Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 10, 2018

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the return of Jean-Luc Picard, yet more on the firing of James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3,  The Darkest Minds, The Meg, Christopher Robin, a new Batwoman, the 2018 Dragon Awards 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:

• Julia Rutledge announces a project to review 20th century science fiction and fantasy novels by women writers.  
• James Davis Nicoll offers part 1 of an overview of women science fiction and fantasy authors of the 1980s. 
• Tracy Banghart shares five feminist SFF takes on the classics.
• Casey Stepaniuk shares fifty must-read LGBT fantasy books. 
• Paul Gravett shares ten graphic novels everybody should read. 
• Sara Raasch shares five books about unconventional pirates.
• Claire O'Dell shares some of her and her character Jane Watson's favourite science fiction and fantasy novels. 
• Alex Johnson takes a look at the library aboard the ISS and finds plenty of science fiction titles. 
• Fireside Fiction has release Cecily Kane's 2017 Black Speculative Fiction report.
• Camestros Felapton weighs in on the 2017 Black Speculative Fiction report. 
• Aliette de Bodard talks about artificial intelligences as other and as family. 
• Damien Walter tackles the science fiction versus SciFi versus SF debate. 
• Mikaella Clements explains how fanfiction went mainstream.
• Tom Jacobs reports that science fiction and fantasy readers make good romantic partners. 
• Angela Elizabeth profiles Isobelle Carmody.
• Rowan Williams explains why J.R.R. Tolkien still matters. 
• Scott Bradfield remembers Theodore Sturgeon on his 100th birthday. 
• Jeff Somers shares ten Harlan Ellison short stories that changed science fiction.
• Victoria Lucas revisits John Dickson Carr's 1937 supernatural mystery The Burning Court. 
• Judith Tarr revisits Andre Norton's 1956 science fiction novel The Crossroads of Time.
• Rosemary Benton revisits Daniel F. Galouye's 1963 science fiction novel Lords of the Psychon.
• Gideon Marcus revisits Marvel Comics 1963 output.  
• Doris V. Sutherland revisits the 1962 comic book Journey Into Mystery No. 83, the first appearance of the Mighty Thor. 
• Camestros Felapton explains how to ansible. 
• Ruth Joffre talks about night time logic and dream worlds in the works of David Lynch and Kelly Link.  
• Patrick Lum takes a look at the moody art behind the anime classic Ghost in the Shell. 
• Ace Ratcliff wonders why so many science fiction films feature stairs that are impossible for many disabled people to access.  
• Alasdair Stuart shares three recent time loop episodes of SFF TV series that are instant classics.
• Cheryl Eddy declares that horror icon Barbara Frampton elevates Dead Night beyond just another horror film. 
• Meg Downey calls the horror film Slender Man a cluttered, if charming campfire story.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the animated series Final Space. 
• Doris V. Sutherland remembers German British animator Lotte Reiniger.
• John DiLillo declares that Amazon's planned Lord of the Rings TV series completely misses the point of J.R.R. Tolkien's work. 
• Brian Cronin reveals that John Wayne's voice made an uncredited cameo in Star Wars.
• James Whitbrook reports that actress Ruby Rose has been cast as Kate Kane a.k.a. Batwoman in an upcoming TV series. 
• Todd MacFarlane, co-creator of Venom, shares his thoughts about the character's look in the upcoming movie. 
• Julie Muncy reports that foreign distributors refuse to pick up Sorry To Bother You due to the prejudice that films with a largely black cast don't selll overseas. 
• Peter Beaumont and Amanda Holpuch explain why women worldwide dress as character from The Handmaid's Tale at protests.
• Cecilia D'Anastasio reports about a witchhunt against game developers who are thought to be feminsits in South Korea.  
• Jamie Grierson reports that far right protesters have ransacked the leftwing bookshop Bookmarks in Central London.
• John F. Trent reports that nasty remarks about rightwing comic creator Jon Del Arroz were hidden in the lettering of the Centipede comic and provides plenty of examples.
• Doug Grindstaff, sound designer for the original Star Trek and many other TV shows, has died aged 87.
• Actor Robert Dix, who was in Forbidden Planet and several westerns and horror films, has died aged 83.
• Eric Bartsch reports that the death of Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the 1979 Superman movie, was ruled suicide.
  

