Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web:
Speculative fiction in general:
- Watch Ursula K. Le Guin's acceptance speech at the National Book Awards. There's also a transcript available here.
- The Guardian and the Boston Globe also offer profiles of Ursula K. Le Guin.
- At the Book View Café, Sherwood Smith shares her comments on Ursula K. Le Guin's acceptance speech.
- Damien Walter wonders why imagination has been sidelined in literature for so long and whether it's experiencing a renaissance.
- At Nothing but the Rain, Ardi explains why science fiction and fantasy matter.
- At Black Gate, M. Harold Page attempts to answer the question what science fiction is for, particularly anachronistic science fiction set in futures that no longer make any sense if they ever did.
- Paste Magazine commemorates the 30th anniversary of Cyberpunk.
- William Gibson, the Godfather of Cyberpunk himself, explains how he wrote Neuromancer.
- At The Guardian, Alex Campbell attempts to explain the appeal of dystopian fiction for teenagers.
- James Whitbrook shares some worldbuilding tropes that SF and fantasy should stop using.
- At Kirkus Reviews, Andrew Liptak offers an appreciation of Joanna Russ.
- The SF Signal Mind Meld discusses the best book openings in speculative fiction.
- The AV Club talks about the problematic tendency of speculative TV shows to cast geek girls in stereotypical tech support roles.
- On a similar note, Dr. Nerdlove tackles the problem of superhero girlfriends remaining clueless about their significant other's double life.
- At Omni Reboot, Adam Wells remembers the late Glen A. Larson, creator of science fiction shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and The Six Million Dollar Man.
- Patty Jansen shares some observations on the Dutch SFF market.
- Phronk points out the hope is the reason zombie apocalypses spread.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Ursula K. Le Guin talks about where ideas come from, the secret of great writing and the marketing trap.
- Kameron Hurley talks about why writers need to "level up".
- Chuck Wendig explains why it's important to finish your shit (and abuses the German language, while he's at it).
- Kameron Hurley also explains why it's important to finish what you start.
- Elena Linville talks about what to do after NaNoWriMo.
- Robert Dahlen introduces his character Beth McGill in the "Meet My Character" blog hop.
- Kyra Halland interviews her character Lainie Banfrey.
- At io9, several speculative fiction writers share which words they are sick of hearing.
- Damien Walter offers a contrarian position on branding for writers.
Interviews:
- Publishers Weekly profiles indie publishing pioneer M.C.A. Hogarth.
- M.C.A Hogarth also adds her own thoughts to be Publishers Weekly profile.
- The Skiffy and Fanty Show interviews Ann Leckie.
- Michael Brookes interview Aida Jacobs.
- Buddy Gott interviews Michael G. Munz.
Reviews:
- Spectrum Books reviews Defiance by Lucas Bale.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Apocalypse Weird: The Red King by Nick Cole.
- Elena Linville reviews The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton.
- Nadine Ducca reviews The One-Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.
Crowdfunding:
- Lunar Mission One is looking for funding to send an unmanned probe to the moon and drill into the previously unexplored south pole.
- C.E. Murphy is looking for funding for her new novel Redeemer.
- Judith Tarr is looking for backers for her novella series Horses of the Moon.
- The memorial anthology The Society for the Preservation of CJ Henderson is looking for funding.
- Writer Joyce Chng needs some help with her medical bills.
- Writer TNae Wilcox needs help with a medical emergency in the family.
Con reports:
- Liz Bourke shares her experiences at the Toronto International Book Fair. Part 2 is here and part 3 is here.
- Fran Wilde shares some notes from a panel held at the 2014 Philcon.
- At SF Signal, John Wenger talks about thirty years of attending conventions.
Science and technology:
- A new study explains why we need more women in space.
- Meanwhile, Italy has already heeded the call and sends its first female astronaut into space.
- Architect and designer Neri Oxman has created some striking spacesuit designs.
- io9 answers the question why vultures don't die of food poisoning.
- A German inventor has built a James Bond gadget inspired laser watch.
- Watch this footage taken by a camera drone in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine.
Odds and ends:
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