It's time again for our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery, Thor: Ragnarok, Inhumans, Justice League, The Punisher, The Orville, Oathbringer, Artemis, sexual harrassment in the entertainment industry, black speculative fiction, a controversy surrounding Windycon 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:
- Jatan Mehta attempts to answer the question why we need science fiction.
- Jenn Northington talks about parenthood in science fiction and fantasy.
- Tobias Carroll shares five books exploring questions of memory and identity.
- Jeff Somers shares ten science fiction novels for math geeks.
- The Tor.com staff share their favourite scientists, inventors and mathematicians in science fiction and fantasy.
- Emily Martin shares nine novels for superhero fans.
- Aliza Polkes shares ten books for fans of The X-Files.
- Andy Weir shares his six favourite science fiction novels.
- Andy Weir also talks about how he created the lunar city where his latest novel Artemis is set.
- Adrian Tchaikovsky talks about creating the future world where his latest novel Ironclads is set.
- Sarah Tolf chronicles Kurt Vonnegut's love-hate relationship with science fiction.
- B.J. Hollars shares their appreciation for Ray Bradbury and his works.
- Kim Huett poders the pseudonym of science fiction author Paul Linebarger a.k.a. Cordwainer Smith.
- Doris V. Sutherland revisits Armageddon 2419 A.D. and Airlords of the Han, the first two Buck Rogers novels by Philip Francis Nowlan, first published in 1928/29.
- Liz Ziemska shares her appreciation for the 1988 novel The Eight by Katherine Neville.
- Shana DuBois shares her appreciation for Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle.
- Matthew Keeley shares his appreciation for the works of Gene Wolfe.
- Kate Whitehead profiles Ken Liu.
- James Davis Nicoll talks about deliberate choosing to read more science fiction and fantasy by women writers.
- Anna Maria Tremonti explains how black and indigenous artists are using science fiction to imagine a better future.
- Ashley Nkadi shares a guide to science fiction and fantasy written by black people for black people.
- Balogun Oyetade talks about portal fantasy in black speculative fiction.
- S.A. Chakraborty shares five books that take you on a trip to the medieval Middle East and that are not One Thousand and One Nights.
- Richard Littauer discusses imagined botany in fantasy.
- Doctor Science explains why she requires maps in fantasy novels.
- Fonda Lee talks about epic fantasy that goes beyond medieval European settings.
- Janet Webb takes a look at the futuristic technology in J.D. Robb's In Death series and wonder how close it is to reality.
- Eleanor Bley Griffith and Dr. Iean Pearson discuss whether the technical and scientific innovations seen in science fiction shows like Westworld and Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams are possible.
- Yorgo Lee talks about artificial intelligence in science fiction movies.
- S.J. Kincaid talks about the portrayel of religion in science fiction television.
- Oren Ashkenazi shares five SFF franchises that violate their own conceits.
- Ben Child wonders whether the failure of Blade Runner 2049 at the box office has killed off the smart science fiction blockbuster.
- Cynthia Littleton reports that Disney has announced a new Star Wars trilogy helmed by Rian Johnson as well as a live action TV series set in the Star Wars universe.
- Damien Walter wonders whether Disney will remake the lackluster Star Wars prequels.
- Leah Schnelbach revisits Steven Spielberg's 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind for its fortieth anniversary.
- Michael Livingston revisits the 1985 movie Ladyhawke with a particular eye for historical accuracy.
- Natalie Wilson explain what zombie movies say about resisting racism.
- Margaret Atwood remembers her career as a cartoonist in the 1970s.
- Adi Robertson reports that the legendary science fiction magazine Omni is officially available in print form again.
- Huw Fullerton chronicles all the changes made to the TARDIS for the upcoming season of Doctor Who.
- Bookseller and longtime fan Lou Donato died aged 77.
