It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF books of 2021, Hawkeye and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, Doctor Who, the various DC Comics based TV shows, Masters of the Universe: Revelations, The Wheel of Time, Silent Night and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in December.
- Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in December.
- Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in December.
- Cheryl Eddy shares fourteen new science fiction and fantasy books to read this December.
- James Davis Nicoll lists four SFF Best Of... anthologies we may have missed.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five spellbinding military fantasy novels.
- Carly Silver shares eleven modern fantasies based on classic mythology.
- Kali Wallace explores the darker side of found families.
- C. Brandon Ogbuno explains how Afrofuturism can help to mend the world.
- Katrhyn Finch discusses the race essentialism of hybrids in science fiction.
- Ian Douglas talks about telling the truth in science fiction.
- Molly Templeton talks about a year of unread books.
- Don Herron talks about Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser series.
- Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the works of Poul Anderson.
- Jeff Goad profiles L. Sprague de Camp.
- Bobby Derie discusses the conflict between H.P. Lovecraft and others in his circle with Hugo Gernsback and whether Lovecraft's Antisemitism played into it.
- Leah Schnelbach celebrates the sheer weirdness of Madeleine L'Engle's fantasy novels for children.
- Cole Rush discusses the evolution of Brandon Sanderson's fantasy worlds.
- Issue 60 of Journey Planet is available.
- David Barnett reports that the 1972 children's ghost story The Amazing Mr. Blunden by Antonia Barber is back in print due to an upcoming TV adaptation by Mark Gatiss.
- Andy Hazel reports how RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons can provide a safe haven for people suffering from social anxiety.
Best of 2021:
Comics and Art:
Film and TV:
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 1 of Foundation.
- nerds of a feather share their thoughts on the live action Cowboy Bebop.
- Jennifer Ouellette praises the performance of David Tennant in the latest adaptation of Around the World in Eighty Days.
- Cath Clarke calls Red Snow a cheery vampire holiday comedy.
- Roxana Hadadi calls Encounter a disappointing science fiction horror film.
- Lucy Mangan calls the Danish horror series Elves ET meets The Wicker Man.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Hellbound a brilliant supernatural thriller from South Korea.
- Arturo Serrano explains what Encanto means to him as a Columbian.
- Phuong Le calls Night Raiders a mix of social issue drama and dystopian science fiction that's not very effective as either.
- Phuong Le calls Chhorii an Indian horror remake that falls prey to its own failings.
- Leslie Felperin calls Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City an unpretentiously gory horror film.
- Anya Stanley calls The Scary of Sixty-First a gleefully offensive horror movie.
- Phil Hoad calls The Last Matinee a voyeuristic slasher horror film.
- Mike D'Angelo calls Wolf a thin and iffy horror parable.
- Luke Buckmaster calls Back to the Outback a ho-hum animation.
- Anthony Breznican explains how the ending of Ghostbusters: Afterlife came to be (massive spoilers).
- The Hugo Book Club Blog share their thoughts on the documentary Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of La Brea.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Invasion.
- Leila Latif shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
- James Whitbrook shares some speculations about The Book of Boba Fett.
- Stuart Heritage ranks all episodes of Black Mirror with regard to how well they predicted the future.
- Cole Rush shares five unskippable TV title sequences.
- Eric Piepenburg wonders when a horror movie is not a horror movie.
- Ben Child wonders which fantasy films of the 1980s are ripe for a remake.
- Phil Ford and J.F. Martel revisit the 1982 sword and sorcery movie Conan the Barbarian.
- Germain Lussier revisits the 1989 adventure film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and specifically its ending.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore revisits the 2000 animated film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.
- Benjamin Lee interviews Ann Dowd who plays Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale.
- James Whitbrook explains the major fractions of the underworld in Star Wars.
- Ben Pearson explains why movie dialogue is getting more and more difficult to understand.
- Clark Collis recounts how an appearance at the 2004 San Diego Comic Con gave the zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead a boost in the US.
- Vanessa Armstrong reports that Guillermo del Toro might adapt At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft after all.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a serious pay gap between the writers of animated shows and live action shows.
- Adrian Horton reports that Alec Baldwin claims he did not pull the trigger on the set of Rust, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot.
- Myungchul Lee reports that a man who smuggled copies of the South Korean dystopian series Squid Game in North Korea has been sentenced to death by firing squad, while several students and their teachers who have been caught watching the show have received prison sentences.
- Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim has died aged 91.
Comments on Hawkeye and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Never Meet Your Heroes", the series premiere of Hawkeye.
- Annika Rollock shares her thoughts on "Echoes", the latest episode of Hawkeye.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Echoes".
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "Echoes".
- Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on "Echoes".
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Echoes".
