Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 24, 2020

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the various iterations of Star Trek, The Old Guard, Cursed, The Rental, Radioactive, the many allegations of sexual harrassment in the SFF, comics and games communities, the latest convention cancellations and virtual conventions due to the corona virus and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Goodreads shares the 100 most popular fantasy books on its site. 
• Lavie Tidhar and Silvia Moreno-Garcia share their favourite SFF books of 2020 so far.
• Grimdark Magazine shares their favourite SFF books of 2020 so far.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five collections of classic science fiction by women. 
• Michael R. Underwood explains why he chose to write a science fiction novel featuring a committed couple. 
• Django Wexler talks about science fantasy.
• Lindsay Ellis explains how science fiction makes sense of the present.
• Mayurika Chakravorty discusses how science fiction explores the interconnectedness revealed by the corona virus pandemic.
• Aysha Khan takes a look at science fiction and fantasy by Muslim authors. 
• Andrew Fox finds parallels between Judaism and science fiction. 
• Ryan Van Sloan talks about the magic of travel and exploring fantasy cultures.
• Natalie Zutter shares twelve SFF stories told in the second person. 
• Tor.com shares eight gothic stories with a twist. 
• James Wallace Harris asks what makes a great science fiction short story.  
• Josh Malerman wonders whether we relate to the characters, the scenario or both, when we read a novel.
• Foz Meadows skewers a very bad fantasy review. 
• William Boyd claims to have located the exact address of James Bond. 
• Etelka Lehoczky talks about the enduring popularity of Asterix.
• Dade Hayes reports that James Patterson will be reviving the classic crime fighter The Shadow.
  

Comments on the many allegations of sexual misconduct in the SFF, comics and games industry:

• The SFF community of San Francisco shares an open letter to Borderlands Books in San Francisco, California, following allegations of sexual assault against the owner.
• Mike Glyer reports about sexual harrassment allegations against artist Sam Flegal.
• Kellen Browning reports about the sexual harrassment allegations in the gaming industry.
  

Film and TV:

• Phil Hoad calls Once There Was Brasília a science fiction odyssey into Brazil's murky politics.
• Toussaint Egan calls Amulet an unsettling feminist horror movie.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on The Current Occupant. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the new Unsolved Mysteries and bemoans the lack of a host. 
• 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.
• Ben Child begs Hollywood not to remake Starship Troopers, because the remake will likely be worse than Paul Verhoeven's 1997 take on Robert A. Heinlein's novel.
• Sam Barsanti revisits the 1990 cyberpunk anime movie Akira. 
• Noah Berlatsky revisits the 1992 horror film Army of Darkness. 
• Ellen E. Jones revisits the 1995 dystopian science fiction film Terrordome.
• Charles Bramesco revisits the 2012 science fiction action movie Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. 
• Joachim Boaz rewatched the second episode of the British 1975 post-apocalyptic series Survivors. 
• Olivia Rutigliano talks about class, capitalism and urban planning in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 
• Michael Cecchini explains what the never made sequel to the 1990 comic strip crime movie Dick Tracy would have been like.
• Josh Malerman shares five horror movies he wishes had been novels first.
• Xan Brooks interviews Malcolm McDowell, star of Clockwork Orange, Time After Time, The Big Ugly and innumerous other films. 
• James Greeby interviews David Wiener, showrunner of Brave New World. 
• Zack Sharf reports that Joker is the most complained about film of 2019 in the UK.  
• Dave Itzkoff reports about Muppets Now, the upcoming new Muppets series.
• Tor.com reports that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will not premier in August after all. 
• Paul Hirons reports that the time travel crime dramas Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes will get a third sequel named Lazarus.

Comments on the various iterations of Star Trek:

• Ryan Britt hopes that we get to see a young Uhura in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Future's End, Part II" and "Warlord".
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro revisits the Star Trek Deep Space Nine tie-in novel Typhoon Pact: Plagues of Night by David George III.
• Watch a clip from Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  

Comments on The Old Guard:

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on The Old Guard and compares the movie to the graphic novel it is based upon.
• Feminist Frequency share their thoughts on The Old Guard.
• Kieran Galpin praises The Old Guard for its portrayal of LGBTQ characters. 
• Ann Hornaday interviews Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of The Old Guard.
• Sam Barsanti reports that The Old Guard is already one of Netflix's ten most popular movies of all time.
  

