It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the possible release of the long delayed anthology The Last Dangerous Visions, Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster, season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general, season 2 of His Dark Materials, Tenet, Audible's problematic return policies, NaNoWriMo tips and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- The Tor.com reviewers share their favourite SFF books of 2020.
- Eric Brown shares a round-up of the best recent science fiction and fantasy novels.
- Emily A. Duncan shares five SFF books for the goth in your life.
- Katarina Betterton shares five things she learned from reading science fiction and fantasy.
- Diana Pinguicha shares five SFF books full of twists and turns.
- James S. Murray lists five novels about women who fight their way to freedom.
- C.D. Covington talks about intercultural communication in the Foreigner series by C.J. Cherryh.
- Andrew Liptak is troubled that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos seem to be basing their plans for space exploration and colonisation on science fiction novels.
- Jennifer J. Chow talks about cozy mysteries with magic and paranormal elements.
- Leah Schnelbach offers a definitive list of Lord of the Rings characters who have sex.
- Jacke Wilson remembers Hugo Gernsback.
- Fake Geek Boy takes a look at the lives and works of Philip K. Dick from 1967 to 1973.
- Cora Buhlert reports about the comics of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Andrew Liptak reports that the Tolkien estate has dug up some previously unpublished essays by J.R.R. Tolkien and will publish them now.
- Literary agent Kay McCauley has died.
- Science fiction and humor writer George Powers Cockroft a.k.a Luke Rhinehart has died aged 87.
Comments on the possible publication of the long delayed anthology The Last Dangerous Visions:
- Mike Glyer reports that according to J. Michael Straczynski, executor of Harlan and Susan Ellison's estate, the legendary and unpublished anthology The Last Dangerous Visions will be submitted to publishers in early 2021.
- Alison Flood reports about the possible publication of The Last Dangerous Visions and also shares the reaction of surviving contributor Christopher Priest to the news.
- Andrew Liptak also reports about the possible publication of The Last Dangerous Visions.
- Kalimac's Corner weighs in on the possible publication of The Last Dangerous Visions.
- Meanwhile, Timothy the Talking Cat has an important announcement about a long delayed project as well.
Comments on Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster:
- Mike Glyer reports that Disney are no longer paying Alan Dean Foster royalties for the Star Wars and Alien tie-in novels he wrote, since they acquired rightsholders Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.
- The SFWA shares statements from Alan Dean Foster and Mary Robinette Kowal regarding Disney's failure to pay royalties to Alan Dean Foster.
- Cora Buhlert reports about the joint press conference of SFWA and Alan Dean Foster regarding Disney's failure to pay outstanding royalties.
- Adam Whitehead reports about the press conference and Disney failing to pay Alan Dean Foster's outstanding royalties.
- Steve Davidson reports about the press conference and Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster.
- Alison Flood reports about Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster.
- Beth Elderkin reports about Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw weighs in on Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster.
- Camestros Felapton weighs in on Disney's failure to pay Alan Dean Foster.
- The SFWA asks authors affected by similar issues as Alan Dean Foster to fill out this form.
Film and TV:
- A.A. Dowd calls The New Mutants an underwhelming end to the Fox X-Men movies.
- Lucy Mangan declares that the fantasy series The Outpost is like Game of Thrones, if it were written by a microdosing monkey.
- Cath Clarke calls Skyfire a predictable Chinese volcano disaster movie.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls His House the best new horror film on Netflix.
- Leonard Maltin calls Over the Moon a beautiful animated journey.
- Lisa Nohealani Morton shares her thoughts on the space opera TV series Vagrant Queen.
- Anindita Sengupta shares her thoughts on Dark.
- Tomris Laffly shares her thoughts on Freaky.
- Gwen Ihnat shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Next.
- Randall Colburn shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Moonbase 8.
- Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
- Danette Chavez shares her thoughts on the new Animaniacs.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on Adventure Time: Distant Lands - Obsidian.
- Sam Barsanti declares that the fandom documentary Marvel 616 could have been awful, but instead highlights what makes Marvel great.
- Andrew Tejada ranks the Marvel live action TV shows.
- Cameron Scheetz interviews Letitia Wright who played Shuri in Black Panther.
- Poppy Noor interviews Bisha K. Ali, writer of the upcoming live action Ms. Marvel series.
- Jessica Mason reports that actor Wentworth Miller, best known for playing Michael Scofield in Prison Break and Leonard Snart in The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, doesn't want to play straight characters in the future anymore.
- Cheryl Eddy explains why the world doesn't need another Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.
- Joe George shares ten stylish science fiction noir movies.
- K.A. Laity revisits the 1943 supernatural noir movie The Seventh Victim.
- Noah Berlatsky calls the 2009 serial Stingray Sam the weirdest and best space western ever.
- Andy English takes a look at the post-Bond careers of the various actors who played James Bond.
- Taryn Ryder reports that Jamie Lee Curtis, star of the Halloween movies, officiated at the wedding of a terminally ill Halloween fan and aspiring director mere hours before his death.
- Nellie Andreeva reports that a Wonder Girl series with a Latina lead is in the works.
- James Tapper reports that the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, who created many iconic science fiction theme tunes, is planning a special performance using the Internet itself as an instrument.
- Germain Lussier reports that Wonder Woman 1984 will debut on December 25, 2020, in both theatres and on the streaming service HBO Max.
Comments on season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. Decandido shares his thoughts on "Die Trying", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Die Trying".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Die Trying".
- Camestros Felapton shares his though on "Die Trying".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Die Trying".
- Ryan Britt discusses David Cronenberg's guest role in "Die Trying".
- James Whitbrook points out a tribute to the late Aron Eisenberg in "Die Trying".
- Wil Wheaton interviews Jason Zimmerman, visual effects supervisor for Star Trek Discovery.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Message in a Bottle" and "Hunters"
- Adam Whitehead share his thoughts on season 1 of Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
- Tara Bennett reviews Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium.
Comments on season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general:
- Paul MacInnes shares his thoughts on "The Heiress", the latest episode of The Mandalorian.
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "The Heiress".
- Katie Rife shares her thoughts on "The Heiress".
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares his thoughts on "The Heiress".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Heiress".
- Brian Silliman shares his thoughts on "The Heiress".
- Renaldo Matadeen points out that The Mandalorian in introducing horror elements into the Star Wars universe.
- James Whitbrook wonders who should rule Mandalore.
- James Whitbrook points out that The Mandalorian will be travelling to a planet that has never been seen before in the Star Wars universe.
- Allison Shoemaker notes The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas-Howard snuck a reference to one of the movies her father Ron Howard directed into her episode.
- Aniefiok Ekpoudom interviews John Boyega who played Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
- Angela Cataldo shares her thoughts on the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special.
- Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO in the Star Wars movies, remembers filming the original Star Wars Holiday Special.
- Tom Breihan revisits the 1999 Star Wars film The Phantom Menace.
- James Whitbrook shares George Lucas' original plans for a Star Wars sequel trilogy.
- Ed Massa reports that a Baby Yoda toy is accompanying the astronauts aboard the Dragon Crew capsule to the International Space Station.
Comments on season 2 of His Dark Materials:
Comments on Tenet:
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 Endeavour Award have been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 Unleash Imagination Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 Ignotus Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 sf-Lit Award has been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 Booker Prize has been announced.
- The winners of the 2020 National Book Awards have been announced.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Charlie Jane Anders asks writers to write the book only they could write.
- Tiffany Meuret shares some tips for doing NaNoWriMo in difficult times.
- G.W. Thomas shares some tips for writing microfiction
- Emperor's Notepad discusses the limits of description.
- Stav Sherez wonders whether some of the things people write about can come true in their life later on.
- Susan May reports about Audible's new returns system for audiobooks and how it is hurting authors.
- Mike Glyer also reports about Audible's problematic policies.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch reports about the woes of bookstores and traditional publishing.
- The SFWA release the Bud Webster Legacy Kit, a checklist for writers regarding their estates.
- Mike Glyer shares an update regarding the current status of the twin SFF and crime fiction bookstores Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's, which were burned down during the riots in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May.
Interviews:
- Anastasia Nikolis interviews Namwali Serpell.
- Locus interviews Meg Elison.
- The Qwillery interviews Essa Hansen.
- Clinton Ignatov interviews Paul Levinson.
- Christie Yant interviews Osahon Ize-Iyamu.
- Janna Miller interviews Amy Porter.
- Andrea Johnson interviews Andy Dudak.
- Book Brunch interviews David Burnett.
- The Toronto Public Library interviews four librarians working at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy.
Reviews:
- Publishers Weekly reviews Out Past the Stars by K.B. Wagers.
- Paul Weimer reviews Prime Deceptions by Valerie Valdes.
- Andy Mather reviews Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen.
- Publishers Weekly reviews Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen.
- Kat Hooper and Tim Scheidler reviews Battle Ground by Jim Butcher.
- Paul Weimer reviews Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- Rob Bedford reviews Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- Liz Bourke reviews The Emperor's Wolves by Michelle Sagara.
- Lee Mandelo reviews Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth.
- Camestros Felapton reviews Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark.
- Kat Hooper reviews How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It by K.J. Parker.
- L.A. Young reviews The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter.
- Adri Joy reviews The Burning God by R.F. Kuang.
- Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Burning God by R.F. Kuang.
- Alice Arneson and Paige Vest review Rhythms of War by Brandon Sanderson.
- Bill Capossere and Tadiana Jones review Rhythms of War by Brandon Sanderson.
- Mark Yon reviews The Wintertime Paradox by Dave Rudden.
- Bill Capossere reviews Hatch by Kenneth Oppel.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice.
