Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for September 4, 2020

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with tributes to Chadwick Boseman and Vladislav Krapivin, Star Trek: Lower Decks and the various other iterations of Star Trek, Lucifer, Lovecraft Country, The Boys, Tenet, New Mutants, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Raised by Wolves, Antebellum, the live action Mulan, the upcoming adaptation of Dune and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Amal El-Mohtar reviews recent science fiction and fantasy releases. 
• Andrew Liptak shares 22 SFF books to check out this September. 
• Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti shares her ten favourite books about space travel.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five stories about generation ships that don't end in disaster. 
• Carrie Sessarego talks about hot air baloons and airships in speculative fiction. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories featuring truly terrible parents. 
• Katy Rose Pool shares five sequels that are better than the first book.
• Chris Mooney shares six genre bending novels.
  
• Carrie Vaughn shares what she is reading right now. 
• Brett Riley talks about American gothic fiction. 
• Ellie Marney explains why thrillers and horror fiction are so popular during the corona pandemic. 
• Deborah Sheldon shares the top ten dark novels written by women. 
• Wayne Alan Brenner profiles Marshall Ryan Maresca. 
• Bhavi Mandalia profiles Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
• John Scalzi discusses the continued popularity of Robert A. Heinlein.
• Font Folly praises the librarian who fostered his love of science fiction. 
• Carla Woodson takes a look at the romance comics of the 1960s.
• Charles Bramesco traces the disturbing story behind the rise of Pepe the Frog.
• Will Peischel explains that Dungeons and Dragons has become a lot more popular during the corona pandemic.
• Sword and sorcery author Charles Saunders has died aged 74.
• Russian science fiction author Vladislav Krapivin has died aged 82.
• Bhavi Mandalia shares a tribute to Vladislav Krapivin.
  

Film and TV:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Two Heads Creek a horror comedy that bites off more than it can chew.
• Peter Bradshaw calls Koko-di Koko-da a strange psychological horror movie.
• Jennifer Ouellette calls Tesla an unconventional biopic about an unconventional man. 
• Stephen Robinson shares his thoughts on Away. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "The Cellar", the first episode of Amazing Stories.
• Aina Khan explains why Avatar: The Last Airbender still resonates with so many people.  
• K.A. Laity revisits the 1994 supernatural noir movie Witch Hunt. 
• Simon Jimenez revisits the 1997 fantasy anime Princess Monokoke. 
• Jimi Famurewa interviews John Boyega, best known for playing Finn in the new Star Wars movies. 
• Damon Wise interviews David Lynch, creator and director of Twin Peaks.
• The Czech Film Commission reports that Carnival Row has completed the last two weeks of production of season 2 in the Czech Republic. 
• Ryan Gilbey discusses how drones are transforming filmmaking. 
• Andrew Tejada reports that season 2 of The Mandalorian will debut on October 30, 2020.
• Joe Ruby, co-creator of Scooby-Doo has died aged 87.  
• Jessica Murray reports that future Batman Robert Pattinson has tested positive for COVID-19 and that production has been halted on the film.
• Actress Lori Nelson, best remembered for Revenge of the Creature and I Died a Thousand Times, has died aged 87.
  

Tributes to Chadwick Boseman:

• Actor Chadwick Boseman, best known for playing T'Challa in Black Panther, has died of cancer aged only 43.
• Marc Malkin and Alex Stedman share reactions from co-stars and others to the death of Chadwick Boseman.
• Molly Blackall shares reactions from actors, politicians and sports figures to the death of Chadwick Boseman.
• Ryan Gilbey remembers Chadwick Boseman.
• Clint Smith shares a tribute to Chadwick Boseman.
• Peter Bradshaw shares a tribute to Chadwick Boseman. 
• Vincent Schilling shares a tribute to Chadwick Boseman. 
• Halle Kiefer shares the tribute of Letitia White, who played Shuri in Black Panther, to Chadwick Boseman.
• Steve Rose explains how Chadwick Boseman changed film forever.
• Andrew Tejada declares that Chadwick Boseman's legacy will live on after his death.
• Ben Child wonders if and how the Black Panther series will continue after Chadwick Boseman's death. 
• Keith L. Alexander has some advice for parents of young Black Panther fans how to tell them about Chadwick Boseman's death.
• Inspired by the death of Chadwick Boseman, Pam Belluk asks why more younger people and more black people are dying of colon cancer.
• Watch Marvel Entertainment's video tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Cupid's Errant Arrow", the latest episode of Star Trek Lower Decks.
• Madeleine Clark explains why Captain Kathryn Janeaway still feels so relevant twenty-five years after the premiere of Star Trek Voyager.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Before and After" and "Real Life"
• Emmet Asher-Perrin reports that Star Trek Discovery will feature a transgender and a non-binary character in season 3, played by transgender and non-binary actors respectively. 
• Adam White shares the comments of George Takei who played Sulu in the original Star Trek about the origin of the rivalry between William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
• William Shatner also has some advice for the new US Space Force.
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro revisits the 2013 Star Trek Deep Space Nine tie-in novel The Fall: A Ceremony of Losses by David Mack. 
• Andrew Tejada shares the schedule for the Star Trek Day to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the original series.
• Take a quiz and identify guest stars on the original Star Trek.

