Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for September 1, 2018

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with "Comicsgate", domestic space opera, The Innocents, The Happytime Murders, yet more on the firing of James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3,  yet more on WorldCon 76 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:

• Joyce Chng hosts a round-table about domestic space opera, featuring Ann Leckie, Jennifer Foehner Wells, Judith Tarr and Foz Meadows. 
• Cora Buhlert talks about cozy space operas, cozy mysteries and the domestic sphere.
• Molly Flatt talks about fixing science fiction's woman problem. 
• Liz Lutgendorff read the 100 best science fiction and fantasy novels according to an NPR poll and finds them sorely lacking.
• James Davis Nicoll continues his overview of women SFF writers of the 1980s.
• James Davis Nicoll also talks about science fiction's problems with terraforming.
• Leah Schnelbach takes a look at twelve literary visions of the future. 
• Steven Smith shares his favourite fantasy novels.
• Jeff Somers ranks all novels that won both the Hugo and the Nebula Award. 
• Kurt Anthony Krug shares his appreciation for Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden novels. 
• Alan Brown shares his appreciation for the works of Murray Leinster.
• Charles Stross talks about Robert A. Heinlein and why his imitators so often fall short.
• Rachel Fellman talks about bad food in fiction. 
• Greg Ruth explains why horror is good for you and your kids.
• Jeana Jorgensen explains why folklorists dislike Joseph Campbell. 
• Matt Mikalatos shares five questions to ask of problematic genre classics. 
• Bryan Thao Worra asks how writers of colour can reconcile H.P. Lovecraft's influence with his racist legacy.
• Kim Huett revisits Conan and his film adpatations.
• Sandy Ferber revisits C.L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry stories from the 1930s.
• Margarita Mospanova revisits the 1957 science fiction novel Andromeda: A Space Age Tale by Ivan Yefremov. 
• Bogi Takács revisits the 1985 science fiction novel Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott.
• Jenny Colgan shares her appreciation for the women of Doctor Who. 
• Anna Leszkiewicz wonders whether the boom in film adaptations of YA fantasy and SF novels is over.
• Thorsten Landsberg profiles Tim Burton on occasion of his sixtieth birthday. 
• Vance Kotrla revisits the 1960 adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. 
• Carl Slaughter revisit the 1966 science fiction movie Cyborg 2087.
• Rosemary Benton revisits Ishiro Honda's survival horror film Matango. 
• John Lynch shares the 69 worst science fiction movies of all time according to Metacritic.
• Cameron Laux shares fourteen words that define the present.
• The BBC reports about Indian artist Shreya Arora who redraws sexist comic book covers with male characters to highlight the absurdity.
• German TV personality and actor Dieter Thomas Heck, who also appeared in the science fiction movie Das Millionenspiel, died aged 80. 
• Actor Fredd Wayne who played Benjamin Franklin on stage as well as in Bewitched and many other TV shows has died aged 93.
• Comic artist Marie Severin died aged 89.  
• Comic artist Russ Heath has died aged 91.
• Writer K.C. Ball has died of a heart attack.
• Cat Rambo remembers K.C. Ball.

Comments on "Comicsgate":

• Brian Cronin reports that the anti-diversity group known as "Comicsgate" has harrassed the widow of artist Darwyn Cooke and was condemned by creators Jeff Lemire and Bill Sienkiewicz among others. 
• David Uzumeri explains how something like "Comicsgate" could develop in the comics industry. 
• Abraham Riesman weighs in on "Comicsgate".
• Camestros Felapton weighs in on "Comicsgate". 
• Tim Colwill shares his take on "Comicsgate".

Comments on The Happytime Murders: 

• Germain Lussier declares that the R-rated puppet crime comedy The Happytime Murders is a massive disappointment. 
• Erik Adams called The Happytime Murders a comedy with blue balls.
• Richard Lawson calls The Happytime Murders a total disaster with puppets.
• Peter Travers calls The Happytime Murders dead on arrival.
• Bryan Bishop declares that The Happytime Murders tests the limits of subverting nostalgia.
• Renaldo Matadeen shares the most hilariously inappropriate moments in The Happytime Murders. 
• Renaldo Matadeen wonders whether The Happytime Murders were really worth the Sesame Street controversy.

Comments on The Innocents:

• Steven McIntosh declares that the streaming video series The Innocents uses shapeshifting as a metaphor to explore teenage life.
• Jack Seale calls The Innocents a po-faced series about shapeshifting teens in love that goes nowhere.

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

• Borys Kit reports that the production of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been put on hold following the firing of James Gunn.
• Nicole Sobon reports that Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, is still furious about Gunn's firing and the circumstances that led to it.
• Kevin Melrose reports that comedian Roseanne Barr, who was fired from her own show over curren racist tweets, is angry that people are supporting James Gunn but not her.
  

Awards:

• The winners of the 2017 Sidewise Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2018 Silver Falchion Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2018 Pegasus Awards have been announced.
• The Star Trek franchise has been awarded the Governors Award by the Television Academy. 
• The shortlist for the 2018 Glass Bell Awards has been announced with some love for genre fiction.
• The Guardian declares that N.K. Jemisin deserves her three Hugos, because the Broken Earth trilogy is a gift to the culture.
• Joe Sherry shares his thoughts on the 2018 Hugo winners.
• Occasional speculative fiction author Colson Whitehead has been named New York State Author.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Lauren Sapala declares that the hardest part of being a writer is not fitting in.
• Audrey Senigen talks about the spectrum of writing styles.
• Harry J. Stead shares George Orwell's six rules for writing.
• Wendy Van Camp shares some tips for preparing your novel for self-editing in Scrivener.
  

