Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for October 8, 2021

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Foundation, No Time to Die and James Bond in general, What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many versions of Star Trek, the many versions of Doctor Who, the various DC Comics based TV shows, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Midnight Mass, Squid Game, Y: The Last Man, season 11 of The Walking Dead, Welcome to the Blumhouse, Lamb, V/H/S 94, There's Someone in Your House, a whole lot of horror and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in October.
  
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out this October. 
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out this October.
  
• Fire Lyte recommends some spooky and witchy novels to read this October. 
• Shealea Iral shares the best science fiction and fantasy debut novels of recent years. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about railroads and trains.
  
• Justine Norton-Kertson shares five essential Solarpunk novels. 
• Molly Templeton recommends SFF books with smaller, more personal stakes.
  
• Amanda Lien talks about chronic illness in speculative fiction. 
• Carrie Sessarego talks about mermaids in SFF. 
• Lauren Blackwood shares five African-inspired YA fantasy novels. 
• June C.L. Tan shares five SFF books featuring chosen ones of colour.
  
• John Copenhaver explains why protagonists need not always be likeable. 
  
• Wired traces the legacy of Frank Herbert's Dune. 
• April Snellings shares five terrifying Ray Bradbury stories. 
• Actor Joe Mantegna wishes Ray Bradbury a happy 101st birthday.
  
• Stephen Fry explains the enduring appeal of Georgette Heyer.
• James Maliszewski shares a two part homage to Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons.
  
• Piers Torday wonders whether animals are disappearing from fiction at the same rate as they are disappearing from our world.
• Alison Flood reports that the version of "Donkey Skin" by Italian writer Carlos Collodi, creator of Pinocchio, will be published in English for the first time.
• Mike Glyer reports that the venerable Encyclopedia of Science Fiction has a new publisher, but will keep its URL.
• Science fiction author Lou Antonelli has died aged 64.
  

Comics and Art:

• Nerds of a Feather take a look at upcoming comics. 
• James Whitbrook offers a preview of Clear by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. 
• Paperback Warrior reviews volume 1 of Reckless by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.
  
• Scott Edelmann interviews comic editor Renee Witterstaetter.
• Locus interviews comic artist Sana Takeda.
• Brad Hawley revisits the 1999 spy comic The Human Target by Peter Milligan and Edvin Biukovic.

 

Film and TV:

• Nadia Khomani declares that The Harder They Fall redefines the western.
  
• Mark Kermode calls The Green Knight a rich and wild fantasy. 
• Leslie Felperin calls The Survivalist a bleak post-apocalyptic film. 
  
• Ignatiy Vishnevetsky calls Addams Family 2 a dire animated film. 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story pays tribute to a beloved genre actor. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on the spooky BBC comedy Ghosts.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of La Brea.
  
• Katie Rife shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do in the Shadows. 
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the Chucky TV series. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
  
• Anne Billson ranks the top twenty swordfights in cinema.
  
• Celia Mattison shares 31 horror movies about reading, writing and the book business. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Denis Villeneuve, director of Dune.
  
• Marah Eakin interviews Miss Piggy and Pepe the King Prawn of the Muppets. 
• Nick McGrath interviews Elijah Wood who played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movies.
• Gloria Oladipo reports that according to Elijah Wood, one of the orcs in Lord of the Rings was modelled after Harvey Weinstein.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1941 horror movie Horror Island. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1941 horror film The Black Cat.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1959 monster movie The Monster of Piedras Blancas.
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1964 horror drama The Ape Woman.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1969 Mexican horror movie Night of the Bloody Apes.
• Sandy Ferber revisits three gialli horror films, The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion  from 1970, Death Walks on High Heels from 1971 and Death Walks at Midnight from 1972. 
• Stuart Heritage reports about the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon and why he believes it will be a success.
• Maya Yang reports that Netflix and Howard University in Washington DC have created a Chadwick Boseman Memorial Scholarship.
  

 

Comments on Foundation: 

• Nick Wanserski shares his thoughts on "The Mathematician's Ghost", the latest episode of Foundation. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "The Mathematician's Ghost".
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "The Mathematician's Ghost".
• The Star's End Podcast share their thoughts on "The Mathematician's Ghost". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Mathematician's Ghost".
  
• Joel McKinnon shares his thoughts on the first three episodes of Foundation. 
• Ben Gierhart shares his love for the original Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov.
  
• James Worrad recalls Isaac Asimov's harrassment of women at science fiction convention and how Alfred Bester paid him back by pinching Asimov's arse.
• Stephen Silver talks about Isaac Asimov's Jewish heritage, though he himself was not religious, and how it influenced his fiction, including Foundation.
  

 

Comments on No Time to Die and James Bond in general (potential spoilers): 

• Pete Hammond calls No Time to Die a thrilling and emotional exit to Daniel Craig's James Bond.
• Leah Greenblatt calls No Time to Die a bombastic and bittersweet farewell to Daniel Craig's James Bond.
  
• Scott Mendelson declares that No Time to Die shoots blanks. 
• Christopher Fowler finds No Time to Die charmingly retro.
  
• Stuart Heritage declares that No Time to Die finally places James Bond in a relatable predicament (spoilers). 
• Keith Phipps wonders about the legacy of Daniel Craig's take on James Bond.
  
• Famous and not so famous people interview Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond in No Time to Die. 
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Lashana Lynch who plays Nomi a.k.a. Agent 007 in No Time to Die.
• Steve Rose interviews Jeffrey Wright who plays Felix Leiter in No Time to Die.
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, and Billy Magnussen, three of the stars of No Time to Die.
• Ondine Cohane explains why the Italian town of Matera, where part of No Time to Die was filmed, is so popular with film-makers.
• The AV-Club ranks the Daniel Craig James Bond movies.
  
• The AV-Club shares ten times the James Bond series chased action movie trends. 
• Jesse Hassenger shares his appreciation for Pierce Brosnan's take on James Bond.
  
• Jim Wright muses about the origins of the 007 designation in the James Bond novels and movies.
  
• Mark Sweney reports that No Time to Die is smashing box office records.
  

 

Comments on What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the season finale of What If...?
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on the season finale of What...If? 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on the season finale of What If...?
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wonders whether there were plans to make a What If...? episode focussed on Gamora. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore confirms that a Gamora focussed episode of What If...? was planned, but never made. 
  
• Sam Barsanti declares that What If...? proves that Marvel will never be able to tell a standalone story. 
• Sydney Bucksbaum interviews A.C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews, writer and director of What If...?
  
• Ben Child wonders if it's a good idea if Marvel brings back characters from failed 20th Century Fox superhero movies like the X-Men and Fantastic Four movies, unaware that Marvel will likely make their own versions. 
• Jo Otterson reports that a WandaVision spin-off focussing on the characters of Agatha Harkness is in the works,
  
• Andrew Pulver reports that Scarlett Johansson has settled her lawsuit with Disney over Black Widow.
  

 

Comments on Venom: Let There Be Carnage: 

• Ryan Britt analyses the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. 
• Justin Carter also discusses the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. 
• Germain Lussier wonders what the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage means for the future of Marvel.
  
• William Hughes wonders whether Venom: Let There Be Carnage is doomed to be overshadowed by its own post-credits scene.
  
• Cameron Scheetz interviews Woody Harrelson who plays Cletus Cassidy in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. 
• Justin Carter reports that Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a box office success.

 

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

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Wej Duj", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Wej Duj".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Author, Author" and  "Friendship One".
• Galactic Journey revisit the 1966 Star Trek episode "The Naked Time".
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who:

• Paul Kirkley wonders what to expect from Russell T. Davies' return to Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook shares Jodie Whittaker's reaction to leaving Doctor Who.
  
• Huw Fullerton muses who may replace Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who.
• Lauren Morris reports that Billie Piper, who played Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, has hinted at a possible return to the show.
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1966 Doctor Who serial "The Smugglers".
  

 

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

• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Supergirl. 
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Stargirl. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that Wentworth Miller will reprise his role as Captain Cold a.k.a. Leonard Snart for the 100th episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
  
• Watch a clip from Peacemaker.
  

 

Comments on Midnight Mass:

• Leah Schnelbach talks about religious horror and horrific religion in Midnight Mass.
• Justin Parker interviews Mike Flanagan, creator of Midnight Mass.
• Andrew Liptak reports that Midnight Mass creator Mike Flanagan will adapt The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe for Netflix.
  

  

Comments on Squid Game: 

• John Walker calls Squid Game one of the most bitingly satirical commentaries on 21st century urban poverty as you’re likely to see.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "Ggangbu", episode 6 of Squid Game.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw muses whether Squid Game foreshadows a massive twist in the finale in its first episode (spoilers). 
• E. Alex Jung interviews the murderous giant robot doll from Squid Game. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares the best Squid Game memes from the internet. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that a real person's phone number was briefly shown on screen in Squid Game, which led to this person being inundated with calls, so the number was removed from the episode.
  
• Victoria Song reports that the South Korean ISP SK Broadband is sueing Netflix, because too many people are watching Squid Game and taking up bandwidth.
  

 

Comments on Welcome to the Blumhouse:

• Phil Hoad shares his thoughts on "Manor" and "Madres", the latest episodes of Welcome to the Blumhouse.  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Axelle Carolyn and Barbara Hershey, director and star of Manor.
• Hadley Freeman interviews Barbara Hershey, star of Manor. 

 

Comments on Lamb:

• Jesse Hassenger calls Lamb as much a strange domestic drama as a horror movie. 
• Alex McLevy interviews Noomi Rapace, star of Lamb. 

 

Comments on V/H/S 94:

• Cheryl Eddy calls V/H/S 94 a gory, grimy throwback horror film. 
• A.A. Dowd calls V/H/S 94 an enjoyable nostalgic horror film.
  

 

Comments on Y: The Last Man:

• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Y: The Last Man.
• Roxana Hadadi shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Y: The Last Man.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Y: The Last Man.
  

 

Comments on season 11 of The Walking Dead:

• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
  

 

Comments on There's Someone Inside Your House:

• Benjmin Lee calls There's Someone Inside Your House an empty slasher horror film.
• Mike D'Angelo calls There's Someone in Your House a rote horror film.

 

Awards: 

• The winner of the 2021 WSFA Small Press Award has been announced.
  
• The winners and finalists of the 2021 Salam Award have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 German Film Award Lola have been announced with lots of love for the science fiction romantic comedy I'm Your Man.
• The finalists for the 2021 National Book Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature has been announced.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Lee Child talks about the invention of fiction.
  
• Diann Mills explains how to add a layer of fear to your fiction. 
• Richard Marpole explains how medieval fantasy tends to get the Middle Ages wrong. 
• Robert Kolker talks about the case of writer Sonya Larson who borrowed details of her friend's kidney donation for a novel and discusses the ethics of writers borrowing details from real life.
  
• Margaret Murphy explains why she writes under a pen name.
  
• Catherine Lundoff shares some tips for writing marketing copy for your novel. 
• Mike Glyer shares an update about the status of the Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's bookstores, which were burned down during the riots in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last year.
• Risa Gelles-Watnick and Andrew Perrin report that 23 percent of American adults haven't read a single book in the last year.
• Mike Lindgren reports that readers live longer than non-readers.
• Petra Mayer reports about the supply chain issues affecting the publishing industry.
  

Interviews:

• Lenny Picker interviews Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck a.k.a. James S.A. Corey.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Tobias S. Buckell. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Cadwell Turnbull. 
• Gautam Bhatia interviews Chandler Davis. 
• Anthony Cummins interviews Anthony Doerr.
  
• Cat Luria interviews Aimee Ogden.
  

Reviews:

• Paul Weimer reviews In the Deep by Kelly Jennings. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Assassins of Thasalon by Lois McMaster Bujold.
  
• Maya C. James reviews The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri.
  
• Fiona Sturges reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. 
• Sean Dowie reviews Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune.
  
• J.C. Kang reviews Monkey Around by Jadie Jang.
  
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Actual Star by Monica Byrne. 
• Arturo Serrano reviews The Actual Star by Monica Byrne. 
• Natalie Zutter reviews Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat.
  
• Natalie Zutter reviews A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stuart. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Bone Ship's Wake by R.J. Barker.
  
• Bill Capossere reviews Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Comeback by Chris Limb.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Invisible Sun by Charles Stross. 
• Adri Joy reviews Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. 
• Maya Gittelman reviews Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. 
• Anthony Cummins revisits Burntcoat by Sarah Hall.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Bewilderment by Richard Powers. 
• Matthew Keeley reviews The Björkan Sagas by Harold R. Johnson.
  
• Ian Mond reviews The Confession of Copeland Cane by Keenan Norris. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke.
  
• BOLO Books reviews The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward.  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Born to the Dark by Ramsey Campbell. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Feast to Catch Souls by Charlotte Bond. 
• Paperback Warrior reviews After the Fade by Ronald Malfi. 
• Randy Money reviews The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
  
• Rob Bedford reviews Slewfoot by Brom.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Horseman by Christina Henry.
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Near the Bone by Christina Henry.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews But Worse Will Come by C.C. Adams.
  
• Mark Yon reviews When Things Get Dark, edited by Ellen Datlow. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews When Things Get Dark, edited by Ellen Datlow.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Out of the Ruins, edited by Preston Grassman.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews On the Origin of Species and Other Stories by Bo-Young Kim, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort and Sora Kim-Russell.

 
Classics reviews:

• Randy Money revisits the 1872 horror collection In a Glass Darkly by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu.
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1931 Solomon Kane sword and sorcery story "The Footfalls Within" by Robert E. Howard. 
• M. Porcius revisits the July 1934 issue of Weird Tales.
  
• Bill Ward revisits the 1943 Fafhrd and Gray Mouser sword and sorcery story "Thieves' House" by Fritz Leiber. 
• Daniel Whyte IV revisits the 1954 Narnia children's fantasy novel The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.
  
• Lis Carey revisits the 1962 time travel novel The Defiant Agents and the 1963 time travel novel Key Out of Time by Andre Norton.
  
• David Levinson reviws the November 1966 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• Young People Read Old SFF revisit the 1970 science fiction story "Slow Sculpture" by Theodore Sturgeon.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology Orbit 9, edited by Damon Knight.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the January/February 1979 issue of Destinies. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1985 horror story "Demons in Darkness" by Gerry Conway. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1991 YA horror novel Die Softly and the 1992 YA horror novel Master of Murder by Christopher Pike.
  
• Emmett Asher-Perrin revisits the 1992 Discworld fantasy novel Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. 
• Henry Hoke revisits the 1993 YA horror novel Game Over by Joseph Locke. 
• Jonathan Thornton revisits the 1996 fantasy novel The Wood Wife by Terri Windling.
  
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2001 children's fantasy The Tower at the End of the World by John Bellairs and Brad Strickland.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Solarpunk Magazine, a new science fiction magazine by Android Press, is looking for funding.
• Strange Horizons is looking for funding for 2022.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• The Hugo Book Club Blog evaluates the different bids for the 2023 Worldcon.
  
• The 2021 World Fantasy Convention in Montreal, Canada, shares its third progress report. 
• Westercon 74 in Tonopah, Nevada, has announced its guests of honour. 
• Astronomicon in Rochester, New York, has been postponed to 2022 due to the covid pandemic.
  
• The Fantastika 2021 convention in Stockholm, Sweden, will take place, because Sweden lifted all covid restrictions.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that Dublin, Ireland, is bidding for the 2029 Worldcon.
  
• Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd report about the 2021 Fantastic Fest.
• Cheryl Eddy reports about the virtual 2021 Blumfest.
• Martin Morse Wooster reports about a visit to the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.
• Mike Glyer reports that Luis R. Rondon, former King of the Society for Creative Anachronism’s East Kingdom, has been convicted of the murder of Deborah Waldinger.

 

Science and technology:

• Kenneth Chang reports where NASA will send the first robotic moon rover to search for ice. 
• Ramin Skibba reports about the light pollution dangers posed by SpaceX's Starlink satellites. 
• The Guardian reports about Singapore's new police patrol robots and the growing resistance to the surveillance state being installed there.
  
• Chris King reports that an ancient chamber that has been sealed for 40000 years has been discovered in a cave in Gibraltar.
  
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia talks about shapechanging in Mexican folklore.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Memoranda from the End of the World" by Gene Doucette in Lightspeed.
  
• "The Black Menagerie" by Endria Isa Richardson in Lightspeed.
  
• "Breath of the Dragon King" by Allison King in Fantasy Magazine
  
• "Paper of Elephants" by Brenda Cooper in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Answer Was Snails" by Bo Balder in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Bookstore at the End of America" by Charlie Jane Anders in Tor.com.
  
• "The Keeper" by Susan E. Rogers in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Stronger" by K.J. Parker in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Nemesis and the Sorcerer" by R.K. Duncan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Chramm of the Wizard's Pingo" by Adam McPhee in Dream of Shadows.
  
• "Hundreds of Little Absences" by Aimee Ogden in The Dark. 
• "The Ghosts of Duntulm Castle" by Alisa Cawley in Punk Noir Magazine.
  
• "Thread Count" by Cynthia Gómez in Strange Horizons.
  
• "Germination" by Tiah Beautement in Omenana.
• "Caw" by W.C. Dunlap in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Swappers" by Anya Ow in Daily Science Fiction.
• "What Happened to Moschops?" by Adam Knight in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Open Door Fallacy" by Jim Hill in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Renn and the Little Men" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• "Ritual Failure" by Cora Buhlert.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Dune.
  
• Watch a trailer for House of the Dragon. 
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Lost in Space.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Locke and Key. 
• Watch a trailer for Reisdent Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,
  
• Watch a trailer for A Boy Called Christmas.
  
• Watch a trailer for Just Beyond.