It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF books of 2022, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the new Willow, the final season of His Dark Materials, The Witcher and its spin-offs, Kindred, Wednesday, the chaotic future of the DC Cinematic Universe, Avatar: The Way of Water, tributes to Mike Hodges and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Lisa Tuttle offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction and fantasy novels.
- Tor.com shares 22 wintery SFF reads to enjoy.
- Aaron Jones talks about royalty and power in fantasy.
- Grady Hendrix explains why Christmas ghost stories became popular in the nineteenth century.
- Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth take a look at H.P. Lovecraft's Christmas poems.
- Matt Mikalatos takes a look at the role of Santa Claus in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
- Rachel Ayers shares five SFF Puss in Boots retellings.
- Brian Collins profiles Fritz Leiber.
- Brian Murphy wonders whether we are in for a Karl Edward Wagner revival.
- Claire Woodcock reports about the fanzine scan hosting project.
- Molly Templeton wonders how to measure a year in reading.
- Cole Rush explains why he started a home lending library.
- The Tor.com staff remember memorable books they received as gifts.
- Karen Heller wonders what to do with old books, when their owners die or no longer want them.
- Jennifer Schuessler reports that Thomas Pynchon has sold his papers to the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
- J. Dennis Robinson recounts how literary agent James T. Fields persuaded Charles Dickens to tour the US in 1867.
- Kim Mohan, former editor of Dragon Magazine has died aged 73.
- Fan and scholar Justin E.A. Busch has died aged 63.
Best Books of 2022:
- Linda Codega shares her favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2022.
- Book Marks shares the best reviewed science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2022.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite science fiction books of 2022.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite fantasy books of 2022.
- Alex Brown shares their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror YA books of 2022.
- Grimdark Magazine share their favourite grimdark SFF of 2022.
- Molly Odintz shares her favourite horror novels of 2022.
- Molly Odintz shares her favourite science fiction mysteries of 2022.
- Erin Brady shares her favourite science fiction movies of 2022.
- The Tor.com reviewers share all the things that brought them nerdy joy in 2022.
- Rob Bricken lists the fictional characters and TV shows we lost in 2022.
Comics and Art:
Film and TV:
- Ann Lee traces how Everything Everywhere All At Once became the sleeper hit of the year.
- Alma Katsu explains what Andor gets right about espionage.
- Gwilym Mumford calls Severance one of the best TV shows of 2022.
- Leah Schnelbach shares thirteen movies about aliens learning about the true spirit of Christmas.
- Lorna Wallace shares six of her favourite monster movies from around the world.
- Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1949 historical supernatural crime drama The Queen of Spades.
- Jessica Holmes revisits the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Ice Warriors".
- Galactic Journey revisits the 1967 Star Trek episode "Obsession".
- Bobby Derie revisits the 1972 Night Gallery episode "Last Rites for a Dead Druid".
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1981 horror movie An American Werewolf in London.
- GQ interviews Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi.
- Rebecca Nicholson interviews Suranne Jones, star of Christmas Carole, Vigil and Scott & Bailey.
- Miranda Bryant reports that Steven Spielberg has expressed regret for the persecution and extermination of sharks following his 1975 movie Jaws.
- Justin Carter reports that the anime Spy x Family is not only getting a second season, but also a movie.
- Borys Kit reports that after leaving The Witcher and being ousted as Superman, Henry Cavill will produce and star in a Warhammer 40000 series next.
- Linda Codega reports that a US Federal judge has ruled that deceptive movie trailers depicting scene or characters that are not actually in the film are illegal.
- Benjie Goodhart recounts how 12000 Japanese children fell ill after watching a Pokemon anime episode in 1997.
- Television director Gabrielle Beaumont, who worked on several Star Trek series, Dynasty, Vega$, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, The Beauty and the Beast, The Tomorrow People and many others, has died aged 80.
Tributes to Mike Hodges:
- Mike Hodges, director of Get Carter, Flash Gordon, Pulp, Croupier, The Terminal Man and others, has died aged 90.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Mike Hodges a masterful director who was as comfortable with gritty crime dramas as with zany science fiction films.
- Brian Baxter shares an obituary for Mike Hodges.
Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
- Olly Richards interviews Charlie Cox who plays Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Clark Collis interviews Peyton Reed, director of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
- Devan Coggan interviews Phil Lord and Chris Miller, screenwriters and producers of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Comments on the new Willow:
Comments on His Dark Materials:
Comments on The Witcher and its spin-offs:
Comments on Kindred:
Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV-shows and the chaos at Warner Bros in general:
- James Whitbrook offers an overview of who's in and who's out of the DC Cinematic Universe.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw blames vocal Snyderverse fans for the backlash against Warner Bros cancelling the forthcoming Wonder Woman movie and outsting Henry Cavill as Superman.
- Ben Child wonders whether James Gunn can turn the DC Cinematic Universe around.
- Josef Adalian takes a look at Warner Bros' latest cancellation spree.
- Kathryn VanArendonk points out that TV started out as an ephemeral medium, but that this recent cancellation spree feels different.
Comments on Wednesday:
Comments on Avatar: The Way of Water:
- Arturo Serrano calls Avatar: The Way of Water pretty, but self-indulgent and dreads further instalments.
- Leonard Maltin declares that he was completely taken in by Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Ben Child shares a spoilerish review of Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Craig Miller shares his thoughts on Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin and Molly Templeton note that Avatar: The Way of Water has joined a long list of movies featuring space whales.
- Germain Lussier shares some burning questions he has after Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Luke Y. Thompson explains how Avatar: The Way of Water sets up its own sequel.
- Mike Fleming Jr. interviews James Cameron, creator and director of Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Germain Lussier interviews Joe Letteri, who worked on the visual effects for Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Ashley Fetters Maloy reports about fans who never stopped loving the original Avatar.
- Clem Bastow talks about her Avatar fandom.
- Pamela McClintock and Mia Galuppo report that Avatar: The Way of Water has had good grosses on its first day.
- Patrick Brzeszki reports that Avatar: The Way of Water is projected to do well in China.
- Nancy Tartaglione reports that Avatar: The Way of Water is doing well at the box office, particularly internationally.
- Mark Daniell reports that James Cameron clearly isn't busy enough hawking Avatar: The Way of Water, since he also feels the need to point out that he scientifically proved that Jack could not have survived the end of Titanic under any circumstances.
Awards:
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Ann Langley shares her monthly tarot draw for writers.
- Destiny Soria explains how RPGs made her a better writer.
- Josh Haven shares ten things writers should know about guns.
- Aidan Moher interviews several authors about why they use pen names.
- The Guardian shares the confession of a ghost writer of celebrity children's books.
- Linda Codega reports that Tor experienced a backlash after using AI-generated stock art on the cover of the upcoming novel Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini.
- Alyssa Shotwell also reports about the backlash against Tor for using AI-generated art on the cover of Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini.
- Emell Derra Adolphus shares an update about the ongoing strike of the HarperCollins Union.
- Neil Clarke weighs in on Amazon discontinuing its magazine and newspaper subscription service and instead adding magazines and newspaper subscriptions to their Kindle Unlimited program.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses what else Amazon did in 2022.
- CBS Morning reports about Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.
- Lauren Oster reports about Iceland's so-called Christmas book flood.
- Ed Nawortka reports that the bookstore chain Books & Books in Miami, Florida, has launched an initiative to support the literary community in Ukraine.
- Literary agent Henry Morrison, who represented Samuel R. Delany, Dean Koontz, Robert Ludlum and David Morrell among others, has died aged 86.
Interviews:
- BBC Radio 4 interviews Neil Gaiman.
- Locus interviews Julie E. Czerneda.
- Media Death Cult interviews Matt Ruff.
- Cressida Leyshon interviews Jonathan Lethem.
- Scott Roxborough interviews Somtow Sucharitkul.
- Scott Edelman interviews Randee Dawn.
- Locus interviews Khan Wong.
- Paul Weimer interviews Chloe N. Clark.
- Oliver Brackenbury interviews J.M. Frey.
- The HWA interviews Aurora Gorealis.
- Jen Gheller interviews Sarah McPherson.
- Sarah Gailey interviews Liza Groen Trombi.
- Christopher Rowe interviews Curtis Ellett.
Reviews:
- Mark Yon reviews The Citadel of Forgotten Myths by Michael Moorcock.
- Upon Your Marrow Bones reviews Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling.
- Rosenna Pendlebury reviews The Stars Undying by Emery Robin.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Screams from the Void by Anne Tibbets.
- Angela Gualtieri reviews Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Eversion by Alastair Reynolds.
- Russell Letson reviews The Thousand Earths by Stephen Baxter.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Fiona Denton reviews Dream of Death City by P.J. Nwosu.
- Michael Dodd reviews Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk.
- Marion Deeds reviews Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews A Restless Truth by Freya Marske.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Undercover by Tamsin Muir.
- Arturo Serrano reviews Three Miles Down by Harry Turtledove.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo.
- Paul Weimer reviews Map and Territory by A.M. Tuomala.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Skeleton Song by Seanan McGuire.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter.
- Alexandra Pierce reviews Thistlefood by GennaRose Nethercott.
- Alex Brown reviews A Girl’s Guide to Love and Magic by Debbie Rigaud
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Glitterati by Oliver K. Langmead.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco.
- Alexandra Pierce reviews Ithaca by Claire North.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Cold Water by Dave Hutchinson.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Road of Bones by Christopher Golden.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Ragged by Christopher Irvin.
- Paula Guran reviews Breakable Things by Cassandra Khaw.
- Rob Bedford reviews Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Close to Midnight, edited by Mark Morris.
Classics reviews:
- John Mauro revisits the 1919 fantasy novel Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1934 sword and planet novel The Outlaws of Mars by Otis Adalbert Kline,
- Davide Mana revisits the 1934 Conan sword and sorcery story "Shadows in the Moonlight" by Robert E. Howard.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 Conan sword and sorcery story "The City of Skulls" by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1967 sword and sorcery novel The Jewel in the Skull by Michael Moorcock, Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1967 science fiction novels A Far Sunset by Edmund Cooper and Quicksand by John Brunner, Gideon Marcus revisits the 1967 science fantasy novel Tramontane by Emil Petaja, Cora Buhlert revisits the 1967 planetary adventure novel Outlaw of Gor by John Norman and Jason Sacks revisits the 1967 science fiction novel Secret of the Marauder Satellite by Ted White.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1969 science fiction novella "Ship of Shadows" by Fritz Leiber.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1970 gothic novel Bloodroots Manor by Claudette Nicolle a.k.a. Jon Messman.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction collection Vermilion Sands by J.G. Ballard.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 1979 apocalyptic thriller The Sixth Winter by John Gribbin and Douglas Orgill.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 science fiction novel Wizard by John Varley.
- The PorPor Books Blog revisits the 1981 science fiction collection Dark Stars and Other Illuminations by Thomas E. Monteleone.
- Fiona Sturges revisits the 1983 gothic horror novella The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.
- James Maliszewski revisits the January 1985 issue of White Dwarf.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 1991 anti-climate-change novel Fallen Angels by Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven and Michael Flynn.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1994 Kane meets Elric sword and sorcery story "The Gothic Touch" by Karl Edward Wagner.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2008 near future military science fiction novel The Last Centurion by John Ringo.
- Fabienne Schwizer revisits the 2013 historical fantasy novel Hild by Nicola Griffith.
Con and event reports:
- Mike Glyer reports that Polish fans have launched a petition to the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, to drop Sergey Lukyanenko as Guest of Honour.
- Mike Glyer shares the program of the 2023 Vintage Paperback Collectors Show and Sale in Glendale, California.
- Ellen Datlow shares some photos of the latest edition of the Fantastic Fiction Reading Series in New York City, featuring Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw.
- Locus announces that the 2023 Clarion West Workshop will be held virtually, after they lost their venue.
- Ken Mondschein reports that the Australia and New Zealand chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism must still determine their king or queen by combat.
- Angela Costello weighs in one the continued insistence of the Society for Creative Anachronism to determine their kings or queens by combat.
- Brian Logan calls the panto Jack and the Beanstalk, which is currently playing in London, UK, a giant, no expense spared all-star entertainment.
- Sarah Crompton declares that Matthew Bourne's take on Sleeping Beauty, which is currently playing in London, UK, delights the heart and mind.
- Arifa Akbar calls Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, which is currently playing in London, UK, a sickly sweet Dickens adaptation.
- Philip Oltermann reports about the exhibition "Phantoms of the Night: 100 Years of Nosferatu" in Berlin, Germany.
- David Smith reports about a visit to the Museum of Broadway in New York City.
- Sabina Graves and Bryan Davis share a virtual tour of theliterary themed distillery Lost Spiritis in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Sabina Graves shares the fifteen best interactive experiences at US theme parks and other fan destinations.
Science and technology:
- Isaac Schultz reports that anti-matter particules could travel through our galaxy with ease.
- Edward Helmore reports that a self-driving Tesla has caused an eight vehicle crash in san Franicsco, California.
- Clare Watson reports that the University of Bristol is conducting the first trial of transfusing lab-grown red blood cells.
- Isaac Schultz reports that paleontoloists have found a mammal's foot inside the stomach of a microraptor dinosaur.
- Mack DeGeurin reports that a lawyer working on a case against MSG Entertainment was identified via facial recognition technology and thrown out of the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular in New York City, which she was attending with her young daughter.
Free online fiction:
- "Nonstandard Candles" by Yoon He Lee in The Sunday Morning Transport.
- "Ratatoskr" by Kij Johnson in The Sunday Morning Transport.
- "Sturgeon Moon Jam" by Jennifer Hudak in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Lost and Found: Retreat and Return" by Emma Schmid in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Narrowing Valley" by Jonathan Lethem in The New Yorker.
- "Y is for Yesterday" by Steve Rasnic Tem in The Dark.
- "Butirub" by Samit Basu in Apex Magazine.
- "Wallers" by Mari Ness in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Man From Warwick" by Austin Gilmore in Mystery Tribune.
- "Upstart" by Lu Ban, translated by Blake Stone-Banks in Clarkesworld.
- "Left to Die" by Vandana Singh in Clarkesworld.
- "Cold Hands" by Shannon Fay in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Inhuman" by Eric S. Fomley in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Note to a Hypoxic Delusion" by K. Lynn Harrison in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Someone Call Shadow Control!" by Emmie Christie in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future quit rather than take assignment to visit Elon Musk" by Mary Gillis in The Beaverton.
- "Christopher's Crummy Christmas" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
Odds and ends:
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