Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 2, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Return of the Jedi at forty and Star Wars in general, Star Trek in general, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Poker Face, the end of the so-called Arrowverse, The Boogeyman, Yellowjackets, the new Little Mermaid, the WGA strike, the debate about AI writing and art and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Amal El-Mohtar shares new science fiction and fantasy novels.
  
• R.W.W. Greene shares five SFF road trip stories to fuel your wanderlust.
• Christopher Rowe attempts to define sword and sorcery.
  
• Scott Oden discusses the intersection of historical fiction and sword and sorcery. 
• Jelena Dunato asks what slavic fantasy even means. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction novels set in future versions of  San Francisco. 
• Lee Mandelo shares four weird and sexy queer books for Pride month.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five works that are not SFF but feel as if they could be. 
• Alex Brown lists six favourite SFF authors writing in new and unexpected genres.
  
• Shehan Karunatilaka explains how Choose Your Own Adventure books taught him to write and helped him win the Booker Prize.
• Randee Dawn lists five SFF authors who also had careers as screenwriters.
  
• Joel Cuthbertson profiles Connie Willis.
  
• Jeff Goad profiles Gardner Fox.
  
• Steve Bean shares his appreciation for the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. 
• Michael Curtis shares his appreciation for the Silver John stories by Manly Wade Wellman. 
• Christopher Rowe shares his appreciation for The Rogue sword and sorcery stories by Jason Ray Carney. 
• Judith Tarr shares her appreciation for the Royal Dragons of Alaska paranormal romance series by Elva Birch. 

 

Comics and Art:

• James Whitbrook declares that Amazing Spider-Man No. 26 does Ms. Marvel dirty.
  
• Gary Farber shares his appreciation for fan artist and Disney imagineer Jim Shull. 
• Locus interviews fantasy artist Ed Binkley.
• The Cromcast interviews Jim Zub, writer of the new Conan comic. 
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on how strikes are affecting the book world.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Germain Lussier lists the best science fiction, fantasy and horror to stream in June 2023.
  
• Ann Michelle Harris calls Suzume a universal coming of age story that resonates across cultures.
  
• Camestros Felapton talks about the strange eschatology of Knock at the Cabin. 
• Chris Garcia calls Fudgie Freddie truly brilliant and more than a little terrifying.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls Breaking Infinity a low budget time travel mystery. 
• Cath Clarke calls Old Man and inauthentic and flat psychological horror movie. 
• Phil Hoad calls The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse! a brilliantly weird Estonian stop-motion film.
• Jack Seale calls The Days a diappointingly insight-free drama about the 2011 Fukushima disaster that cannot hold a candle to Chernobyl. 
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Silo. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and Willie in V.
  
• Marc Malkin interviews Ismael Cruz Córdova, who plays Arondir in The Rings of Power. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Andy Muschietti, director of The Flash.
  
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1968 spy movie Danger Diabolik. 
  
• Maureen Ryan reports about the toxic culture behind the scenes of the 2004 TV show Lost.
  
• Cassidy Ward explains why King Kong is the only one of his kind living on Skull Island. 
• Lorna Wallace shares eight SFF movies featuring giant insects or spiders. 
• Writers of the Guardian share their favourite Stephen King movie adaptations. 
• Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula, offers a look behind the scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
  
• Justin Carter shares the full list of shows removed from Disney Plus and Hulu.
  
• Actor and stunman Gary Kent has died aged 89. 
• Actor George Maharis, best known for his roles in Route 66, Naked City, Fantasy Island, Night Gallery, The Bionic Woman and many others, has died aged 94.
  

 

Comments on Return of the Jedi at forty and Star Wars in general: 

• Lloyd Farley declares that Return of the Jedi is the best film of the original Star Wars trilogy.
  
• James Whitbrook shares forty things that are great about Return of the Jedi. 
• Vincent Acovino reports how NPR had to apologise for accidentally spoiling Return of the Jedi upon its premiere forty years ago.
  
• Brady Langmann interviews Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. 
• Anthony d'Alessandro interviews Deborah Chow, director of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
  
• Jazz Tangcay takes a look at the costume designs for Andor.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Gautam Bhatia, Una McCormack and Manu Saadia discuss extractivism in Star Trek.
  
• Christian Blauvelt interviews Terry Matalas and Dave Blass, showrunner and production designer for Star Trek Picard. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Damage".

 

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

• Peter Bradshaw calls Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a crazily frantic sequel with full-spin energy
• Brad Buckalew calls Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse an ambitious sequel.  
• Germain Lussier calls Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a wonder.
  
• William Hughes declares that the 2018 movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is still the best Spider-Man movie of all time.
  

 

Comments on Poker Face: 

• Joel Golby calls Poker Face a perfect detective show that turns up the fun-o-meter until it explodes 
• Lucy Mangan calls Poker Face a superfun detective show and praises the performance of Natasha Lyonne. 
• Rebecca Nicholson declares that the female private investigator shows Poker Face and High Desert are the most wildly entertaining TV shows of 2023. 
  

