It's time for another somewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Ad Astra, Joker and the backlash against the film, the past and future of Star Trek, New York Comic Con and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Andrew Liptak shares seventeen new science fiction and fantasy books to read this October.
- Annalee Newitz wonders why time travel stories are so popular in our current troubled times.
- Paul Walker-Emig wonders why Cyberpunk hasn't moved on from the 1980s.
- Matthew Raese discusses the Encyclopedia Galactica in Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy and its connections to the Enlightenment.
- Veronica Roth shares five science fiction books featuring futuristic technology.
- Jenn Lyons lists five villains who see themselves as heroes.
- Emily Hughes shares horror recommendations for all tolerance levels.
- Angela Slatter shares five books about well-rounded witches.
- Tara Laskowski talks about ghost stories, longing and grief.
- Emily Asher-Perrin shares nine SFF characters who are hurting.
- Jeremiah Dylan Cook shares his appreciation for the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
- Shaun Hamill explains how he took inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft without embracing his more problematic aspects.
- Steve Davidson takes a look at the history of science fiction before Hugo Gernsback launched Amazing Stories.
- Linda H. Cordega talks about shipwrights in science fiction, fantasy and myth.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books featuring important elections.
- Sean Guynes-Vishniac talks about the impact the Futurians had on the nascent science fiction genre.
- David Gerrold talks about the difficulty of separating the art from the artist.
- Alison Flood reports that a controversial 2017 study claiming that reading science fiction leads to poorer reading comprehension, has been refuted.
- Kris Bramwell reports about some real life people called Harry Potter and how their famous name has impacted their life.
- Writer, publisher and editor Sol Stein died aged 92.
- Longtime Arizona area fan and convention organiser Curt Stubbs has died aged 71.
Film and TV:
- Katie Rife declares that the horror film In the Tall Grass does its best to make plants terrifying.
- Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on the final episode of Preacher.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Titans.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the first two episodes of Emergence.
- Molly Horan shares her thoughts on the latest episode of American Horror Story.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on Evil.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky calls Memory: The Origins of Alien a superficial look at the background of a cult classic.
- Keith R.A DeCandido shares his thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
- Ryan Britt speculatives about season 3 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Wil Wheaton shares his experiences watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for the first time.
- Jonathan Alexandratos wonders why the Star Trek Next Generation and Deep Space Nine characters Alexander and Nog never got their own action figure, but were packaged with their respective fathers.
- Kayleena Pierce-Bohen shares ten things that make no sense about Blade Runner.
- Anthony Fertino shares his ten favourite science fiction movies about artificial intelligence.
- Kayleena Pierce-Bohen ranks the ten most powerful vampires in horror movies.
- Tara Laskowski shares the ten best Scooby Doo monsters.
- Eriq Garner reports that writers are demanding back the rights to such iconic film franchises as Terminator, Die Hard, Predator, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Beetlejuice and others due to a US law allowing terminating copyright grants after a period of 35 years.
- Tim Adams reports that Ruby Rose, star of Batwoman, was almost paralysed and required emergency surgery due to a stunt injury.
- Brent Lang reports that Spider-Man will remain a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after all.
- Tor.com reports that Star Wars fan favourite character Mara Jade apparently exists in the current Star Wars universe, at least according to some writing found inside the toilet stalls at the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge attraction in Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
- Stephanie Convery reports that two characters in Star Wars: Resistance have been confirmed to be a gay couple.
- Jack Flanigin reports about a fraud case involving a Steampunk blockbuster film called Legends that never existed.
- Actor Jack Donner who appeared in Star Trek and Mission Impossible among others has died aged 90.
Comments on Joker:
- David Sims calls Joker pompous, grim and one-note.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Joker the most disappointing film of the year.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Joker a derivative movie that isn't nearly as smart as it thinks it is.
- A.A. Dowd calls Joker a shallow psychodrama.
- Anthony Gramuglia talks about the backlash against Joker due to its portrayal of violence.
- Charles Bramesco declares that Joker is too juvenile to be provocative.
- Simran Hans declares that Joker tries to capture our cultural moment, but is smug and banal at heart.
- Justin Edgar calls Joker great disability art, because it does not milk the mental illness of its protagonist for tragedy, completely ignoring that the overwhelming majority of mentally ill people does not murder others.
- Dean E.S. Richards wonders why Joker needs to exist at all.
- L.D. Nolan reports that director Todd Phillips felt compelled to make Joker, because he feels that political correctness has ruined comedy.
