Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 8, 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: Strange New Worlds and the many other iterations of Star Trek, Ms. Marvel, Thor: Love and Thunder and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars in general, season 4 of Stranger Things, season 4 of Westworld, season 3 of For All Mankind, Doctor Who past, present and future, Brian and Charles, The Undeclared War, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Minions 2: The Rise of Gru and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy lists all the new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in July.
  
• Adrian Collins offers recommendation for reading grimdark SFF. 
• Adalyn Grace shares five fantasy villains you love to hate. 
• Elizabeth Evitt Davidson profiles Neil Gaiman.
  
• Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer takes a look at H.P. Lovecraft from the POV of an Australian woman. 
  
• Interesting Literature lists the ten best ghost stories by M.R. James. 
• Bobby Derie discusses the correspondence between Margaret St. Clair and Clark Ashton Smith.
  
• Sasha Ann Panaram explains why the world continues to need Octavia E. Butler.
  
• K.G. McAbee profiles Leigh Brackett.
• Leslie Kendall Dye declares that the organisation of people's bookshelves tells its own story. 
• Fanzine writer and editor Robert Lichtman has died aged 79.
  
• Science fiction fan, convention organiser and disability advocate Samantha Jeude has died aged 69.
  

Comics and Art:

• Luke Healey shares his ten favourite funny comic books.
  
• G.W. Thomas shares his appreciation for Enrique Alcatena's take on Conan.
• Benjamin Marra shares his appreciation for Bill Sienkiewicz's take on Conan. 
• Debbi Mack interviews Fabian Nicieza.  
• The Conservation Center explains how they preserved Hubert Rogers' cover art for the May 1940 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. 
• Japanese manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!, has died aged 60. 
  

 

Film and TV:

• Brent Simon calls The Princess a forgettable fantasy action film. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Rubikon a nifty multilingual science fiction film. 
• Phil Hoad calls Corrective Measures a schlocky but distinctive superpowered prison drama.
  
• Mary Kate Carr calls Maggie a promising sitcom about the love troubles of a clairvoyant. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Orville.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of The Man Who Fell To Earth.
  
• Tracy Townsend shares her appreciation for the character of Luisa in Encanto.
• Lucy Mangan calls On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World) an animated documentary about the false nuclear missile alarm that terrorised Hawaii in 2018.
• Ben Child wonders whether E.T. the Extraterrestrial could get a sequel and whether it even needs one. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 time travel movie Timecop and its 2004 sequel Timecop: The Berlin Decision.
  
• Rachel Handler shares an oral history of the 1997 science fiction movie Contact.
  
• Aaron Jones revisits the 2006 dark fantasy film Pan's Labyrinth.
  
• Justin Carter revisits the 2007 science fiction action movie Transformers. 
• Danielle Ryan shares nine dystopian movies set in worlds that are still better than what we have today.
  
• Kevin Hurler lists the worst bunkers in which to spend the time after the apocalypse from science fiction films and other media. 
• Alissa Simon interviews Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper, writer and director of Vessper. 
• Catherine Shoard reports that James Cameron has defended the fact that the sequel to Avatar is three hours long. 
• Lynnette Rice and Nellie Andreeva report that the Tom Swift TV series has been cancelled after only six episodes. 
• Sarah Shaffi reports that Ben Aaronovitch's River of London urban fantasy cirme novels will be adapted for television.
  
• Manori Ravindram and Adam B. Vary report about the latest round of scandals, assaults and unhinged behavious by actor Ezra Miller. 
• Jamaican-British actress Mona Hammond, who appeared in Eastenders and The Archers and had a lengthy stage career, has died aged 91.    
• James Caan, star of Rollerball, Misery, The Godfather, Thief , El Dorado and many others has died aged 82.

 

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

• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "All Those Who Wander", the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "All Those Who Wander".
• Keith R.A. De Candido shares his thoughts on "All Those Who Wander".
  
