Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 17, 2021

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, tributes to Anne Rice, Hawkeye, Spider-Man: Far From Home and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek Discovery and  Star Trek in general, season 2 of The Witcher, season 6 of The Expanse, The Wheel of Time, Nightmare Alley, Station Eleven, Swan Song, DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cristina Orlando shares the thirty most anticipated SFF books of 2022.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares 100 speculative fiction books to add to your reading list. 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares her favourite SFF Christmas books.
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares six SFF books to brighten gloomy days.
• Cole Rush lists five unlikely SFF friendships that bring him joy. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF novels in which great power is not always used responsibly.
  
• Tara Goedjen shares genre-bending YA novels that crime fiction fans will enjoy. 
• Eve Taft discusses how to survive Christmas as a horror fan. 
• Jared Shurin talks about cyberpunk in the year 2021.
  
• Madeline Ashby declares that it is time to reimagine cyberpunk. 
• Maurice Broaddus talks about afrofuturism for young readers and black joy. 
• G.W. Thomas discusses the purpose of fantasy. 
• Stephen Palmer shares his appreciation for moral shades of grey.
  
• Bradley J. Birzer profiles Robert E. Howard. 
• Don Herron profiles Fafhrd and Gray Mouser and their creators Fritz Leiber and Harry Otto Fisher. 
• Ryan Howse shares his appreciation for the works of Fritz Leiber.
  
• Michael Curtis shares his appreciation for the works of Leigh Brackett. 
• Bobby Derie discusses H.P. Lovecraft's correspondence with teenaged reader Margaret Sylvester. 
• Bobby Derie profiles Betty M. Owen and Margaret Ronan, two Scholastic editors who introduced young readers to H.P. Lovecraft and other works of classic horror.
  
• Jonathan Thornton shares his appreciation for the works of Kathy Acker. 
• Cassie Da Costa reports that the works of Octavia E. Butler are experiencing a renaissance. 
• Molly Templeton talks about book hangovers and series hangovers. 
• Charlotte Higgins reports about the Honresfield Library which has many original manuscripts by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and others.
  
• John O'Neill reports about a controversy involving the Nebula Showcase 55, edited by Catherynne M. Valente. 
• Alison Flood reports about a new English translation of the Arabian Nights by Yasmine Seale, which removes some of the racism and sexism from previous versions.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas has been renamed the Ad Astra Center for Science Fiction and Speculative Imagination and also has a new director.
  

Best of 2021:

• Polygon share their favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2021.
• Book Marks shares the best reviewed science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2021.
  
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite fantasy novels of 2021. 
• Alex Brown shares their favourite YA SFF of 2021.  
• Jason Kehe shares his favourite science fiction movies of 2021.
  
• The Tor.com reviewers share the things that brought them nerdy joy in 2021.
• io9 shares the biggest genre disappointments of 2021.
  

 

Tributes to Anne Rice:

• Horror and fantasy author Anne Rice has died aged 80.
• Molly Templeton remembers Anne Rice.
  
• Alison Flood remembers Anne Rice.
• Justin Carter remembers Anne Rice.
• Locus remembers Anne Rice.
• Elizabeth Blair remembers Anne Rice.
• Neil Genzlinger remembers Anne Rice.
• Doug MacCash remembers Anne Rice.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Brad Hawley reviews B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth (Volume 5): The Pickens County Horror and Others by Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Jason Latour, Max Fiumara and James Harren.
• Christian Holub interviews Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, creators of Saga. 
• Daniel Fee interviews comics writer Grant Morrison. 
• Alex Segura interviews Cliff Chiang, author of Catwoman: Lonely City. 
• Scott Edelman interviews comic writer, artist and editor Bob Budiansky. 
• Brad McDevitt shares his appreciation for the fantasy artwork of Philippe Druillet.
  
• Jim FitzPatrick explains how his artwork "Èriu Shí-Spioradh" came to be.
  
