 
• Eleanor Konik shares five SFF stories that shed light on obscure histories.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five thrilling SFF works about meticulously planned infrastructure projects.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares unforgettable SFF books about amnesia. 
• Catriona Silvey discusses five character pairs from SFF with ever shifting relationships. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF works where bards are the protagonists.
  
• Ferrett Steinmetz shares five heartpounding jum scares in horror fiction.
• Tor.com shares eight SFF characters who commune with animals.
• Tor.com lists the best birds in fantasy.
  
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar take a look at speculative fiction from India.
• Rasha Elass talks about science fiction and science fact from the Arab world. 
  
• Xueting Christine Ni talks about the deep roots of Chinese science fiction. 
• Yi-Ling Liu profiles Chen Qiufan.
  
• C.D. Covington talks about the way aliens are portrayed in A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.
  
• Stephen Graham Jones shares his love for the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Jess Romeo traces how Octavia E. Butler became a genre legend.
• Dan England profiles Connie Willis. 
• Bobby Derie talks about the relationship between H.P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald.
  
• Michael Dirda revisits the work of pioneering science fiction author Muriel Jeager. 
• January Magazine reports that eleven lost novels by 19th century journalist and novelist Nellie Bly have been rediscovered and will be republished.
  
• Daisy Buchanan wonders why there aren't more mainstream novels which deal with sexual desire from a female perspective and manages to miss the entire romance genre.
  
• James McMahon discusses the rise of horror podcasts.
  
• Benjamin Marra shares his appreciation for the works of Frank Frazetta. 
• Joachim Boaz shares his appreciation for the psychedelic collage cover art of Atelier Heinrichs & Bachmann
  
• Larissa Irankunda reports that now that covers with black characters actually sell books, publishers start putting minor characters who happen to be black onto the cover.
  
• Sian Cain reports that the children's book The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen of the Future by Dav Pilkey has been withdrawn from sale because of racist depictions of Asian people. 
• Alison Flood reports that according to his son Nick Cornwell a.k.a. Nick Harkaway, spy fiction author John Le Carré was an Irish citizen at the time of his death, having renounced his British citizenship over Brexit. 
  
• Jane Yolen remembers Norton Juster. 
• SFF writer and fan Sylvain St. Pierre has died. 
  
• Children's book author Beverly Cleary has died aged 104.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Gwen Ihnat declares that The Irregulars show the more gruesome side of the Sherlock Holmes story.
• Cath Clarke is impressed by the execution of the time loop thriller Infinitum: Subject Unknown, but finds the plot frustrating. 
• Ellen E. Jones declares that Antebellum uses the horrors of slavery for entertainment.
  
• Jack Seale calls Hausen a grim and grimy German horror series. 
• Alex McLevy wonders if you can call Sacrifice a Cthulhu mythos horror film, if Cthulhu never shows up due to budget constraints. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Paintball Massacre a comedy horror film that doesn't live up to its ambitions. 
• Ed Grabianowski shares his thoughts on the horror movie Hunter Hunter. 
• Danette Chavez shares her thoughts on Made for Love.
  
• Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the seaon 2 finale of Snowpiercer.
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the seaon 6 premiere of Supergirl. 
• Scott von Doviak shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Flash. 
  
• Alani Vargas shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Batwoman. 
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Debris.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of For All Mankind.
  
• Nick Kolakowski explains how Christopher Nolan uses noir in his movies to enhance the weirdness.  
• Benjamin Lee calls Tom and Jerry: The Movie a sanitised relaunch. 
• Leslie Felperin calls A Dragon's Adventure an inoffensive and colourful animated film for children.
  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1966 Doctor Who serial "The Ark".
• Bethany C. Morrow revisits the 1968 science fiction movie Planet of the Apes. 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1986 slasher movie April Fool's Day.
  
• Xavier Piedra takes a look at the various filmic adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's works. 
• Rich Pelley wonders why Bond villains inevitably go for complicated death traps and why James Bond always escapes. 
• Sian Cain reports that George R.R. Martin has signed a five year deal for several more HBO projects. 
• Dominic Patten reports that American Gods has been cancelled.
  
• Steve Rose reports that the character of Pepe Le Pew won't be appearing in Space Jam: A New Legacy, but that this is not unique, because several cartoon characters have been removed due to being no longer politically correct. 
• Andrew Liptak reports that the cast for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series has been announced, 

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "11:59".
• Mari Brighe recounts how Star Trek fandom helped her feel accepted after she came out as transgender.
  
• William Lovett interviews William Shatner about the continued popularity of Star Trek.
• Connor Casey reports that William Shatner will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
• The Boston Museum of Science is planning to set up a monument to Leonard Nimoy.
  

