It's time again for our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with It, The Orville, the Emmys, LGBT speculative fiction, the harrassment of comic creators, the final voyage of Cassini, tributes to Harry Dean Stanton, Len Wein and Jerry Pournelle as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, awards news, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles and free online fiction.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Ethan Mills wonders what happened to far future science fiction.
- Camestros Felapton counters some attacks on Ursula K. Le Guin's work for her alleged lack of scientific knowledge.
- Will Collins takes a look at the inspirations behind Frank Herbert's Dune.
- Bogi Takacs shares their issues with mutants or magic users being used as analogies for marginalized groups in speculative fiction.
- Chris Barkley explains why race and ethnicity matter in speculative fiction.
- Julia Ember shares a list of LGBT black characters in Science fiction and fantasy.
- Catherine Lundoff talks about LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror in the 1980s.
- Laura Saxton explains what speculative fiction taught her about LGBT families.
- Liz Bourke wonders why books that cater to her particularly preferences are still relatively rare.
- David Auerbach takes a look at the science fictional roots of the far right.
- Jeff Somers shares his favourite more or less clandestine government agencies in science fiction and fantasy.
- Veronica Scott talks to readers of science fiction romance about their favourite series.
- Fran Wilde shares twelve completed SFF trilogies one can read straight through.
- Stephanie Burgis talks about alternate history.
- Mary Robinette Kowal looks at the genre mix of David D. Levine's Arabella novels.
- Ardi Alspach shares his favourite SFF novels featuring sailing ships flying through the air.
- Alex Brown shares his appreciation for the Shadowshaper series by Daniel José Older.
- Jeff LaSala shares his appreciation for The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien on its 80th anniversary.
- Eliza Anyangwe profiles Nnedi Okorafor.
- Michael R. Brown profiles Talbot Mundy.
- Brandon Sanderson remembers Robert Jordan on the tenth anniversary of his death.
- Fran Wilde shares her appreciation for the new US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, who has also written speculative poetry.
- Grady Hendrix discusses the history of the horror genre from the late 1960s to the 1990s.
- David Barnett discusses the endless adaptability of Philip K. Dick's fiction.
- Matthew Kressel explains why the 1982 Philip K. Dick adaption Blade Runner is more relevant than ever.
- Zoe Williams explains how The Handmaid's Tale changed television.
- Abigail Nussbaum shares her thoughts on Twin Peaks, both the original and the reboot.
- Marissa Martinelli explains how franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars manage to maintain their canon.
- Felicity Dahl, widow of Roald Dahl, reveals that the character of Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was originally supposed to be black.
- Ryan Parker reports that Superman has joined the fight against white supremacists and is protecting undocumented immigrants in the latest issue of Action Comics.
- Aimee Lutkin reports that Netflix has banned an episode of the animated children's series Maja the Bee, because someone spotted a penis in the background art.
- Horror artist Basil Gogos died aged 78.
- Translator Haiyan Xu a.k.a. denovo who translated many English language science fiction novels into Chinese died in a diving accident.
Comments on It:
- Stina Leicht shares her thoughts on It, the film adaptation of Stephen King's eponymous novel.
- Rick Williamson shares his thoughts on It.
- Patrick Shanley and Pete Keeley discuss whether It is the scariest Stephen King adaptation ever.
- Cassam Looch explains how the influence of television is harming cinema and uses the new version of It as an example.
- James Mullinger explores the real locations in Maine on which the fictional ones in It were based.
Comments on The Orville:
- Nick Mangione declares that The Orville could be something special, if it ever gets off the ground, and also considers the second episode an improvement over the first.
- Martin Carr reviews episode 2 of The Orville.
- Katharine Trendacosta offers up five science fiction comedies that succeed where The Orville fails.
- Andrew Auger reports that in spite of the mixed reviews, The Orville is a massive ratings success.
Comments on the harrassment of comic creators:
- Rich Johnston reports how Aubrey Sitterson, writer of the G.I. Joe comic, was harrassed after criticising the ritualized rememberance of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- Jude Terror reports that one of those behind the harrassing of Aubrey Sitterson is a YouTube channel and Twitter account that has also harrassed numerous other comic creators.
- Rich Johnston also reports that the person behind the harrassing YouTube channel has been outed and that veteran comic creator Mark Waid is planning to have a talk with them.
Tributes to Harry Dean Stanton:
- Actor Harry Dean Stanton, best remembered for Alien, Twin Peaks, Repo Man, Escape from New York, Red Dawn and Paris, Texas, has died aged 91.
- Anita Gates shares an obituary of Harry Dean Stanton.
- Germain Lussier remembers Harry Dean Stanton.
Tributes to Len Wein and Jerry Pournelle:
- Longtime X-Men writer Chris Claremont remembers Len Wein.
- Len Wein's widow Christine Valada explains how Wein's lifelong health problems influenced the characters he created.
- Neil Genzlinger shares an obituary of Jerry Pournelle.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced and quite a few of them are genre shows.
- The winners of the 2017 Elgin Awards have been announced.
- The recipient of the 2017 Forry Award has been announced.
- The winner of the 2017 Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize has been announced.
