It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery, The Orville, Captain Marvel, Shazam!, What We Do in the Shadows, Love, Death + Robots, season 2 of American Gods, The OA, Us, Dumbo, tributes to Larry Cohen, The Matrix at twenty, Alien as a high school play and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- SyFy Fangrrls share the greatest strong female SFF characters of all time.
- Drew Williams shares five books to read after your planet explodes.
- Phoebe Wagner talks about the space between postcolonial literature and epic fantasy.
- Ceridwen Christensen shares ten science fiction books about interplanetary religious missionaries.
- David Houghton points out that even though Cyberpunk is currently experiencing a resurgence, the various projects don't seem to strike a chord with audiences.
- Olav Rokne has a three part post imagining the future of organised labour in science fiction.
- Katharine Duckett shares eight SFF books that reexamine literature from the margins.
- Doris V. Sutherland takes a look at nineteenth century deconstructions of vampire fiction.
- Carol Goodman explains how gothic novels were the spiritual precursors of today's psychological thrillers.
- Leo Benedictus shares the top ten evil narrators.
- Sam Jordison asks if Kurt Vonnegut was a science fiction writer.
- Jim C. Hines reports that John Trent of Bounding Into Comics misrepresented Fonda Lee's comments about bookstores stocking mainly genre classics like J.R.R. Tolkien rather than newer voices.
- Open Culture reports about the Pulp Magazine Archive.
- Yog-Sogthoth reports that all copies of the kickstarted Call of the Cthulhu supplement The Sassoon Files, which were printed in China for cost reasons, have been destroyed by the Chinese government for reasons unknown.
- Lawrence W. Raphael, rabbi, anthology editor and expert in Jewish science fiction, has died aged 74.
- Martin Morse Wooster remembers comic artist and longterm SFF fan Ellen Vartanoff.
Film and TV:
- Richard Lawson and K. Austin Collins share the twenty-five most influential movie scenes of the last twenty-five years.
- Peter Bradshaw calls the new version of Stephen King's Pet Sematary an impressively nasty horror movie.
- Paul Levinson advises everybody to watch the time travel movie Mirage.
- Katie Rife and Tamika Jones share eleven films that prove that you can make a science fiction movie without special effects.
- Doron Weber discusses the future of science in film.
- Farid Ul-Haq asks if the bisexual representation in Roswell, New Mexico is problematic.
- Cheryl Eddy shares ten iconic TV vampires.
- Ben van Iten asks who will win the Game of Thrones.
- Esther Inglis-Arkell lists five superhero romances she'd like to see on the big screen.
- Tom Breihan declares that Wonder Woman saved DC's cinematic universe.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1993 TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
- Robin McKie asks why Alien has inspired so many academic papers and PhD theses.
- Natalie Devitt revisits the final few episodes of season 5 of The Twilight Zone.
- Leah Schnelbach discusses the deep social justice roots of The Twilight Zone.
- Steve Fahnestalk revisits the 1937 film adaptation of King Solomon's Mines.
- David Simon explains the current uproar in the Writers Guild of America.
- Raul Alexander Marrero explains where period movies get their vintage electronics.
- Zack Snyder feels compelled to tell us that he believes that Batman and Superman kill people.
- Lesley Goldberg reports that Supernatural will end with season 15.
- Larry Cohen, writer/director of It's Alive, God Told Me To, Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem, has died aged 77.
- Terrence Towles Canote remembers Larry Cohen.
- Steve Vertlieb remembers Larry Cohen.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general (spoilers):
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "The Red Angel", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Red Angel".
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "The Red Angel".
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Red Angel".
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "The Red Angel".
- Ryan Britt shares her thoughts on "The Red Angel".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Red Angel".
- Ryan Britt points out that "The Red Angel" actually explains a lot of time travel from the original series.
- James Whitbrook argues that the infamous fistfight between Kirk and Gorn in the original Star Trek episode "Arena" is still the purest celebration of Captain Kirk.
- A recent Candorville comic strip takes on the online criticism of Star Trek Discovery.
Comments on The Orville:
- Nick Wanserski shares his thoughts on "Lasting Impressions", the latest episode of The Orville.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Lasting Impressions".
