It's
time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting
links
about speculative
fiction from
around the web, this week with season 2 of Foundation, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, Ahsoka and Star Wars in general, season 2 of The Wheel of Time, It Lives Inside, A Haunting in Venice, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the DC Cinematic Universe in general, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, a potential Highlander remake, the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes,
the debate about AI writing and art and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Juliet E. McKenna explains why SFF recommendation lists that include only books by straight white men are a problem for readers, writers and publishers.
- Gareth L. Powell explains why he writes space opera.
- Charlie Jane Anders shares eleven books that changed how she thinks about space opera.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five classic science fiction works featuring Tau Ceti.
- Grayson D. Sullivan shates his thoughts on fantasy subgenres.
- Fabienne Schwizer shares a guide to SFF inspired by Arthurian legend.
- Rowdy Geirsson shares five SFF novels inspired by Old Norse and Icelandic sagas.
- Ratika Deshpande shares nine short fantasy stories with happy endings.
- Meredith R. Lyons shares six books featuring ghosts with unfinished business.
- Jason Sanford urges people not to let the new golden age of SFF magazines fade away.
- Randee Dawn shares eight examples of authors who have written themselves into books.
- James Reich profiles Ira Levin.
- Katherine Rundell profiles Diana Wynne Jones.
- James Davis Nicoll shares his appreciation for the works of Tanith Lee.
- Michael Curtis shares his appreciation for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series.
- Alyssa Hull talks about reading Tolkien in times of climate change.
- Maya Mendez explains how The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien inspired the rock band Led Zeppelin.
- Nick Caistor shares an obituary for the late translator Edith Grossman.
- SFF writer R.J. Theodore has died aged 43.
- Science fiction writer, scholar and librarian Michael D. Toman has died aged 73.
Comics and Art:
- James Reasoner reviews Conan the Barbarian #2 by Jim Zub and Rob de la Torre
- Robert Mammone reviews Conan The Barbarian #3 by Jim Zub and Walt Simonson
- Robert Mammone reviews Bloodborne: The Bleak Dominion by Cullen Bunn and Piotr Kowalski
- Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1975 sword and sorcery comic Claw the Unconquered by David Michelinie and Ernie Chan.
- William Pagent reports that DC Comics killed off Ted Kord a.k.a. the Blue Beetle four times by now and wonders if his death still means anything.
- Bill Willingham announced that he is releasing his comic Fables into the public domain.
- Spencer Legacy reports that DC Comics has responded and declares that they own the copyright to Fables, not Bill Willingham.
- Cory Doctorow weighs in on the Bill Willingham case.
- Winston Cho reports that the estate of the late Stan Lee has lost a lengthy elder abuse lawsuit against a former attorney due to a technicality.
- The Bristol Board shares a gallery of Basil Wolverton's science fiction comics.
- Matthew Edney shares "An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland" by illustrator Bernard Sleigh from 1917.
- Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about updated illustrations for The Wind in the Willows.
Film and TV:
- Michaele Jordan shares her appreciation for the manga, anime and live action One Piece.
- C.T. Phipps calls Stimulant an okay cyberpunk film.
- Cath Clarke calls The Tower an apocalyptic horror film that starts grim and just gets grimmer… and grimmer
- Phil Hoad calls Don't Look Away a gimmicky horror film which fails to engage neither emotionally nor psychologically
- Ryan Gilbey calls Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom an ambitious adaptation of a classic Chinese epic with dodgy CGI.
- Adrian Horton calls A Million Miles Away a charming and inspiring astronaut biopic.
- Peter Bradshaw calls the latest version of The Canterville Ghost an energetic Halloween cartoon for the whole family.
- Cath Clarke calls A Cat Called Dom an interesting but unfinished animated film.
- Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Futurama.
- Alex Brown shares their thoughts on episode 4 of The Changeling,
- Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
- Germain Lussier shares early reactions to The Creator.
- Melody McCune shares her predictions for the next season of What We Do In the Shadows.
- The AV-Club share their seventeen favourite TV villain redemption arcs.
- Bethan Jones discusses the enduring appeal of The X-Files for the show's thirtieth anniversary.
- Mark Wheaton calls Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th series an unlikely neurodivergent icon.
- Ryan Britt revisits the 1958 science fiction movie The Blob.
- Guy Lodge revisits the 1963 horror film The Haunting.
- Geoffrey O'Brian revisits Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations of the 1960s.
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro revisits the 1973 horror movie The Exorcist for its fiftieth anniversary and takes a look on its enduring legacy.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1976 Czech fairy tale movie The Little Mermaid.
- Swords and Schlock revisits the 1977 science fantasy movie The People that Time Forgot.
