It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Spider-Man: Far From Home, season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale, season 3 of Stranger Things, season 3 of Dark, Yesterday, Annabelle Comes Home, Midsommar and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Joel Cunningham shares the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2019 so far.
- Maria Haskins shares the best science fiction and fantasy anthologies of 2019 so far.
- Top Reddit Books shares the top one hundred most discussed fantasy books on Reddit.
- Top Reddit Books shares the top twenty-five most discussed dystopian books on Reddit.
- Jeff Somers shares the best ragtag crew in space opera.
- James Davis Nicoll shares his ten favourite flawed SFF books that are nonetheless worth reading.
- Tor.com shares twelve science fiction stories about clones who trained their replacements.
- John O'Neill features the five best science fiction and fantasy books with dogs.
- James Davis Nicoll shares four science fiction works featuring a far future US.
- Ann Dávila Cardinal shares five SFF books by Puetro Rican authors.
- Philip Olterman reports about some recent German dystopian science fiction.
- Paul Levinson disagrees with US presidential candidate Kamala Harris that the opposite of science fact is not science fiction.
- Mamta Chaudry shares five novels recounted by the dead.
- Riley Sager shares the most terrifying buildings in literature.
- Leah Schnelbach shares five science fiction and fantasy beach reads.
- Katy Waldman discusses the invention of the beach read.
- Alison Flood reports that according to UK booksellers, the death of the novel has been greatly exaggerated.
- Sina Grace shares his experiences as a gay comic creator working for Marvel.
- Steve Davidson discusses the differing and similar experiences fans of different generations have had.
- Kiya Nicoll shares her fandom experiences.
- Charmaine Ortega Getz profiles the Brotherhood of the White Temple, a cult based on the so-called Shaver Mystery, which first appeared in the pages of Amazing Stories in 1945.
- Josh Wigler and Lesley Goldberg report that The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard comic will come to an abrupt end with issues 193.
- Jedadiah Leland reports that MAD Magazine is shutting down.
- Tom Richmond offers an insider's look at the demise of MAD Magazine.
- Argentinian cartoonist Guillermo Mordillo has died aged 86.
Film and TV:
- Ross Johnson shares some essential science fiction and fantasy films from the Criterion Collection.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the TV series The Rook.
- Liz Shannon Miller shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Leah Schnelbach shares her appreciation for the 1989 time travel series Quantum Leap.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 post-apocalyptic film The Quiet Earth.
- Emily Asher-Perrin asks if 1999 was the year that geek culture started to take over the world.
- Peter Bradshaw ranks the twenty best zombie movies.
- Scott Collura and Jesse Schedeen share the twenty-five coolest science fiction movie weapons.
- Kat Cho recommenda Korean dramas for YA readers.
- Sian Cain asks if there is such a thing as an unfilmable book.
- Stuart Heritage laments the fragmentation of streaming services, which will make streaming TV much more expensive.
- Lulu Garcia-Navarro interviews Douriean Fletcher, jewellery designer for Black Panther.
- The Guardian wonders if the upcoming 25th James Bond film is the most cursed production of all time.
- Germain Lussier reports that actress Halle Bailey will play Arielle in Disney's live action version of The Little Mermaid.
Comments on Spider-Man: Far From Home (possible spoilers):
- Ben Child declares that Spider-Man: Far From Home leaves the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a dark place (spoilers).
- Ty Burr calls Spider-Man: Far From Home a wholesome teen comedy disguised as a superhero movie.
- The Tor.com bloggers share twenty things they loved about Spider-Man: Far From Home and six things they didn't (spoilers).
- Beth Elderkin shares a spoilerish discussion of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
- Emily Todd VanDerWerff declares that Spider-Man: Far From Home has turned a down-to-Earth class-conscious hero into a tech bro.
- Tor.com discusses a surprise cameo in Spider-Man: Far From Home and what it says about a Spider-Man multiverse.