• Bill Ward takes a look at the many different covers Leigh Brackett's science fiction tales have had over the years.
• Justin Carter reports that Captain Carter from the What If...? TV show is getting her own comic.
• Locus remembers the late artist Chris Achilleos.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Peter Bradshaw calls The Green Knight sensationally beautiful and one of the best British films of 2021.
  
• Tom Breihan calls the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League the preposterous superhero movie event of 2021. 
• Stuart Jeffries calls Squid Game on of the best TV shows of 2021. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Lost in Space veers wildly off course in its final season.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls Nine Days in awkward but striking metaphysical fable. 
• Scott von Doviak shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Flash. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Invasion. 
• Leila Latif shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.  
• Charles Bramesco calls the animated film Sing 2 barely endurable.
  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1966 Doctor Who serial "The Power of the Daleks". 
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1987 holiday movie A Muppet Family Christmas.
  
• Jesse Hassenger revisits the 1991 fantasy film Hook. 
• Austin Gilkeson revisits the 2001 fantasy movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
  
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 2002 Firefly episode "The Train Job".
  
• Austin Gilkeson revisits the 2014 fantasy film The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and finds it a bloody slog.
  
• Dan Person shares ten "WTF did I just watch?" moments in SFF television. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten new international horror films to watch.
  
• Readers of The Guardian discuss who should play the next James Bond.  
• Mike Roe explains how artificial snow evolved in Christmas movie from the 1930s to today.
  
• Steve Rose discusses the history of Sesame Street and shares some behind the scenes photos from 1970. 
• Vanessa Thorpe reveals how The Clangers secretly swore on British children's TV.
  
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews Carrie Anne Moss who plays Trinity in the Matrix movies. 
• Felicia Pearson remembers Michael K. Williams, best known for his roles in The Wire and Lovecraft Country.  
• Mia Galuppo reports that Dennis Villeneuve is set to adapt Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that the live action Cowboy Bebop has been cancelled after only one season.
• There is a petition to save the live action Cowboy Bebop.
  

 

Comments on Hawkeye: 

• Annika Rollock shares her thoughts on "Ronin", the latest episode of Hawkeye.
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on "Ronin".
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Ronin".
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "Ronin".
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on "Ronin".
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Ronin".
  

 

Comments on Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Germain Lussier calls Spider-Man: No Way Home pure cinematic celebration. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Spider-Man: No Way Home an energetic crossover with plenty of heart.
  
• Benjamin Lee calls Spider-Man: No Way Home an ambitious superhero movie which offers scattered fun. 
• Richard Lawson calls Spider-Man: No Way Home a very tangled web.
  
• A.A. Dowd calls Spider-Man: No Way Home a greatest hits sequel. 
• Germain Lussier discusses the post-credits scenes of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
  
• Rachel Hall reports that Tom Holland, who plays Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man, is having a midlife crisis at age 25.
• Nadia Khomani reports that UK cinemas expect that the premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home will bring the biggest ticket sales of the year.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige believes that anti-genre bias is the reason Marvel movies don't do better in the big film and TV awards.
• Watch a trailer for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "All Is Possible", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "All Is Possible".
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "All Is Possible".
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "All Is Possible".
• Galactic Journey revisits the 1966 Star Trek episode "The Conscience of the King".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Terra Nova".
• William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek, is still awed by his experience of travelling into space for real.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of The Witcher:

• Jarrod Jones declares that The Witcher finds power and purpose in a confident season 2.
• James Whitbrook calls season 2 of The Witcher bigger, better and witchier.
• David Opie declares that season 2 of The Witcher is better than season 1 in almost every way. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also calls season 2 of The Witcher a big improvement over season 1. 
• Emily Hughes revisits season 1 of The Witcher.
  
• Joel Golby interviews Anya Chalotra who plays Yennefer in The Witcher.
  