- Adri Joy reviews Taty Went West by Nikhil Singh.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Only the Broken Remain by Dan Coxon.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos.
- Katharine Coldiron reviews The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Love in Colour by Bolu Babadola.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Episodes: A Collection by Christopher Priest.
- Martin Edwards reviews Yesterday's Tomorrows: The Story of Classic Science Fiction in 100 Books by Mike Ashley.
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1927 psychological horror novel Benighted by J.B. Priestley.
- James Reasoner revisits the 1928 horror story "The Space Eaters" by Frank Belknap Long.
- James Reasoner revisits the 1929 horror story "The Dunwich Horror" by H.P. Lovecraft.
- Brian Murphy revisits the 1950 sword and sorcery story "Liane the Wayfarer" by Jack Vance.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1958 dystopian novel This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch.
- Victoria Silverwolf reviews the January 1966 issue of Worlds of Tomorrow.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1973 science fiction novel The Tenth Planet by Edmund Cooper.
- Steven H. Silver revisits the 1973 sword and sorcery trilogy The Chronicles of Corum by Michael Moorcock.
- Ken Lizzi revisits the 1977 sword and sorcery anthology Sword Against Darkness II, edited by Andrew J. Offutt.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1977 planetary romance anthology The Best of Leigh Brackett, edited by Edmond Hamilton.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1977 horror novel Hunter's Blood by Jere Cunningham.
- Sean Guynes revisits the 1979 historical fantasy novel Malafrena by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1983 fantasy novel The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2006 Vatta's War novel Engaging the Enemy by Elizabeth Moon.
Con and event reports:
- Sylvia Wrigley reports about the 2020 EstCon in Saarjärve, Estonia.
- The program for the virtual 2020 Philcon is now online.
- The 2020 CONtraflow X in Kenner, Louisiana has been postponed until 2021, but there will a virtual mini Deep South Con.
- Jenna Anderson reports that the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo in Chicago, Illinois, has been postponed until December 2021 due to the corona pandemic.
- Francesco Verso reports about the convention scene in China.
- The Chengdu Worldcon bid for 2023 shares a short promotional video about the host city.
- Mark L. Blackman reports about the latest edition of the Fantastic Fiction at KGB Reading Series, hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel, featuring William Gibson and Cat Rambo.
- Michael Curtis and Brendan LaSalle report about a tour of Providence, Rhode Island, to locations featured in H.P. Lovecraft's fiction and life.
- Yoko Wakatsuki and Maggie Hiufu Wong report about a new life-size Godzilla attraction in a theme park on Awaji Island, Japan.
- Brooks Barnes reports that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, has acquired the late Debbie Reynolds' collection of vintage movie costumes from her son Todd Fisher as well as part of Todd Fisher's collection of vintage movie cameras and Carrie Fisher's collection of Star Wars memorabilia..
- John S. Walker, former president of Denver Anime International and Colorado Anime Fest, has died aged 45.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- Marcia Dunn reports that SpaceX has launched its second Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.
- Alexander William Salter wonders whether Elon Musk's plans for Mars violate international law.
- George Dvorsky reports that the Arecibo observatory in Puetro Rico is at risk of being crushed by a 900 ton platform, after two support cables failed.
- Tim Childres reports that scientists have increased the size of monkey brains via splicing in human genes.
- Isobel Asher Hamilton reports that the Japanese town of Takigawa is employing motion-sensing animatronic wolves to scare off bears.
- Ellie Alexander shares an overview of the most mysterious places in the Pacific Northwest.
Free online fiction:
- "The Science and Artistry of Snake Oil Salesmanship" by Timothy Mudie in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "A Feast From Tile and Stone" by Ryan Eric Dull in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Seven Ways to Fall in Love with an Astronaut" by Dominica Phetteplace in Lightspeed.
- "The Lachrymist" by Kat Howard in Lightspeed.
- "The Murders of Jason Hartman" by Brady Nelson and Jamie Wahls in Clarkesworld.
- "Niuniu" by Baoshu, translated by Andy Dudak in Clarkesworld.
- "The River of Night" by Tlotlo Tsamaase in The Dark.
- "Halfway Through the Dark" by Alexis Ames in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "To Look Forward" by Osahon Ize-Iyamu in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Abeokuta52" by Wole Talabi in Omenana.
- "Work Ethic" by Yuhanjaya Wijeratne in Wired.
- "Introduction to the Horror Story, Day 1" by Kurt Fawver in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Wish" by Simone Clunie at Akashic Books.
- "Two Offerings in the Halls of Undying" by Aimee Ogden in Daily Science Fiction.
- "A Thought Experiment" by Wiatt P. Kirch in Daily Science Fiction.
- "I Made a Totally Understandable Mistake, and Now a Flotilla of Attack Ships Are Headed to Earth, AITA?" by A.J. Brennan in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Light in Whale Cove" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
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