It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the various DC Comics based TV shows, Sweet Tooth, Army of the Dead, A Quiet Place Part II, season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale, Cruella, Lisey's Story, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Robert E. Howard's Conan, an extortion scheme at Goodreads and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Amal El-Mohtar shares recent fantasy and science fiction novels to enjoy.
- Leah Schnelbach shares six science fiction and fantasy books to enjoy this June.
- Danielle Trussoni shares five horror novels to read this summer.
- Cheryl Eddy shares 54 science fiction and fantasy novels coming out this June.
- The Hugo Book Club Blog takes a look at the SFF books of 2020 that would have been worthy Hugo contenders, but did not make the ballot.
- Rich Horton takes a look at the development of the space opera genre from the 1930s to the 21st century.
- Ken Lizzi talks about the links between the western and speculative fiction.
- Bo-Young Kim talks about her unlikely science fiction influences.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction books about domed cities and arcologies.
- Sue Burke lists seven times science fiction got genetic engineering right.
- Sara Flannery Murphy explains how she found inspiration for science fiction in the history of reproduction.
- Julie Nováková asks several science fiction writers what technology they can't live without.
- Jennie Ivins offers an incomplete list of SFF authors of Asian or Pacific Islander descent.
- Kalyani Saxena explains why Asian fantasy can be a problematic label.
- K.T. Howard shares her favourite recent SFF works in which lesbians topple empires.
- Alina Boyden shares five SFF novels with transwomen protagonists.
- A.K. Larkwood shares five fantasy novels about multiverses.
- Carrie Sessarego talks about fungi in speculative fiction.
- Chelsea Sedoti shares five eerie works of speculative fiction from and set in the desert.
- James Davis Nicoll lists six fictional characters with whom you should never ever go camping.
- Lisa Unger shares five great horror novels that explore the darkest corners of our minds.
- Brian J. Showers explains what makes horror fiction work.
- Brian Murphy explains how the delivery medium from pulps via magazines to mass market paperbacks influenced sword and sorcery.
- G.W. Thomas takes a look at the ape monsters that so often appear in pulp science fiction and fantasy.
- Interesting Literature discusses the symbolism of the Phoenix in literature and myth.
- Philip Ball talks about modern myths.
- Ann Langley wonders why stories are so often about characters travelling and moving, when most people's lives are the opposite.
- Grant Forbes ranks the science fiction stories of Ted Chiang.
- Stephanie Burt shares her appreciation for the works of Octavia Butler.
- David Mana shares his appreciation for the works of the late Tanith Lee.
- Kara Kennedy finds a connection between The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia and Dune by Frank Herbert.
- Michael Curtis shares his appreciation for the Silver John stories by Manly Wade Wellman.
- Bradley J. Birzer profiles Robert E. Howard.
- Valeria Luiselli talks about the power of fiction.
- Heather Murphy reports about John Steinbeck's unpublished 1930 werewolf novel Murder at Full Moon.
Comics and Art:
- Evan Narcisse interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates, writer of the just concluded Black Panther run.
- Gene Luen Yang interviews Jim Lee about Asian American superheroes.
- Arley Sorg interviews Best Professional Artist Hugo finalist Alyssa Winans.
- Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the works of comic and fantasy artist John Bolton.
- Doug Ellis shares the artwork for the Japanese editions of the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard.
- John Coulthart shares his appreciation for the psychedelic SFF art of Mike Hinge.
- Eric Diaz declares that the Super Powers action figures from the 1980s show DC's superheroes at their most iconic.
- Eric Diaz has dug up a 1966 TV appearance by Stan Lee and notes that he looks very different from his later iconic look.
- Greg Eide, who operated the comic shop Eide's Entertainment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has died aged 69.
Film and TV:
- Arturo Serrano talks about the sureal horror of The Underground Railroad.
- Leslie Felperin calls Flashback a confusing but compelling multiverse thriller.
- Leslie Felperin calls Caveat an uncanny horror movie that is far more inventive than it seems at first.
- Arturo Serrano calls Eden a children's anime with cute robots, fun adventures and big ideas.
- Cath Clarke calls Felix and the Hidden Treasure a floundering animated adventure for children.
- LaToya Ferguson offers episode by episode reviews of season 5 of Lucifer.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episode "Virtuoso".
- Elyse Martin and Sean Rubin have some questions regarding the upcoming Arthurian movie The Green Knight.
- Derek Johnston traces the connection between the BBC and Hammer Horror.
- Dana Pellebon revisits the 1966 science fiction movie Destination Inner Space.
- Katie Rife revisits the 1973 horror movie Theatre of Blood.
- Richard Knightwell revisits the 2014 Robocop remake and finds it better than its reputation.
- Rob Bricken interviews Bear McCreary, who provided the music for Firefly, Outlander, the new Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead.
- Zoe Williams interviews Christina Hendricks who played Saffron in Firefly and Joan Holloway in Mad Men.
- Simon Bland interviews John Badham and Steve Guttenberg, director and star of the 1986 robot comedy Short Circuit.
- Germain Lussier interviews Kevin Smith, showrunner of the new animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.
- Steve Vertlieb talks about his love for movie monsters.
- Brian Klingborg talks about Hong Kong's second golden age of Kung Fu films.
- James Whitbrook reports about Christopher Eccleston's return to Doctor Who in the form of the audio drama Ravagers.
- Mark Sweeney wonders how Amazon will exploit James Bond, Rocky and the many other classic movie rights they bought along with MGM.
- Stuntman Roy Scrammell, who appeared in the James Bond movies, Doctor Who, A Clockwork Orange, Alien, Rollerball, Willow and many others, has died aged 88.
- Actor Paul Soles who provided the voice of Spider-Man in the 1967 animated series has died aged 90.
Comments on The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general:
- Jarrod Jones shares his thought on "Rampage", the latest episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Rampage".
- Dan Persons declares that The Last Jedi tried to free Star Wars from its fixation on legends.
- Stitch interviews Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
- Cameron Scheetz also interviews Kelly Marie Tran.
Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
- Tom Breihan revisits the first Avengers movie.
- Matt Schimkowitz wonders how experimental the upcoming Eternals movie will truly be.
- Gregory Ellwood interviews Paul Bettany who plays Vision on the Marvel movies and TV shows.
- Marah Eakin interviews Meliisa Fumero who plays M.O.D.O.K.'s daughter in the animated M.O.D.O.K. series.
- Sarah Durn traces how Loki went from the trickster figure of Norse mythology to the popular Marvel icon.
- Andrew Liptak reports that Danai Gurira will be reprising the role of Okoye in Wakanda Forever as well as in an upcoming Disney+ series.
Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV Shows:
- Rob Bricken has had enough of the DC superhero TV shows.
- Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Superman and Lois.
- Matt Webb Mitovich interviews Carlos Valdes who plays Cisco Ramone in The Flash.
- Ben Child wonders what the DC movie universe would have looked like if Christopher Nolan had been in charge rather than Zack Snyder.
Comments on Sweet Tooth:
Comments on season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale:
Comments on Army of the Dead:
- Alasdair Stuart declares that Army of the Dead tries to be everything for everybody and only partially succeeds.
- Inspired by Army of the Dead, Alex McLevy declares that Zack Snyder is at his best when dealing with characters who have no soul.
- Douglas Laman declares that Tig Notaro is the best thing about Army of the Dead.
Comments on A Quiet Place Part II:
- Vinnie Mancuso declares that A Quiet Place Part II silenced his doubts about horror movie sequels.
- Joshua Rivera declares that A Quiet Place Part II is a little better and a little worse than the first film.
- Leonard Maltin calls A Quiet Place Part II a solid sequel.
- Peter Bradshaw calls A Quiet Place Part II something to scream about.
- Gregory Lawrence interviews John Krasinski, director of A Quiet Place Part II.
- Ryan Gilbey interviews Cillian Murphy, star of Peaky Blinders and A Quiet Place Part II.
- Valerie Complex reports that A Quiet Place Part II tops the US box office.
- Brent Lang reports that A Quiet Place Part II is also the most successful movie since the beginning of the covid pandemic.
Comments on Cruella:
- Charles Pulliam-Moore feels that Cruella's attempt to redeem the 101 Dalmatians villainess doesn't quite work.
- Danny Leigh praises Cruella for recalling the DIY aesthetics of the early female designers of the punk movement.
- Katie Rife calls Cruella stylish and chaotic, just like its protagonist.
- Leonard Maltin calls Cruella not bad, but hardly worth the bother.
- Katie Rife also notes that Disney still has problems getting gay characters right in Cruella.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Cruella proves that Disney still has a long way to go with LGBTQ representation.
- Chelsea Steiner actually praises the LGBTQ aesthetics of Cruella.
- Alex McLevy praises the songs of Cruella.
- Marc Malkin interviews the cast and crew of Cruella.
- Cameron Scheetz interviews Kirby Howell-Baptiste who plays Anita Darling in Cruella.
- Cameron Scheetz interviews Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry who play Horace and Jasper in Cruella.
- Cameron Scheetz interviews Mark Strong who also appears in Cruella.
- Mari Ness declares that Cruella de Vil in Dodie Smith's original novel 101 Dalmatians is the most magnificent villain in children's fiction.
- Olivia Rutigliano revisits the original 1961 animated film 101 Dalmatians.
- Valerie Complex wonders whether Cruella is the future of Disney's villain origin movies.
- Cheryl Eddy lists ten other Disney villains who deserve a Cruella style spin-off.
Comments on Lisey's Story:
Comments on The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It:
Awards:
- Tracy Townsend explains how she tricks her brain into finishing stories and other tasks.
- Gregg Olsen shares his approaches to writing.
- Dave Chesson shares fifteen worldbuilding tips for writers.
- Dana Perry talks about writing "ripped from the headlines" thrillers.
- Dave Chesson explains how to format a book.
- Akua Lezli Hope discusses the importance of having an author photo and bio.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about changes in the publishing industry.
- Alison Flood reports about the debate about so-called "cancel culture" in publishing.
- Ruth Comerford and Sian Bayley report about a survey that reveals that the income of most authors dropped substantially during the covid pandemic.
- Alison Flood reports that due to a new scheme in the UK, authors can now earn royalties in used book sales.
- Jason Sanford reports about the continuing problems with Goodreads with regard to fake account, abusive troll reviews and now an extortion scheme to get authors to pay protection money or be deluged with fake reviews.
- Victoria Strauss also reports about the Goodreads extortion scheme.
- Alina Leonova reports about the Goodreads extortion scheme.
Interviews:
- Arley Sorg interviews Cassandra Khaw.
- Katrina Niidas Holm interviews Victoria Aveyard.
- Brian Murphy interviews Keith Taylor in a two part interview.
- Locus interviews Veronica Henry.
- Locus interviews T.L. Huchu.
- The Qwillery interviews Hannah Whitten.
- Rob Bedford interviews Ava Reid.
- Janna Miller interviews Sam Grieve.
Reviews:
- Molly Templeton reviews Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston.
- Kat Hooper reviews Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Red Noise by John P. Murphy.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Cretaceous Past by Liu Cixin.
- Lee Mandelo reviews Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Ten Low by Stark Holborn.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews The Sentient by Nadia Afifi.
- Martin Cahill reviews Hard Reboot by Django Wexler
- No More Grumpy Bookseller reviews Threadneedle by Cari Thomas.
- Jessica Guptill reviews Wendy Darling by A.C. Wise.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
- Bill Capossere reviews Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison.
- Juliet E. McKenna reviews Blackheart Knight by Laure Eve.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Seaborn by Michael Livingston.
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Raconteur's Commonplace Book by Kate Milford.
- Marion Deeds reviews The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Fall of Doc Future by W. Dow Rieder.
- A.M. Justice reviews Fate of Madness by Jesse Teller.
- Iphinome reviews A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews In the Empty Quarter by G. Willow Wilson.
- Rob Bedford reviews Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy.
- Lesa Holstine reviews The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren.
- Richard Fisher reviews The Song of Belit by Rodolfo Martínez, based on the stories of Robert E. Howard and translated by Christopher Kastensmidt.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Odin's Child by Siri Petterson, translated by Siân Mackie and Paul Russell Garrett.
- Kat Hooper reviews The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey.
- Matthew Keeley reviews Hollow by B. Catling.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Memory Theatre by Karin Tidbeck.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Best of World SF Vol. 1, edited by Lavie Tidhar.
- Ty Johnston reviews Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword and Sorcery by Brian Murphy.
Classics reviews:
- Literature and History revisits the ancient Greek work of early science fiction True Story by Lucian of Samothrace, which was written around 160 AD.
- Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys revisit the 1913 horror story "The Horror of the Heights" by Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1925 supernatural mystery The Red Lamp by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
- Bobby Derie revisits the 1925 horror story "The Were-Snake" by Frank Belknap Long.
- Cthulery revisits the 1925 horror story "Terror in Cut-Throat Cave" by Robert Bloch.
