Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 6, 2022

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the many other iterations of Star Trek, Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars in general, Doctor Who past and present, The Northman, The Shining Girls, season 2 of Russian Doll, season 2 of Undone, the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows, the future of sword and sorcery, tributes to Neal Adams and James Bama and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares fifty-two science fiction and fantasy books coming out in May. 
• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in May.
  
• Tor.com lists all the new fantasy books coming out in May. 
• Natalie Zutter shares the best science fiction and fantasy books coming out in May.
  
• Joshua Kristian McCoy explains the space opera subgenre. 
• Rabeea Saleem shares six technothrillers about digital surveillance and voyeurism. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about perilous plant life.
  
• Linda Codega shares ten science fantasy books featuring mages in space.
  
• Foz Meadows shares five SFF series she would like to see adapted. 
• Alex Brown shares ten great science fiction and fantasy novellas and novelettes.
  
• Oliver Brackenbury talks about New Edge Sword and Sorcery. 
• Brian Murphy talks about sword and sorcery and good storytelling. 
• Oliver Brackenbury and Brian Murphy discuss sword and sorcery with each other. 
• Ngo Vinh-Hoi shares his appreciation for the works of Jack Williamson.  
• Jeff Goad shares his appreciation for the works of Fletcher Pratt.
  
• Kanyinsola Olorunnisola profiles Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
• Alissa Burger revisits The Last Vampire YA horror series by Christopher Pike. 
• K.G. McAbee shares Prisoner of Zenda/Prince and the Pauper inspired doubleganger stories.
• Liz Michalski shares five dark and mysterious fairy tale retellings. 
• Liz Michalski talks about empathising with the mother figures of Peter Pan.
  
• Raquel S. Benedict shares her gripes with the state of the SFF genre... again.
  
• Jason Sanford discusses The Third Empire: Russia As It Ought to Be by Mikhail Yuriev, a 2006 science fiction novel which is believed to have inspired Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Comics and Art:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews the graphic novel Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto and Ann Xu.
• Matthew Sardo explains how to review a comic book. 
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews cover artist Lauren Gornik. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall celebrates the arrival of Marvel Comics in the UK in 1967.
  
• Deuce Richardson shares a gallery of sword and planet art by Bernie Wrightson. 
• Bill Ward shares some of the cover art Jack Williamson's books have had over the decades.
  
• Justin Carter reports that Frank Miller and Dan DiDio are forming their own comics company. 
• Victor Domashev takes a look at the offerings for Free Comic Book Day.
  
• The 2022 inductees into the Eisner Hall of Fame have been announced. 
• John Bullard remembers cover artist James Bama. 
• Killer Covers remembers James Bama. 
• Legendary comics artist Neal Adams has died aged 80.
• Roy Thomas remembers Neal Adams. 
• Rob Bricken shares tributes from fellow comics professionals to Neal Adams.
  
• Borys Kit remembers Neal Adams.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Cath Clarke calls The Legend of Maid Marian almost comically unmedieval.
  
• Aaron Jones calls Sweet Home an enjoyable post-apocalyptic drama from South Korea. 
• Luke Y. Thompson calls The Twin a weak horror movie from Finland.
  
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts about the season 6 finale of Outlander.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts about the latest episode of Outer Range.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the second part of The Man Who Fell to Earth.
  
• Dennis Hartley shares his favourite science fiction movies. 
• Cheryl Eddy ranks all of Sam Raimi's SFF and horror movies to date.
  
• Robert Repino shares six very strange made for TV SFF movies.
• Ben Child wonders whether anybody is excited about Avatar: The Way of Water. 
• Sue Granquist interviews Louis Weinberger, director of Into the Devil's Reach.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that the science fiction comedy series Space Force has been cancelled. 
• Dalya Alberge reports that an unused 1956 screenplay for the James Bond story Moonraker, written by Ian Fleming himself, has resurfaced.
  
• Valeriya Safronova reports that Russian cinemas are turning to screening pirated copies of Hollywood blockbusters, now that many studios have pulled their films out of Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
  
• British critic, journalists and TV director Gavin Millar has died aged 84.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the many other iterations of Star Trek: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Hide and Seek", the latest episode of Star Trek Picard.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Hide and Seek".
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Hide and Seek". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Hide and Seek".
  