 

Comments on the end of the so-called Arrowverse: 

• Sam Barsanti bids goodbye to the so-called Arrowverse, the most ambitious experiment in superhero television. 
• Sydney Bucksbaum interviews Eric Wallace, showrunner of The Flash, the last remaining Arrowverse show. 
• Justin Carter takes a look at comic stories The Flash wanted to adapt, had the show continued.
  

 

Comments on The Boogeyman: 

• Leigh Monson calls The Boogeyman a Stephen King adaptation that will scare you out of your seat. 
• Benjamin Lee calls The Boogeyman a derivative but well-made Stephen King horror adaptation. 
• Sabina Graves declares that The Boogeyman reminds us why we're afraid of the dark.
  

 

Comments on Yellowjackets: 

• Leila Latif declares that Yellowjackets has taken survival horror to new heights.
• Hattie Lindert shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of Yellowjackets. 
• Brian Qualey shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of Yellowjackets.
  
• Meredith Hobbs Coons shares her favourite 1990s songs used on the soundtrack of Yellowjackets.
  

 

Comments on the new The Little Mermaid: 

• io9 interviews Rob Marshall, director of the new Little Mermaid. 
• Brent Lang reports that the new Little Mermaid has grossed 118 million US-dollar over its opening weekend. 
• Kyle Barr reports that the new Little Mermaid suffers from review bombing campaigns.  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also reports about the review bombing campaign against the new Little Mermaid and wonders what IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes ratings say at all, since both are heavilöy biased.
  
• Mari Ness revisits the original fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen.
  

 

Comments on the strike of the Writers Guild of America:

• Nellie Andreeva interviews Francesca Orsi, head of HBO's drama department, about the impact of the WGA strike on HBO shows.
  
• Linda Codega reports that several Star Trek actors have been spotted on the picket lines supporting the WGA strike.
  
• Justin Carter reports that production on the Marvel projects Thunderbolts and Wonder Man has been put on hold due to the ongoing WGA strike.
• Justin Carter reports that the TV show Blade Runner 2099 has also stopped production due to the ongoing WGA strike.
  

 

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2023 Kitschies has been announced.
  
• The contestants for the 2023 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off have been announced.
• The winners of the 2023 Ursa Major Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire have been announced. 
• Chris M. Barkley wonders about the future of the Hugos in an increasingly global science fiction community.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that the winner of the 2023 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off cover contest has been disqualified after the cover was found to be AI generated.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Walter Rhein explains how to write something of literary merit that appeals to a popular audience.
  
• Lauren Mechling wonders what happens if your partner does not like your writing.
  
• Victoria Strauss talks about termination fees in publishing.
• Sarah Shaffi reports that the American Library Association, the Authors Guild and other groups are sueing the state of Arkansas over a new law that bans giving books deemed "obscene" to minors.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

• Jason Sanford shares a round-up of the latest state of the AI controversy. 
  
• Neil Clarke shares a statement on the use and training of AI large language models.
  
• Matt Binder reports that a lawyer used ChatGPT to draft a legal filing, only to find that the AI program had cited non-existent cases.
• John Walker reports that Nvidia is trying to replace many game developers with AI. 
• Naomi Klein notes that AIs are not hallucinating, but that their creators are. 
• Paul Rudnick shares a not entirely serious look at what AI written film and TV scripts might look like.
  

 

Interviews:

• Runalong the Shelves interviews Gareth Hanrahan.
  
• Track of Words interviews Sebastien de Castell. 
• Gordon B. White interviews Sadie Hartmann.
  
• The HWA interviews Christine Sng.
  
• Miwa Messer interviews Jacqueline Woodson.
• Claire Armitstead interviews Georgi Gospodinov.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Matthew Knight. 
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews Catherine Lundoff.
• Jane Temson interviews Chikọdịlị Emelụmadụ
  

 

Reviews:

• Adrienne Martini reviews Translation State by Ann Leckie 
• Marlene Harris reviews Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell
  
• Adrienne Martini reviews Witch King by Martha Wells
• Rob Bedford reviews Witch King by Martha Wells
• Alex Brown reviews Witch King by Martha Wells
• Warner Holme reviews Witch King by Martha Wells 
• Paul Weimer reviews Master of Samar by Melissa Scott. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Hybrid Heart by Iori Kusano. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Faithless by C.L. Clark. 
• Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere review The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
• Track of Words reviews The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews Rose/House by Arkady Martine 
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews Tronick by Rosie Record.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Grave Danger by Alice James. 
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Painted Devils by Margaret Owen. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman. 
• Bookshelf Fantasies reviews The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong. 
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews On The Nature of Magic by Marian Womack
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong. 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Way Home by Peter S. Beagle.
  
