It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many versions of Star Trek, the various DC Comics based TV shows, Prisoners of the Ghostland, Malignant, Y: The Last Man, season 2 of What We Do in the Shadows and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Lisa Tuttle offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror.
- Tor.com shares all the new horror and genre-bending books coming out in September.
- Alex Brown lists new YA SFF books coming out in September and October.
- Jo Walton shares her August 2021 reading list.
- Jennie Ivins shares an incomplete list of Hispanic SFF authors.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about doomed attempts at planetary colonisation.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction works about sex and technology.
- Adalyn Grace shares SFF stories featuring female pirates.
- Shawna Bethell points out that women's stories often aren't told.
- Laura Sackton explains what makes a great, longrunning series, using the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold as an example.
- Lindsay Marcott explains why Big Sur, California, is a natural setting for gothic and supernatural stories and dark romances.
- Dorothy Bennett discusses how one becomes a saint in Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
- Alexandra Alter profiles Colson Whitehead.
- Alexandra Alter profiles Richard Powers.
- Jonathan Thornton shares a guide to the works of Nicola Griffith.
- James Maliszewski talks about Fritz Leiber and his influence on both the sword and sorcery genre and roleplaying.
- G.W. Thomas takes a look at the pulp career of John Jakes.
- Catherine Baab-Muguira declares that the difficult life of Edgar Allan Poe feels a lot more encouraging than any self-help book.
- Alison Flood reports that a newly discovered 1952 Tennessee Williams short story has been published for the first time.
- Molly Templeton talks about reading a book in exactly the right time and place.
- Funcom has aquired the Cabinet Group, which owns the trademark to Conan, Solomon Kane and other Robert E. Howard characters.
- Longtime science fiction fan Genevieve DiModica has died aged 73.
Comics and Art:
- REH World interviews Jim and Ruth Keegan, the creative team behind The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob.
- Arturo Serrano interviews comic book author Henry Barajas.
- Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Rebecca & Lucie in the Case of the Missing Neighbour by Pascal Girard.
- Vaspan Dastoor reports that Marvel has severed all ties with Immortal Hulk artist Joe Bennett after Bennett drew a violent political caricature of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro murdering perceived enemies.
- Kaitlin Bancroft profiles four independent comic stores in Utah.
- Deuce Richardson remembers Weird Tales cover and interior artist Lee Brown Coye.
- Alison Flood reports that an issue of Amazing Fantasy No. 15, the debut of Spider-Man, sold for 3.6 million US-dollars.
Film and TV:
- io9 lists the science fiction, fantasy and horror TV shows coming out this fall.
- A.M. Justice calls The Green Knight a beautiful, contemplative and thought-provoking film.
- Cheryl Eddy calls Lady of the Manor an uneven ghost buddy comedy with a great cast.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Encounter an uneven science fiction drama.
- Phil Hoad calls The Djinn a horror film let down by a weak script.
- Rob Bricken declares that the latest version of He-Man updates the classic story for modern kids.
- Andrew Pulver calls The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station a great tribute to a great project.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
- Cath Clarke interviews Karen Gillan, star of Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jumanji, Gunpowder Milkshake and many others.
- Marah Eakin interviews Chris Bauer, star of True Blood and The Wire.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1966 dystopian movie Fahrenheit 451.
- Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M, Pillsworth revisit the 1986 horror movie From Beyond.
- Dan Persons revisits the 1996 science fiction film The Incredible Shrinking Man.
- Caroline Siede revisits the 1998 fairy tale movie Ever After.
- Germain Lussier revisits the 1999 superhero comedy Mystery Men.
- Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 2007 fantasy series Pushing Daisies.
- Torie Bosch declares that we need a Muppet version of Frankenstein.
- Cheryl Eddy lists her favourite X-Files guest stars.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore discusses the cameo appearance of Tony Todd, who played the original Candyman in 1992, in the new version.
- Lena Barkin declares that it's okay to find villains sexy.
- Kali Wallace explains how she fell in love with anime.
- Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd explain why adapting books to film is such a challenge.
- Josh Rottenberg explains how the screenwriters tackled adapting a book as difficult to adapt as Dune.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that The Matrix: Resurrections helped Lana Wachowski grieve for the loss of her parents.
- Joe Otterson reports that a live action She-Ra series is in development.
- Shenelle Genai shares Lovecraft Country star Jurnee Smollet's tribute to the late Michael K. Williams.
- Comedian Norm MacDonald, who voiced Lieutenant Yaphit in The Orville, has died aged 61.
Comments on What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):
- Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What If...?
- Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What If...?
- David Alexander complains that Disney Plus is killing the blockbuster with formulaic and nigh identical movies like Black Widow and Cruella (which have nothing in common save being made by Disney).
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wonders whether Jeremy Renner's take on Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a personality.
- Watch a trailer for Hawkeye.
Comments on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:
- Arturo Serrano declares that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings falls prey to the curse of the Marvel formula.
- Matt Schimkovitz declares that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finally gives both versions of the Mandarin their due.
- Dennis Lee shares the favourite snack foods of Shang-Chi star Simu Liu.
Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Spy Humongous", the latest episode of Star Trek Lower Decks.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Spy Humongous".
- Paul Levinson declares that season 3 of Star Trek Discovery fulfills the promise of the show.
- Galactic Journey revisit the original Star Trek episode "The Man Trap".
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Prophecy" and "The Void".
- Glen E. Swanson chronicles how NASA and the US aerospace industry influenced the original Star Trek.
Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows:
Comments on season 2 of What We Do in the Shadows:
Comments on Prisoners of the Ghostland:
Comments on Malignant:
Comments on Y: The Last Man:
- Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of Y: The Last Man.
- Charles Pulliam Moore shares his thoughts on the first three episodes of Y: The Last Man.
- Roxana Hadadi shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of Y: The Last Man.
- Natalie Zutter also revisits volumes 9 and 10 of the Y: The Last Man comic by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra.
Comments on season 11 of The Walking Dead:
Awards:
- The winners of the Imagine 2200 Story Contest have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2021 Booker Prize has been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Creative Arts Emmy Awards have been announced with lots of love for genre TV.
- The 2021 finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame have been announced.
- N.K. Jemisin has made the Times 100 list.
- Alex Clark analyses the 2021 Booker Prize shortlist.
- John Scalzi shares his thoughts on the Sad and Rabid Puppies Hugo drama.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Alyx Dellamonica explains how to evaluate if your short story is really a novel idea.
- Tori Eldridge explains that it's the characters that make readers come back to a series again and again.
- Lincoln Michel shares Zadie Smith's writing process.
- John Scalzi looks back on thirty years of being professional writer.
- Jennifer Croft declares that translators should be named on book covers.
- Jessica Hallman reports that researchers at Pennsylvania State University have developed an AI tool that helps writers to beat writers' block by making suggestions about continuing the story.
- Daniel E. Gross discusses the surprisingly big business of library e-books.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses the supply chain issues affecting the publishing industry.
- Locus reports that the surge of the delta variant in the US has delayed the reopenings of the offices of various publishing companies.
Interviews:
- Dwyer Murphy interviews Colson Whitehead.
- Sian Cain interviews Malorie Blackman.
- Paul Semel interviews Premee Mohamed.
- Adrian Collins interviews Joe Abercrombie.
- Scott Edelman interviews Veronica Schanoes.
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Jo M. Thomas.
- Jen Gheller interviews Isabel Lee.
- Phoebe Barton interviews Amal Singh.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Marc Hartzman.
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
- Kristen Britain interviews Betsy Wollheim.
Reviews:
- Paul Weimer reviews Fault Lines by Kelly Jennings.
- Sean Dowie reviews Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell.
- Chris Kluwe reviews The Actual Star by Monica Byrne.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh reviews Changa's Safari by Milton J. Davies.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh reviews When the Goddess Wakes by Howard Andrew Jones.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Last Poet at Wyrld's End by Melanie Stormm.
- Bill Capossere, Jana Nyman, Tadiana Jones and Marion Deeds review The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey.
- The Qwillery reviews The Pariah by Anthony Ryan.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Black Coast by Mike Brooks.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Isle of Ravens by Jo M. Thomas.
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Coming Storm by Regina M. Hansen.
- Adrienne Martini reviews Version Zero by David Yoon and The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry.
- Mark Yon reviews The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie.
- Bill Capossere reviews In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu.
- Alex Brown reviews The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- Lis Carey reviws Unfamiliar Magic by Bonnie Elizabeth.
- Sandie Heron reviews Synchronized Sorcery by Juliet Blackwell.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw.
- Adri Joy reviews The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw.
- Paperback Warrior reviews The Hole by William Meikle.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Goblin by Josh Malerman.
- Paperback Warrior reviews One of Us by Thomas Simpson.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar.
- Russell Letson reviews Jack Four by Neal Asher.
- Chris Morton reviews Barbarians of the Beyond by Matthew Hughes.
- Rob Doyle reviews Bewilderment by Richard Powers.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Out of the Darkness, edited by Dan Coxon.
- Richard Fisher reviews Swords of Fire 2, edited by G.W. Thomas.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction Volume One, edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Campaign & Companions - The Complete Role-Playing Guide for Pets by Andi Ewington and Rhianna Pratchett.
Classics reviews:
- Angeline B. Adams revisits the 1932 Bran Mak Morn sword and sorcery story "Worms of the Earth" by Robert E. Howard and finds some parallels to the 1932 horror movie Freaks.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1934 dystopian novel Intrigue on the Upper Level by Thomas Temple Hoyne.