- The winner of the 2017 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize has been announced.
- Detailed information about the finalists for the 1956 Hugo Awards has resurfaced after more than sixty years.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Ursula K. Le Guin talks about writing the Hainish novels and stories.
- Katherine Kerr talks about writing sagas, series and long books.
- Malka Older talks about writing political science fiction by observing the present.
- Joseph Brassey talks about keeping the fun in science fiction.
- Alix Adale talks about worldbuilding in paranormal romance.
- Brian Burt talks about creating alien worlds.
- Joyce Chng talks about the role of food in her fiction.
- Alex R. Kahler shares some advice for creating villains.
- Standout Books shares J.K. Rowling's writing tips.
- Font Folly shares some writing advice.
- Natasha Bhattarcharya shares some hacks for dealing with blocked creativity.
- James Prescott explains how perfectionism wrecks our creativity and how to avoid it.
- James Prescott also explains how being vulnerable in your art can set you free.
- Vico Bisotti asks whether writers should write about difficult personal experiences and events.
- Simon Lund Larsen talks about story structure.
- Crissi Langwell shares some tips for writing a novel fast.
Interviews:
- Andrew Liptak interviews Martha Wells.
- Lenika Cruz interviews Marjorie M. Liu.
- Brigid Alverson interviews Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda.
- Andrew Liptak interviews Ruthanna Emrys.
- Joe Sherry interviews Jonathan Strahan.
- Farid Ul-Haq interviews Kevin Klehr.
- Farid Ul-Haq also interviews Mel Gough.
- The Speculative Poetry Association interviews Bryan D. Dietrich.
- SyFy Wire interviews Felicia Day.
- Brigid Alverson interviews Yumi Sukimune.
- Arnie Fenner interviews John Fleskes.
Reviews:
- Joe Sherry reviews Provenance by Ann Leckie.
- Lady Business reviews The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley.
- Camestros Felapton reviews A Song for Quiet by Cassandra Khaw.
- Amal El-Mohtar reviews Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older.
- Jeff Somers reviews The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter.
- Sam Reader reviews Clade by James Bradley.
- Aidee Campa reviews Burn For Me and White Hot by Ilona Andrews.
- Sarah Wendell reviews Speaker of the Lost by Clara Coulson.
- Kevin Burton Smith reviews Hell's Detective by Michael Logan.
- Elsa Sjunneson-Henry reviews An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard.
- Mark Yon reviews The Lazarus Gate by Mark A. Latham.
- Niall Alexander reviews Release by Patrick Ness.
- Brit Mandelo reviews Autonomous by Annalee Newitz.
- Amal El-Mohtar also reviews Autonomous by Annalee Newitz.
- Martin Cahill reviews Null States by Malka Older.
- Liz Bourke also reviews Null States by Malka Older.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke.
Crowdfunding:
- Volume 3 of the Long List Anthology, edited by David Steffen, is looking for funding.
- Scholar Farah Medlesohn is looking for funding to publish her massive critical study of the writings of Robert A. Heinlein.
- A deluxe hardcover edition of Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea by Mike Mignola and Gary Gianni is looking for funding.
- Fireside Fiction has a Hurricane Relief Bookstore, where all profits go to hurricane relief for the victims of Harvey and Irma.
Con reports:
- Charon Dunn shares her experiences at as well as some photos of San Francisco Comic Con.
- Anaea Lay shares her somewhat troubled adventures travelling to WorldCon 75 in Helsinki, Finland.
- William Lampkin shares a report about as well as several photos of Pulpfest 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Ron Fortier reports about Pulpfest 2017 and shares several photos.
- Walker Martin also reports about Pulpfest 2017 and shares several photos.
- Tara Lynne reports about the "Game of Toxic Masculinity" panel at Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Trae Dorn reports that Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon, is taking a firmer stance against Nazi cosplay.
- Laura Tegan Gjovaag reports about Adam West Day, held in honour of the late Batman actor in Walla Walla, Washington, and shares several photos.
- Steven Morris reports about the exhibition "Terry Pratchett: His World" in Salisbury, UK.
- Mark L. Blackman reports about a performances of a play based on Ray Bradbury's 1948 novella Pillar of Fire at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City.
Science and technology:
- Remembering the space probe Cassini's mission to Saturn.
- A chronicle of the Cassini mission.
- Cassini's final hours.
- See the last photo Cassini sent back to Earth.
- How smart robots on the moon could supply the Earth with energy.
Free online fiction:
- "Carnival Nine" by Caroline M. Yoachim in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Ghost Town" by Malinda Lo in Uncanny Magazine.
- "Carthago Delenda Est" by Genevieve Valentine in Lightspeed.
- "A Pound of Darkness, a Quarter of Dreams" by Tony Ballantyne in Lightspeed.
- "The Salt Debt" by J.B. Rockwell in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Crossing" by A.C. Wise in Podcastle.
- "Hyddwen" by Heather Rose Jones in Podcastle.
- "Papa Jumbie" by Joanne C. Hillhouse at Akashic Books.
- "A Cry in the Dark" by Scott D. Marmorstein.
Odds and ends:
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