Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 19, 2019

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, Midsommar, Crawl, a deadly fire at Kyoto Animation, some news about the upcoming 25th James Bond film and a new 007, speculations about Star Trek: Picard,  ReaderCon, SpikeCon, San Diego Comic Con and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Font Folly explains that the borders of science fiction and what is considered SF-adjacent are fuzzy. 
• James Davis Nicoll discusses great lost civilisations of science fiction and fantasy.
• Nudrat Kamal explains what South Asian science fiction can tell us about the world.
• Tom Deignan wonders why Catholic priests keep popping up in science fiction. 
• J.R.H. Lawless talks about Sir Terry Pratchett and political philosophy. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF novels reminiscent of Andre Norton.   
• Hector Dejean shares his appreciation for the Planet of Adventure quartet by Jack Vance.
• Nadia Ali declares that dystopian YA fiction is not coming back, but that it never left. 
• Tor.com shares nine fictional spaceships that function as their own societies.
• Tor.com shares five unexpected continuations of beloved SFF series. 
• Craig Davidson shares seven horror novels from the 1980s heyday of the mass market horror paperback. 
• The Red Bull Music Academy offers an alternate canon of Afrofuturist classics. 
• Aidan Moher explains how Final Fantasy and other Japanese videogame RPGs influence the fantasy genre. 
• Kevin Mims traces Douglas C. Jones' impact on the alternate history genre and particularly the sub-sub-genre of fictional trials of historical figures who never stood trial in our reality.
• Kelly Robson revisits a letter James Tiptree Jr. a.k.a. Alice Sheldon wrote in 1974 to be published in the event of her death, which reveals her identity.
• The Spectator revisits the brief science fiction writing career of Donald Barr, father of the current US attorney general William Barr. 
• Mike Roe discusses Bad Weekend by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, a noir graphic novel set against the backdrop of San Diego Comic Con.
• Kali Wallace explains what fiction can tell us about the allure of cults. 
• Graeme McMillan shares the results of a Hollywood Reporter fandom poll.
• Elise Matthesen discusses the changing nature of fandom.
• Sam Thielman reports that comic writer Alan Moore is retiring.
• Crime fiction and science fiction fan and former BoucherCon and Left Coast Crime chair Andi Shechter hs died aged 66. 
• Linda L. Richards remembers Andi Schechter.

Film and TV:

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on The Dead Don't Die. 
• Camestros Felapton discusses the science fiction of Yesterday.
• Carrie Vaughn shares her thoughts on the Tolkien biopic.
• Cath Clarke calls Gwen a chilling historical mystery horror film. 
• Katie Rife shares her thoughts on the German Spanish horror movie Luz.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the British dystopian series Years and Years.
• Diana Adesola Mafe explains why the character of Alexa Woods in Alien vs. Predator is the most radical final girl ever. 
• Liz Shannon Miller shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Rook. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1964 Doctor Who serial "The Sensorites".
• Steve Vertlieb shares his love for the 1958 science fiction horror movie The Blob. 
• Font Folly shares his appreciation for the 1963 Ray Harryhausen movie Jason and the Argonauts.
• Sam Jones interviews Robert Downey Jr., best known for playing Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man in the Marvel movies.
• Kathryn Shatuck interviews Gina Torres, star of Firefly, Serenity and Suits. 
• Judith Tarr declares that the proposed Dune spin-off series about the Bene Gesserit needs the perspective of women writers.
• Killian Fox interviews David Lynch, director of Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and others.  
• Jill Pantozzi and Germain Lussier report that Taika Waiti will be directing Thor 4.
• Jamie Lovett reports that Star Wars fans used toy lightsabres to direct traffic during the recent power outage in New York City.
• The BBC reports that the Warner Bros studios in Leavensden, UK, where all Harry Potter as well as several James Bond movies were filmed, have caught fire. 
• Actress Denise Nickerson, best known for playing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has died aged 62.
• Actress Stephanie Niznik, who appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection and Everwood, has died aged 52.
  

Discussion of the Kyoto Animation fire:

• The BBC reports that an arson attack on the Kyoto Animation studios in Kyoto, Japan, has killed at least 33 people. 
• Gavin Blair also reports about the Kyoto Animation fire. 
• Gavin Blair offers an update on the Kyoto Animation fire.
• Brian Ashcraft also reports about the Kyoto Animation fire.
• The BBC also shares fan tributes to the works of Kyoto Animation.

Comments on Spider-Man: Far From Home (possible spoilers): 

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Spider-Man: Far From Home.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido declares that Spider-Man: Far From Home finally makes Spider-Man's supporting cast look as diverse as the real New York City.
• James Whitbrook discusses an even stranger twist involving the character Mysterio which almost made it into Spider-Man: Far From Home.
• James Whitebrook also shares his favourite take on Mysterio outside the comics and it's not Spider-Man: Far From Home.
  

Comments on season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale:

• Alison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on "Heroic", the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
• David Canfield shares his thoughts on "Heroic".
• Julia Raeside shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
  

Comments on season 3 of Stranger Things: 

• Inspired by season 3 of Stranger Things, Jennifer Wright talks about the nostalgia for America's lost shopping malls. 
• Jason Torchinsky surveys the cars featured in season 3 of Stranger Things.
• Rick Porter reports that according to the ratings service Nielsen, season 3 of Stranger Things is a big hit.
• Cheryl Eddy shares eight questions she has about the not yet announced season 4 of Stranger Things.
  

Comments on Midsommar: 

• Mike Seay declares that in Midsommar, evil doesn't strike in the shadows.
• Nick Schager asks if Midsommar is the scariest movie of the year.
• Mary Kay McBrayer explains how Midsommar subverts horror movie tropes about people of colour.
  

Comments on Crawl: 

• Benjamin Lee calls the horror movie Crawl a snappy summer surprise. 
• A.A. Dowd calls Crawl the creature horror movie of the summer.
• John DeFore calls Crawl a schlocky horror film that will please the people who like that sort of thing.

Comments on the upcoming 25th James Bond film:

• Catherine Shoard reports that Christopher Waltz will be reprising his role as Ernest Stavro Blofeld in the upcoming 25th James Bond movie.  
• Rebecca Lewis reports that in the upcoming 25th Bond film, the 007 codename will have been passed on to a black female agent played by Lashana Lynch, while James Bond as played by Daniel Craig is in retirement. 
• Adam Howard declares that it's about time for a black woman to play 007.
• Emily Asher-Perrin shares five questions about the new 007 and the future of the James Bond franchise.
• Noah Berlatsky hopes that the new 007 will not be turned into a stereotypical Bond girl.
  

Speculations about Star Trek: Picard:

• James Hibberd interviews Star Trek: Picard showrunners Michael Chabon and Alex Kurtzman and reveals some new details.
• Ryan Britt shares three potential storylines for Star Trek: Picard that are too depressing to contemplate.
• Ryan Britt ranks the very best dogs of Star Trek. 

Awards: 

• The winner of the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2019 Manly Wade Wellman Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2019 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2019 Brave New Worlds Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 BooktubeSFF Awards have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2019 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis has been announced.
• The nominees for the 2019 Emmy Awards have been announced.
• The nominees for the 2019 Saturn Awards have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2019 Diana Jones Award has been announced.
• Camestros Felapton looks ahead at the Dragon Awards.
• Chris M. Barkley responds to some criticisms of the proposed Best Translated Book Hugo Award.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Stacey Bowditch explains how to write about pain in fiction. 
• Lauren Sapala shares three reasons why writing every day doesn't work for some writers.
• Paul Jessup explains how music helps him to write.
• Bob Mayer talks about the importance of titles. 
• Kristine Kathryn Ruch explains how to create an inventory of your stories and why you should.
• A.R. Kavli talks about producing his own audiobooks.
• James Navé and Allegra Huston share some tips for planning a book reading that will delight the audience.
  

