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 many iterations of Star Trek, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the new Willow, the final season of His Dark Materials, Dragon Age: Absolution, Kindred, National Treasure: Edge of History, Wednesday, Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, the chaotic future of the DC Cinematic Universe and Warner Bros cancelling yet more things, Avatar: The Way of Water and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Jo Walton shares her reading list for November 2022.
- Eve Taft looks back on the horror books, films, TV shows and podcasts of 2022.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five swashbuckling science fiction stories about pirates.
- James Davis Nicoll lists five classic science fiction novels about overpopulation.
- Jaems Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about fleeing a ruined Earth for another world.
- C.T. Phipps explains what Cyberpunk is.
- Austin Wagner talks about Hungarian speculative fiction.
- Katherine Rundell explains how animal stories help us understand humans.
- Michael Gonzales profiles Octavia E. Butler.
- G.W. Thomas profiles Edmond Hamilton's science fiction pulp hero Captain Future.
- Molly Templeton notes that winter is the perfect time for rereading old favourites.
- Christopher J. Garcia explains what Locus Magazine means to him.
- James Tapper reports that there has been a big decline of people from a working class background working in the arts in the UK in the past thirty years.
- Ella Braidwood reports that romance novels are more popular than ever in the UK.
- Nick Kolakowski discusses the enduring mystery of Edgar Allan Poe's macabre death
- YA SFF writer and artist Jill Pinkwater has died aged 81.
- Science fiction author Anne Harris a.k.a. Pearl North has died aged 58.
Best Books of 2022:
- Amal El-Mohtar shares her favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2022.
- Steve Donoghue shares his favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2022.
- Library Journal share their favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2022.
- A.C. Wise shares her favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror novels and novellas of 2022.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite horror books of 2022.
- Molly Odintz shares her favourite gothic novels of 2022.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite SFF anthologies and collections of 2022.
- Literary Hub share their favourite book covers of 2022.
- Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the best books of the year and what happens when you buy them.
Comics and Art:
Film and TV:
- Owen Gleiberman calls Violent Night a winning holiday genre mash-up.
- Arturo Serrano declares that The Peripheral had a lot of interesting ideas, but didn't really do anything with any of them.
- Adrian Horton calls the gothic thriller The Wonder one of the best films of 2022.
- Steve Rose calls the Indian historical epic RRR one of the best films of 2022.
- Cheryl Eddy declares that Christmas Bloody Christmas is a horror movie that lives up to its name.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Eternal 831 a clockstopping anime superhero thriller.
- Camestros Felapton calls Troll a very conventional kaiju movies in most ways.
- Cath Clarke calls the animated crime caper The Amazing Maurice a riot of silliness.
- Cath Clarke calls the animated fairy tale mash-up The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute a right turkey.
- Dan Persons shares his thoughts on Nope.
- Leslie Felperin calls Bitch Ass an inventively cheesy horror romp.
- Matthew Jackson calls the unauthorised Grinch horror movie The Mean One one of the worst films of 2022.
- James Whitbrook shares his appreciation for the funeral march scene in the final episode of Andor.
- Stuart Heritage hopes that the time travel movie 65 will not bomb, because it has Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs and what could be cooler?
- Rich Pelley interviews Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear.
- io9 interviews Kirby Howell-Baptiste who plays Death in The Sandman.
- Nick Romano interviews Kit Harrington who played Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.
- Brian Davids interviews Parker Finn, director of the horror movie Smile.
- Martin Edwards revisits the 1972 supernatural romance Neither the Sea Nor the Sand.
- Jeremy Smith reports about the difficulties a specific special effect gave Steven Spielberg and the crew of Close Encounters of the Third Kind back in 1977.
- Lee Unkrich explains his childhood fascination with The Shining.
- The Guardian shares some behind the scenes photos from the set of the 1979 horror movie The Shining.
- Bridget McGovern revisits the 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal for its fortieth anniversary.
- Gregory Wakeman revisits the 1992 holiday film The Muppet Christmas Carol.
- Rob Bricken revisits "Holiday on Ice", the holiday episode of the 1997 animated series Extreme Dinosaurs.
- Melissa T. Miller shares her favourite living starships from science fiction films and TV shows.
- Adam Levine lists science fiction movies that caused audiences to walk out of the theatre.
- Zack Sharf reports that actress Michelle Yeoh almost left Everything Everywhere All At Once over a disagreement over her character's name.
- Emma Keates reports that Sarah Michelle Gellar has hinted at extremely toxic conditions on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Justin Carter reports that Netflix has cancelled The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself after only one season.
- Jennifer Maas reports that the cancelled shows Westworld and The Nevers will be removed from the HBO Max streaming service soon.
- Sculptor Richard Miller, who created characters and creatures for the Star Wars, Star Trek, Back to the Future and Pirates of the Caribbean movies, has died aged 80.
- Actor Gary Friedkin, who appeared in Return of the Jedi, Blade Runner, Under the Rainbow and others, has died aged 70.
- Film Composer Angelo Badalamenti, best known for his work on Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and other David Lynch films, has died aged 83.
- Screenwriter Chris Boucher, who worked on Doctor Who and Blake's Seven among many others has died aged 79.
Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek:
Comments on the new Willow:
- Alasdair Stuart calls the new Willow epic in scope and grounded in execution and notes that it takes itself a tenth as seriously as its fantasy contemporaries
- Cindy White shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Willow.
- Cathy Reay talks about the portrayal of people with dwarfism in Willow, The Witcher: Blood Origins and fantasy film and TV in general.
Comments on His Dark Materials:
Comments on Dragon Age: Absolution:
Comments on Kindred:
- Alex Brown declares that the TV adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's Kindred doesn't live up to the novel.
- Mike Hale also feels that Kindred does not live up to Octavia E. Butler's novel
- Qunci LaGardye calls Kindred an unfliching but not cruel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's novel
- Paul Levinson calls Kindred powerful, beautiful, tender and tough.
Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV-shows and the chaos at Warner Bros in general:
- Umberto Gonzalez reports that Warner Bros did not cancel Wonder Woman 3, but that director Patty Jenkins left over creative differences.
- Eric Diaz shares Patty Jenkins's response to claims that she left Wonder Woman 3 over creative differences.
- Molly Templeton reports that DC Movies heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are planning a new Superman movie among others, but that Henry Cavill will not be reprising the role after all.
- Sian Cain notes that Henry Cavill was dropped as Superman only weeks after announcing his return to the role.
- Justin Carter reports that a planned Batman Beyond movie has also been cancelled by Warner Bros.
Comments on Wednesday:
Comments on Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio:
Comments on Avatar: The Way of Water:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Avatar: The Way of Water a soggy, twee, trillion-dollar screensaver.
- Tomris Laffly calls Avatar: The Way of Water epic, dazzling and surprisingly intimate.
- Germain Lussier calls Avatar: The Way of Water overhwelming but wonderful.
- Luke Y. Thompson shares a guide to all the major characters in Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Ben Child points out that proposed future Avatar movies should not visit Earth.
- Sian Cain and Steph Harmon report that some people feel depressed and empty after watching Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2022 This Is Horror Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2022 Xingyun Nebula Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2023 Canopus Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2022 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Playwriting has been announced.
- The winner of the 2022 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year has been announced.
- The winners of the 2022 Game Awards have been announced
- The nominees for the 2022 Golden Globes have been announced with some love for genre film and TV.
- The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Awards have been announced with lots of love for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Sabrina Qiao explains how writing fan fiction gave her creative freedom and community.
- Pitchaya Sudbanthad explains why he loves fountain pens as a writer.
- Lincoln Michel explains what impact artificial intelligence will have on writing.
- Jacqui Lipton explains when and for what a writer has to ask their publisher for permission.
- Markus Harbaum reports that Markus Dohle is stepping down as CEO of Penguin Random House.
- Michael Cader reports that the USA Today bestseller list will go on haitus, after editor Mary Cadden, who assembled the list, was laud off.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Citadel of Forgotten Myths by Michael Moorcock
- Matthew Keeley reviews The Citadel of Forgotten Myths by Michael Moorcock.
- Rob Bedford reviews The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal.
- Camestros Felapton reviews Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Lesa Holstine reviews Legends and Latte by Travis Baldree.
- L.A. Young reviews Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher.
- Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Nightland Express by J.M. Lee.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Keeper's Six by Kate Elliott.
- Maya C. James reviews The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri.
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah.
- Elizabeth Fitzgerald reviews Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins.
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
- Robin Marx reviews Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
- Skye Walker reviews A Neon Darkness by Lauren Shippen.
- Ian Mond reviews Valley of Shadows by Rudy Ruiz.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin.
- The Hugo Book Club Blog reviews The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler.
- C.T. Phipps reviews Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys.
- C.T. Phipps reviews The Litany of Earth by Ruthanna Emrys.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Unto The Godless What Little Remains by Mario Coelho
- John Mauro reviews The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater.
- Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton.
- Janet Webb reviews Bryant and May: Peculiar London by Christopher Fowler.
- Beth Kanell reviews Bryant and May: Peculiar London by Christopher Fowler.
- Jake Casella Bordkins reviews Titan by Mado Nozaki, translated by Evan Ward.
- Vicki Weisfeld reviews Blue Book by Tom Harley Campbell.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Cold Water by Dave Hutchinson.
- John Mauro reviews The Resurrectionist by E.B. Hudspeth.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Flight from the Ages & Other Stories by Derek Künsken
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Tomorrow’s Parties: Life in the Anthropocene, edited by Jonathan Strahan.
- Arley Sorg reviews Meteotopia—Futures of Climate (In)justice, edited by Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay, Ana Rüsche and Francesco Verso.
- Alexandra Pierce reviews The Best of World SF: Volume 2, edited by Lavie Tidhar.
- Richard Fisher reviews The Lost Empire of Sol, edited by Jason M. Waltz and Fletcher Vredenburgh.