• Angelica Jade Bastien and Kathryn VanArendonk declare that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds feels like Star Trek again.
• Adam B. Vary interviews Melissa Navia, who plays Lieutenant Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strane New Worlds. 
• James Whitbrook explains how Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brought their version of the Gorn to life.
  
• James Whitbrook shares the twelve scariest episodes of Star Trek.
  

 

Comments on Thor: Love and Thunder and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers): 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Thor: Love and Thunder a mighty hammer blow of fun. 
• Todd Gilchrist calls Thor: Love and Thunder an enjoyable superhero film largely unthethered from the wider Marvel mythology. 
• Germain Lussier calls Thor: Love and Thunder an uneven but worthy adventure.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Thor: Love and Thunder a massive disappointment. 
  
• Dave Itzkoff interviews Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Love and Thunder. 
• Peter Scobel and Todd Gilchrist interview Natalie Portman, who plays Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder.
  
• Peter Scobel and Todd Gilchrist interview Christian Bale, who plays Gorr the Godkiller in Thor: Love and Thunder. 
  
• Justin Carter wonders whether there are too many Marvel movies and TV shows these days.

 

Comments on Ms. Marvel (spoilers): 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on "Time and Again", the latest episode of Ms. Marvel. 
• Sarah Shaffi shares her thoughts on "Time and Again". 
• Swara Salih shares her thoughts on "Time and Again".
  
• Zuha Siddiqui reports that many Pakistanis enjoy the cultural nods in Ms. Marvel, but are mixed on the casting.
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Farhan Akhtar, who plays Waleed in Ms. Marvel.
  

 

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

• Alasdair Stuart shares his appreciation for how Star Wars makes us care about all of those weird side characters.
• Anthony Breznican takes a look at the future of Star Wars on Disney+.
  

 

Comments on season 4 of Stranger Things (spoilers): 

• Jack Seale calls the season 4 finale of Stranger Things so perfect that it could have served as a series finale.
• Saloni Gajjar declares that season 4 of Stranger Things ended with an explosive and emotional bang.
  
• Maggie Fremont shares her thoughts on the season 4 finale of Stranger Things. 
• Jen Chaney finds the season 4 finale of Stranger Things a bit repetitive. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares six things she loved and five things she didn't about the season 4 finale of Stranger Things.
  
• Emily Longaretta and Jennifer Maas explain the ending of season 4 of Stranger Things. 
• Saloni Gajjar ranks the characters of season 3 of Stranger Things.
  
• Roxana Hadadi ranks the deaths in season 4 of Stranger Things. 
• Jazz Tangcay interviews Jamie Campbell Bower who plays Vecna in season 4 of Stranger Things.
  
• Jason P. Frank speculates whether the character of Will Byers came out as gay in the season 4 finale of Stranger Things.
  
• Stuart Heritage wonders whether Stranger Things even counts as TV anymore, considers that every episode of season 4 has been movie length.  
• Rob Bricken explains how the guitar solo in the season 4 finale of Stranger Things came to be. 
  
• Todd Spangler reports that so many people were streaming the second half of season 4 of Stranger Things shortly after it dropped that Netflix crashed.
  

 

Comments on season 4 of Westworld: 

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Westworld.
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts about the latest episode of Westworld. 
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Westworld. 
  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Evan Rachel Wood, one of the stars of Westworld.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Alison Schapker, writer and executive producer of Westworld.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Jessica Holmes shares her thoughts on the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Evil of the Daleks". 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1965 movie Doctor Who and the Daleks and the 1966 sequel Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of For All Mankind: 

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episodes of For All Mankind.
• David Cote shares his thoughts on the latest episode of For All Mankind. 
  

 

Comments on Brian and Charles:

•  Peter Bradshaw calls the robot comedy Brian and Charles the bromance of the year.
• Michael Hogan interviews David Earl, writer and star of Brian and Charles.  