- Dustin Whitlock shares some unused concept designs by Jean Giraud a.k.a. Moebius for the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie.
- Lou Thomas interviews Tim Burton, director of Beetlejuice, Batman, Mars Attacks, Edward Scissorhands and many others.
- Germain Lussier interviews Brian Duffield, writer and director of No One Will Save You.
- Emma Keates reports about trouble behind the scenes of the American Horror Story series.
- Robert Wilonsky offers a look at the collection of science fiction movie and TV models, props, costumes, etc... assembled by model maker Greg Jein.
- Kevin Rawlinson and Nadeem Badshah report that actor, comedian and media personality Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by multiple women.
Comments on season 2 of Foundation:
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Creation Myths", the season 2 finale of Foundation.
- Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on "Creation Myths".
- Julia Roth shares her thoughts on "Creation Myths".
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 2 of Foundation
- Julia Roth shares her appreciation for the character of Salvor Hardin in Foundation.
Comments on Ahsoka and Star Wars in general (spoilers):
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Far, Far Away", the latest episode of Ahsoka.
- Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Far, Far Away".
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Far, Far Away".
- Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on "Shadow Warrior", the fifth episode of Ahsoka.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Shadow Warrior".
- James Whitbrook also discusses the flashbacks in "Shadow Warrior".
- James Whitbrook talks about the history of the Dathomirans in Star Wars.
- Cornell Bernard reports that the original Industrial Light & Magic production facility in San Rafael, California, which was sold in 2005, is about to shut down for good and that former employees are trying to save the building and miniatures and props left inside.
Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Something Borrowed, Something Green", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Something Borrowed, Something Green".
- Avery Kaplan wonders about the Cosmic Koala in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Awakening".
- Star Trek Explorer interviews Jonathan Frakes who plays Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard.
- Watch Star Trek: Very Short Treks: "Worst Contact".
Comments on It Lives Inside:
Comments on season 2 of The Wheel of Time:
Comments on A Haunting in Venice:
- Olivia Rutigliano calls A Haunting in Venice the best of the Kenneth Branagh Hercule Poirot films.
- Leah Schnelbach calls A Haunting in Venice a mystery wrapped inside a gothic horror story.
- In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel is pleased that Kenneth Branagh chose to adapt a lesser known Hercule Poirot mystery for A Haunting in Venice.
Comments on the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the DC Cinematic Universe in general:
- Ben Child wonders whether Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a superhero movie out of time, now that the DC Cinematic Universe is being rebooted.
- Ryan Leston reports that some ideas intended for a cancelled Black Manta spin-off entitled The Trench have been incorporated into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
- Watch a trailer for the series finale of Doom Patrol.
Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
- Leigha McReynolds talks about the portrayal of eugenics in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Germain Lussier shares some behind the scenes facts from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Denise Petski interviews Chris Evans, best known for playing Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Rebecca Ford interviews Nia DaCosta, director of The Marvels.
Comments on a potential Highlander remake:
Comments on the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike:
- David Robb reports that SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher has urged members to approve strike authorization against video game companies
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that Drew Barrymoore has apologised for restarting her daytime talkshow during the WGA strike and that other daytime talkshows have stopped production as well.
- Arwa Mahdawi also reports about Drew Barrymore's apology.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2023 British Fantasy Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2023 Premio Italia has been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Colorado Gold Rush Awards have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2023 Booker Prize has been announced.
- The longlist for the 2023 US National Book Awards has been announced.
- The finalists for the 2023 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Ig Nobel Prizes have been announced.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Michael Craft explains how subplots and plot filaments lend texture and depth to any novel
- Adam McPhee talks about his experiences in slush reading.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about sales platforms and what to do when they go away or change.
- The HWA announces that Maxwell I. Gold is their new executive director.
- Victoria Strauss reports about a fake film company scam.
- Locus reports about some new developments at Saga Press.
- Jim Milliot reports that Nihar Malaviya has been officially named CEO of Penguin Rnadom House.
- Jess Bacon wonders if BookTok is sucking the joy out of reading.
- Ella Creamer reports that four large publishers have sued the file sharing platform Library Genesis for copyright infringement.
- Ella Creamer reports that new guidelines urge UK libraries not to avoid controversial books and ideas
- Andrew Albanese reports that a US Federal Judge has officially blocked the Texas book rating law.
- Abbey White reports that several celebrities have signed an open letter denouncing book bans and their chilling effect.
Comments on the AI controversy:
- Wealth of Geeks reports that actor Stephen Fry says that an AI system was trained to mimic his voice, based on the Harry Potter audiobooks he narrated.
- Alexi Duggins also reports about Stephen Fry being upset at an AI system stealing his voice.
- The Authors Guild announces that the Authors Guild and seventeen high profile authors, including George R.R. Martin, John Grisham, David Baldacci, Victor LaValle, Sylvia Day and Michael Connelly, has filed a class action lawsuit against Open AI.
- Ella Creamer reports that Amazon is restricting people to publishing no more than three books per day via its KDP platform to crub the rise of low quality AI generated books.
- Naman Ramachandran reports that Indian actor Anil Kapoor has won a landmark lawsuit against using AI using his likeness.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Paul Weimer reviews Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree.
- Arthur Chappell reviews Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- Jonathan Cowie reviews Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
- Alexandra Pierce reviews Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
- Paul Di Filippo reviews A Second Chance for Yesterday by R.A. Sinn
- Mark Yon reviews Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.
- Jonathan Cowie reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi.
- Tzer Island reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Warped State by Jo Miles.
- Marion Deeds reviews Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
- Liz Bourke reviews The Master of Samar by Melissa Scott
- Martin Cahill reviews Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
- Natalie Zutter reviews The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Lessons in Birdwatching by Honey Watson
- Melis Amber reviews Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton.
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
- Niall Harrison reviews All the Hollow of the Sky by Kit Whitfield
- Ian Mond reviews Like Smoke, Like Light by Yukimi Ogawa
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Death I Gave Him By Em X. Liu.
- Clara Cohen reviews The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach by Jas Treadwell
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Anatomy of Songs by Megan White
- Marion Deeds reviews Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Wonder State by Sara Flannery Murphy
- Marlene Harris reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
- Adrian Collins reviews A War to End All by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton Snyder
- Runalong the Shelves reviews South by Barak Lakghomi
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Chlorine by Jade Song.
- Bidisha Mamata reviews Rouge by Mona Awad
- Ali Karim reviews Holly by Stephen King.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Holly by Stephen King.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
- Matthew Janney reviews The Variations by Patrick Langley
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis
- Mike Parker reviews The Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis
- Rob Bedford reviews Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison.
- Arley Sorg reviews Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising, edited by Vince A. Liaguno
- The Quick and the Read reviews 42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams, edited by Kevin Jon Davies
- Ali Karim reviews Word Monkey by Christopher Fowler.
- John Naughton reviews Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1933 gothic suspense novel He Arrived at Dusk by R.C. Ashby
- Brian Collins revisits the 1940 science fantasy novel The Reign of Wizardry by Jack Williamson.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1955 science fiction novella "The Earth Quarter" by Damon Knight.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1962 science fiction stories "Shatter the Wall" by "Bimmie Says" and the 1963 science fiction story "Pollony Undiverted" by Sydney J. Van Scyoc.
- Brown Robin revisits the 1966 humorous SF novel Age of the Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1966 Gor sword and planet novel Tarnsman of Gor by John Norman.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1968 issue of Galaxy.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1968 time travel novel The Time Twister by Emil Petaja and the 1968 science fiction novels Destination Saturn by David Grinnell and Lin Carter and Invader on My Back by Philip E. High, Cora Buhlert revisits the 1967 caper novel God Save the Mark by Donald E. Westlake, Jason Sacks revisits the 1968 dystopian novel Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner and Tonya R. Moore revisits the 1968 space opera Nova by Samuel R. Delany.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1969 sword and sorcery novel Quest for th Dark Lady by Quinn Reade a.k.a. Ben Haas.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1975 science fiction novel The Proud Enemy by F.M. Busby
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 horror novel Ghost Story by Peter Straub.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1983 science fiction story “Wong’s Lost and Found Emporium” by William F. Wu.
- Joe Sherry revisits the 1994 Wheel of Time fantasy novel Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1995 fantasy adventure novel Doc Sidhe by Aaron Allston
- Alissa Burger revisits the 1995 YA horror novel Captives by Diane Hoh, the 1996 YA horror novel Double Date by Sinclair Smith and the 1997 YA horror novel Trapped by R.L. Stine,
- Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 2001 Discworld fantasy novel The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 2004 Discworld fantasy novel Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.
Crowdfunding:
Con and event reports:
- Sue Burke reports about Pemmi-Con, the 2023 NASFIC, in Winnipeg, Canada.
- Arthur Chappell reports about Conversation, the 2023 Eastercon in Birmingham, UK.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his experiences at the 2023 Fantasycon in Birmingham, UK.
- Arley Sorg reports about the 2023 Readercon in Quincy, Massachusetts.
- Jonathan Cowie reports about the 2023 Sci-Fi London Film Fest in London, UK.
- James Bacon reports about the 2023 NICE comic con in Bedford, UK.