- Mark Yon reviews Dr. Who and the Daleks – The Official Story of the Films by John Walsh.
Classics reviews:
- Davide Mana revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery adventure "The Tower of the Elephant" by Robert E. Howard.
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1940 near future science fiction story "Blowups Happen" by Robert A. Heinlein.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1942 werewolf story "The Hound" by Fritz Leiber.
- Bobby Derie revisits the 1949 horror story "Satan's Servants" by Robert Bloch.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1956 science fiction story "Psycho at Mid-Point" and the 1959 science fiction story "The Discarded" a.k.a. "The Abnormals" by Harlan Ellison.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1962 Elric sword and sorcery story "The Stealer of Souls" by Michael Moorcock.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the January 1968 issue of Fantastic.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 anthology The End of Summer: Science Fiction of the Fifties, edited by Barry N. Malzberg and Bill Pronzini.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1979 fantasy novel The Merman's Children by Poul Anderson.
- Nocturnal Revelries revisits the 1983 horror novel Killer Flies by Mark Kendall.
- James Maliszewski revisits the December 1984 issue of White Dwarf.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 science fiction novel The Tides of God by Ted Reynolds.
- Alissa Burger revisits the 1991 holiday YA horror novel Silent Night and its 1993 and 1996 sequels by R.L. Stine.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 2005 urban fantasy novel Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn.
Con and event reports:
- The 2023 Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund is open for voting.
- Sarah Shaffi and Lucy Knight share the line-up of the 2023 Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales.
- Arifa Akbar calls Mother Goose, which is currently playing in Brighton, UK, a fluffy and zany panto and praises stars John Bishop and Sir Ian McKellen.
- Lyndsey Winship reports about a lavish new production of the ballet The Nutcracker currently playing at the Royal Opera House in London, UK.
- Mark Fisher calls Lydia Radley's take on Cinderella, currently playing in Dundee, Scotland, a cheerful reworking.
- Lyndsey Winship reports about a new production of the ballet Sleeping Beauty in London, UK.
- Arifa Akbar calls Hannah McPake's play Tales of the Brothers Grimm, which is currently playing in Cardiff, Wales, a sparkling journey through a fairytale world.
- Arifa Akbar calls Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which is currently playing in Kingston-upon-Thames, UK, a glorious festive treat.
- Arifa Akbar calls the musical Hex by Katrina Lindsay and Rufus Norris, which is currently playing in London, UK, a darkly dazzling take on Sleeping Beauty.
- Chris Weigand reports about an offbeat adaptation of Alice in Wonderland currently playing in Brixton, London, UK.
- Sabina Graves reports about some new Back to the Future and Jurassic World themed attractions at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- George Dvorsky reports that the Orion space capsule has returned safely to Earth.
- George Dvorsky shares seven things we learned from NASA's Artemis 1 mission.
- Passant Rabie reports that three astronauts may be stranded aboard the ISS after the Soyuz capsule developed a coolant leak.
- Kenneth Chang reports about a breakthrough in nuclear fusion achieved at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
- Daniel S. Medwed talks about flaws in the way courts use DNA evidence.
- David Barnett reports that scientists have extracted bio-molecules of Vlad the Impaler from a letter written in 1475.
- Kevin Hurler reports that construction has begun on the science fictional megacity The Line in Saudi-Arabia.
- Benji Edwards reports that China requires all AI-generated media to be watermarked.
- Sarah Shaffi reports that the crowdfunding platform Unbound has challenged AIs to solve the legendarily difficult literary puzzle Cain's Jawbone by Edward Powys Mathers.
Free online fiction:
- "Deathmatch" by Rich Larson in Lightspeed.
- "The Metamorphosis of Marie Martin" by Nadine Tomlinson in Lightspeed.
- "You Stand Before the Black Tower" by Nathaniel Webb in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "On the Way Home" by Laine Perez in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Half-Spent Was the Night" by Gretchen Tessmer in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Resting Place of Trees" by Ben Berman Ghan in Clarkesworld.
- "Shadow and Ash" by Sarah McPherson in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Burning Books for Pleasure and Profit" by K.J. Parker in Tor.com.
- "Fibres of Space" by Luke Hannon in Mystery Tribune.
- "The Counting Ghosts" by Bernie Jean Schiebeling in The Deadlands.
- "Parebul of the Mother, Asked in Moonlight" by Victor Forna in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Observations of a Small Object in Decaying Orbit" by Margaret Dunlap in Apex Magazine.
- "Murder by Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness" by S.L. Huang in Clarkesworld.
- "Belly-Slitter" by H. Pueyo in The Dark.
- "The Czar of Smiles" by J.L. Royce in Fireside Magazine.
- "The Fan Who Wasn't There" by William Shaw in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Many Dimensions of You" by A.K. Blake in Daily Science Fiction.
- "God of Inconsequential Things" by Sheila Massie in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Message Behind the Words is the Voice of the Heart" by Scott Edelman in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Birthday Party at the Prehistory Zoo" by Mary E. Lowd in Daily Science Fiction.
Trailers and videos:
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