Interviews:

• Locus interviews R.F. Kuang.
• Locus interviews Ben H. Winters.
• The Qwillery interviews Kerstin Hall. 
• Juliette Wade interviews Cadwell Turnbull.
• Ilana C. Myer interviews Richard Kadrey.
• The Qwillery interviews Suyi Davies Okungbowa. 
• The Qwillery interviews Casey White.
• Ross Johnson interviews Roy Thomas.
• The Odyssey Writing Workshop interviews Farah Naz Rishi.
  

Reviews:

• Aidan Moher reviews This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
• Runalong Womble reviews This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. 
• Lee Mandelo reviews This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Hound of Justice by Claire O'Dell. 
• Kevin Wei reviews Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee.
• Jessica Juby reviews One Way by S.J. Morden.
• Kelly Lasiter reviews Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire. 
• Carolyn F. Cushman reviews Titanshade by Dan Stout and The Unspeakable Unknown by Eliot Sappingfield.
• Liz Bourke reviews Not for Use in Navigation by Iona Datt Sharma. 
• Shellie Horst reviews Children of Artifice by Danie Ware. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero.
• Paul Weimer reviews Brightfall by Jaime Lee Moyer.
• Mike Parker reviews The Spider Dance by Nick Setchfield.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Betrayal in Time by Julie McElwain.  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay.
• Matt Brandenburg reviews Snow Over Utopia by Rudolfo A. Serna.
• Adri Joy reviews The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf.
• Tom Whitmore reviews The War Within by Stephen R. Donaldson. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Reader by Traci Chee. 
• Jana Nyman reviews The Last Tsar's Dragons by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple.
• Anthony Cummins reviews Everything You Ever Wanted by Luiza Sauma. 
• Adam Roberts reviews Exhalation by Ted Chiang.
• Paul di Filippo reviews Imitations of Death by Felix Timmermans.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Extinction Agenda by Michael Laurence.
• Suzy Michael reviews Dust Devils by Jonathan Janz.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Growing Things by Paul Tremblay. 
• Ian Mond reviews Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell.
• Kate Sherrod reviews Do Not Go Quietly: An Anthology of Victory in Defiance, edited by Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Prehistoric: A Dinosaur Anthology, Vol. 1, edited by S.J. Larsson.
  

Classics reviews:

• Michaela Hausman revisits the 1897 fantasy novel The Sundering Flood by William Morris. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1924 lost world novel The Purple Sapphire by John Taine.
• Tadiana Jones revisits the 1947 children's fantasy novel Bonfires and Broomsticks by Mary Norton. 
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1962 story "Tyrannosaurus Rex" by Ray Bradbury.
• John Boston revisits the August 1964 issue of Amazing Stories. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the August 1964 issue of Galaxy.
• Gideon Marcus and Mark Yon revisit the 1964 science fiction novels Time Tunnel by Murray Leinster, The Time Twisters by J. Hunter Holly, No Truce With Terra by Philip E. High and The Duplicators by Murray Leinster.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 science fiction novel The Pollinators of Eden by John Boyd. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Dread Companion by Andre Norton.
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1970 novella "The Thing in the Stone" by Clifford D. Simak.
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1970 story "The Night-Blooming Saurian" by James Tiptree Jr.
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1977 science fiction novel The Opiuchi Hotline by John Varley.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1986 military science fiction novel Cobra by Timothy Zahn.
• Bogi Takács revisits the 1987 science fiction novel Dawn by Octavia E. Butler.
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1992 fantasy novel The Dragon Token by Melanie Rawn.
  

Con and event reports:

• John Hertz reports about SpikeCon in Layton, Utah. 
• John Hertz also shares the winners of the SpikeCon Art Show.
• Daniel Dern shares some photos of ReaderCon 30 in Boston, Massachusetts. 
• Ellen Datlow shares several photos of ReaderCon.
• Kate Nepveu shares her panel notes for a panel in translation and cultural assumptions at ReaderCon in Boston, Massachusetts. 
• Peter Rowe discusses what has been lost and gained in fifty years of San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
• Beth Elderkin shares the ten most exiciting panels happening at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California. 
• Graeme McMillan shares ten noteworthy comic book panels at San Diego Comic Con. 
• The San Diego Union Tribune lists fifty things to see at this year's San Diego Comic Con.
• Entertainment Weekly shares the ten things they are most excited about at this year's San Diego Comic Con.
• Tor.com reports that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have withdrawn from the Game of Thrones panel at San Diego Comic Con shortly before the event.
• Mike Glyer reports that NASA astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps will be appearing at WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
• Mike Glyer also shares a press release about the WorldCon 77 programme.
• Mike Glyer shares the 2020 NASFIC and Westercon 74 site selection voting stats.
• Nick Larter explains why he believes that the science fiction community should reject a WorldCon in Washington DC in 2021.
• Trae Dorn explains how to react when a member of your con staff is accused of rape.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Uncanny Magazine has launched its year 6 Kickstarter. 
• The Steampunk comic Heirs of Ilsidur by Matt Knowles and Steph Cannon and the accompanying soundtrack is looking for funding.
• Major Pieces: A Peltedverse Collection by M.C.A. Hogarth is looking for funding.
• The Clifton House, a proposal to turn the former home of Maryland poet laureate Lucille Clifton into a retreat for writers and artists, is looking for funding.
  

Science and technology:

• Tor.com offers a round-up of science fiction and fantasy writers remembering the Apollo 11 moon landing.
• Paul Rincon wonders if humans will return to the moon by 2024. 
• Scott Neuman reports about the Hasselblad 500C camera with which the iconic photos of the moon landing were taken.
• Charles Fishman shares the best and worst ads that celebrate the moon landing. 
• The BBC reports that the Japanese Hayabusa-2 space probe has made its final touchdown on the asteroid Ryugu. 
• Jonathan Amos reports about the launch of the Spektr-RG X-ray telescope. 
• Niall Firth explains how to fight a war in space and get away with it.
• Ryan F. Mandelbaum reports that according to the fossil records, the Sahara was once an ocean with giant fish and sea serpents.
• Hannah Osborne reports that an ancient tree has been found in New Zealand, whose rings contain a record of a reversal of the Earth's magnetic field.
• Leah Asmelah and Brian Ries reports that several thousand people have taken a Facebook pledge to storm Area 51 and see the aliens supposedly kept there.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Miles and Miles and Miles" by Andrew Penn Romine in Lightspeed.
• "Mother Carey's Table" by J. Anderson Coats in Lightspeed.
• "Compassionate Simulation" by Rachel Swirsky and P.H. Lee in Uncanny Magazine.
• "The Dead Kings" by Teresa P. Mira de Echeverría, translated by David Bowles in The Dark.
• "No Other Life" by Isabel Cañas in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Gert of the Hundred" by L.S. Johnson in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  
• "Faêl" by Tobi Ogundiran in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Skinwalkers Ball" by Hammond Diehl in Strange Horizons.
• "To the Last Drop" by Fumiki Takahashi, translated by Toshiya Kamei in Bewildering Stories. 
• "But, Still, I Smile" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires in Clarkesworld. 
• "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" by J.B. Toner in Crimson Streets.
• "Factory Reset" by Elizabeth Bonesteel.
• "The Stars Rise" by Joyce Chng.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for It, Chapter 2. 
• Watch a trailer for His Dark Materials.
• Watch a trailer for Alien Party Crashers.
• Watch a trailer for Paradise Hills.
• Watch a trailer for Ad Astra.
• Watch a trailer for The Hunt.
• Watch a trailer for The King's Man. 
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of My Hero Academia. 
• Watch a trailer for Cats.
• Watch a 1994 Pizza Hut commercial entirely in Klingon.