• James Whitbrook declares that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has the classic Star Trek vibe many viewers have been waiting for. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Star Trek: Strange New Worlds a fun spin-off and return to a more episodic format. 
• James Whitbrook interviews Henry Alonso Myers, showrunner of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that Rober April, first captain of the Enterprise, will also appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, now played by Adrian Holmes. 
• Jacob Hall reports that Rebecca Romijn, who plays Una Chin-Riley a.k.a. Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, will occasionally be wearing the iconic mini-dress uniform inspired by the original series.
  
• Tim Ford revisits the 1966 Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Desert Crossing".
  
• Ayana Archie reports that LeVar Burton, best known for playing Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as for the program Reading Rainbow, will receive a lifetime achievement Emmy Award.
• Watch the opening titles of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  

 

Comments on Moon Knight:

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on "Gods and Monsters", the season finale of Moon Knight. 
• Andy Welch shares his thoughts on "Gods and Monsters". 
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on "Gods and Monsters". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Gods and Monsters". 
• Germain Lussier interviews Grant Curtis and Mohamed Diab, producers and director of Moon Knight.
  
• Inspired by Moon Knight, Trace Townsend talks about the way popular culture handles mental illness.

 

Comments on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Germain Lussier calls Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness multiple levels of mad.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness a cheerful alternate reality sequel. 
• Todd Gilchrist calls Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness meandering and messy. 
• Germain Lussier shares a round-up of early reactions to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
  
• Brian Hiatt interviews Sam Raimi, director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
• Rob Bricken and Sabina Graves interview Sam Raimi. 
• Brian Davids interviews Benedict Cumberbatch, star of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 
• James Whitbrook interviews Benedict Cumberbatch. 
• Brian Davids interviews Rachel McAdams who plays Christine Palmer in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
  
• Chris Godfrey interviews Jon Berthal, star of The Punisher and We Own This City. 
• Guy Lodge revisits the 2002 superhero movie Spider-Man, also directed by Sam Raimi.
  
• Gavia Baker Whitelaw points out that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be banned in China due to a blink and you'll miss it appearance of a controversial newspaper in the trailer. 
• Zachary Evans reports that Sony and Marvel refuse to delete a scene featuring the Statue of Liberty from Spider-Man: No Way Home, leading to that film being banned in China as well.
  

 

Comments on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars in general: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin praises the sheer, unbridled joy of Star Wars: A New Hope.
• Derek John remembers the Star Wars radio drama that aired on National Public Radio in the early 1980s. 
• Ryan Parker interviews James Earl Jones who voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies.
  
• Watch a trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi. 
• Watch a video of Grogu and director Robert Rodriguez jamming together on the set of The Book of Boba Fett.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future:  

• Michael Hogan reports about the very gay and very trans Doctor Who spin-off podcast Doctor Who: Redacted.
  
• Hannah Watkin wonders whether the upcoming Doctor Who Centenary Special is overstuffed with guest stars.
  

 

Comments on The Northman: 

• Jamie Philbrick calls The Northman brilliant, beautiful and bloody filmmaking at its best.
  
• Sean C. Tadsen calls The Northman Hamlet meets Conan. 
• Matthew W. Quinn calls The Northman definitely worth seeing.
• A.O. Scott calls The Northman "Danish Premodern".
• Bob Mondello calls The Northman two and a half hours of arthouse savagery.
• Rich Lowry notes that The Northman shows why people continue to be fascinated by Vikings.
  

 

Comments on The Shining Girls:

• Lucy Mangan calls The Shining Girls an intense time-hopping thriller and praises the performance of Elizabeth Moss.
• David Cote calls the time travel thriller The Shining Girls "Zodiac on Xanax". 
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Wagner Moura who plays Dan Velasquez in The Shining Girls.  
• Adrienne Westenfeld interviews Lauren Beukes upon whose novel The Shining Girls is based.
  

 

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

• Jamie Parker notes that Legends of Tomorrow proved that taking risks can pay off.
  
• Rick Porter reports that Legends of Tomorrow has been cancalled after seven seasons.
• Rick Porter reports that Batwoman has been cancelled after three seasons.
• Watch a trailer for DC League of Super-Pets.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Russian Doll: 

• Jackie Strause interviews Natasha Lyonne, showrunner, writer and star of Russian Doll.
• Ayomikun Adekaiyero shares fourteen details viewers may have missed in season 2 of Russian Doll.

