Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 25, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with season 2 of Foundation, Star Trek in general,  the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Ahsoka and Star Wars in general, Blue Beetle, Barbie, season 2 of Invasion, season 5 of What We Do In the Shadows,the movie Tok debate, the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes,, the debate about AI writing and art and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Mike Chen shares five SFF books with superpowered characters. 
• Wole Talabi shares five fast-paced African urban fantasy books
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books about bizarre and threatening architecture. 
• James Sturz shares eight books about intelligent sea creatures. 
• Yvonne Shiau shares a history of dragons in western literature.
  
• Ann-Marie Cahill wonders how accurate climate fiction is.
• Deborah A. Wolf talks about weird horror.
  
• Aaron Jones talks about the strange comfort of horror.
  
• Michelle Jabès Corpora explains why horror makes her feel safe.
• James Davis Nicoll explains why he likes reading older books. 
• James Davis Nicoll also explains why he likes reading newer books. 
• Randee Dawn shares six books that are difficult to impossible to read. 
  
• Alex Brown shares SFF reading recommendations for the characters of Heartstopper
  
• Shreya Chattopadhyay profiles Ursula K. le Guin.
• Ray Routhier profiles Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
  
• Zoe Williams reports about the extreme success of romance writer Colleen Hoover. 
• Josh Cook discusses how value judgments about good and bad literature, movies, etc... have been weaponised by cultural authoritarians.
  

Comics and Art:

• James Reasoner reviews Conan the Barbarian #1 by Jim Zub and Roberto de la Torre 
• Brad Hawley reviews Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler #1, “Dreadful Reins” by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. 
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about an angry mob of book banners.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Alex Wallace calls Valley of the Dead a zombie movie set during the Spanish Civil War. 
• Tyler Dean declares that The Last Voyage of the Demeter tackles the deeper themes of Bram Stoker’s Dracula
  
• Lucy Mangan calls The Confessions of Frannie Langton a superbly multifaceted gothic thriller
• Dan Persons talks about Severance, Disney and the ghosts of corporate modernism 
• Andrea Johnson shares her thoughts on the animated series Primal. 
• Sarah Catherall looks ahead at season 2 of the beloved gay pirate show Our Flag Means Death.
  
• Lorna Wallace shares five lesser known science fiction movies with incredible plot twists.
  
• Emma Stefansky shares her twelve favourite SFF movies about insects. 
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1968 animated film Asterix the Gaul.
  
• Catherine Shoard revisits the 1993 animated Wallace and Gromit claymation film The Wrong Trousers and shares many behind the scenes photos.
  
• Bethany C. Morrow revisits the Hunger Games film trilogy in the context of the political situation in the US during the 2010s. 
  
• Danielle Pergament interviews Charlize Theron, star of The Old Guard, Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde and many others. 
• Dalton Ross interviews Norman Reedus, star of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. 
• Stuart Heritage interviews Josh Greenbaum, director of Strays. 
• Tim Jonze interviews Otto Baxter, director of The Puppet Asylum.
  
• David Smith reports that actors with dwarfism are criticising movies like Wonka or the live action Snow White for casting regular sized actors in roles normally reserved for actors with dwarfism.
  
• Jessie Whittock reports that a special effects artist is sueing the producers of the live action Little Mermaid over an on-set injury she sustained.
  
• Bonnie Aaarons, the actress who plays the eponymous character in The Nun and The Conjuring horror movies, has accused Warner Bros of obscuring her share of merchandise revenue.
• Ben Child wonders whether Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon can prove that there is life beyond Star Wars for space opera cinema.
  
• Ian Spelling explains why there are no more G-rated films, not even children's films.
  
• Mary Kate Carr notes that the end of Riverdale may spell the end for offbeat teen soap operas in general.
  
• Nellie Andreeva reports that The Peripheral has been cancelled. 
• Tina Burnside reports that a man has been indicted for stealing the ruby slipper from The Wizard of Oz from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
  
• Kelly Garrity reports that Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis wants to move on from his legal battle with Disney over homophobic and transphobic laws in Florida. 
• Germain Lussier reports that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will leave their handprints in concrete outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California.
  
• Ron Cephas Jones, who appeared in Luke Cage, Mr. Robot, This Is Us and many others, has died aged 66.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Foundation:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Why the Gods Made Wine", the latest episode of Foundation.
• Julia Roth shares her thoughts on "Why the Gods Made Wine". 
• Stars End share their thoughts on "Why the Gods Made Wine". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Why the Gods Made Wine".
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten reasons to watch Foundation.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

•  Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Cold Station 12".
• Sabina Graves reports that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will air on CBS, because programming is getting scarce due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
  
• Watch a trailer for the 2023 Star Trek Day streaming event.
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Perri Nemiroff interviews Jake Schreier, director of Thunderbolts.
  
• Ben Child reports that Taylor Swift may be playing Dazzler in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  

 

Comments on Blue Beetle:

• Sabina Graves talks about the post-credits sequence of Blue Beetle.
• io9 interviews Angel Manuel Soto, director of Blue Beetle. 
• Pamela McClintock reports that Blue Beetle did manage to knock Barbie off the top of the US box office charts, but still had an underwhelming opening weekend.
  

 

Comments on Ahsoka and Star Wars in general: 

• Germain Lussier shares some early reactions to Ahsoka. 
• Germain Lussier declares that the two episode premiere of Ahsoka shows a lot of promise. 
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Master and Apprentice" and "Toil and Trouble", the two-part premiere of Ahsoka.   
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Master and Apprentice" and "Toil and Trouble", the two-part premiere of Ahsoka.  
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Master and Apprentice" and "Toil and Trouble", the two-part premiere of Ahsoka.   
  
• Jack Seale shares his thoughts on "Master and Apprentice" and "Toil and Trouble", the two-part premiere of Ahsoka.  
  
• Jen Lennon points out that unlike other Star Wars TV series, there actually is a good reason for Ahsoka to exist. 
• Jarrod Jones takes a look back at Ahsoka Tano's darkest hour in The Clone Wars finale.
  
• James Whitbrook takes a look at the Star Wars timeline and state of the galaxy at the start of Ahsoka.
• Germain Lussier is a little confused about the timeline of Ahsoka and when in the Star Wars continuity the show takes place.
  
• Linda Codega explains how much Star Wars you need to watch before watching Ahsoka.
  
• Rachel Ulatowski takes a look at David Tennant's role in Ahsoka.
  
• Sam Barsanti ranks all the Star Wars movies and TV projects cancelled by Disney.
  
• Sofia Viera explains how Star Wars fandom made them question their gender identity.
  

 

Comments on Barbie:

• Orlando Reade finds some unexpected parallels between Barbie and Paradise Lost by John Milton. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch explains what Barbie can teach us about marketing. 
  
• Watch a behind the scenes video of Ryan Gosling singing "I'm Just Ken" from Barbie.
  

 

Comments on season 5 of What We Do In the Shadows:

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Invasion:

• Andrew Webster declares that Invasion ramps up the tension in season 2. 
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Invasion.
  

 

Comments on the Movie Tok debate:

• Reggie Ugwu reports about the phenomenon of TikTok movie reviews. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a backlash against Reggie Ugwu's article for comparing TikTok influencers paid to promote movies to serious movie critics. 
• Arturo Serrano weighs in on the debate about movie reviews on TikTok. 
• Matt Goldberg talks about movie reviews on TikTok and the cost of credibility.
  
• Dustin Rowles points out that TikTok movie reviewers are often paid by the studios to promote their films.

 

Comments on the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike:

• Linda Codega shares some key takeaways from the WGA's report about the "big three" streaming services Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. 
• Linda Codega reports that negotiations between WGA and the studios have broken down again. 
  
• Pamela McClintock reports that studio bosses are blaming movies underperforming at the box office on actors being unable to promote their movies due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. 
• Justin Carter notes that if the studios claim to be losing money due to actors being unabke to promote movies, they should maybe reenter negotiations with SAG-AFTRA and WGA. 
• Tilda Wilson reports that the economic impact of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes is being felt well beyond Hollywood in places like Montana or Georgia, where a lot of movies and TV shows are being filmed. 
• Adrian Horton discusses how artificial intelligence jobs will affect Hollywood. 
  
• Daisy Schofield reports that inspired by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, cast members on reality shows are fighting to unionise as well.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Aurora Awards have been announced.
  
• The preliminary ballot for the 2023 Ditmar Awards has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Toy of the Year Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the Visual Effects Society's Founders and Lifetime Achievement Awards have been announced.
  
• Science fiction writer and composer Somtow Sucharitkul has been honoured as a National Artist in Thailand
  
• Mike Glyer offers an overview of the 2023 Best Series Hugo finalists.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the 2023 Hugo finalists for Best Series. 
• ErsatzCulture lists the contents of the 2023 Hugo Voter Packet. 
• Jed Hartman explains how to download the 2023 Hugo Voter Packet, if you have problems. 
• Mike Glyer wonders about the fate of some awards which seem to be on hiatus.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Molly Templeton talks about the connection between walking, writing and reading.
  
• Laurie Cass asks when it's time to stop writing.
  
• Francis Hamit shares tips for book signings. 
• Mike Glyer reports that SFWA has updated its membership requirements.
  
• Camestros Felapton reports that The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction is embroiled in another scandal.
  
• German crime and mystery publisher Hejo Emons has died aged 73.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

• Alex Reisner reports that more than 170000 books, including many by prominent authors, have been fed into the "book3" corpus used to train AI large language models. 
• Ella Creamer also reports about the "book3" corpus. 
• Kyle Barr reports that the anti piracy group Rights Alliance has managed to get the "books3" dataset taken down. 
  
• Sharon Goldman reports that generative AI datasets could face a reckoning, since they use copyrighted work without permission.
  
• Joshua Hawkins reports that OpenAI may have to wipe ChatGPT and the data it's based upon. 
• Bobby Allyn reports that the New York Times is considering sueing OpenAI for illegally scraping the archives. 
• Avram Pitch reports that Google is trying to persuade Australian courts that its scraping of websites and texts is fair use.
  
• Scott Rosenberg reports that a glut of AI generated books is hitting online bookstores.
• The New York Times reports about a glut of AI generated travel guides flooding Amazon. 
• Christianna Silva reports that a US federal judge has ruled that AI-generated art cannot be copyrighted. 
• Mack DeGeurin reports that content farms are using AI chatbots to plagiarise news articles.
  

 

Interviews:

• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Cassandra Khaw.
• Shelf Awareness interviews Joe R. Lansdale.
  
• Rogues in the House interview Steven Erikson and C.L. Werner.
  
• Locus interviews Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore:
• Paul Weimer interviews Dee Holloway. 
• The HWA interviews Kaaron Warren.
  
• The HWA interviews Austrian Spencer. 
• The HWA interviews Alan Baxter. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Carissa Orlando.
  
• The Library of America interviews Jonathan R. Eller.
  

 

Reviews:

• Jason Ray Carney reviews Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones. 
• Brian Murphy reviews Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Translation State by Ann Leckie
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden
  
• Lis Carey reviews Compulsory by Martha Wells 
• Paul Weimer reviews Children of Memory and the Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
  
• The Middle Shelf reviews The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Bridge by Lauren Beukes  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett.
  
• The Quick and the Read reviews Grave Suspicions by Alice James 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Grave Suspicions by Alice James 
• Chris Kluwe reviews Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
  
• Alex Brown reviews Abeni’s Song by P. Djèlí Clark
  
• Aaron Jones reviews The Traitor by Anthony Ryan
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs 
• Molly Templeton reviews The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
  
• Clara Cohen reviews Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker 
• Phoebe Wagner reviews Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo.
  
• Richard Fisher reviews The Viking Gael Saga by J.T.T. Ryder
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Everlasting Road by Wab Kinew. 
• Fiona Denton reviews Engines of Chaos by R. S. Ford
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Counterweight by Djuna, translated by Anton Hur
  
• Archita Mittra reviews The Moon Represents My Heart by Pim Wangtechawat 
• Wole Talabi reviews More Perfect by Temi Oh
  
• Adam Roberts reviews Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché
  
• Trish Matson reviews The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Fever House by Keith Rosson.
  
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Mystery At Dunvegan Castle by T L Huchu 
• Rob Bedford reviews Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle.
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney
• Ian Mond reviews The Fortunate Isles by Lisa L. Hannett
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
• Warner Holme reviews Body Shocks, edited by Ellen Datlow.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Eric Williams revisits the 1923 haunted house story "The Closing Hand" by Farnsworth Wright.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1948 horror novel Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1968 space opera novel Tower at the Edge of Time by Lin Carter. 
• John Plotz revisits the 1968 fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.
  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1968 science fiction novel The Cassiopeia Affair by Chloe Zerwick and Harrison Brown, Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1968 science fiction novel Assignment in Nowhere by Keith Laumer, Gideon Marcus revisits the 1968 science fiction novel The Two-Timers by Bob Shaw and the 1968 post-apocalyptic novel Omha Abides by C.C. McApp and Blue Cathey-Thiele revisits the 1968 space opera novel Derai by E.C. Tubb and the 1968 space opera The Singing Stones by Juanita Coulson. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1971 science fiction novel The Mind Behind The Eye a.k.a. Gold the Man by Joseph Green
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1972 alternate history story "Weihnachtsabend" by Keith Roberts.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1978 fantasy novel What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1983 horror novel Someone's Watching by Andrew Neiderman. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1984 post-apocalyptic novel Emergence by David R. Palmer. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1989 science fiction novel Being Alien by Rebecca Ore. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1995 YA horror novel The Lost Mind by Christopher Pike and the 1996 YA horror novel Amnesia by Sinclair Smith.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 2002 science fiction novella "Singleton" by Greg Egan. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2012 fantasy novel The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan.

 

Crowdfunding:

• Filling your worlds with words: A writer's guide to linguistic worldbuilding by C.D. Covington is looking for funding. 
• Neither Beg Nor Yield, a sword and sorcery anthology edited by Jason M. Waltz, is looking for funding.
  
• Beyond the Bounds of Infinity, an anthology of diverse cosmic horror, edited by Vaughn A. Jackson and Stephanie Pearre, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Locus reports about the 2023 StokerCon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Garth Spencer shares his adventures at Pemmi-Con, the 2023 NASFIC, in Winnipeg, Canada.
  
• Kyle Petersen shares a video of the 2023 Power-Con in Columbus, Ohio. 
• Watch a video of the Masters of the Universe: Revolution panel at the 2023 San Diego Comic Con at San Diego, California. 
• Sabina Graves reports about Halloween themed programming and events at various US theme parks. 
• Watch a video of Keanu Reeve reporting about the 1984 International Teddy Bear Convention in Canada.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Andrew Roth reports that the Russian Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon. 
• Philip Ball wonders whether we should colonise other planets.
  
• Julian E. Barnes reports that Russian and Chinese spy agencies are targeting US space companies.
  
• Miriam Vidal Valero reports that thousands of scientists are leaving Twitter over recent policy changes.
• Charlie Jane Anders reports that the US Federal Kids Online Safety Act will make the Internet a lot worse for LGBTQ+ people under the guise of protecting kids.
  
• Rebecca Ratcliffe reports that a 1986 building in Bangkok, Thailand, known as the robot building has had its distinctive appearance altered to great protests. 
• Catherine Steadman talks about the roots of popular holiday traditions. 
  

 

Gaming: 

• Cole Rusch shares five videogames that teach valuable lessons about failure.
• Linda Codega shares the latest new games. 
• Cheryl Eddy reviews the Texas Chainsaw Massacre boardgame.
  
• Molly Templeton reports that voice actor Charles Martinet has retired as the voice of Mario in the Super Mario games.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Alex Wong offers a look into the world of Hot Wheels collectors.
• Germain Lussier interviews Todd McFarlane, comic artist and toymaker. 
• Sabina Graves shares some new Disney Princess merchandise.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Three O’Clock Dragon" by John Wiswell in Tor.com.
  
• "The Curse of Bloodbone Island" by Adrian Cole in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.
  
• "Red Rendezvous" by L.D. Whitney in Rogues in the House.
• "Interlude: Shelter From the Storm" by Rajiv Moté in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Steady and the Mountain" by Zachary Olson in Beneath Ceaseless Skies
• "In the Nest Beneath the Mountain-Tree, Your Sisters Dance" by Lowry Poletti in Lightspeed. 
• "You Will Not Live to See M/M Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension" by Isabel J. Kim in Lightspeed.
  
• "Into the River" by Clara Madrigano in The Dark. 
• "The Fishery" by Cécile Cristofari in Interzone.
  
• "Gel Pen Notes from Generation Ship Y" by Marisca Pichette in Clarkesworld.
• "Parody of the Sower" by Michelle Enehiwealu Iruobe in Omenana.
• "When We Are Ruins, Dance on Us" by M. Jesuthasan in Grist. 
• "The Music of the Siphorophenes" by C.L. Polk in Uncanny Magazine.
  
• "The Soundtrack of Your Life" by Lesley Morrison in Luna Station Qaurterly.
  
• "Weeper" by Rosalind Goldsmith in Wyldblood. 
• "A Young Zombie in Crisis" by Walidah Imarisha in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Girls That Follow" by J. Choe in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Runners" by B. Pladek in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "Stealth" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Rebel Moon.
  
• Watch a trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 
• Watch a trailer for It Lives Inside. 
• Watch a clip from season 2 of The Wheel of Time. 
• Watch a trailer for Foe.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of Creepshow. 
• Watch a trailer for American Horror Story: Delicate.
  
• Watch a trailer for V/H/S/85.
  
• Watch a trailer for Leo.