It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the various iterations of Star Trek, the various iterations of Star Wars, Snowpiercer, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, What We Do in the Shadows, season 2 of Homecoming, Space Force, the planned release of the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League, links to freely available Hugo Voter Packets, the latest convention cancellations due to the corona virus and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Amal El-Mohtar recommends several recent SFF novels.
- Runalong the Shelves shares comfort reads for difficult times.
- Jo Walton shares SFF books that grab her.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five sword and planet stories to enjoy.
- James Davis Nicoll shares four castaway science fiction stories that are closer to Gilligan's Island than to Lord of the Flies.
- Emily A. Duncan shares five SFF books for the goth in your life.
- Marc E. Fitch declares that literature is built on a foundation of horror.
- Bethany C. Morrow shares her three favourite books she never actually finished.
- Tor.com share their favourite biceps in fantasy.
- Rob Latham talks about science fiction and the corona virus.
- Kelly Lagor discusses stem cell research in the works of Nalo Hopkinson.
- Elyse Martin talks about Asian characters in the Temeraire novels by Naomi Novik.
- Mary Ann Grossmann profiles Naomi Kritzer.
- Aidan Moher shares his appreciation for the SFF artwork of Jenn Ravenna.
- Sanford Nolan profiles John Picacio.
- Jeff Goad profiles Gardner Fox.
- Richard Marpole shares SFF poidcasts to listen to.
- Alison Flood reports that J.K. Rowling is writing a serialised children's fantasy entitled The Ickabog.
- Brian Freeman reports that George R.R. Martin has bought part of a historic railway in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the intention to restore it and turn it into a tourist attraction.
Film and TV:
- Justin Chang calls The Vast of Night an ingenious retro science fiction movie.
- Alison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
- Danette Chavez shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.
- Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the season 7 premiere of The 100.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on Joker.
- Martin Edwards shares his thoughts on The Ritual.
- Steve O'Brien revisits the 2008 post-apocalyptic TV series Survivors.
- Ethan Alter revisits the controversial finale of Lost ten years later.
- Ana Dávila Cardinal revisits the 1960 post-apocalyptic movie Last Woman on Earth.
- Gwen Ihnat rewatches the 1963 Disney animated fantasy film The Sword in the Stone.
- Daniel Harris watches the 1975 shark movie Jaws for the very first time.
- Edward Tew revisits the 1990 paranormal movie Ghost, his favourite film aged 12.
- S.L. Huang talks about martial arts and racial stereotypes.
- Michael Newton discusses horror movies where the home is the source of horror.
- Elle Hunt interviews Britt Ekland, best known for her role in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.
- Simon Bland interviews directors Davia and Jerry Zucker and star Robert Hays about the making of the disaster film parody Airplane!
- Anthony Lane wonders why apocalyptic plague movies are so popular.
- Alex Wyse shares the worst science fiction movies of the past ten years.
- Olivia Rutigliano discusses the pitched copyright battle surrounding the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu.
Comments on the various iterations of Star Wars:
- Kristin Baver interviews George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, about the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back.
- Inverse reports that Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strikes Back, and Werner Herzog, who played the Client in The Mandalorian, both had the habit of treating to Yoda or respectively Baby Yoda as if they were actors rather than puppets.
- Tom Butler shares the 40th anniversary post for The Empire Strikes Back.
- Craig Elvy lists every time someone says "I have a bad feeling about this" in Star Wars.
- Jacob Oller reports that the Golden Globes are changing their rules to disallow voice only roles for acting awards in response to The Mandalorian, where both star Pedro Pascal as well as several other actors do not show their faces.
- Ken Nightingall, boom operator on Star Wars: A New Hope, who became famous for wearing only pink shorts on loccation in Tunisia, has died aged 92.
Comments on the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds announcement and various iterations of Star Trek:
- Ted Anthony reports about the planned Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series and particularly praises Captain Christopher Pike as played by Anson Mount.
- Alasdair Stuart wonders what the three Short Treks episodes featuring the crew of Captain Pike's Enterprise can tell us about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
- Joe George shares five important lessons from the various mirror universe episodes of the various Star Trek series.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido rewatches the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Investigations" and "Deadlock".
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine tie-in novel The Soul Key by Olivia Woods.
Comments on Snowpiercer:
- Lucy Mangan calls Snowpiercer Steampunk Law and Order and a trashy treat.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the series premiere as well as episode 2 of Snowpiercer.
- Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Snowpiercer.
- Emma Fraser discusses how children are used as a commodity in Snowpiercer.
Comments on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D:
- Alan Brown shares his thoughts on the season 7 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the season 7 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Comments on What We Do in the Shadows:
- Katie Rife shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do in the Shadows.
- Peter White reports that What We Do in the Shadows has been renewed for season 3.
Comments on Space Force:
- Alex McLevy praises the cast of Space Force, but is underwhelmed by the series itself.
- Caroline Framke shares her thoughts on Space Force.
- Simon Hattenstone interviews John Malkovich, star of Being John Malkovich, Con Air, Space Force and many others.
Comments on season 2 of Homecoming:
- Ellen E. Jones shares her thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Homecoming.
- Alex McLevy offers episode by episode reviews of season 2 of Homecoming.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Homecoming.
- Cameron Scheetz interviews Chris Cooper and Hong Chau, two of the stars of Homecoming.
Comments on the impending release of the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League:
- Andy Behbakht shares some details about how the so-called "Snyder cut" will differ from the existing version of Justice League.
- George Grossberg reports that Henry Cavill may reprise his role as Superman for potentially necessary reshoots for the Justice League "Snyder cut".
- Kayleigh Donaldson declares that Henry Cavill deserved a better Superman than the one he got to play.
- Scott Campbell reports that Supergirl may appear in the "Snyder cut" of Justice League.
- William Hughes reports that the so-called "Snyder cut" may cost Warner Bros a lot more than the initially projected 30 million US-dollar.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also reports that the so-caled "Snyder cut" may be a lot of complicated and expensive than many people think.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that following the announced release of the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League, Suicide Squad director David Ayer is now demanding a director's cut of his movie as well.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the original 2017 Justice League.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2019 Ursa Major Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 Australian Fairy Tale Society Award have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2019 Australian Shadows Awards have been announced.
- The nominees for the 2020 Neffy Awards have been announced.
- Mike
Glyer reports that the RWA has retired the Rita Award in response to
the ongoing racism drama and will replace it with the Vivian Award,
named after RWA co-founder Vivian Stephens.
Hugo Voter Packets:
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Charlie Jane Anders asks writers to embrace uncertainty.
- Brandon Cornett explains how he uses character diaries to create more believable characters,
- Nerine Dorman explains how they made the Skolion publishing cooperative work.
- Alexandra Alter reports about a copyright dispute between paranormal erotica authors Addison Cain and Zoey Ellis and its roots in the fanfiction world.
- Dorany Pineda explains how booksellers in California react to the partial reopening after the corona virus pandemic.
- Alison Flood reports about the latest developments in the ongoing RWA drama.
Interviews:
- Paul Weimer interviews Sarah Chorn.
- Gordon B. White interviews Molly Tanzer.
- Scott Edelman interviews Justina Ireland.
- Christian A. Coleman interviews Stephen Graham Jones.
- Andrew Liptak interviews Marko Kloos.
- Mike Glyer interviews Robert J. Sawyer.
- Mark Evanier interviews Steve Stoliar.
Reviews:
- Kelly Lasiter reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
- Camestros Felapton reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
- Tadiana Jones reviews Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
- Carolyn Cushman reviews Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs and Bears Behaving Badly by Mary Janice Davidson.
- Liz Bourke reveíews The Physicians of Vilnoc by Lois McMaster Bujold, Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders by Aliette de Bodard and Prairie Fire by E.K. Johnston.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews An Orc on the Wild Side by Tom Holt and Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker.
- A Bookish Type reviews Westside Saints by W.M. Akers.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Haunted Heroine by Sarah Kuhn.
- Katie Burton and Rebecca Fisher review A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews King of the Dogs, Queen of the Cats by James Patrick Kelly.
- Paul Jessup reviews Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings.
- Marion Deeds reviews The Grand Tour by E. Catherine Tobler.
- Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds review Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Son of a Liche by J. Zachary Pike.
- Camestros Felapton reviews In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Finna by Nino Cipri.
- Emma Brockes reviews Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Sea Change by Nancy Kress.
- Daniel Kraus reviews Bloom by Kenneth Oppel.
- Adri Joy reviews A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow.
- Paul Weimer reviews Retellings of the Inland Seas, edited by Athena Andreadis.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Looking Glass by Christina Henry.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Until Summer Comes Around by Glenn Rolfe.
- Rob Bedford reviews The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Watcher in the Woods by Charlotte Bond.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Touch the Night by Max Booth III.
- Ian Mond reviews Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh.
- Matt Brandenburg reviews Nightbird by David Busboom.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Crazytimes by Scott Cole.
- Kelly Doherty reviews Firefly – The Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom, Volume One: The 1930s by David and Daniel Ritter.
- Paul di Filippo reviews Beyond the Outposts: Essays on SF and Fantasy 1955-1996 by Algis Budrys.
Classics reviews:
- Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 science fiction novelette "Arena" by Fredric Brown.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1959 thriller Night of Violence a.k.a. The Trapped Ones by Louis Charbonneau.
- Rosemary Benton revisits the 1965 science fiction novel Three Against Witch World by Andre Norton and Jason Sacks revisits Subspace Explorers by E.E. Smith.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the June 1965 issue of Fantastic Stories of Imagination.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1965 issue of Analog.
- Mark Yon revisits the June 1965 issues of New Worlds and Science Fantasy.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Dance the Eagle to Sleep by Marge Piercy.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1970 horror novel Doctor Orient by Frank Lauria.
- Mark Yon revisits the 1975 science fiction novel Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1976 children's science fictio novel Star Ka'at by Andre Norton.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 science fiction collection Convergent Series by Larry Niven.
- Grady Hendrix revisits the 1981 horror novel The Keep by F. Paul Wilson.
- Tadiana Jones revisits the 1991 horror novella Jack by Connie Willis.
- K.W. Colyard revisits the 1997 dystopian YA novel Shade's Children by Garth Nix.
Crowdfunding:
- The virtual Balticon 54 is looking for funding.
- Curt Phillips asks SFF fans everywhere to send Bob Madle, science fiction fan since the 1930s and one of the few survivors of the first Worldcon, a card for his 100th birthday.
Con and event reports:
- The now virtual Worldcon CoNZealand in Wellington, New Zealand, announces which platforms they will be using.
- Albacon in Albany, New York, has been postponed due to the corona virus.
- Mike Chomko reports that Pulpfest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been cancelled due to the corona virus.
- DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC, has announced that John Harris will be their artist guest of honour.
Science and technology:
- Dennis Overbye reports that NASA is naming its new dark energy telescope after Nancy Grace Roman.
- Eric Berger reports that Doug Loverro, NASA's head of human spaceflight, has resigned.
- Jonathan Amos reports that the NASA SpaceX crew mission has been cleared for launch.
- Jonathan Amos shares more information about the NASA SpaceX crew mission.
- Jonathan Amos reports that Virgin Orbit launch has failed.
- Caroline Delbert reports about a mathematical formula that calculates the odds that aliens exist.
- Charles Veley and Anna Elliott talk about Victorian women's methods of self-defence.
- Judith Tarr answers the question how a centaur eats.
Free online fiction:
- "Rager in Space" by Charlie Jane Anders in Lightspeed.
- "The Tourist" by Alex Sherman at Tor.com.
- "Destinations of Love" by Alexander Weinstein in Lightspeed.
- "And For My Next universe" by Matthew Castleman in Fireside Magazine.
- "The Anatomy of Spines" by Nicole Crucial in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "We Speak With the Raven Men" by Alexis Ann Hunter in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Translator, at Low Tide" by Vajra Chandrasekera in Clarkesworld.
- "Quantum Fish" by Bo Balder in Clarkesworld.
- "Call Out" by Steve Toase in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Fourth and Most Important" by Nisi Shawl at ASU Center fir Science and the Imagination
- "Batman Works From Home" by Kate Sidley in The New Yorker.
- "Transport" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- "Homunculus Cartographer" by Camestros Felapton.
Odds and ends:
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