Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 26, 2022

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the attack on Salman Rushdie, tributes to Alexei Panshin, Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many iterations of Star Trek, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, The Sandman, season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows, House of the Dragon, Prey, Samaritan, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Warner Bros cancelling every remotely interesting movie or TV show except for The Flash after their merger with Discovery, J.R.R. Tolkien and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Silvana Reyes shares twenty fantasy romances to enjoy. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares his five favourite SFF reprint anthologies. 
• Tim Pratt shares five SFF books about the multiverse.
  
• Trent Jamieson shares five brilliant Australian speculative fiction books. 
• Naseem Jamnia shares five SFF books featuring queernormative worlds. 
• Gwendoline Kiste talks about gothic horror, men controlling women and abortion in the US.
  
• Victor Acquista talks about blending the real and the unreal in thrillers. 
• Lily Sparks talks about the links between horror and dark comedy. 
  
• David Barnett report that the excitement over Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings is causing out of print fantasy classics to be reissued.
  
• John R. Fultz weighs in on the New Edge Sword and Sorcery movement. 
• Bill Ward shares his appreciation for the Swords Against Darkness sword and sorcery anthology series of the 1970s, edited by Andrew Offutt.
  
• G.W. Thomas traces the influence of A. Merritt on the 1939 pulp magazine Fantastic Adventures.
• Alan Brown revisits the Venus series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the maritime horror stories of Frank Belknap Long. 
• Varden Frias shares his appreciation for the works of Clark Ashton Smith. 
  
• Fletcher Vredenburgh remembers H.P. Lovecraft for his 132nd birthday. 
• Nocturnal Revelries discusses Robert Bloch's contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos. 
• Neil McRobert shares a guide to the works of Stephen King.
  
• Judith Tarr shares her appreciation for the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. 
• Stephanie Merry profiles neuroscientist and romance writer Ali Hazelwood.
  
• John Boston remembers Hugo Gernsback, who died 55 years ago in August 1967.
  
• Kevin J. Anderson remembers the late Eric Flint.
  
• Science fiction writer and critic Alexei Panshin has died aged 82.
• Locus remembers Alexei Panshin.
  

 

Comments on the attack on Salman Rushdie:

• Sarah Shaffi reports that sales of The Satanic Verses have surged in the UK after the attack on Salman Rushdie.
  
• Julian Borger and Shah Meer Baloch report that former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has condemned the attack on Salman Rushdie.
  

 

Comments about J.R.R. Tolkien:  

• John Garth reminds us that J.R.R. Tolkien could be funny. 
• Liz Boulter explains how East Yorkshire inspired J.R.R. Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. 
• Megan N. Fontenot talks about Galadriel's path to redemption.
  
• Mark Sweeney reports that the Swedish gaming company Embracer Group has bought the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Justin Carter takes a look at some upcoming Marvel Comics storylines.
  
• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Acting Class by Nick Drnaso.
• Jeff LaSala interviews Donato Giancola about his Middle Earth art. 
• Michael J. Bayly celebrates 85 years of Prince Valiant.
  
• Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the work of Hal Foster. 
• Michael R. Brown shares his appreciation for the pulp art of J. Allen St. John. 
• Jim FitzPatrick shares his favourite logos.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Dan Persons shares his thoughts on The Orville episode "From Unknown Graves". 
• Leah Schnelbach reports that season 3 of Evil makes viewer laugh at demonic posssession again.
• Manuel Betancourt calls Little Demon a devilish animated spin on parenting comedies.
  
• Leah Schnelbach doesn't think the horror movie Glorious is a good film, but is happy it exists. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season 13 premiere of Archer.
  
• Germain Lussier apologises for realising very late that he actually finds For All Mankind very good.
  
• Shannon H. shares her thoughts on Orphan: First Kill. 
• Chris Szego shares three South Korean drama SFF fans will enjoy.
  
• Charles Bramesco bemoans the trend of calling TV series eight hour movies. 
• Jeremy Hayes shares 21 popular movies that should have a horror version. 
• GennaRose Nethercott shares five filmic monsters and the real world folklore behind them.
  
• Marlow Stern itnerviews John Boyega, star of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Pacific Rim Uprising and Breaking.
  
• Ryan Gilbey interviews James Purefoy, star of Solomon Kane, Resident Evil, Coasting, Pennyworth, Rome and many others. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Morfydd Clark who plays Galadriel in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. 
  
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Adam Scott, star of Severance. 
• The Hugo Book Club Blog wonders whether 1970 was the worst year in science fiction cinema.
  
• Andrew Maynard revisits the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green, which happens to be set in 2022, and finds it lacking.
• Phil Hoad revisis the 1979 Hungarian animated movie Bubble Bath.
  
• Steve Vertlieb revisits the 1982 science fiction film E.T. the Extraterrestrial for its fortieth anniversary. 
  
• Justin Carter reports that voice actor Vic Mignogna has lost the appeal in his defamation suit regarding allegations of sexual violence.
  
• Michael Gonzales remembers musician and actor Isaac Hayes, who composed the music for Shaft and starred in Truck Turner, Escape from New York, The Accused and many others.
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Wolfgang Petersen.
• Animator Gerald Potterton, who worked on Yellow Submarine and Heavy Metal, has died aged 91. 
  

Comments on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on "Superhuman Law", the latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. 
• Jenna Scherer shares her thoughts on "Superhuman Law". 
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Superhuman Law".
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw chronicles a debate about female rage inspired by She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
  
• Eric Francisco discusses the post-credits scene of the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
• Germain Lussier interviews Jessica Gao, head writer of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
  

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Grounded", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Grounded". 
  
• James Whitbrook explains where to start with Star Trek.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Precious Cargo".
• Kaye Dee reports about the arrival of Star Trek in Australia in August 1967. 
• Linda Codega reports that a portion of the ashes of the late Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek, will be launched into space to rest among the stars. 
  

 

 Comments on House of the Dragon (spoilers):

• Lucy Mangan calls House of the Dragon a roaring success. 
• Tyler Dean declares that House of the Dragon provides rationale for cautious optimism. 
• Rebecca Nicholson calls House of the Dragon gorgeous, opulent television.
  
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon.
• Helen O'Hara shares her thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon. 
• Jenna Scherer shares her thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon. 
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon. 
• Tom Huddleston shares his thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon. 
• Joe Brosnan shares his thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon.
  
• Theresa DeLucci shares her spoilerish thoughts on the first episode of House of the Dragon.
  
• Alyssa Rosenberg wonders whether House of the Dragon can offer Americans a shared TV experience much like Game of Thrones. 
• Sabina Graves reports that one revelation in House of the Dragon goes back directly to George R.R. Martin. 
  
• Stuart Heritage interviews Steve Toussaint, one of the stars of House of the Dragon. 
• Hanna Flint interviews Steve Toussaint.
  
• Jenna Scherer offers a guide to the characters of House of the Dragon. 
• Selome Hailu reports that House of the Dragon drew ten million viewers and is HBO's biggest series premiere ever. 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that the success of House of the Dragons proves that viewers still care about Game of Thrones.
  
• Watch a trailer for House of the Dragon.
  

 

Comments on Three Thousand Years of Longing: 

• Leigh Monson declares that Three Thousand Years of Longing don't quite fite into 108 minutes of film.
• Xan Brooks interviews George Miller, writer and director of the Mad Max movies and Three Thousand Years of Longing. 
• Todd Gilchrist interviews George Miller. 
• Rich Pelley and readers of the Guardian interview Idris Elba, star of Luther, The Wire, the Thor movies, Pacific Rim, Ultraviolet, Three Thousand Years of Longing and many others. 
• Watch a clip from Three Thousand Years of Longing.
  

 

Comments on season 4 of What We Do In the Shadows: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do in the Shadows.
• Gabrielle Sanchez discusses how What We Do in the Shadows taps into the inherent queerness of vampires. 
  

 

Comments on The Sandman: 

• Gabrielle Bellot chronicles The Sandman's long journey to the screen.
• Jennifer Maas reports that Netflix dropped a surprise extra episode of The Sandman with an all-star cast. 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Sandman bonus episode.
  

 

Comments on Prey: 

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on Prey.
  
• Ben Child wonders who the Predator should fight next.
  

 

Comments on Samaritan: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Samaritan a forgettable superhero story. 
• Germain Lussier calls Samaritan a superhero film that sort of works.
  
• Brett Bukalew declares that Samaritan takes too long to get to its secret superhero unmaking.
  

 

Comments on Warner Bros cancelling every remotely interesting movie or TV show after their merger with Discovery: 

• Adam Manno reports that Warner Bros Discovery also fired several HBO Max executives, all of whom just happen to be people of colour, and closed down three entire divisions.  
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about the removal of more than twenty animated shows from HBO Max and shares the reaction of the creators of these shows.
• Justin Carter declares that Warner Bros animation deserves better, particularly given its long history. 
• Owen Dennis, creator of Infinity Train, one of the animated shows pulled from HBO Max, weighs in one the removal and sharply criticises Warner Bros Discovery for their behaviour. 
• William Hughes declares that Warner Bros Discovery is treating animation creators and their viewers like hot garbage.
  
• Selome Hailu reports that Batman: Caped Crusader, a sequel to the celebrated 1990s series Batman: The Animated Series, will not be moving forward at HBO Max. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares responses to the cancellation of Batman: Caped Crusader. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Warner Bros Discovery seized all footage from the already almost finished Batgirl movie, preventing the directors from accessing it.
• Justin Kroll reports that Warner Bros is planning to hold a private screening of the rough cut of Batgirl for the cast and crew.
  
• Germain Lussier reports that the sequel to the live action The Batman is apparently still being made, probably because it stars and is directed by a white man.
  
• Andrew Pulver reports that at least the future of the James Bond films is assured after MGM signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros Discovery.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2022 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced.
• The winners of the 2022 Silver Falchion Awards have been announced.
• The longlist for the 2022 German Book Prize has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2022 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2022 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize has been announced. 
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Freida McFadden shares seven tips for choosing the perfect name for your characters.
  
• Ann Langley offers a tarot draw for writers. 
• Adria Bernadi explains why to write about fictional places. 
• Simon Jimenez talks about making fantasy maps.
  
• Jeff Abbott talks about restarting a beloved series. 
  
• Vanessa Thorpe reports about an uproar in the UK Society of Authors.
  
• Joanne Harris speaks out about the threats and abuse she received from TERFs as chair of the UK Society of Authors. 
  
• Alexa T. Dodd shares her experiences with a predatory vanity press.
  
• Andrew Albanese reports about the Internet Archive copyright battle.
  
• Jenn Northington explains why Barnes & Noble are stocking fewer hardcovers, particularly by debut and midlist authors.
  
• Jacqui Lipton weighs in on the proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster.
• Elisabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter explain what the Penguin Random House anti-trust trial has revealed about the way publishing works.
• Hannah Dellinger reports that a woman in Katy, Texas, called the police to remove a book from a school library that upset her sensibilities.
• Erum Salam reports about another book banning spree in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, which affected not just works by Toni Morrison, but also the Bible.
  

Interviews:

• The Guardian interviews Karen Joy Fowler.
• Martin Goodman interviews Howard Andrew Jones. 
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Michael Merriam.
• Bobby Derie interviews Oliver Brackenbury 
• Rogues in the House interview Oliver Brackenbury and Nathaniel Webb.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Dariel Quiogue. 
• Bill Thill interviews Joe and Kasey Lansdale. 
• Locus interviews Kerstin Hall.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Michael Jan Friedman. 
• Phoebe Barton interviews P.H. Lee.
  
• Janna Miller interviews Clare McAneny. 
• Chance Forshee and Laurel Hightower interview Ellen Datlow. 
• Janet Rudolph interviews Lawrence Block. 
• The Science Fiction Book Club interviews Lisa Yaszek.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Steve Dilks.
  
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews Steve Babb. 
• B-Movie Cast interviews Steve Vertlieb.
  

Reviews:

• Camestros Felapton reviews Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
  
• Marion Deeds reviews Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. 
• Elizabeth Fitzgerald reviews Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker. 
• Brigid Flanagan reviews Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid.
  
• Paula Guran reviews The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Garden of Empire by J.T. Greathouse. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The House of Dust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber.
• Colleen Mondor reviews This Is Not the Real World by Anna Carey.
  
• Joanna Z. Weston reviews Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste.
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Witches by Brenda Lozano, translated by Heather Cleary. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel.
  
• Arturo Serrano reviews The Sleepless by Victor Manibo.
  
• Alex Brown reviews The Sleepless by Victor Manibo.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Hollows by Daniel Church. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay. 
• Paula Guran reviews Boys, Beasts and Men by Sam J. Miller.
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Pact by J.E. Hannaford.
  
• Ilana Masad reviews The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias.  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Anchor's Heart by Cavan Scott.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Their Heart a Hive by Fox N. Locke. 
• Paperback Warrior reviews Mountain of the Dead by Jeremy Bates.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Troy by Stephen Fry. 
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Babel by R.F. Kuang.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Last Whale by Chris Vick.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beaumont. 
• John Crowley reviews The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Night, Rain and Neon, edited by Michael Copley. 
• Arley Sorg reviews Our Shadows Have Claws, edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz
• Richard Fisher reviews Swords and Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Vol. 4, edited by David Riley. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance, edited by Jonathan Strahan.
  
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews Queering SF: Readings by Ritch Calvin
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews Phasers on Stun!: How the Making (and Remak­ing) of Star Trek Changed the World by Ryan Britt
• James McGlothlin reviews Robert E. Howard Changed My Life, edited by Jason M. Waltz. 

Classics reviews:

• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1952 science fiction story "No Land of Nod" by Sherwood Springer and the 1953 science fiction story"Eddie For Short" by Wallace West.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1953 Silver John fantasy story "Vandy, Vandy" by Manly Wade Wellman.
  
• The Cromcast revisits the 1975 sword and sorcery novella Companions on the Road by Tanith Lee.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 science fiction collection Cinnabar by Edward Bryant.
• We Learn By Writing revisits the 1978 Kane sword and sorcery collection Night Winds by Karl Edward Wagner.
  
• Bitter Tea and Mystery revisits the 1982 time travel story "Fire Watch" by Connie Willis.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 science fiction romance Yargo by Jacqueline Susann.
  
• Paul Di Filippo revisits the 1982 time travel novel No Enemy But Time by Michael Bishop. 
• James Maliszweski revisits the October 1983 issue of White Dwarf.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1997 Discworld fantasy novel Jingo by Terry Pratchett. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1998 Resident Evil novel The Umbrella Conspiracy by S.D. Perry.
  
• John Mauro revisits the 2011 epic fantasy novel A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Locus reports about the fact that two-time Hugo finalist Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki was denied a visa to attend Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon in Chicago, Illinois.
• Jason Sanford weighs in on the visa issues and other barriers faced by international authors wanting to participate in cons, festivals and other events in the US and EU. 
• Timothy William Waters is upset that GenCon wants to leave Indianapolis due to Indiana's new extremely restrictive abortion law.
  
• J. Kim Murphy reports that actor Gary Busey has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact at the Monster-Mania con in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. 
• Rachel P. Kreiter reports about the resturant Elizabeth in Chicago, Illinois, which offers Game of Thrones or Twin Peaks themed dinners.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Victoriocity, a science fiction detective thriller comedy fiction podcast, is looking for funding for its third season.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Marcia Dunn reports about a test of NASA's new Artemis moon rocket.
  
• Devan McGuinness reports that NASA has released a recording of the sounds make by a black hole. 
• The Guardian shares a photo of Jupiter taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. 
• Gideon Marcus reports about NASA's 1967 Lunar Orbiter.
  
• Tim Newcomb reports that not one but two asteroid strikes may have killed off the dinosaurs.
  
• Steve Davidson muses about the impact artificial intelligence will have on writers and commercial artists.
• Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Jeffery C. Mayes explain how a disurbing public service announcement regarding what to do in the event of the nuclear attack on New York City came to be.
  

Free online fiction: 

• "Migratory Patterns of the Modern American Skyscraper" by Derrick Boden in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Shapeshifter's Lover" by Autumn Canter in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Their Eyes the Shape of Orchids" by Eleanna Castrolanni in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "A Country of Eternal Light" by Jennifer Donohue in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Disappearing Dream Engineer" by Rati Mehrotra in Lightspeed. 
• "The Clockmaker and His Daughter" by Tobi Ogundiran in Lightspeed.
  
• "The Witch Box" by Coby Anthony Rosser in Wyngraf Magazine. 
• "Well, Well" by Brenda Anderson in Wyngraf Magazine.
  
• "The Coward of Umustead" by Nnamdi Anyadu in Omenana. 
• "A True and Certain Proof of the Messianic Age, With Two Lemmas" by P.H. Lee in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "D.I.Y." by John Wiswell in Tor.com.
  
• "Sympathy" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa in ASU Center for Science and the Imagination.
  
• "Father's Flow" by Phoenix Alexander in The Dark. 
• "Zombie Elixir" by Lawrence M. Schoen in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Vs. the Giant" by Matthew F. Amati in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Please Stop Murdering Grandma" by Christine Amsden in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Five Visits to the Smallest Closet in the Imperial Capital" by Hayley Stone in Daily Science Fiction.
• "In Crimson, in Moonlight" by Stefan Slater in Daily Science Fiction.
   

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Watch a trailer for Deus.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. 
• Watch a trailer for Slumberland.
  
• Watch a trailer for Raven's Hollow.
• Watch a trailer for My Best Friend's Exorcism.
  
• Watch a trailer for Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon. 
• Watch a trailer for the newest version of Pinocchio.