Comments on Captain Marvel (potential spoilers):
- Adri Joy calls Captain Marvel a great first outing for the character.
- Josh Pearce and Arley Sorg call Captain Marvel great fun.
- Darren Franish calls Captain Marvel a messy origin story with some clever twists.
- Farid Ul-Haq discusses actress Brie Larson's support for those who ship Captain Marvel with Maria Rambeau or Valkyrie.
- Renaldo Matadeen wonders whether Captain Marvel even needs the Avengers to defeat Thanos.
- Jeremy Fuster is pleased that Captain Marvel and Us have pushed the 1980s space project movie The Right Stuff back in the spotlight, since both films feature VHS tapes of the movie.
- Charles Gant reports that Captain Marvel has beaten Us at the UK box office.
- Starr Bowenbank reports that Captain Marvel is the highest grossing movie with a female lead of all time.
Comments on Shazam!:
- Benjamin Lee calls Shazam! an enjoyably old school kid-friendly superhero adventure.
- David Ehrlich calls Shazam! one of the most fun superhero movies ever made.
- Alex Abad-Santos calls Shazam! disarmingly charming and an unapologetically Buoyant triumph of a superhero movie.
- Brian Truitt calls Shazam! lightning in a bottle.
- Germain Lussier calls Shazam! a good superhero movie and better family film.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky declares that Shazam! zaps an olde-fashioned superhero into a blockbuster world.
- Frank Scheck calls Shazam! thoroughly entertaining.
- Chris Nashawaty praises Zachary Levi's performance in Shazam!, but wonders whether that is enough.
- Keith Uhlich calls Shazam! thoroughly entertaining.
Comments in What We Do in the Shadows:
- Katie Rife declares that the pilot episode of the What We Do in the Shadows TV series is a lot like the movie, which is a good thing.
- Charles Bramesco calls What We Do in the Shadows a vampire mockumentary with bite.
Comments on season 2 of American Gods:
- Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on the latest episode of American Gods.
- Jamie Sugah shares her thoughts on the latest episode of American Gods.
- Emily L. Stephens shares her thoughts on the latest episode of American Gods.
- Evan Narcisse interviews the cast of season 2 of American Gods.
Comments on Love, Death + Robots:
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw points out that Love, Death + Robots suffers from blatant sexism.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also wonders whether Netflix is changing the suggested viewing order of Love, Death + Robots based on viewer demographics.
- Andrew Liptak points out where you can read the stories that were adapted for Love, Death + Robots online.
- Andrew Liptak also links to more SFF short stories that fans of Love, Death + Robots might enjoy.
Comments on The OA:
- Jack Seale calls season 2 of the supernatural TV show The OA an unending stream of bunk.
- Alex McLevy declares that season 2 of The OA is even weirder than viewers remember.
Comments on Us:
- Manohla Dargis calls Us a creepy funhouse mirror.
- Leah Greenblatt calls Us bloody, bodysnatching fun.
- Mark Kermode calls Us a terrific horror tale.
- Hob at Letterboxd shares their thoughts on Us.
- Ethan Mills shares some non-spoilery impressions of Us.
- io9 hosts a roundtable about Us.
- Alex Brown shares a spoilerish review of Us.
- Abigail Nussbaum shares a spoilerish review of Us.
- Aja Romano explains the big plot twist of Us (spoilers).
- Reuben Baron shares the biggest differences between Us and Get Out.
- Hanna Flint praises the use of music in Us.
- Elahe Izadi remarks that thanks to movies like Us, Get Out, A Quiet Place and Bird Box, horror is a must-watch genre again, which is problematic for people who just don't like it.
- Renaldo Matadeen muses of Us could be the solution to Universal's problem with its proposed dark universe.
- Anthony Gramuglia reports that Us had grossed more than twice as much as Jordan Peele's previous horro film Get Out! on its opening weekend.
Comments on the live-action Dumbo:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Dumbo a live-action clunker that is missing all the charm of the animated original.
- Germain Lussier calls Dumbo a no-go.
- Robbie Collin declares that Dumbo fails to soar.
