It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more best of 2018 lists, Doctor Who, Outlander, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman, Mortal Engines, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Mary Poppins Returns, Bird Box, Runaways, the cancellation of Daredevil, sexual harrassment allegations against Michael Weatherly and Erik M. Esquivel and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Eric Brown offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction and fantasy.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five works of hard science fiction by female authors.
- James Davis Nicoll also shares five classic science fiction novels about anthropogenic climate change.
- Mercedes Lackey shares five groundbreaking urban fantasies with unusual settings.
- Silvana Reyes Lopez shares the fifteen best fantasy series about dragons.
- Adam Whitehead offers a list of all-time bestselling authors of speculative fiction worldwide.
- Jack Fennell shares the top ten Irish science fiction authors.
- Elizabeth Fitzgerald compares the YA dystopias The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.
- Tasha Suri talks about three dynastic struggles from history that would make for great fantasy adaptations.
- Olav Rokne takes a look at how science fiction portrays organised labour.
- Theo Downes-Le Guin remembers his mother, Ursula K. Le Guin.
- Margaret Atwood talks about the importance of freedom of the press and freedom of the arts.
- Sarah Gailey ranks iconic outerwear of science fiction and fantasy.
- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst talks about Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Dickens' conflicted relationship with Christmas.
- River Donaghey reports that the unusual Christmas decorations of fantasy author Diana Rowland have caused an uproar in her neighbourhood.
- Scoot Allan shares some unpublished comic art by Jack Kirby, unearthed by his grandson Jeremy Kirby.
- Horror writer Paul Dale Anderson has died aged 74.
- Nigerian science fiction author Emeka Walter Dinjos has died aged only 34.
Best of 2018 lists:
- Book Marks shares the best reviewed science fiction and fantasy books of 2018.
- Steve Donoghue shares his favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2018.
- Josh Jackson shares the fifteen best fantasy novels of 2018.
- Alex Brown shares the best young adult science fiction and fantasy of 2018.
- Veronica Scott shares the most memorable science fiction romance books of 2018.
- Sam Reader shares the best horror novels of 2018.
- The SFF World reviewers share their favourite fantasy and horror novels of 2018.
- Ross Johnson shares the best comics of 2018.
- Brigid Alverson shares her favourite manga of 2018.
- Sarah Gailey shares seven books which helped her survive 2018.
- Germain Lussier shares the ten best and five worst science fiction and fantasy films of 2018.
- Ben Child shares his favourite science fiction and fantasy movies of 2018.
- Tor.com share their ten favourite episodes of SFF television of 2018.
- Cheryl Eddy shares the eight best horror TV shows of 2018.
- iO9 shares the pop cultural high- and lowlights of 2018.
Film and TV:
- Emily Asher-Perrin points out that Star Wars is a cautionary tale about the dnagers of devoting all technological advances only to weapons and death.
- Emily Asher-Perrin also shares five things Obi-Wan Kenobi should have told Luke Skywalker instead of just lies.
- Daniel Fienberg cautions that viewers of the TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Nightflyers shouldn't expect Game of Thrones.
- Tim Goodman shares his thoughts on the new Watership Down.
- Stephanie Merritt declares that Watership Down should be about death and destruction, not fluffy rabbits.
- Farid Ul-Haq shares his thoughts on the horror movie Lasso.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Counterpart.
- Farid Ul-Haq is not happy with the portrayal of LGBT characters in Midnight, Texas.
- Luke Buckmaster calls the Australian supernatural drama Tidelands pretty but vacuous.
- James Whitbrook ranks Doctor Who Christmas Specials by their degree of festiveness.
- Ryan Britt shares the seven best non-traditional adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
- Kayleigh Donaldson shares the best, worst and weirdest Santa Claus movies.
- Germain Lussier remembers how the 2000 superhero movie Unbreakable was deliberately marketed as a thriller rather than a superhero or comic book movie, because those were considered box office poison at the time.
- Alex McLevy calls the 1998 horror movie The Faculty the most subversive horror film of the 1990s.
- Echo Ishii revisits the 1972 BBC paranormal TV play The Stone Tape.
- Natalie Devitt continues her rewatch of season one of the original Outer Limits from 1963.
- NASA responded to Tony Stark's lost in space predicament in the trailer for Avengers: Endgame, and offered their help and Marvel thanked them.
- Brandon Zachary interviews Cristina Hodson, screenwriter of Bumblebee.
- Walter Scott interviews William Shatner, best known as Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek.
- Alex McLevy interviews James Marsters, best known for playing Spike in Buffy - The Vampire Slayer and Angel.
