It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Spider-Man: Far From Home, season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale, season 3 of Jessica Jones, season 3 of Legion, Yesterday, Annabelle Comes Home, Chernobyl, Toy Story 4, tributes to Judith Krantz, Billy Drago and Max Wright, a debate whether John Scalzi ruined the Hugo Awards and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Ross Johnson lists ten diverse space operas.
- Jeff Somers shares fifteen science fiction and fantasy prequels.
- Philip Womack lists the thirty best children's books, including many genre works.
- Vylar Kaftan traces the use of ESP in science fiction and fantasy.
- Caroline Louise Walker explains why doctors make the most terrifying villains in fiction.
- Felicity McLean takes a look at Australian gothic fiction.
- Brian Evenson shares his ten scariest novels.
- Camestros Felapton shares some advice for time travellers.
- Emily Asher-Perrin wonders why science fiction and fantasy are so happy to demolish Venice again and again.
- Emily Temple traces the grand cultural influence of Octavia Butler.
- Ardi Alspach shares her appreciation for the works of Mercedes Lackey.
- Lila Shapiro profiles Sherilyn Kenyon and also discusses the alleged attempt by her husband to poison her.
- Camestros Felapton finds some parallels between the Ray Bradbury story "The Rocket Man" and Elton John's song "Rocketman".
- Michael Gonzales shares a brief history of the heroes of black pulp fiction.
- William Patrick Maynard celebrates the centennial of Johnston McCulley's Zorro.
- Tom Miller traces the history of the Street and Smith building in New York City, where The Shadow and Astounding Science Fiction were published among others.
- Summer H. Paulus compiles some unicorn lore.
- Molly Templeton points out that YA Twitter and cancel culture may be toxic, but that it also points out actual problems
- Katharine Trendacosta talks about toxic fandom.
- Natalie Zutter shares eight funny and thrilling LGBTQ fiction podcasts.
- Tarply Hitt reports that Nicholas Sparks, author of romantic melodrama, tried to ban an LGBT club at the Christian high school he founded.
- Rich Johnston reports about some political disagreements inside the so-called Comicsgate movement.
- Graeme McMillan reports that DC Comics is closing down its Vertigo imprint after 26 years.
- Ross Johnson shares ten Vertigo series that changed comics.
- Graeme McMillan reports that DC has launched a new horror imprint called Hill House Comics.
- Mike Glyer reports that Peter S. Beagle has won his lawsuit against his former manager Connor Cochran.
- Will Errickson remembers the late Dennis Etchison.
- Romance and women's fiction author Judith Krantz died aged 91.
- Margalit Fox remembers Judith Krantz.
Film and TV:
- Nicholas Barber calls The Dead Don't Die an absurdist apocalypse with hidden depths.
- Erik Adams shares his thoughts on Years and Years.
- Liz Shannon Miller shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
- Jack Seale shares his thoughts on season 2 of Dark.
- Peter Bradshaw calls In Fabric a horror film unllike anything else around.
- A.A. Dowd calls Midsommar a deranged (and funny) folk horror nightmare.
- Simran Hans declares that the superhero horro film Brightburn fails to take flight.
- Ben Child declares that the lack of success of Dark Phoenix means that the X-Men franchise needs a Marvel resurrection.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2014 science fiction film Predestination.
- Rosemary Benton revisits the 1964 horror movie The Masque of Red Death.
- Cora Buhlert shares her appreciation for the 1943 German fantasy movie Münchhausen.
- Tyler Malone talks about John Wayne, cancel culture and the art of problematic artists.
- Natalie Devitt revisits the last four episodes of season 5 of the original Twilight Zone.
- Director Bernard Rose and star Tony Todd remember the making of the 1992 horror movie Candyman.
- Bryan Burton remembers how difficult it was for Tim Burton to get his 1989 Batman adaptation made.
- Katie Rife revisits the 1989 science fiction comedy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and finds it still terrifying.
- Ben Child declares that the main problem with Flash Gordon is that Ming the Merciless is a racist stereotype and that any modenr film adaptation will have to deal with this issue.
- Carrie Sessarego talks about the romances in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Homa Khaleeli interviews the people behind the fansites Whovian.net, Watchers on the Wall and Welcome to Twin Peaks.