Comments on the return of Jean-Luc Picard and other Star Trek news:

• Lesley Goldberg reports that Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series for the CBS All Access subscription service. 
• Joe Otterson reports that Hugo, Nebula and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon will be one of the producers of the new Star Trek series featuring Jean-Luc Picard. 
• Ryan Britt wonders whether the new Star Trek series featuring Jean-Luc Picard should be set on a starship. 
• Ryan Britt also shares the best Jean-Luc Picard quotes for parents.
• Steven Padnick is excited that the announced series featuring Jean-Luc Picard will move Star Trek forward rather than backwards for the first time in fifteen years.
• Anthony Pascale reports that the Klingons will be redesigned again for Star Trek Discovery.
• Nellie Andreeva and Dominic Patten interview the CBS All Access bosses about the future of Star Trek, the Twilight Zone and other projects.

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

• Shortlist reports that Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, has threatened to quit over the firing of James Gunn.
• Borys Kit reports that James Gunn is in high demand from other studios after Disney fired him.
• Ian Cardona reports that Marvel is planning to use James Gunn's script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after all.
  

Comments on The Darkest Minds:

• Gary Westfahl feels that The Darkest Minds is way too similar to other recent films based on unlikely YA dystopias and recommends to avoid it. 
• Mike McCahill declares that The Darkest Minds contains some powerful dystopian imagery that is unfortunately smothered underneath YA tropes.
• Renaldo Matadeen explains how The Darkest Minds sets up a sequel.
  

Comments on Christopher Robin: 

• Emily Asher Perrin shares her feelings about Christopher Robin.
• Germain Lussier calls Christopher Robin incredibly dreary for a movie that should be a happy trip down Memory Lane.
• Tatiana Siegel reports that Christopher Robin will not be released in China, because Chinese opposition groups have adopted Winnie the Pooh as a symbol.

Comments on The Meg:

• Germain Lussier declares that the giant shark movie The Meg knows that it's dumb and that's why it's great. 
• Alexandra August declares that The Meg manages to snatch fun from the jaws of absurdity.
  

Awards:

• The winners of the 2018 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced.
• The winner of the 2018 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2018 Dragon Awards have been announced and voting is open. 
• The finalists for the 2018 WSFA Small Press Award have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards have been announced.
  
• The longlist for the 2018 Inky Awards has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2018 ENnie Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2018 Diana Jones Award has been announced.
• Michael Dooley reports about some problems with the Eisner Awards.
• The RWA addresses concerns about supposedly biassed judging during the RITA Awards.  
• The WSFS has released the 2018 Hugo Awards Study Committee report.
• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the establishment of a new oscar for popular movies and that the announcements of some of the technical categories will no longer be broadcast live.  
• Germain Lussier does not think that the establishment of an Oscar for popular movies is a good idea.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2018 Dragon Award nominees.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the 2018 Dragon Award nominees.
• Mike Glyer analyses the number of Goodreads reviews of the 2018 Dragon Award nominees.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Damien Walter points out that big science fiction ideas are boring without emotional impact.
• Rebecca Roanhorse talks about learning Navajo and writing Trail of Lightning.
• Kameron Hurley explains why it's normal and often crucial for writers to have day jobs. 
• Tiffany Meurat shares two reasons day jobs are good for writers.
• Don Lee wonders what the point of writing is, if you believe you're not going to succeed anyway. 
• Lauren Sapala explains how self-publishing changed her life. 
• Claire Kirch reports about complaints against literary agent Danielle Smith.   
• Alison Flood reports about the harrassment several authors received after the e-book piracy website OceanPDF was taken down following complaints by authors and publishers. 
• S.A. Soule shares some tips for creating awesome book titles.
• Rocking Book Covers shares twelve book cover design mistakes.
  

