Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 11, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with as a look ahead at books coming out in 2019, the Star Trek Discovery and the Short Treks spin-off series, Outlander, The Orville, Bird Box, season 5 of Gotham, Glass, Captain Marvel, toilets of Hogwarts, the 2019 Golden Globes and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• The Fantasy-Faction reviewers share their favourite SFF books of 2018.
• Liz Bourke looks ahead at the 2019 books she is excited about in a two part post.
• Joe Sherry looks ahead at twenty-four 2019 SFF books he is excited about.
• John DeNardo also looks ahead at upcoming science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2019. 
• Carrie Sessarego talks about love and romance in science fiction.
• Oliver Noble explains how science fiction has changed your life, even if you don't realise it. 
• Alec Nevala-Lee discusses how Astounding Science Fiction saw the future.
• David Barr Kirtley reports how science fiction writers are reacting to Donald Trump. 
• Tade Thompson shares eight books about alien invasions that take place outside the US.
• Kim Huett digs up a 1967 article by John Brunner on the economics of science fiction publishing. 
• John Scalzi points out that author earnings aren't all that great today either and have never been, in fact. 
• John Scalzi also reports that the usual jerks are harrassing him less frequently and largely seem to have moved on from science fiction and fantasy.
• Paul Grimstad profiles Stanislaw Lem.
• Pages Unbound Reviews shares ten must-read books about J.R.R. Tolkien.  
• Sam Warner reports that the official Pottermore account tweeted some trivia about the toilets of Hogwarts or lack thereof that no one needed to know. 
• Emily Asher-Perrin is bothered by the Hogwarts toilet revelation beyond the fact that it was completely unnecessary.
• Camestros Felapton offers some more potential toilet retcons to popular science fiction and fantasy franchises.
• Brandon Zachary reports that according to Marvel editor-in-chief C.M. Cebulski last year's big X-Men wedding twist was a spur of the moment decision.
• Brian Cronin traces when Jean Grey and Scott Summers first got together in the X-Men comics and that it happened off panel.
• John Scalzi weighs in on the death of the author. 
• Locus remembers Larry Eisenberg. 

Film and TV:

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Counterpart. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls One Cut of the Dead an injection of new life into the stale zombie genre. 
• Farid Ul-Haq shares his thoughts on the fantasy film Anthem of a Teenage Prophet. 
• Beth Elderkin reports about a visit to the set of the upcoming fantasy horror series Deadly Class.
• Seth Abramovitch profiles Samuel L. Jackson. 
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews Fionn Whitehead, the star of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. 
• Michael Schneider reports that the National Geographic Channel has taken the show StarTalk off the air after sexual misconduct allegations against host Neil deGrasse Tyson.
• Actor William Morgan Sheppard, who appeared in Star Trek, Doctor Who and NCIS among many other things, has died aged 86.
  

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Short Treks:

• James Whitbrook calls "The Escape Artist", the latest episode of the Star Trek Discovery spin-off Short Treks, a welcome reminder of the lighter and funnier side of Star Trek. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido quite enjoyed "The Escape Artist" until the final twist (spoilers). 
• Ryan Britt wonders whether "The Escape Artist" links Harry Mudd to a popular Next Generation character (spoilers).
• James Whitbrook interviews Rainn Wilson who plays Harry Mudd in Star Trek Discovery and also directed the Mudd-centered Short Treks episode "The Escape Artist". 
• Ileane Rudolph interviews Ethan Peck who plays Mr. Spock in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Ryan Britt declares that the arrival of Captain Christopher Pike changes the tone of Star Trek Discovery towards the lighter. 
• James Whitbrook declares that the new season of Star Trek Discovery is helped by the fact that the Captain is not a massive arsehole.
• Watch a featurette about the character of Captain Christopher Pike, portrayed by Anson Mount, in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Meanwhile, Aaron Couch sheds some light on the planned new Star Trek series featuring a post-Next Generation Jean-Luc Picard. 
• Randy Krinsky shares twenty Star Trek relationships that make no sense.
• Ian Cardona reports that the fourth film in the rebooted Star Trek franchise has been shelved
• Lesley Goldberg reports that according to Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman, there will be more Short Treks episodes as well as two Star Trek animated series.
  

Comments on The Orville:

• Nick Wanserski shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Orville.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Orville.

Comments on Outlander:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander. 
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books share their thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Meaghan Darwish shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Jessica Napoli interviews Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna Randall Fraser in Outlander.
  

Comments on season 5 of Gotham:

• Kyle Fowle shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Gotham. 
• Farid Ul-Haq shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Gotham. 
• Jess Lee reports that Gotham kills off a longterm series regular in the season 5 premiere (spoilers). 
• Mike Fugere hopes that we'll see Bruce Wayne in the full Batman costume in season 5 of Gotham.

Comments on Bird Box: 

• Arley Sorg and Josh Pearce discuss Bird Box and compare it to A Quiet Place as well as Josh Malerman's novel.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on Bird Box.
• Ian Sandwell explains Bird Box.
• Jennifer Vineyard tackles the plot holes of Bird Box.
• Tom Chapman reveals ten major differences between the film version of Bird Box and the Josh Malerman novel it's based upon.
• Natalie Reilly calls Bird Box a reflection of a deeply insular, conservative and paranoid parenting philosophy.
• Ian Sandwell declares that Bird Box has changed the way Netflix works.
• Zack Sharf reports that a cut scene from Bird Box showing the unseen monster has been released.
• Inspired by Bird Box, iO9 asked several artists to draw their greatest fear.
  

Comments on Captain Marvel: 

• Germain Lussier reports about a visit to the set of Captain Marvel.
• Sam Stone reports that Captain Marvel may redefine the Skulls' shapeshifting powers. 
• Meagan Damore reports that they finally figured out which character Jude Law is playing in Captain Marvel. 
• John Boone interviews Samuel L. Jackson who plays Nick Fury in Captain Marvel.
  

