Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with women in SFF, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Handmaid's Tale, American Gods, the new season of Doctor Who, Secret Empire and new troubling revelations about Captain America, a lot of con reports as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, awards news, a whole lot of con reports, crowdfunding projects, science articles and free online fiction.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch declares that there have always been women writing SFF, though many of them have been forgotten.
- Megan Whalen Turner talks about book discovery and why books by women are often marginalised.
- Nisi Shawl talks about older women as writers, readers and protagonists of speculative fiction.
- D. Franklin discusses the problematic presentation of gender in Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer.
- Standback declares that Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer managed to punch everybody in the face.
- Katriel Paige explains why linguistics matter to science fiction.
- Emily Asher Perrin shares five SF books that would not work without certain key technologies.
- Meghan Ball shares ten standalone urban fantasy novels.
- Jeff Somers shares six SFF books that will ruin memories of favourite childhood stories.
- Jeff Sala takes a look at the character of Galadriel in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
- Eric Grundhauser reports that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis disliked Walt Disney's take on Snow White.
- A.J. Hartley discusses the speculative worlds of William Shakespeare.
- Ceridwen Christensen shares her appreciation for the Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan.
- Nisi Shawl shares her appreciation for The Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delany.
- Gideon Marcus shares his appreciation for The Lani People by J.F. Bone.
- Jaime Weinman talks about the rise of socially conscious criticism.
- Fiona Staples talks about how she designed some of the more bizarre characters in Saga.
- T.W. O'Brien profiles Gahan Wilson, the artist who create the H.P. Lovecraft bust that served as the World Fantasy Award Trophy until last year.
- Graeme McMillan reports where the Marvel Cinematic Universe will go after the fourth Avengers movie in 2019.
- Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer shares a guide for horse lovers to Star Trek.
- Katharine Trendacosta asks what the hell is going on with Star Trek Discovery.
- French actress Yvonne Monlaur, who appeared in several Hammer horror films in the 1960s, has died aged 77.
Comments on Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2:
- Germain Lussier declares that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 tries to differentiate itself from its predecessor and still ends up being awesome.
- Chris Hewitt declares that James Gunn has done it again and created a sequel that keeps the focus on the characters, while pumping up the volume.
- Dave Schilling calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, a delightful sequel, but heavy on the daddy issues.
- Camestros Felapton calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, a light-hearted space opera about abusive parents.
- Haleigh Poutch declares that the greatest strength of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, is its genuine love for the characters.
- Terri Schwartz calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, fun but not quite as amazing as the first movie.
- Chris Nashawaty calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, good, but not quite up to the dizzying heights of the original.
- Brian Truitt calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, just short of magical.
- Todd McCarthy feels that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, fails to recapture the magic of the original.
- Eric Kohn calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, fun, but largely a retread of the original.
- Stephanie Zacharek declares that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 is not as awesome as it thinks it is.
- Tom Huddleston calls Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 fast, funny and frustratingly disjointed.
- Kate Erbland declares that James Gunn should make as many Guardians of the Galaxy sequels as he likes.
- Kate Erbland also offers a spoilery summary and explanation of all five post-credits scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.
Comments on the new season of Doctor Who:
- Emily Asher Perrin declares that Doctor Who returns to its roots for the premiere of season 10.
- Camestros Felapton reviews the Doctor Who episode "Smile".
- Ryan Mandelbaum reports that the Doctor himself a.k.a. actor Peter Capaldi was spotted at the London March for Science.
Comments on The Handmaid's Tale:
- James Poniewozik calls the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale a chilling nightmare.
- Madeline Davies declares that the misogynist future of The Handmaid's Tale feels terrifyingly within reach.
- Eric Deggans calls The Handmaid's Tale compelling and chilling.
- Beth Elderkin declares that The Handmaid's Tale starts strong, but then stumbles a little.
- Katharine Trendacosta declares that The Handmaid's Tale is a well-made show, but not revolutionary, but then it doesn't have to be.
- Sarah Jones views The Handmaid's Tale as a warning to conservative women.
- Christopher Douglas bemoans that the adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale ignores the racial dimensions included in the original novel.
- Patt Morrison interviews Margaret Atwood about the resurgence of The Handmaid's Tale and the upcoming adaptation.
- Audie Cornish interviews Elisabeth Moss and Samira Wiley, stars of The Handmaid's Tale.
- Natalie Zutter revisits the 1990 adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale.
Comments on American Gods:
- Katharine Trendacosta talks to Neil Gaiman about the TV adaptation of his novel American Gods and changes that were made.
- Evan Narcisse explains why you should read American Gods before watching the TV show.
- The Geekiary praises the diversity of American Gods.
- Leah Schnelbach declares that American Gods is now her favourite TV show.
- Leah Schnelbach reports what the showrunners of American Gods have said about their favourite deities and about bringing sex between gods to the screen.
Comments on Secret Empire and the revelations about Captain America:
- Andrew Dyce reports that Marvel's Secret Empire miniseries reveals that Captain America was always evil and a member of Hydra.
- Kieran Shiach also reports about the revelations regarding Captain America.
- Kieran Shiach also reports that comic store owners are not happy about Secret Empire and don't want to promote it.
- Teresa Jusino is infuriated that Marvel still insists that Captain America is and always was evil and a member of Hydra.
- Kaila Hale-Stern shares reactions to the latest revelations about Captain America.
- The Geekiary declares that Secret Empire sacrifices both the integrity of Captain America and potentially insults US veterans for shock value.
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2017 David Gemmell Legends Awards have been announced and may be voted upon here.
- The finalists for the 2017 Chesley Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced.
- The winners of the 15th annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the Spectrum 24 Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Tolkien Society Awards have been announced.
- Steve Stiles has replaced Alex Garner in the best fan artist category on the 2017 Hugo ballot.
- Voting is open for the 2017 Hugo Awards.
- Genevieve Burgess lifts the mystery behind the Hugo Award trophy briefly glimpsed (and used as a murder weapon) in an episode of the TV show Fargo.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Ursula K. Le Guin talks about message, meaning and writing.
- Bob Mayer shares eleven truths about making a living as a writer.
- Fran Wilde talks about shifting POVs between books in a series.
- C.A. Higgins talks about dealing with recalcitrant characters.
- Josh Bernoff shares 13 proofreading hacks based on the psychology of reading.
- John Scalzi shares ten things you don't know about authors on book tour.
Interviews:
- Kelly Prosen Hara interviews Mary Robinette Kowal.
- Chris Mahon interviews John Chu.
- Carrie Beth Wallace interviews Michael Bishop.
- Dag Rambraut interviews Sean Danker.
- Carl Slaughter interviews Jennifer Brozek.
- Carl Slaughter also interviews Kelli Fitzpatrick.
- Chris Mahon interviews Jeanne Cavelos.
- The Qwillery interviews T.M. Lakomy.
Reviews:
- Paul Weimer reviews The House of Binding Thorns by Aliette de Bodard.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews Everfair by Nisi Shawl.
- Alex Brown reviews Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus.
- Cheryl Morgan reviews Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer.
- Pauline M. Ross reviews Source-Breaker by Kyra Halland.
- Martin Cahill reviews Skullsworn by Brian Staveley.
- The Qwillery also reviews Skullsworn by Brian Staveley.
- Shane Douglas Keene reviews The Boy in the Earth by Fuminori Nakamura.
- Sam Reader reviews The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey.
- Ross Johnson reviews Hekla's Children by James Brogden.
- Sam Reader reviews Borne by Jeff VanderMeer.
- Niall Alexander also reviews Borne by Jeff VanderMeer.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Just Add Water by Hunter Shea.
- Carmen Maria Machado reviews The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch.
- Sam Reader reviews Walkaway by Cory Doctorow.
- Sam Reader also reviews Change Agent by Daniel Suarez.
Crowdfunding:
Con reports:
- Mike Glyer reports that Canadian comics artist Gisele Lagace has been turned back at the US/Canadian border in her way to the C2E2 convention in Chicago, Illinois.
- Bill Bodden weighs in on the controversy surrounding Odyssey Con in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Dino Ignacio shares photos of his daughter Harley dressed up as Jyn Erso and handing out the Death Star plans to every woman dressed as Leia at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Florida.
- Shara Tibken talks to Steve Wozniak about Silicon Valley Comic Con in San Jose, California.
- Jonathan Kesh shares a report as well as several photos of Silicon Valley Comic Con.
- Zara Stone shares some cosplay photos from Silicon Valley Comic Con.
- Ellen Datlow shares some photos of a reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Seth Dickinson and Laura Anne Gilman.
- Camestros Felapton reports about Ironfest 2017 in Lithgow, Australia, and shares some photos.
- Gail Carriger shares some photos from the Alaska Steamposium in Anchorage, Alaska.
- T.S. Paul reports about visiting the Smarter Artists Summit in Austin, Texas, and shares some photos of his trip.
Science and technology:
- Shades of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga: An artificial womb intended to help premature babies survive outside their mothers' bodies is being tested on lambs.
- Scientists have created the first composite image of dark matter.
- Black holes are bigger than previously thought.
- See photos of the James Webb Telescope.
- Plans to launch a manned mission to Mars will get nowhere without biotechnology.
- EVE Online players will now assist with the search for exoplanets.
- A South Korean Company is developing a giant manned robot to patrol the border between North and South Korea.
- Russia has developed an armed humanoid military robot.
- An important milestone has been reached on the way to switching on the world's largest X-ray laser.
- Lilium Jet, an electric flying car, has taken its first test flight.
- A Chinese company is developing self-piloting passenger drones.
Free online fiction:
- "The Awakening of Insects" by Bobby Sun.
- "Regarding Your Future With The Futures Planning Consortium" by Raq Winchester and Fran Wilde in Fireside Fiction.
- "But Only Because I Love You" by Molly Tanzer in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Someone to Watch Over Me" by Nancy Kress in Lightspeed.
- "Maybe Look Up" by Jess Barber in Lightspeed.
Odds and ends:
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