- Woody Bernardi remembers Lou Donato.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery (and The Orville):
- Graeme Virtue asks if Star Trek Discovery has been a voyage worth taking following the mid season finale.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Star Trek Discovery gave the viewers a perfect cliffhanger for the mid season finale.
- Katharine Trendacosta calls episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery a great climax to a show we never got.
- Bridget McKinney also declares that episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery was a strong finale for a totally different show than the one we have been watching.
- Emily Asher-Perrin praises how episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery handled the issue of male survivors of sexual assault.
- Laura Hudson also praises how Star Trek Discovery handles the issue of male survivors of sexual assault.
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Keith De Candido shares his thoughts about episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Angel Wilson shares her thoughts on episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Camestros Felapton shares their thoughts on episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Camestros Felapton also attempts to analyse what went wrong with Star Trek Discovery.
- Beth Elderkin wonders about a potential plot hole in the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
- Bridget McKinney calls episode 8 of Star Trek Discovery a bunch of nonsense.
- Ethan Siegler shares his thoughts on episode 8 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on episode 8 of Star Trek Discovery and suggest some tweaks to the narrative that might have made for a better show.
- Thomas Ling discusses the philosophical questions Star Trek has tackled over time.
- Meanwhile, Alasdair Stuart praises the other Star Trek inspired show currently on television, The Orville.
- Shaun Duke calls Thor Ragnarok the amazing Technicolor Marvel universe.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw explains why Thor Ragnarok is more political than it seems on the surface.
- Talynn Kel wonders whether Thor Ragnarok is a subversive takedown of white supremacy.
- Briana L. Urena-Ravelo views Thor Ragnarok through a postcolonial lens.
- James Whitbrook declares that the fact that a scene confirming Valkyrie's bisexuality was cut from Thor Ragnarok shows that superhero movies still have a long way to go with regards to LGBT representation.
- Nicole Sobon reports that the first Thor film was Marvel's biggest challenge to date according to director Kenneth Branagh and producer Kevin Feige.
Comments on Inhumans:
- Justin Carter declares that the much maligned Marvel superhero show Inhumans was actually better than it got credit for.
- Renaldo Matadeen declares that Inhumans' biggest failure was that it lacked a true sense of family.
- James Whitbrook shares everything that happened in Inhumans for those whose stopped watching early.
- Anthony Cuoto reports that Inhumans' rating were so low that they even affected the popular program 20/20, which aired directly afterwards.
Comments on Justice League:
- Germain Lussier claims that Justice League is not great, but sets up things to come.
- Manohla Dargis points out that Justice League is at least better than Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice.
- Chris Nashawaty points out that Justice League is not nearly as good as Wonder Woman either.
- Owen Gleiberman calls Justice League an act of franchise penance.
- Eric Kohn calls Justice League an Avengers wannabe.
- Pete Hammond declares that Justice League proves that more superheroes does not necessarily mean a better film.
- Katie Walsh declares that the protagonists of Justice League are not so much superheroes but superzeroes.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Justice League boring and dull.
- Todd McCarthy calls Justice League a chore to sit through.
- Alyssa Rosenberg declares that everybody involved in Justice League and everybody who watches it deserves better.
- Scott Meslow declares that Justice League's greatest sin is that it wastes its actors.
- Justin Carter declares that Justice League needs to prove that Cyborg is an A-list hero.
- Jacob Hill wonders how much of Justice League is Joss Whedon's work.
- An in-depth look at the cinematography of Justice League.
- Tom Bondurant explains the significance of the red sky in parts of Justice League.
- Beth Elderkin reports how difficult filming Justice League while pregnant was for actress Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman.
- Ashley Boucher reports about a controversy surrounding the costume design for the Amazons in Justice League compared to Wonder Woman.
Comments on The Punisher:
- David Betancourt declares that The Punisher finally gets the character right.
- Kevin Melrose declares that The Punisher is not about violence, but about loss.
- Darren Franish calls The Punisher sensitive, thoughtful and boring.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls The Punisher dull and politically flawed.