Interviews:

• Gemma Webster interviews Priya Sharma.
• Michael Gruneir interviews Steve McHugh. 
• Kiel Phegley interviews Kyle Higgins.

Reviews:

• Joe Sherry reviews The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. 
• Liz Bourke reviews Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry and The Privilege of Peace by Tanya Huff.
• Colin Dwyer reviews Ball Lightning by Liu Cixin. 
• Alana Joli Abbott reviews Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews. 
• Fantasy Faction reviews Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews.
• The Fantasy Café reviews The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. 
• Lila Garrott reviews The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.
• Shellie Horst reviews Daughters of Forgotten Light by Sean Grigsby.
• Liz Bourke reviews Point of Sighs by Melissa Scott.
• Tadiana Jones reviews Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. 
• Feliza Casano reviews Seafire by Natalie C. Parker. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews Red Waters Rising by Laura Anne Gilman. 
• Kat Hooper reviews The Remnant by Charlie Fletcher.
• Jamie Sugah reviews Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Rock Manning Goes For Broke by Charlie Jane Anders.
• Liz Bourke reviews Mother of Invention, edited by Rivqa Rafael and Tansy Rayner Roberts.
• Richard Marpole reviews Cabaret of Monsters by Tansy Rayner Roberts.
• Sam Reader reviews Timeless by R.A. Salvatore.  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien.
• Bill Capossere reviews The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French.  
• Paul Weimer reviews War Cry by Brian McClellan. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist.
• Niall Alexander reviews Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews The Rose Legacy by Jessica Day George.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Severance by Ling Ma. 
• Ian Mond reviews 84K by Claire North.
• Paul Di Filippo reviews A Voice in the Night by Jack McDevitt.
• Sam Reader reviews Ahab's Return or The Last Voyage by Jeffrey Ford.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Thirteen Days By Sunset Beach by Ramsay Campbell. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Our Lady of the Inferno by Preston Fassel. 
• Ian Mond reviews The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay.
• Mark Yon reviews We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Tobias Buckell is looking for funding for his writing book It's All Just a Draft. 
• Crossed Genes is looking for funding for its new anthology Resist Fascism: An SFF Call to Action.
• The Arecibo Observatory needs help to spray, neuter and feed the many cats that have found shelter there after hurricane Maria.
• Writer P.N. Elrod needs some help.
  

WorldCon 76 reports:

• NBC Bay Area has a video about WorldCon 76 in San José, California.
• WorldCon 76 guest of honour John Picacio shares his experiences at WorldCon 76 as well as several photos. 
• Raven Oak shares her experiences at WorldCon 76 as well as many photos. 
• Joy Pixley shares her experiences at WorldCon 76.
• Stephanie Alford shares her experiences at WorldCon 76 as well as some photos in a three part post. 
• JJ shares a round-up of WorldCon 76 links and reports. 
• Martha Wells shares her experiences at WorldCon 76, including the Hugo ceremony and Hugo Losers Party.
• Martha Wells also shares some photos of the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 76. 
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro shares a video of the dancing robots at the Hugo Losers Party. 
• Adria Gonzalez shares a video recap of WorldCon 76. 
• Jo Van Ekern, who accepted File 770's Hugo on behalf of Mike Glyer, shares her adventures at WorldCon 76 and the Hugo ceremony. 
• Brandon Sanderson shares his experiences at WorldCon 76.
• Kevin Standalee offers a behind the scenes look at WorldCon 76.
• Joe Siclari reports about the 1000 Years of Fandom project at WorldCon 76.

Other con reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that the attending membership rates for WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland, will rise on September 3, so get your membership now. 
• Karen Heller reports about Epic Nerd Camp in Starrucca, Pennsylvania.
• David Doering reports about the latest developments in the trademark infringement case between San Diego Comic Con and the convention now known as FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention.
• Mike Glyer reports that the Games Manufacturers Association will not renew the contract of its executive director John Ward following various controversies at conventions organised by the GAMA.
• Jeff Tidball wonders whether it is wise for GAMA to seek a new executive director.
  

Science and technology:

• Ethan Siegel explains that space is full of planets and that most of them don't even have stars. 
• Ella Anderson talks about the possibility of faster than light travel.
• Mary Halton profiles Dr. Farah Alibay, a payload systems engineer who works on NASA's InSight Mars mission.
• Katherine Higness intervies ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
• The extreme heatwave has revealed several hidden prehistoric sites in the UK.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Nails in My Feet" by Mary Robinette Kowal in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Blessings" by Naomi Novik in Uncanny Magazine.
• "The Kite Maker" by Brenda Peynado at Tor.com.
• "The Widow Anatolia and the Dragon Lord" by Jamie Lackey in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Cold Ink" by Dean Wells in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Periling Hand" by Justin Howe in Beneath Ceaseless Skies 
• "When We Were Patched" by Deji Bryce Olukotun in Slate Future Tense.
• "Howard Was a Dingus" by Kayla Scheiner in Vulture Bones.
• "Dead Apache Gorge" by Martin Roy Hill in Crimson Streets.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Iron Fist.
• Watch a trailer for the CW's various superhero series.
• Watch a trailer for Beyond the Sky. 
• See Thomas and Martha Wayne get shot and Martha Wayne lose her pearl necklace in five different live action Batman adaptations.