Interviews:

• Anime UK News interviews Rachel Aaron. 
• R.J. Ledesma interviews Neil Gaiman.
• My Life, My Books, My Escape interviews Adrian Tchaikovsky.
• Alexander C. Kaufman interviews Kim Stanley Robinson.
• Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Anya Ow. 
• The Qwillery interviews Lauren C. Teffeau. 
• The Qwillery interviews V.M. Escalada.  
• The Qwillery interviews Jay Schiffman.
• Chris Bumbray interviews Donnie Yen, star of Big Brother and Rogue One, and learns why Star Wars movies don't do well in China. 
  

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. 
• Ceridwen Christensen reviews Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee. 
• Jana Nyman reviews Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie.
• Nicole Hill reviews Temper by Nicky Drayden.
• Rob Bedford reviews Planetside by Michael Mammay. 
• Russell Letson reviews One Way by S.J. Morden. 
• Ross Johnson reviews Ball Lightning by Liu Cixin.
• Ian Mond reviews Tide of Stone by Kaaron Warren. 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Cobbler's Boy by Elizabeth Bear and Katherine Addison and The Ninety-Ninth Bride by Catherine Faris King. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso.
• Choire Sicha reviews Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. 
• Paul Weimer reviews A Demon in Silver by R.S. Ford.
• Leah Schnelbach reviews The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss. 
• Katharine Coldiron reviews The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp. 
• Jana Nyman reviews King of Assassins by R.J. Barker.
• Bill Capossere reviews Mystic Dragon by Jason Denzel. 
• Shellie Horst reviews Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace. 
• Matthew Keeley reviews Compulsory Games by Robert Aickman. 
• Randy Money reviews Banquet for the Damned by Adam Nevill.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Creature by Hunter Shea.
• Brit Mandelo reviews An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton.
• Bill Capossere reviews An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Diane Morrison is looking for funding to publish a print edition of her weird western collection Once Upon a Time in the Wyrd West. 
• Finnish illustrator Heikala is looking for funding for their art book The Art of Heikala.
  

Con reports:

• Locus reports about Readercon 29 in Quincy, Massachusetts, and shares some photos.
• Daniel Dern shares some photos of  Readercon 29.
• Locus also reports about the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle, Washington, and shares some photos. 
• David Williams reports about the first ever WakandaCon in Chicago, Illinois, and shares some photos.
• Julie Muncy reports that a mock court martial for the character of Poe Dameron from The Last Jedi was held at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California. There is also a video.
• Susan Macdonald reports that fantasy author Mercedes Lackey was hospitalised due to an accidental poisoning at GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana, but made a full recovery.  
• Stephen Brissaud reports about an altercation with security staff he had at GenCon.
• Sara Felix talks about a WorldCon 77 outreach event at Dublin Comic Con in Dublin, Ireland.
• WorldCon 77 has also posted its code of conduct.
• Trae Dorn reports that a rightwing group called the Honey Badger Brigade lost a lawsuit against the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in Calgary, Alberta, for throwing them out and against the pop culture website The Mary Sue for reporting about the case.
• Sian Cain reports that several authors from Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe supposed to appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, have been refused visa after intrusive application processes.
  

Science and technology:

• Reuben Jackson lists six science fiction prophecies that are already here. 
• Ethan Siegel reports that the brightest galaxy in the universe is surprisingly young and small. 
• NASA remembers Mary G. Ross, Native American engineer and mathematician.
• Rose Pastore explains how Carnegie Hall lost its famous acoustics after a remodelling in 1986.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat" by Brooke Bolander in Uncanny Magazine.
• "The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon, California and the Unknown" by Brit B. Hvide in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "For Southern Girls When the Zodiac Ain't Near Enough" by Eden Royce in Apex Magazine.
• "Old No-Eyes" by Christopher Mahon in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "A Legacy of Shadows" by Christopher M. Chevasco in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Scavenge, Rustic Hounds!" by Manuel Gonzales in Lightspeed. 
• "Angels" by Bruce McAllister in Lightspeed.
• "Convention Programming in the Age of Necromancy" by Cora Buhlert.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch Jimmy Fallon interviewing new Batwoman Ruby Rose.
• Watch a trailer for Slaughterhouse Rulez.
• Watch a not entirely serious recruitment clip for Donald Trump's new space force, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel.