Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 23, 2021

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Loki, Black Widow and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows,, The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general, the many versions of Star Trek, Doctor Who past and present, Gunpowder Milkshake, Master of the Universe: Revelation, Snake Eyes, Fear Street Part 3: 1666, Old, Kandisha, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, Schmigadoon, Space Jam: A New Legacy, tributes to William F. Nolan and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books. 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares her favourite female SFF authors.
  
• Chloe Gong shares five SFF books about star-crossed lovers. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about disobeying non-interference directives. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five captivating SFF mystery novels.
  
• Esme Addison shares her favourite magical cozy mysteries.  
• Jeremy Shipp shares career advice for five classic monsters. 
• Sarah Jackson talks about haunted objects in horror and weird fiction by women writers.
  
• S.E. Lindberg and Philip Emery discuss the aesthetics of sword and sorcery. 
• Matthew John wonders whether Robert E. Howard is the godfather of grimdark.
  
• Kim Stanley Robinson talks about utopian fiction.
  
• Eve Taft shares a flowchart helping you to pick the perfect Stephen King novel to read. 
• Sylas K. Barrett talks about depression and grief in Robert Jordan's and Brandon Sanderson's Wheel of Time. 
• Molly Templeton points out that there is no wrong way to read a book.
  
• Deuce Richardson remembers Charles R. Saunders.
  
• Horror, science fiction and thriller author Joe McKinney has died aged 52. 
• Sally Gearhart, academic, LGBTQ+ activist and feminist science fiction writer, has died aged 90.
  

 

Tributes to William F. Nolan:

• Science fiction writer and screenwriter William F. Nolan has died aged 93. 
• Locus remembers William F. Nolan. 
• Andrew Liptak remembers William F. Nolan.

 

Comics and Art:

• Aaron Couch reports that Marvel and DC creators are increasingly vocal about the paltry amounts of money they're paid, when one of their characters appears in a movie or TV show. 
• Leah Moore declares that her father Alan Moore has been shafted by the comics publishers and the entertainment industry for decades; that's why he's so angry.
  
• James Bacon reviews United States of Captain America 1 by Josh Trujillo and Jan Bazaldua. 
• Henry Varona reviews Bliss by Sean Lewis and Caitlin Yarsky.
  
• Bobby Derie reviews the graphic novel  Insania Tenebris: Textos de Los Bastards de Abdul Alhazered (Shadowy Madness: Texts from the Bastards of Abdul Alhazred) by Raúlo Caceres.
• Natalie Zutter revisits the comic series Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. 
• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel It's Not What You Thought It Would Be by Lizzy Stewart. 
• James Whitbrook reports about The All-Nighter, a new superhero comic series by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo.
  
• Rosy Cordero interviews Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, showrunner of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV series, about a planned comic series based on the show.
  
• G.W. Thomas takes a look at the comics work of Henry Kuttner. 

 

Film and TV:

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Tomorrow War and has some suggestions for fixing the plotholes. 
• Juan Barquin calls "Rubber(wo)man", the season premiere of American Horror Stories, both frustrating and entertaining. 
• Juan Barquin also shares his thoughts on "Drive-In", the latest episode of American Horror Stories.
  
• Cheryl Eddy declares that Blood Red Sky almost lives up to its killer concept.
  
• Steve Rose calls Night of Kings an imaginative prison drama from the Ivory Coast which escapes into magical realism.
  
• Phil Hoad calls Air Conditioner an enigmatic afrofuturist film from Angola. 
• Cath Clarke calls Luz: The Flower of Evil an arty horror short from Columbia. 
• Katie Rife calls How It Ends an indulgent apocayptic comedy that will have you rooting for the comet.
  
• Mike D'Angelo calls Mandibles and arbitrary oddity.
  
• Juan Barquin shares his thoughts on the finale of Lisey's Story.
• Jordan Farley talks about the troubled production of the James Bond film No Time to Die.
• Paul Levinson muses about the upcoming Foundation TV show. 
• Cat Eldridge revisits the 1987 science fiction film RoboCop. 
• Austin Gilkeson revisits the 2002 fantasy film The Two Towers.
  
• Scott Stinson revisits the 2015 post-apocalyptic movie Mad Max: Fury Road.
  
• Grant Phillips lists the ten most expensive episodes of the original Twilight Zone. 
• Phil Pirello lists the 25 scariest science fiction movies ever made. 
• Tor.com lists the ten best and worst film adaptations of Arthurian legends.
  
• Neil Baker shares his favourite fantasy movies about warrior women. 
• Michael Hogan interviews Tobias Menzies, who appeared in Game of Thrones and Outlander.
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews Nikki Amuka-Bird, who starred in Old, Avenue 5 and Luther.
• Germain Lussier reports that the lawsuit of Walking Dead producer Frank Darabont against the cable channel AMC has ended with a 200 million US-dollar settlement.
• Joe Otterson reports that Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys will be adapted by Amazon Prime.
  

 

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

• Alasdair Stuart declares that Loki is more than just Doctor Who with a posh accent.
  
• Huw Fullerton compares Loki and Doctor Who.
• E.J. Beaton asks why women and LGBTQ viewers love Loki. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore and Christian P. Haines discusses the philosophical underpinnings of the relationship between Loki and Sylvie in Loki. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro interviews Kate Herron, director of Loki.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore also interviews Kate Herron. 
• Tasha Robinson also interviews Kate Herron.
  
• Saloni Gajjar reports that stars Jonathan Majors and Tom Hiddleston have confirmed some fan theories regarding the character played by Majors in Loki.
• Graeme McMillan wonders whether Loki sets the stage for the introduction of the Fantastic Four to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  

 

Comments on Black Widow: 

• Valerie Complex declares that Black Widow is a good film, but has its share of flaws. 
• Germain Lussier shares Kevin Feige's replies to viewer questions about Black Widow on Twitter.
• Stuart Heritage reports that Black Widow has caused the sale of red hair dye to rise.
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that Black Widow experienced a box office drop-off in its second week, which has cinema owners worrying about streaming and piracy.
  

 

Comments on Gunpowder Milkshake: 

• Marah Eakin interviews Karen Gillan, star of Gunpowder Milkshake.
• Brian Davids also interviews Karen Gillan.
  

 

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 related 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.
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Flash.
  

Comments on The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on "Rescue on Ryloth", the latest episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Rescue on Ryloth".
• Sam Barsanti reports that Mark Hamill claims he was secretly in almost every Star Wars movie since 1977, even those without Luke Skywalker.
  

 

Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• Rachel Carrington shares some background on the 1968 Star Trek episode "The Way to Eden".
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "The Haunting of Deck Twelve" and "Unimatrix Zero, Part 1".
• Germain Lussier interviews Sonequa Martin-Green who plays Michael Burnham in Star Trek Discovery.
• James Whitbrook explains why the planned Star Trek: Section 31 show will be delayed.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe: Revelation:  

• Kevin Johnson declares that Masters of the Universe: Revelation is more than just a nostalgia trip.
  
• Rob Bricken calls Masters of the Universe: Revelation a He-Man fan's dream.
  
• Rob Bricken interviews Sarah Michelle Gellar who played the title role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and who voices Teela in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
• Rob Bricken interviews Tiffany Smith who voices Andra in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. 
• Jimmy Fallon interviews Mark Hamill who voices Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation.  

 

 Comments on Doctor Who past and present:

• Martin Belam wonders whether it's time for Doctor Who to take another hiatus.
  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1966 Doctor Who serial "The War Machines". 
• Richard Barber interviews John Barrowman, star of Doctor Who, Torchwood and Arrow.  
• James Whitbrook reports that Frema Agyeman will return as Martha Jones for a Doctor Who audio drama.
  

 

Comments on Snake Eyes: 

• Jesse Hassenger calls Snake Eyes a slick G.I. Joe origin story that's a whole lot of fun.
• Germain Lussier declares that Snake Eyes misses its target. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Henry Golding and Andrew Koji, stars of Snake Eyes. 
  
• Germain Lussier reports about the Snake Eyes panel at the virtual 2021 San Diego Comic Con. 
  

 

Comments on Fear Street Part 3: 1666: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Fear Street Part 3: 1666 a satisfying finale to a surprisingly enjoyable horror trilogy.
• A.A. Dowd calls Fear Street Part 3: 1666 not a great movie, but a satisying finale for the trilogy.
  

 

Comments on Kandisha:

• Phil Hoad calls Kandisha a postcolonialist feminist horror film.
  
• Cheryl Eddy compares the French horror film Kadisha to Candyman.  
• Katie Rife calls Kandisha a Candyman inspired folk horror film. 

 

Comments on Old:

• A.A. Dowd calls Old a clunky but creepy horror movie.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls M. Night Shyamalan's horror film Old top notch hokum.
• Germain Lussier calls Old one of the most intense and visceral horror movies in years. 
• Germain Lussier interviews M. Night Shyamalan, director of Old. 

 

Comments on Escape Room: Tournament of Champions:

• Benjamin Lee calls Escape Room: Tournament of Champions a fun puzzle horror sequel.
  