- Rosanna Greenstreet interviews Hayley Atwell, best known for playing Peggy Carter in the Captain America movies and Agent Carter.
- Alexia Fernandez interviews Karen Gillan, best known as Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and Amy Pond in Doctor Who.
Comments on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:
- Emily Asher-Perrin declares that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the only Spider-Man movie the world ever needed.
- Chris Klimek calls Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a funny, warm-hearted treat.
- Charles Bramesco calls Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a dazzling animated caper.
- John Scalzi shares his thoughts on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Kyoko M. shares her love for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Germain Lussier and Charles Pulliam-Moore answer the questions viewers might have after watching Spider-Man. Into the Spider-Verse.
- Dan Gvozden offers a list of all the Easter eggs in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Sam Stone lists every Spider-Man villain appearing in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore explains how the villain Prowler was brought to life for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Renaldo Matadeen explains how Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse pays tribute to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore takes a look at Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's star-studded supporting cast.
- Brandon Zachary praises the portrayal of Aunt May in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Brandon Zachary also discusses the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Matt Goldberg also discusses the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- Renaldo Matadeen explains how Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sets up a sequel or two.
- James Whitbrook reports that one of those sequels will focus on Spider-Gwen and also star Jessica Drew a.k.a. Spider-Woman and Cindy Moon a.k.a. Silk.
- Perri Nemiroff interviews the team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
- James Whitbrook reports that the Spider-Man Christmas album briefly glimpsed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is actually available for download and features some of the stars from the film singing.
- Vinnie Mancuse reports that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has broken a box office record for December.
Comments on Aquaman:
- Alexandra August calls Aquaman entertaining and visually stunning.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Aquaman a complete bellyflop.
- Reuben Baron calls Aquaman basically Jupiter Ascending for boys.
- Lifelong Aquaman fan Glen Weldon is not happy about the transformation of his hero into a surfer dude.
- Jason Cohen explains why Aquaman is such a personal film for star Jason Momoa.
- Renaldo Matadeen explains where the ending of Aquaman leaves the character (spoilers).
- Kevin Melrose answers the question whether Aquaman has a post-credits scene.
- Germain Lussier interviews James Wan, director of Aquaman.
- Kevin Melrose reports that Aquaman marks the ending of the filmic DC Universe as previously known.
- Sam Stone reports that Aquaman has already grossed 250 million US-dollars internationally, even though the film only opens in the US today.
- Charles Grant reports that Aquaman has beaten Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Mortal Engines at the UK box office.
Comments on series 11 of Doctor Who:
- Nicholas Whyte shares his thoughts on series 11 of Doctor Who.
- Darren Mooney shares his thoughts on series 11 of Doctor Who.
- Jessica Holmes revisits "The Firemakers", the first serial of the original Doctor Who.
- Watch an animated Doctor Who Christmas short.
Comments on Mortal Engines:
- Molly Templeton declares that Mortal Engines comes this close to being a good movie, but sadly misses the mark.
- Mark Jenkins declares that Mortal Engines internally combusts.
- Gary Westfahl finds Mortal Engines more entertaining than expected.
- Renaldo Matadeen finds a big and impossible to ignore plothole in Mortal Engines.
- Renaldo Matadeen points out that Mortal Engines gives the short shrift to its best character, Anna Fang.
- Renaldo Matadeen also praises the character of Strike, a cyborg bounty hunter in Mortal Engines.
- Nicole Sobon reports that the failure of Mortal Engines could mean a loss of 100 million US-dollars for Universal.
Comments on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter's Tale:
- Allison Keene calls The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter's Tale cozy, but stuck in limbo.
- Lisa Weidenfeld shares her thoughts on A Midwinter's Tale.
- Kevin Melrose offers a guide to the holiday folklore of A Midwinter's Tale.
- Nellie Andreeva reports that The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has been renewed for two more seasons.
Comments on Outlander:
- Smart Bitches, Trashy Books share their thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
- Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
- Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
Comments on season 2 of Runaways:
- Alex McLevy declares that Runaways actually earns its title in season 2.
- Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Runaways.
Comments on Bird Box:
- Michael Nordine calls Bird Box so intense you'll want to cover your eyes.
- Leah Greenblatt calls Bird Box a slow burn dystopian thriller.
- Amy Nicholson calls Bird Box a bird-brained mess.
- Peter DeBruge criticises the decision of Bird Box to withhold the monster altogether.
- Pete Hammond interviews director Susanne Bier as well as Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes, the stars of Bird Box.