- Brian Davids interviews Dave Bautista who plays Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Jax Motes reports that Lady Gaga might provide the voice for Lylla, girlfriend of Rocket Raccoon, in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
- Bob Mondello is bothered by Disney's box office dominance via various mega-blockbusters.
- Andrew Pulver reports that Mark Hamill has demanded that Donald Trump's star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, be replaced by one for Carrie Fisher.
- Ryan Britt shares five questions that only a Captain Pike Star Trek show could explore.
- Tor.com reports that Spock as played by Ethan Peck in Star Trek Discovery as well as Number One played by Rebecca Romijn will return for an upcoming Short Treks episode.
- Nellie Andreeva reports that Michael Chabon has been named showrunner for the upcoming Star Trek: Picard series.
- Peter Allen Fields, screenwriter for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, has died.
- French actress Edith Scob, best known for her role in Eyes Without a Face, has died aged 81.
- Actor Max Wright, best known for playing Willie Tanner in ALF, has died aged 75.
- Actor Billy Drago, best known for his appearances in The Untouchables, Charmed and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., has died aged 73.
- Christian Long remembers Billy Drago.
Comments on Spider-Man: Far From Home:
- Charles Pulliam-Moore calls Spider-Man: Far From Home a spectacular leap forward for Peter Parker and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Jesse Hassenger calls Spider-Man: Far From Home funny and more focussed on character interaction than action scenes.
- Peter Bradshaw declares that Spider-Man: Far From Home lacks sparkle.
- Mike Ryan interviews Tom Holland, star of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Comments on season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale:
- Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on "Household", the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
- Beth Elderkin is bothered by the body horror in "Household".
- Kimberly Roots shares her thoughts on "Household".
Comments on season 3 of Jessica Jones:
- Charles Pulliam-Moore and Jill Pantozzi share four things they loved and three things they didn't like about season 3 of Jessica Jones.
- Camestros Felapton bids good-bye to Jessica Jones and the Marvel Netflix shows.
- James Whitbrook discusses the conflicted legacy of the Marvel Netflix shows.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore discusses some surprise cameos in season 3 of Jessica Jones that hint at a future which will never happen.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore praises the way season 3 of Jessica Jones handles the character of Trish Walker a.k.a. Hellcat.
- Rebecca Ianucci interviews Krysten Ritter, star of Jessica Jones.
Comments on season 3 of Legion:
- Rob Bricken declares that the season 3 premiere of Legion knows exactly how horrible a certain even in the season 2 finale was.
- Alex McLevy declares that season 3 of Legion starts off with time travel to deal with the ramifications of what happened in the season 2 finale.
Comments on Yesterday:
- Peter Bradshaw calls the alternate history movie Yesterday a wacky, winning comedy.
- Jesse Hassenger declares that Yesterday just stops short of becoming a musical.
- Xan Brooks interviews Danny Boyle, director of Yesterday.
- Michael Hogan interviews Himesh Patel, star of Yesterday.
- Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin also interview Himesh Patel.
Comments on Chernobyl:
- Emily Todd VanDerWerff shares her thoughts about the Chernobyl finale.
- Chris M. Barkley shares his thoughts on Chernobyl.
Comments on Annabelle Comes Home:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Annabelle Comes Home a creaky funhouse horror threequel.
- Katie Rife declares that Annabelle Come Home is like a greatest hits album of The Conjuring horror franchise.
- Joe George calls Annabelle Comes Home the Avengers: Endgame of horror.
- Brian Davids interviews Gary Dauberman, screenwriter of Annabelle Comes Home.
Comments on Toy Story 4:
- Leonard Maltin calls Toy Story 4 a summertime treat.
- Emily Asher-Perrin declares that Toy Story 4 will make you love humanity again.
- Anthony Lane declares that Toy Story 4 retreads some of the plotlines covered by the previous movies, but still enjoyed it.
- Nick Mamatas declares that Toy Story 4 is a secret horor movie.
- Leah Schnelbach finds some parallels between Toy Story 4 and The Good Place.
- The BBC reports that Toy Story 4 has broken a global box office record for animated movies.
- The BBC reports that Toy Story 4 has been beaten at the Chinese box office by the Japanese animated film Spirited Away which arrived in Chinese cinemas eighteen years late.
Comments on John Scalzi and the Hugos:
- Mike Glyer reports about an uproar involving John Scalzi's Hugo win for best fanwriter in 2008 and the changes in the best fanwriter category.
- John Scalzi responds to Ulrika O'Brien's article.