- David Rooney calls Dumbo frustratingly uneven.
- Owen Gleiberman declares that the live-action Dumbo adds nuts and bolts to a story that didn't need them.
- Leonard Maltin declares that the live-action Dumbo begs the question why it exists at all.
- Katie Rife declares that Dumbo bites the corporate hand that feeds it.
- Steve Rose wonders whether the fact that Dumbo flopped threatens Disney's master plan.
The Matrix at twenty:
- Scott Tobias explains how The Matrix remains influential twenty years on.
- Nicholas Barber revisits The Matrix twenty years later and finds that it has aged badly.
- Meanwhile, Germain Lussier recalls his first viewing of The Matrix fondly.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2018 James Tiptree Jr. Award have been announced.
- The winner of the 2018 HWA Specialty Press Award has been announced.
- The longlist for the 2019 International Flann O’Brien Society Awards has been announced.
- The nominees for the 2019 British Book Awards have been announced.
- The nominees for the 2019 Bafta TV Awards have been announced with very little love for SFF shows.
- Mihir Wanchoo reports that reviewer James Tivendale has been removed both from the blog Fantasy Review as well as from the judging panel for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off following harrassment allegations.
- Mike Glyer report that similar allegations against Ed McDonald, another reviewer and blogger involved in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off are likely false.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Arkady Martine explains how to use the writing skills you have to learn the ones you don't have.
- Cynthia Ruchti shares some lies writers believe.
- Mike van Horn explains how music has influenced his writing.
- Rati Mehrotra talks about crafting a fantasy duology.
- E.D.E. Bell shares two simple rules of editing.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about rebranding your books.
- Alison Flood takes a look at the scammy side of self-publishing.
Interviews:
- Joe Sherry interviews Arkady Martine.
- Fran Wilde interviews Arkady Martine.
- Aidan Moher interviews Kameron Hurley.
- Christian A. Coleman interviews Sarah Pinsker.
- Ilana C. Myer interviews Sarah Pinsker.
- The Qwillery interviews Dan Stout.
- The Qwillery interviews K.A. Doore.
- The Qwillery interviews Seth Fried.
- Paul Weimer interviews Eyal Kless.
- The Qwillery interviews K. Chess.
- David E. Cowen interviews Christina Sng.
Reviews:
- Adri Joy reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
- Jeff Somers reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
- Fantasy-Faction reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
- Mark Yon reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
- Kat Hooper reviews The High Ground by Melinda Snodgrass.
- Liz Bourke reviews Alliance Rising by C.J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher.
- Adrian Liang reviews The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders.
- Publishers Weekly reviews The Outside by Ada Hoffmann.
- Jacob Olson reviews Pure Chocolate by Amber Royer.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Today I Am Carey by Martin L. Shoemaker.
- Ross Johnson reviews Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey.
- Niall Alexander reviews Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey.
- Publishers Weekly reviews The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz.
- Tadiana Jones reviews Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- Ceridwen Christensen revisits Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- Jacob Olson reviews Alice Payne Rides by Kate Heartfield.
- Paul Weimer reviews Alice Payne Arrives and Alice Payne Rides by Kate Heartfield.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Sisters Mederos by Patrica Sarath.
- Marion Deeds reviews Charmcaster by Sebastien de Castell.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Afterward by E.K. Johnston.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker.
- John Langan reviews The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky by John Hornor Jacobs.
- Vicky Who Reads reviews Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy.
- The Weatherwax Report reviews Ruthless Magic by Megan Crewe.
- Jacob Olson reviews Rosewater by Tade Thompson.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews Rosewater by Tade Thompson.
- Ian Mond reviews Friday Black by Nana Kwame Ajei-Brenyah.
- Sam Reader reviews Inspection by Josh Malerman.
- Dave Richards reviews The Chaos Function by Jack Skillingstead.
- Ian Mond reviews Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz.
- Sarah Ditum reviews Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews Faerie Knitting by Lisa and Alice Hoffman.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, edited by Tarun K. Saint.
- Daniel Haeusser reviews Lost Films, edited by Max Booth III and Lori Michelle.