- Germain Lussier discusses the challenge of making and marketing Spider-Man: Far From Home without leaking any spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Comments on season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale:
- Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on "Under His Eye", the latest episode of season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale.
- Emily Todd VanDerWerff and Constance Grady share their thoughts on "Under His Eye".
- Christopher Hooton shares his thoughts on "Under His Eye".
- Julia Raeside shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
- Laura Bradley interviews Christopher Meloni who plays Commander George Winslow in The Handmaid's Tale.
Comments on season 3 of Stranger Things:
- Lucy Mangan calls season 3 of Stranger Things still frightening as hell, but much more fun than before.
- Erik Adams wonders whether Stranger Things will grow up in season 3.
- Emily L. Stephens offers an episode by episode review of season 3 of Stranger Things.
- Jeff Beer declares that Stranger Things is rapidly turning into "Sponsored Things".
- Ellen E. Jones has noticed that a villain from Stranger Things is very reminiscent of Donald Trump.
- Beth Elderkin and Germain Lussier share everything you need to remember from seasons 1 and 2 of Stranger Things.
- Erik Adams, Randall Colburn and Katie Rife share ten movies to watch before season 3 of Stranger Things.
Comments on season 2 of Dark:
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 2 of Dark.
- Scott Roxborough interviews Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, creators of Dark.
Comments on Yesterday:
- Leonard Maltin calls the alternate history film Yesterday a let down.
- Wendy Ide calls Yesterday a predictable romantic comedy.
- Laura Snapes declares that Yesterday is the latest jukebox movie that puts its female characters on "mute".
Comments on Midsommar:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Midsommar an outrageous black comedy carnival of agony.
- Cheryl Eddy calls Midsommar a gorgeous nightmare.
- Justin Chang calls Midsommar a nightmare in broad daylight.
- Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the horror movie Midsommar.
- Inspired by Midsommar, Charles Bramesco offers a defence of horror movies with runtimes of more than two hours.
- Amy Nicholson interviews Ari Aster, director of Midsommar and Hereditary.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Ari Aster.
- Ari Aster and Jordan Peele, director of Get Out! and Us, interview each other.
Comments on Annabelle Comes Home:
- The back to back releases of Annabelle Comes Home and the new Child's Play make Steve Rose wonder why horror movies about creppy toys are so popular.
- Joe Queenan feels that the evil doll from Annabelle Comes Home is actually a good role model and has a great work ethic.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2019 Locus Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2019 John W. Campbell Memorial Award has been announced.
- The winner of the 2019 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award has been announced.
- The 2019 Booktube SFF Awards are open for voting.
- The nominations for the 2019 ENnie Awards have been announced.
- Jo van Ekeren takes a look at Hugo nomination and voting statistics.
- Ira Alexandre proposes creating a Hugo Award for the best game or interactive experience.
- Camestros Felapton takes a look at the presence of works about dinosaurs at the Hugo Awards in a two-part post.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Stacy Bowditch explains how freewriting can help you beat writer's block.
- Brandon Sanderson explains what to do when you are unsatisfied with your own writing.
- Elizabeth Bear talks about narrative focus.
- Jason Sanford asks if library e-book lending hurts sales.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the licensing business and the implications for writers.
Interviews:
- Leonard Maltin interviews George R.R. Martin.
- Locus interviews Kaaron Warren.
- Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Greg van Eekhout.
- Paul Weimer interviews Steve Kostler.
Reviews:
- Liz Bourke reviews The Hound of Justice by Claire O'Dell.
- Alexander Pyes reviews The Undefeated by Una McCormick.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Outside by Ada Hoffman.
- Paul Weimer reviews Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder.
- Alex Brown reviews Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
- Rob Bedford reviews Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
- Ardi Alspach reviews Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
- Carolyn Cushman reviews The Storm by David Drake and A Parliament of Bodies by Marshall Ryan Maresca.
- Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer reviews Eye Spy by Mercedes Lackey.
- Adri Joy reviews David Mogo, Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.
- Bitter Tea and Mystery reviews Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
- Ana Grilo reviews The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Warehouse by Rob Hart.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Point of Knives by Melissa Scott.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee.
- Katharine Coldiron reviews Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice.
- Marion Deeds reviews A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore.
- Marion Deeds reviews The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey.
- Ian Mond reviews Dark Constellations by Pola Oloixarac.
- Richard Z. Santos reviews Growing Things by Paul Tremblay.
- Bethanne Patrick reviews The Ghost Clause by Howard Norman.
- Suzy Michael reviews Palace of Ghosts by Thomas S. Flowers.
- Toby Frost reviews One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence.
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1924 science fiction novel An Earthman on Venus a.k.a. The Radio Man by Ralph Milne Farley.
- Ruthanna Emrys and Ann M. Pillsworth revisit the 1941 horror story "Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber.
- Paul Fraser revisits The Best Scince Fiction Stories 1950, edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T.E. Dikty.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 1951 science fiction stories "The Fog Horn" and the 1952 story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury.
- Gideon Marcus shares his thoughts on the July 1964 issue of Analog.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1964 issue of Gamma.
- Mark Yon revisits the July/August 1964 issue of New Worlds.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1964 science fiction novel Trader to the Stars by Poul Anderson.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1968 science fiction novel Dark Piper by Andre Norton.
- S.L. Huang revisits the 1973 science fiction novel The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1975 children's fantasy novel The Borribles by Michael de Larrabeiti.
- Mari Ness revisits the 1978 science fantasy novel The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 1990 fantasy novel Stronghold by Melanie Rawn.
Crowdfunding:
- Strange Horizons has kicked off its 2020 fundraiser.
- FIYAH Literary Magazine is looking for funding to finance a staff meet-up in Atlanta to celebrate their Hugo nomination.
- Hugo finalist Brandon O'Brien is looking for funding to attend WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
Con and event reports:
- Preston Grassman reports about Hal-Con 2019 in Kawasaki, Japan.
- Anime News Network reports that convention runner Ryan Kopf has been banned from Anime Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, following a sexual assault.
- Mike Glyer reports that CONvergence in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will change its code of conduct.
- James Whitbrook reports that Rogue One actor Riz Ahmed had to cancel his appearance at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Illinois, because Homeland Security would not let him board his flight.
Science and technology:
- NASA reports that they are planning a mission to Titan.
- Ivan Mehta reports about an AI that names other AIs, based on naming patterns from Iain Banks' Culture series.
- Kenny Breuer reports that a new insect-sized robot can fly without an external power source.
- David Mantey reports that robots are now replacing ducks in rice fields.
- Kristin Houser reports that the Russian submarine which caught fire, killing fourteen on board, may have the purpose to cut undersea internet and communication cables.
Free online fiction:
- "The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye" by Sarah Pinsker in Uncanny Magazine.
- "Big Box" by Greg van Eekhout in Uncanny Magazine.
- "The Null Space Conundrum" by Violet Allen in Lightspeed.
- "Song Beneath the City" by Micah Dean Hicks in Lightspeed.
- "What the River Brings and What It Takes Away" by Natalia Theodoridou in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Across the Bough Bridge" by Mackenzie Kincaid in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Space Leek" by Chen Qiufan in Slate: Future Tense.
- "Who Should Live in Flooded Old New York?" by Brooke Bolander in The New York Times.
- "Who Will Clean Our Spirits When We're Gone?" by Tlotlo Tsamaase in The Dark.
- "Threnody for Little Girl, with Tuna, at the End of the World" by Seanan McGuire in Nightmare Magazine.
- "One for the Wounded" by Phoenix Alexander in Metaphoris Magazine.
- "Boardwalk Baby" by Cora Buhlert.
Odds and ends:
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