Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 3, 2018

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the firing of James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3,  Ant-Man and the Wasp, Titans, Extinction, Castle Rock, Sorry to Bother You, the latest from San Diego Comic Con, the latest on the WorldCon 76 programing uproar 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:

• James Davis Nicoll continues his overview of forgotten women science fiction and fantasy writers of the 1970s.
• Jason Kehe talks about the rise of the science fiction novella.
• James Davis Nicoll remembers the time when ramjets ruled science fiction.
• Camestros Felapton explains how to travel faster than light.
• Jeff Somers shares fifteen science fiction and fantasy novels that began their life as short stories. 
• Adrian Tchaikovsky shares eight books about space colonisation.
• Sjón shares their top ten artificial humans from science fiction and fantasy. 
• Thoraiya Dyer shares eight SFF books about fictional forests. 
• Nicole Hill shares five science fiction and fantasy parodies that can stand on their own.
• Jenn Lyons shares five books about ridiculously powerful wizards. 
• Jill Grunenwald shares five reasons Harry Potter should have been a Slytherin.
• Charlotte Ahlin shares the fifteen most frequently abandoned books.
• James Lovegrove lists all the times Sherlock Holmes faced the supernatural.  
• Alan Brown revisits Stephen Baxter's 1997 science fiction collection Vacuum Diagrams.
• Tara John profiles Nnedi Okorafor.
• N.K. Jemisin explains why bigots are not very good writers.  
• Ian Allen talks about obscure (and very badly written) white supremacist science fiction and how it may have influenced the Trump administration.
• Tom Toner wonders whether a lost dinosaur civilisation could ever have existed and explains why he wrote a book about it. 
• Jason Rhode shares his ten favourite Alan Moore comics. 
• Mike Fugere declares that the new Mr. & Mrs. X series finally gives fans the X-Men wedding they deserve (spoilers). 
• Margaret Stohl explains who Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel is.
• Hannah Collins declares that the backlash over the new design of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is why girls cannot have nice things.
• Ethan Siegel asks which, if any, movies get the science of time travel right.
• Peter Bradshaw calls the film Sicilian Ghost Story a stylish combination of crime drama and fantasy romance.  
• Germain Lussier feels that the dystopian movie The Darkest Minds is a bad adaptation of the eponymous book.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the New Zealand TV series Wellington Paranormal.
• Lanre Bakare discusses the boom/bust cycle of TV shows and why must-watch shows are passé a few seasons later. 
• Lauren Oyler explains why it is so problematic to call certain books, movies, TV shows, etc... necessary and important. 
• The cast for Star Wars: Episode IX has been announced.
• Ian Cardona shares Fox chairperson Dana Walden's explanation why the TV show Lucifer was cancelled.
• Daniel Holloway reports that the cancelled TV series Timeless will get a two-part finale.
• Jennifer Maas reports that former Doctor Who and Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat will produce a series based on Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife. 
• Eriq Gardner reports about a lawsuit surrounding the rights to Buck Rogers.
• John Bowden reports that the police appeared at the house of actor Ving Rhames after a neighbour had mistaken him for a burglar.
• Mark Evanier shares yet more memories of the late Harlan Ellison.
• Yale Udoff, creator of the 1960s Batman TV series has died aged 83.
  

Comments on the firing of James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 

• Guy Lodge wonders whether James Gunn is the first undeserving victim of Hollywood's new zero tolerance policy. 
• Jake Nevins reports that the entire Guardians of the Galaxy cast has signed an open letter to Disney, asking them to rehire James Gunn. 
• Mike Colter, star of Luke Cage, has spoken out in defence of James Gunn. 
• Comic artist Rob Liefeld has spoken out in defence of James Gunn and also asks whatever happened to forgiveness.
• Ben Child wonders what will become of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 now James Gunn has been fired.
• Beatrice Verhoeven reports that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has deleted more than 20000 tweets following the firing of James Gunn.
• Nicole Sobon reports that actress Selma Blair has quit Twitter in support of James Gunn.
• Emma Grey Ellis points out that accusing your opponents of pedophilia is a very old propaganda trick.
  

Comments on Ant-Man and the Wasp: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Ant-Man and the Wasp funny, engaging and lovable.
• Jason Johnson explains that Ant-Man and the Wasp is the only superhero movie to tackle the US prison system and its impact on people. 
• Arley Sog and Josh Pearce share their thoughts on Ant-Man and the Wasp.
• Daniel Dern shares his thoughts on Ant-Man and the Wasp. 
• Steve Rose takes a look at the characters of Luís and Agent Woo in Ant-Man and the Wasp and wonders why white superheroes are so often given sidekicks of colour.

Comments on Titans:

• Jason Johnson reports that actress Anna Diop, who plays Starfire in the upcoming DC TV series Titans, has closed her social media accounts following attacks by racist fans. 
• Alex Abad-Santos also reports about the racist harassment of Anna Diop. 
• Hannah Agbeni shares both harrassing tweets as well as tweets supporting Anna Diop. 
• Matt McGloin reports how Anna Diop and co-star Minka Kelly, who plays Dove in Titans, have responded to the harrassment.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore points out that Starfire has always been portrayed as a woman of colour.
• Actor David Mazouz, who plays Bruce Wayne in Gotham, reponds to the Titans trailer and particularly to a controversial remark made by Dick Grayson a.k.a. Robin a.k.a. Nightwing.
• Charles Pulliam Moore declares that Titans actually does portray Dick Grayson quite faithfully to the comics.

Comments on Castle Rock: 

• Emily L. Stephens offers episode by episode reviews of Castle Rock.
• Beth Elderkin reports that it's not necessary to be familiar with Stephen King's works to enjoy Castle Rock.
  

Comments on Extinction:

• Germain Lussier calls Extinction a mostly terrible film that wastes its potential.
• Jake Nevins declares that it's easy to see why the alien invasion movie Extinction skipped theatres and went straight to streaming. 
• Renaldo Matadeen declares that the big twist in Extinction sets up a sequel (spoilers).
• Charles Bramesco interviews Michael Peña, star of Extinction and Luís in the Ant-Man films.
  

Comments on Sorry To Bother You: 

• Jesse Hassenger calls Sorry To Bother You an inventive and sometimes exhausting satire.
• A.T. McWilliams explains how Sorry To Bother You deals with the perils of code-switching. 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2018 Inkpot Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2018 Sunburst Awards has been announced. 
• The nominees for the 2017 Sidewise Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2018 James White Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2018 Munsey Award has been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2018 Not the Booker Prize has been announced and is open for voting.
• Read the speech held by Andrew M. Butler, chair of judges, during the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award ceremony.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Cora Buhlert talks about the July short story challenge and writing a story per day in July 2018.
• Jeff VanderMeer talks about the art and science of structuring a novel. 
• Jeff VanderMeer also explains how to write a haunted book.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch weighs in on the so-called Cockygate affair and the widespread scamming tactics used by certain self-published authors.
• The Author's Guild reports about Quantumgate, another frivolous trademark attempt by an indie author.
• Adam Rowe reports that science fiction and fantasy book sales have doubled since 2010.
  

Interviews:

• Veronica Scott interviews Martha Wells.
• J.C. Kang interviews Jonathan French. 
• Eric Leif Davin interviews Curt Siodmak.
• Gaby Triana interviews Lisa Morton.
• Angel Wilson interviews Travis Langley.
• Jamie Sugah interviews Eric Bauza.
  

Reviews:

• Sarah Waites reviews Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers.
• Paul di Filippo reviews Annex by Rich Larson. 
• Thea James reviews Annex by Rich Larson. 
• Nicole Hill reviews a Study in Honor by Claire O'Dell.
• Paul Weimer reviews The Black God's Drums by P. Djelli Clark. 
• Eric Christensen reviews Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. 
• Elizabeth Fitzgerald reviews Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
• Paul Weimer reviews Red Waters Rising by Laura Anne Gilman.
• Liz Bourke reviews Sea Witch by Sarah Henning.
• Jessie C. reviews Her Majesty's American by Steve White.
• Mark Yon reviews Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw.
• Liz Bourke reviews Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw. 
• Adri Joy reviews Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. 
• Paul Weimer reviews The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews The Case of the Deadly Doppelgänger by Lucy Banks.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews Echoes of Understorey by Thoraiya Dyer.
• Phoebe Wagner reviews The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.
• Phoebe Wagner reviews Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng.
• Ardi Alspach reviews The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley.
• Amy Goldschlager reviews The Queen of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton.
• Amy Goldschlager reviews The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum, translated by Fred Berman.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Welcome to the Show, edited by Matt Hayward and Doug Murano.
• Ross Johnson reviews Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Speculative Fiction Foundation is looking for funding to bring Hugo finalists who cannot afford to attend the ceremony to WorldCon 76 in San José, California.
• Uncanny Magazine is looking for funding for its fifth year.
• Fireside Fiction is looking for funding for the Mexicanx Initiative Anthology, an anthology showcasing the work of Mexican creators brought to WorldCon via the Mexicanx Initiative.
  

Con reports:

• Mary Robinette Kowal offers an update on the programming overhaul for WorldCon 76 in San José, California.
• Rosemary Kirstein weighs in on the programming uproars at WorldCon 76 and at ReaderCon in Boston, Massachusetts, ealier this year.
• David Gerrold weighs in one the WorldCon 76 programming uproar.
• The revised WorldCon 76 program is now online.
• Mike Glyer shares the latest update on Jon Del Arroz's lawsuit against WorldCon 76.
• Angel Wilson reports about the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California. 
• Brigid Alverson reports about the border narratives panel at San Diego Comic Con.
• The Geekiary reports about the Cosmos: Possible Worlds panel at San Diego Comic Con.
• Trae Dorn reports about the underpromoted SBC Anime Festival in Bossier City, Louisiana.  
• Dealer K.F. Golden also shares their experiences at the SBC Anime Festival.
• Trae Dorn reports that a fight outside ConnectiCon in Hartford, Connecticut, in combination with some fireworks were mistaken for a spree shooting. 
• Trae Dorn also reports that TanaCon in Anaheim, California, was the worst planned convention of 2018. 
• John King Tarpinian reports about an event featuring sculptor Christopher Slathoff, who was a friend of Ray Bradbury and created a Bradbury inspired statue, in Pasadena, California.
  

Science and technology:

• The BBC shares several photo of the total lunar eclipse.
• Der Spiegel also shares some photos of the total lunar eclipse.
• Eric Niiler wonders if moon colonies are possible.
• Mary Halton reports that a liquid water lake has been found on Mars. 
• Madeline K. Sofia reports how NASA's Parker Solar Probe can get close enough to the sun without burning up.
• Joe Pappalardo reports that the ISS has no way to crash safely.
• Maria Yagoda reports about Flippy, a food preparation robot.
• Build your own Mars rover, using the plans of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Trip to Mars not included.

Free online fiction:

• "Loss of Signal" by S.B. Divya at Tor.com.
• "A Bond as Deep as Starlit Seas" by Sarah Grey in Lightspeed.  
• "The Wild Ride of the Untamed Stars" by A.J. Fitzwater in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  
• "Hide Me in the Shadow of Your Wings" by Christopher Caldwell in Strange Horizons.
• "The Anchorite Wakes" by R.S.A. Garcia in Clarkesworld. 
• "Venus Witch's Ring" by Inda Lauryn at Strange Horizons. 
• "Treesong" by Sheree Reneé Thomas in Lightspeed.
• "Every Good-Bye Ain't Gone" by Eden Royce in Strange Horizons.
• "Strange Mercy" by Christopher R. Alonso in Strange Horizons. 
• "English Muffin, Devotion on the Side" by Cat Rambo in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Virtually President" by John Joseph Ryan at Akashic Books.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Iron Fist.
• Watch another trailer for season 2 of Iron Fist.
• Watch a trailer for Venom.
• Watch a trailer for Legacies.
• Watch a trailer for I Think We're Alone Now. 
• Watch a trailer for No Good Heroes.
• Watch a trailer for Maniac.
• Watch a trailer for Manifest.
• Watch a trailer for The Magic Order.
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of The Man in the High Castle. 
• Watch a trailer for Iron Sky 2: The Coming Race.
• Watch a trailer for Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. 
• Take a quiz and name the 100 science fiction and fantasy books you should read in your lifetime according to Amazon.