Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 2, 2021

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Loki, Black Widow and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the various DC Comics based TV shows,, Star Trek in general, The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general, the season 4 finale of The Handmaid's Tale, The Tomorrow War Good Omens, Resident Evil: Infinite Dark, Fear Street Part 1: 1994, Fast and Furious 9, The Forever Purge, America the Motion Picture, the cancelled return of Warren Ellis less than a year after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, more problems  involving the 2021 Worldcon, a new US government report about UFOs and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 51 new science fiction and fantasy books coming out this July.
  
• Niall Harrison offers a brief history of Chinese science fiction in the twenty-first century. 
• Jeannette Ng talks about the history and politics of wuxia.
  
• Justin Wooley explains why heist stories work so well in science fiction.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction books with space travel methods other than starships. 
• T.H. Ponders shares five space podcasts to enjoy.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about survival in a strange place or time. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares six stories that find drama in utopian settings.
  
• K.T. Howard explains where to find LGBTQ+ SFF.
• Anna Carey shares five dark SFF books that will make you laugh out loud.
  
• James Davis Nicoll lists five SFF homes from hell. 
• Nicole Kornher-Stace bemoans the lack of friendships depicted in SFF. 
• Tor.com shares nine fantasy duos destined for each other. 
• Nghi Vo talks about the magic in her story The Chosen and the Beautiful.
  
• Jason Powell talks about rock 'n roll in George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards series. 
• Linda H. Codega shares tabletop RPGs that go well with science fiction novels about sentient AIs.
  
• Claire Armitstead talks about the new wave of climate fiction.
• Emily VanDerWerff chronicles the uproar surrounding Isabel Fall's "Helicopter Story".
• N.K. Jemisin weighs in on the debate surrounding Isabel Fall's "Helicopter Story".
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the brief short fiction career of Alison Tellure.
  
• Deuce Richarson shares his appreciation for the works of Murray Leinster for what would have been the author's 125th birthday.
• G.W. Thomas revisits the stories of Will Carver, obscure pulp science fiction author of the 1940s.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits Fritz Leiber's stories for Weird Tales in the 1940s and 1950s.
• Cora Buhlert takes a look at the politics of Robert E. Howard's Conan.
  
• Vintage Geek Culture reports about a battle in Edgar Rice Burroughs fandom in the 1960s. 
• Beth Elderkin reports about an uproar in the RPG world, involving two companies both named TSR Games, one of which has engaged in racist and transphobic remarks.

 

Comics and Art: 

• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that the X-Men are eager to reproduce in their latest adventures.
  
• Deuce Richardson celebrates the eightieth birthday of comic artist Neal Adams. 
• Deuce Richardson celebrates the eightieth birthday of fantasy artist Manuel Pérez Clemente a.k.a. Sanjulián. 
• Benjamin Marra shares his appreciation for the mythological fantasy art of Esteban Maroto. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall takes a look at British superhero comics of the 1960s.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits John Buscema's short-lived sword and sorcery comic Bront. 
• Bobby Derie revisits R.H.B., a Lovecraft-inspired comic biography of R.H. Barlow by Andreas and Riviére from 1978.
  
• Rob Bricken ranks DC Comics superpets.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that Warren Ellis his responded to the backlash against his return to comics less than a year after more than sixty women accused him of sexual misconduct.
• Graeme McMillan reports that Warren Ellis' return to Image Comics has been cancelled.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Stuart Heritage declares that the reason why Sweet Tooth is so successful is that it is such a happy and joyful story. 
• Benjamin Lee calls Voyagers Lord of the Flies in space with extra sex.
  
• Phil Hoad calls Lapsis a science fiction satire of the gig economy. 
• James Whitbrook shares five things he loved and three he didn't about Godzilla: Singular Point. 
• Phuong Le calls Violet Evergarden: The Movie a breathtaking return for Kyoto Animation.
  
• Benjamin Lee calls False Positive a messy pregnancy horror film. 
• Leslie Felperin calls the horror comedy Vicious Fun a bloody good time. 
• Steve Rose calls Crazy Samurai: 400 versus 1 a marathon swordfight for hardcore action fans.
  
