It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the J.K. Rowling transphobia controversy, tributes to Ian Holm, Joel Schumacher, Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Monica Stephens, the various iterations of Star Trek, the various iterations of Star Wars, Artemis Fowl, You Should Have Left, sexual harrassment in the speculative fiction and comics community, Michael Keaton's return to the Batman role, the latest convention cancellations and virtual conventions due to the corona virus and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- The Tor.com reviewers share their favourite SFF books of the year so far.
- Amazon shares the best science fiction and fantasy novels of the year so far.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories that prove that you can never go home again.
- Peter F. Hamilton shares his favourite science fiction novels about remaking the future.
- Liz Bourke shares LGBTQ SFF books to read for pride month.
- K.A. Doore shares the SFF books she would like her daughter to read.
- Cree Myles explains how reading science fiction by black authors can help readers become antiracist.
- Swati Teerdhala shares five fantasy novels inspired by India.
- Jonathan Alexander Hill talks about the libertarian history of science fiction.
- Camestros Felapton responds to Jonathan Alexander Hill and points out various issues with the article.
- Mark Lawrence talks about influences and how they can be difficult to determine.
- Aleida Rodriguez talks about time travel and how it relates to her experience as a Cuban immigrant in the US.
- Kayla Shaggy talks about anti-blackness among indigenous people and how it contributes to the mistreatment of black indigenous SFF writer Rebecca Roanhorse.
- Rosamund Lannin talks about body positivity in fantasy.
- Leah Schnelbach talks about her favourite angels in fantasy fiction.
- C.D. Covington discusses translation and dead languages in Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan.
- Sarah Weinman wonders whether it is possible to separate Edgar Allan Poe's tumultous life from his work.
- Nick Kolakowski takes a look at the noir novels of Stephen King.
- George R.R. Martin offers a progress report for The Winds of Winter.
- James Wallace Harris talks about the drawbacks of collecting paperbacks.
- Chris M. Barkley talks about black people in SFF fandom.
- Several members of the Organisation for Transformative Works have penned an open letter to the OTW, urging the organisation to take a stronger stance against racism.
- Wizards of the Coast releases a statement regarding more diversity in Dungeons & Dragons.
- Monica Stephens, partner of Steve Jackson, longtime employee of Steve Jackson Games and SFF fan has died aged 59.
- Steve Jackson remembers Monica Stephens.
- Joe Sinnott, longtime inker at Marvel Comics, has died aged 93.
- Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón has died aged 55.
- Mark Lawson discusses the remarkably success of Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Comments on J.K. Rowling's remarks about transpeople:
- Margaret Lockyer declares that fans should not cancel J.K. Rowling about the recent transphobia controversy, but that they should confront her.
- Aisling Walsh points out that J.K. Rowling's transphobia should be no surprise to Harry Potter fans.
- Jim Waterson reports that several writers have left J.K. Rowling's agency over her transphobic remarks.
Comments on various cases of sexual misconduct in the SFF, comics and gaming community:
- Kaila Hale-Stern reports about allegations of sexual misconduct against comic writer Warren Ellis.
- Sara Grace reports that fantasy author Paul Krueger has been dropped by his agent over allegations of sexual harrassment.
- Samatha Puc reports that author Myke Cole has been dropped by publisher Vault Comics following allegations of sexual misconduct.
- Taylor Lorenz and Kellen Browning report about sexism and harrassment in the gaming industry.
- Elisabeth Bear shares an open letter to the various serial harrassers recently unmasked in the SFF community.
- John Scalzi responds to the various cases of harrassment and sexual misconduct in the SFF and comics community.
Film and TV:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Fanny Lye Deliver'd an eerie folk horror movie.
- Rita Dorsch declares that Shirley takes viewers into the mind of horror writer Shirley Jackson.
- Alex McLevy declares that Doom Patrol gets gloomy in its second season.
- Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the season 2 premiere of the new Twilight Zone.
- Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Snowpiercer.
- Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Stargirl.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on season 3 of Colony.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo a punchy documentary.
- Larushka Ivan-Zadeh attempts to explain the enduring appeal of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- Max Curtis talks about Doctor Who episodes featuring legendary or mythological characters.
- Kaye Dee revisits the 1964 Supermarionation series Stingray.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky revisits the 1978 afterlife movie Heaven Can Wait.
- A.A. Dowd revisits the 1998 movie After Life.
- Luke Holland revisits the 2012 science fiction action film Lockout.
- Xan Brooks interviews Werner Herzog, director of Aguirre - Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Cobra Verde, The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, Nosferatu and others, who also recently appeared in The Mandalorian and Jack Reacher.
- Sonaiya Kelley interviews Nicole Beharie, who is best known for playing Abbie Mills in Sleepy Hollow.
- Candice Frederick also interviews Nicole Beharie.
- Jennifer Maas interviews Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, showrunner of The Witcher.
- David Smith interviews Richard Dreyfuss, star of Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and many others.
- Andrew Pulver reports that Jurassic Park and Jaws currently sit at the top of the US box office, in spite of being decades old.
