Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 28, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more on book banning attempts in the US, Star Trek Picard and Star Trek in general, The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general, Evil Dead Rise, Dead Ringers, season 2 of Yellowjackets, Wizards of the Coast siccing Pinkerton agents on alleged thieves of Magic the Gathering cards, tributes to Harry Belafonte and Barry Humphries and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Nina Munteanu shares ten works of ecological SFF. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories with interesting takes on mass media.
  
• Sonya Lee takes a look at science fiction from North Korea. 
• Manuia Heinrich Sue takes a deep dive into Pacific Islander SFF. 
• Jason Gots explains why dystopian fiction can be escapist. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about moon bases and lunar settlements.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five vintage science fiction stories featuring psionics. 
  
• Kat Howard talks about writing about magic in a contemporary setting.
  
• Misha Burnett declares that some writers not finishing series is not to blame for the decline of epic fantasy, but that readers want complete stories and not endless series.
  
• Camestros Felapton offers an overview of the mechanisms of harassment in the SFF community.  
• Randee Dawn shares seven stories about fictional writers who need a reality check. 
• Molly Templeton wishes for a literary mood ring. 
  
• G.W. Thomas profiles Albert DePina. 
• Elyse Martin views the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik as a response to "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin. 
• Linda Codega explains why she will no longer get invested in anything Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling related in spite of loving the books back in the day.
  
• Tyler Wilde reports that an author calling themselves Demetrious Polychron is sueing Amazon and the J.R.R. Tolkien estate, claiming that The Rings of Power was based on his own Lord of the Rings fanfiction.
• Actress, TV presenter and crime fiction and children's book writer Kate Saunders has died aged 62.
  
• Australian science fiction writer and fan Lee Harding has died aged 85.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Brad Hawley reviews Revival Volume One: You’re Among Friends by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton.
• Rachel Cooke reviews Work-Life Balance by Aisha Franz
• Rogues in the House interview Jim Zub, writer of the new Conan comics. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Steve Niles, writer of Brynmore and 30 Days of Night. 
• Ryan Breadine shares collaboration tips for comic writers.
  
• Juan Ryall reports that manga is now a key engine of economic growth in Japan. 
• Heidi MacDonald reports that comics publisher IDW is laying off almost forty percent of its workforce and has been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange,
  
• Keith Roysdon shares a brief history of the moral panic surrounding horror and crime comics in the US in the 1950s.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the perfect library.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Jack Seale declares that season 2 of Sweet Tooth manages to be both a brutal post-apocalyptic drama and perfect family fare
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw takes a look at the post-apocalyptic fashion design of The Last of Us. 
• Matthew Ilseman traces the influence on Robert E. Howard on Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal.  
• Ann Michelle Harris calls 1899 a melodramatic puzzle box of a series. 
• Mary Kay McBrayer declares that Renfield is more for superhero fans than for Dracula fans.
  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on The Ark. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Nightmare Radio: The Night Stalker a grab bag of short horror movies.
  
• Leigh Monson calls Judy Blume Forever a pleasant but unchallenging documentary about the beloved YA writer. 
• Phil Hoad shares his thoughts on the documentary living with Chucky.  
• Steve Tarter explores American science fiction TV shows of the 1950s.
  
• Matt Mills ranks the best horror movies of the 1980s. 
• Robert DeSalvo explains why 1983 was the worst year for movie sequels.
  
• Steve Vertlieb revisits the 1934 horror film The Black Cat.
  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1968 Doctor Who serial "Fury From the Deep".  
• Fiona Moore, Victoria Silverwolf and Jason Sacks revisit the 1968 science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1968 psychological horror film Hour of the Wolf. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten May Day lessons from the 1973 movie The Wicker Man.
  
• Steve Vertlieb revisits the 1979 time travel movie Time After Time.
  
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 2008 movie Speed Racer.
  
• Mary Kate Carr talks to several TV writers ahead of the looming writers' strike. 
• Alan Corona shares his five favourite animated cartoons of all time.
  
• Matthew Jackson shares his favourite filmic quests for the Holy Grail.
  
• Ben Child wonders if we're right to worry about the planned new Lord of the Rings movies. 
• Benjamin Lee reports that Steven Spielberg has said that no movie should be revised based on modern sensitivities.
  
• Andrew Pulver reports that director David Lynch is worried about the impending death of cinema.
  
• Daniel Dockery reports that anime Blu-rays and DVDs are thriving, because many people still prefer physical media. 
• Kim Willsher reports about a controversry regarding the French film La Retour and the behaviour of director Catherine Corsini on set. 
• Catherine Shoard reports that Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been allowed to leave his home country for the first time in fourteen years. 
• Johnny Dodd interviews Kevin Smith, director of Clerks, Mall Rats, Dogma and others and showrunner of Masters of the Universe: Revelation about his mental health issues.
  
• Edward Helmore reports about the strange fight between the Walt Disney Company and Florida governor Ron DeSantis over LGBTQ+ rights. 
• Nikki Main reports that the Walt Disney Company has filed a lawsuit against Ron DeSantis about DeSantis attempting to punish them for political statements supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
  
• The Guardian reports that the Walt Disney Company is cutting thousands of jobs.
• US talkshow host Jerry Springer has died aged 79.
  

 

Tributes to Harry Belafonte:

• Singer, actor and civil right activist Harry Belafonte has died aged 96. 
• Ben Beaumont-Thomas remembers Harry Belafonte.
  
• Peter Bradshaw looks back on Harry Belafonte's film career. 
• Candace Allen talks about the importance of Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier for the civil rights movement. 
  

 

Tributes to Barry Humphries a.k.a. Dame Edna Everage:

• Australian comedian Barry Humphries, best known for his performance as Dame Edna Everage, has died aged 89.
• The BBC profiles Barry Humphries, the man behind Dame Edna. 
• Peter Coleman shares an obituary for Barry Humphries. 
• Brian Logan remembers Barry Humphries.
  
• Miranda Bryant and Hamish Mackay share tributes to Barry Humphries from around the web.
  
• The BBC shares photos from Barry Humphries' lengthy career.

 

Comments on Star Trek Picard and Star Trek in general (spoilers): 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Last Generation", the season 3 finale of Star Trek Picard. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Last Generation".
• Joshua Rivera shares his thoughts on "The Last Generation".
  
• NPR discusses season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido discusses season 3 of Star Trek Picard as a whole.
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
  
• James Whitbrook shares fourteen burning questions he has after season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that there apparently are 45 minutes of footage of what became the final scene of season 3 of Star Trek Picard. 
• Alasdair Stuart shares his hopes for the Star Trek spin-off Section 31. 
• Jaime Babb explains why Star Trek's Section 31 is actually a very problematic idea.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Strategem".
  
• Heritage Auctions shares a guide to Star Trek trading cards.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general: 

•  Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on "The Return", the season 3 finale of The Mandalorian.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on The Mandalorian episode "The Spies". 
• Sam Barsanti notes that Star Wars is running out of Star Wars to reference.
  
• James Whitbrook notes that the greatest strength of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy was what came after. 
• Sabina Graves interviews James Waugh, Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes, producers of Star Wars Visions.
  
• Brian Lowry discusses five ways Return of the Jedi messed up Star Wars.
  

 

Comments on Evil Dead Rise: 

• Cheryl Eddy declares that Evil Dead Rise puts puts own deliciously gory spin on the beloved cult series.
• Benjamin Lee calls Evil Dead Rise a solid and gory horror reboot. 
• Justin Carter and readers of io9 share their thoughts on Evil Dead Rise.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Yellowjackets:

• Hattie Lindert shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Saloni Gajjar declares that Yellowjackets soars in season 2 thanks to its young cast.
  

 

 Comments on Dead Ringers:

• Lucy Mangan calls Dead Ringers a fierce, funny and feminist thriller and praises the performance of Rachel Weisz in a dual role.
• Julia Glassman shares her thoughts on the first episode of Dead Ringers.
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2023 ESFS Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Kurd Laßwitz Preis have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Xingyun Awards for Chinese Science Fiction have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2023 Seiun Awards have been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2023 Tähtifantasia Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Roswell Award have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Joe R. Lansdale shares writing tips. 
• David Robson wonders whether writing can make you healthier. 
• May Haddad offers some tips for writing fantastic noir.
  
• Cyndi MacMillan talks about the unexpected power of dream sequences. 
• Elly Griffiths discusses how and when to end a long running series.
  
• Jason Sanford shares his latest Genre Grapevine column. 
• Lincoln Michel explains how to calculate when your book will earn out.
  
• Victoria Strauss shares the anatomy of a fake literary agency scam. 
• The Bookseller reports that according to a survey, the majority of debut authors struggle with lack of support. 
• Jim Milliot reports that the starting salaries at various big US publishers are increasing.
  
• Joe Zymeri reports that works of P.G. Wodehouse have been edited to remove words deemed offensive and that a disclaimer regarding outdated language has been added as well. 
• Alyssa Shotwell reports that children's book author Kelly Yang has asked publisher Scholastic to be brave and not preemptively cave to censorship attempts as in the case of Maggie Tokuda-Hall's book Love in the Library. 
  
• E. Tommy Kim reports about attacks on public libraries and supposedly controversial books in Flathead county, Montana. 
• Sarah Shaffi reports that the calls for book bans have reached the highest level ever recorded in the US. 
• Andrew Albanese shares a list of the most challenged books in US libraries in 2022. 
  

 

Interviews:

• Mark E. Potts interviews John Scalzi. 
• Paul Weimer interviews Kate Elliott. 
• Fonda Lee and Alix E. Harrow interview each other.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Sheree Renée Thomas.
• Brad Listi interviews Emily St. John Mandel.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Tom Lloyd.
  
• Holly Lynn Payne interviews Dean Koontz.
• Cora Buhlert interviews Aidan Moher.
  
• Moid Moidelhoff interviews Cory Doctorow.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Sarah Jost.
  
• Kelly Jennings interviews Chana Porter. 
• Nicholas Diak interviews Amgela Yuriko Smith, Samantha Underhill and Carol Gyzander. 
• Hephzibah Anderson interviews Celeste Ng.
• Christie Yant interviews Dennis Mugaa.
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Frank Sawielijew.
   

Reviews:

• Alexandra Pierce reviews Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Great Gods by Daniel Keys Moran.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot.
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews Cold Sleep by Luke Hindmarsh. 
  
• Bill Capossere reviews Rose/House by Arkady Martine. 
• Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds review How To Mars by David Ebenbach.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna. 
• Jennie Ivins reviews Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis.
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Other Lives of Miss Emily White by A.J. Ellwood
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchu
• Ryan Howse reviews Legacy of Brick and Bone by Krystle Matar
  
• Jennie Ivins reviews The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies. 
• Mark Yon reviews Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee. 
• Jennie Ivins reviews The Umbral Storm by Alec Hutson.
  
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews Loki’s Ring by Stina Leicht
  
• Ryan Howse reviews The Tyrant by Michael Cisco. 
• Matt Davis reviews The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson.
  
• Bobby Derie reviews King Conan and the Stygian Queen by Jess Thornton and “Not Quite Milked by the Yeti” by Callie Page.
  
• Bobby Derie reviews Tentacle by Rita Indiana, translated by Achy Obejas.  
• Lincoln Michel reviews Ascension by Nicholas Binge. 
• James Tivendale reviews Ascension by Nicholas Binge. 
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder
  
• Mary Picken reviews Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward.  
• Garrick Webster reviews Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Into the Light by Mark Oshiro.
  
• Tobias Carroll reviews Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling. 
• Sharon Richardson reviews The Forcing by Paul E. Hardisty. 
  
• Tobias Carroll reviews the book of webs by Jesse Kohn. 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews The Scandalous Letters of V and J by Felicia Davin.
• M. John Harrison reviews August Blue by Deborah Levy. 
  
• Lis Carey reviews Unity Con by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Evil Flowers: Stories by Gunnhild Øyehaug, translated by Karl Dickson.
• Arley Sorg reviews Infinite Constellations, edited by Khadijah Queen and K. Ibura
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Multiverses - An Anthology of Alternate Realities, edited by Pressman Grassman
• Aaron Cummings reviews Hither Came Conan, edited by Jason M. Waltz.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1924 fantasy novel The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1928 Interstellar Patrol space opera collection Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton. 
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Vale of Lost Women" by Robert E. Howard. 
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1933 historical fantasy story "The Mandrakes" by Clark Ashton Smith.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1953 science fiction crime novel Hellflower by George O. Smith.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1962 sword and planet novel The Ladder in the Sky by Keith Woodcott a.k.a. John Brunner.
  
• John Gradoville revisits the 1964 sword and planet anthology Swordsmen in the Sky, edited by Donald A. Wollheim. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1965 non-fiction collection Son of Famous Monsters of Filmland, edited by Forrest J. Ackerman.
  
• Adam Roberts revisits the 1976 sword and planet novel Gate of Ivrel by C.J. Cherryh.
  
• Greg O'Driscoll revisits the 1980 Conan sword and sorcery novel Conan and the Spider God by L. Sprague De Camp. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1980 Hollow Earth novel Zanthodon by Lin Carter.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the November 1985 issue of White Dwarf.
  
• Graham Thomas Wilcox revisits the 1987 fantasy novel Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe. 
• John Mauro revisits the 2003 New Weird novel Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2008 Mercy Thompson urban fantasy novel Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2012 YA horror novel Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Locus reports about the 2023 Boskone in Boston, Massachusetts.
  
• Cass Morris shares some tips for giving a good panel.
• Sarah Shaffi shares some news from the 2023 London Book Fair in London, UK.
  
• Sanjoy Roy calls the solo play Goner by  Marikiscrycrycry a.k.a. Malik Nashad Sharpe, which is currently playing in London, UK) a horror show with shades of Squid Game and Blair Witch Project. 
• Rob Bricken interviews John Caird, the writer who adapted Hayao Miyasaki's Spirited Away as a stage play.  
• Sabina Graves and Justin Carter report about an immersive Avatar: The Way of Water exhibition in Los Angeles, California.
  
• Justin Carter reports that a fire broke out during the Fantasmic performance at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, when Mickey Mouse accidentally set fire to an animatronic dragon.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Playlist of the Damned, a horror anthology edited by Jessica Landry and Willow Dawn Becker, is looking for funding.
• Wayfarer: Nomadic Realms, an RPG by Grim Golem Games, is looking for funding.
  

 

Science and technology:

• George Dvorsky lists everything he noticed during the failed debut launch of SpaceX's Starship.
• Livia Albeck-Ripka reports that the town of Port Isabel, Texas, was blanketed with the remnants of the SpaceX Starship rocket that underwent "unscheduled rapid disassembly", i.e. it blew up, during a test flight.  
• Alisha Sauers reports about the private Japanese company ispace attempting to land on the Moon. 
• Jackie Wattles reports that the ispace lander Hakuto is deemed lost, while attempting to land on the Moon.
  
• Davide Castelvecchi shares the first close-up images of the Mars moon Deimos taken by the United Arab Emirates' Mars probe Hope.
  
• Kevin Schaul, Szu Yu Chen and Nitasha Tiku take a look at the list of websites used to train ChatGPT and other AI chatbots.
• David Shariatmadari interviews physicist Michio Kakuo. 
• Liz Hyder talks about the conflict between science and religion in the nineteenth century.
  
  

Gaming: 

• Sally Berrow reviews the videogame Diablo IV.
  
• Nicole Carpenter reports that chess is suddenly inexplicably popular among teenagers again.
• Sisi Jiang reports that Wizards of the Coast sicced Pinkerton agents on a YouTuber, because he had gotten his hands on a new Magic the Gathering card set early. 
• Linda Codega reports that Wizards of the Coast has apparently hired Pinkerton agents to track down stolen Magic the Gathering cards several times before.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Andrew Liszewski and James Whitbrook share toy news.
• James Zahn reports that Mattel and Hasbro have agreed to share their licenses for co-branded toys and games. 
• Watch a video about the making of the Masters of the Universe Origins Snake Mountain playset.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Counting Casualties" by Yoon Ha Lee in Tor.com.
  
• "Sophie Baker's Vanishing Act" by B.B. Garin in Luna Station Quarterly.
  
• "The Librarian and the Robot" by Shi Heiyao, translated by Andy Dudak, in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Voices Singing in the Void" by Rajan Khanna in Clarkesworld.
• "Treesong for a Sun-Scorched Tuesday" by Renan Bernardo in Solarpunk Magazine.
• "Every Bone a Bell" by Shaoni C. White in Lightspeed.
  
• "The House, the Witch and Sugarcane Stalks" by Amanda Helms in Lightspeed.
  
• "A Piece of Paper, Burned" by Maria Haskins in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Phoenix-Feathered Hat" by William Alexander in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "Little Man" by Matthew Mitchell in Pyre Magazine.
  
• "The Strange Folk" by Nana Afadua Ofori-Atta in Omenana.
• "The Matriarchs" by Lois Mei-en Kwa in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Space Treads" by Parlei Riviére in Uncanny.
  
• "Hand-Me-Down" by Sean Padraic Birnie in The Dark.
• "Jar" by Erin Brown in The Deadlands.
  
• "Nairuko" by Dennis Mugaa in Fantasy Magazine.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 3 of The Witcher. 
• Watch a trailer for season 6 of Black Mirror.
  
• Watch a trailer for American Born Chinese.
• Watch a trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Flash. 
• Watch a trailer for It Lives Inside. 
• Watch a trailer for Black Knight. 
  
• Watch a trailer for Robots. 
• Watch a trailer for A Haunting in Venice. 
• Watch a trailer for Wish.
  
• Watch part 1 of Ssstolen, a Masters of the Universe toy stop motion series.