Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 11, 2021

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general, Loki and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the various DC Comics based TV shows, Sweet Tooth, Star Trek in general, Infinite, The Amusement Park, Cruella, Lisey's Story, the 2020 Nebula Awards and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Amazon shares the best science fiction and fantasy books of the year so far.
  
• Tor.com lists all the new science fiction books coming out in June 2021. 
• Tor.com lists all the new fantasy books coming out in June 2021. 
• Tor.com lists all the new young adult SFF books coming out in June 2021. 
• Tor.com lists all the new genre-bending books coming out in June 2021.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction books about living in exile. 
• James Davis Nicoll lists seven SFF characters you should never date. 
• Alexis Nedd shares five SFF squads you wish you could join. 
• Sandhya Menon shares five SFF books featuring makeovers and transformations. 
• Linsey Miller shares five YA SFF books with asexual protagonists.
  
• Daniel Dern profiles S.B. Divya. 
• Matthew Ilseman talks about realism in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. 
• F. Brett Cox shares his appreciation for the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. 
• Ben Gierhart talks about the queerness of the Wheel of Time character Rand al'Thor.
  
• Susannah Clapp explains how Tove Jansson's love of nature influenced the world of the Moomins.
• Matt Mikalatos explains how The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis shaped his own writing. 
• Nina Allan talks about the inspiration for Good Neighbours. 
  
• Allison Montclair notes that there is never enough time to read all the books you want to read.
  

 

Comics and Art: 

• Charles Pulliam-Moore offers a summary of the "Hellfire Gala" X-Men crossover event. 
• Sam Scott shares some facts about Flash Gordon.
  
• Zak Sabbath shares his appreciation for the work of Frank Frazetta. 
• G.W. Thomas shares his appreciation for the sword and sorcery comics of Nick Cuti.
  
• Jen Gheller interviews artist Janaina Medeiros.
• Comic book writer David Anthony Kraft who worked on Captain America, The Defenders and Man-Wolf has died aged 68.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on Wonder Woman 1984.
• Ines Bellina shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale. 
• Phuong Le calls Agony an atmospheric horror movie. 
• Cath Clarke calls Parallel a conventional alternate reality thriller. 
• Mike D'Angelo calls Awake a dull and predictable science fiction thriller. 
  
• Phil Hoad calls Don't Look Back a moralistic horror movie that fails to shock. 
• Katie Rife discusses the implications of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
  
• Leila Latif reports about the moral panic surrounding so-called video nasties (straight o video horror films) in the UK in the 1980s. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Sailor Moon Eternal. 
• Jesse Hassenger shares his thoughts on the animated movie Peter Rabbit 2.
  
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the animated movie Wish Dragon.
  
• Tom Chapman claims that River Song is the greatest Doctor Who companion of all time. 
• Germain Lussier shares his favourite moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark for the movie's fortieth anniversary. 
• Cian Tsang revisits the 2001 science fiction movie Ghosts of Mars and finds it better than its reputation.
• New Iron Age revisits the 2007 movie Beowulf. 
• Hector DeJean takes a look at the filmic takes on The Shadow.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie will be more plausible than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. 
• Andrew Liptak reports that the Mark Millar based superhero show Jupiter's Legacy has been cancelled and will be replaced by Supercrooks, another Millar property. 
• Molly Templeton reports that Shadow and Bone will be getting a second season. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that A Quiet Place is getting a spin-off and a third part. 
• Mike Fleming Jr. reports that Sony Pictures has acquired the film rights to the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. 
• Dwyer Murphy reports that the team that made the 2011 adaptation of John Le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is now adapting Dave Hutchinson's Fractured Europe trilogy.
  
• Stuart Heritage wonders which Disney characters are the most popular subjects for tattoos.
  
• Clarence Williams III who starred in The Mod Squad, Twin Peaks and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine among many others, has died aged 81.
  

 

Comments on Loki and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (possible spoilers):

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares his thoughts on "Glorious Purpose", the first episode of Loki. 
• Andy Welch shares his thoughts on "Glorious Purpose". 
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on "Glorious Purpose". 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on "Glorious Purpose".
  
• Lucy Mangan shares her thoughts on "Glorious Purpose". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Glorious Purpose".
  
• Kaila Hale-Stern offers her spoiler-free thoughts on "Glorious Purpose" and declares that Loki is already a triumph.
  
• Gavis Baker-Whitelaw calls Loki an excellent showcase for Tom Hiddleston,
  
• Joanna Robinson offers a beginners guide to Loki. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin wonders whether Loki can avoid the comics problem of replaying the same stroy arcs with slight variations over and over again. 
• Princess Weeks notes that Loki is a reminder of how sexless the Marvel movies are.
  
• Sam Barsanti wonders which version of Loki will appear in the eponamous Disney+ show.
  
• Adam Chitwood interviews Michael Waldron, writer of Loki.
• Joanna Robinson interviews Michael Waldron.
• Chelsea Steiner interviews Kate Herron, director of Loki.
• Marah Eakin interviews Kate Herron.
  
• Marah Eakin interviews Tom Hiddleston, star of Loki. 
• James Whitbrook also interviews Tom Hiddleston. 
• Leonard Maltin interviews Sarah Haley Finn, casting director for the Marvel movies and many others. 
• Kaley Cuoco interviews Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Scarlet Witch in the Marvel movies.
  
• Sam Barsanti declares that Loki introduces a new supreme power in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw explains the comics background of the Time Variance Authority as well as the characters of Agent Mobius and Ravonna Renslayer from Loki.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a possible Peggy Carter cameo in Loki.
  

 

Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV Shows:

• Andrew Tejada shares his thoughts on the latest episodes of the various DC Comics based TV shows. 
  
• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Superman and Lois.
• Scott Von Doviak shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Flash.
• Watch a trailer for DC League of Superpets.
  

 

Comments on Sweet Tooth:

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Sweet Tooth a heartwarming post-apocalyptic story.
  
• Lucy Mangan isn't sure whether Sweet Tooth is genius or atrocious. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Jim Mickle and Beth Schwartz, showrunners of Sweet Tooth.
• Marah Eakin interviews Christian Convery and Nonso Anozie, the stars of Sweet Tooth.
• Charles Pullim-Moore reports about the controversial and problematic marketing campaign for Sweet Tooth.
  

 

Comments on The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on "Decommissioned", the latest episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Decommisioned".
  

 

Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• G.W. Thomas takes a look at the pulp roots of Star Trek.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Memorial" and "Tsunkatse".

 

Comments on Infinite: 

• A.A. Dowd calls Infinite a reincarnation action film without soul.
• Germain Lussier declares Infinite wastes a great premise, but remains watchable.
  

 

Comments on The Amusement Park:

• Peter Bradshaw calls George Romero's lost 1973 horror film The Amusement Park an absurdist nightmare.
• A.A. Dowd calls The Amusement Park a surreal plunge into the horror of getting old. 

 

Comments on Cruella:

• Sarah Bahr discusses the surprising evolution of Cruella de Vil.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that Disney is selling Cruella inspired fashion without paying royalties to the film's fashion designer.
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Cruella might be getting a sequel.
  

Comments on Lisey's Story:

• Lucy Mangna calls Lisey's Story a bloated snoozefest. 
• Bev Vincent shares his thoughts on Lisey's Story.
  
• Juan Barquin declares that direcotr Pablo Larraín is the perfect match for Lisey's Story.
  
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Julianne Moore, star of Lisey's Story.
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Joan Allen who plays Amanda in Lisey's Story.
  
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Ron Cephas Jones who plays Professor Dashmiel in Lisey's Story.

 

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2020 Nebula Awards have been announced. 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2020 Nebula Award winners.
  
• The longlist for the 2021 Manly Wade Wellman Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Prix Imaginales have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Prix Aurora/Boréal have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Eisner Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Scribe Awards have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2021 BSFS Poetry Contest have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Bafta TV Awards have been announced with no love for SFF TV.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kameron Hurley talks about writing beginnings and endings. 
• Lincoln Michel talks about genre as a story engine. 
• Paul Howarth shares some tips for writing an effective villain.
  
• J.A. Jance talks about the art of balancing multiple series. 
• Andrea Hull shares her favourite books for writers. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses whether traditional publishing makes any sense at all in the current climate.
  
• Locus reports that Stéphane Marsan, co-founder of the French SF imprint Bragelonne, has been accused of sexual harrassment by multiple women.
• Jim Milliot reports that audiobook sales rose by twelve percent in 2020. 
• Alison Flood reports that UK authors are worried about possible copyright law changes post-Brexit.
• Mike Glyer shares an update on the status of the Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's bookstores in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which were burnt down during the riots following the death of George Floyd from police violence.
  

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews Karen Osborne.
• The Qwillery interviews T.L. Huchu. 
  
• Michael Hogan interviews David Mitchell.
• Kyla Lee Ward interviews Kaaron Warren and Alan Baxter. 
• The HWA interviews Jewelle Gomez.
  
• The HWA interviews Greg Herren.
• Cemetery Dance interviews Ray Garton.
• The Qwillery interviews Ava Reid. 
• The Qwillery interviews Christian Cantrell.
  
• Cora Buhlert interviews David Langford.
  
• Andrea Johnson interviews Julie Nováková, Lucas K. Law and Susan Forest.
• Selja Rankin interviews Zakiya Dalila Harris.
  

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill. 
• Nerds of a Feather revisits All Systems Red by Martha Wells. 
• Sean Dowie reviews Hard Reboot by Django Wexler.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Antediluvian by Will McCarthy. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Threadneedle by Cari Thomas. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Unbroken by C.L. Clark.
  
• Rob Bedford reviews The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid.
  
• Molly Templeton reviews Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria.
  
• Maya C. James reviews The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.
  
• Alex Brown reviews The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart.
• A.M. Justice reviews In Solitude's Shadow by David Green.
• LaShawn M. Wanak reviews Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry.
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Beast Warrior by Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano. 
• Ian Mond reviews The City of Good Death by Priyanka Champaneri. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Good Neighbours by Nina Allen.
• Lee Mandelo reviews Future Feeling by Joss Lake. 
• Leah Schnelbach reviews Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.
  
• Alex Brown reviews A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow. 
• Mark Yon reviews Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris. 
• Marion Deeds reviews The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry.
  
• Michael Kellermeyer reviews Black Gate Tales by Paul Draper.
• Michael Dirda reviews The Reason for the Darkness of the Night by John Tresch.

Classics reviews:

• Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys revisits the 1912 fantasy story "How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles" by Lord Dunsany. 
• M. Porcius revisits the 1913 fix-up novel The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu a.k.a. The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1930 space opera The Universe Wreckers by Edmond Hamilton.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1933 horror story "Ubbo-Sathla" by Clark Ashton Smith.
  
• Bobby Derie revisits the 1936 weird fiction story "The Night Ocean" by R.H. Barlow and H.P. Lovecraft. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1937 dystopian novel Swastika Night by Murray Constantine a.k.a. Katherine Burdekin.
  
• Steve J. Wright revisits the October 1943 issue of Unknown. 
• Steve J. Wright also takes a look at the 1943 issues of Unknown as a whole. 
• Victoria Silverwolf shares her thoughts on the July 1966 issue of Fantastic Stories of Imagination.
  
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1966 dystopian novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison.
  
•  James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 collection The Compleat Werewolf and Other Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction by Anthony Boucher.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1976 planetary romance novel The Reavers of Skaith by Leigh Brackett.
  
• Terhali's Particular Satisfaction revisits the 1977 Jerry Cornelius novel The Condition of Muzak by Michael Moorcock.
  
• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1983 fantasy anthology Heroic Visions, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. 
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1988 horror novel The Blizzard by Michael C. Norton. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1996 science fantasy novel The Warding of Witch World by Andre Norton.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2001 science fiction novel The Precipice by Ben Bova.
  

Con and event reports:

• The program for the virtual LaffCon 5 is online. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Worldcon 76 has settled with Jon Del Arroz in a decision that once again proves that the US justice system is fatally flawed.
• Mike Glyer has unearthed a Code of Conduct from Clevention, the 1955 Worldcon in Cleveland, Ohio. 
• James Hibberd reports that George R.R. Martin is developing a Game of Thrones stage play for Broadway. 
• Molly Templeton reports that the play Dressed as People—A Triptych of Uncanny Abduction by Kelly Robson, A.M. Dellamonica and Amal El-Mohtar will premiere at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in Ottawa, Canada. 
• James Bacon reports that the play Walls and Windows by Rosaleen McDonagh, excerpts of which were performed at the 2019 Worldcon in Dublin, Ireland, will get a full performance at the Dublin Abbey Theatre.
  
• Tara Bennett reports about the Avengers Campus attraction at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Amy Thompson reports that a second SpaceX Dragon capsule has docked at the International Space Station. 
• The Washington Post reports that Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark will be aboard the first Blue Origin crewed spaceflight.
  
• Gideon Marcus shares the latest space exploration news from 1966. 
• Gideon Marcus also reports about the troubled Gemini 9 mission in 1966.
  
• Kevin Cook explains how physicist Richard Feynman helped to solve the causes of the Challenger explosion. 
  
• Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper report that the Pentagon's latest reports on UFOs is inconclusive regarding whether they are of alien origin. 
• Jon Christian reports that the New York Times accidentally posted a test article about watermelons on Mars and then deleted it.
  
• Lauren Hirsch reports that supersonic air travel might be making a comeback.  
• Laurie R. King profiles Emily Gerard, the 19th century Scottish anthropologist who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. 
• Mike Wehner reports that scientists have managed to revive a miscroscopic creature that was frozne in the Siberian permafrost for 24000 years.
  
• Chris Salisbury offers his praise of darkness.
  
• David Marchese interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson.
• Sylvia Poggioli interviews Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Bots of the Lost Ark" by Suzanne Palmer in Clarkesworld. 
• "An Easy Job" by Carrie Vaughn in Tor.com.
  
• "Unit Two Does Her Makeup" by Laura Duerr in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Different People" by Timothy Mudie in Lightspeed. 
• "Wolf Tones" by Sofia Samatar in Lightspeed.
  
• "Dos Coyotes" by Catherine J. Cole in Fantasy Magazine.
• "Empty Houses" by Caspian Gray in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Gender Reveal Box, $16.95" by John Wiswell in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "Welcome, Karate" by Sara Saab in The Dark. 
• "Demon Fighter Sucks" by Katherine Crighton in Apex Magazine.
  
• "To Go Forth in Mail Shirt and Shield" by Adam Stemple in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "In My Tower" by Mary Soon Lee in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Two Certainties in Life" by Hannah Awbrey in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Ali Knows the Future" by Karl El-Koura in Daily Science Fiction.
• "The Hungry Ones" by Emma Törzs in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Devolution Z" by Simon Maltman in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "The Regency Gardens Hostage Crisis" by Shiv Ramdas in SFMOMA Open Space.
• "Red Letter Day" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for Masters of the Universe: Revelation. 
• Watch a trailer for Free Guy... again.
  
• Watch a trailer for Invasion.
  
• Watch a trailer for Blood Red Sky. 
• Watch a trailer for Fear Street.
  
• Watch a trailer for America: The Motion Picture.
• Watch a trailer for Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness.
• Watch a trailer for Ron's Gone Wrong. 
• Watch a trailer for Space Jam. A New Legacy.
  

Odds and ends:

• Jason Siegel and Maeve Dunigan share a not entirely serious review of  Dorg Schnorfblorp Horganblorps, the new restaurant in New York City operated by the Swedish Chef from The Muppets.