Tributes to Sir Ian Holm:
- British actor Sir Ian Holm, best known for his appearances in Alien, Lord of the Rings, The Fifth Element, Dance with a Stranger, Game Set and Match and others, has died aged 88.
- Michael Billington and Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Sir Ian Holm.
- The BBC shares an obituary for Sir Ian Holm.
- Mel Gusso shares an obituary for Sir Ian Holm.
- Peter Bradshaw remembers Sir Ian Holm.
- Richard Eyre, Anne-Marie Duff, Ken Stott and Hugh Hudson remember Sir Ian Holm.
- Andrew Liptak shares tributes to Sir Ian Holm from various other actors.
- Greg Whitmore shares photos of Sir Ian Holm's most memorable roles.
- Mike Glyer remembers the many science fiction and fantasy roles of Sir Ian Holm.
Tributes to Joel Schumacher:
- Joel Schumacher, director of The Lost Boys, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, Flatliners, Falling Down, The Client and A Time to Kill, has died aged 80.
- Peter Bradshaw remembers Joel Schumacher.
- Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Joel Schumacher.
Comments on the various iterations of Star Wars:
- Zack Sharf shares Kylo Ren's backstory according to Adam Driver.
- Rachel Leishman lists various Star Wars Easter eggs in The Mandalorian.
- Rachel Leishman also reports why Luke Skywalker's name was changed from Luke Starkiller, while Star Wars: A New Hope was in production.
- N. shares their appreciation for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Comments on the various iterations of Star Trek:
- Brian Drew unearthes an early pitch for Star Trek: The Next Generation that was very different from the series we actually got.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Basics, Part II" and "Flashback".
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews the Star Trek Deep Space Nine tie-in novel Typhon Pact: Zero Sum game by David Mack.
- BuzzFeed shares a quiz comparing Star Trek compounds to skincare ingredients.
Comments on Artemis Fowl:
- Josh Bell calls Artemis Fowl a failed attempt at a fantasy franchise.
- Rita Dorsch wonders what went so horribly wrong with Artemis Fowl.
- Ben Wasserman reports that Artemis Fowl only has a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Comments on You Should Have Left:
- A.A. Dowd calls You Should Have Left a ponderous horror thriller.
- Cynthia Vinney interviews David Koepp, writer and director of the thriller You Should Have Left.
- Brian Davids also interviews David Koepp.
Comments on Michael Keaton's return to the Batman role and Batman in general:
- Ethan Alter discusses some trouble behind the scenes of Batman Forever for that film's twenty-fifth anniversary.
- Umberto Gonzalez reports that Michael Keaton may reprise his role as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman for the upcoming The Flash movie.
- Ben Child wonders whether Michael Keaton should return to the role of Batman.
- Scoot Allan wonders whether Michael Keaton appearing as Batman in The Flash means that the Tim Burton Batman films are part of the DC cinematic universe.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2020 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 Premio Italia have been announced.
- The finalists and winners of the 2019 Bisexual Book Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2020 Premios Ignotus have been announced.
- Joe Sherry takes a look at the best series category at the Hugos.
- Camestros Felapton talks about the correlation or lack thereof between relative popularity and the Hugo Awards.
- Camestros Felapton also taked a closer look at the data and the span between people's first and last Hugo nominations.
- John Scalzi takes a look at the time windows in which people are nominated for and win Hugos.
- Alison Flood reports that Booker Prize vice president Emma Nicholson has been removed for her homophobic views after protests.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Charlie Jane Anders shares the secret to storytelling.
- Lydia Kang talks about the evolution of a book idea.
- Martha Wells looks back at the up and downs of her writing career.
- Amy Poeppel wonders why some readers are so upset by swearing.
- Priya Chand declares that writing people of colour is not enough and that "people of colour" are not a monolith.
- Cat Rambo explains how to ask for things.
- Catherine Lundoff talks about running a small press.
- Alison Flood reports that booksales are rising in the UK after bookstores reopen.
- Mark Brown reports that book designers are annoyed that several bookstores in the UK are displaying books back to front to allow browsers to read the blurb without picking up the book.
- Mike Glyer offers an update on the fate of the Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's bookstores, which burned down during the recent riots in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Shelf Awareness reports that several Barnes & Noble buyers have lost their jobs.
- Take a tour of the Bodleian Library's storage facility in Swindon, UK.
Interviews:
- Sean O'Hagan interviews Colson Whitehead.
- Shellie Horst interviews Rosie Oliver.
- The Qwillery interviews Devin Madson.
- Christian A. Coleman interviews Jessica Cluess.
- Aaron Robertson interviews Leslie Klinger.
- Andrea Johnson interviews the editorial staff of Strange Horizons.
- Andrea Johnson interviews Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya of Escape Pod.
Reviews:
- Paul Weimer reviews Annihilation Aria by Michael R. Underwood.
- Kat Hooper reviews Jade War by Fonda Lee.