- John Miller revisits the January 1936 issue of Weird Tales.
- The Appendix N Book Club revisits the 1946 Gormenghast novel Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1966 issue of Galaxy.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1966 science fiction novels A Planet of Your Own by John Brunner, The Beasts of Kohl by John Rackham and The Solarians by Norman Spinrad, Jason Sacks revisits the 1966 sword and planet novel The Thief of Llarn by Gardner F. Fox and Gideon Marcus revisits the 1966 parallel universe novel The Scheme of Things by Lester Del Rey.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1968 New Wave novel In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1970 space exploration novel The Cape by Martin Caidin.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 planetary romance Dominant Species by George Warren.
- Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King.
- The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1986 science fiction novel Shining Steel by Lawrence Watt-Evans.
- Alan Brown revisits The Forge, a 1991 novel in The General military science fiction series by David Drake and S.M. Stirling.
- The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1992 fantasy novel Morningstar by David Gemmell.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 1993 children's fantasy novel The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder by John Bellairs and Brad Strickland.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1993 science fiction novel A Season for Slaughter by David Gerrold.
- MarzAat revisits the 2002 sword and planet story "Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel" by Michael Moorcock.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 2002 time travel novel Atlantis Endgame by Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith.
Con and event reports:
- Mike Glyer reports that the art and dance troupe Raks Geek will perform at the closing ceremony of DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC.
- Mark L. Blackman reports about the opening of the virtual 29th season of the New York Review of Science Fiction Readings Series, featuring Michael Bishop.
- James Bacon reports about a visit to the National Film and Sci-Fi Museum in Milton Keynes, UK.
- Siobhan McAndrew reports that more than 15000 people gathered in the Black Rock Desert near Reno, Nevada, to celebrate the Burning Man festival, even though the official event had been cancelled because of the covid pandemic.
- Patrick Frater reports that the CineAsia Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, has been cancelled due to covid.
- Neil Vigdor reports that the Museum of Pinball in Banning, California, is closing down due to the covid pandemic and will auction off 1700 pinball machines and arcade games.
- ITV Granada reports that a bronze statue of Wallace and Gromit has been unveiled in Preston, UK.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- George Dvorsky reports that potential Mars colonists could use their own blood and other bodily fluids to produce concrete.
- Marcia Dunn reports about an upcoming SpaceX flight with no professional astronauts, only space tourists on board.
- Daniel Lavelle wonders whether it is time to take reports about UFOs and alien encounters more seriously.
- Brian Ng wonders whether he could win a fight against a Boston Dynamics robot.
- J. Fingas reports that a Chinese start-up wants to build a rideable robot unicorn for kids.
- Jody Serrano reports that a US federal judge has decided that an AI cannot be listed as an inventor on a patent, because it is not a person.
- James Davis Nicoll shares his appreciation for Atomic Rockets, an invluable resource for science fiction writers and fans.
- Ian Sample reports that the biogenetics firm Colossal has raised 15 million US-dollars to bring the woolly mammoth back from extincition.
- Greta Bjornson reports that researchers have identified a dinosaur named Ulughbegasaurus that was larger than a T-Rex.
- Patrick Barkham reports that butterflies released on a Finnish island also accidentally introduced twso species of parasitic wasps.
- Abigail Adams reports that six zebras are on the loose after having escaped a farm in Maryland.
Free online fiction:
- "Mister Dawn, How Can You Be So Cruel?" by Violet Allen in Lightspeed.
- "Sia" by Lizz Huerta in Lightspeed.
- "No Place Like Home" by Rebecca Burton in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The Winter Garden" by Regina Kanyu Wang, translated by Emily Jin, in Clarkesworld.
- "In a Net I Seek to Hold the Wind" by Gregory Feeley in Clarkesworld.
- "Ode to My Brother's Sadness" by Franklin Ard in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Nails" by Phoenix Alexander in The Dark.
- "Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmatre" by Lavie Tidhar in Tor.com.
- "The Recidivist" by Laura Mauro and Chris Kelso in Punk Noir Magazine.
- "What Is Mercy?" by Amal Singh in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Art" by Anstasia Gammon in Daily Science Fiction.
- "How to Find Yourself in a Fairy Tale" by A.C. Wise in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Venti Mocchaccino, No Whip, Double Shot of Magic" by Aimee Ogden in Daily Science Fiction.
Trailers and videos:
- Watch a trailer for season 2 of Locke and Key.
- Watch a trailer for Needle in a Timestack.
- Watch a trailer for There's Someone Inside Your House.
- Watch a trailer for Bingo Hell.
- Watch a trailer for Ron's Gone Wrong.
- Watch a trailer for Among the Stars.
- Watch a trailer for The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis.
Odds and ends:
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