Classics reviews:
- Doris V. Sutherland revisits the March 1928 issue of Amazing Stories.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the April 1964 issue of Fantastic.
- Mark Yon revisits the April 1964 issue of New Worlds.
- Jeremy Finley revisits the 1973 YA fantasy novel The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1974 fantasy novel Lavender-Green Magic by Andre Norton.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 science fiction novel Hestia by C.J. Cherryh.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1985 science fiction novel The Torch of Honor by Roger MacBride Allen.
- Joe Sherry revisits the 1994 fantasy novel The Bastard Prince by Katherine Kurtz.
- Rich Horton revisits the 1997 science fiction novel Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 1998 science fiction novel River of Blue Fire by Tad Williams and its 1999 sequel Mountain of Black Glass.
Crowdfunding:
- Marc Zircee is looking for funding to include a scene featuring Nichelle Nichols in his science fiction pilot Space Command.
- Welcome to Tikor, a setting and art book for the Afropunk science fantasy RPG The Swordsfall, is looking for funding.
Con and event reports:
- Jacob Oler shares some cosplay pictures from the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo in Chicago, Illinois.
- Josh Hilgenberg reports about a panel about Asians in geek culture at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo.
- Dan Berry looks ahead at WonderCon 2019 in Anaheim, California.
- Mike Glyer shares some photos of the 2019 LA Vintage Pulp and Paperback Show in Los Angeles, California.
- Lynzee Loveridge reports that Kameha Con in Irvine, Texas, has responded to various guest cancellations due to the invitation of voice actor Vic Mignogna in spite of several harrassment allegations.
- The Geekiary shares some highlights from Fan Expo Vancouver in Vancouver, Canada.
- William Hughes shares some photos of a production of Alien at a high school in Bergen, New Jersey.
- Julie Muncy also reports about the production of Alien at a high school in Bergen, New Jersey.
- Dave Itzkoff also reports about the high school production of Alien and why it has gotten such raves.
- Nick Romano interviews the teachers behind the high school production of Alien.
- Charlie Winstone remembers Brumcon, the 1965 Eastercon in Birmingham, UK.
- James Bacon and Emma King report about the People's Vote March in London, UK, and share several photos of SFF-related placards and signs.
- Regeneration Who 5, a Doctor Who convention in Rockville, Maryland, has been cancelled at the last minute.
- Mike Glyer reports that Tonopah, Nevada, is bidding for the 2021 Westercon.
Science and technology:
- Paul Rincon reports that a new mission to explore Venus is planned.
- The BBC reports that the US is planning a new moon mission within five years.
- Anna Wells reports that Toyota is helping to develop a new moon rover.
- Paul Rincon reports that almost 4000 exoplanets have been found.
- Eric Berger reports that even though the Soviet Union was the first coutry to send a woman into space, there is currently only one female Russian cosmonaut candidate among dozens of men.
- The BBC reports that autonomous shuttles will be tested in New York City.
- Dave Lee reports that Google has announced the establishment of an AI ethics panel.
- Jane Wakefield asks if it's possible to murder a robot.
- Meilan Solly reports that neuroscientists have converted brain waves into verbal speech.
- Jacob Fenston reports about a battle about a proposed solar farm in Virginia.
- Helier Cheung reports that thousands of fossils have been found in the Hubei province in China.
- Adam Clark Estes reports that Pyrex heat-resistant glassware suddenly developed the tendency to explode when heated.
Free online fiction:
- "Undercurrents" by Charles Payseur in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "I Am Destiny" by Emily McIntyre in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Those Are Pearls" by Kat Howard in Lightspeed.
- "My Children's Home" by Woody Dismukes in Lightspeed.
- "All the Hiden Places" by Cadwell Turnbull in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Carry On" by Seanan McGuire in Nightmare Magazine.
- "After Life" by Shari Paul in The Dark.
- "The Arisen" by Louisa Hall in Slate.
- "Big Rural" by Cat Rambo in Terraform.
- "How to Move Spheres and Influence People" by Marko Kloos at Tor.com.
- "Hero Dust" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- "Timothy and the Genre Police" by Camestros Felapton.
Odds and ends:
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