- Publishers Weekly reviews Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews Prisoner of Midnight by Barbara Hambly.
- Lee Mandelo reviews American Demon by Kim Harrison.
- Camestros Felapton reviews The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey.
- Colleen Mondor reviews When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Properties of Rooftop Air by Gary K. Wolfe.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Goldilocks by Laura Lam.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Witchmark by C.L. Polk.
- Kat Hooper reviews Witchy Eye by D.J. Butler.
- Bill Capossere reviews A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry.
- Bill Capossere and Tadiana Jones review The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison.
- Em Nordling reviews The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison.
- Colleen Mondor reviews Rebelwing by Andea Tang.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty.
- Jana Nyman reviews The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo.
- Maya Gittelman reviews The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho.
- Tadiana Jones reviews The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews Watermark by E. Catherine Tobler.
- Marion Deeds reviews The Monstrous Citadel by Mirah Bolender.
- Andrea Johnson reviews Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson.
- A.M. Justice reviews We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson.
- Genine Tyson reviews Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee.
- Katharine Coldiron reviews The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey.
- Neil McRobert reviews Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay and Devolution by Max Brooks.
- For Winter Nights reviews Devolution by Max Brooks.
- Andrew Fowlow reviews The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.
- Ian Mond reviews The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Eden by Tim Lebbon.
- Olivia Laing reviews The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again by M. John Harrison.
- Paula Guran reviews Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 3, edited by William Schafer.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Powered Up! - An Earth Prime Anthology, edited by Jaym Gates.
Classics reviews:
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1963 science fiction story "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" by Roger Zelazny.
- Kris Myas-Vyall reviews the 1965 science fiction novels The Ballad of Beta-2 by Samuel R. Delany and Alpha, Yes! Terra, No! by Emil Petaja and Cora Buhlert reviews the 1965 science fiction novel The Rithian Terror and the science fiction collection Off Center by Damon Knight.
- Mark Yon revisits the July 1965 issues of Science Fantasy and New Worlds.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1969 post-apocalyptic novel Termush by Sven Holm.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1969 science fiction novel The Black Corridor by Michael Moorcock and Hilary Bailey.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 post-apocalyptic novel The Eleventh Commandment by Lester Del Rey.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1979 children's science fiction novel Star Ka'ats and the Plant People.
- Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1984 science fiction story "Bloodchild" by Octavia E. Butler.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 2006 collection The Time Patrol by Poul Anderson.
Con and event reports:
- Marcin Klak talks about online conventions and how to find them.
- Marcin Klak shares his experiences at the virtual Balticon 54.
- Marcin Klak shares his experiences at the virtual SFeraKORon in Zagred, Croatia.
- Arisia in Boston, Massachussetts, shares its plans to become a more welcoming and anti-racist convention.
- Kate Erbland reports that Star Wars Celebration 2020 in Anaheim, California, has been cancelled due to the corona virus.
- StokerCon in Scarborough, UK, has been rescheduled for January 2021 because of the corona virus.
- Mike Glyer reports that the hotel, which was supposed to be the main venue of DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC, may permanently close due to the corona virus.
- Tor.com shares some highlights from the "A Whole Universe in Pages - Worldbuilding for SFF" panel at the virtual TorCon.
- Spencer Perry reports that Free Comic Book Day is now a weekly event lasting all summer.
- The Romance Writers of America have announced a virtual conference for late August 2020.
- Rob Hansen remembers Sci-Con, the 1970 Eastercon in London, UK.
Science and technology:
- Paul Rincon answers some key questions about the new Mars rover Perseverance.
- Jonathan Amos shares an X-ray map of the universe created by the eRosita space telescope.
- Pallab Ghosh reports that scientists have discovered a black neutron star, an astronomical phenomenon that has never been observed before.
- Doyle Rice reports that scientists have received a grant from NASA to search for intelligent life in outer space.
- The BBC reports that Segway is ending production.
- Tucker Reals reports that neolithic pits have been discovered near Stonehenge.
Free online fiction:
- "That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love" by Robert Shearman in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Night Soil Salvagers" by Gregory Norman Bossert at Tor.com
- "Margaery the Wolf" by Maria Haskins in Curious Fictions.
- "For Every Sin, an Absolution" by Kristi Demeester in The Dark.
- "Optimizing the Path to Enlightenment" by Priya Chand in Clarkesworld.
- "What the Gods Left Behind" by Genevieve Gornichec by Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Depth and Meaning" by Jennifer Lee Rossman in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Shadow Side" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- "Real Animals" by Em North in Lightspeed.
- "What I Assume You Shall Assume" by Ken Liu in Lightspeed.
- Win a free e-book copy of Of Fury and Fangs by Kyoko M.
Odds and ends:
- Watch a trailer for season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale.
- Watch a trailer for a not very accurate adaptation of Foundation.
- Watch a teaser for the so-called "Snyder cut" of Justice League.
- Watch a trailer for Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons.
- Watch a trailer for Greenland.
- Watch a trailer for Over the Moon.
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