- Sam Barsanti explains how the legcy of Hawkeye's violent alter-ego Ronin sits at the heart of the Hawkeye series.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wonders whether Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin will appear in Hawkeye.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw explains how a brief moment in Hawkeye of Clint Barton spotting a "Thanos was right" graffitti in a bathroom has become a meme.
- David Grossman explains how Rogers: The Musical, a fake Broadway musical featured in Hawkeye, came to be.
- David Betancourt interviews Hailee Steinfeld who plays Kate Bishop in Hawkeye.
- Brian Davids interviews Vera Farminga and Tony Dalton, who play Eleanor Bishop and Jack Duquesne in Hawkeye.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on Black Widow.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:
Comments on Master of the Universe: Revelation (spoilers):
- Matt Fowler declares that Masters of the Universe: Revelation continues to offer great twists to the He-Man formula and also offers plenty of characterisation for secondary characters.
- Luke Y. Thompson calls Masters of the Universe: Revelation a rollicking adventure.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on part 2 of Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
- Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on part 2 of Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
- Matthew Catania shares his thoughts on part 2 of Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
- Lauren Abrams explains why Masters of the Universe. Revelation changes the rules under which the Sorceress operates.
- Watch a behind the scenes video of Mark Hamill and Lena Headey recording their lines as Skeletor and Evil-Lyn in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
Comments on Doctor Who past and present:
- Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "Survivors of the Flux", the latest episode of Doctor Who.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Survivors of the Flux".
- Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on "Survivors of the Flux".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Survivors of the Flux".
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on series 13 of Doctor Who to date.
- James Whitbrook reports that British Conservative MP has blamed the Jodie Whittaker version of Doctor Who for young British men committing crimes.
Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows:
Comments on The Wheel of Time (spoilers):
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "The Dragon Reborn", the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
- Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on "The Dragon Reborn".
- Camestros Felapton declares that the first few episodes of The Wheel of Time series look good.
- Bill Capossere declares that The Wheel of Time spins a little too slowly for his taste.
- Meghan O'Keefe reports about the struggle to keep the "Weep for Manetheren" scene in The Wheel of Time TV show.
Comments on Silent Night:
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Wonderland Book Awards have been announced.
- The finalists of the 2021 Dream Foundry Contest have been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Kaguya Sci-Fi Contest have been announced.
- The winner of the 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize has been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Golden Joystick Awards have been announced.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Valerie Valdes explains why marginalised writers like using second person POV.
- Elysia Whisler recounts how her female protagonist was called "too strong" and "unlikeable".
- Nick Kolakowski explains how to resurrect an inconveniently dead character.
- Ella Syverson shares some tips for building a magic system.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch looks back on her writing year.
- Ailbhe MacMahon reports about the Zhongshuge bookstore in Shenzhen, China.
Interviews:
- Derek Garcia interviews Michael Moorcock.
- BBC Radio 4 interviews Neil Gaiman.
- Joseph Hurtgen interviews Cat Rambo.
- Wrong Place, Write Crime interviews Sarah Gailey.
- Lisa Morton interviews Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson.
- Scott Edelman interviews Lawrence M. Schoen.
- Janna Miller interviews Phoenix Roberts.
- Arley Sorg interviews Diana M. Pho.
- Arley Sorg interviews Tarun K. Saint.
Reviews:
- Adrienne Martini reviews Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher.
- Alex Brown reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
- Rob Bedford reviews Forging a Nightmare by Patricia A. Jackson.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong.
- Tadiana Jones reviews Aurora's End by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
- Tobias Carroll reviews Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Natalie Zutter reviews The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Beyond the Hallowed Sky by Ken MacLeod.
- Molly Templeton reviews Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Exposure by Louis Greenberg.
- Ian Mond reviews This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno.
- Jenny Hamilton reviews A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske.
- Carolyn Cushman reviews The Sapphire Ring by C. Dale Brittain.
- Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett reviews Chouette by Claire Oshetsky.
- Adrienne Martini reviews The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik.
- Richard Marpole reviews Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess by Andy Marino.
- Marion Deeds reviews Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.
- Hephzibah Anderson reviews Greek Myths: A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins and Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth by Jessie Burton.
- Sally Adee reviews Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders.
- Amy Walker reviews Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction, edited by Xueting Christine Ni.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews A Universe of Wishes: A We Need More Diverse Books Anthology, edited by Dhonielle Clayton
- Arturo Serrano reviews Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology, edited by Alex Hernandez, Matthew David Goodwin and Sarah Rafael Garcia.
- Jessica Rydill reviews The Alchemy Press Book of Horror 3, edited by Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards.
Classics reviews:
- Runalong the Shelves revisits the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.
- Bitter Tea and Mystery revisits the 1897 science fiction novella The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells.
- MarzAat revisits the 1917 fantasy story "A Touch of Pan" by Algernon Blackwood.
- M. Porcius revisits the August 1934 issue of Weird Tales.
- G.W. Thomas revisits the 1941 Barsoom story "The City of the Mummies" by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
- G.W. Thomas revisits the 1941 Barsoom story "Black Pirates of Barsoom" by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
- Robert Davidson revisits the 1943 horror novel Malpertuis by Jean Ray.
- Matt Mikalatos revisits the 1943 religious science fiction novel Perelandra by C.S. Lewis.
- Nick Toches revisits the 1946 surreal thriller Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham.
- Digital Bibliophilia revisits the 1965 science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert.
- Mark Yon revisits the December 1966 issues of New Worlds and SF Impulse.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1966 issue of Analog.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 1966 science fiction novel Moon of Three Rings by Andre Norton.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1969 non-fiction book A Fire on the Moon by Norman Mailer.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Exiles of the Stars by Andre Norton.
- J.W. Wartick revisits the 1972 science fiction novel Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg.
- James David Nicoll revisits the 1974 science fiction anthology Orbit 13, edited by Damon Knight.
- Vincent Czyz revisits the 1975 science fiction novel Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 fantasy collection The Green Gods by Nathalie Henneberg, translated by C.J. Cheryh.
- Jess Zimmerman revisits the 1980 post-apocalyptic novel Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban.
- Lis Carey revisits the 1983 alternate history novel The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford.
- Paul Weimer revisits the 1988 dystopian novella Journals of the Plague Years by Norman Spinrad.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1999 fantasy story "A Traveler in Desert Lands" by Gene Wolfe.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 2009 sword and sorcery novel Blood of Ambrose by James Enge.
Crowdfunding:
Con and event reports:
- Louis Monteagudo Jr. reports about the Comic-Con Special Edition in San Diego, California, and shares some highlights.
- Hailey Branson-Potts reports about the Comic Con Special Edition in San Diego, California.
- Ken and Chris Stone offer a look inside the Comic Con Museum in San Diego, California.
- Neil Clarke explains where to find him at DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC.
- John Coxon, Alison Scott and Marguerite Smith discuss the 2021 Novacon in Buxton, UK.
- Mike Glyer reports that Westercon 75, which is to be held in 2023, still has no home.
- The 2021 Smofcon in Lisbon, Portugal, shares its program.
- The Speculative Literature Foundation has announced that the deadline for applying to its convention support grants has been extended until December 15, 2021.
- James Bacon reports about the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival in Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK.
- Richard Man shares some photos of the Rotsler Award exhibition at the 2021 Loscon in Los Angeles, California.
- Sarah A. Duke shares some highlights from the Stephen A. Geppi collection of comic art at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
- Frank DeCaro explains how a balloon version of Baby Grogu came to take part in the famous Macy's Thanksgiving parade in New York City.
- The Gothamist shares photos of the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving parade in New York City.
- Alison Flood reports that the robotic artist Ai-Da will perform AT generated poetry written in response to Dante's Divine Comedy in Oxford, UK.
Science and technology:
- The Planetary Society share their favourite moments of space exploration in 2021.
- Robin McKee reports about NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
- Eric Berger reports that an incident occurred with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope at the Ariane 5 launch site in Kourou, French Guyana.
- Eric Berger reports that the Russian space agency Roscosmos is threatening criminal charges against a NASA astronaut over a hole in a Soyuz capsule discovered in 2018.
- Michael Miscione reports how the urban legend of alligators living in the sewers of New York City came to be.
Free online fiction:
- "The Tinder Box" by Kate Elliott in Tor.com.
- "And a Piece of Coal Where Her Heart Once Beat" by Suzanne J. Willis in The Dark.
- "The Watchtower Bell" by Alcuin Fromm in Sword and Sorcery Magazine.
- "The Cold Calculations" by Aimee Ogden in Clarkesworld.
- "Beneath the Earth Where the Nymphs Sleep" by Meghan Feldman in Clarkesworld.
- "When Sri Left the Ruined City" by Donyae Coles in Lightspeed.
- "Fairy Tale" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.
- "I Call Upon the Night As Witness" by Zahra Mukhi in Apex Magazine.
- "The Fox's Daughter" by Richard Parks in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Fall to Rise" by David Tallerman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Odudu's Gambit" by Albert Nkereuwem in Omenana.
- "Roar, Sweet Child, Roar" by Sydnee Thompson in Fireside Magazine.
- "Murder Tongue" by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Ride" by Linda Nagata in Slate Future Tense.
- "Look to the Future" by Louise Hughes in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Ocean's 6" by Elsa Sjunneson in Mermaids Monthly.
- "Tomatoes" by Eugenia Triantafyllou in khoreo.
- "Cons of Time Travel" by A. Rector in Daily Science Fiction.
- "An Update on the Prime Directive" by William C. and J.W. Armstrong in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Last Text" by Ephiny Gale in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Where Lies the Final Harbor" by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Midnight Trains" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
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