Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 22, 2018

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars in general, The Handmaid's Tale, Luke Cage, Cloak and Dagger, Hereditary,  Incredibles 2, the future of Star Trek, the rescue of Lucifer, allegations against Chris Hardwick, diversity in publishing as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles, free online fiction and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• The Tor.com reviewers list their best books of 2018 to date.
• John DeNardo shares new and notable science fiction and fantasy novels. 
• James Davis Nicoll continues his overview of woman SFF writers of the 1970s. 
• Veronica Scott shares science fiction romance reads for summer.
• S.E. Fleenor takes a look at science fiction and fantasy novels that go beyond binary gender.
• Siobhan Adcock shares five books about motherhood in dystopia.
• C.L. Polk shares five science fiction books where art matters. 
• Gautham Shenoy shares five essential science fiction anthologies to read.
• Mary Robinette Kowal talks about the responsibility of narratives. 
• The Economist explains why Turkish students are turning to science fiction. 
• Joachim Boaz shares a list of science fiction novels and short stories about immortality.
• Jeff Somers shares ten science fiction and fantasy books inspired by the tarot.
• Mckayla Eaton talks about fantasy in translation. 
• Beth Elderkin shares the centuries old history of cliffhangers.
• Carsten Stroud shares seven classic supernatural thrillers.
• Genevieve Valentine takes a look at the enduring appeal of Frankenstein on the novel's 200th anniversary. 
• Oscar de Muriel explains how forensic science, the Jack the Ripper case and MacBeth influenced Bram Stoker's horror classic Dracula.  
• Nicholas Barber asks if horror is the most disrespected genre. 
• Stuart Kelly reports that Elon Musk blatantly misunderstands the Culture novels by Iain M. Banks.
• Damien Walter asks people to please stop confusing Joseph Campbell and Jordan Peterson.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 4 premiere of the TV show 12 Monkeys.
• Paul Levinson also shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Humans. 
• Violet Allen shares her thoughts on the TV adaptation of Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon. 
• Echo Ishii revisits the 1971/1972 British SFF TV series Ace of Wands.
• Jim Chory, co-head of Marvel Television, has left his post.

Comments on season 2 of Luke Cage: 

• Kevin Melrose calls season 2 of Luke Cage the rare sequel that outshines the original.
• Danette Chavez also calls season 2 of Luke Cage the first Marvel show to top its first season.
• Baraka Kaseko and Danette Chavez share everything to remember before watching season 2 of Luke Cage. 
• Mike Fugere ranks every season of every Marvel Netflix series according to criticial reception.
• Watch a featurette about the music of Luke Cage.
  

Comments on The Handmaid's Tale: 

• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale. 
• Alison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
• Laura Adamczyk, Gwen Ihnat and Caitlin Penzey Moog find the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale with its scenes of parent-child separations eerily timely.
• Julia Raeside shares her thoughts on episode 4 of season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale.
• Julia Raeside also shares her thoughts on episode 5 of The Handmaid's Tale.
• Cheryl Eddy declares that Serena Joy is the most infuriating and intriguing character in The Handmaid's Tale.
  

Comments on Cloak and Dagger: 

• Samantha Nelson calls Cloak and Dagger a standout among superhero shows. 
• Keith DeCandido compares the Cloak and Dagger TV series to the original comics. 
• Meagan Damore interviews Andrea Roth who plays Melissa Bowen in Cloak and Dagger.
  

Comments on Hereditary:

• Natalie Zutter calls Hereditary the rare horror film that feels oh so human.
• Peter Foy shares his thoughts on the horror film Hereditary. 
• Charles Gant reports that Hereditary takes advantage of the World Cup induced dearth of big Hollywood blockbusters. 

Comments on Incredibles 2: 

• Leah Schnelbach calls Incredibles 2 a great action movie with an even greater message.
• Veronica Lewis points out that a strobe light sequences in Incredibles 2 can trigger seizures, migraines and a host of other health issues.
• Anne Victoria Clark points out that Incredibles 2 now comes with a warning, after several viewers complained about strobe light effects, which can trigger seizures and migraines.
• Alexandra August shares the best Easter eggs and references in Incredibles 2.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore explains that there is a good reason why Incredibles 2 is so similar to the first film.
• Frank Pallotta reports that Incredibles 2 has broken the box office record for an animated film.
  

Comments on Solo and Star Wars in general:

• Emily Asher-Perrin declares that Star Wars can survive its cinematic universe by doing what it already does best.
• Joshua Rothman comments on the growing emptiness of the Star Wars universe.
• Amy Erica Smith explains why Solo: A Star Wars Story shows that the Empire is a very weak state. 
• M.G. Siegler talks about the underlying problem with Solo: A Star Wars Story.
• Sarah Jeong talks about inadequate women's healthcare in the Star Wars prequels and how this helped to bring about the fall of the Old Republic. 
• Patrick S. Tomlinson explains why the Ewoks are science fiction's deadliest warriors.
• Germain Lussier reports that a group of disgruntled fans is planning to remake The Last Jedi.
• Timothy the Talking Cat has a not entirely serious proposal to remake The Last Jedi.

The past and future of Star Trek: 

• Beth Elderkin reports that Star Trek Discovery's best episode only happened because of budget constraints.
• Lesley Goldberg reports that Star Trek: Discovery is changing showrunners yet again. 
• Joe Otterson reports that new Star Trek Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman has been given a five year contract and is supposed to develop several spin-off series. 
• Dianca London talks about how a shared love for Star Trek brought her closer to her father.  

Allegations against Chris Hardwick:

• Actress Chloe Dykstra accuses her ex-boyfriend, Nerdist founder Chris Hardwick of abuse.
• Patrick Hipes reports that Chris Hardwick's name has been removed from Nerdist, the website he founded, following the allegations of abuse.
• Angel Wilson declares that San Diego Comic Con has a problem following abuse allegations against Chris Hardwick, who frequently hosts events there.
• Julie Muncy reports that Chris Hardwick has also been pulled from AMC and from San Diego Comic Con's programming.
• Renaldo Matadeen reports that NBC is still considering what to do about the game show The Wall which Chris Hardwick hosts. 
• Renaldo Matadeen reports that Chris Hardwick has responded to Chloe Dykstra's abuse allegations and denies everything.
• Anne Victoria Clark reports that Patty Hearst, mother-in-law of Chris Hardwick, has come to his defence on Twitter.
  

Comments on the rescue of Lucifer from cancellation:

• Bryn Elise Sandberg and Lesley Goldberg report that the cancelled TV drama Lucifer has been pikced up by Netflix.
• Denise Petski share the reaction of the Lucifer cast and crew to hearing that their show has been saved.
• Angel Wilson talks about the TV cancellation season that wasn't.
  

The debate about diversity in publishing:

• Lionel Shriver is bothered by a diversity initiative of publisher Penguin Random House UK. 
• Stella Duffy responds to Lionel Shriver.  
• Hanif Kureishi responds to Lionel Shriver.
• Chitra Ramaswamy responds to Lionel Shriver.
• David Barnett reports that Lionel Shriver has been removed from the jury of a writing competition run by Mslexia magazine following her problematic remarks.
• Alison Flood reports that Lionel Shriver has responded to her critics and accuses them of malicious misinterpretation.

Awards:

• The winners of the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards have been announced. 
• The nominees for the 2018 TCA Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 Origins Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids Comics has been announced.
• The recipients of the Speculative Literature Foundation's 2018 Older Writer Grants have been announced. 
• Voting is open for the Year's Best Military and Adventure SF Readers' Choice Award. 
• Cheryl Morgan discusses a proposal to create a new Hugo award for best translated work.
• Jo Van Ekeren explains how to create a new Hugo category.
• At File 770, JJ lists the contents of the Hugo voters' packet.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• The Puppet Show shares seven tips to create tension in your story.
• G.W. Thomas shares some writing tips from the pulps. 
• Wendy Van Camp shares better blogging topics for authors.
• Ethan Siegel shares the five most important rules for scientists who write about science.
• Lauren Sapala shares the real reason so many writers hate marketing. 
• Brian Dean shares seventeen actionable list building strategies. 

Interviews:

• Ceridwen Christensen interviews Yoon Ha Lee.
• Sierra Jackson interviews Andrea K. Höst.
• Paul Weimer interviews K.D. Edwards.
• Jeffrey Bruner interviews Hugh Howey. 
• Dianne Gardner interviews Clay Gilbert.
• The Qwillery interviews Todd McAulty. 
• The Qwillery interviews Michael Rutger. 
• Dave Richards interviews Ed Brubaker.  

Reviews:

• Ceridwen Christensen reviews Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. 
• Ross Johnson reviews Gate Crashers by Patrick S. Tomlinson.
• Library Comic reviews All Systems Red by Martha Wells. 
• Meghan Ball reviews Witchmark by C.L. Polk. 
• Alex Brown reviews Witchmak by C.L. Polk.
• Bill Capossere reviews Time Was by Ian McDonald. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.
• The Fantasy Café reviews Jade City by Fonda Lee. 
• Shannon Dyer reviews Ocean Light by Nalini Singh.
• Kat Hooper reviews The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells. 
• Liz Bourke reviews Furyborn by Claire Legrand and City of Strife by Claudie Arsenault. 
• Becca Evans reviews Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Blood's a Rover by Harlan Ellison.
• Bill Capossere reviews A Shadow of All Light by Fred Chappell. 
• Aidan Moher reviews The Skaar Invasion by Terry Brooks. 
• The Qwillery reviews Torn by Rowenna Miller.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Annex by Rich Larson. 
• Ian Mond reviews Gnomon by Nick Harkaway.
  
• For Winter Nights reviews Shelter by Dave Hutchinson. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Reign of the Departed by Greg Keyes.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews How To Stop Time by Matt Haig.
• Colleen Mondor reviews Meet Me in the Strange by Leander Watts. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Taty Went West by Nikhil Singh. 
• Roger Luckhurst reviews Frankenstein in Bagdhad by Ahmed Saadawi.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Kill Creek by Scott Thomas.
• Michael Patrick Hicks also reviews The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Translating Feminisms, a project to translate poetry chapbooks from across Asia. is looking for funding. 
• Comic creators Leah Moore and John Reppion need some help after Leah Moore sustained a brain injury and required surgery.
• Billy Martin a.k.a. Poppy Z. Brite needs some help to renovate their mother's house in New Orleans.
  

Con reports:

• George Hall reports about a perforrmance of the chamber opera To See the Invisible by Emily Howard, based on a story by Robert Silverberg, in Aldeburgh, UK.
  

Science and technology:

• Genelle Weule reports that astronomers have captured an image of massive radio jets emitted as a black hole rips apart a distant star. 
• Ryan Smith reports that the earliest satellite images of the Moon were much better than anybody realised and that they are being restored. 
• Ethan Siegel explains how mass curves spacetime.
• Allison P. Davis explains what she learned on her date with a sex robot.
• Geoff Drumfiel and David Welna report that Donald Trump has called for the establishment of a US Space Force. 
• Patrick Barkham reports that cocaine traces in rivers are harming an endangered species of eels.
• George Dvorsky reports that Koko the Gorilla, famous for learning sign language, has died aged 46. 
• Watch a video simulation of a flight across the dunes of Mars.
  

Free online fiction:

• "A Pilgrim's Guide to the Lighthouse of Quvenle the Seer" by Lina Rather in Lightspeed.
• "The Diamond Girl" by Courtney Bird in Lightspeed.
• "The Cook" by C.L. Clark in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "The Sweetness of Honey and Rot" by A. Merc Rustad in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Three Dandelion Stars" by Jordan Kurella in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Heron of Earth" by Vajra Chandrasekera in Clarkesworld.
• "Recoveries" by Susan Palwick at Tor.com.
• "What Remains" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Notes of an Undead Son" by John Vercher at Akashic Books.  
• "Homunculus" by Stephen Lawson at Baen.com.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
• Watch episode 1 of Automata, a 1930s set retro science fiction web series.