• Phuong Le calls Witch Hunt an offensive attempt at political horror. 
• Juan Barquin shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Lisey's Story. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the Danish post-apocalyptic series The Rain. 
• Stuart Jeffries calls Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman a thrilling documentary.
• Leslie Felperin calls Daisy Quokka an overly cute animated animal adventure. 
• Katie Rife calls The Boss Baby: Family Business an animated sequel which rehashes the original. 
• Ben Child wonders whether the fourth Matrix movie can work without Laurence Fishburne 
• Troy Brownfield discusses the sword and sorcery film boom of the 1980s.  
• Rob Bricken shares a guide to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
  
• Erica Kanda shares her favourite retro horror movies. 
• Lauren Coates talks about LGBTQ+ representation in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 
  
• Cheryl Eddy ranks the Piranha horror movies. 
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore revisits the original 1992 Candyman.
• Carlos Aguilar revisits the 2000 animated science fiction film Titan AE and finds it better than its reputation.
  
• A.A. Dowd revisits the 2010 science fiction movie Predators. 
• Huw Fullerton interviews Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, the current stars of Doctor Who.
  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Michael Emerson, one of the stars of Evil.
• Beth Elderkin reports that the release of Dune has been postponed again.
• Beth Elderkin reports that the proposed Logan's Run remake will likely never happen. 
  
• Molly Templeton reports that the proposed Supernatural spin-off The Winchesters is already causing a conflict between Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.
• Molly Templeton reports that The Nevers will return next year. 
• Andrew Liptak reports that Simon Pegg is working on a TV version of Galaxy Quest. 
• Molly Templeton reports that The Old Guard will be getting a sequel.
  
• The Guardian reports about the woes of the British television industry after Brexit. 
• Matt Schimkovitz reports that actress Allison Mack, best known for her role in Smallville, has received a three year prison sentence for her part in the NXIVM abusive sex cult.
  
• Actress Jackie Lane, who played the First Doctor's companion Dodo Chaplet in Doctor Who in 1966, has died aged 79.
• Czech actress Libuse Safrankova, best known for starring in Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella, has died gaed 68.
  

 

Comments on Loki and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Nexus Event", the latest episode of Loki. 
• Andy Welch shares his thoughts on "The Nexus Event". 
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on "The Nexus Event".  
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "The Nexus Event". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Nexus Event". 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "The Nexus Event". 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "The Nexus Event".
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore discusses the mid-credits scene of "The Nexus Event".
  
• Brian Davids interviews Sophie Di Martino who plays Sylvie in Loki.
  
• Brian Davids interviews Tara Strong who provides the voice of Miss Minutes in Loki. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares some speculations regarding a possible appearance of a classic Marvel villain in Loki. 
• Gabrielle Sanchez reports that the costume of Sophie di Martino, who plays Sylvie in Loki, had to be altered to allow the actress to breastfeed her baby.
  
• Beth Elderkin reports that Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as Loki in The Simpsons thanks to Disney's takeover of Twentieth Century Fox.
  
• Watch a trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
  

 

Comments on Black Widow:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Black Widow a movie about a Russian super-spy with an Electra complex that's great fun. 
• A.A. Dowd calls Black Widow a fun dysfunctional family sitcom set in the Marvel Universe.
  
• Germain Lussier declares that it's the supporting cast that makes Black Widow work. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Black Widow a tired rehash of Cold War era spy thrillers, which does not really engage with the dark side of Natasha Romanov.
  

 

Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV Shows:

• Andrew Tejada shares his thoughts on the latest episodes of the various DC Comics based TV-shows.
  
• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow. 
  
• Alani Vargas shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Batwoman.
• Scott von Doviak shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Flash.
• Sam Barsanti reports that several castmembers have renewed their contracts for season 8 of The Flash.
  

 

Comments on the season 4 finale of The Handmaid's Tale (spoilers):

• Jackie Strause interviews Bruce Miller, showrunner of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Jackie Strause interviews Ann Dowd who plays Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale.
  

 

Comments on The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on "Bounty Lost", the latest episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Bounty Lost".
• Spencer Kornhaber discusses how Disney mismanaged the Star Wars universe and how The Mandalorian can save it.
• Kevin Polowy reports that Disney will no longer refer to Boba Fett's spaceship by its original name Slave-1, because slavery is bad.
  

 

Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Good Shepherd" and  "Live Fast and Prosper".
• The Guardian interviews William Shatner who played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek.
  

 

Comments on The Tomorrow War:

• Peter Bradshaw calls The Tomorrow War an overlong and derivative science fiction action film. 
• Jesse Hassenger calls The Tomorrow War a rip-off of dozens of other science fiction films. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Chris Pratt, star of The Tomorrow War. 
• Watch a clip from The Tomorrow War.
  

 

Comments on Resident Evil: Infinite Dark: 

• Sam Barsanti declares that Resident Evil: Infinite Dark would have made a bad videogame, but is a damned fine TV show.  
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore thinks that the political analogies in Resident Evil: Infinite Dark are a little too on the nose.

 

Comments on Good Omens:

• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Good Omens is a love story.
• Andrew Liptak reports that there will be a sequel series to the TV adaptation of Good Omens.
• Neil Gaiman reports that he and Terry Pratchett plotted out a sequel to Good Omens in 1989, but that they never got around to writing it due to Sandman and Discworld taking off.
• Alison Flood says that a Good Omens sequel that goes beyond the book is not necessarily a bad thing.
  

Comments on Fear Street Part 1: 1994:

• Benjamin Lee calls Fear Street Part 1: 1994 a horror film with gory gusto.  
• A.A. Dowd calls Fear Street Part 1: 1994 a sanitized slasher nostalgie trip.

 

Comments on Fast and Furious 9 and the Fast and Furious movies in general:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Fast and Furious 9 magnificently silly and gravity defying.
  
• Steve Rose wonders whether Fast and Furious is the ultimate franchise for our times. 
• Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd wonder why the Fast and Furious series is still going strong after twenty years. 
• Germain Lussier ranks all ten Fast and Furious films.
  
• Brande Victorian interviews Natalie Emmanuel, one of the stars of Fast and Furious 9. 
• Valerie Complex reports that Fast and Furious 9 has had the biggest opening weekend since December 2019.
  

 

Comments on The Forever Purge:

• Benjamin Lee calls The Forever Purge more of the same. 
• Anya Stanley hopes that The Forever Purge will be the last film in the series.
  

 

Comments on America: The Motion Picture:

• Charles Bramesco calls America: The Motion Picture a puerile attempt at adult animation
• William Hughes calls America: The Motion Picture an animated political comedy without politcal ideas or good jokes.
  

 

Awards: 

• The shortlist for the 2021 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Locus Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2020 Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2021 Manly Wade Wellman Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Elgin Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2021 Munsey Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Baen Adventure Fantasy Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Colorado Book Awards have been announced.
• Check out this crowdsourced spreadsheet of works eligible for the 2021 Dragon Awards.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• The Novel Factory shares a beginner's guide to writing science fiction.
  
• Marissa Levien shares three rules for writing dystopian novels. 
• Lincoln Michel takes a look at the "flight forward" writing method devised by Argentinian writer César Aira. 
• Maxim Jakubowski talks about writing in multiple genres. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the various fears affecting writers.
  
• Chris Paling explains why agents can be useful for writers.
• Alison Flood reports about the rise of BookTok.
  

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews K.B. Wagers. 
• Kilian Fox interviews Rumaan Alam. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Sammy H.K. Smith.
  
• The Horror Writers Association interviews Larissa Glasser.
  
• The Horror Writers Association interviews Nikki Woolford.
  
• Jen Gheller interviews Patrice Rivara.
• Asimov's interviews Ursula Whitcher.
  

Reviews:

• Gary K. Wolfe reviews We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker. 
• Bill Capossere reviews We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Ten Low by Stark Holborn. 
  
• Mark Yon reviews Artifact Space by Miles Cameron.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Hard Reboot by Django Wexler. 
• For Winter Nights reviews The Ninth Metal by Benjamin Percy. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews Miss Bennet's Dragon by M. Verant.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier, Finna by Nino Cipri and Star Eater by Kerstin Hall.
  
• Joe Sherry reviews The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich, Quantum Shadows by L.E. Modesitt Jr. and Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Black Water Sister by Zen Cho.
  
• Adri Joy reviews She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.
  
• Lis Carey reviews Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. 
• Bobby Derie reviews Agents of Dreamland by Caitlin R. Kiernan. 
• Marion Deeds reviews For the Good of the Realm by Nancy Jane Moore.
  
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise. 
• No More Grumpy Bookseller reviews The High-Rise Diver by Julia von Lucadou. 
• Adam Troy Castro reviews Later by Stephen King and The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Dead Souls by Sam Riviere. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Vampires Never Get Old - Tales With Fresh Bite, edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker.
• Joanne Askew reviews Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction, edited by Rebecca Rowland.
  

Classics reviews:

• Richard Fisher revisits the 1917 planetary romance The Cosmic Courtship by Julian Hawthorne.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1922 post-apocalyptic novel Theodore Savage by Cicely Hamilton.
  
• Cthulery revisits the 1942 horror story "Black Bargain" by Robert Bloch.
  
• James Maliszweski revisits the 1943 Fafhrd and Gray Mouser sword and sorcery story "Thieves House". 
• Brian Murphy revisits the 1950 science fantasy fix-up novel The Dying Earth by Jack Vance. 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1965 science fiction novel Quest Crosstime by Andre Norton. 
• Mark Yon revisits the July 1966 issues of Impulse and New Worlds. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1966 issue of Analog.
  
• Kristy Pushko revisits the 1966 science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
  
• John Boston reviews the 1966 anthology The World's Best Science Fiction: 1966, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1967 science fiction anthology Orbit 2, edited by Damon Knight.
  
• Matthew J. Constantine revisits the 1970 science fantasy novel Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits Galaxy of the Lost, a 1973 novel in the Cap Kennedy space opera series by Gregory Kern a.k.a. E.C. Tubb.
  
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1974 science fiction anthology Alternities, edited by David Gerrold and Stephen Goldin.
  
• B.J. Swann revisits the 1975 Kane sword and sorcery novel Bloodstone by Karl Edward Wagner. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1982 science fiction anthology Analog's Children of the Future, edited by Stanley Schmidt. 
  
• Nocturnal Reviews reviews the 1986 horror novel The Light at the End by John Skipp and Craig Spector. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits Homeward Bound, a 1988 novel in the Deathlands post-apocalyptic series by James Axler a.k.a. Laurence James.
  
• Every Day Should Be Tuesday revisits the 1991 sword and sorcery pastiche Conan the Rogue by John Maddox Roberts. 
• Runalong the Shelves revisits the 1992 Discworld novel Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett.
  

Con and event reports:

• Bill Lawhorn has resigned as chair of DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC. 
• Mike Glyer shares Bill Lawhorn's good-bye message to the DisCon III staff. 
• Mary Robinette Kowal has been announced as the new chair of DisCon III. 
• Mike Glyer also report about Mary Robinette Kowal being announced as new chair of DisCon III.
  
• Jason Sanford offers a summary of the latest round of drama and resignations affecting DisCon III. 
• Alasdair Stuart weighs in on the problems besetting DisCon III. 
• Sara Felix explains why she works on Worldcons.
  
• Zhang Rui reports about the Chengdu, China, bid for the 2023 Worldcon.
• Watch some panels from the virtual 2021 Flights of Foundry convention.
• The Cromcast shares Roy Thomas' Guest of Honour interview from the 2021 Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas.
• Charlotte Coates reports about Storyville Gardens, a theme park in Tennessee intended to foster a love of reading.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Louis and Living Paintings are looking for funding to create Doctor Who Touch to See books to help blind Doctor Who fans enjoy their favourite stories.
• A Few Good Elves, a military fantasy space opera by Diane Morrison, is looking for funding.
• Megastructures: The Visual Encyclopedia, a coffee table book by Neil Blevins, is looking for funding.
  
• Goodman Games is looking for funding for its Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG boxset based on Jack Vance's The Dying Earth.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Ian Sample reports that a massive human head found in a well in Harbin, China, suggests a previously unknown branch of human evolution.
• Read the US Director of National Intelligence's report on UFOs.
• Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, weighs in on the new UFO report.
• Philip Oltermann reports about the University of Tübingen's Project Cassandra, which attempts to predict future conflicts by analysing novels.
• Madeline K. Sofia interviews Tam O'Shaughnessy, partner of the late Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.
  

Free online fiction:

• "For the World's More Full of Weeping" by Andrew Dykstal in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The Witness Bruska Lai" by Aaron Perry in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Skeleton Crew" by Janelle Shane in Slate Future Tense.
  
• "Stones and Bones" by Devon Widmer in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "See with Your Eyes, Not with Your Hands" by Monte Lin in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "How to Haunt Your Local Forest" by Kate Lechler in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "As I Wait for the Killing Blow" by M. Shaw in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "Uniform" by Errick Nunnally in Apex Magazine. 
• "We Will Weather One Another Somehow" by Kristina Ten in Diabolical Plots.
  
• "Come to Me" by Aigner Loren Wilson in Anathema Magazine.
  
• "What Togetherness Means to Me" by Leah Cypress in Daily Science Fiction.
• "I Brought My Dragon to Show and Tell" by David J. Rank in Daily Science Fiction.
• "The Last Surviving Gondola Widow" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for Foundation.
  
• Watch a trailer for Mobile Suit Gundom Hathaway. 
• Watch a trailer for Blood Red Sky.
• Watch a trailer for Halloween Kills.
• Watch a trailer for Jungle Cruise.
• Watch another trailer for Jungle Cruise. 
• Watch a trailer for Don't Breathe 2.
  
• Watch a trailer for Schmigadoon.
• Watch a trailer for Clifford: The Big Red Dog.