It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with a debate about the SFF canon, the 2020 Hugo Awards and 1945 Retro Hugo Awards and the controversy surrounding the ceremony, the 2020 Dragon Award finalists, Harrow the Ninth, Star Trek: Lower Decks and the various other iterations of Star Trek, the series finale of Agents of SHIELD, the season 1 finale of Stargirl, Lovecraft Country, An American Pickle, the return of Christopher Eccleston to Doctor Who and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Ben Gazur shares nine books that predicted the future.
- Julie McElwain shares six time travel mysteries.
- James Davis Nicoll takes a look at five science fictional approaches to healthcare.
- Micaiah Johnson shares four stories about automatons.
- Melanie Roussel discusses popular AI tropes.
- Jordan Ifueko shares five fantasy novels driven by traumatic family bonds.
- Kali Wallace talks about finding humanity in horror fiction.
- Jo Furness shares ten crime novels based on folk horror.
- Barbara Simon offers a brief overview of Hungarian fantasy.
- Natalie Zutter finds some connections between Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and fanfiction.
- Jason Sacks takes a look at the satirical comic magazine Help!
- Graeme McMillan and Borys Kit reports that DC Comics and the streaming service DC Universe have been hit by a wave of layoffs.
- Sian Cain reports that Stephenie Meyer is planning to write two more Twilight books, following the success of Midnight Sun.
Comments on the SFF canon discussion:
- John Scalzi weighs in on the science fiction canon debate.
- Camestros Felapton talks about the so-called science fiction canon and John W. Campbell.
- Camestros Felapton also talks about different types of canon and key texts.
- The Hugo Book Club weighs in on the science fiction canon debate.
- Font Folly weighs in on the science fiction canon debate.
- Steve Davidson calls the science fiction canon argument much ado about nothing.
Film and TV:
- Cath Clarke calls Sputnik a smart Soviet era science fiction chiller.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls She Dies Tomorrow a genre-bending horror film for the present era.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Mara a moderately scary horror film.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the apocalyptic series Into the Night.
- Kate Reed Petty shares her appreciation for the slipstream film Bacurau.
- Beth Elderkin lists ten SFF shows where the first reason was the best.
- Stuart Heritage revisits the 2006 superhero show Heroes.
- Guy Lodge revisits the 1980 fantasy musical Xanadu for its fortieth anniversary and finds it a mesmerisingly messy failure.
- Andrew Male revisits the 1989 horror movie The Woman in Black and wonders why it disappeared.
- Vikram Murthi revisits the 2000 horror film Hollow Man.
- Rosy Cordero interviews Ruby Rose about her decision to leave Batwoman after a single season.
- Tara Brady reports about the upcoming SFF spy movie Tenet and interviews cast and crew.
- Euan McKirdy interviews Diego Luna, star of Star Wars: Rogue One and an upcoming Star Wars TV series.
- Riley Silverman talks about the unending appeal of timeloop films and TV shows.
- Read John Scalzi's film reviews from the 1990s.
- The BBC reports that Christopher Eccleston will return to Doctor Who for a series of Big Finish audio dramas.
- Big Finish has some more on the impending return of Christopher Eccleston to Doctor Who.
- The BBC reports that Hollywood films are increasingly altered and censored to appeal to the Chinese market.
- Catherine Shoard reports that Sean Connery has been voted best ever James Bond, with Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan in second and third place.
- Catherine Shoard reports that according to actor Brian Blessed, the 1980 Flash Gordon is Queen Elisabeth II's favourite film.
- Catherine Shoard reports that Dwayne Johnson is now the highest paid actor in the world.
Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:
- Glen Weldon declares that with Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek loosens up.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Star Trek: Lower Decks a dubious attept at a zany adult sitcom.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Envoys", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- Borys Kit reports about the future of Star Trek on the big screen.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Hollywood still doesn't know what to do with the Star Trek movie franchise.
- James Comtois reports that former Doctor Who star David Tennant would love to appear in Star Trek.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Coda" and "Blood Fever".
- Sarah Bea Milner explains which Star Trek actors leant their voice to the animated series Gargoyles in the 1990s.
- Daniel Smith shares the ten weirdest examples of official Star Trek merchandise.
Comments on Lovecraft Country:
- Jacob Oller calls Lovecraft Country delightfully pulpy.
- Shannon Miller calls Lovecraft Country a stunning horrific look at a grotesque legacy.
- Inspired by Lovecraft Country, Alexis Soloski revisits H.P. Lovecraft's fiction and its adaptations.
- The Takeaway interviews Victor LaValle and Silvia Moreno-Garcia about Lovecraft Country and H.P. Lovecraft in general.
Comments on the Agents of SHIELD series finale:
- Alex McLevy calls the Agents of SHIELD series finale a massive spectacle and bittersweet goodbye.
- Alan Brown shares his thoughts on the series finale of Agents of SHIELD.
- Alasdair Stuart takes a look at the long strange journey of Agent Daniel Sousa in Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD.
Comments on the season 1 finale of Stargirl:
- Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of Stargirl.
- Jill Pantozzi is a little confused by the villain's plan in the season 1 finale of Stargirl.
Comments on An American Pickle:
- Linda Holmes shares her thoughts on An American Pickle.
- Jack Shepherd interviews Seth Rogen, star and director of An American Pickle.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2020 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2020 Jack Trevor Memorial Story Prize has been announced.
- The finalists for the 2020 WSFA Small Press Award have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2020 Endeavour Award have been announced.
- FIYAH Magazine introduces the first inaugural IGNYTE Awards.
- The James White Award will not be given out for 2020.
- The Ray Bradbury Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy has been created.
- Rachel Cordasco talks about science fiction in translation and awards.
- Adri Joy and Joe Sherry talk about the 2020 Hugo Award winners.
- The Hugo Book Club weighs in on the 1945 Retro Hugos.
- The Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand, the organisation behing the Sir Julius Vogel Awards, has announced that the voters' packet for the award will be made available again to CoNZealand members.
Comments on the 2020 Hugo ceremony:
- Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the 2020 Hugo ceremony and the 1945 Retro Hugos.
- Gabrielle Bruney weighs in on the 2020 Hugo ceremony.
- Andi Dukleth reports about the 2020 Hugo ceremony.
- Chris M. Barkley shares his thoughts on the 2020 Hugo ceremony, the 2020 Hugos and the 1945 Retro Hugos.
- Russell A. Smith shares his thoughts on the 2020 Hugo ceremony and the 1945 Retro Hugos.
Comments on the 2020 Dragon Award finalists:
- The finalists for the 2020 Dragon Awards have been announced.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2020 Dragon Award finalists.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the 2020 Dragon Award finalists.
- Mike Glyer shares some reactions to the 2020 Dragon Award finalists.
- Cora Buhlert shares some reactions to the 2020 Dragon Award finalists.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Charlie Jane Anders discusses the importance of relationships, when writing characters.
- Lisa McLendon hosts a roundtable discussion about writing during the pandemic.
- Shveta Thakrar talks about the inspiration for Star Daughter.
- Diana M. Pho announces the #Edits4BlackSFF Project, offering free editorial feedback to black writers of science fiction and fantasy.
- Jane Johnson remembers a life in publishing.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about merchandise and licensing contracts.
- Alison Flood reports that support funds for UK authors affected by the corona pandemic are running out.
- Mike Glyer offers an update on the status of Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's bookstores which burned during the riots in Minneapolis, Minnesota, two months ago.
- Mike Glyer also shares a newspaper article about the continued travails of Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's.
- J. Kingston Pierce also reports about the continued travails of Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's.
- Jeffrey Meitrodt reports that the bureaucratic tax requirements, which blocked the rebuilding of Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's and many other businesses destroyed during the Minneapolis riots have been removed.
- Claire Kirch also reports about the situation of the bookstores damages or destroyed by the Minneapolis riots.
Interviews:
- Tor.com interviews Tamsyn Muir.
- The Guardian interviews Stephenie Meyer.
- The Hugo Book Club interviews Derek Künsken.
- Jared Jackson interviews Laura van den Berg.
- Andrea Johnson interviews H.G. Parry.
- Marshal Zeringue interviews Julie McElwain.
- Paul Weimer interviews Michael J. DeLuca.
- Alison Flood interviews Daniel Kraus.
Reviews:
- Nina Allan reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
- Paul Weimer reviews In Evil Times by Melinda Snodgrass.
- Jessica P. Wick reviews The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis.
- Liz Bourke reviews The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis.
- Jason Sheehan reviews Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- Lee Mandelo reviews Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- Fantasy Literature reviews Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- Leticia Urieta reviews Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia.
- Elle Hunt reviews Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer.
- Samantha Shannon reviews Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng.
- Adri Joy reviews The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Matthew Keeley reviews By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar.
- Sean Dowie reviews Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings.
- Kelly Lasiter reviews The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Rightful Queen by Isabelle Steiger.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanna Collins.
- Kat Hooper reviews The Damned by Renée Adieh.
- The Stiletto Gumshoe reviews Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson.
- Sumer H. Paulus reviews Breaking Chaos by Ben Galley.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Shadows in Time by Julie McElwain.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen.
- Ian Mond reviews Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin.
- L.A. Young reviews Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi.
- Ian Mond reviews A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet.
- Sarah Ditum reviews Dopamine City by D.B.C. Pierre.
- Lee Mandelo reviews The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun, translated by Lizzie Buehler.
- Paula Guran reviews Thin Places by Kay Chronister.
- Mark Yon reviews The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus.
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews Science Fiction: Documents of Contemporary Art, edited by Dan Byrne-Smith
Classics reviews:
- Cora Buhlert revisits the 1944 humorous science fiction short story "Unsung Hero" by Ruth Washburn.
- Cullen Gallagher revisits the 1950 Sumuru novel Nude in Mink by Sax Rohmer.
- Cullen Gallagher revisits the 1957 Fu Manchu novel Re-Enter Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the September 1965 issue of Fantastic Stories of Imagination.
- Noah Berlatsky revisits the 1967 horror novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin.
- Cullen Gallagher revisits the 1970 space western Six Gun Planet by John Jakes.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1973 post-apocalyptic novel Hiero's Journey by Sterling E. Lanier.
- Sean Guynes reviews the 1975 science fiction collection The Wind’s Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 sword and sorcery anthology Amazons!, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1981 space opera novel Lilith: A Snake in the Grass by Jack Chalker.
- Liz Bourke revisits the 2006 romantic fantasy The Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Con and event reports:
- The virtual 2020 World Fantasy Convention is offering sponsored memberships to people of colour.
- Watch a video of the Business Meeting of CoNZealand, the 2020 Worldcon in Wellington, New Zealand.
- SciFi Now shares the lineup for the virtual DC FanDome event.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw thinks that DC FanDome sounds a lot more interesting than the virtual San Diego Comic Con.
- Brad Zongker reports that the Library of Congress' 2020 National Book Festival will take place online.
- Sean Joyce-Farley reports about a visit to the Ursula K. Le Guin archives at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.
Crowdfunding:
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch is looking for funding to finance her new Diving Universe novel Thieves.
- The SFF anthology Reconize Fascism, edited by Crystal Huff, is looking for funding.
- FIYAH Magazine is looking for funding to finance the trophies for their first annual IGNYTE Awards.
- Issue 3 of By Man & Angels, a science fiction fairtale comic by Jennie Gyllblad and Pedro La Barba is looking for funding.
- The family of pop culture journalist Seb Patrick needs some help after his untimely death.
Science and technology:
- Discover reports that astronomers have discovered a new type of planet that can form around a black hole.
- Daniel Oberhaus reports that the crashed Israeli Beresheet moon lander may have spilled tardigrades and DNA samples onto the moon.
- Andrew Liptak reports that the US military is still using science fiction writers as consultants.
- Becky Ferreira reports that the Arecibo radio telescope has been damaged due to a broken cable.
- Zaria Gorvett reports about the many times that errors and false alarms almost led to nuclear war.
- Haben Girma reports that autonomous delivery robots on sidewalks are turning into a problem for disabled pedestrians.
- Kaleb A. Brown reports that a drone was attacked by an eagle and crashed into Lake Michigan.
- Software pioneer Frances Allen has died aged 88.
Free online fiction:
- "The Transubstantiation" by Evan Dicken in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Fire and Falling" by Andrew Dykstal in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Still You Linger, Like Soot in the Air" by Matthew Kressel in Lightspeed.
- "Miss Beulah's Braiding and Life Change Salon" by Eden Royce in Lightspeed.
- "The Ruby of the Sumer King" by Mari Ness in Uncanny Magazine.
- "Drawing Lines Between the Stars" by Frank Smith in Clarkesworld.
- "Painted Wolves" by Ray Cluley in The Dark.
- "The Hour In Between" by Adam-Troy Castro in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Exile's End" by Carolyn Ives Gilman at Tor.com.
- "The White Place" by Dana Berubé in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Tomorrow Is Another Daze" by Ernest Hogan at the ASU Center for Science and the Imagination.
- "Trains" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Odds and ends:
