Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 6, 2021

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the return of The Shadow, Black Widow, What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general, the many versions of Star Trek, Doctor Who past and present, The Green Knight, The Suicide Squad, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Free Guy, Jungle Cruise, the Ghostbusters Afterlife trailer, a controversy involving the 2021 Vivian Awards, tributes to J.W. Rinzler and Elizabeth Anne Hull and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares new science fiction and fantasy books to read this August. 
• Leah Schnelbach shares the best new science fiction and fantasy books for August. 
  
• Joe Sherry also shares some new SFF books coming out in August. 
• Tor.com lists all the new science fiction books coming out in August.
  
• Tor.com lists all new fantasy books coming out in August. 
• James Grainger shares new horror books coming out this month. 
• Tor.com shares all the new young adult SFF books coming out in August.
  
• Charles Payseur shares a list of more than fifty LGBTQ+ SFF short stories published in July. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares six SFF comfort reads.
  
• Gita Trelease shares five intrusive fantasy novels to enjoy.
  
• Ausma Zehanat Khan shares five fantasies drawn from neglected parts of history. 
• Zoe Hana Mikuta shares five SFF books featuring cutthroat female characters.
  
• Abi Silver talks about the power of fairytales.
  
• Linda H. Codega shares tabletop games to pair with recent horror novels. 
• Molly Templeton wonders whether it is possible to have too many books on your to be read pile.
  
• Tanner Greer wonders why young adult SFF is so popular at the moment.
• Carrie Sessarego takes a look at the popular YA SFF heroines Bella Swann, Buffy Summers and Katniss Everdeen. 
• Meghan Ball explains why the 1990s YA fantasy series Animorphs by K.A. Applegate deserves a revival. 
• Robin Anne Reid shares her appreciation for the feminist mythopoeic fantasy of T. Kingfisher.
  
• Scott Oden attempts to define sword and sorcery and traces the history of the subgenre.
  
• Scott Oden explains how sword and sorcery grew out of mythological fiction. 
• R.H. Lossin profiles William Morris.
  
• Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the works of Poul Anderson.  
  
• Deuce Richardson remembers David Gemmell for the 15th anniversary of his death.
• Locus remembers the late horror author C. Dean Andersson.
  
• Roberto Calasso, Italian writer of mythology retellings, has died aged 80.
• J.W. Rinzler, who wrote various Making of books for Lucasfilm, has died aged 58. 
• Berkeleyside remembers J.W. Rinzler. 
• Locus remembers J.W. Rinzler.
  
• SFF academic, editor and author Elizabeth Anne Hull has died aged 84.
• Locus remembers Elizabeth Anne Hull.
  

 

Comments on the return of The Shadow: 

• Steven Thompson reviews The Shadow by James Patterson and Brian Sitts.
  
• Don Herron declares that James Patterson's and Brian Sitts' take on the classic pulp hero The Shadow has nothing in common with the character we all know and love.
• William Lampkin laments that the new Shadow proves that Condé Nast neither understands nor values the Shadow and the other pulp heroes they hold the right for.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Amy Fleming reviews the graphic novel Sleeper by Jed Mercutio, Prasanna Puwanarajah and Coke Navarro. 
• Max Funky revisits the 1997 comic adaption of Michael Moorcock's Elric story Stormbringer by P. Craig Russell.
• Natalie Zutter revisits volumes 3 and 4 of the comic series Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra. 
• Cole Hornaday talks about orientalism and the genesis of Doctor Strange. 
• Scott Edelman interviews comics writer Tom King. 
• Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the art of Tom Barber.
  
• William Patrick Maynard and Mike Chomko profile the legendary Weird Tales cover artist Margaret Brundage.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Phil Hoad calls The Boys from County Hell a vampire comedy that's a bloody good laugh. 
• Jennifer Ouellette calls Post Mortem the Norwegian vampire show we need right now.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw explains how costume design shapes the worldbuilding of The Expanse. 
• Germain Lussier calls Nine Days a fascinating film about the afterlife.
  
• Alex McLevy declares that the producers of Dawn of the Beast should have called their movie Bigfoot vs. Wendigo instead. 
• Cath Clarke calls Teddy a wince-inducing French werewolf film. 
• Juan Barquin shares his thoughts on the latest episode of American Horror Stories.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls Moonbound a children's fantasy featuring a mishmash of folklore.
  
• Phuong Le calls Mission Galaxy an animated space adventure for kids that lacks energy. 
• C.L. Clark shares her appreciation for Xena: The Warrior Princess.
  
• David Vineyard revisits the 1929 horror film Seven Footprints to Satan.
  
• Germain Lussier revisits the 1966 Batman movie.
• Leslie Felperin revisits the 1977 giallo thriller The Psychic. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1995 dystopian drama Welcome II the Terrordome. 
• Rob Bricken revisits the 2001 historical horror movie The Brotherhood of the Wolf.
  
• BuzzFeed shares 34 fascinating and consistent details from the Back to the Future trilogy. 
• Danny Leigh interviews Prano Bailey-Bond, director of Censor. 
• Alex Mokakis interviews Shailene Woodley, star of the Divergent series among others.
  
• Germain Lussier reports that Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows and others, is planning to live action Flash Gordon film.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that the studio wanted Peter Jackson to kill off a Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
• Justin Kroll reports that actor Regé-Jean Page will star in the latest version of The Saint.
• Desmond Davis, cinematographer and director of Clash of the Titans, has died aged 81. 
  

 

Comments on Black Widow, What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Arley Sorg and Josh Pearce share their thoughts on Black Widow and The Tomorrow War.
  
• Benjamin Lee calls Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney over Black Widow debuting simultaneously in theatres and on streaming the latest round in a difficult battle.
• Germain Lussier shares the latest updates and escalations on Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney.
• Pat Saperstein reports that Women in Film, Los Angeles, ReFrame and Time’s Up have issued a joint statement calling Disney’s characterization of Scarlett Johansson a “gendered character attack.”
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney illuminates a larger problem regarding the fair compensation of actors.  
  
• Sam Barsanti interviews the creators of the animated show What if...? 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore also interviews the creators of What If...? 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Alex Bradley, headwriter of What If...?
  
• Josh Weiss reports that Clark Gregg, who played Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will appear in What If...? 
• Watch a clip from What If...?
  

 

Comments on Free Guy:

• Germain Lussier calls Free Guy an unexpectedly great videogame movie.
• Peter Bradshaw calls Free Guy a cherrfully silly riff on The Truman Show. 
• A.A. Dowd calls Free Guy a Truman Show for the Fortnite age.
  

Comments on The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on "War Mantle", the latest episode of Star Wars; The Bad Batch.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "War Mantle".
• Germain Lussier attempts to answer the question just how Palpatine managed to survive the end of Return of the Jedi.
• Molly Templeton reports that The Bad Batch will return for a second season.
  

 

Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• Jordan Hoffman explains why the one-of character Tuvix from Star Trek Voyager remains popular 25 years later. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Imperfection" and "Drive".
  
• H&I lists ten minor goofs and continuity errors in the original Star Trek. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Jack Quaid, Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells and Eugene Cordero, the voice actors of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
• Alex McLevy compares LeVar Burton, who played Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and now hosts the game show Jeopardy, to previous Jeopardy hosts.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe: Revelation (spoilers):  

• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on Masters of the Universe: Revelation and its links to the sword and sorcery genre.
  
• Marie Bilodeau declares that Masters of the Universe: Revelation celebrates the origins of He-Man.  
• Arturo Serrano declares that focussing on characters other than He-Man was exactly what Masters of the Universe: Revelation needed. 
• George Daniel Lea discusses the character of Scareglow in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the use of horror tropes.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past and present: 

• James Whitbrook lists eleven actors who should play the next Doctor in Doctor Who.
  
• Huw Fullerton reports that the replacements for Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall will be announced soon.
  

 

Comments on The Green Knight:

• Leah Schnelbach calls The Green Knight so beautiful it's painful.
• Germain Lussier interviews Ralph Ineson, one of the stars of The Green Knight.
  

 

Comments on The Suicide Squad:

• James Brogan wonders whether The Suicide Squad is the beginning of the end for superhero movies.
  
• Cameron Scheetz interviews David Dastmalchian who plays Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad.
  
• William Hughes reports that David Ayer, director of the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, is still not happy with how Warner Bros handled his film.
• Valerie Complex declares that David Ayer has every right to be upset, since Warner Bros edited his version of Suicide Squad without his approval.

 

Comments on Jungle Cruise:

• Inspired by Jungle Cruise, Caroline Siede revisits earlier adventure romances.
• Germain Lussier reports that Jungle Cruise sits at the top of the US box office.
  

 

Comments on the Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer:

• Alasdair Stuart shares his reaction to the Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether Ghostbusters: Afterlife has forgotten that it's supposed to be funny.
  

 

Awards: 

• The shortlist for the 2021 Mythopoeic Awards has been announced.  
• The shortlist for the 2021 Goldboro Books Glass Bell Award has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2021 Silver Falchion and Killer Nashville Readers Choice Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Claymore Award have been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Vivian Awards have been announced, again to controversy.
• Sarah Nicolas reports about the 2021 Vivian Award controversy. 
• Mike Glyer reports about the 2021 Vivian Award controversy.
  
• Romance author Sara Whitney returns her Vivian Award in protest of the controversy.
  
• The RWA shares a statement on a problematic 2021 Vivian Award winner.
• The RWA has withdrawn the Vivian Award win and no awarded the religious and spiritual romance category.
• The Conversation interviews Lizzy Attree and Mukoma Wa Ngugi, founders of the Nyabola Prize for Science Fiction in Kiswahili.
  

  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Greta Hayer shares naming strategies for science fiction and fantasy.  
• Lincoln Michel talks about plotting.
  
• Adam Simcox discusses the differences between writing scripts and writing novels. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about writing streaks and the ground effect.
  
• Scott Oden discusses his process for writing pastiches (Conan pastiches in this case).
  
• Kameron Hurley explains how to evaluate editorial feedback and when to compromise. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that erotica author Romilly King has been caught plagiarizing a Supernatural fanfic.
  
• Katie Sehl reports that Twitter is artificially throttling tweets with links or images, which disproportionately affects writers and artists. 
• Alex Hern reports that Twitter accidentally verified a fake Twitter account of Cormac McCarthy.
  
• Walker Caplan reports that the legendary independent bookstore Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon, is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.
  

Interviews:

• Martha Wells and Becky Chambers interview each other.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
  
• Arley Sorg interviews S. Qiouyi Lu. 
• The Qwillery interviews John Appel.
  
• Jason Sizemore interviews Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam. 
• Lisa Haselton interviews Elizabeth Price. 
  
• Paul Weimer interviews J.P. Oakes.
  
• Cat Luria interviews B. Zelkovich.
  

Reviews:

• Blue Book Balloon reviews Catalyst Gate by Megan E. O'Keefe. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs and A Wolf After My Own Heart by MaryJanice Davidson.
  
• Paul di Filippo reviews City of Iron and Dust by J.P. Oakes. 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie M. Liu.
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Amok by Anna Tan.
  
• Mark Yon reviews The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse. 
• Joe Sherry reviews Invisible Sun by Charles Stross. 
• Liz Bourke and Alex Brown review She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. 
• Hunxi reviews She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.
  
• The Hugo Book Club Blog reviews When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson. 
• Nick Richardson reviews The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again by M. John Harrison.
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley.
• Rob Bedford reviews The Justice in Revenge by Ryan Van Loan.
  
• Alex Brown reviews A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee. 
• Richard Marpole reviews Mermicide by Mina Rose.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Somebody People by Bob Proehl.
• Ian Mond reviews The High-Rise Diver by Julia von Lucadou, translated by Sharmila Cohen. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Hell by Yasutaka Tsutsui, translated by Evan Emswiler.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Tower Block Ghost Story by T.S.J. Harling and The Elevator by Imogen Reid. 
  
• Marion Deeds and Tadiana Jones reviews Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark. 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo.
• Doris V. Sutherland reviews Blood Relations by Kristopher Triana. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Dreaming in Quantum and Other Stories by Lynda Clark.
  
• Brandon Crilly reviews Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories by Charlie Jane Anders.
• Veronica Esposito reviews The Letters of Shirley Jackson, edited by Laurence Jackson Hyman.
  

 
Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1925 science fiction thriller Thus Far by J.C. Snaith.
  
• Player None revisits the 1928 horror story "The Dunwich Horror" by H.P. Lovecraft. 
• Doris V. Sutherland revisits the July 1929 issue of Air Wonder Stories. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1947 children's fantasy Rogue Reynard by Andre Norton. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1953 YA science fiction novels Space Platform and Space Tug by Murray Leinster.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1959 paranormal spy novel Brain Twister by Mark Phillips a.k.a. Randall Garrett and Laurence M. Janifer. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1963 James Bond novel Doctor No by Ian Fleming. 
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the August 1966 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the September 1966 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• Young People Read Old SF revisit the 1966 science fiction story "Neutron Star" by Larry Niven.
  
• Tim DeForest revisits the 1968 sword and sorcery novel Conan of the Isles by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp.
  
• Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1974 Dying Earth science fantasy novel A Quest for Simbilis by Michael Shea. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 fantasy novel The Broken Citadel by Joyce Ballou Gregorian.
  
• M. Porcius revisits the 1978 sword and sorcery novel Vazkor, Son of Vazkor by Tanith Lee. 
• M. Porcius also revisits the 1978 sword and sorcery novel Quest for the White Witch by Tanith Lee.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 space opera novel Space Angel by John Maddox Roberts.
• Brian Evenson revisitis the 1980 science fantasy novel The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe.
• Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys revisit the 1984 horror story "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" by Stephen King.
  

Con and event reports:

• DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia, shares their health and safety policies and will also offer virtual panels in addition to the in person convention.
  
• Pax West in Seattle, Washington, shares a health and safety update regarding anti-covid measures. 
• Walker Martin shares eight reasons to attend PulpFest in Mars, Pennsylvania. 
• Arturo Serrano reports about the virtual 2021 San Diego Comic Con. 
• The 43rd International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida, has shared a call for papers.
  
• Terrence McCauley shares some tips for attending conventions in general.
  
• Radio Poland reports about the Lem Festival to honour Stanislaw Lem in Vienna, Austria.
• Aaron Grunfeld reports about the 1966 Broadway musical It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!

 

Crowdfunding:

• The anthology Death in the Mouth: Original Horror by People of Color, edited by Sloane Leong and Cassie Hart, is looking for funding.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Seth Borenstein reports that the Nauka lab module has finally docked with the International Space Station.
• US News wonders whether the use of robot dogs for police purposes is dehumanising or useful.
• Stephen Kurczy talks about life inside the so-called "quiet zone" in West Virginia, where people are not allowed to have cellphones, WiFi and other things which make life tolerable because it might disturb the Green Bank Oberservatory.
• John Tresch explains how Edgar Allan Poe exposed scientific hoaxes and perpetrated them.

Free online fiction:

• "Now You See Me" by Justin C. Key in Lightspeed. 
• "Before the Haze Devours You" by Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas in Lightspeed.
  
• "A Thousand Tiny Gods" by Nadia Afifi in Clarkesworld. 
• "Candide; Life" by Beth Goder in Clarkesworld. 
• "Immortal Coil" by Ellen Kushner in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "Collateral Damage" by Justine Ireland in Slate: Future Tense.
  
• "Feathers or Stones" by Aaron Carr in Black Gate. 
• "There Will Be No Alien Invasion" by Sam F. Weiss in Fireside Magazine. 
• "Where Things Fall From the Sky" by Ally Wilkes in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Aptitude" by Cooper Shrivastava in Tor.com.
  
• "Swallows (or How the Men Lost Their Magic)" by E.A. Fowler in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Shapeshifter" by Vanessa McKinney in Fantasy Magazine.
  
• "Eating Kaolin" by Dare Segun Falowo in Omenana. 
• "Lace, Comb, Apple" by Y.M. Pang in The Dark.
• "In Good Taste" by A.E. Smith in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Sometimes They Call Me Human" by Victoria L. Brun in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Find Soulmates Near You" by Emma-Rive A. Nelson in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Form Rejection" Eric S. Fomley in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Blasters of Forever" by Cora Buhlert.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. 
• Watch a trailer for Post Mortem.
  
• Watch a trailer for Brand New Cherry Flavor.
• Watch a trailer for yet another Cinderella.
  

 

Odds and ends:

• Jean-Paul Garnier shares freeware solutions to build your podcasting studio.