Comments on season 5 of Lucifer: 

• LaToya Ferguson shares her thoughts on "Spoiler Alert", the latest episode of Lucifer.
• Chancellor Agard interviews Kevin Alejandro, who plays Dan in Lucifer and also directed an episode. 
  

Comments on Lovecraft Country: 

• Alex Brown shares her thoughts on "Holy Ghost", the latest episode of Lovecraft Country.
• Ellen E. Jones shares her thoughts on "Holy Ghost".
• Joelle Monique shares her thoughts on "Holy Ghost". 
• Kinitra D. Brooks shares her thoughts on "Holy Ghost". 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Holy Ghost". 
• Philissa Cramer complains about an anti-semitic trope rearing its ugly head in Lovecraft Country.
• Marah Eakin interviews Jurnee Smollett, one of the stars of Lovecraft Country.
  

Comments on season 2 of The Boys: 

• Alex Mistlin wonders whether The Boys will usher in an age of self-aware superheroes.
• The AV Club offers an overview over the characters of The Boys.
• Marah Eakin interviews Karl Urban and Laz Alonso, two of the stars of The Boys.
• Marah Eakin itnerviews Jack Quaid and Erin Moriarty, two of the stars of The Boys.
  

 Comments on Bill and Ted Face the Music:

• Owen Gleiberman calls Bill and Ted Face the Music a most excellent sequel. 
• Katie Rife calls Bill and Ted Face the Music neither excellent nor particular bogus. 
• Matthew M. Foster calls Bill and Ted Face the Music the movie the world needs right now. 
• Leah Schnelbach also thinks that Bill and Ted Face the Music is the movie we need right now. 
• Germain Lussier calls Bill and Ted Face the Music a fine capstone for the series. 
• A.O. Scott calls Bill and Ted Face the Music winningly modest and harmlessly silly and not at all bogus. 
• John DeFore calls Bill and Ted Face the Music an uneven, but likeable sequel.
• John Scalzi enjoyed Bill and Ted Face the Music quite a bit. 
• Azi Paybarah and Johnny Diaz explain the appeal of Bill and Ted to a viewers too young to have seen the original movies in the theatre.
• Marah Eakin interviews Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, stars of Bill and Ted Face the Music. 
• Tatiana Siegel interviews Ed Solomon, writer of the Bill and Ted series.

Comments on New Mutants:

• Peter Debruge declares that New Mutants is not half bad, but not half good either.
• Amy Nicholson is not wowed by the New Mutants and their superpowers. 
• Scott Mendelsohn calls New Mutants the worst X-Men movie ever.
• Jordan Mintzer calls New Mutants an eye-rolling case of déjà vu.
• Daniel Villareal declares that the best part of New Mutants is a lesbian superhero couple. 
• Princess Weekes is bothered by some racist comments in New Mutants.
• Randall Colburn shares New Mutants co-creator Bob McLeod's take on the movie.
• A.A. Dowd explains why he and his fellow AV Club reviewers won't be reviewing New Mutants.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that the behind the scenes problems of New Mutants were even worse than previously believed.
• Chris Lee chronicles the many behind the scenes problems with New Mutants.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Josh Boone, director of New Mutants.
• Amanda Bruce answers ten question about the character Magik in New Mutants.
• Rebecca Rubin reports that New Mutants has grossed 9.9 million US-dollar worldwide.
  

