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 and films of 2021, 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, Doctor Who past and present, The Matrix Resurrections, Station Eleven, Dune, Don't Look Up!, The Humans, tributes to Betty White, Andrew Vachss and Doris Piserchia, the 2021 Worldcon and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Nicholas Whyte takes a look at what 2022 is going to be like according to various science fiction films and novels.
- Mike Rampton talks about made-up swear words in science fiction.
- Aamna Mohdin reports that romance novels are becoming more diverse.
- Yilin Wang discusses the development and evolution of the wuxia genre and what it can teach speculative fiction writers.
- Brian Murphy lists aspects of sword and sorcery he'd like to see explored more.
- Michael Curtis shares his appreciation for the works of Fritz Leiber.
- Michael Curtis profiles Clark Ashton Smith.
- Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the works of Keith Taylor.
- James Reasoner profiles pulp era horror author John H. Knox.
- Jason Sanford reports about online harrassment in the SFF community which mostly targets marginalised authors and fans.
- Mike Glyer shares the latest update of the lawsuit of Peter S. Beagle against Connor Cochran.
- Shane O'Neill discusses the renewed popularity of Warhammer 40000 due to the covid pandemic.
- io9 remembers the creative and inspiring people we lost in 2021.
- Magical realist writer and poet Kerri Hulme, the first New Zealander to win the Booker Prize, has died aged 74.
- Crime fiction writer, comic writer and lawyer Andrew Vachss died aged 79.
- Claus Leggewie remembers Andrew Vachss.
- Science fiction author Doris Piserchia has died aged 93.
Best of 2021:
- The Fantasy Literature reviewers share their favourite SFF books of 2021.
- The SFF World reviewers share their favourite science fiction novels of 2021.
- The SFF World reviewers share their favourite fantasy and horror books of 2021.
- The Fantasy Hive share their favourite fantasy novels of 2021.
- Grimdark Magazine share their favourite dark SFF books of 2021.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite reads of 2022.
- The io9 reviewers share their favourite and least favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror movies of 2021.
- The SFF World reviewers share their favourite SFF films and TV shows of 2021.
- Emma Susan Oakman lists the worst SFF films of 2021.
Comics and Art:
- Hannibal Tatu reviews X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1 by Leah Williams, Lucas Werneck and David Messina.
- John Freeman remembers the late SFF artist Chris Achilleos.
- Bill Ward takes a look at the psychedelic covers that have graced Michael Moorcock's works over the years.
- Bill Ward takes a look at the fantasy artwork of Clark Ashton Smith.
Film and TV:
- Peter Suderman finds the Foundation TV series not as satisfying as Isaac Asimov's original stories.
- Rebecca Nicholson calls the BBC's latest version of Around the World in 80 Days a big, lively and timely adaptation of the classic Jules Verne novel.
- Lucy Mangan calls A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint an absolute treat.
- Stuart Jeffries calls Worzel Gummidge: Twitchers a lovely reimagining of the British children's TV classic.
- Cath Clarke calls Naked Singularity a bizarre apocalyptic legal thriller that not even John Boyega can save.
- Phil Hoad calls The Jack in the Box: Awakening a horror movie with few surprises.
- Leila Latif shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
- Cheryl Eddy shares twelve haunting horror anthology movies.
- Director Jason Reitman explains how the biggest surprise appearance in Ghostbusters: Afterlife came to be.
- Kyle Buchanan interviews Peter Dinklage, best known for playing Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones.
- Mark Lawson interviews Sean Bean, star of Time, Game of Thrones and many others.
- Sean O'Connell reports that the much repeated story about James Cameron and the pitch meeting for Aliens is actually true.
- Valerie Ettenhofer revisits the 1959 SFF anthology TV series The Twilight Zone.
- Phil Nichols reports that there was an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles in the works in the late 1950s that never came to be.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2002 Firefly episode "The Shindig".