- Helen Bushby interviews Susanne Bier, director of Bird Box.
Comments on Mary Poppins Returns:
- Nicholas Barber isn't sure the world needed a Mary Poppins sequel, but nonetheless calls Mary Poppins Returns a lively, colourful and big-hearted musical.
- Linda Holmes calls Mary Poppins Returns a fine and fresh take on a classic.
- Steve Rose muses whether Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to Inception as well as the original Mary Poppins.
- Audie Cornish interviews Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays Jack the lamplighter in Mary Poppins Returns.
- Jerry Griswold profiles P.L. Travers, author of the original Mary Poppins novels, upon which both movies were based.
Comments on the cancellation of Daredevil:
- Jake Kleinman reports that even Marvel was surprised, when Netflix cancelled Daredevil.
- Jake Kleinman interviews Amy Rutberg, who plays Marci Stahl in Daredevil and who offers a look at what would have happened to her character in season 4.
- Michael Nordine reports that Amy Rutberg also squarely put the blame for the cancellation of Daredevil on Netflix.
- Renaldo Matadeen attempts to explain why Netflix cancelled Daredevil, even though the show was apparently popular.
- Following the cancellation of Daredevil, Dylan Balde points out that it would make sense for the character to join phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Sam Stone reports that Disney hasn't any plans for reviving Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist on its own streaming service... yet.
Comments on the latest sexual harassment allegations in pop culture:
- Rachel Adams and John Koblin report that CBS paid a 9.5 million US-dollar settlement to actress Eliza Dushku after she was sexually harrassed by co-star Michael Weatherly on the set of the legal drama Bull and subsequently fired, after she complained.
- Eliza Dushku explains what happened on the set of Bull.
- Graeme McMillan reports that DC Comics has cancelled Border Town, following sexual abuse allegations against writer Eric M. Esquivel.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore has some more on the cancallation of Border Town, including a response from Esquivel to the allegations.
- Brian Cronin reports that Eric M. Esquivel has also been removed from DC Comics' Nightwing following abuse allegations.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2018 Parsec Awards have been announced.
- The Parsec Awards committee responds to complaints that one of the 2018 winners has a history of disturbing behaviour by announcing that they will not withdraw the award from the winner in question.
- Wil Willams has some more on the Parsec Awards situation and also shares the name of the person in question.
- Alasdair Stuart weighs in on the Parsec Awards situation.
- Karl-Johan Norén shares some tips for how to get the most out of your Hugo nominations.
- File 770 shares an overview of artists eligible for the best professional artist Hugo award.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Rayne Hall shares some tips for writing novel opening scenes.
- Cat Rambo explains how characters affect the plot.
- Rayne Hall shares some tips for writing black moment scenes.
- John Cotter shares some tips for keeping a short story exciting.
- J.C. Eaton answers the question whether your characters should age, when you're writing a series.
- Rachel Swirsky explains why she writes in cafés.
- Marina Benjamin asks whether a sleepless night is good for creativity.
- Mystery author Maddie Day shares some tips for starting a book club.
Interviews:
- The Qwillery interviews W.L. Goodwater.
- The Qwillery interviews Victor Godinez.
- David E. Cowen interviews Alessandro Manzetti.
- Zélia Bora interviews Craig Russell.
- Jonathan Thornton interviews Peter Haynes.
- J. David Core interviews Cora Buhlert.
- Robert Weinberg interviews A.E. van Vogt (in 1980).
Reviews:
- Liz Bourke reviews Swordheart by T. Kingfisher and Finders by Melissa Scott.
- Jana Nyman reviews The Razor by J. Barton Mitchell.
- Adrienne Martini reviews The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams.
- Paul Weimer reviews In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard.
- Carolyn Cushman reviews Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews and Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire.
- Adrienne Martini reviews Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley.
- Becca Evans reviews The Disasters by M.K. England.
- Ross Johnson reviews Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Liz Jensen reviews Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Rat's Maze by M.E.S. Gibson.
- Phoebe Wagner reviews Ink by Sabrina Vourvoulias.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse.
- Liz Bourke reviews Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin.
- Thea James reviews The Reader by Trace Chee and Skin Light by Katherine Duey.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg.
- Sarah Ditum reviews The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley.
- Sarah Moss reviews House of Glass by Susan Fletcher.
- Kate Sherrod reviews The Alehouse at the End of the World by Stevan Allred.
- Steve Poore reviews Petra McDonald and the Queen of the Fae by Shona Kinsella.
- Katharine Coldiron reviews The Cloven by B. Catling.