Comments on Raised by Wolves:

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Raised by Wolves a true science fiction epic. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the first episode of Raised by Wolves.  
• Arielle Bernstein shares her thoughts on the first episode of Raised by Wolves.

Comments on Tenet: 

• A.A. Dowd calls Tenet a sleek time travel thriller that's more confusing than exciting. 
• David Sims enjoyed Tenet and wants to watch it again, which he fears is not a good idea under the current conditions.
• Leo Barraclough reports about sound problems with Tenet. 
• Ralph Jones delcares that the muffled dialogue of Tenet is a common problem with modern films.
• Mark Sweeney reports that Tenet has already grossed more than 50 million US-dollars worldwide.
  

Comments on Antebellum:

• Jourdain Searles calls Antebellum shallow and more interested in making a point than actually digging into its subject.
• Anya Stanley praises the performance of Janelle Monáe in Antebellum, but calls the actual movie clunky and predictable. 

Comments on the live action Mulan:

• Peter Bradshaw calls the live-action Mulan glossy family entertainment. 
• Beatrice Loayaza calls the live-action Mulan a slight improvement compared to previous Disney live-action remakes, which isn't saying much.
• Mari Ness takes a look at the evolution of the ballad of Mulan.
  

 Comments on Denis Villeneuve's upcoming adaptation of Dune: 

• Owen Williams shares everything you need to know about Dune before the new movie.
• Ben Travis interviews Timothée Chalamet who plays Paul Atreides in Dune.
• Ben Travis interviews Oscar Isaac, who plays Duke Leto Atreides in Dune.
• Ben Travis interviews Denis Villeneuve, director of Dune.
  

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2020 Sunburst Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Booktube SFF Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2020 Prix Bob Morane have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 Pegasus Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2020 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2020 Horror Writers Association Scholarships have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2020 Gamescom Awards have been announced.
• The 2020 inductees into the Video Games Hall of Fame have been announced.
• Daniel Smith discusses which speculative fiction movies have been snubbed at the Oscars.
• Camestros Felapton visualises Hugo finalists in the form of star systems and islands.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Charlie Jane Anders shares twelve ways to keep the fun of writing alive. 
• Hepzibah Anderson explains what early drafts of classic novels explain about the writing process.
• Spencer Kope talks about book collecting and the thrill of the hunt. 
• McKenzie Jean-Philippe offers an overview of black-owned bookstores in the US.
• I Love Libraries wonders how library cats feel during the corona pandemic.
• Ann Cleeves explains why she is funding bibliotherapists.
  

Interviews:

• Eric Norton interviews Garth Nix. 
• Dhonielle Clayton interviews Rebecca Roanhorse.
• Chris Alvarez interviews Ellen Datlow.
• Andrew Liptak interviews Adam Roberts.
• Andrea Johnson interviews Rena Barron.
• Paul Weimer interviews Dan Moren.
• Lex Berman interviews Seb Doubinsky.
• Arley Sorg interviews Scott H. Andrews.
• Arley Sorg interviews Sheila Williams.
• Jo Reed interviews Dirk Maggs.

Reviews: 

• Liz Bourke reviews Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow.
• Lesa Holstine reviews The House on Widows Hill by Simon R. Green.
• L.A. Young reviews The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Paper Hearts by Justina Robson.
• Paul Weimer reviews Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith.  
• Kirkus reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly.
• Maya Gittelman reviews Gold Wings Rising by Alex London.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings. 
• Bill Capossere and Kat Hooper reviews Driftwood by Marie Brennan.
• J.C. Kang reviews Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Rider by Joyce Chng.
• Bill Capossere reviews By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Quilaq by Rebecca Burns.
• Mark Yon reviews Orfeia by Joanne M. Harris. 
• Sara Collins reviews The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Afterland by Lauren Beukes.
• Marion Deeds reviews The Hereafter Bytes by Vincent Scott.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Grave Secrets by Alice James. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Grave Secrets by Alice James.
• Michael R. Brown reviews Doc Vandal: Giant Robots of Tunguska by Dave Robinson
• Christopher Buehlman reviews The Residence by Andrew Pyper.
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Dance on Saturday: Stories by Elwin Cotman.
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews Horror Fiction in the 20th Century by Jess Nevins.
  

Classics reviews:

• Steve J. Wright revisits the March 1939 issue of Unknown.
• Steve J. Wright revisits the April 1939 issue of Unknown.
• Steve J. Wright revisits the May 1939 issue of Unknown. 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 science fiction short story "The Martian and the Milkmaid" by Frances M. Deegan.
• Matt Mikalatos revisits the 1954 Narnia novel The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. 
• Shaun Osborne revisits the 1965 fix-up novel Rogue Ship by A.E. van Vogt.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 science fiction collection The Best of Keith Laumer.
• Neil Briscoe revisits the 1976 science fiction anthology 2020 Vision, edited by Jerry Pournelle.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1977 gothic romance Velvet Shadows by Andre Norton.
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1987 science fiction novel Alqua Dreams by Rachel Pollack.
  

Con and event reports:

• Kevin Standlee shares a report about CoNZealand, the virtual 2020 Worldcon.
• Cora Buhlert shares her experiences at the virtual 2020 NASFiC in Columbus, Ohio.
• Robert Faires reports about the virtual ArmadilloCon in Austin, Texas.
• The virtual 2020 Dragon Con, originally in Atlanta, Georgia, shares its program. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall reports about LonCon II, the 1965 Worldcon in London, UK. 
• Mark Bilsborough reports about Loncon 3, the 2014 Worldcon in London, UK.
• Orycon 42 in Portland, Oregon, has been postponed until 2021 due to the corona virus, but is planning a virtual mini convention.
• Mike Glyer reports that the virtual Ring of Fire con has been rescheduled.
• CoNZealand, the virtual 2020 Worldcon, shares its final progress report.
• M.M. Schill shares an open letter to the SFF community regarding convention harassment. 
• Katie Rife shares another report about the virtual 2020 Fantasia Film Festival.
• Henry Wessells reports about the exhibiton A Conversation larger than the Universe: Science Fiction and the Literature of the Fantastic in New York City.
• Trey Hilburn III reports about the Godzilla museum in Awaji Island, Japan.

Crowdfunding:

• Chris Garcia and Vanessa Applegate need help, because their home was affected by the California wildfires.
• Baidir, an animated space opera series, is looking for funding.
• Pandemonium Noir, a tabletop roleplaying game inspired by Weird Tales, is looking for funding.
• Andrew Tan has started a petition to save the comic series John Constantine: Hellblazer from cancellation.
  

Science and technology:

• Matt Williams discusses a theory about wormholes which could be transversed by humans.
• Sara Hendren reports about a high tech home specifically designed for people with ALS in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
• Lauren M. Johnson reports that the Japanese company Sky Drive Inc. has successfully tested a flying car. 
• Samantha Matsunaga reports about an incident involving a jetpack at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California 
• The Guardian reports that researchers have revealed the true size of a Megalodon shark for the first time. 
• Kimberly C. Moore reports about the so-called "astronaut love triangle" case.
• Kaye Dee reports about the record-breaking eight day Gemini 5 space mission in 1965.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Author's Wife vs. the Giant Robot" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.
• "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Anchorage" by Samantha Mills in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Iron Priest" by Marie Vibbert in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Moses" by L.D. Lewis in Lightspeed.
• "A Voyage to Queensthroat" by Anya Johanna DeNiro in Strange Horizons.
• "Blue and Blue and Blue and Pink" by Lavie Tidhar in Clarkesworld.
• "The Immolation of Kev Magee" by L.X. Beckett in Clarkesworld.  
• "Wait for the Night" by Stephen Graham Jones at Tor.com.
  
• "Sweet Little Lies" by Lindsey Duncan in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Call Them Children" by Wenmimareba Klobah Collins in The Dark.
• "We Have Evacuated, Have a Good Day" by Jendayi Brooks-Flemister in Anathema Magazine.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of His Dark Materials. 
• Watch a trailer for The Haunting of Bly Manor.
• Watch a trailer for Come Play. 
• Watch a trailer for No Time to Die. 
• Watch a trailer for The Stand.
• Watch a trailer for Jurassic Park: Camp Cretaceous. 
• Watch another trailer for Jurassic Park: Camp Cretaceous.
• Reuters reports that a man dressed as Batman prowls the streets of Santiago de Chile, delivering food to the homeless.
• Amelia Tait reports about people who turn their basements into secret fantasy worlds.