Comments on Cursed:

• Lucy Mangan calls Cursed a King Arthur prequel that nobody asked for.
• Natalie Zutter calls Cursed a paint by numbers Arthurian prequel that fails to enchant. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Cursed recycles Arthurian legend into a coming of age YA drama. 
• Kayla Sutton calls Cursed a mix of magic and misfires.
• Hannah Collins interviews Katherine Langford, who plays Nimue in Cursed.
• Marah Eakin also interviews Katherine Langford.
• Tasha Hegarty and David Opie interview Devon Terrell who plays Arthur in Cursed.
• Marah Eakin interviews Gustav Skarsgard who plays Merlin in Cursed.
• Marah Eakin interviews Tom Wheeler and Frank Miller, who wrote and illustrated the novel upon which Cursed is based.
  

Comments on The Rental: 

• A.A. Dowd calls The Rental a horror thriller that's barely worth renting. 
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Alison Brie, star of The Rental.
  

Comments on Radioactive:

• Ignatiy Vishnevetsky shares his thoughts on the Marie Curie biopic Radioactive. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Marjane Satrapi, director of Radioactive.

Awards: 

• The winner of the 2020 Tähtifantasia Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Neffy Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Goldie Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2020 Realm Awards have been announced. 
• The 2020 Not the Booker Prize is open for nominations. 
• The finalists for the 2020 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Awards have been announced. 
• The recipients of the 2020 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award have been announced.
• Stuart Hotston takes a look at representation on the Arthur C. Clarke Award submission list.
• Alasdair Stuart profiles the 2020 Hugo Best Fan Writer finalists.
• Joe Sherry takes a look at the 2020 Hugo finalists for Best Novelette.
• Paul Fraser also takes a look at the 2020 Hugo finalists for Best Novelette.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Charlie Jane Anders explains how to tell a thrilling story without breaking your heart.
• Madeline Ashby talks about writing during difficult times. 
• Angela Ackerman explains how emotional wounds can steer a character's choices.
• Niamh Campbell wonders how young writers pay the rent.
• C.E. Murphy shares some publishing and sales figures.
• Chrys Fey explains how to create a book trailer using Adobe Spark.
• David Barnett wonders about the morality of thriller author Mark Dawson bulk buying copies of his own book in order to hit the bestseller list.
• Alison Flood reports that Mark Dawson lost his spot on the bestseller list due to his questionable behaviour.
• Alison Flood reports that book sales in the UK reached a record high in 2019, but that the publishing industry nonetheless needs help during the corona pandemic.
• Elizabeth A Harris reports that booksales have surged in big box shops in the US, which remained open throughout the corona pandemic.
  

Interviews:

• John Scalzi and Mary Robinette Kowal interview each other.
• Elizabeth Flux interviews Jasper Fforde. 
• Alison Flood interviews Brandon Sanderson.
• Jude Griffin interviews Adam-Troy Castro. 
• The Fantasy Hive interviews Sam Hawke.
• The Qwillery interviews Michael R. Underwood. 
• The Fantasy Hive interviews Genevieve Cogman.  
• The Fantasy Hive interviews Eugen Bacon.
• Locus interviews Veronica Roth.
• Richard Trenholm interviews William Gibson. 
• Australian SF Snapshot interviews Elizabeth Fitzgerald. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Lee Murray.
• Manisha Aggarwal-Schiffelite interviews Maria Tatar.
• Andrea Johnson interviews Elise Matheson. 
• Andrea Johnson interviews Meg Frank. 
• Cal Flyn interviews Tom Hunter.

Reviews: 

• The Hugo Book Club reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. 
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Last Emperox by John Scalzi.
• Kat Hooper reviews The Harbors of the Sun by Martha Wells. 
• Aidan Moher reviews The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van Loan.
• Kelly Lasiter reviews Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders by Aliette de Bodard.
• Paul Weimer reviews The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. 
• Alex Brown reviews The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson.
• Arley Sorg reviews Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland. 
• Kelly Lasiter reviews Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova. 
• Em Nordling reviews Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson.
• Bezi Yohannes reviews Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson.
• Bill Capossere reviews When Jackels Storm the Walls by Bradley P. Beaulieu.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews The Empress of Salt and Storm by Nghi Vo.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Stormsong by C.L. Polk. 
• Marion Deeds and Jana Nyman review The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal. 
• Adrienne Martini nreviews The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal.
• James Tivendale reviews Every Sky a Grave by Jay Posey. 
• Rob Bedford reviews Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Between the Firmaments by J.Y. Neon Yang.
• Em Nordling reviews Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis.
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Burn by Patrick Ness.  
• Matt Brandenburg reviews Murmur by Patrick Freivald.
• Publishers Weekly reviews Apocalypse Yesterday by Brock Adams. 
• Summer H. Paulus reviews A Black Fox Running by Brian Carter.
• Kat Hooper reviews A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour by Hank Green. 
• Adrienne Martini reviews Providence by Max Barry. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Malorie by Josh Malerman. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Jennifer Strange by Cat Scully.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.
• Sourdough Jackson reviews The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein by Farah Mendlesohn.
  