- Bill Ward shares some photos of the 2023 Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Alan Stewart talks about altering and customising Worldcon ribbons.
- Germain Lussier looks ahead at the movies to be shown at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
- Mark Fisher shares his thoughts on the science fiction play Constant Companions by Alan Ayckbourn, which is currently playing in Scarborough, UK.
- Arifa Akhbar calls the play King Stakh’s Wild Hunt by Nicolai Khalezin, which is currently playing in London, UK, an operatic fairytale with present day echoes.
- Cass Morris analyses why the Star Wars Halcyon Starcruiser immersive hotel experience in Disney World, Florida, works so well.
- E.J. Dickson explains why so-called Disney adults, i.e. adult fans of the Disney theme parks, became so widely disliked.
- Sabina Graves reports that parts of Disney World in Orlando, Florida, had to be shut down, because a black bear had gotten into the park.
- Sabina Graves shares new from the various Disney theme parks.
Science and technology:
- Elisha Sauers reports that NASA has enlisted the help of Brother Robert J. Macke, meteorite specialist at the Vatican observatory, for the Osiris-Rex mission.
- Eric Mack reports that the Jupiter moon Callisto has a whole lot of oxygen, but no one knows why.
- Passant Rabie reports that an orbital medication factory operated by Varda Space Industries has been denied permission for reentry into Earth's atmosphere over safety concerns.
- Ewen Callaway reports that scientists are furious that ancient human fossils have been taken to space aboard a Virgin Galactic spacecraft
- Paul Sutter reports that astronomers have coined the term "noctalgia" for mourning the lost visibility of the night sky due to increasing light pollution.
- Matt Williams theorises that little swarming spacecraft could establish communications with Proxima Centauri.
- Jeffrey Kluger explains that NASA has appointed a so-called UFO Czar.
- Thomas Graham reports about the UFO hearing in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Matt Bevan and Yasmin Parry profile rocket scientist Robert Goddard.
- Julian E. Barnes reports that the CIA has disclosed the identity of the second operative involved in the so-called "Argo operation", where a fake movie team allegedly filming an adaptation of Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light was sent into Iran to rescue US hostages in 1979.
- Isaac Schulz reports that a 476000 year old wooden construction that predates modern humans was unearthed in Zambia.
- Akira O'Connor and Christopher Moulin discuss jamais vu, the opposite of déjà vu, where something familiar suddenly feels strange and new.
- Anita Chaudhuri explains how lucid dreams can make us fitter, more creative and less anxious
Gaming:
- Joe DelFranco shares his thoughts on the video game Outer Wilds.
- Roseanna Pendlebury reviews the video game Stray Gods.
- Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the video game PowerWash Simulator.
- Justin Carter shares his thoughts on Mortal Kombat 1.
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the video game Spider-Man 2.
- Germain Lussier interviews the developers of Spider-Man 2.
- Linda Codega shares an overview of new games.
- Harry Ted Sprinks shares his favourite science fiction boardgames of all time.
Toys and collectibles:
Free online fiction:
- "Eliza Sky and the Gallows Tree" by Neil Willcox in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "Breath, Sinew, Witch, Friend" by Anaea Lay in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Where the River Comes From" by Kaitlyn Zivanovich in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Tale of Clancy the Scrivener" by Ramsey Shehadeh in Tor.com.
- "When the Wiliwili Blossoms, the Shark Bites" by Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada in The Dark.
- "Axiom of Dreams" by Arula Ratnakar in Clarkesworld.
- "The Ascension of Magdalene" by Donyae Coles in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Very Hand of God" by Ellen Morris Prewitt in Luna Station Quarterly
- "Beneath a Dying Sun" by Kemi Ashing-Giwa in The Sunday Morning Transport.
- “The Hitchhiker on Souls’ Road” by A. A. Nour at Baen.com
- "Life Wager" by Lucy Zhang in Apex Magazine.
- "The Hole in the Garden" by Gene Doucette in Lightspeed.
- "Remains" by N.R. Lambert in Lightspeed.
- "There is Something to be Said About Wifeoma" by Kasimma in Interzone.
- "Miss 49 Days" by Mina Li in Translunar Travelers Lounge.
- "Appealing Skin Model" by Emmie Christie in Wyldblood.
- "Bacá" by Alex V. Cruz in Fantasy Magazine.
Trailers and videos:
- Watch a trailer for season 2 of Quantum Leap.
- Watch a trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
- Watch a trailer for Gen V in the form of a fake university orientation video.
- Watch a trailer for Dream Scenario.
- Watch a trailer for When Evil Lurks.
- Watch a trailer for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
- Watch a trailer for Appendage.
- Watch a trailer for Werewolves Unleashed.
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