- Rob Bedford reviews Dragon Lords: Bad Faith by Jon Hollins.
- Paul Michaels reviews Dracul by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker.
- Quirky Cat revies Worlds Seen in Passing: 10 years of Tor.com Short Fiction, edited by Irene Gallo.
Classics reviews:
- Rich Horton revisits The Psi-Power Trilogy by Mark Phillips a.k.a. Randall Garrett and Laurence M. Janifer, originally published between 1959 and 1961.
- Rich Horton revisits the 1960 science fiction novels Dr. Futurity by Philip K. Dick and Slavers of Space by John Brunner.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1971 post-apocalyptic novel The Yngling by John Dalmas.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 science fiction novel Shakespeare's Planet by Clifford D. Simak.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 Blake's 7 tie-in novel The Way Back by Michael E. Briant.
- Kat Hooper and Marion Deeds revisits George R.R. Martin's 1980 science fiction horror novel Nightflyers.
- Mark Yon revisits Alan Dean Foster's 1983 science fiction novel For the Love of Mother-Not.
- Joe Kenney revisits American Paradise, a 1988 novel in the Doomsday Warriors post-apocalyptic adventure series by Ryder Stacy a.k.a. Ryder Syvertsen.
- Rich Horton revisits the 1989 satirical science fiction novel Bugs by John Sladek.
- Rich Horton revisits the 2000 science fiction novel Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson.
Crowdfunding:
- Letters for Lucardo: Fortunate Beasts, a vampire graphic novel by Otava Heikkilä, is looking for funding.
- South Pole Santa Claus, a graphic novel by Kizer Nix and Serena Malyon, is looking for funding.
- Acceptable Losses, a military superhero comic by Joe Glass and Danny Flores, is looking for funding.
- Mad Dog Vol. 1, a comic collection by Louie Quevedo, is looking for funding.
Con and event reports:
- J.D. Moyer shares his experiences at a Locus Writers Workshop with Kim Stanley Robinson in Oakland, California.
- James Bacon reports that the upcoming WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland, has rented additional facilities.
- Steve Lacey talks about problems with Nine Worlds Geek Fest in London, UK.
- Avery Delany also weighs in on the Nine Worlds situation.
Science and technology:
- Jonathan Amos wonders what NASA's chances are of finding life on Mars.
- Phys.org reports that astronomers have found the most distant object in the solar system so far, a dwarf planet nicknamed Farout.
- Mike Wehner reports that the Hubble Telescope spotted an exoplanet about to be vaporised.
- Johnny Lieu reports that a delivery robot burst into flames on the campus of the University of Berkeley and was subsequently honoured by students with a candlelight vigil.
- Derek Künsken discusses the future of work in the age of robots and AI.
- Arkady Martine explains how to brew beer on a generation ship.
- Yoni Heissler reports that a parrot used Amazon's Alexa to play music and also tried to order food.
- Michael Greshko reports about Zuul, a newly discovered dinosaur fossil on display in Toronto, Canada.
Free online fiction:
- "The Future of Work: Compulsory" by Martha Wells in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: Real Girls" by Laurie Penny in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: The Trustless" by Ken Liu in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: The Farm" by Charlie Jane Anders in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: The Third Petal" by Nisi Shawl in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: The Branch" by Eugene Lim in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: Maximum Outflow" by Adam Rogers in Wired.
- "The Future of Work: Placebo" by Charles Yu in Wired.
- "Choose Wisely" by Fran Wilde in Fireside Fiction.
- "Grandma Novak's Famous Nut Roll" by Shaenon K. Garrity in Lightspeed.
- "Vade Retro Satana" by Maurice Broaddus in Lightspeed.
- "The Island of Beasts" by Carrie Vaughn in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Ten Things She Said While Dying: An Annotation" by Adam-Troy Castro in Nightmare Magazine.
- "A Martyr's Art" by J.P. Sullivan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "A Circle of Steel and Bone" by R.K. Duncan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Bonus" by Liz Maier in Terraform.
- "An Interview With Santa's Lawyer" by John Scalzi at Whatever.
Odds and ends:
- Watch three clips from the 1992 BBC documentary called Black Sci-Fi.
- Watch a trailer for Men in Black International.
- Watch a trailer for Hellboy.
- Watch a trailer for Tidelands.
- Watch a trailer for Glass.
- Watch a trailer for season 8 of Voltron: Legendary Defender.
- Watch the stop-motion animated Predator Holiday Special.
- Watch the young stars of Stranger Things wrap Christmas presents.
- Read Batman's advice column.
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