- Liz Shannon Miller declares that The Punisher fails to find a spark.
- Nick Venable calls The Punisher Marvel's best TV show yet.
- Merrill Barr agrees that The Punisher is Marvel's best show yet.
- Alan Sepinwall calls The Punisher the wrong show at the wrong time.
- Sonia Saraiya declares that Jon Bernthal is perfectly cast as Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher.
- Chris Cabin praises the performance of Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher.
Discussions of sexual harrassment in the entertainment industry:
- Actress Ellen Page reports how director Brett Ratner subjected her to verbal homophobic abuse on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand, when Page was 18 years old, and also discusses other instances of sexual harrassment she endured.
- Actress Anna Paquin corroborates Ellen Page's statement that she was harrassed by Brett Ratner.
- Whitney Kimball reports that Gal Gadot has refused to play Wonder Woman again unless Warner Brothers cuts ties with director Brett Ratner.
- Laura Bradley reports that Brett Ratner has been removed from the Wonder Woman sequel.
- Model and actor Scott R. Brunton has accused George Takei of sexual harrassment.
- George Takei denies the allegations of Scott R. Brunton.
- Andrew Kreisberg, producer and showrunner of the DC superhero shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, has been suspended over allegations of sexual harrassment.
- Actresses Melissa Benoist from Supergirl and Emily Bett Rickards from Arrow respond to the allegations against Andrew Kreisberg.
- Actor Stephen Amell from Arrow responds to the allegations against Andrew Kreisberg.
- Actor Grant Gustin from The Flash responds to the allegations against Andrew Kreisberg.
- Whitney Kimball reports that actress Allison Mack, best known for her role in Smallville, has been recruiting members for the slave sex cult DOS.
- Jessica Testa, Tyler Kingkade and Jay Edidin report about sexual harrassment allegations against DC Comics editor Eddie Berganza.
- Jessica Testa and Tyler Kingkade report that DC Comics has fired Eddie Berganza.
- The Bookseller reports that sexual harrassment is widespread in the publishing industry.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2017 Nommo Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Prix de l'Uchronie have been announced.
- The final round nominees of the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
- Nominations are open for the 2017 Nebula Awards.
- Nominations are open for the 2018 Dragon Awards.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Srinivas Rao explains why you should always carry a notebook.
- Wendy Van Camp shares three steps of intuitive writing.
- David Safford shares three reasons why you shouldn't quite NaNoWriMo.
- Louise Foerster shares some tips for growing a story.
- Louise Foerster also advises writers to write the end before the beginning.
- Bre Miche talks about writing in deep POV.
- Django Wexler explains why killing your protagonists is overrated.
- Emily Littlejohn explains how to use the weather to enhance your setting.
- Chris Winkle shares some tips for streamlining your story.
- Fonda Lee explains that there is more to worldbuilding than creating magic systems.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch reminds writers that no one reads the book they think they have written.
- Chris Lough and Leah Schnelbach remind writers that there is life and publication after 30 and that many extremely well known writers started in their 30s, 40s or even 50s.
Interviews:
- Lisa O'Kelly interviews Philip Pullman.
- Katharine Trendacosta interviews Tamora Pierce.
- Liz Bourke interviews Vivian Shaw.
- Andrea Johnson interviews S.B. Divya.
- Lady Business interviews S.A. Chakraborty.
- Alex Puncekar interviews Ashok K. Banker.
- Julia Rios and Paul Weimer interview Ken Liu.
- Aidan Moher interviews Brandon Sanderson.
- Scott Simon interviews Andy Weir.
- The Qwillery interviews Tracy Townsend.
- Marion Deeds also interviews Tracy Townsend.
- Farid Ul-Haq interviews Louise S. Thomas.
- Robert Siegel interviews Henry Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar.
Reviews:
- Liz Bourke reviews Valiant Dust by Richard Baker.
