It's time for another somewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Martin Scorsese's dismissive comments about superhero movies, Batwoman, Joker, the future of Star Trek, the final season of Supernatural, Raising Dion, Gemini Man, In the Tall Grass, Lucy in the Sky, New York Comic Con, problems at Fireside Press and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Leah Schnelbach shares five science fiction and fantasy books to read this October.
- Andrew Liptak takes a look at some recent non-fiction books about the history of the genre.
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar discuss how science fiction and fantasy have become more diverse and more international in the past ten years.
- James Wallace Harris asks if we still need science fiction.
- Jenn Lyons talks about interrogating the power structures in western epic fantasy and wonders why so many fantasy novels feature monarchies.
- James Davis Nicoll shares science fiction stories in which Earth is liberated by an alien empire.
- James Davis Nicoll also speculates about Venusian visitors to Earth.
- Pam Kragen profiles Gideon Marcus of Galactic Journey.
- Nick Kolakowski shares five classics of Cyberpunk noir.
- C.D. Covington looks at the linguistic background of China Miéville's Embassytown.
- Paige Vest and Ross Newberry talk about depression in the fantasy novels of Brandon Sanderson.
- Lev Grossman explains why people feel compelled to make maps of fictional worlds.
- Caroline Delbert shares her 33 favourite horror books of all time.
- Renee Ahdieh shares the five most badarse vampires of all time.
- Kate Racculia shares the ten gothic novels which inspired her.
- Craig Davidson shares seven classic horror novels from the 1980s.
- Nicole Hill shares the best horror epics to read this October.
- Sam Reader shares horror books for fans of Creepshow.
- Seanan McGuire explains that horror needs to be sincere.
- Daniel Kraus shares his favourite stories from the EC horror comics of the 1950s.
- Sarah Gailey ranks magical accessories.
- Marianne Eloise celebrates the twentieth anniversary of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
- Kira Peikoff explains why fiction is the perfect vehicle to discuss ethical dilemmas.
- Samantha Edmonds shares the science fiction and fantasy moments that make her cry.
- Tobias Carroll wonders why Ursula K. Le Guin has inspired so many musicians.
- Brenna Ehrlich discusses Stephen King's fascination with the poem "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.
- Sarah MacLean declares that bashing romance novels is just another form of slut shaming.
- Kelsey Rexroat shares the secret to shopping in used bookstores.
- Tor.com explains how to get cigarette smoke out of used books.
- Michael Baggs celebrates eighty years of Marvel Comics.
- Michileen Martin shares the untold truth about Peter Porker, the spectacular Spider-Ham.
- Leah Price reports that news about the impending death of the book were premature.
- Andrew Liptak reports that the science fiction and fantasy focussed New York City based radio program Hour of the Wolf has become a victim of a radio station shutdown.
- Fantasy author J.A. Pitts has died aged 54.
Film and TV:
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Ad Astra.
- Scott von Doviak shares his thoughts on the season 6 premiere of The Flash.
- Kyle Fowle shares his thoughts on the season 3 premiere of Black Lightning.
- Andrew Liptak looks ahead at season 4 of The Expanse.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Emergence.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Evil.
- Martin Belam reports about a remake of the lost 1965 Doctor Who episode "Mission into the Unknown" by students of the University of Central Lancashire.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the 2016 superhero movie Doctor Strange.
- Camestros Felapton offers an all purpose review for forgettable movies.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 2008 vampire movie Let the Right One In.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1966 science fiction movie Queen of Blood.
- Rosemary Benton revisits the 1964 nuclear war film Fail Safe.
- Steve Vertlieb celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the original Twilight Zone.
- Martin Lawson celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
- Julia Alexander reports that viewers are required to subscribe to the new HBO Max streaming service to watch new episodes of Sesame Street.
- Trae Dorn reports that the defamation lawsuit by anime voice actor Vic Mignogna against several women who accused him of sexual harassment and others has been dismissed.
- The BBC reports that the death of stuntwoman Joi Harris on the set of Deadpool 2 was due to safety failures.
- Wayne Fitzgerald, title designer for hundreds of movies and TV shows, has died aged 89.
- Actress Anna Quayle, best known for her parts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Casino Royale, The Avengers and The Seven-Percent Solution, has died aged 86.
- Animator Alan Zaslove has died aged 92.
- Actor and comedian Rip Taylor, best known for playing Uncle Fester in The Addams Family, has died aged 84.
- Actress and singer Diahann Carroll, best known for her roles in Julia, Dynasty and White Collar, has died aged 84.
Speculations about the future of Star Trek:
- Ryan Britt shares six questions raised by the trailer for season 3 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the Short Treks episode "Q&A".
- Jennifer Ouellette tastes some of the Star Trek related Chateau Picard wines and offers her verdict.
- Watch a trailer for season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery.
- Watch a trailer for Star Trek: Picard.
- Watch a trailer for Star Trek: Short Treks.
Comments on Martin Scorsese vs. superhero movies:
- Catherine Shoard reports that Martin Scorsese considers Marvel movies and superhero movies in general "not cinema", but more like a theme park.
- Andrew Pulver shares responses from Marvel directors James Gunn and Joss Whedon and actor Samuel L. Jackson to Martin Scorsese.
- Kevin Polowy reports that according to director Kevin Smith, Martin Scorsese has no reason to slam superhero movies, considering that his own The Last Temptation of Christ basically is one.
Comments on Batwoman:
- Emily Asher-Perrin declares that Batwoman has found a way to make the caped crusader fun again.
- Jessica Mason calls Batwoman gay, gothic and great.
- Hank Stuever declares that the CW network has done wrong by both Batwoman and Nancy Drew.
- David Betancourt interviews Ruby Rose, star of Batwoman.
- Emily Asher-Perrin discusses the costuming choices of Batwoman in the upcoming series.
- Watch a trailer for Batwoman.
Comments on Joker:
- Glen Weldon calls Joker a wildly dull film that has nothing new to say.
- Doris V. Sutherland calls Joker basically a remake of Taxi Driver with some clown make-up slapped on.
- Sergio Pereira calls Joker unpleasant but necessary viewing.
- Will Gompertz is pleased that Warner Bros has smuggled a depressing art house movie about the pain of white men into superhero cinema with Joker.
- Emily Asher-Perrin declares that Joker's dismisal of pop culture is its downfall.
- Mark Kermode praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Joker.
- Jordan Hoffman and readers of the Guardian discuss Joker.
- Rachel Leishman is bothered by the treatment of the female characters in Joker.
- Director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix respond to criticisms that Joker may inspire real world violence.
- Noah Dominguez shares the reactions of female lead Zazie Beetz to the controversy surrounding Joker.
- Sergio Pereira claims that the outrage about Joker was misplaced.
- Leah Schnelbach talks about mental health, Joker and The Tick.
- Kate Gardner is bothered by Joaquin Phoenix's remarks about losing weight for Joker.
- Byron Burton interviews Brett Cullen who plays Thomas Wayne in Joker.
- Eamonn Forde discusses the issue that musician Gary Glitter, who has been convicted of pedophilia, may make a lot of money from Joker, because his music is played in the film.
- David Betancourt ranks all actors who have played the Joker to date.
- Ben Child asks who needs Joker, when a Harley Quinn focussed Birds of Prey movie is set to premiere soon.
Comments on the final season of Supernatural:
- Jess Montgomery looks ahead at the final season of Supernatural.
- Alex McLevy declares that Supernatural is the most enduring success story of the CW network.
- Alex Brown celebrates the best of fifteen years of Supernatural.
Comments on Raising Dion:
- Lucy Mangan calls Raising Dion a charming superhero series for the whole family.
- Shannon Miller calls Raising Dion a charming children's superhero story with an identity crisis.
Comments on Gemini Man:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Gemini Man a humorless science fiction thriller that will leave audience in a coma.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky calls Gemini Man dopey but thrilling.
- Leah Greenblatt calls Gemini Man a stale thriller that even Will Smith cannot save.
Comments on In the Tall Grass:
- Katie Rife declares that the horror film In the Tall Grass does its best to make plants terrifying.
- Benjamin Lee declares that any horror in In the Tall Grass get lost in the weeds.
Comments on Lucy in the Sky:
- Leonard Maltin calls Lucy in the Sky a missed opportunity.
- A.A. Dowd declares that Lucy in the Sky is less sensational and less interesting than the true story it is based upon.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2019 Sunburst Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2019 Forry Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2019 Harvey Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2018 D. Franklin Defying Doomsday Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2019 Saturday Visiter Awards for works inspired by or adapted from Edgar Allan Poe have been announced.
- The winners of the 2018 and 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2019 National Book Awards have been announced with some love for genre works.
- Horror film director Rose Glass has won the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award.
- The winners of the 2019 Nobel Prizes for Medicine, Chemistry and Physics have been announced.
- Travis M. Andrews lists several actors, many of them in genre roles, who should have won Oscars for their performances, but didn't.
- The 2019 inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame have been announced.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Janice Hardy shares lessons learned from a decade in publishing.
- FIYAH Magazine is running its 2019 survey of black writers of speculative fiction.
- Laurence MacNaughton explains how to write fascinating villains.
- Chris Winkle explains how to avoid six common rape tropes (trigger warning for discussion of rape).
- Elizabeth Spencer explains how to use Scrivener's character name generator.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues her series about licensing and rethinking the writing business.
- Jason Sanford reports that Fireside Press has cancelled several contracted, but not yet scheduled novellas.
- Fireside Press publisher Pablo Defendini makes a statement regarding the cancelled novellas.
- Augusta Scarlett shares some mistakes of amateur book cover designers.
- Cory Doctorow reports about an attempt by the management of Toronto's CN Tower to use trademark law to get an author to change their book cover.
Interviews:
- Paul Weimer and Jen Zink interview Valerie Valdes.
- Paul Weimer interviews K.V. Johansen.
- Evan Narcisse interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates.
- Rakib Ahmad Khan interviews John Gwynne.
- Evan Narcisse interviews Jamie McKelvie.
Reviews:
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- Serena Davies reviews The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
- Paul Weimer reviews How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason.
- For Winter Nights reviews After Atlas by Emma Newman.
- Mark Yon reviews Doing Time by Jodi Taylor.
- Kat Hooper reviews Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl by Theodora Goss.
- Jessica P. Wick reviews The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman.
- Nina Shepardson reviews In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant.
- Alex Brown reviews Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
- Leigh Butler reviews Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Lovely War by Julie Berry.
- Alex Brown reviews A Kingdom for a Stage by Heidi Heilig.
- A.M. Justice reviews Onslaught of Madness by Jesse Teller.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin.
- Katharine Coldiron reviews If, Then by Kate Hope Day.
- Mahvesh Murad reviews Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeannette Winterson.
- Kat Hooper reviews The Nobody People by Bob Proehl.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews The Grace Year by Kim Liggett.
- Lela E. Buis reviews Doyle's Law by Sam Roberts.
- Karen Haber reviews The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Hollywood North by Michael Libling.
- Tadiana Jones reviews Summer Frost by Blake Crouch.
- Fantasy Faction reviews The Black Hawks by David Wragg.
- Carolyn Cushman reviews We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett and Stormrise by Jillian Boehme.
- Rob Bedford reviews The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht.
- Sam Reader reviews A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacob.
- Ian Mond reviews Everything Is Made of Letters by Sofía Rhei.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews The Walking Dead: Typhoon by Wesley Chu.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic by Catherine Lundoff.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Tales from the Society for the Preservation of Preposterous Absurdity by Shane Darke.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Twisted Book of Shadows, edited by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Hex Life: New Tales of Witchery, edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Magical Women, edited by Sukanya Venkatraghavan.
- John DeNardo reviews Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Desirina Boskovich.
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews Aliens in Popular Culture, edited by Michael M. Levy and Farah Mendlesohn.
- Em Nordling reviews Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror & Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson.
Classics reviews:
- Rachael MacKenzie revisits the 1886 horror novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Alan Brown revisits C.L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry sword and sorcery stories from the 1930s.
- J.F. Norris revisits the 1947 time travel mystery Dead to the World by David X. Manners.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1959 science fiction novel Secret of the Lost Race by Andre Norton.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the November 1964 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction.
- Casual Debris revisits the 1966 science fiction collection Starshine by Theodore Sturgeon.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1974 children's science fiction novel Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy by Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams.
- Bogi Takács revisits the 1978 science fiction novel Up the Walls of the World by James Tiptree Jr. a.k.a. Alice Sheldon.
- John O'Neill revisits the 1979 non-fiction book The World of Science Fiction: The History of a Subculture by Lester Del Rey.
- A.K. Larkwood revisits the 1982 children's fantasy novel Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones.
- Joe Sherry revisits the 1988 science fiction novel Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh.
- Will Errickson revisits the 1992 horror novel The Orpheus Process by Daniel H. Gower.
Con and event reports:
- Kevin Standlee and Cheryl Morgan report about WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
- The souvenir book of ConFiction, the 1990 WorldCon in Den Haag, Netherlands, is now available online.
- Rob Bedford reports about New York Comic Con in New York City.
- Christina Orlando reports about a paranormal romance panel featuring Laurel K. Hamilton and Sarah J. Maas at New York Comic Con in New York City.
- Natalie Zutter reports about Robin Hobb a.k.a. Megan Lindholm's panel at New York Comic Con.
- Tor.com reports about the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy panel at New York Comic Con.
- Natalie Zutter reports about the Forward panel at New York Comic Con.
- Cristina Orlando reports about the Geeks of Colour panel at New York Comic Con.
- Tor.com reports about the Mental Health in SFF at New York Comic Con.
- Tor.com reports about the Magic x Mayhem panel at New York Comic Con.
- Tor.com reports about the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power panel at New York Comic Con.
- Natalie Zutter reports about the Y: The Last Man panel at New York Comic Con.
- Tor.com reports about the Watchmen panel at New York Comic Con.
- Emily Asher-Perrin reports about the Star Wars books panel at New York Comic Con.
- Beth Elderkin shares the best cosplay photos from New York Comic Con.
- Mike Glyer reports about the latest edition of the Speculative Literature Foundation Deep Dish Reading series in Chicago, Illinois.
- Mike Glyer shares the schedule for the 2019 Philip K. Dick European Film Festival in Cologne, Germany, and Lille, France.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- Christian Davenport reports about the construction of SpaceX's spaceport on Boca Chica Island, Texas, and its impact on the locals.
- Mari Yamaguchi reports that the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa-2 has released the rover Minerva II2 to explore the surface of the asteroid Ryugu.
- Catherine Thorbecke reports that the Curiosity rover has found an oddly salty ancient oasis on Mars.
- Paul Rincon reports that Saturn has overtaken Jupiter as the planet with the most moons.
- The BBC reports that the centre of the Milky Way exploded 3.5 million years ago.
- Anna Holligan reports about a project to transform CO2 into jet fuel.
- Kaye Dee reports about supersonic aircraft prototypes of the 1960s.
- Jonathan Amos reports about the German research vessel Polarstern's mission to drift through the Arctic for a year.
- James Gallagher reports that a paralysed man has been able to move his limbs thanks to a mind-controlled exoskeleton suit.
- Mike Moffit reports about an UFO sighting off the coast of North Carolina.
Free online fiction:
- "The Edges of the World" by Grace Seybold in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Under Their Wings, These Starving Ghosts" by Grace Yang in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Nesting Habits of Enceladan Jade Beetles" by Eli Brown in Lightspeed.
- "Légendaire" by Kai Ashante Wilson in Lightspeed.
- "Water: A History" by K.J. Kabza at Tor.com.
- "What the Highway Prefers" by Cassandra Khaw in Lackington's.
- "Some Kind of Blood-Soaked Future" by Carlie St. George in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Lost Girl" by Catherine Lundoff in Fireside Magazine.
- "Every Exquisite Thing" by Lynda E. Rucker in The Dark.
- "The Revenant of Wrecker's Dock" by Cora Buhlert.
- "Godan Blood Harmony, Part 1" by Garrett Schuelke in Punk Noir Magazine.
- "Professor Minerva McGonagall's Letter to the Tenure Committee" by Alyse Knorr in McSweeney's.
Odds and ends:
- Watch a trailer for season 5 of Outlander.
- Watch a trailer for season 4 of The Expanse.
- Watch a trailer for season 2 of Lost in Space.
- Watch a trailer for His Dark Materials.
- Watch a trailer for season 3 of Runaways.
- Watch a trailer for season 2 of Castle Rock.
- Watch a trailer for Ghostwriter.
- Watch a trailer for Girl on the Third Floor.
- Watch a trailer for Portals.
- Watch a trailer for The Turning.
- Watch a trailer for season 4 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
- Watch a trailer for Onward.
- Watch a clip from Are You Afraid of the Dark?
- Watch a recreation of the lost 1965 Doctor Who episode Mission into the Unknown made by students of the University of Central Lancashire.
- Listen to a BBC audio adaptation of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
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