 

Comments on season 2 of Undone: 

• Cheryl Eddy calls season 2 of Undone deeply emotional and trippy as hell. 
• Stuart Heritage calls season 2 of Undone a phenomenal TV treat. 

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2021 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2022 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Cóyotl Awards have been announced.
• The designers for the 2022 Hugo Award bases and Lodestar Awards trophy have been announced.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Helen Lowe shares a three part post about what makes a hero.
• Daniel Kalla talks about building tension and suspense.
  
• Elizabeth Day discusses the fine art of incredibly plot twists.
• Laura Jarratt explains how to write thrillers as a discovery writer.
  
• Cassidy Lucas shares writing tricks from commerical thriller writers. 
• The Pulp Net shares writing advice from Erle Stanley Gardner 
• Abbigail Nguyen Rosewood talks about taking writing lessons from tarot. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about writing endings that will sell the next book.
  
• Laura Jarratt asks if genre matters and how editing shapes genre.
  
• Lincoln Michel interviews Alexander Chee about his writing process.
• Mike Glyer reports that the much delayed anthology Last Dangerous Visions actually has found a publisher.
• The #DisneyMustPay task force shares an open letter, because Disney still isn't paying many writers and creators.
  

Interviews:

• The Guardian interviews Neil Gaiman.
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Ben Aaronovitch.
• Scott Edelman interviews Alex Segura.
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Mark Lawrence.
• Mary Woodbury interviews Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
• Kat Wong interviews Shelley Parker-Chan. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Alex Shvartsman and Tarryn Thomas.
  
• The Dungeon Delver interviews Schuyler Hernstrom. 
• Vera Benczik and Beata Gubacsi interviews Csilla Kleinheincz
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Dennard Dayle.
  
• Locus interviews Steven Kotler.
• Cat Luria interviews Erin MacNair.
• Starship Fonzie interviews Camestros Felapton.
  

Reviews:

• Maya Gittelman reviews Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Resilient by Allen Stroud.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher.
• Fiona Denton reviews Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher. 
• Adrienne Martini reviews Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Aspects by John M. Ford.
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews One Foot in the Fade by Luke Arnold.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Three Tainted Teas by Lynn Cahoon and tries a recipe from the book.  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Crazy in Poughkeepsie by Daniel Pinkwater.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. 
• L.A. Young reviews The Discord of Gods by Jenn Lyons.
  
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Book of Night by Holly Black. 
• Rob Bedford reviews Book of Night by Holly Black.
  
• Liam's Lyceum reviews Frolic on the Amaranthyn by Chase A. Folmar. 
• Rowena Andrews reviews Hag of the Hills by J.T.T. Ryder. 
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Blood Legacy by Tej Turner.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Inheritors of Power by Juliette Wade.
• Fantasy Faction reviews The Forever King by Ben Galley.
• Matthew W. Quinn reviews Pteranodon Canyon by Tim Meyer. 
  
• Joe Bonadonna revisits A Hybrid's Tale by Andrew P. Weston. 
• Hephzibah Anderson reviews The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers.
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews Stringers by Chris Panatier.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Here Goes Nothing by Steve Toltz. 
• Rob Doyle reviews Here Goes Nothing by Steve Toltz. 
• Chris Power reviews Devil House by John Darnielle. 
  
• Russell Letson reviews Quantum of Nightmares by Charles Stross.
  
• Sean Dowie reviews Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo. 
  
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Memory Librarian & Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe. 
• Fiona Sturges reviews The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom – Volume Two: 1940 by David and Daniel Rit­ter

 

Classics reviews:

• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1896 occult thriller Dr. Nikola Returns by Guy Boothby.   
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1929 lost world novel The Light in the Sky by Herbert Clock and Eric Boetzel.
  
• Adventures Fantastic revisits the 1945 science fiction story "Line to Tomorrow" by Lewis Padgett a.k.a. Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore.
  
• Steven H. Silver revisits the 1951 science fiction story "The Pilot and the Bushman" by Sylvia Jacobs.
  
• David Agranoff, Grant Warmack and Cora Buhlert revisit the 1955 science fiction novel The Big Jump by Leigh Brackett.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1956 James Bond spy novel Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1958 Nicholas Van Rijn science fiction novel The Man Who Counts by Poul Anderson.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the May 1967 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the June 1967 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction.
  
• Steven H. Silver revisits the 1967 dystopian story "The Food Farm" by Kit Reed.
  
• David A. Riley revisits the 1976 Kane sword and sorcery novel The Dark Crusade by Karl Edward Wagner. 
• Steve Carroll revisits The Dark Crusade by Karl Edward Wagner.
  
• Richard Fisher revisits the 1979 sword and sorcery novel The Scarlet Skull by C.E. Owston. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1982 science fiction anthology Universe 12, edited by Terry Carr. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1988 science fantasy novel The Silicon Mage by Barbara Hambly.
  
• Paperback Warrior reviews the 2007 horror novel The Freakshow by Bryan Smith. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Liz Batty, John Coxon and Alison Scott report about the 2022 Eastercon in Heathrow, UK. 
• Liza Groen Trombi reports about the 2022 International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida.
  
• Bill Cavalier looks ahead at the 2022 Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas. 
• Lucy Knight reports that Julie Finch is the new CEO of the Hay Literature Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, after founder Peter Florence resigned over bullying allegations.
  
• Martin Morse Wooster shares his thoughts on The Book of Dust stage play performed in London, UK. 
• Michelle Young reports about a Captain America statue in Brooklyn, New York City.
  
• Sabina Graves shares news and attractions from various US-based theme parks.
• Mike Glyer reports that several members of the Games Manufacturers Association GAMA have protested Jon Del Arroz joining the organisation.
  

Science and technology:

• Kevin Hurler reports that the James Webb Space Telescope is almost fully aligned now. 
• Bloomberg reports that Russia is threatening to quit the International Space Station in retailiation for western sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  
• Zachary Rosenthal reports that the Ingenuity helicopter has discovered the remnants of a failed previous mission on Mars.
  
• Jamie Carter reports that NASA is reusing the Osiris-Rex spacecraft to examine the asteroid Apophis, as it approached Earth.
  
• Mark Gollum reports that Canada's criminal code will also cover crimes committed on the moon. 
• Galen T. Pickett talks about time travel.
• Joshua Zitser reports that archaeological finds in Jerusalem, Israel, suggest that the Crusaders may have used primitive hand grenades.
• The History Blog reports that the remains of an extinct crocodile found in South China may have been ritually beheaded.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Mountains of Another World Where Eagles May Fly Free" by Aimee Ogden in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Anything You Lose Comes Round in Another Form" by Jennie Evenson in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "A Cry on the Battlefield" by Cora Buhlert in Wyngraf Magazine.
  
• "The God's Apology" by Ian Martínez Cassmeyer in Wyngraf Magazine. 
• "The Woman Who Wanted To Be Trees" by Cat Rambo in Slate: Future Tense. 
• "The Wrestler's Son" by P.J. Atwater in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "How to Make Love to a Ciguapa" by K. Garcia Ley in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "The Eternal Cocktail Party of the Damned" by Fonda Lee in Uncanny Magazine.
  
• "Tea Parties Around Nebula-55" by Adriana C. Grigore in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Wants Pawn Term" by Rich Larson in Clarkesworld. 
• "Nobody Ever Goes Home to Zhenzhu" by Grace Chan in Lightspeed. 
• "The Hammer of God" by Jonathan Maberry in Lightspeed.
  
• "And All Their Silent Roars" by James L. Zutter in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Master of Ceremonies" by Frances Ogamba in The Dark.
  
• "Thin Crust" by Erin MacNair in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Isimmiri" by Marycynthia Chinwe Okafor in Omenana.
• "XY" by Lucy Zhang in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "Ananke" by Avra Margariti in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Easy Does It" by Andrew E. Love Jr. in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Table for One" by Shannon Fay in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "From American-Alien Relations, 1900 to 1999" by J.Z. Kelly in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Good Genes" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
• "Rites of Passage" by Cora Buhlert. 
• "Min Zemerin's Plan" by Katherine Addison. 
• "A Monster to Fight Monsters" by Bryn Hammond in Lothlorien Poetry Journal. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for House of the Dragon.
  
• Watch a trailer for Don't Worry Darling.