 

Comments on Nightmare Alley:

• Alonso Duralde declares that Nightmare Alley looks sumptuous but feels hollow.
• Olivia Rutigliano wonders if Nightmare Alley could use more tricks up its sleeve. 
• Drew Taylor interviews Guillermo Del Toro, director of Nightmare Alley, The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim and many others. 
• Inspired by Nightmare Alley, Keith Roysdon discusses the carnival sideshow and its place in American culture.
  

 

Comments on season 6 of The Expanse: 

• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on "Strange Dogs", the first episode of season 6 of The Expanse. 
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on "Strange Dogs". 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that season 6 of The Expanse offers a satisfying, if slightly rushed conclusion to the series. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Steven Strait and Dominique Tipper, who play Jim Holden and Naomi Nagata in The Expanse.
  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Shoreh Aghdashloo, who plays Chrisjen Avarasala in The Expanse.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Wes Chatham and Nadine Nicole who plays Amos and Clarissa Mao in The Expanse.
  

 

Comments on The Wheel of Time (spoilers): 

• Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "The Flame of Tar Valon", the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
• Joseph W. Wartick shares his thoughts on "The Flame of Tar Valon".
• Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on "The Flame of Tar Valon".
  

 

Comments on Swan Song: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Swan Song a melancholy science fiction mystery. 
• Vikram Murthi declares that Swan Song had a promising premise, but wastes Mahershala Ali.
  

 

Comments on Station Eleven:

• Sulagna Misra shares her thoughts on the series premiere of Station Eleven.  
• Emily Temple declares that Station Eleven is not really a pandemic story and well worth your time. 
• Sam Brooks calls Station Eleven the post-pandemic story we need right now.

 

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2021 Nommo Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 A. Bertram Chandler Award has been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 Analog Award for Emerging Black Voices has been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Big Heart and First Fandom Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Psychedelic Film and Music Festival Awards have been announced.
  
• The nominees for the 2022 Golden Globes have been announced with some love for genre film and TV. 
• The winners of the 2021 Game Awards have been announced.
  
• Mike Glyer debates the merits of the Best Series Hugo category.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Victoria Thompson attempts to answer the two questions every writer is asked. 
• Lincoln Michel wishes we would get rid of the plotter versus pantser dichotomy.
• Eliza Nellums talks about writing sex scenes.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses how indie publishing changed in the past ten years.
• Karen Raugust reports how the covid pandemic is affecting publishers of movie tie-ins.
• Hannah McCarthy reports about the Mosul Book Forum in Mosul, Iraq.
  

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews Jacey Bedford. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Benedict Jacka.
  
• Locus interviews Maggie Tokuda-Hall. 
• Sofia Samatar interviews Greer Gilman.
  
• Daniel Aldana Cohen interviews Kim Stanley Robinson. 
• Kellie Doherty interviews Barbara Ashford. 
• Christie Yant interviews Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga.
• Jen Gheller interviews Laney Gaughan.
• Adri Joy interviews Valeria Vitale and Djibril al-Ayad.

Reviews:

• Runalong the Shelves reviews Blindspace by Jeremy Szal. 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw.
  
• Kat Hooper reviews No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron.
• Angela Maria Spring reviews Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Wildest Hunt by Jo Zebedee. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke. 
• Lis Carey reviews The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatworth. 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Dames for Hire by S.C. Jensen.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews. 
• Rob Bedford reviews An Unintended Voyage by Marshall Ryan Maresca.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman.
• Grab This Book reviews The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Galaxias by Stephen Baxter.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske.
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske.
  
• Mark Yon reviews Beyond the Hallowed Sky by Ken McLeod.  
  
• Maya Gittelman reviews The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska. 
• Martin Cahill reviews The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.
  
• Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys review Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark.  
• Marion Deeds reviews The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson. 
• Alex Brown reviews Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Terra Nullius by Claire Coleman. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Bryant & May: London Bridge Is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler.
  
• Ian Mond reviews The Peculiarities by David Liss. 
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Year's Best Science Fiction Vol. 2, edited by Peter Straub
• Arley Sorg reviews Reclaim the Stars, edited by Zoraida Còrdova.
• Brian Murphy reviews Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #5: Karl Edward Wagner

 
Classics reviews:

• Elizabeth Heritage revisits the 1794 gothic novel The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.
  