- Matt Donnelly reports that Warner Bros has disinvited journalists from the Joker premiere and red carpet.
- Andrew Pulver reports that several US cinemas have banned masks and costumes at Joker screenings.
- Jax Motes reports that the NYPD will be stationed at all theatres showing Joker in New York City.
Comments on Ad Astra:
- David Sims calls Ad Astra a space epic with a very human message.
- Reuben Baron wonders whether Brad Pitt's character in Ad Astra is autistic.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2019 Elgin Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2019 Dwarf Star Awards have been announced.
- The Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award has been launched.
- The 2019 inductees into the Harvey Award Hall of Fame have been announced.
- Camestros Felapton reports about recent calls to change the name of the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
- Nerds of a Feather take a look at the history of the Hugo Awards.
- Nerds of a Feather also hosts a mind meld and asks several authors about their favourite Hugo winner for Best Novel.
- Olav Rokne talks about the importance of recognising translators, when giving out awards.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- C.L. Polk explains how she uses a technique designed to stop panic attacks to create more fully realised settings.
- Sonya Huber explains why the "Show Don't Tell" advice is so problematic.
- Veronica Scott shares the story starter ideas behind several of her science fiction romances.
- Leah Schnelbach shares some writing advice by Chuck Tingle.
- Julie Beck explains how fanfiction can help writers hone their skills.
- Lauren Sapala explains what pantsing really means.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch explains why you should not listen to the inner voice that tells you you're not writing enough.
- Elizabeth Bear talks about who gets to see themselves as the protagonist of a story and who only gets to be a love interest, supporting cast member or antagonist.
- Toby Frost talks about using history to write fantasy.
- J.P. Harker shares seven simple rules for writing realistic combat.
- John Maher reports that the New York Times will change its bestseller lists again.
Interviews:
- Jonathan Thornton interviews Catherynne M. Valente.
- Sophie Heawood interviews Philip Pullman.
- Mark O'Connell interviews Jeanette Winterson.
- Literary Hub interviews Felicia Day.
- Arley Sorg interviews Nicky Drayden.
- Jonathan Thornton interviews Michael Swanwick.
- Locus interviews Lesley Nneka Arimah.
- Ayize Yama-Everett interviews Victor LaValle.
- Veronica Scott interviews Michael Mammay.
- Evan Narcisse interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates.
- Nils Shukla interviews Brian Naslund.
- Michael Seidlinger interviews Stephen Chbosky.
Reviews:
- For Winter Nights reviews The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham.
- Camestros Felapton reviews The Will to Battle by Ada Palmer.
- For Winter Nights reviews The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.
- The Qwillery reviews The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith.
- Heather Rose Jones reviews Silver Moon by Catherine Lundoff.
- Nils Shukla reviews Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews A Ruin of Shadows by L.D. Lewis.
- T.O. Munro reviews Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews First Cosmic Velocity by Zach Powers.
- Tadiana Jones reviews Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin.
- For Winter Nights reviews Cold Storage by David Koepp.
- Liz Bourke reviews Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw and Mapping Winter by Marta Randall.
- Kat Hooper reviews Knight by Timothy Zahn.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker.
- James Latimer reviews The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker.
- Lesa Holstein reviews The Stalking by Heather Graham.
- Angie Barry reviews A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan.
- Lesa Holstein reviews A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan.
- Meghan Ball reviews The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher.
- Alison Flood reviews Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Fearing: Air & Dust by John F.D. Taff.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews Maresi by Maria Tutschaninoff, translated by A.A. Prime.
- The Qwillery reviews Lykaia by Sharon Van Orman.
- Victoria Sandbrook reviews The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull.
- John Mullan reviews The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman.
- Abigail Chandler reviews The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman.
- Mark Yon reviews Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
- Mark Yon reviews Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand.
- Ian Mond reviews Radio Dark by Shane Hinton.
- Katharine Coldiron reviews Air Logic by Laurie J. Marks.
- Ian Mond reviews Big Giant Floating Head by Christopher Boucher.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Full Throttle by Joe Hill.
- Rob Bedford reviews Full Throttle by Joe Hill.
- Tadiana Jones reviews Randomize by Andy Weir.
- Amy Goldschlager reviews Unauthorized Bread by Cory Doctorow.
- Elizabeth Fitzgerald reviews The Year of the Fruitcake by Gillian Polack.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore.
- L.A. Young reviews Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence.
- Amy Goldschalger reviews Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young.
- Feliza Casano reviews Foxfire, Wolfskin and Other Stories of Shapeshifting Women by Sharon Blackie.
- Rob Bedford reviews A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Trapped in the R.A.W., A Journal of My Experiences during the Great Invasion by Kaylee Bearovna by Kate Boyes
- Jared Shurin reviews Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery, edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autmn Deering.
- Maria Haskins reviews The Mythic Dream, edited by Navah Wolfe and Dominik Parisien.
- Rochelle Spencer reviews The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas.
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1925 science fiction novel The Radio Beasts by Ralph Milne Farley.
- Doris V. Sutherland revisits the July 1928 issues of Amazing Stories.
- Doris V. Sutherland revisits the August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories.
- Doris V. Sutherland revisits the 1954 post-apocalyptic novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1956 science fiction novel The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke.
- Mark Yon revisits the September/October 1964 issue of Science Fantasy.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1964 issue of Analog.
- Paul Fraser revisits the October 1965 issue of New Worlds.
- M. Porcius revisits the 1970 science fiction novel The Stone God Awakens by Philip José Farmer.
- Jason McGregor revisits the 1972 science fiction novel The World Inside by Robert Silverberg.
- Fabio Fernandes revisits the 1981 fantasy novel The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe.
- Alex London revisits the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King.
- The Skiffy and Fantasy Show revisits the 1999 romantic space opera A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Con and event reports:
- Ted Daley shares several photos of WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
- Constanze Hofmann muses about collaborative art projects at future WorldCons, following the success of the Raksura Colony Tree project at WorldCon 77 in Dublin.
- Isabella Nikolic reports about the Wasteland Weekend festival in California City, California, and shares several photos.
- Gabriella Tutino shares a guide to literary panels at New York Comic Con in New York City.
- Emily Asher-Perrin shares the highlights of Christopher Eccleston's panel at New York Comic Con.
- Angel Wilson reports that Walker Stalker Con will shut down its touring events and will henceforth only take place in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Mike Glyer reports about new charges against Ed Kramer, the since ousted co-founder of DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Katie Rife reports about Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
- Alison Flood reports about the launch event for The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman in London, UK.
- Suzie Dundas shares some tips for spending a space-themed day in London, UK.
- Angel Wilson reports about the opening of the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge attraction at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.
- Victoria Lucas reports about the 1964 San Francisco Arts Festival in San Francisco, California.
- Mike Roe reports about a new Atlantis-themed escape room attraction in Los Angeles, California.
Crowdfunding:
- The Way of the Laser: Future Crime Stories, an anthology edited by Eric Bosarge and Joe McDermott, is looking for funding.
- Haunted West, a weird west RPG that remembers the forgotten minorities of the Old West, is looking for funding.
- Mike Glyer reports about a controversy that erupted, because the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter tries to block its employees from unionising.
Science and technology:
- The BBC reports that India's Chandrayaan-2 probe made a hard landing on the Moon.
- The BBC also wonders whether the Chandrayaan-2 mission was a success after all.
- Neel V. Patel reports that NASA is testing a shapeshifting robot that is intended to explore the Saturn moon Titan.
- Mark Sumner reports about Space X's Starship Mk. 1.
- Tomos Morgan reports about virtual reality treatments for PTSD.
- Matt McGrath reports about a tropical fungal disease that was brought to Alaska by a tsumani in 1964 and has been responsible for several deaths since.
- Andrea Penrose shares six remarkable women writers and scientists of the Regency era.
Free online fiction:
- "The Beasts We Want To Be" by Sam J. Miller in Lightspeed.
- "The Valley of Wounded Deer" by E. Lily Yu in Lightspeed.
- "One Found in a World of the Lost" by Shweta Adhyam in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Sankalpa" by Marie Brennan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "All Electric Ghosts" by Rich Larson in Clarkesworld.
- "A Report of One's Honorable Death" by Virginia M. Mohlere in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The Gold Chain" by Lucy Stone in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Double Spiral" by Marcy Kelly in Slate: Future Tense.
- "On Full Moon Nights" by Idza Luhumyo in The Dark.
- "The Maw" by Nathan Ballingrud in Nightmare Magazine.
Odds and ends:
- Watch a trailer for The War of the Worlds.
- Watch a trailer for the recreation of the lost Doctor Who episode Mission Into the Unknown.
- Watch a trailer for For All Mankind.
- Watch a trailer for Ewilan's Quest.
- Watch a trailer for Birds of Prey.
- Watch a trailer for The King's Man.
- Watch a blooper reel from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
- The CoastCon Fan Blog shares some Tintin/Lovecraft mash-up covers.