Comments on Glass:

• Sam Adams declares that the Unbreakable sequel Glass should have been great, but - twist - it's not.
• Germain Lussier calls Glass a frustrating and unsatisfying conclusion to Unbreakable.  
• Karen Han calls Glass a thrilling yet frustrating end to the Unbreakable trilogy. 
• Chris Evangelista calls Glass depressing and disappointing. 
• Owen Gleiberman calls Glass a film that's watchable and nonetheless a disappointment, because the film landscape has changed since Unbreakable came out in 2000. 
• Michael Rougeau declares that while Unbreakable was ahead of its time, Glass is behind the time.
• David Ehrlich calls Glass the greatest disappointment of M. Night Shyamalan's career. 
• Angie Han declares that Glass tries and fails to shatter the comic book movie formula.
• Chris Nashawaty calls Glass half empty. 
• A.A. Dowd, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and Jesse Hassenger declare that Glass should nonetheless do well, since January offers a bad crop of new movies. 

Awards:

• Nominations are open for the 2019 Hugo Awards.
• The winners of the 2018 r/Fantasy/ Stabby Awards have been announced. 
• William Gibson has been named SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master. 
• Neil Gaiman has won the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award. 
• Gregory Benford has won the 2019 Robert A. Heinlein Award.
• The winners of the 2018 African Diaspora Awards have been announced and include SFF writer Nnedi Okorafor.
• T.R. Napper is bothered by the overwhelming Americanness of the Hugo Award winners.
• The shortlist for the 2018 Cybils Awards has been announced.
• Nominations are open for the 2019 WSFA Small Press Award. 
• The second noination round for the 2018 BSFA Awards shortlist had begun.
• Nominations are open for the 2019 Norma K. Hemmings Award.
• The winners of the 2019 Golden Globes have been announced with hardly any love for genre films and TV.
• Stuart Heritage complains about the low quality of this year's Golden Globe winners.
• The nominees for the 2019 BAFTA film awards have been announced and Mike Glyer lists the finalists of genre interest.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Charlie Jane Anders explains why you should play to your weaknesses as an author. 
• Joseph Malik explains why writing craft is important. 
• J.K. Rowling shares her writing advice.
• Rod Duncan talks about the mirror world of the dyslexic novelist.
• Rayne Hall shares some tips for writing about love spells.
• Jenn Lyons explains how to create a Wiki to support your fantasy worldbuilding.
  
• Written Word Media shares the top ten publishing industry trends for 2019. 
• Cat Rambo shares five ways writers can increase the discoverability of their blog.
• Wendy Van Camp shares some tips for using Twitter as your author platform. 
• Marylee MacDonald offers a Goodreads primer.
• The Puppet Show shares some tips for how to start a virtual book club.
  

Interviews:

• Juliette Wade interviews Alex White. 
• Mark Yon interviews Mimi Yu. 
• Andrea Johnson interviews Beth Dawkins.
• C.S.E. Cooney interviews Andrea Johnson.
• Dana Forsythe interviews Gerry Conway. 
• Kiel Phegley interviews Brian Michael Bendis.

Reviews:

• Publishers Weekly reviews The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders.
• Paul Weimer reviews Where Oblivion Lives by T. Frohock.
• Chris Kluwe reviews Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik, The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi and Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton. 
• Marion Deeds reviews The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Tropic of Eternity by Tom Toner.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin.
• Kat Hooper reviews Thin Air by Richard K. Morgan. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Ninth Step Station by Malka Older, Fran Wilde, Jacqueline Koyanagi and Curtis C. Chen. 
• The Fantasy Café reviews Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Hidden Sun by Jaine Fenn.
• Liz Bourke reviews A Cathedral of Myth and Bone by Kat Howard.
• Colleen Mondor reviews Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst. 
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books review Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet.
• Brit Mandelo reviews The Wicked King by Holly Black.
• Jamie Sugah reviews The Wicked King by Holly Black. 
• Jamie Sugah reviews The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden. 
• Tadiana Jones reviews The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden.
• Nicole Hill reviews In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire.
• Alex Brown reviews In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. 
• Joe Sherry reviews In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. 
• Ruthanna Emrys reviews In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. 
• Carrie Sessarego reviews My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows.
• Sandra Newman reviews The Binding by Bridget Collins.
• Robin Agnew reviews Death by Dragonfly by Jane Tesh.  
• Corrina Lawson reviews The Lost Puzzler by Eyal Kless. 
• Summer H. Paulus reviews The Blue Mountain by G.R. Matthews.
• John Langan reviews Tide of Stone by Kaaron Warren. 
• J.C. Kang reviews The Gryphon Riders Trilogy by Derek Alan Siddoway.
• Dave Richards reviews The Coming Storm by Mark Alpert.  
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Coming Storm by Mark Alpert.
• The Qwillery reviews Beyond the Pool of Stars and Through the Gate in the Sea by Howard Andrew Jones. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Isle by John C. Foster. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews At the End of the Day I Burst Into Flames by Nicholas Day. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Savage Species by Jonathan Janz.
• Matt Brandenburg reviews Victoria by Jason Parent.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Headcheese by Jess Hagemann.
• John Langan reviews glass slipper dreams, shattered by Doungjai Gam.
• Ian Mond reviews Suspended in Dusk II, edited by Simon Dewar.
  

Classics reviews:

• Mark Yon revisits William Hope Hodgson's 1913 supernatural detective collection Carnacki the Ghost Finder. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1934 fantasy tale The Sapphire Goddess by Nictzin Dyalhis.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits John Wyndham's 1951 classic cozy catastrophe novel The Day of the Triffids. 
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1964 science fiction novel Starswarm by Brian Aldiss. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1964 science fiction novel One of Our Asteroids Is Missing by Calvin M. Know a.k.a.Robert Silverberg and the 1964 science fiction collection The Twisted Men by A.E. Van Vogt.
• Vance Kotrla revisits the 1975 feminist science fiction classic The Female Man by Joanna Russ.
• Marion Deeds revisits the 1980 science fiction novel Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 cyberpunk novel Voice of the Whirlwind by Walter Jon Williams.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1988 fantasy novel The Horsegirl by Constance Ash.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Captain Marvel Challenge is looking for funding to send girls to the cinema to watch Captain Marvel.
• The table of contents for Unfettered III: New Tales by Masters of Fantasy, edited by Shawn Speakman, a charity anthology to help writers pay for their medical expenses, has been announced.
• WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland, has launched the FANtastic Dublin Fund to enable marginalised fans of limited means to attend WorldCon 2019.
  

Con and event reports:

• Mark L. Blackman reports about the latest installment of the New YorkReview of Science Fiction Readings Series in Brooklyn, New York, featuring Richard Bowes.
• Mike Glyer reports that Michael Stackpole has resigned as Emeritus Director from the board of the Game Manufacturers Association GAMA following a number of uproars and scandals involving the organisation.
• The 2019 WorldCon in Dublin, Ireland, has released its third progress report.
  

Science and technology:

• Matt Rivers, Helen Regan and Steven Jiang report about the landing of China's Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon. 
• Ashley Strickland shares more photos of Ultima Thule taken by NASA's New Horizons probe. 
• George Dvorsky reports that NASA's Juno probe has captured an image of a volcanic plume rising from Jupiter's moon Io. 
• James Davis Nicoll reports that Saturn's rings are doomed in the long run, so we should enjoy them while we can.
• Lucy Campbell reports that the planet hunting TESS spaceprobe has detected a gaseous exo-planet more than twenty times the size of Earth. 
• Helen Briggs reports that mysterious repeating radio signals from outer space have been detected by a radio telescope in Canada.
• John Timmer reports that the Milky Way will collide with the Large Magellanic Cloud in approximately three billion years.
• James Crisp reports that UFO sightings in Belgium are on the rise again.
• Aniqa Ajmal reports that Professor Sara Jensen is using knitting to teach mathematics.
• Jules Montague reports that a rare auto-immune condition may have caused the symptoms that launched the Salem witch trials.
• Jack Hitt reports that the alleged sonic attacks on US embassy personnel in Cuba are likely a case of conversion disorder or mass hysteria.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Island of Beasts" by Carrie Vaughn in Nightmare Magazine.
• "A Catalogue of Storms" by Fran Wilde in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Salt Lines" by Ian Muneshwar in Strange Horizons. 
• "The House of Illusionists" by Vanessa Fogg in Liminal Stories. 
• "The Engine at Heartspring's Center" by Roger Zelazny in Lightspeed.
• "Son of Water and Fire" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed.
• "The Great Train Robbery" by Lavie Tidhar in Apex Magazine.
• "2086" by T.K. Lê in Strange Horizons.
• "When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis" by Annalee Newitz in Slate.
• "The Coal Remembers What It Was" by Paul R. Hardy in Diabolical Plots.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Captain Marvel. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of The Punisher.
• Watch a teaser for season 2 of The Punisher.
• Watch a clip from season 2 of The Punisher. 
• Watch a trailer for Weird City. 
• Watch a trailer for Io. 
• Watch a trailer for Russian Doll. 
• Watch a trailer for The Passage.
• Watch a trailer for Carmen Sandiego.
• Watch a trailer for Care Bears - Unlock the Magic. 
• Watch a trailer for The Drone. 
• Watch a trailer for Horror Noire.
• Watch a featurette about the making of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
• Actress Jackie Burns, who plays Elphaba, in the musical Wicked, shares her make-up and skincare tips.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 4, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more best of 2018 lists as well as a look ahead at 2019, the Doctor Who New Year's Special, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Outlander, Aquaman, The Orville, The Punisher, Bird Box, the hopepunk debate, the adventures of the New Horizons and Chang'e 4 space probes and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Tor.com shares the SFF novels they are looking forward to in 2019.
• James Davis Nicoll shares one hundred books to consider reading in 2019. 
• Joel Cunningham looks ahead at science fiction and fantasy books he can't wait to read in 2019.
• Michael Patrick Hicks looks ahead at the horror novels coming out in 2019.
• Alexandra Rowland writes about hopepunk, what it is and isn't. 
• Aja Romano also attempts to define hopepunk. 
• Cora Buhlert weighs in on the hopepunk debate.
• Gordon White feels that hopepunk is insufficiently optimistic.
• Jonathan Wallace declares himself hopepunk. 
• Carrie Sessarego talks about love and romance in science fiction. 
• James Davis Nicoll talks about classic works of science fiction set aboard thrilling space habitats.
• Charlie Jane Anders explains that Wonder Woman is the hero she wanted to be.
• Richard Thomas explains what we can learn from the Best Horror of the Year anthology, edited by Ellen Datlow. 
• Alan Brown explains how Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings changed publishing forever.
• Aidan Moher shares the artistic advice Charles Vess received from Ursula K. Le Guin, when he illustrated a new edition of The Books of Earthsea.
• The Star shares Isaac Asimov's 1983 predictions for 2019. 
• Rosie Knight discusses the importance of zine libraries.
• Alex Dueben remembers Marie Severin. 
• Graham Connor, physicist and longterm science fiction fan, has died aged 61. 

Best of 2018:

• The Book Smugglers share their favourite books of 2018. 
• The Fantasy Café share their favourite books of 2018.
• Joe Sherry shares his nine favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018. 
• Andrea Johnson shares her favourite speculative fiction novels, short fiction and movies of 2018.
• Michael Patrick Hicks shares his ten favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2018.  
• Matt Brandenburg shares his ten favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2018.
• Sadie Hartman shares her most-loved horror books of 2018.
• The SFF World reviewers share their favourite movies and TV shows of 2018.
• Barack Obama has called Black Panther one of his favourite films of 2018.  
• SyFy Fangrrls share the most influential women in genre of 2018.
• Bleeding Cool shares the 100 most influential people in the comics industry of 2018.
• Graeme McMillan shares the best comics of 2018.
• Jax Motes shares the twelve most WTF? pop culture moments of 2018. 
• Riley MacLeod shares his twelve favourite video games of 2018.
• iO9 remembers all the creative and inspiring people we lost in 2018.

Film and TV:

• Tor.com shares SFF movies they're looking forward to in 2019.
• Tor.com shares SFF TV shows they're looking forward to in 2019.
• Rob Bedford shares his thoughts on season 1 of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. 
• Germain Lussier calls the Japanese zombie comedy One Cut of the Dead brilliant. 
• Josh Bell calls the new Roswell, New Mexico an underwhelming alien soap opera. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Counterpart.
• Joseph Walter ranks the ten all-time best and worst Star Trek episodes.
• Ava Jarvis explains what's it like to watch Star Wars for the first time. 
• Rich Lynch shares his appreciation for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• Susan Leighton revisits The Exorcist for its 45th anniversary and traces its impact on the horror film genre.
• Meagan Navarro explains how Netflix came to dominate the horror genre in 2018.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews horror film director Sophia Takal, director of New Year, New You.
• Kristy Puchko also interviews Sophia Takal.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore interviews Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, creators of Runaways.
• Sergio Pereira wonders how the Predator franchise can be saved after last year's disappointing outing.
• Kimberly Roots reports that Midnight, Texas has been cancelled. 
• William Hughes reports that actress Allison Mack, best known for her role in Smallville, defends herself against allegations that she was involved in a sex slavery cult by declaring that Scientology did it first.
• Read the screenplay of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse online.
• Film and TV composer Norman Gimbel, who wrote the theme song for the 1970s Wonder Woman series among many others, has died aged 91.
• Dame June Whitfield who had a guest appearance in Doctor Who among many other roles has died aged 93.
• Don Lusk, animator for Disney and Hanna-Barbera, has died aged 105.
  

Comments on the Doctor Who New Year's Special: 

• Mark Lawson calls the Doctor Who new year's special "Resolution" a spectacular and topical satire with Daleks.
• Caroline Siede calls "Resolution" an exhilarating new year's special.
• Ed Power calls "Resolution" a reminder of what people love about Doctor Who.
• James Whitbrook declares that "Resolution" finally made the Daleks scary again. 
• Emily Asher-Perrin declares that "Resolution" is how you do a Dalek episode.  
• Christopher Stevens delcares that "Resolution" starts slow and only gets moving, once the Dalek shows up. 
• Camestros Felapton calls "Resolution" good but not great. 
• Martin Belam feels that the makeshift Dalek of "Resolution" was the perfect enemy for a post-Brexit Britain.
• Rory O'Connor is not happy with a Brexit joke in "Resolution".
• Huw Fullerton reports that according to showrunner Chris Chibnall, the political aspects of Doctor Who are of fundamental importance.
• James Whitbrook explains that the not particularly stellar overnight ratings of "Resolution" don't necessarily mean anything.
  

Comments on Aquaman:

• Brandon Zachary declares that Aquaman is at its best when it embraces the goofiest elements of the character.
• Jason Cohen declares that the true villain of Aquaman is never seen on screen.
• Jason Cohen explains how the Atlanteans can survive on land in Aquaman. 
• Noah Dominguez shares Jim Lee's Christmas gift to Aquaman director James Wan.
• Julie Muncy reports that Aquaman has already made more money worldwide in two weeks than Justice League during its entire run. 
• Josh Weiss reports that Aquaman has passed Wonder Woman at the box office.
• Heather V. Swanson reports that Aquaman is now DC's best performing movie outside the US.
  

Comments on Black Mirror: Bandersnatch: 

• Natalie Zutter calls Black Mirror: Bandersnatch its own perfect example for the illusion of free will. 
• Elizabeth Rayne calls "Bandersnatch" a new Alice in Wonderland.
• Narayan Liu declares that "Bandersnatch" isn't the "Choose Your Own Adventure" episode many people wanted. 
• Janko Roettgers declares that "Bandersnatch" takes interactive storytelling to the next level.
• Linda Holmes declares that the interactivity is merely a gimmick in the new Black Mirror special "Bandersnatch". 
• Lucy Mangan calls "Bandersnatch" the TV of tomorrow.
• Stuart Heritage calls Black Mirror: Bandersnatch a meta masterpiece.
• Zack Handlen calls "Bandersnatch" an entertaining experience that is not going to knock anybody's socks off.
• Adam Chitwood declares that "Bandersnatch" questions the idea of free will and leaves viewers and characters paralysed by choice.
• Ed Cummings calls "Bandersnatch" an intriguing but imperfect postmodern adventure. 
• Gita Jackson calls "Bandersnatch" a let-down. 
• James Poniewozik compares "Bandersnatch" to The Sopranos, which premiered twenty years ago and finds similarities in their approach to stories and storytelling.
• David Streitfeld calls "Bandersnatch" an experiment on the viewer and the grimmest Black Mirror episode yet. 
• Roisin O'Connor discusses the interactive experience of watching "Bandersnatch".  
• Alissa Wilkinson shares three non-spoilery things to know before watching "Bandersnatch". 
• Jackie Strause shares all the "Bandersnatch" endings and how to reach them.
• Beth Elderkin discusses her favourite ending of "Bandersnatch" and how to get it.
• William Hughes shares some Black Mirror related Easter eggs to be found in "Bandersnatch".
• Bryan Menegus explains how to play one of the games in "Bandersnatch".
• Jackie Strause interviews Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, creators of "Bandersnatch" and discusses the many alternate endings with them.
• Jackie Strause also explains how "Bandersnatch" fits into the Black Mirror universe. 
• Ross Johnson ranks every episode of Black Mirror to date.
• Kate Abbott reports that actor Will Poulter, who plays Colin Ritman in "Bandersnatch", has been driven off Twitter by attacks on his performance and character.  
• Inspired by "Bandersnatch", Jeff Somers shares ten choose-your-own-adventure books for adults.

Comments on season 2 of The Orville: 

• Nick Wanserski declares that season 2 of The Orville starts with a low-key, character-focussed episode, which is just right to set the tone.
• Scott Snowden is quite impressed with the first episode of season 2 of The Orville. 
• Liz Shannon Miller declares that the season 2 premiere "Ja'loja" show The Orville at its best.
• Paul Levinson is pleased that season 2 of The Orville continues to feel like classic Star Trek with more humor.
• Matt Webb Mitrovich interviews Adrianna Palicki who plays first officer Kelly Grayson in The Orville.
• Matt Webb Mitrovich also interviews Penny Johnson Jerald who plays Dr. Claire Finn in The Orville.
  

Comments on season 2 of The Punisher: 

• L.D. Nolan reports that some members of The Punisher cast thought that the show would be another casuality of Netflix's cancelling spree.
• Noah Dominguez reports that Karen Page, played by Deborah Ann Woll, will appear in season 2 of The Punisher.
• Meagan Damore reports that villain Billy Russo, played by Ben Barnes, will not be called by his comic nickname Jigsaw in season 2 of The Punisher. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that Billy Russo's character was altered to make The Punisher feel more grounded.
• Meagan Damore also has some more on the villain of season 2 of The Punisher.
• Vinnie Mancuso interviews Josh Stewart who plays the villain John Pilgrim in season 2 of The Punisher.
• Watch a teaser for season 2 of The Punisher.
  

Comments on Bird Box:

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Bird Box and compares it to other monster and horror films.
• Matt Novak shares his theories about what he believes the monsters in Bird Box stand for.
• Bird Box star Sandra Bullock believes that Bird Box symbolises the problems parents face in trying to keep their children safe. 
• Fred Topel reports that we almost got to see the unseen monster in a deleted scene from Bird Box. 
• Alison Foreman collects some of the discussions about the true meaning of Bird Box.
• Jess Joho is troubled that Bird Box might stigmatize mental illness. 
• Kellen Beck shares some more reactions to Bird Box. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Susanne Bier, director of Bird Box. 
• Ryan Chichester reports that Netflix felt compelled to warn viewers not to take the so-called Bird Box challenge. 
• Farid Ul-Haq reports that Bird Box has broken a Netflix viewing record.
  

Comments on Outlander:

• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books share their thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander. 
• Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander. 

Awards:

• Nominations are open for the 2018 This Is Horror awards.
• Nominations are open for the 2019 Sir Julius Vogel Awards. 
• The first ever Speculative Fiction in Translation poll is open for voting. 
• The finalists for the 2018 Cybils Awards have been announced.
• The nominees for the 2018 BAFTA Rising Star Awards have been announced with several nominees of genre interest.
• The winner of the 2018 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fictional Parents has been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 Dream of Waking Video Game Awards have been announced.
• The 2019 New Year Honours List includes several names of genre interest.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Robert Repino explains what Mister Rogers can teach us about storytelling.
• Rachel Hartman talks about the emotional journey of writing fantasy.
• C. Hogan explains how to develop a writing habit that sticks.
• Ayodeji Awosika shares the ultimate guide to writing your first book. 
• Eris Young shares seven things writers get wrong about language. 
• Rayne Hall shares some tips for writing night scenes. 
• Stephen Spatz explains what John Locke's career teaches us about self-publishing the wrong way. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch takes a look at the state of the publishing business in 2019.
• Brian Peters shares marketing advice from thirteen social media experts.
  

Interviews:

• Lily Philpott interviews Yoon Ha Lee.
• Ana Marie Cox interviews Mary Robinette Kowal.
• Jonathan Thornton interviews Karen Lord.
• Andrea Johnson interviews Howard Andrew Jones. 
• The Qwillery interviews Adam Nemett.
• The Fantasy Hive interviews James Eggebeen. 
• This Is Horror interviews Grady Hendrix. 
• Erin Al-Mehairi interviews Steve Stred.
• Marcin Klak interviews Lynelle Howell, Simon Litten and Nicole Murphy, the candidates for the 2019 GUFF fan fund.
  

Reviews:

• Thea James reviews Furyborn by Claire Legrand.
• Liz Bourke reviews The Adventure of the Dux Bellorum by Cynthia Ward. 
• Liz Bourke reviews Static Ruin by Corey J. White.
• The G. reviews Black Hole by Bucky Sinister. 
• For winter nights reviews The Eternity War: Exodus by Jamie Sawyer. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Steel by Carrie Vaughn.
• Jessica Juby reviews Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. 
• Majanka Verstraete reviews Witching on a Star by Erin R. Bedford.
• Carolyn Cushman reviews The Way of the Shield by Marshall Ryan Maresca and Séances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry. 
• Brilliant Bloomin' Books reviews Fallible Justice by Laura Laakso. 
• Tadiana Jones reviews It Happened at the Ball, edited by Sherwood Smith.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Miranda in Milan by Katherine Duckett.  
• Phoebe Wagner reviews the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo.
• Suzy Feay reviews Tentacle by Rita Indiana. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Agony House by Cherie Priest.
• The Qwillery reviews Aching God by Mike Shel. 
• Jamie Sugah reviews White Stag by Kara Barbieri.
• Rob Bedford reviews Blood of Ten Kings by Edward Lazellari.
• Paul Weimer reviews the Guardians of Aandor trilogy by Edward Lazellari. 
• The Fantasy Hive reviews The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson. 
• Vidvuds Beldavs also reviews Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Wardenclyffe by F. Paul Wilson.
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Curses by Laure Eve.
• Bill Capossere reviews Breach by W.L. Goodwater.
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Tell Me Like You Done Before: And Other Stories Written on the Shoulders of Giants by Scott Edelman.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee.
  

Classics reviews:

• Cora Buhlert revisits Andre Norton's 1964 science fantasy novel Ordeal in Otherwhere.
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1967 futuristic crime novel Vigilante 21st Century by Robert Moore Williams.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 science fiction novel The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey. 
• Joe Kenny revisits the 1977 planetary romance The City Outside The World by Lin Carter. 
• Eli Bishop revisits the 1977 science fiction novel We Who Are About To... by Joanna Russ. 
• J. Barton Mitchell revisits the 1984 military science fiction novel Armor by John Steakley.  
• Joe Kenney revisits The Warlord's Revenge, a 1988 novel in The Last Ranger post-apocalyptic adventure series by Craig Sargent a.k.a. Jan Stacy.
• Rich Horton revisits the 1998 time travel novel To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.

Crowdfunding:

• Season 1 of the science fiction audio drama The Sojourn is looking for funding.
• The Best of Little Red Reviewer 2010 - 2018, a print collection of Andrea Johnson's reviews, is looking for funding.
  

Con and event reports:

• Milton Griepp reports that Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, will offer a class on how to run a comic convention. 
• Brianna Wu weighs in on the sexual harrassment and assault issues involving Arisia in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Leslie Grace reports about an exhibition of Charles Vess' artwork for the new edition of Ursula K. Le Guin's Tales of Earthsea in Abingdon, Virginia.
• Mike Perschon looks back on a decade of Steampunk scholarship.
  

Science and technology:

• Catie Keck shares live updates of the New Horizons probe's flyby of Ultima Thule. 
• Jonathan Amos reports that New Horizons has survived the Ultima Thule flyby and is sending data back to Earth.
• Jackson Ryan reports how the US government shutdown could affect NASA and several missions currently running. 
• Steven Lee Myers and Zoe Mou report about the landing of China's Chang'e 4 probe on the far side of the moon. 
• The BBC also reports about the Chang'e 4 mission.
• Jacob Banas reports that the Dream Chaser cargo space plane has been given the full scale production ge ahead.
• Marina Koren wonders what childbirth would look like in orbit and outer space. 
• Juan Siliezar offers a virtual reality trip inside the heart of a dead star.
• Paul Stenquist reports about the challenges to the power grid posed by electric cars.  
• David Nield reports that neuroscientists have successfully managed to link the brains of three people together who can now share thoughts.
• Lawrence Roberts, one of the creators of what eventually became the internet, has died aged 81. 
• Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, also known as the mother of the Hubble telescope has died aged 93. 

Free online fiction:

• "Left to Take the Lead" by Marissa Lingen in Clarkesworld.
• "The Pulse of Memory" by Beth Dawkins in Apex Magazine.
• "The Blighted Godling of Company Town H" by Beth Cato in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Beast Weeps With One Eye" by Morgan Al-Moor in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "With Teeth Unmake the Sun" by A. Merc Rustad in Lightspeed.
• "The Emerald Coat and Other Wishes" by Emily B. Cataneo in Lightspeed.
• "Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Fear" by Senaa Ahmad in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "Poems Written While" by Natalie Theodoridou in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "The Truffles of Mars" by Jeremy Lichtman in Flash Fiction Online.
• "A Long Spoon" by Jonathan L. Howard at Tor.com.
• "The Mystery of the Compost Heap" by Cora Buhlert in Umbel & Panicle.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for Young Justice: Outsiders.  
• Watch a teaser for season 3 of Stranger Things.
• Make Cora's Spaceman's Punch, a vintage 1960s recipe.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 28, 2018

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more best of 2018 lists, Outlander, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman, Bumblebee, Mortal Engines, Bird Box, The Dead Room and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Princess Weekes offers a very brief timeline of women writers of science fiction and fantasy.
• Paul Di Filippo takes a look at how science fiction tackled the events of 2018. 
• Font Folly explains why science fiction is about more than just ideas.
• Cody Goodfellow is not happy with the current state of epic fantasy. 
• Roberto de Sousa Causo reports about science fiction in Brazil.
• Joe M. McDermott wonders why SFF worldbuilding so rarely deals with food and the labour required to produce it.
• James Davis Nicoll shares six science fictional means of transportation to avoid. 
• Iwan Morus explains how real life experiments inspired Frankenstein. 
• David Hambling muses whether malnutrition and hypothermia caused Ebenezer Scrooge's hallucinations in A Christmas Carol.
• John Hertz shares his appreciation for the works of Theodore Sturgeon.
• Ruth Graham asks why there are so many bestselling books with "fuck" in the title right now.
• Scientist and SFF author Larry Eisenberg has died aged 99.
  

Best of 2018 lists:

• Andrew Liptak shares his favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018. 
• The Barnes & Noble bloggers share their favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018.
• The Fantasty Literature reviewers share their favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018.
• The SFF World reviewers shares their favourite science fiction books of 2018.
• Megan McCluskey shares the ten best fantasy books of 2018. 
• Vicki Who Reads shares the best hidden gems and underappreciated YA fantasy novels of 2018.
• James Whitbrook and Charles Pulliam-Moore share the best comics of 2018.
• iO9 shares the best, worst and most unforgettable movie moments of 2018.
• iO9 shares the ten best and worst speculative TV shows of 2018.
• Audible shares the best science fiction and fantasy audiobooks of 2018.
• iO9 shares the most tragic fictional deaths of 2018.
  