• The Cryptofictional Records Wing revisits the 1864 science fiction novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. 
• Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys revisits the 1923 horror story "Jordan's End" by Ellen Glasgow.
  
• Masha Gessen revisits the 1924 dystopian novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1937 dark fantasy story "The Fires of Asshurbanipal" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1947 science fiction novel The Green Man Returns by Harold M. Sherman. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1950 science fiction novel Time Quarry a.k.a. First He Died by Clifford D. Simak.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1966 science fiction novel Moon of Three Rings by Andre Norton, Kris Myas-Vyall revisits the 1966 science fantasy novel Saga of Lost Earths and The Star Mill by Emil Petaja and Jessica Dickson-Goodman revisits the 1966 science fiction novel From Carthage Then I Came by Douglas A. Mason.
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1966 science fiction novels B.E.A.S.T. by Charles Eric Maine and Colossus by D.F. Jones.
• Young People Read Old SFF revisits the 1973 science fiction short story "Eurema's Dam" by R.A. Lafferty.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1974 science fiction anthology Orbit 14, edited by Damon Knight.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 science fiction novel Aldair in Albion by Neal Barrett Jr.
• Kat Hooper revitis the 1986 science fiction novel Flight in Yictor by Andre Norton.

 

Con and event reports:

• Juan Sanmiguel reports about the first day of DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC. 
• Chris M. Barkley reports about the first day of DisCon III.
  
• Kevin Standlee reports about the site selection vote validation for the 2023 Worldcon.
  
• The candidates for the 2022 Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF) race have been announced.
  
• John Coxon, Allison Scott and Liz Batty discuss the 2021 Smofcon Europe in Lisbon, Portugal. 
• Scott Huver reports that Nichelle Nichols who played Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek will appear in public for the last time at L.A. Comic Con in Los Angeles, California.
• Mike Glyer reports that Luis R. Rondon, former King of the Society for Creative Anachronism’s East Kingdom, was sentenced to twenty-five years to life for the murder of Deborah Waldingerin 2019.

 

Science and technology:

• Nintendo engineer Masayuki Uemura, who invented the NES and SNES, has died aged 78.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Age of Swirling Mist" by J.F. Gleeson in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Letters From a Travelling Man" by W.J. Tattersdill in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Fountain Homes" by Peter Medeiros in Sword and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "A Thousand Souls" by Marie Brennan in Mermaids Monthly. 
• "Ina's Spark" by Mary Robinette Kowal in Uncanny Magazine.
  
• "Saviour of the Light Market" by Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga in Fantasy Magazine.
• "Habeas Codex" by Curtis C. Chen in Fireside Magazine. 
• "Red Is Our Country" by Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko in Lightspeed. 
• "Three Variations on a Theme of Imperial Attire" by E. Lily Yu in Lightspeed. 
• "Ornithomancy" by Elizabeth Hinckley in Luna Station Quarterly.  
  
• "Other Stories" by Wang Yuan, translated by Andy Dudak, in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Mothers" by Laur A. Freymiller in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Inhabiters" by Kingsley Okpii in Omenana.
  
• "Hunger" by Matthew Cheney in The Dark. 
• "Anti-Quarantine" by Jeffrey Lyons in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Where Have All the Mousies Gone?" by Mary E. Lowd in Daily Science Fiction.  
  
• "Leaf Piles" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman in Daily Science Fiction.
• "I Mean, It's No Extra Parked Vehicle" by Jenna Katerin Moran in Daily Science Fiction.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Everything Everywhere All At Once. 
• Watch a trailer for The Lost City.
  
• Watch a trailer for Halo: The Series. 
• Watch a trailer for Severance.
  
• Watch a Japanese trailer for The Batman.
  
• Watch a trailer for Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion.
• Watch a trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2.