- Liz Bourke also reviews Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers.
- Sam Reader reviews Dark Deeds by Mike Brooks.
- Deborah Kehoe reviews Rituals by Kelley Armstrong.
- Natalie Zutter reviews The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera.
- Liz Bourke also reviews An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Jade City by Fonda Lee.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty.
- Mahvesh Murad also reviews The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty.
- Corrina Lawson reviews the anthology New York Fantastic, edited by Paula Guran.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant.
- Meghan Harker reviews The Eterna Solution by Leanna Renee Hieber.
- Matt Mitrovich reviews All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai.
- Mark Yon reviews Artemis by Andy Weir.
- Niall Alexander reviews Artemis by Andy Weir.
- Ardi Alspach reviews Artemis by Andy Weir.
- For Winter Nights reviews Artemis by Andy Weir.
- Liz Jensen reviews America City by Chris Beckett.
- Sam Reader reviews The Red Man by Matthew de Abaitua.
- David Cranmer reviews The Savage by Frank Bill.
- Aidan Moher reviews Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
- Martin Cahill reviews Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
- Alice Arneson reviews Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
- Tara Lynne reviews The Seventh Decimate by Stephen R. Donaldson.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford.
- Bill Capossere reviews Deadhouse Landing by Ian C. Esslemont.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Extinction War by Nicholas Sansbury Smith.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews Overneath by Peter S. Beagle.
- Michael Carlisle reviews Mandelbrot the Magnificent by Liz Ziemska.
- Smart Bitches, Trashy Books reviews Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo.
Crowdfunding:
- Marc and Elaine Zircee, screenwriters for many science fiction and fantasy TV shows, is looking for funding for his new series Space Command Redemption.
- Scintillation, a new science fiction convention in Montreal, Canada, is looking for funding.
Con reports:
- Chris Barkley reports about a controversy caused by an unfortunately worded panel title at Windycon in Lombard, Illinois.
- Mari Brighe shares a statement about the Windycon controversy.
- Jim C. Hines weighs in on the Windycon controversy.
- Daniel Gunderson, chairperson of Windycon, apologises for the unfortunate panel title.
- David Doering reports about the launch party for Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson in Provo, Utah.
- Mark Swed reports about a performance of the opera War of the Worlds by Annie Gosfield, based on the eponymous radio play by Orson Welles based on the novel by H.G. Wells, in Los Angeles, California.
- The Geekiary shares the best cosplay photos from Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia.
- James Bacon reports about an exhibition of comic art by Bryan Talbot in London, UK.
Science and technology:
- Brandon Weigel talks about terraforming Mars.
- Loren Grush reports that a potentially habitable Earth-sized planet has been detected in orbit around Proxima Centauri.
- Ross Andersen wonders what will happen if China makes first contact.
- Paul Rincon reports about a "zombie" star that went supernova and survived.
- Jatan Mehta asks if galactic empires are possible.
- Benjamin Breen wonders what 17th century food tastes like.
Free online fiction:
- "An Unexpected Boon" by S.B. Divya in Apex Magazine.
- "Sunwake, in the Lands of Teeth" by Juliette Wade in Clarkesworld.
- "A Wound Like an Unplowed Field" by Max Wynne in Lightspeed.
- "The Old Bird" by J.M. Williams at Akashic Books.
- "Alice and Bob" by Philip Raines and Harvey Wells in Lightspeed.
- "Setting the Record Straight" by Susan Cornford at Akashic Books.
Odds and ends:
- Watch a trailer for The Last Jedi.
- Watch a trailer for The Shape of Water.
- Watch a teaser for Deadpool 2.
- Watch a trailer for season 5 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Watch another trailer for season 5 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Watch a trailer for Rampage.
- Watch a trailer for The Crimes of Grindelwald.
- Watch a trailer for Coco.
- Watch a little boy befriend a monster in a cute Christmas commercial for the British department store chain John Lewis.
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