 

Comments on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers): 

• Andrew Welch shares his thoughts on "The Star Sprangled Man", the latest episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "The Star Sprangled Man".
• Sulagna Misra shares her thoughts on "The Star Sprangled Man".
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Star Sprangled Man". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Star Sprangled Man".
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discusses the relationship between Sam and Bucky in "The Star Sprangled Man".
• James Whitbrook also discusses the relationship between Sam and Bucky.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw takes a look at the character of John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also illuminates the background of the character Isaiah Bradley in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
• Richard Newby discusses the character of Isaiah Bradley as well as the treatment of racism in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  
• Noah Berlatsky is bothered by the way The Falcon and the Winter Soldier treats racism. 
• Charles Pulliam Moore declares that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier talks both too much and not enough about racism. 
• Princess Weekes also discusses the treatment of racism in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 
• Kaila Hale-Sterne discusses the depiction of PTSD in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 
• Princess Weekes discusses what makes someone Captain America inspired by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Wyatt Russell who plays John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  
• Inspired by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Rosie Knight wonders just how superheroes earn their money and how this could be fixed.
• Camestros Felapton points out that Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame work better has a TV mini-series than as two overlong films.
• Steve J. Wright points out that the post-Thanos world in the Marvel movies make no sense.
  

 

Comments on the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League:

• Chris M. Barkley shares his thoughts on the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League and other things.
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League. 
  
• Ben Child shares Zack Snyder's plans for the five movies following Justice League, which thankfully will likely never come to pass.
  

Comments on Godzilla vs. Kong and its protagonists in general: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Godzilla vs. Kong one hell of a show.
• Katie Rife declares that Godzilla vs. Kong delivery all the monster on monster mayhem anybody could want. 
• Michelle Jaworski calls Godzilla vs. Kong an epic smackdown.
  
• James Whitbrook calls Godzilla vs. Kong good dumb fun. 
• Sylas K. Barrett declares that Godzilla vs. Kong is really Kong's show.
  
• Mike Ryan interviews Alexander Skarsgard, one of the stars of Godzilla vs. Kong.
  
• Marah Eakin interviews Demián Bichir, one of the stars of Godzilla vs. Kong. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Rebecca Hall, one of the stars of Godzilla vs. Kong. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Eliza Gonzalez, one of the stars of Godzilla vs. Kong.
  
• Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd trace the career of Godzilla.
  
• Gwen Ihnat revisits the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island ahead of Godzilla vs. Kong. 
• Reid McCarter wonders about the bathroom habits of Godzilla and King Kong.

 

Comments on The Walking Dead: 

• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
  

 

Comments on The Unholy:

• Benjamin Lee calls The Unholy a poorly made horror film. 
• A.A. Dowd declares that The Unholy is a bore.
  

 

Awards: 

• The shortlist for the 2020 Aurealis Award has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2021 Kurd Laßwitz Preis have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Booknest Fantasy Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 British Audio Drama Awards have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2021 International Booker Prize has been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 FAAn Awards have been announced.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Alan Parks shares the three things he learned in his writing career. 
• Allison Brennan shares some tips for handling pacing.
  
• Joy Kluver talks about fictional and real settings. 
• Allison Brennan explains how she choreographs the action scenes in her novels. 
• Sulaiman Addonia describes how writers can develop craft without access to books.
  
• File 770 reports about an uproar about applying the #OwnVoices hashtag to fiction.
  
• Edward Helmore reports about a conflict in PEN International about their manifesto "The Democracy of Imagination".
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the pitfalls of having a book optioned for a movie or TV production.
• Elizabeth A. Harris reports about the curious phenomenon of BookTok.
  

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews Nick Martell. 
• G.W. Thomas interviews David Gerrold. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Harry Turtledove. 
• Gord Sellar and Jihyun Park interviews Bo-Young Kim.
  
• Alan Petersen interviews Dean Koontz. 
• Suspense Radio interviews Dean Koontz. 
• A.M. Justice interviews Scott Kaelen.
  
• Jen Gheller interviews Clare McNee-Annett.
• Scott Edelman interviews Zig Zag Claybourne
  

Reviews:

• Adrienne Martini and Russell Letson review A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.
• For Winter Nights reviews One Day All of This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells. 
• Adri Joy reviews The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi, The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu and Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley. 
• Jon Morgan reviews What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Expert System's Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
  
• Sean Dowie reviews Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Unbroken by C.L. Clarke.
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn. 
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews Knight and Shadow by Flint Maxwell.
  
• Marion Deeds reviews The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige.
  
• Katharine Coldiron reviews A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He.
• Catherine Taylor reviews Redder Days by Sue Rainsford.
  
• Tadiana Jones reviews A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen.
  
• Fantasy Faction reviews The Fall of Erlon by Robert H. Fleming.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey.
• Stephanie Merritt reviews The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore.
• Paul di Filippo reviews The Complete Ivy Frost by Donald Wandrei.
• C.T. Phipps reviews Deep Blue by David Niall Wilson.
  
• Geoff Matthews reviews Anna by Sammy H.K. Smith.
• Ian Mond reviews The Weak Spot by Lucie Elven.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Nova Hellas - Stories From Future Greece, edited by Francesca T. Barbini and Francesco Verso.

Classics reviews:

• James Malizewski revisits the 1887 lost world novel She by Henry Rider Haggard. 
• The Archetypal Archive revisits the 1911 horror novel The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker. 
  
• The Archetypal Archive revisits the 1912 planetary romance A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. 
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1936 adventure horror story "The Fires of Asshurbanipal" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1940 vigilante story Alias the Masked Detective by C.K. M. Scanlon a.k.a. Norman Daniels.  
  
• James Reasoner revisits the 1941 science fantasy novel A Yank at Valhalla by Edmond Hamilton. 
• Steve J. Wright revisits the June 1942 issue of Unknown. 
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1942 speculative fiction anthology The Other Worlds, edited by Phil Strong.
  
• Frank Ormond revisits the 1946 planetary romance "Lorelei of the Red Mist" by Leigh Brackett and Ray Bradbury.
  
• Bill Ward revisits the 1960 science fantasy novel The High Crusade by Poul Anderson.
  
• Mark Yon revisits the April 1966 issues of Impulse and New Worlds.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the April 1966 issue of Analog.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1966 science fiction novel From Carthage Then I Came a.k.a. Eight Against Utopia by Douglas R. Mason. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1972 science fantasy collection Garan the Eternal by Andre Norton. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1974 science fiction story "A Little For Us Tempunauts" by Philip K. Dick.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1977 portal fantasy The Doomfarers of Coramonde by Brian Daley.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1979 humorous science fiction novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 science fiction novel The Infinitive of Go by John Brunner.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 anthology The Science Fictional Olympics, edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh. 
• C.T. Phipps revisits the 1986 Cyberpunk novel Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams.
  
• Joe Kenney revisits American Ultimatum, a 1989 novel in the Doomsday Warrior post-apocalyptic series. 
  

Con and event reports:

• Jill Pantozzi is irritated by the fact that San Diego Comic Con is planning an in-person event in San Diego, California, on Thanksgiving weekend in November.
• Sharareh Drury also shares negative reactions to the proposed San Diego Comic Con in-person event on Thanksgiving weekend.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also reports about negative reactions to the proposed San Diego Comic Con in-person event on Thanksgiving weekend.
• James Whitbrook reports that New York Comic Con is being planned as a physical and virtual event.
  
• Nerds of a feather offer transcript of some CoNZealand Fringe panels.
• Mike Glyer shares the outcome of a harrassment investigation at the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares an open letter to Balticon in the wake of the harrassment investigation.
  
• James Hibberd reports that a Game of Thrones related play is coming to Broadway and the London West End in 2023.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Tales of Voracious: Stories of Monstrous Passions by Kate Bullock is looking for funding. 
  
• Odd Jobs, an RPG supplement by MacGuffin & Co., is looking for funding.
  

 

Science and technology:

• George Dvorsky reports about the latest launch attempt of SpaceX's Starship, prototype.
  
• Sofia Quaglia reports how false memories can be implanted in people and then reversed.
  
• Melissa Bashardoust shares five Persian legends and their western counterparts.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Inspector 36" by Kristin Hooker in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Economic Principles of the Zombie Apocalypse" by Wendy Nikel in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Body Corporate" by Steve J. Haywood in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "The Mirrors of Her Eyes" by Lisa Fracalossi in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Phases of the Moon" by Alice Towey in Fireside Magazine. 
• "Forward, Victoria" by Carlie St. George in The Dark. 
• "If Those Ragged Feet Won't Run" by Annie Neugebauer in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Field Tiger" by Endria Isa Richardson in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Sarcophagus" by Ray Nayler in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Raices (Roots)" by Joe Ponce in Anathema Magazine.
• "The Trolley Solution" by Shiv Ramdas in Slate Future Tense.
• "Earth Day" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• "An Heir to the Mesozoic" by Hazel Heald in Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein.
  

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Suicide Squad.
• Watch a trailer for Star Wars: The Bad Batch. 
• Watch a trailer for The Nevers.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Night House. 
• Watch a trailer for Spiral: From the Book of Saw. 
• Watch a trailer for Things Heard and Seen.
  
• Watch a trailer for Shadow and Bone. 
  
• Watch a concept reel for The Last Starfighters.