- Ben Child wonders whether The Batman can challenge Marvel's dominance of the superhero genre.
- Emma Nolan reports that YouTuber and writer Lindsay Ellis has left social media following backlash to her criticism of the animated film Raya and the Last Dragon.
- Toy designer Mark Taylor, who created the Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys for Mattel, has died aged 80.
Tributes to Betty White:
Comments on Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):
- Bonnie McDaniel shares her thoughts on "So This Is Christmas", the season 1 finale of Hawkeye.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "So This Is Christmas".
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- Sam Barsanti notes that it is frustratingly unclear whether Hawkeye takes place in the same universe as the Marvel Netflix shows.
- Justin Carter discusses the return of Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin as portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.
- Justin Carter reports that Spider-Man: No Way Home has grossed more than a billion US-dollars.
- Aaron Couch interviews Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, screenwriters of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- Chris Hewitt interviews Chloe Zhao, director of Eternals.
- Annabel Nugent interviews Paul Bettany who plays Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Marion Deeds revisits the 2012 TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Comments on The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars in general:
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Stranger in a Strange Land", the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
- Nick Wanserski shares his thoughts on "Stranger in a Strange Land".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Stranger in a Strange Land".
- Germain Lussier introduces us to the main players on Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett.
- Rob Bricken is sick of Star Wars stories set on Tatooine.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Stormy Weather", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Stormy Weather".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Stormy Weather".
- Bonnie McDaniel shares her thoughts on "Stormy Weather".
- Galactic Journey revisits the 1966 Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror".
- Eric Studer notes that Star Trek has gotten gloomier and less optimistic, while the world has gotten better.
- James Whitbrook interviews Jonathan Frakes who played Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and who directed several episodes of Star Trek Discovery.
- Susanne Whatley and Sam Benson Smith interview LeVar Burton who played Commander Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- Tommy Christopher reports that Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, has held a press conference in a Star Trek uniform, until to misidentify the uniform and misquote the Prime Directive.
Comments on season 2 of The Witcher:
- Emily Hughes shares her thoughts on "Family", the two-part finale of season 2 of The Witcher.
- Carly Lane declares that season 2 of The Witcher is narrower in scope than season 1 and focusses on found family.
- Justin Carter discusses the development of Ciri in season 2 of The Witcher.
- Rob Bricken shares some background on The Wild Hunt in season 2 of The Witcher.
- Sam Barsanti explains which Witcher stories to read after watching season 2 of the show.
Comments on Dune:
Comments on Doctor Who past and present:
- Helen Daly interviews Jodie Whittaker, who plays the Thirteenth Doctor, about the 2021 Doctor Who New Year Special.
- Huw Fullerton calls the fact that Jodie Whittaker never starred in a Doctor Who Christmas Special a missed opportunity.
- Watch a trailer for Eve of the Daleks, the Doctor Who New Year Special.
Comments on season 6 of The Expanse:
Comments on The Wheel of Time (spoilers):
- Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on "The Eye of the World", the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "The Eye of the World".
- Carly Lane calls The Wheel of Time an intimate fantasy series about power and prophecy.
- Camestros Felapton finds season 1 of The Wheel of Time better than the novels.
- Rob Bricken declares that The Wheel of Time TV show works because of the changes, not despite them.
Comments on Station Eleven:
Comments on The Matrix: Resurrections (spoilers):
- Arturo Serrano declares that the toxic legacy of The Matrix trilogy is the villain to defeat in The Matrix: Resurrections.
- Adi Robertson declares that The Matrix: Resurrections is more interested in being self-aware than in being good.
- Emily VanDerWerff explains why The Matrix never stopped being relevant.
- Carly Lane calls The Matrix: Resurrections one of the most romantic and meta Matrix movies to date.
- C.T. Phipps shares their thoughts on The Matrix: Resurrections.
- Germain Lussier talks about The Matrix: Resurrections post-credits scene.
- Germain Lussier interviews David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon, writers of The Matrix: Resurrections.
- Alex Kane shares an oral history of The Matrix videogames and their bonkers alternate endings.
Comments on Don't Look Up!
- Charles Bramesco calls the apocalyptic satire Don't Look Up! a star-studded disaster.
- Paul Levinson declares that viewers should look elsewhere rather than watch Don't Look Up!
- John Scalzi declares that Don't Look Up! combines two of his favourite things - satire and astronomy.
- Arturo Serrano declares that Don't Look Up! has been eclipsed by real world events.
- Clayton Davis reports that in spite of the negative reviews and controversy, Don't Look Up! is a great success for Netflix.
Comments on The Humans:
Awards:
- The winner of the 2021 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fictional Parents has been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year have been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Dream Foundry Writing Contest have been announced.
- The winners of the 1966 Galactic Stars have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2021 Steam Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2022 Sankofa Freedom Award has been announced.
- The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog takes a look at the Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo finalist of 1967.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Kat Morris shares the one question to ask that will save your novel.
- Vera Tobin discusses the art of the plot twist.
- Cat Rambo shares six features of musical operas to apply to your space opera.
- Greta Hayer lists five things to do while querying your novel.
- Don Blyly shares an update about the state of the Uncle Edgar's and Uncle Hugo's bookstores in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which were burned down by vandals during the protests following the death of George Floyd due to police brutality.
- Tom Ambrose reports that New Beacon Books, the UK's first black specialty bookstore, is closing after 55 years due to financial difficulties.
Interviews:
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Jeremy Szal.
- Scott Edelman interviews José Pablo Iriarte.
- Katy Waldman interviews Lois Lowry.
- Kara Swisher interviews Dave Eggers.
- Paul Weimer interviews Sara A. Mueller.
- A.M. Justice interviews Quenby Olson.
- The Fantasy Hive interviews S.K. Marley.
- Christie Yant interviews Megan M. Davies-Ostrom.
Reviews:
- Andrea Gualtieri reviews Servant Mage by Kate Elliott.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Noor by Nnedi Okorafor.
- Bonnie McDaniel reviews The Actual Star by Monica Byrne.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Inhuman Race by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Mercury Boys by Chandra Prasad.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Absynthe by Brendan P. Bellecourt.
- The Quick and the Read reviews The Spirit Engineer by A.J. West.
- Nils Shukla reviews The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart.
- Rob Bedford reviews Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks.
- Alex Brown reviews Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis.
- Jodie Crump reviews Nectar for the God by Patrick Samphire.
- Maya C. James reviews God of Mercy by Okezie Nwoka.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.
- Adam Colclough reviews Quicksilver by Dean Koontz.
- Jeff Foust reviews The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield.
- Adam-Troy Castro reviews The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.
- Paperback Warrior reviews Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer.
- Paperback Warrior reviews Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates.
- Carrie Chi Lough reviews String Follow by Simon Jacobs.
- Jonathan Thornton reviews Grievers by Adrienne Maree Brown.
- Bobby Derie reviews Trolling Lovecraft by V. McAfee.
- Bobby Derie reviews West of Innsmouth: A Cthulhu Western by Kikuchi Hideyuki, translated by Jim Rion.
- Jonathan Myerson reviews Harrow by Joy Williams.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Report from Planet Midnight by Nalo Hopkinson.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews We All Have Teeth by C.A. Yates.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories by Tobias S. Buckell
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Nature’s Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction, edited by Mike Ashley.
- Brian Attebery reviews Reverse Colonization: Science Fiction, Imperial Fantasy, and Alt-Victimhood by David M. Higgins.
Classics reviews:
- Robyn Vinter revisits the 1843 holiday horror novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1909 historical fantasy novel Black Magic by Marjorie Bowen.
- Douglas A. Anderson revisits the 1937 folk horror collection Tales of Mourne by Richard Rowley.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1956 dystopian novel The Neon Halo by Jean-Louis Curtis.
- Mark Yon revisits the January 1967 issues of New Worlds and SF Impulse.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1967 issue of Analog.
- The Appendix N Book Club revisits the 1968 fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1968 science fantasy novel Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ.
- Ian Sales revisits the 1973 science fiction novel Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert.
- Runalong the Shelves revisits the 1973 children's fantasy novel The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1974 science fiction anthology Orbit 15, edited by Damon Knight.
- Will Errickson revisits the 1975 non-fiction book Living in Fear: A History of Horror in the Mass Media by Les Daniels.
- James McGlothlin revisits the 1977 anthology The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series V, edited by Gerald W. Page.
- Ken Lizzi revisits the 1977 sword and sorcery novel The Babarian at World's End by Lin Carter.
- MarzAat revisits the 1980 horror story "Where the Summer Ends" by Karl Edward Wagner.
- Nicholas Whyte revisits the 1983 science fiction story "Blood Music" by Greg Bear and the 1983 science fiction novel Startide Rising by David Brin.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1989 movie tie-in Total Recall by Piers Anthony.
- S.E. Lindberg revisits the 1995 sword and sorcery novel Conan and the Emerald Lotus by John C. Hocking.
- Lesa Holstine revisits the 1996 Discworld fantasy novel Hogfather by Terry Pratchett.
Crowdfunding:
Con and event reports:
- Chris M. Barkley reports about the final day of DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC.
- Chris M. Barkley shares yet more observations about DisCon III.
- Marie Vibbert shares her experiences at DisCon III.
- Évelyne Lachance shares her experiences at DisCon III as a first time Worldcon attendant.
- John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty discuss DisCon III as well as about the site selection for the 2023 Worldcon.
- KiMi Robinson reports about a sexual assault allegation at Taiyou Con in Mesa, Arizona.
Science and technology:
- Joey Roulette reports about the trials and tribulations faced by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope before its successful launch.
- Meghan Bartels reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has begun unfolding its sunshield.
- Rebecca Heilweil takes a look at the future of the International Space Station.
- Anthony Ashkenaz reports that the Chinese space station Tianhe had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with Elon Musk's Starlink satellites.
- Tom Metcalfe reports that scientists are arguing for reclassifying Pluto as a planet.
- Jasmine Hicks reports that astronomers have discovered the largest free floating group of rogue planets yet.
- Anthony Ashkenaz reports that China has developed an AI prosecutor that can supposedly identify crimes and file charges.
- Daniel Boffey reports that the remnants of a large Roman fort built around 43 AD have been discovered in Velsen near Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
- Sinan Mahmoud reports that an ancient clay tablet containing part of the epic of Gilgamesh has been returned to Iraq after being stolen by looters and sold to the owners of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores.
- E.O. Wilson, renowed researcher of ants, has died aged 92.
Free online fiction:
- "The Prince and the Raven" by Rebecca Burton in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Bound to Be Bones" by Nicole Wolverton in Starward Shadows.
- "Never a Gentle Master" by Brittany N. Williams in Fireside Magazine.
- "The Rainmakers" by Megan M. Davies-Ostrom in Fantasy Magazine.
- "There's an Art To It" by Brian Hugenbruch in Diabolical Plots.
- "Robin's Last Song" by Nina Munteanu in Apex Magazine.
- "A Series of Endings" by Amal Singh in Clarkesworld.
- "One Last Shriek" by Omiyuri Katsuyama, translated by Toshiya Kamei in Mermaids Monthly.
- "Last Day" by Cooper Tamayo in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Nuclear Fireworks" by Dan Bornstein in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Last Caricature of Jean Moulin" by Andrea Kriz in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Company Property" by John Albertson in Daily Science Fiction.
- "We Want to See You On a Plate" by Andrew Kozma in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Location, Location, Location" by Xander Odell in Daily Science Fiction.
- "When the Wraith Smiles" by Ali Trotta in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Present" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
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