Classics reviews:

• Kelly Lasiter revisits the 1944 planetary romance novel Shadow Over Mars a.k.a. The Nemesis from Terra by Leigh Brackett.  
• Don Briago revisits the 1944 children's fantasy novel The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1960 post-apocalyptic novel Dark December by Alfred Coppel.  
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the September 1965 issue of Worlds of Tomorrow.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1968 western Stand to Horse by Andre Norton.
• John Clute revisits the 1973 hard science fiction novel Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 sword and sorcery novel The Leopard Mask by Kaoru Kurimoto, translated by Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1986 Discworld fantasy novel The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett. 
• Kelly Lasiter revisits the 2003 alternate history novel The Court of the Midnight King by Freda Warrington.
  

Con and event reports:

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw lists the must-watch panels at the virtual 2020 San Diego Comic Con. 
• Even though San Diego Comic Con has gone virtual, K.C. Albert shares the best cosplay photos. 
• The Convention Centre Dublin shares a case study on the 2019 Worldcon in Dublin, Ireland, from the POV of the hosting venue. 
• Daniel Dern also looks back on the 2019 Worldcon in Dublin, Ireland. 
• The 2019 Worldcon has also released a downloadable Art and Artistry of Dublin 2019 book.
• CoNZealand has announced when and where the business meeting will take place.
• Several Hugo finalists have expressed their issues with CoNZealand programming.
• CoNZealand offers all Hugo finalists full passes and partial refunds.
• Capclave 2020 in Rockville, Maryland, is going virtual.
• Brian Keene announces Scare That Care, a virtual horror convention for charity.
• España Sheriff shares her experiences at the virtual Balticon 54.
• Alison Flood reports that the 2020 Appledore Book Festival in Appledore, Devon, will become a drive-in event.  
• Rob Hansen remembers the 1967 London Minicon in West Kilburn, London, UK. 
• Download the 2020 San Diego Comic Con Souvenir Book for free.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Apex Magazine is looking for funding to relaunch.
• Conjuring Worlds, an Afrofuturist textbook for middle school children, is looking for funding.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues to explain why Kickstarter is a gamechanger for creatives.
  

Science and technology:

• Paul Rincon reports that a partial supernova has sent a star hurtling across the galaxy.
• Jonathan Amos reports about the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile
• Scott Neuman reports that the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope as been pushed back because of the corona pandemic. 
• The BBC reports that Russia may have fired a satellite weapon in space.
• Scott Neuman reports about the United Arab Emirate's successful Mars orbiter launch. 
• Scott Neuman reports about China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission.
• Jonathan Amos also reports about China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission.
• Kat Greene declares that the greatest challenge facing future Mars explorers might be boredom. 
• Kaye Dee reports about Mariner-4's first fly-by of Mars in July 1965.
• Gideon Marcus offers a round-up of the latest space news.

Free online fiction:

• "The Blue Fairy's Manifesto" by Annalee Newitz in Lightspeed.
• "Yellow and the Perception of Reality by Maureen McHugh in Tor.com.
• "Moonlight Plastics" by Rachel Brittain in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "We Came Home From Hunting Mushrooms" by Andy R. Shannon in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Great Gerta and the Mermaid" by Mari Ness in Lightspeed.
• "Three Stories Conjured From Nothing" by ShakeSpace, translated by Andy Dudak, in Clarkesworld. 
• "Even God Has a Place Called Home" by Ray Mwihaki at the ASU Center for Science and the Imagination.
• "Reddy" by Anastasia Kharlamova in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Agog" by Stephen Volk in The Dark.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of His Dark Materials.
• Watch a trailer for Bill and Ted Face the Music.
• Watch a trailer for Carmilla. 
• Watch a trailer for Sputnik. 
• Watch a trailer for Don't Look Deeper. 
• Watch a trailer for Biohackers. 
• Watch a trailer for Truth Seekers.
• Camestros Felapton shares the Star Wars locations rendered as a tube map.