- Camestros Felapton responds to Ulrika O'Brien's article attacking John Scalzi for breaking the Hugo Awards.
- Camestros Felapton also asks whether writing for pro-sites like Tor.com still counts as fanwriting.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2019 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2019 Utopiales Awards has been announced.
- The finalists for the 2019 Russ Manning Awards have been announced.
- The nominations for the 2019 TCA Awards have been announced with some love for genre TV.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Orly Konig explains how mindmapping can help writers.
- Lisa Lowe Stauffer explains how objects can inject worldbuilding and character details into dialogue.
- Laura Lippman asks if it is okay for a white writer to write a black character.
- Tom Lloyd explains how asking "What if?" inspires his writing.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about rethinking the writing business.
- Emily Temple shares rejection letters sent to famous writers.
Interviews:
- The Qwillery interviews Ada Hoffman.
- Chris Urie interviews Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
- Juliette Wade interviews Jaymee Goh.
- Christian A. Coleman interviews Cadwell Turnbull.
- Gord Sellar interviews Soyeon Jeong.
Reviews:
- Ethan Mills reviews Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers.
- Lee Mandelo reviews Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee.
- Russell Letson reviews Edges by Linda Nagata.
- Paul Weimer reviews Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Liz Bourke reviews An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass.
- Rob Bedford reviews A Veil of Spears by Bradley P. Beaulieu
- Adrienne Martini reviews Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn.
- Alex Brown reviews Wicked Fox by Kat Cho.
- Matthew Keeley reviews The Iron Dragon's Mother by Michael Swanwick.
- Keikii Eats Books reviews Tyger Burning by T.C. McCarthy.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Destroy All Monsters by Sam J. Miller.
- Kartik Narayaran reviews Quill by A.C. Cobble.
- Ian Mond reviews The Book of Flora by Meg Elison.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Girl in Red by Christina Henry.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford.
- Paul di Filippo reviews The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Edge by Tim Lebbon.
- Sandra Mangan reviews The Passengers by John Marrs.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Big Cat and Other Stories by Gwyneth Jones.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Revenants and Maledictions by Peter Bell.
Classics reviews:
- Doris V. Sutherland revisits the Spring 1928 issue of Amazing Stories Quarterly.
- Bill Capossere revisits the 1943 military science fiction novella Clash by Night by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1948 science fiction novel Dreadful Sanctuary by Eric Frank Russell.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the July 1964 issues of Fantastic Stories of Imagination.
- Fabio Fernandes revisits the 1972 fantasy novel The Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 conspiracy thriller The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.
- Liz Bourke revisits the 1978 science fiction novel Dreamsnake by Vinda N. McIntyre.
- Ethan Mills revisits the 1979 horror novel The Dead Zone by Stephen King.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 YA science fiction novel Sandwriter by Monica Hughes.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 2001 fantasy novel Take a Thief by Mercedes Lackey.
Crowdfunding:
Con and event reports:
- Amazing Stories has a calendar covering cons and events worldwide.
- Alex McLevy and Randall Colburn report about the Cinepocalypse festival in Chicago, Illinois and share the best, worst and weirdest films presented.
- The BBC shares some photos of the summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Avesbury and elsewhere in the UK.
- Ken Mondschein offers a defence of the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Science and technology:
- George Dvorsky reports that mysterious cosmic radio bursts have been detected in a completely unexpected region of space.
- Charles Fishman reports that Neil Armstong and Buzz Aldrin were lost on the moon and neither they nor NASA knew where they were during the Apollo 11 mission.
- John R. Quain explains how historians can now see invisible text on ancient documents.
- David Kindy traces the accidental invention of the Super-Soaker.
Free online fiction:
- "War Hosts" by Yoon Ha Lee in Lightspeed.
- "Unpublished Gay Cancer Survivor Memoir" by Caspian Gray in Lightspeed
- "Strange Scenes from an Unfinished Film" by Gary McMahon in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Peppers of GreenScallion" by Myung-Hoon Bae, translated by Jihyun Park and Gord Sellar in Clarkesworld.
- "A Forrest, or a Tree" by Tegan Moore at Tor.com.
- "Ambassador Berry" by Linda McMullen in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Violent Silence" by Elizabeth Guilt in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The Unwish" by Claire Dean in The Dark.
- "Spaceships in the Desert" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Odds and ends:
