Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 18, 2022

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Wars in general, Star Trek Discovery and the many iterations of Star Trek,  the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Peacemaker and the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows, Bigbug, tributes to Ivan Reitman and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five satisfying standalone SFF novels.
  
• Everina Maxwell shares six great SFF love stories. 
• Byrd Pinkerton explains what romance novels can teach us about attraction. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction novels set at the core of the Milky Way.
  
• Zoraida Córdova shares Latin American speculative fiction.  
• Patti Callahan shares five SFF books featuring protective siblings.
  
• Paul Kincaid shares a taxonomy of reviewing.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the Thula sword and sorcery stories by Scottish author Pat McIntosh from the 1970s. 
  
• John Gradoville shares his appreciation for the work of science fiction and thriller writer Alfred Coppel. 
  
• Deuce Richardson profiles thriller author Edgar Wallace and reminds us that he was much more than just the author of King Kong.  
• Frieda Toth wonders whether James Bond is the worst spy in the world.
  
• Shaun Duke talks about J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings and race. 
• Judges and winners of the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for women crime writers of colour discuss the state of publishing for writers of colour. 
  
• Mike Glyer reports that James A. Sullivan will finally be named as Bernhard Hennen's co-author on the cover of the fantasy novel The Elves. 
  
• Don Herron remembers Richard L. Tierney.
• Brazilian pulp and comic scholar Athos Eichler Cardoso has died aged 87.
  
• Harold R. Johnson, Indigenous Canadian author of speculative fiction and other genres, has died aged 68. 
• SFF writer and reviewer Faren Miller has died aged 71.
  
• Editor and author Tom Dupree has died aged 72.
• YA SFF author Lani Forbes has died of cancer aged only 35.
• Science fiction writer Melissa Mead has died aged only 54.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Justin Carter reports that Marvel is bringing back the Thunderbolts, this time as good guys.
• James Whitbrook reports that political cartoonist Matt Bors will be launching a comic mini-series called Justice Warriors.
• Scott Adlerberg interviews Charles Ardai about his comic Gun Honey.
  
• Comic artist and animator Mel Keefer has died aged 95.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Bill Capossere shares his thoughts on several recent SFF TV series.
  
• Maya Gittelman is not happy with the way fan favourite Jaskier was treated in season 2 of The Witcher.
  
• Cheryl Eddy calls All the Moons a gorgeously melancholy vampire story. 
• Katie Rife calls Strawberry Mansion a charming indie science fiction film.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls All of Us Are Dead must-watch TV for horror fans. 
• Leslie Felperin calls They Live in the Grey an artful poltergeist film.
  
• Leila Latif calls From an uneven but scary horror series. 
• Luke Buckmaster calls Wyrmwood: Apocalypse a splatterific zombie film.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares his thoughts on the 2021 Japanese film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's The Door Into Summer.
  
• Linda H. Codega shares her thoughts on the animated SFF film Belle. 
• James McGlothlin calls The Last Wolf: Karl Edward Wagner a warts-all documentary about the sword and sorcery and horror author. 
• Michelle Nijhuis shares her thoughts on the documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror.
• Cole Rush shares five filmic SFF adaptations which carved out their own identity separate from the source material. 
• Eve Taft revisits the entire Scream movie series.
  
• Ben Child has some questions about the upcoming animated Buzz Lightyear movie. 
• Joe George lists the best romantic relationships in superhero movies. 
• Henry Wong wonders why teen dramas on TV are so miserable and depressing these days. 
• Ben Travis interviews Denis Villeneuve, director of Dune.
  
• Bobby Derie revisits the 1976 Lovecraftian porn film Teenage Twins. 
  
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that a Blade Runner TV series is in the works.
• TV agent and producer Beryl Vertue, who worked on Sherlock and represented Doctor Who and Blake's Seven writer Tarry Nation among many others, has died aged 90.
  

 

Tributes to Ivan Reitman:

• Ivan Reitman, director of Ghostbusters, Twins, Kindergarten Cop and many other has died aged 75.
• Peter Bradshaw calls the late Ivan Reitman the master of the Hollywood multiplex comedy.
• Hadley Freeman remembers Ivan Reitman.
• Sam Barsanti shares an obituary for Ivan Reitman. 
• Rob Bricken shares a tribute to Ivan Reitman.
  
• The Guardian shares photos from Ivan Reitman's lengthy career.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Jarrod Jones wonders whether The Book of Boba Fett started a worrying trend towards Star Wars TV shows becoming as insular and limited to familiar characters as the movies. 
• Chris Edwards is troubled by the fact that the most recent Star Wars spin-offs seem to be made for fans of the prequels and various other spin-offs rather than for fans of the original trilogy.
  
• Jeff Conway interviews Ewan McGregor who will repeat his role as Obi Wan Kenobi in an upcoming Disney Plus series.
• James Whitbrook shares everything we know about the wedding of Han Solo and Leia Organa in the various incarnations of Star Wars.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "All In", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "All In".
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "All In".
• Galactic Journey revisits the 1967 Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons".
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Dear Doctor".
• K.T. Ottesen interviews George Takei who played Lieutenant Commander Sulu in the original Star Trek.
• Molly Templeton reports that a new Star Trek movie is in the works.
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

• Josh Pearce and Arley Sorg share their thoughts on Spider-Man: No Way Home.
  
• Germain Lussier shares some cool facts about Hawkeye. 
• James Hunt speculates about a mystery voice heard in the trailer for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
  
• Samantha Bergeson reports that director Kevin Smith has criticised the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not giving Spider-Man: No Way Home a Best Picture nomination.  
• Grant Hermanns reports about Karen Gillen's a.k.a. Nebula's role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
  
• James Whitbrook reports that the Marvel TV shows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher and The Defenders will be leaving Netflix permanently on March 1, 2022.
• Watch a trailer for Moon Knight.
• Watch a trailer for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. 

 

Comments on Peacemaker, The Batman and the various DC Comics based movies and TV-shows:

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Peacemaker.
  
• Danielle Ryan reports that Peacemaker's lead character is bisexual. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Matt Reeves, director of The Batman. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Zoe Kravitz who plays Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman in The Batman.
  
• Rob Bricken reports that Peacemaker has been renewed for season 2.
  
• Watch a joint trailer for various upcoming DC Comics based superhero movies.
  

 

Comments on Bigbug:

• Charles Bramesco calls Bigbug an offbeat robot tale. 
• Carlos Aguilar calls Bigbug a dystopian science fiction satire.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2021 Stabby Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2022 Compton Crook Award has been announced.
• The winner of the 2022 IAFA Crawford Award has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2022 Robert E. Howard Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Cybils Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2022 Zsoldos Péter Award have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2021 Uncanny Magazine Favourite Fiction Reader Poll have been announced. 
• The finalists of the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2022 Helicon Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2022 Golden Reel Awards have been announced.
• Doris V. Sutherland discusses the issues with the Best Related Work Hugo category.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Niamh Campbell discusses what makes a good sex scene. 
• Lincoln Michel explains why literary magazines are important.
  
• Jacqui Lipton talks about publishing contracts in the real world.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses the pros and cons of exclusivity. 
  
• Lincoln Michel attempts to answer the question if sales blurbs really work. 
• Dalya Alberge reports about cheap and low quality editions of public domain classics.
  
• Pamela Brill reports that school librarians have launched an initiative called #FReadom Fighters in response to book bannings in Texas schools.
• Chris Freeland laments that the publisher of Maus by Art Spiegelman, the holocaust graphic novel banned by a Tennessee school board, has pulled the graphic novel from the Internet Archive's library, depriving those who have no other access of the book.
  

Interviews:

• The Fantasy Hive interviews Juliet E. McKenna.
  
• The HWA interviews Tanarive Dué.
  
• Scott Simon interviews Octavia E. Butler (in 2001).
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Ally Wilkes. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Tej Turner.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Ida Keogh.
• Bob the Alien interviews Ida Keogh.
  
• Adrian Collins interviews T.R. Napper. 
• The HWA interviews Tenea D. Johnson. 
• The HWA interviews Jim Potts.
  
• The HWA interviews Michelle Renee Lane.
  
• Janna Miller interviews Heather Del Piano.
• The HWA interviews Nzondi a.k.a. Ace Antonio Hall.
  

Reviews:

• Michelle Blakey reviews You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo. 
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot. 
• Chris Kluwe reviews A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.
  
• Russell Letson reviews Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Natalie Luhrs reviews Jade City by Fonda Lee.
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood. 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood. 
• Linda H. Codega reviews The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood.
  
• Ryan Howse reviews The Nothing Within by Andy Giesler.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Bloodsworn by Tej Turner. 
• Alexis Ong reviews Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews The Weeping Sigil by Jordan Loyal Short. 
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews Rise of the Mages by Scott Drakeford. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Last Exit by Max Gladstone.
  
• Chris Beckett reviews Dream London by Tony Ballantyne. 
• Maya C. James reviews Hunting By Stars by Cherie Dimaline.
  
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews House of Glass Hearts by Leila Siddiqui. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The God of Lost Words by A.J. Hackwith.
  
• Mahvesh Murad reviews This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi. 
• Natasha Pulley reviews Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire. 
• Arturo Serrano reviews To Paradise by Hanya Yanigihara.
  
• Maya Gittelman reviews Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells. 
• Sophia Stewart reviews The Employees by Olga Ravn.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Devil House by John Darnielle. 
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau.
  
• Andrea Gualtieri reviews And The I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin.
  
• Richard Fisher reviews Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3, edited by David A. Riley. 
• Jesse Walker reviews Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950–1985 by Andrew Nette and Iain McIntyre. 

 
Classics reviews:

• Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys revisit the 1872 vampire novel Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
  
• Jay Rothermel revisits the 1914 horror novella "The Hole of the Pit" by Adrian Ross. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1916 monster novel The Sea Demons by Victor Rousseau.
  
• Michael R. Brown revisits the 1919 science fantasy novel Fang Tung, Magician by H. Bedford-Jones.
  
• Doris V. Sutherland revisits the 1925 werewolf story "In the Forest of Villefére" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Doris V. Sutherland revisits the 1926 werewolf story "Wolfshead" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Matthew Pungitore revisits the 1927 horror story "The Color Out Of Space" by H.P. Lovecraft and compares it to the 2019 film adaptation. 
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery novella "The Scarlet Citadel" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1950 science fiction fix-up novel The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.
  
• Vintage Pop Fictions reviews the 1951 sword and planet collection Swordsmen from the Stars by Poul Anderson. 
• Schlock Value revisits the 1952 science fantasy novel Well of the Worlds by Henry Kuttner.  
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1955 science fiction story "Panel Game" by Brian W. Aldiss.
  
• J.W. Wright revisits the 1958 sword and sorcery novella The Winds of Zarr by Richard L. Tierney.
  
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1959 science fiction novel The Secret of the Ninth Planet by Donald A. Wollheim. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1961 science fiction story "The Teeth of Despair" by Avram Davidson and Sidney Klein.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1966 gothic novel Phantom Manor by Marilyn Ross a.k.a. William Edward David Ross. 
  
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1966 sword and sorcery collection Conan the Warrior by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the March 1967 issue of Fantastic. 
• Lord Samper's Library revisits the 1968 sword and sorcery collection Brak the Barbarian by John Jakes.
  
• Every Day Should Be Tuesday revisits the 1974 science fiction novel Fire Time by Poul Anderson.
  
• Talking Pulp revisits the 1977 Elric sword and sorcery collection The Weird of the White Wolf by Michael Moorcock.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 near future political thriller The Last Caesar by Edward McGhee. 
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1982 science fiction novel The Transmigration of Timothy Archer by Philip K. Dick.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 short fiction collection Phoenix in the Ashes by Joan D. Vinge. 
  
• Paul Weimer revisits the 1988 speculative spy novel Scholars of the Night by John M. Ford.
• Don't Forget to Read a Book revisits the 1990 fantasy novel Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1994 time travel novel Firehand by Andre Norton and P.M. Griffin. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• Tales & Feathers: A Slice of Life Fantasy Magazine is looking for funding.
• Volume 2 of khoréo, a quarterly magazine of speculative fiction by immigrant and diaspora writers and artists, is looking for funding.
• Dungeon Crawl Classics 100: The Music of the Spheres is Chaos is looking for funding. 
• Issue 3 of Knock!, a compendium of miscellanea for old school RPGs, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Arley Sorg and Liza Trombi report about DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC, while Cheryl Morgan reports about the Business Meeting at DisCon III. 
• Locus reports about the Aspen Words Literary Center in Aspen, Colorado.
  
• Adela Suliman reports about a Stephen Hawking exhibition at the British Science Museum in London, UK.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Jon Fingas reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first image of a star. 
• Kenneth Chang reports that the rocket part which crashed into the Moon may belong to a Chinese rocket and not a SpaceX rocket.
  
• Elizabeth Pennisi reports that Canadian researchers of found a link between gut microbes and depression in a large health study.
• Christian Davenport interviews Jared Isaacman, who went into space on a private spaceflight last year and plans to finance another one this year. 
• Stephanie Barron wonders about the potential cause of Jane Austen's early death.    
• Dana Stabenow attempts to rehabilitate Cleopatra from Roman propaganda.
• The Guardian reports about some recent sightings of foul-mouthed ghosts in the UK. 
• Jen Williams talks about the legend of the Barghest, a black phantom dog that's considered a bad omen.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Seven Vampires: A Judge Dee Mystery" by Lavie Tidhar in Tor.com. 
• "Blood Graisn Scream in Memories" by Jason Sanford in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Burying the Seeds of Spider Gods" by Ted S. Bushman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "What to Do After Receiving a Starlit Pearl" by Mari Ness in Mermaids Monthly.
  
• "The Orb of Semerkhet" by Jeremy Farkas in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.
  
• "Gael" by Suri Parmar in Sword and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "After Naxos, Ariadne" by Julia August in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "NeuNet" by Sharang Biswas in Lightspeed.
  
• "How to Abandon Your Sourdough Starter: A Recipe for Disaster" by Theresa DeLucci in Lightspeed.
  
• "In the Walls and Beneath the Fridge" by Jonathan L. Howard in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Direction of Clocks" by Jess Levine in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Old Moon" by John McNeil in Clarkesworld.
• "Outside" by Stephanie Dogfoot in New Naratif.
  
• "A Feather's Weight" by Andrea Goyan in Luna Station Quarterly. 
  
• "The Pennyfeathers Ride Again" by L. Chan in The Dark. 
• "Not a Basking Shark" by Hesper Leveret in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "To Have, And To Hold" by Ray Daley in Starward Shadows. 
  
• "The Cure for Loneliness" by M. Shaw in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Curing" by Kristien Potgieter in Omenana.
• "The Seven" by James Dorr in Daily Science Fiction.
• "The Messenger" by Mari Ness in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Don't Think About Dinosaurs" by Rock Forsberg in Daily Science Fiction.
• "The Cities Rise Up on Legs of Lead" by Daniel Ausema in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Dark Corners" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• Download the Year's Best African Speculative Fiction 2021, edited by Oghenchovwe Donald Ekpeki, for free.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for The Rings of Power. 
• Watch a trailer for Our Flag Means Death.
  
• Watch a trailer for Nope.  
• Watch a trailer for Fresh.
  
• Watch a trailer for the new Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers animated series.
• Watch a commercial for Rocket Homes and Rocket Mortgage, featuring He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Barbie and Anna Kendrick.
• Watch a Salesforce commerical featuring Matthew McConaughey as an astronaut.
• Watch a BMW commercial featuring Zeus and Hera getting a new ride.
  

  

Odds and ends:

• Issue 62 of Journey Planet about crafting during the covid pandemic is now available.