Film and TV:

• Ryan D'Agostino and Eleanor Hildenbrand revisit the 1981 science fiction film Brainstorm and its troubled production history.
• Mark Harrison revisits the 1998 fantasy film Pleasantville on its 20th anniversary.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1990 comic strip crime movie Dick Tracy. 
• Lucy Mangan calls the new Watership Down tame, drab and deeply unsatisfying. 
• Renaldo Matadeen explains the season 2 finale of Runaways.
• Vivian Kane shares her thoughts on the Timeless Christmas Special and series finale.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Counterpart.
• Eric Francisco reports that we're not going to see He-Man in the new She-Ra and the Princesses of Power anytime soon.
• Kaila Hale-Stern talks about the fact that way too many superhero movies have forgettable villains. 
• The AV Club reviewers rank all seasons of the Netflix Marvel TV series.
• Richard Newby discusses the strange appeal of Christmas horror. 
• Kerry Truong shares her thoughts on the Korean TV drama W - Two Worlds.
• Sean O'Grady declares that British television was more diverse and representative than ever in 2018.
• Former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan talks about the massive pushback against a female Doctor and how Jodie Whittaker defied it. 
• Paul Cornell imagines Doctor Who Christmas specials for previous Doctors that never were. 
• Callum Gunn reports that a recent Star Wars comic has finally revealed the identity of Anakin Skywalker's father (spoilers, obviously). 
• Leah Schnelbach shares six intergalactic holiday specials to watch.
• Actor Donald Moffat, who appeared in The Thing, Logan's Run, The Right Stuff, Night Gallery and many others , has died aged 87. 
• Actor, director and writer Peter Masterson, who appeared in The Stepford Wives and The Exorcist among others, has died aged 84.
  

Comments on Aquaman:

• Kaila Hale-Stern calls Aquaman a wildly adventurous, if predictable romp under the sea. 
• Richard Lawson calls Aquaman surprisingly jolly.
• Gary Westfahl calls Aquaman an overall successful superhero film.
• Lifelong Aquaman fan Glen Weldon is not happy that Jason Momoa portrays the hero as a surfer dude in the current movie.
• Wesley Morris is quite impressed with the physical presence of Jason Momoa in Aquaman, but not so much with the movie itself.
• Brandon Zachary talks about the fight to bring a much maligned character like Aquaman to the big screen. 
• Renaldo Matadeen finds a big plothole in Aquaman.
• Renaldo Matadeen also explains the three tridents of Atlantis and the role they play in Aquaman.
• Meanwhile, Kevin Melrose explains the seven kingdoms of Atlantis as seen in Aquaman.
• Jason Cohen reports that Mera as played by Amber Heard is more than just a sidekick and love interest in Aquaman.
• Laura Bradley explains how Julie Andrews came to make a very unusual cameo experience in Aquaman. 
• Kate Gardner is annoyed with some dated and sexist attempts to market Aquaman to women, since apparently no one can conceive that women might actually like superhero movies.
• Rachel Leishman shares some Twitter reactions to Aquaman.
• Germain Lussier interviews James Wan, director of Aquaman.
• Vivian Kane ranks the hairstyles of Aquaman.

Comments on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:

• Clarisse Loughrey calls Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a comic book come to life.
• Renaldo Matadeen declares that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse shows why we need more animated superhero movies. 
• Narayan Liu explains the surprise cameos in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Comments on Bumblebee:

• Glenn Kenny is stunned that Bumblebee is a Transformers movie that's actually good.
• Scott Tobias declares that Bumblebee soars over the low expectations engendered by a Transformers film these days.
• Geoffrey Macnab calls Bumblebee a considerable upgrade on previous Transformers films. 
• Jesse Hassenger cautions that even though Bumblebee is the best Transformers movie to date that doesn't necessarily mean it's good.
• Josh Bell calls Bumblebee a refreshing reset of the Transformers series.
• Renaldo Matadeen declares that Bumblebee rights every wrong of the Michael Bay Transformers films. 
• Ian Cardona declares that the opening scene of Bumblebee is exactly what Transformer fans have always wanted to see on the big screen. 
• Ian Cardona explains how Bumblebee lost the ability to speak.
• Kevin Melrose answers the question whether Bumblebee has a post-credits scene.  
• Renaldo Matadeen declares that Bumblebee's post-credit sequence hints at the future of the Transformers franchise.
• Germain Lussier interviews Christina Hodson, screenwriter of Bumblebee.
• Brandon Zachary also interviews Christina Hodson, screenwriter of Bumblebee.
  

Comments on Outlander: 

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Outlander.
• Natalie Zutter traces the evolution of Outlander's opening theme, "The Skye Boat Song" as arranged by Bear McCreary. 

Comments on Bird Box: 

• The Little Red Reviewer shares her thoughts on the post-apocalyptic horror movie Bird Box. 
• Geoffrey Macnab declares that Bird Box doesn't do anything new with the horror genre. 
• Renaldo Matadeen declares that Bird Box would have worked better as a TV series and could have been Netflix's answer to The Walking Dead.
• Renaldo Matadeen also calls Bird Box this decade's The Happening, only with a better villain.
• Germain Lussier discusses Bird Box's take on motherhood. 
• Kate Gardner declares that Bird Box rounds out a year of horror movies about mothers. 
• Waylon Jordan interviews Josh Malerman, author of the novel upon which Bird Box is based.

Comments on The Dead Room:

• Juliette Harrison calls The Dead Room a tight, traditional ghost story.
• Pat Stacey calls The Dead Room the horror story you'll want to watch this Christmas.
• Adam Bloodworth calls The Dead Room the ghostly love story we've all been hankering for this Christmas.

Comments on Mortal Engines:

• Renaldo Matadeen calls the widely panned Mortal Engines the most political movie of 2018.  
• Renaldo Matadeen also declares that the biggest influences in Mortal Engines come from Star Wars.

Awards:

• Mike Glyer reports that four winners have refused Parsec Awards due to a highly controversial winner.
• Podern Times has more background on the Parsec Awards issue.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Charissa Weaks shares some tips for infusing emotion into fiction.
• Jeff Zafaris shares four writing techniques to borrow from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
• J. Kathleen Cheney shares five tips to improve your next book cover.
• Judy Penz Sheluk shares some tips for setting up a multi-author bookstore event.
• The Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers is having a sale on its writing courses.
  

Interviews:

• Locus interviews Becky Chambers.
• Erin Bartnett interviews Michael Chabon. 
• Ari Shapiro interviews N.K. Jemisin.
• Christian A. Coleman interviews S.A. Chakraborty. 
• Mallory Yu interviews Taneka Stotts.
• The Qwillery interviews Clay Sanger.
• Deanna Destito interviews Scott Duvall.
  

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Finders by Melissa Scott.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold. 
• Roisin O'Connor reviews Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin.
• Colleen Mondor reviews A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney. 
• Steven Poore reviews Chasing Embers by James Bennett.
• Liz Bourke reviews Salvation's Fire by Justina Robson.
• Liz Bourke reviews Hidden Sun by Jaine Fenn.
• Liz Bourke reviews Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett.
• Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay reviews The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Rosewater by Tade Thompson. 
• The Fantasy Café reviews The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates. 
• Jana Nyman and Tadiana Jones review European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss. 
• Paul Weimer reviews Implanted by Lauren C. Teffeau.  
• Ian Mond reviews Chercher La Femme by L. Timmel Duchamp.
• Amy Goldschlager reviews Julia Unbound by Catherine Egan.
• A.M. Justice reviews Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander. 
• J.C. Kang reviews Web of Eyes by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle.
• Allison Meier reviews Typeset in the Future - Typography and Design in Science Fiction Movies by Dave Addey. 

Classics reviews:

• Beneath the Stains of Time revisits Ross Rocklynne's 1941 science fiction mystery Time Wants a Skeleton.
• Rich Horton revisits Fritz Leiber's 1953 science fiction novel The Green Millennium.
• Timothy the Talking Cat revisits Walter M. Miller's 1959 post-apocalyptic novel A Canticle for Leibowitz in his inimitable style. 
• Judith Tarr revisits Andre Norton's 1962 science fiction novel Eye of the Monster.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits The Dragon, a 1963 fantasy novel by Jane Gaskell. 
• Ron Kitchin revisits Kurt Vonnegut's 1969 science fiction novel Slaughterhouse Five.
• Mark Yon revisits Arthur C. Clarke's 1979 science fiction novel The Fountains of Paradise.
• Gerard Saylor revisits F. Paul Wilson's 1984 Repairman Jack novel The Tomb.
• Casual Debris revisits Alan Dean Foster's 1985 science fiction novel Sentenced to Prism.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The graphic novel version of Before You Go, a comic by Denise Schroeder, is looking for funding.

Con and event reports:

• Angie Wenham weighs in regarding the situation with Nine Worlds Geek Fest in London, UK. 
• Nine World Geek Fest shares a status update via its Twitter account.
• Corey Kilgannon reports about the New York City chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism and their events.
• Paul Cornell talks about organising the Fairford Festival of Fiction in Fairford, UK.
• Stuart Starosta reports about a visit to the Tolkien - Maker of Middle Earth exhibition at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK.
• Locus reports about a massive multi-author Halloween signing at Forbidden Planet in London, UK.
• James Tate Hill reports about two llamas paying a visit to Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, North Carolina.
  

Science and technology:

• Associated Press reports that the hole in the Soyuz capsule was drilled from the inside, though the culprit is still unknown. 
• David Rothery explains why it might be snowing on Mars this Christmas. 
• Joe Palca asks what comes next for tiny satellites.
• Paul Rincon shares the ten biggest science stories of 2018.
• Helen Briggs reports that ten new plant species have been found in 2018.
• The BBC reports that the remains of a horse still wearing a harness have been found at a villa in Pompeii.
  

Free online fiction: 

• "The Counsellor Crow" by Karen Lord in Lightspeed.
• "Under the Sea of Stars" by Seanan McGuire in Lightspeed.
• "I, Cthulhu, or, What’s A Tentacle-Faced Thing Like Me Doing In A Sunken City Like This (Latitude 47° 9’ S, Longitude 126° 43’ W)?" by Neil Gaiman at Tor.com.
• "Two Year Man" by Kelly Robson in Clarkesworld.  
• "Master Zhao: The Tale of an Ordinary Time Traveler" by Zhang Ran, translated by Andy dudak in Clarkesworld.
• "When We Find Our Voices" by Eleanna Castroianni in Clarkesworld.
• "Russula's Wake" by Kay Chronister in The Dark.
• "Sequestration; Vitrification" by Allison Jamieson-Lucy in Strange Horizons.
• "McEdifice: Ghosts of X-Mas Past" by Timothy T. Cat and Straw Puppy.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
• Watch a teaser for Doom Patrol. 
• Watch a teaser for the Doctor Who New Year's Special.
• Watch a trailer for Us.
• Watch a trailer for The Kid Who Would Be King. 
• See the Urinals of the Justice League.
• Watch a Star Trek parody from the Stephen Colbert Show.
• Watch the first ever film version of Frankenstein from 1910.