• Jesse Hassenger calls Tournament of Champions an Escape Room sequel that doesn't amount to much. 

 

Comments on Schmigadoon:

• Lucy Mangan calls Schmigadoon a one note musical that falls flat.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore calls Schmigadoon a musical reality that wants to trap you.
  

Comments on Space Jam: A New Legacy:

• Martin Morse Wooster calls Space Jam:  A New Legacy a fun-free synthetic entertainment substitute.
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Malcolm D. Lee, director of Space Jam: A New Legacy. 
• Michael Cavna interviews Jeff Bergman who voices Bugs Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy.
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Space Jam: A New Legacy has taken the top spot at the US box office.
  

 

Awards: 

• The final ballot for the 2020 World Fantasy Awards has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2020 Kitschies have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 ESFS Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Premio Italia have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 Phantastikpreis der Stadt Wetzlar has been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2021 Prix Rosny Aîné has been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2021 Prix Utopiales has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Rhysling Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2021 Harvey Awards have been announced. 
  
• The finalists for the 2021 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Award have been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival have been announced with the Palme d'Or going to the SFF film Titane.
• Peter Bradshaw declares that Titane wasn't his choice to win the Palme d'Or, but that it is not an unworthy winner.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kate Elliott talks about adapting history into SFF. 
• Kate Elliott also explains how she turned horses into spaceships when adapting historical events into science fiction.
  
• Kate Elliott also points out that history is already queer, she did not have to invent anything. 
• Christopher Fowler explains how he still comes up with new ideas for Bryant and May mysteries after twenty years. 
• Claire Allan explains how facts feed into fiction.
  
• Lincoln Michel declares that the CIA did not invent the oft quoted writing advice "Show, don't tell."
• S.M. Carrière points out that writers don't have to do social media, if they're not good at it. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Michi Trota has resigned as SFWA editor-in-chief.
  
• Jim Milliot reports that print book sales have risen during the first half of 2021.
• Paula Cocozza profiles Carole-Ann Warburton who opened a bookshop at age 65.
  

Interviews:

• Goodreads interviews Shelley Parker-Chan, Nghi Vo, Matt Bell, Tasha Suri, Becky Chambers, Cassandra Khaw, T.J. Klune and Cadwell Turnbull.  
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Chuck Wendig. 
  
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Paul Tremblay.
• Book Marks interviews Grady Hendrix. 
  
• Locus interviews Cassandra Khaw.
• Jude Griffin interviews Rachel Swirsky.
• Scott Edelman interviews John Wiswell. 
• The Fantasy Hive interviews Susan Dennard. 
• The Fantasy Inn interviews Shelley Parker-Chan. 
• The Star's End Podcast interviews Cora Buhlert.
  
• Cat Luria interviews Britt Foster.
• Xander Odell interviews Gordon B. White.
• Cristina Casagrande interviews Carl F. Hostetter.
• Nicole Emmelhainz-Carney interviews Frank Coffman.
  

Reviews:

• Paul Weimer reviews Assassin's Orbit by John Appel. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 
• Publishers Weekly reviews A Sorcerer of Atlantis with A Prince in the Kingdom of Ghosts by John Shirley. 
• Bill Capossere reviews A Desert Torn Asunder by Bradley P. Beaulieu.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.
  
• Maya C. James reviews Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.
• Chris Kluwe reviews Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep.
  
• Marion Deeds and Tadiana Jones review The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk.
  
• Tadiana Jones reviews The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews A Radical Act of Free Magic by H.G. Parry.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Sidewinders by Robert V.S. Redick.
  
• A.M. Justice reviews Glass Rhapsody by Sarah Chorn. 
• Martin Cahill reviews The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente.
  
• Ryan Van Loan reviews Out of the Labyrinth by Ryan Van Loan. 
• Em Nordling reviews The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig.
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten.
  
• A.K. Blakemore reviews Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews One Night in Boukos by A.J. Demas. 
• Paul Weimer reviews The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.
  
• For Winter Nights reviews The Forevers by Chris Whitaker. 
  
• Joy Kluver reviews The Forevers by Chris Whitaker. 
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews The Offset by Calder Szewczak.
• Colleen Mondor reviews A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.
  
• Marion Deeds reviews A Broken Darkness by Premee Mohamed.
• Richard Fisher reviews Sometime Lofty Towers by David C. Smith.
• George Jacobs reviews Dream Lords: Rebellion by Adrian Cole.
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Council of Animals by Nick McDonnell. 
• Alvaro Zinos-Amero reviews After Human: A Critical History of the Hu­man in Science Fiction from Shelley to Le Guin by Thomas Connolly.
• J.W. Wright reviews Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword and Sorcery by Brian Murphy.
  

 
Classics reviews:

• Michael Kellermeyer revisits the 1893 horror story "The Damned Thing" by Ambrose Bierce.
  
• The Appendix N Book Club revisits the 1922 fantasy novel Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley by Lord Dunsany.
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1939 horror story "Hydra" by Henry Kuttner. 
• Matthew Rettino revisits the 1942 science fiction horror story "Mimic" by Donald A. Wollheim.
  
• John Miller revisits the January 1945 issue of Weird Tales. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1961 science fiction story "The Memory of Mars" by Raymond F. Jones.
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 1961 science fiction crime novel The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the August 1966 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• John Boston revisits the August 1966 issue of Amazing Stories.
  
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1966 science fiction novel Victory on Janus by Andre Norton.
  
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1967 science fiction novel Planet Run by Keith Laumer and Gordon R. Dickson. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1967 spy novel The Flight of the Bamboo Saucer by Fritz Gordon.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1968 science fiction anthology England Swings SF, edited by Judith Merril. 
• Joe Kenney revisits Operation Moon Rocket, a 1968 novel in the Nick Carter Killmaster men's adventure series by Lew Louderback.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1975 post-apocalyptic children's novel Outside by Andre Norton. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits Pony Soldiers, a 1988 novel in the Deathlands postapocalyptic series by James Axler a.k.a. Laurence James.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1991 Discworld novel Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett.
  

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that the 2023 Eurocon will take place in Uppsala, Sweden.
• Mike Chomko reports about the 2021 PulpFest and ERBFest in Mars, Pennsylvania.
• Mark L. Blackman reports about the latest virtual edition of the Fantastic Fiction at KGB Reading Series, featuring Kim Stanley Robinson and Nancy Kress.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Apex Magazine is looking for funding to finance its 2022 run.
  
• Juicy Ghosts, a new novel by Rudy Rucker, is looking for funding.
• SFF author Adam-Troy Castro needs some help to deal with the costs incurred by the sudden and unexpected death of his wife Judi.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Bryné Hadnott reports about the Dragonfly mission to the Saturn moon Titan. 
• Jackie Wattles reports about the launch of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spacecraft.
  
• Mary Robinette Kowal discusses how Wally Funk and other women were denied the chance to become astronauts in spite of having the training and how Jeff Bezos is finally taking her to space aboard Blue Origin sixty years later.
  
• Steven Moore discusses the problems facing female astronauts on space walks, since spacesuits are designed for men. 
• Isaac Schultz reports that neutron stars have mountains that are less than a millimetre tall.
  
• Dharna Noor declares that space tourism is a waste.
  
• Pam Belluck reports about a new speech computer with a brain interface to help paralysed people communicate.
• Gideon Marcus and Kaye Dee share the latest space exploration news from 1966.
• Sam Kean explains why graverobbing was a booming industry in 18th century Britain.

Free online fiction:

• "Voyage of the Siren" by Georgia Cook in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Skin Deep" by Alan Brennert in Tor.com
  
• "I'm Feeling Lucky" by Leonid Kaganov, translated by Alex Shvartsman, in Clarkesworld. 
• "Preserved in Amber" by Samantha Murray in Clarkesworld. 
• "Without Wishes to Bind You" by E. Catherine Tobler in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Cruise Control" by Benjamin C. Kinney in Fireside Magazine. 
• "A Smell of Jet Fuel" by Andrew Dana Hudson in Lightspeed. 
• "Shock of Birth" by Cadwell Turnbull in Lightspeed.
  
• "Divine in the House of Hunger" by Dare Segun Falowo in The Dark. 
• "Gordon B. White is creating Haunting Weird Horror" by Gordon B. White in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "There Will Be a Question and Answer Period After Your Inevitable Demise" by Marika Bailey in Fantasy Magazine.
  
• "Are You Real" by Ian E. Gonzales in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "The Old Woman and the Tea" by Marie Brennan in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Lamplighted" by David Gianastasio in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Ten Years In" by Thea Boodhoo in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Stegosaurus Swallows Man! Read All About It!" by Tony Dawson in The Five-Two.
  
• "Songbirds" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
• "Crawl" by Scott Oden.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Dune.
  
• Watch a trailer for Snake Eyes. 
• Watch a trailer for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.
  
• Watch a trailer for Brand New Cherry Flavor. 
• Watch a trailer for Demonic.
  
• Watch a trailer for Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild. 
• Watch a trailer for Malignant.
  
• Watch a trailer for Howling Village.