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, The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars in general, Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, season 6 of The Expanse, Doctor Who past and present, The Matrix Resurrections, Station Eleven, Don't Look Up!, the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return to Hogwarts, tributes to Betty White and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Lisa Tuttle shares the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
- Book Marks looks ahead at seventeen science fiction and fantasy books coming out in 2022.
- Cheryl Eddy lists all the science fiction, fantasy and horror novels coming out in January 2022.
- Alex Brown shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in January 2022.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five recently completed SFF series to enjoy.
- Lincoln Michel explains why Cyberpunk is still relevant in 2022.
- Cory Doctorow explains why science fiction is a Luddite literature.
- Rachel Ayers explains why apocalyptic fiction can be comforting.
- Heather Houser discusses some annoying tropes of novels about climate change.
- James Davis Nicoll wonders how on Earth the White Witch was able to find Turkish Delight in Narnia of all places and other anachronisms.
- Kay Hooper talks about the powers and perils of psychic sleuths.
- J.R. McConvey discusses how the literary establishment ignores horror fiction.
- Connie Todd Lila shares her experiences discovering H.P. Lovecraft, while recovering from polio.
- Matthew Ilseman traces the influence of Harold Lamb on Robert E. Howard.
- Michael R. Brown remembers the pulp magazine Short Stories, which ran from 1917 to 1954 and was considered one of the "big four" pulp magazines of the early 20th century.
- S.E. Lindberg profiles the Rogues in the House podcast.
- Jeffrey Smith offers a bibliography of Jules Verne translations into English.
- Henry T. Edmondson points out that J.R.R. Tolkien was no friend of democracy.
- Jason Powell lists ten satisfying long-term payoffs in George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards series.
- Kali Wallace explains which storytelling lessons she took from The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.
- Jesse Brenneman shares everything you never knew about movie novelisations.
- Molly Templeton explains how she picks which books to read next.
- Molly Templeton also notes that rereading is time travel.
- The BBC reports that a valuable set of first editions of The Lord of the Rings stolen from a charity shop in Worcester, UK, has been returned to its rightful owners.
- Dracula scholar Elizabeth Miller has died aged 82.
Best of 2021:
- nerds of a feather share their favourite SFF books of 2021.
- Joseph W. Wartick shares his five favourite indie SFF books of 2021.
- Charles Cameron shares his favourite science fiction movies of 2021.
- CBR shares its favourite comics of 2021.
- David Betancourt and Michael Cavna rank their ten favourite performances in superhero movies in 2021.
Comics and Art:
- Ralph Macchio explains how Spider-Man broke the superhero mold.
- Justin Carter reports that Alan Moore's legendary run on Miracleman in the early 1980s is finally being reprinted.
- Gregory Manchess explains how he generates ideas for his artwork.
- Bonnie McDaniel reviews the graphic novel Displacement by Kiku Hughes.
- Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Walk Me to the Corner by Anneli Furmark.
- Punk Noir Magazine reviews the comic Creepshow by Stephen King and Bernie Wrightson.
- Chuck Serface revisits the 1976 horror comic Tomb of Dracula #54 by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan.
- Deuce Richardson revisits the 1981 sword and sorcery comic Arak: Son of Thunder by Roy Thomas and Ernie Colon.
- Bill Ward shares the many covers J.R.R. Tolkien's works have had over the decades.
- The Geeky Nerfherder shares their appreciation for the art of Marco Mastrazzo.
- Heavy Metal Magazine remembers the late Chris Achilleos and shares the covers he did for the magazine over the years.
- Alison Flood reports that a rare near-mint edition of The Incredible Hulk No. 1 from 1962 has sold for 490000 US-dollars.
Film and TV:
- Charles Bramesco takes a look at what 2022 will be like according to movies set during that year.
- James Pethokoukis explains why 2022 won't be as it was depicted in the 1973 film Soylent Green.
- Sonia Rao talks about movies that depict climate change.
- Arturo Serrano calls The Wheel of Time an interesting exercise in adaptation.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
- Alex Jennings calls Midnight Mass too talky but still compelling.
- Leslie Felperin shares her thoughts on Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror.
- Leila Latif shares her thoughts about the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
- José María Luna explains how the animated fantasy film Encanto gets to the heart of the Colombian experience.
- Malcolm Rambert explains how the drive towards easily marketable children's media for a global marketplace stifles creativity and complexity.
- Austin Gilkeson explores the animated fantasy worlds of Hayao Miyasaki.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2002 Firefly episode "Safe".
- Phil Hoad calls the animated film Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park a hectic sequel with an all over the place plot.
- Joe George lists six episodes of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 to help you relax.
- Leonard Maltin interviews Guillermo del Toro, director of The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley, Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim and many others.
- Adam B. Vary interviews Daniel Craig, Cary Joji Fukunuga, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, star, director and producers of the James Bond film No Time to Die.
- Ann Lee explains how cats are trained to perform in front of the camera.
- James Whitbrook reports that Warner and Viacom are planning to sell off The CW network, leaving the future of the various DC Comics based TV shows in the air.
- Jay Wolpert, screenwriter of Pirates of the Caribbean, has died aged 79.
- Twins Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff who hosted a science fiction show on French TV have both died of covid aged 72.
Tributes to Betty White:
Comments on Hawkeye and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):
Comments on The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars in general:
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Stranger in a Strange Land", the first episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
- Bonnie McDaniel shares her thoughts on "Stranger in a Strange Land".
- Paul Asay shares his thoughts on "Stranger in a Strange Land".
- Nick Wanserski shares his thoughts on "The Tribes of Tatooine", the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Tribes of Tatooine".
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Tribes of Tatooine".
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wonders what the point of The Book of Boba Fett is.
- Sam Barsanti notes that Boba Fett's survival after his apparent demise in Return of the Jedi shows how the goals of old and new Star Wars differ,
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw takes a look at Max Rebo, the alien musician featured in Return of the Jedi and The Book of Boba Fett.
- Germain Lussier shares his faavourite Easter egg in The Book of Boba Fett.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "...But to Connect", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "...But to Connect".
- Bonnie McDaniel shares her thoughts on "...But to Connect".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the Star Trek Discovery episodes "The Examples" and "Stormy Weather".
- Galactic Journey share their thoughts on the 1966 Star Trek episode "Shore Leave"
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "The Andorian Incident".
- Rob Bricken celebrates the 29th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin discusses Star Trek's troubled relationship to late 20th century pop culture.
- Lesley Goldberg reports that production of Star Trek Picard had to be halted due to a massive covid outbreak on set.
Comments on Doctor Who past and present:
- Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "Eve of the Daleks", the 2022 Doctor Who New Year's Special.
- Caroline Siede calls "Eve of the Daleks" a stellar timeloop episode.
- Camestros Felapton finds "Eve of the Daleks" a largely funny episode with some nice character moments.
- Chris Allcock calls "Eve of the Daleks" an unexpected festive treat.
- James Whitbrook praises "Eve of the Daleks" for its simple premise and a lot of heart.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Eve of the Daleks" and discusses the unrequited love angle explored in the episode.
- Clark Collis interviews Jodie Whittaker, who plays the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.
Comments on season 6 of The Expanse:
Comments on Station Eleven:
Comments on The Matrix: Resurrections (spoilers):
Comments on Don't Look Up!
Comments on the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return to Hogwarts:
- Lucy Mangan calls the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return to Hogwarts perilously close to emetic.
- Christi Carras shares her thoughts on the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return to Hogwarts and praises Helena Bonham-Carter.
- Paul Levinson thoroughly enjoyed the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return to Hogwarts.
- Travis M. Andrews notes a curious lack of J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: Return to Hogwarts.
- Evelyn Frick reports that comedian Jon Stewart pointed out that the goblins in the Harry Potter movies and novel match antis-emitic stereotypes.
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2021 Cybils Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2022 Peter Nicholls Essay Prize has been announced.
- The winners of the 2021 Prism Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2022 Annie Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2022 Critics' Choice Awards have been announced with little love for genre film and TV.
- Nominations are open for the 2022 FAAn Awards.
- The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog wonders how the influx of Chinese Worldcon members due to the 2023 Worldcon being in Chengdu, China, will influence the Hugo Awards.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Chuck Wendig talks about the importance of seeking joy in writing.
- Jessie Greengrass explains why writing is work.
- Lara Thompson explains where her ideas come from.
- Peter Swanson explains why he'll never outline a novel again.
- Lauren Sapala sheds some light on the link between childhood trauma and writer's block.
- Lauren Sapala shares three surprising reasons why some writers can't finish anything.
- Joanne Harris explains how her career as a teacher shaped her career as a writer.
- John Scalzi shares his daily writing and work routine.
- Alex Preston reviews the writing advice book Write It All Down by Cathy Rentzenbrink.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the pitfalls of traditional publishing contracts.
- Sascha Stronach talks about the difficulties of breaking into SFF publishing, if you're not based in the US.
- Lexi Ostrow shares her issues with Amazon randomly closing her Kindle Direct Publishing account and blocking access to her books, reports and royalties in a three part post.
- Anne Marble discusses how Ruby Dixon's science fiction romance novels were also removed from Amazon and then reinstated.
- Sian Cain reports that a man has been arrested for the theft of several high-profile unpublished manuscripts, though the motive is still unclear.
Interviews:
- Arley Sorg interviews James S.A. Corey a.k.a. Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.
- Arley Sorg interviews Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.
- Piya Chattopadhyay interviews Premee Mohamed.
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Gautam Bhatia.
- The CRAM Podcast interviews Robert J. Sawyer.
- Adrian Collins interviews Luke Scull.
- Cat Luria interviews Emma Schmid.
- Cat Luria interviews Alex Grehy.
Reviews:
- Bill Capossere reviews Leviathan Falls by Jame S.A. Corey.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey.
- Lis Carey reviews Halfling Moon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
- Bonnie McDaniel reviews Noor by Nnedi Okorafor.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Joseph W. Wartick reviews Zenith by Arshad Ahsanuddin
- Kat Hooper reviews A Dragon of a Different Color by Rachel Aaron.
- Adri Joy reviews Monkey Around by Jadie Jang and A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske.
- Rob Bedford reviews The Starless Crown by James Rollins.
- Adrian Collins reviews The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan.
- Bill Capossere reviews Tales of the Greatcoats by Sebastien de Castell.
- Adrienne Martini reviews A Practical Guide to Conquering the World by K.J. Parker.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Black Coast by Mike Brooks.
- Bill Capossere reviews Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire.
- Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth review Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark.
- Anthony Cummins reviews Scary Monsters by Michelle de Kretser.
- Sam Byers reviews Harrow by Joy Williams.
- Fiona Denton reviews Mordew by Alex Pheby.
- Ian Mond reviews The Second Shooter by Nick Mamatas.
- Paperback Warrior reviews The Whisper Man by Alex North.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews A Few Last Words for the Late Immortals by Michael Bishop
- Ian Mond reviews Undiscovered Territories by Robert Freeman Wexler.
- T.G. Shenoy reviews The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction, edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
Classics reviews:
- The Cromcast revisits the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1930 dark fantasy story "The Last Incantation" by Clark Ashton Smith.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1949 anthology The Best Science Fiction Stories 1949, edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T.E. Ditky.
- David Levinson revisits the February 1967 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction.
- John Boston revisits the February 1967 issue of Amazing Stories.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1974 science ficion novel Star Rider by Doris Piserchia.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1974 generation ship story "The Mountains of Sunset, The Mountains of Dawn" by Vonda N. McIntyre.
- James McGlothlin revisits the 1978 anthology The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series VI, edited by Gerald W. Page.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 military science fiction anthology Thor's Hammer and the 1980s military science fiction anthologies The Spear of Mars and Orion's Sword, all edited by Reginald Bretnor.
- The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1980 fantasy anthology Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, edited by Robert Lynn Asprin.
- James Maliszewski revisits the October/November 1980 issue of White Dwarf.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1984 fantasy novel Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock.
- Natalie Luhrs revisits the 1986 science fantasy novel The Silent Tower and its 1988 sequel The Silicon Mage as well as its 1993 sequel Dog Wizard by Barbare Hambly.
- Bobby Derie revisits the 1994 horror story "Binky Malomar And His Amazing Instant Pussy Kit" by Nancy A. Collins.
- Alan Brown revisits the 2003 military science fiction anthology Interstellar Patrol by Christopher Anvil.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 2004 science fiction novel Beast Master's Circus by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie.
Con and event reports:
- Vivian Abraham reports that Arisia 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts, has been cancelled due to the covid pandemic.
- MarsCon in Bloomington, Minnesota, has been rescheduled from January to March.
- Adam Nagourney reports about an exhibition about the Jewish roots of Star Trek at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California.
- Mark Brown reports about the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi in Alledale, UK.
- Monica Castillo reports about Convergence Station, the latest Meow Wolf art installation in Denver, Colorado.
- Germain Lussier reports that the 2022 Sundance Film Festival will be all virtual.
Science and technology:
- Jonathan Amos reports that the sun shield of the James Webb Space Telescope has been fully deployed.
- Marcia Dunn reports that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is functioning "hunky-dory"after some issues have been fixed.
- Anthony Cuthbertson reports about the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak fusion reactor in China, which is five times hotter than the sun.
- James Wilson asks how big the impact of the internet on our lives is.
- Melissa Chim reports about the Malleus Malificarum or Witches' Hammer, a 15th century witchhunting guide.
- Darcey Bell shares a ghost story about a house haunted by the ghosts of opera singers.
Free online fiction:
- "Dissent: A Five-Couse Meal (With Suggsted Pairings)" by Aimee Ogden in Lightspeed.
- "In the Beginning of Me, I Was a Bird" by Maria Dong in Lightspeed.
- "Redfin Spine" by Jonathan Olfert in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "To Embody a Wildfire Starting" by Iona Dutt Sharma in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Uncurling of Samsara" by Koji A. Dae in Clarkesworld.
- "The Lion and the Virgin" by Megan J. Kerr in Clarkesworld.
- "The Taurus Pilot" by Megan Navarro Conley in Anathema.
- "Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon" by Alyssa Villaire in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Beneath the Earth" by Caledonia Krieger in Sword and Sorcery Magazine.
- "The Calcified Heart of Saint Ignace Battiste" by Christopher Caldwell in Uncanny Magazine.
- "The Night Dance" by Leah Cypress in Uncanny Magazine.
- "The Mirror Test" by Moses Ose Utomi in Fantasy Magazine.
- "The Excerpts from the Ego" by Kyle Miller in Starward Shadows.
- "Orumai's Choice" by Gautam Bhatia in Mint Lounge.
- "It Happened in Loontown" by Lavie Tidhar in Apex Magazine.
- "How to Give Your Toddler a Tail" by Amanda Helms in Mermaids Monthly.
- "Thermophile" by Jack Klausner in The Dark.
- "Dick Pig" by Ian Muneshwar in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Devil You Don't Know" by Dave Henrickson in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Werewolf" by U.M. Celovska in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Wolf of Rajala" by Cora Buhlert.
- "Bonding" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
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