 

Comments on The Undeclared War: 

• Lucy Mangan calls The Undeclared War a cybersecurity drama that could have been written by Enid Blyton. 
• Cybersecurity expert Alan Woodward finds The Undeclared War remarkably realistic.
  
• Mark Lawson declares that the dystopian TV series The Undeclared War shows the perils and pitfaalls of near future science fiction. 

 

Comments on Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: 

• Leonard Maltin really enjoyed the animated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. 
  
• Thomas Floyd interviews Dean Fleischer-Camp, director of Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. 
• Leonard Maltin interviews Dean Fleisher-Camp.

 

Comments on Minions 2: The Rise of Gru:  

• Sammy Gecsoyler notes that Minions 2: The Rise of Gru is an example of a trend of media siding with workers over bosses.
  
• Stuart Heritage reports about the so-called "Gentleminions" craze, where teenagers dress up in formal clothes to disrupt screenings of Minions 2: The Rise of Gru to shout gibberish at the screen.
• Reid McCarter also reports about the "Gentleminions" phenomenon.
  
• The Guardian reports that some cinemas in the UK have banned young people in formal suits from attending screening of Minions 2: The Rise of Gru. 
• J. Kim Murphy reports that Minions: The Rise of Gru is a huge box office success for unfathomable reasons. 
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2022 Eugie Foster Memorial Award have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2022 Manly Wade Wellman Award has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2022 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2022 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2022 Prix Rosny Aîné has been announced.
• The winners of the 2021 Leo Literary Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2022 Silver Falchion Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2022 Science Fiction Research Association Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2022 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2022 Diana Jones Awards has been announced.
  
• Sarah Shaffi reports that the Blue Peter Book Awards have been discontinued. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about writing with chronic illness.
  
• Elizabeth A. Harris explains how TikTok generates bestsellers. 
• Jim Milliot reports that the HarperCollins Union has authorised a strike at the publishing company.
  

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
• Sally Wiener-Grotta interviews Samuel R. Delany. 
  
• Carmen Maria Machado and Ottessa Moshfegh interview each other. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Eileen Gunn. 
  
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews David C. Smith. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Tim Lebbon.
  
• Scott Adlerberg interviews Jason Starr.  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Lauren Wilkinson. 
• Paul Burke interviews Jack Lutz. 
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Rym Kechacha. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Cat Hellisen.
  
• Sasha Ann Panaram interviews Lynell George.
  
• The Cromcast interviews Matt John.
• Lincoln Michel interviews Vauhini Vara.
  
• Jen Gheller interviews E. Fox. 
• Jen Gheller interviews Jenna Grieve. 
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews David J. West. 
• David L. Ulin interviews Kim Stanley Robinson.
  
• Matthew Pungitore interviews Howie Bentley.
  

Reviews:

• Blue Book Balloon reviews Six Lights of Green Scar by Gareth Powell.
• Arturo Serrano reviews Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Jennie Ivins reviews A Star Named Vega by Benjamin J. Roberts.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Casacde by Rachel A. Rosen. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree.
  
• Kat Hooper reviews Night Shift Dragons by Rachel Aaron. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews the Saint of Steel series by Ursula Vernon.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter.
  
• John Mauro reviews In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross.
  
• Jennie Ivins reviews Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire by G.M. Nair.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews A Scandal in Brooklyn by Lauren Wilkinson. 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews No Second Chances by Rio Youers.
  
• Grab This Book reviews London Black by Jack Lutz.
• Becky LeJeune reviews The White Hare by Jane Johnson.   
• Paperback Warrior reviews Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell.
  
• John Mauro reviews Earthlings by Sayaka Murata.
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews El Porvenir, ¡Ya!: Citlalzazanilli Mexicatl, a Chicano Sci-fi Anthology, edited by Scott Russell Duncan, Armando Rendón and Jenny Irizary.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance, edited by Jonathan Strahan. 

Classics reviews:

• Bob Byrne revisits the 1933 weird memace story "Black Talons" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1951 sword and planet story "Witch of the Demon Seas" by A.A. Craig a.k.a. Poul Anderson. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1954 post-apocalpytic vampire novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
  
• David Levinson revisits the August 1967 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1972 science fiction anthology Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, edited by Lester Del Rey. 
• Murray Ewing revisits the 1975 YA fantasy novel The Stones of the Moon by Judy Allen. 
• Mark Yon revisits the 1978 Doctor Who tie-in novel The Stones of Blood by David Fisher.
  
• Steven H. Silver revisits the 1979 fantasy story "Wizard's Bounty" by Charles De Lint. 
• Theo Zenou revisits the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
• John Mauro revisits the 1996 epic fantasy novel A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Pulphouse Fiction Magazine is looking for funding.
• Plant Girl Game, a tabletop roleplaying game by Sly Robot Games, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Locus reports about the 2022 WisCon in Madison, Wisconsin. 
• John Tilden reports about the 2022 Balticon in Baltimore, Maryland. 
• Heidi MacDonald reports about the 2022 San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
  
• Kevin Standlee shares photos of the 2022 Westercon in Tonopah, Nevada.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2024 Westercon will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. 
• Mike Glyer reports that guest of honour and former Disney animator Floyd Norman will be unable to attend Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon in Chicago, Illinois,
  
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2022 FantasyCon in Heathrow, UK, has been cancelled due to financial issues.
  
• Mike Glyer reports about the Kamen Rider panel at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California.
  
• Watch a video of the "Fandom through the Generations" panel at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California.
• Aindrea Emelife reports about the Afrofuturism exhibition "In the Black Fantastic" at the Hayward Gallery in London, UK.
• David Barnett reports about an exhibition of Steve Dillon's comic art in Luton, UK. 
• April Rubin reports that security guard was charged with illegally removing an R2-D2 model from a Star Wars themed hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  
• Gabby Romero reports about the Stranger Things Experience in Brooklyn, New York. 
  

Science and technology:

• Regina Rini wonders whether we should worry about sentient AI.
• Tom Warren reports that ESA's Mars Express spacecraft is being upgraded to Windows 98.
  
• Tim Sweeney reports about a breakthrough in trying to use bacteria to generate biofuel.
  
• Paul Richards reports that a mysterious incident of fish raining down along the border of Texas and Arkansas last December may have been solved.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Life and Death of Atomic Tangerine" by Michelle Muenzler in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "For Mercy, For Death" by Matthew X. Gomex in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "A Start to Judgment" by Benjamin C. Kinney in Kaleidotrope. 
• "Your Life Sentence" by C.C. Finlay in Futurismic.
  
• "The Hunter's Child" by Amelia Brunskill in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "The Forgotten" by Eliane Boey in Clarkesworld. 
• "Creatures of the Dark Oasis" by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Rustle of Growing Things" by Isabel Cañas in Lightspeed.
• "Critical Mass" by Peter Watts in Lightspeed. 
• "The Closet Game" by Robert Levy in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Matrimonial Quest at Luna Prime and Other Existential Dread" by Deka Omar in Fireside Fiction.
  
• "Fisheyes" by Ai Jiang in The Dark. 
• "The Truth About Storks" by S. Cameron David in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "A Trinity of Truths" by Gordon Pinckheard in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Ninety-nine Percent Support" by Filip Wittgren in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Upper Beta Great Alcove Very Happy" by Ron Fein in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "The Messenger" by Mari Ness in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "The Husnock" by Robert Cooperman in The Five-Two. 
  
• "The Hidden Castle" by Cora Buhlert. 
• "The Hanging Judge" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Paper Girls.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Primal. 
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Stargirl.
• Watch a trailer for The Woman King. 
• Watch a trailer for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.
  
• Watch a trailer for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. 
  
• Watch a trailer for Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons.
• Watch a trailer for Light and Magic.