- Player None revisits the 1927 horror story "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by H.P. Lovecraft.
- Cora Buhlert revisits the 1932 Conan sword and sorcery story "The God in the Bowl" by Robert E. Howard.
- James Maliszweski revisits the 1933 planetary romance The Swordsman of Mars by Otis Adalbert Kline.
- Steve J. Wright revisits the August 1943 issue of Unknown.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1953 James Bond spy novel Casino Royale by Ian Fleming.
- Young People Read Old SFF revisits the 1961 science fiction story "The Longest Voyage" by Poul Anderson.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1962 science fiction story "The Third Stage" by Poul Anderson.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1966 issue of Analog.
- David Levinson revisits the July 1966 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction.
- The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1972 science fantasy novel Spell of the Witch World by Andre Norton.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1977 science fantasy novel The Ice Is Coming by Patricia Wrightson.
- Ken Lizzi revisits the 1982 fantasy novel The Swordbearer by Glen Cook.
- Rob Bricken revisits the 1985 fantasy novel Greyhawk: Saga of Old City by Gary Gygax.
- The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1989 science fiction collection Heatseeker by John Shirley.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1990 Discworld fantasy novel Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett.
- Paperback Warrior revisits Blood Harvest, a 1996 novel in The Executioner men's adventure series by Mel Odom, featuring zombies.
Con and event reports:
- Mike Glyer reports that Jon Del Arroz has broadcast his demands for a settlement in his lawsuit with Worldcon 76 in San José, California, on his podcast. Unfortunately, he still has no idea how Worldcons are organised.
- The program for the 2021 Robert E. Howard days, which will take place in person in Cross Plains, Texas, in June, is now online.
- The Passadena Now Weekendr reports about a theatre and dance performance of Ray Bradbury's story "All Summer in a Day" at the Lineage Performing Arts Center in Passadena, California.
- David Pescovitz reports that the National Space Centre Museum in Leicester, UK, has actually built a space suit designed by the British Interplanetary Society in 1949 and is now exhibiting it.
- Tara Bennett reports that the Planet Vought restaurant from The Boys has actually been built in Los Angeles, California, and is open to visitors.
- Todd Martens reports that the ride "Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair" will return to the amusement park Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
- Germain Lussier reports about the Avengers Campus attraction at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- Adam Temper reports about the first successful demonstration of robots supposed to build a Moon base for ESA.
- Marina Koren points out that if aliens exist, they're likely very far away from Earth.
- Watch a video of SpaceX launching a Falcon 9 rocket with sixty Starlink satellites on board.
- Richard Luscombe reports that the robotic arm of the International Space Station was struck by space junk.
- Christopher Schaberg expounds on his belief that manned deep space travel is not viable.
- David Castelvecchi shares the most detailed 3D map of the universe ever created.
- Alyse Stanley reports that last year, a Kargu-2 attack quadcopter drone autonomously attacked Libyan rebels without being ordered to do so.
- Christopher M. Elias explains how McCarthyism, the rise of the tabloids and rumours about J. Edgar Hoover' and Roy Cohn's sexual orientation led to a surveillance state.
- Gilles Legardinier shares the hidden secrets of Paris, France.
- Stephen Luntz reports about an ancient Greek curse jar containing the remains of a chicken and the names of fifty intended victims, that has been found in Athens, Greece.
Free online fiction:
- "The Nation of the Sick" by Sam J. Miller in Lightspeed.
- "A Tableau of Things That Are" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.
- "Worth the Whistling" by Adriana C. Grigore in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Woods Echo Back" by Tania Fordwalker in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Little Animals" by Nancy Kress in Clarkesworld.
- "Poubelle" by Robert Reed in Clarkesworld.
- "Ren of the Thousand Faces" by M. Elizabeth Ticknor in Fireside Magazine.
- "Before Whom Evil Trembles" by Nhamo in Anathema.
- "Your Ticket to Hell" by Rajan Khanna in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Heaven-Bound" by Hayli McClain in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The Hungry Unseen" by Sandra Kleinschmitt in Daily Science Fiction.
- "A Blind Eye" by M.H. Ayinde in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Final Warnings in Open Fields" by Xander Odell in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Urn" by Frances Ogamba in The Dark.
- "Mishpokhe and Ash" by Sydney Rossman-Reich in Apex Magazine.
- "Story Child" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
Odds and ends:
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