• The Fantasy Book Café reviews The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart. 
• Em Nordling reviews The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw.
  
• Steven Poole reviews Conquest by Nina Allan. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Conquest by Nina Allan
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Conquest by Nina Allan
• Mark Yon reviews Airside by Christopher Priest.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Dual Memory by Sue Burke
• Marlene Harris reviews Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow. 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Echoes of Olympos Mons by Eric Malikyte
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Under the Hollywood Sign by Tom Reamy 
• David Hayden reviews Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley
  
• Robin Marx reviews Die By the Sword, edited by D.M. Ritzlin. 
• Christopher Rowe reviews the May 2023 issue of Savage Realms.
  
• Christopher Rowe reviews issue 56 of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 
• Christopher Rowe reviews issue 10 of Tales from the Magician's Skull.
  
• Warner Holmes reviews Origins of The Wheel of Time: the Legends and Mythologies by Michael Livingston.
• Blake Morrison reviews Orwell: The New Life by D.J. Taylor

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1940 science fiction novel The Whispering Gorilla by Don Wilcox and its 1943 sequel Return of the Whispering Gorilla by David V. Reed.
  
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1948 lost world novel Ice City of the Gorgon by Richard S. Shaver and Chester S. Geier.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1953 non-fiction anthology Modern Science Fiction: Its Meaning and Its Future, edited by Reginald Bretnor. 
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1959 science fiction story "The Valley of Echoes" by Gérard Klein.
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 1960 science fiction collection Tiger By the Tail by Alan E. Nourse.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1964 science fiction story "The New Prehistory" by René Rebetez-Cortes.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1965 science fiction novel The Long Result by John Brunner.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1968 post-apocalyptic novel Sos the Rope by Piers Anthony. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1968 issue of Analog.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1971 science fiction story "A Meeting With Medusa" by Arthur C. Clarke.
• James Maliszewski revisits the March 1986 issue of White Dwarf.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Tales from Stolki's Hall: A Thrones & Bones Anthology, edited by Lou Anders, is looking for funding.
• Dragon Hoard Games, an independent game store in Silverdale, Washington, is looking for funding to ward off eviction.
  
• SFF writer Zin E. Rocklyn needs some help to be able to attend the residency portion of the Masters program in creative writing.
• Issues 7 and 8 of the RPG zine Tales from the Smoking Wyrm are looking for funding. 
• My Palitoy Story by Bob Brechin, an illustrated history of the British toy company Palitoy, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Mira Jacobs reports that Florida's new anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ laws have affected the furry convention Megaplex in Orlando, Florida.
• E.J. Dickson also reports about Megaplex being forced to ban attendants under eighteen to comply with Florida's new anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ laws. 
• Kenneth Shepard also reports about Ron DeSantis picking a fight with Megaplex.
  
• In response to Florida's new anti-LGBTQ laws, the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts asks if their annual conference should remain in Orlando, Florida. 
• Marcin Klak reports about the 2023 Magnificon in Krakow, Poland. 
• Marcin Klak reports about the 2023 KONgres in Skierniewice, Poland.
• Kirk McKoy shares cosplay photos from Balticon in Baltimore, Maryland.
  
• Joshua Shaw reports about a problematic question during a quiz held at Anime North in Toronto, Canada. 
• Tom Ambrose shares stories of British theatregoers behaving badly.
  
• Hannah Sampson discusses why the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser immersive hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida, failed. 
• Sabina Graves reports about the music being created for the Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction in Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Isaac Schultz notes that we may have been looking for habitable exo-planets in the wrong place 
• NASA reports that the Hubble Space Telescope is on the hunt for a black hole. 
• Kenneth Chang explains why the Japanese Hakuto-R Moon lander crashed.
  
• Noor Al-Sibai reports that space tourists have been less than thrilled with the toilets aboard the International Space Station.
  
• Kaye Dee takes a look at the state of the European space industry in 1968.
• Eric Betz reports about Nabta Playa in Egypt, the oldest known astronomical site on Earth. 
• The Guardian reports that the mystery of why Venice's channels suddenly turned flourescent green has been solved. 
• The Guardian reports that a Beluga whale suspected of being a Russian spy has been spotted off the Swedish coast. 
• Sarah Shaffi reports that the so-called Heege manuscript sheds light on the life and role of medieval minstrels. 
  
  

Gaming: 

• Nic Reuben calls the video game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum a derivative, uninteresting and fundamentally broken stealth action adventure that fails to capture anything interesting about Tolkien’s fiction.
• Levi Winslow reports that Daedalic Entertainment, developers of the video game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, have apologised for the underwhelming experience.
• Vulture lists the 100 hardest video game levels of all time. 
• Ashley Bardhan shares the worst parts of the best video games.
  
• Linda Codega shares games created by Asian and Pacific Islander designers. 
• Linda Codega reports that Magic: The Gathering's new Lord of the Rings set is makign racists made and that is a good thing.
  
• Linda Codega interviews Andrew Gillis, creator of the RPG Girl by Moonlight. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Sabina Graves shares ideas for Father's Day gifts for geeky dads.
• Andrew Liszewski shares the best Lego sets coming out in June.
  
• Germain Lussier shares two new Marvel themed Lego sets.
• Mattel Creations is offering a new version of Vykron, a Masters of the Universe figure based on very early He-Man concept art.
  
• Pixel Dan reviewers the Masters of the Universe Origins Point Dread and Talon Fighter playset and the Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Whiplash figure.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A Memory Is Like a Talon" by Anna Martino in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Measure Twice, Cut Once" by K.R. March in Apex Magazine. 
• "Fruit of the Memory Tree" by J.A. Prentice in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Eleonora of the Bones" by Kat Howard in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
  
• "The Infinite Endings of Elsie Chen" by Kylie Lee Baker in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "The God of the Overpass" by Orrin Grey in The Dark.
  
• "We Are Always Walking on Dead Things" by Emily Ruth Verona in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Ocean Remembers the Wave" by L. Chan in Strange Horizons.
  
• "The Bull's Calf" by Susan Murray Macdonald in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Place of Four Winds" by Gabriel Mara in The Deadlands.
  
• "Pagan Fires" by Rev. Joe Kelly in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 
• "Two Blue Circles" by John K. Peck in Pyre Magazine.
  
• "The Writers' Room" by Chao C. Shete in Omenana. 
• "High Stakes" by B.A. Booher in Wyldblood.
  
• "Fierce Happening" by Trent Jamieson in The Sunday Morning Transport.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 6 of Black Mirror.
• Watch a trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. 
  
• Watch a trailer for Fear the Invisible Man. 
• Watch a trailer for Biosphere.
  
• Watch a trailer for I'm a Virgo.
  

 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for March 4, 2022

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery and the many iterations of Star Trek, The Batman and the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows, Doctor Who past and present, Mad Max: Fury Road, season 11 of The Walking Dead, responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tributes to Sally Kellerman, Shirley Hughes and others and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in March 2022.
  
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in March 2022. 
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in March 2022.
  
• Tobias Carroll shares the best small press speculative fiction coming out in March and April. 
• Shaun Duke muses about a potential science fiction canon.
  
• The Rogues in the House podcast hosts a sword and sorcery roundtable. 
• Brian Murphy talks about the future of the sword and sorcery genre.
  
• The Pulp Archivist attempts to explain what pulp fiction is. 
• Michael Moreci shares six of the most compelling fantasy writers working today.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five classic science fiction stories about lost homeworlds. 
• Kaylen Ralph talks about dystopian novels and how they resemble the here and now. 
• Carly Silver shares six wintery SFF romances to melt your heart.
  
• Christopher Barzak shares five books about magical families. 
• Cole Rush shares five fantasy coffee shops he'd like to visit. 
• Mike Chen shares five recent SFF books with superpowered characters.
  
• Alex Shvartsman shares speculative fiction by Ukrainian born authors that is available in English.
• Jonathan Thornton shares a guide to Finnish weird fiction in translation. 
• Carrie Sessarego talks about the portrayal of women in horror fiction. 
• Molly Templeton asks if it is possible to read without expectations. 
  
• Rasha Ali profiles Octavia E. Butler. 
• Adam Scovell profiles Philip K. Dick.
  
• Disability scholar Farah Rose Smith takes a look at the works of H.P. Lovecraft. 
• G.W. Thomas revisits the fantasy stories that Lin Carter wrote under the pen name Graail Undwin. 
  
• The Hugo Book Club Blog share their appreciation for fan writer Chris M. Barkley.
  
• Reid McCarter reports that erotica author and international treasure Chuck Tingle has purchased the domain GovernorAbbott.com and uses it to link to charities supporting trans people.
• Mike Glyer reports that Russian SFF author Sergey Lukianenko has doubled down on previous comments and defends the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Mike Glyer reports that several Russian SFF authors have signed an open letter supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the iniative of Sergey Lukianenko. 
• Jason Sanford shares a round-up of reactions to the war in Ukraine from the SFF world.
  
• Deuce Richardson remembers Dave Wolverton a.k.a. Dave Farland. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch remembers Dave Wolverton a.k.a. Dave Farland.
  
• Thomas Parker remembers Ron Goulart.
  
• Greg Mele remembers Richard L. Tierney. 
• Priscilla Tolkien, the youngest daughter of J.R.R. Tolkien, has died aged 92.
  
• Agent and editor Chuck Verrill has died aged 87. 
• Children's book illustrator Shirley Hughes has died aged 94. 
• The Guardian shares tributes to Shirley Hughes. 
• Julia Eccleshare shares an obituary for Shirley Hughes. 
• The Guardian shares pictures from Shirley Hughes' children's books.
  
• British SFF author Andy Remic has died aged only 50.
  

Comics and Art:

• Bill Capossere reviews the graphic novel Dionysos by George O'Connor.
  
• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Keeping Two by Jordan Crane. 
• Shaenon Garrity interviews Julie Doucet.
  
• Justin Carter reports that Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez will be taking over the Batman comic.
  
• Marcel Green reports about the backlash against the latest ComiXology update.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Matt Davis calls The Spine of Night a surreal, blood-soaked fever dream of epic proportions that recalls esoteric animated classics of the 1980s such as Heavy Metal and Fire and Ice.
• Cath Clarke calls You Are Not My Mother an effective low budget horror film from Ireland.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls The Last Journey an ambitious science fiction parable from France. 
• Jesse Hassenger calls After Yang a beautiful science fiction drama. 
• Katie Rife calls Fresh a cutting horror satire about modern dating.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls Incarnation a by the numbers horror film.
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the South Korean zombie series All of Us Are Dead.  
• Leila Latif calls The Boys Presents: Diabolical a fun animated anthology series. 
• Cristina Escobar declares that Shining Vale has all the best horror elements.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Raised by Wolves. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
  
• Kaya Kanda shares her thoughts on the horror film Underwater. 
• Stuart Heritage calls Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes a harrowing documentary.
  
• Den of Geek share their favourite science fiction TV shows of the past fifteen years. 
• Anne Billson ranks filmic portrayals of Dracula.
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten essential horror films by Dario Argento. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares six classic movies guaranteed to traumatise children.
  
• Stephen Barker shares the ten goofiest science fiction movies. 
• Leah Schnelbach visits Andrej Tarkovsky's 1972 adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's science fiction novella Solaris, Stephen Soderbergh's 2002 adpatation of the same story and the 1997 science fiction horror film Event Horizon for their respective anniversaries.
  
• Wade Tubbs revisits the 1997 science fiction comedy Men in Black and finds it still as enjoyable as it was. 
• Clive Dawson profiles Ardel Wray, a largely forgotten screenwriter who wrote many of Val Lewton's horror films of the 1940s. 
• Nibaq Farar interviews Park Seo Jun, star of Parasite and Captain Marvel 2.
  
• Camestros Felapton analyses the famous theme song of the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger. 
  
• Germain Lussier interviews B.J. McDonnell, direcotr of Studio 666. 
• Vincent Ni explains why Hollywood movies are struggling in China. 
• Sian Cain reports that Disney. Sony and Warner Bros have stopped releasing new movies in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
  
• Dan Persons remembers the late Douglas Trumbull. 
• Steve Vertlieb remembers Veronica Carlson.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and the many iterations of Star Trek: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Galactic Barrier", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Galactic Barrier".
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Galactic Barrier". 
• Mark Lawson interviews Patrick Stewart, who plays Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek Picard.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Shadows of P'Jem".
• James Whitbrook takes a look at the costume design of the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  

 

Comments on The Batman:

• Nicholas Barber calls The Batman a noirish pulp fantasy.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Batman a gloomy superhero film elevated by Robert Pattinson's performance. 
• A.A. Dowd calls The Batman a flawed but striking pop-noir blockbuster.  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw notes that The Batman borrows heavily from 1970s gritty neo-noir film and praises the performance of Robert Pattinson. 
• Sam Machkovech calls The Batman a refreshing comic book movie triumph, but finds it too long.
  
• Wendy Ide profiles Robert Pattinson who plays Bruce Wayne in The Batman.
• Rebecca Keegan profiles Paul Dano who plays the Riddler in The Batman. 
  
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Peter Sarsgaard, who plays District Attorney Gil Coulson in The Batman.
• Stuart Heritage discusses the strange marketing campaign for The Batman.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discusses Barry Keoghan's role in The Batman.
• Scott Standley reports that Robert Pattinson sometimes replies to troll posts on Batman fan forums incognito.
  

 

Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV-shows:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
  
• Rob Bricken interviews Adrain Chase who plays Stroma in Peacemaker.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past and present: 

• Lauren Coates reports that Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill lobbied for the relationship between the Doctor and Yaz to become canon on Doctor Who.  
• Sab Astley speculates about Russel T. Davies' plans for Doctor Who.
  
• Henry Lincoln, who wrote three Doctor Who serials in the 1960s, has died aged 92.

 

Comments on Mad Max: Fury Road:

• Kyle Buchanan explains how Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, shaped the five wives in Mad Max: Fury Road.
• Luke Buckmaster feels the need to point out that he also wrote a book about the Mad Max series and that Kyle Buchanan doesn't know everything.
• Sandy Schaefer shares more news about the proposed Furiosa film.
  

 

Comments on season 11 of The Walking Dead: 

• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
  

 

Tributes to Sally Kellerman: 

• Actress Sally Kellerman, best known for her appearances in the original Star Trek, the original Outer Limits and M.A.S.H., has died aged 84.
• The Guardian remembers Sally Kellerman.
• Carmel Dargan remembers Sally Kellerman.
• Ryan Gilbey remembers Sally Kellerman.
  

 

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2021 BSFA Awards has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Clarkesworld Readers Poll have been announced
  
• The winner of the 2022 Dal Coger Memorial Hall of Fame Award has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2022 D.I.C.E. Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced with some love for Squid Game.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Annie Ward shares her thoughts on writing what you know.
  
• Isaac Fellman tells people not to dismiss fanfiction. 
• Reeves Wiedeman profiles Filippo Bernadini, who stole several unpublished manuscripts. 
• Study in Switzerland shares the result of a study about international reading habits.
  
• More than one thousand writers from around the world condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 
• Shelf Awareness shares several statements from writing and publishing organisations around the world condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 
• Jim Milliot and Ed Nawotka report that the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Bologna Children's Book Fair have suspended cooperation with Russian state organisations in charge of organising the collective Russian stall at both fairs.  
• Brian J. White announces that Fireside Magazine will cease publication later this year.
  
• John Maher reports about the proposed "Freelance isn't Free" bill in New York State that will also affect freelance writers, editors, journalists, etc...
• Locus reports that Amazon will be closing all of its brick and mortar bookstores.
  
• Jen Bartholomew reports that Waterstones will acquire the academic bookseller Blackwell's, the UK's biggest independent bookseller.
  

Interviews:

• The BBC Woman's Hour interviews Margaret Atwood. 
• Arley Sorg interviews John Scalzi.
  
• Nneka McGuire interviews Nnedi Okorafor.
  
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews John Birmingham. 
• Katie Smart interviews Adam Roberts.
  
• Hephzibah Anderson interviews Catriona Ward.
  
• Lisa Allardice interviews Marlon James. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Regina Kanyu Wang and Yu Chen.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews A.M. Shine. 
• Locus interviews Olivia Blake.
  
• Geoff Matthews interviews J.T. Greathouse. 
  
• Janna Miller interviews Jen Mierisch.
• Cora Buhlert interviews Abraham Riesman.
• Cora Buhlert interviews Jason M. Waltz.
• Daniel Dern interviews Carol Pinchefsky.
  

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Assassin's Orbit by John Appel.
  
• Matt Broadway reviews The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse. 
• Natalie Luhrs reviews Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. 
• Russell Letson reviews Beyond the Hallowed Sky by Ken MacLeod.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. 
• Anthony Cummins reviews Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James.
  
• Arturo Serrano reviews A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards.
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Scorpica by G.R. Macallister.
  
• Becky LeJeune reviews The Gifts by Liz Hyder. 
• Lucy Popescu reviews The Gifts by Liz Hyder. 
• Fantasy Faction reviews Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar.
  
• Chris Haught reviews Scorch by Jesse Teller.
  
• Molly Templeton reviews Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd.
• Adrienne Martini reviews Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. 
• Fiona Sturges reviews Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
  
• Sarah McCarry reviews The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran. 
• Publishers Weekly reviews Booth by Karen Joy Fowler.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews 51 by Patrick O'Leary. 
• Rachael McKenzie reviews The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White.
• Maya Gittelman reviews The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh.
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Naga­matsu 
• Paul Weimer reviews Quantum of Nightmares by Charles Stross. 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Off Target by Eve Smith. 
• Ian Mond reviews The High House by Jessie Greengrass.
  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes. 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Hunted by Damian Dawes.   
• Shahidha Bari reviews Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood.
  
• Jeff Foust reviews Discovering Mars: A History of Observation and Exploration of the Red Planet by William Sheehan and Jim Bell.
• Gary Romeo reviews Weird Tales of Modernity by Jason Ray Carney.
  

 
Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1916 adventure novel The Strange Story of William Hyde by Patrick and Terence Casey.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1934 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Frost Giant's Daughter" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1935 science fiction novel Rulers of the Future by Paul Ernst.
  
• James Reasoner revisits the 1937 adventure fantasy novel The Lake of Life by Edmond Hamilton. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1947 space opera The Star Kings by Edmond Hamilton.
  
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1949 science fiction story "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" and the 1953 science fiction story "A Bad Day for Sales" by Fritz Leiber. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1950 science fiction novel Fury by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore. 
• Steven H. Silver revisits the 1965 science fiction story "Final Report" by Richard Grey Sipes. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the March 1967 issue of Analog. 
• Gareth L. Powell revisits the 1968 space opera novel Nova by Samuel R. Delany.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1970 sword and sorcery story "The Price of Pain-Ease" by Fritz Leiber. 
• Young People Read Old SFF revisit the 1974 science fiction story "Midnight at the Morphy Watch" by Fritz Leiber.
  
• James McGlothlin revisits the 1979 horror anthology The Year's Best Horror, Series VII, edited by Gerald W. Page. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1982 science fiction anthology Tomorrow's TV, edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg and Charles Waugh.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the January 1982 issue of White Dwarf.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1994 Disworld novel Soul Music by Terry Pratchett.
• The Quick and the Read also revisits the 1994 Disworld novel Soul Music by Terry Pratchett.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1998 Witch World science fantasy novel Ciara's Song by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie.
• Claire Eliza Bartlett revisits the 2004 historical fantasy novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Brandon Sanderson is crowdfunding four new secret novels - not that he needs the support.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Arthur Chappell reports about the 2021 Novacon in Buxton, UK. 
• Morgan Hazelwood reports about the panel "When Plot Twists Go Bad" at DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC.
  
• Esther McCallum-Stewart explains how Worldcon Guests of Honour are chosen. 
• The 2022 Westercon in Tonopah, Nevada, shares its covid policies. 
• SFWA announces that the 2022 Nebula Conference will be virtual again.
  
• Joel Cunningham reports about his stay at the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
• Stuart Heritage declares that the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel in Disney World, Orlando, Florida. sounds like hell, especially since it doesn't have any windows.
• Miriam Gillinson reports about Uncanny Valley, a stage program in London, UK, where writer Thomas Melle delivers a lecture via his android counterpart.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Zahra Tayeb reports that the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos has threatened that Russia may stop supporting the International Space Station in response to the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine and that the ISS may crash into Europe or the US.
  
• Bryan Bender reports about Elon Musk's Starship project. 
• Gareth L. Powell talks about Ringworlds, Dyson sphere and other megastructures.
  
• Diane Kelly explains what old houses can teach us.
• Rebecca Ross talks about the amoral violence of folk magic.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Dragon Project" by Naomi Kritzer in Clarkesworld. 
• "Saturn Devouring His Son" by Ea Mylonas in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Rakshasa in a Pot" by Prashanth Srivatsa in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 
• "Bhatia, PI" by Shiv Ramdas in Lightspeed. 
  
• "The Heaven That They Never Knew" by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor in Lightspeed.
• "A Record of Our Meeting with the Grand Faerie Lord of Vast Space and Its Great Mysteries, Revised" by A.T. Greenblatt in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "It Never Was" by R.Z. Held in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "To People Who'd Never Known God" by Thomas Ha in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The Golden Hour" by Erica Ruppert in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Revolving Mountain" by Tanatswa Makara in Omenana. 
• "It Rises and Falls and Rises Again" by R.J. Taylor in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Shrine" by Kirstyn McDermott in The Dark.
  
• "The Hawk and the Wren" by Kristina T. Saccone in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Good Job, Robin" by JoeAnn Hart in Slate: Future Tense.
  
• "Mermaid Care" by Jonathan Crowe in Mermaids Monthly. 
• "I Have Reached Into the Quantum Basket" by Marie H. Lewis in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "Kernels of Reistance" by Mary Alexandra Agner in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "The Skin Trader" by Matt Tighe in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "The Last Passenger" by Melissa Mead in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Fermi's Answer" by Daniel Scott White and E.E. King in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Your Hero Can't Save You Know" by Katie Conrad in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Night of the Dancing Champions" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure.
  
• Watch a trailer for Morbius.
  
• Watch a trailer for In Search of Tomorrow.
• Watch a trailer for Chariot.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Baby. 
• Watch a trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
  
• Watch a trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen.
  

Odds and ends:

• Crochet a solar system wheelchair spoke cover (also doubles as a doily).
• Marc Musso ranks his ten favourite science fiction and fantasy boardgames.
  

 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 11, 2022

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars in general, the many iterations of Star Trek,  Moonfall, The Legend of Vox Machina, the various DC Comics based movies and TV shows, Doctor Who past, present and future, tributes to Richard L. Tierney, Angélica Gorodischer, Douglas Trumbull and Robert Blalack and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Fantasy Faction share their fifty favourite SFF books of 2021.
  
• Jo Walton shares her January 2022 reading list. 
• Tor.com shares twenty-three modern SFF twists on familiar stories.
  
• Evie Green shares five books about the bleak horror of winter. 
• Neil McRobert talks about the resurrection of the horror genre. 
• John Scalzi explains why science fiction books are much longer than they were up to the 1980s.
  
• The Hugo Book Club Blog talks about SFF and its terminology. 
• Hafsah Faizal shares five YA fantasy novels where enemies become lovers.
  
• Horror author Joe Koch explains what the works of H.P. Lovecraft mean to him.
• C.D. Covington shares her thoughts on Maria Dahvana Headley's Hugo winning Beowulf translation. 
• Kristen Bird discusses the darker side of Jane Austen's novels. 
• Aidan Moher explains why The Lord of the Rings is still relevant almost seventy years after it was released.
  
• Rogues in the House share their appreciation for Karl Edward Wagner's Kane sword and sorcery stories and novels. 
• Allison Kubo Hutchinson discusses Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's The Wheel of Time from a geological perspective. 
• Molly Templeton declares that bars are a great place to read. 
  
• Steve Haffner reports that in the course of reprinting all of Manly Wade Wellman's John the Balladeer stories, they uncovered the outline for The Valley So Low, a John the Balladeer novel that Wellman never got around to writing. 

 

Tributes to Angélica Gorodischer and Richard L. Tierney:

• Angélica Gorodischer, Argentinian author of SFF and other genres, has died aged 93. 
• Vanessa Armstrong remembers Angélica Gorodischer.
  
• Sword and sorcery author Richard L. Tierney has died aged 86.
• Brian Murphy remembers Richard L. Tierney.
• Greg Mele remembers Richard L. Tierney.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Chelsea Steiner reports that Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples has returned after a three year hiatus to break our hearts all over again. 
• Rob Bricken reports about the return of Shaolin Cowboy by Geof Darrow after an extended hiatus.
  
• Brad Hawley reviews Resident Alien, Vol. 3: The Sam Hain Mystery by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse.
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Lore Olympus Volume 1 by Rachel Smythe. 
• Paperback Warrior profiles cover model Steve Holland who appears on the 1960s Doc Savage reprints and many other books of the period.
  
• Defused shares some fan art showing superheroes enjoying some downtime. 
• James Whitbrook reports about the new X-Men miniseries X Deaths and X Lives of Wolverine.
  
• Rob Bricken reports that DC's latest mega event Dark Crisis will not reboot the DC Universe yet again.
  
• Peter Kirn reports that an artist has used an AI to create 1970s style science fiction paperback covers and titles.
• Jennifer Rankin reports that the new Belgian passports will feature popular Belgian comic characters like Tintin or the Smurfs.
• Jarod Facundo reports that the pervasive supply chain issues also effect comics.
• British comics artist Ian Kennedy, who worked on Commando, 2000 AD, Dan Dare and many others, has died aged 90.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Raised by Wolves. 
• Steve Rose discusses how the animated film Belle depicts the future as a futuristic wonderland.
• Stephen Robinson declares that Severance reminds him why offices can be so unpleasant. 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that the animated horror film The House shows the true horrors of home renovation.
  
• Spencer Bollettieri finds some unexpected parallels between Disney's animated musical Encanto and Ray Bradbury's fantasy collection From the Dust Returned. 
• Anthony Breznican and Joanna Robinson offer a look at Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series. 
• Brian Davids interviews Tom Holland, star of Uncharted and the Spider-Man movies.
• Rich Pelley interviews Andy Serkis, best known for his appearances in the Lord of the Rings movies, The Hobbit trilogy and the Planet of the Apes movies.
  
• Briana Lawrence interviews Cheyenne Ewulu, director of Shades of Cosplay.
  
• BBC Radio 4 revisits the 1922 vampire movie Nosferatu. 
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 2002 Firefly episode "War Stories".
  
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 2006 ecological horror film The Last Winter.
• Martin Edwards revisits the 2015 horror film The Invitation.
  
• Rob Bricken celebrates legendary film composer John Williams' 90th birthday by remembering nine of his best scores.
• Germain Lussier report that the film company Village Roadshow is sueing Warner Bros over The Matrix: Resurrections, Edge of Tomorrow and the upcoming Wonka.

 

Tributes to Douglas Trumbull and Robert Blalack: 

• Special effects pioneer Robert Blalack, who worked on Star Wars and co-founded Industrial Light and Magic has died aged 73.
• Special effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull has died aged 79.
• Andrew Pulver remembers Douglas Trumbull.
• Leonard Maltin remembers Douglas Trumbull.
  

 

Comments on The Book of Boba Fett and Star Wars in general: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "In the Name of Honor", the season finale of The Book of Boba Fett. 
• Nick Wanserski shares his thoughts on "In the Name of Honor". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "In the Name of Honor". 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "In the Name of Honor". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "In the Name of Honor".
  
• Lucas Winkie discusses the lasting appeal of Boba Fett.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether The Book of Boba Fett has ruined the character's Star Wars legacy. 
• Zoe Williams interviews Jennifer Beals who plays Garza Fwip in The Book of Boba Fett. 
• Rob Bricken laments that The Book of Boba Fett treats its titular character like an idiot.
  
• James Whitbrook wonders about the fate of Max Rebo in the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett.
• James Whitbrook shares his issues with the depiction of Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett.
• Brady Langman explains how the Luke Skywalker appearance in The Book of Boba Fett came to be without Mark Hamill knowing about it.
• Lawrence Ellsworth revisits the original Star Wars trilogy with a focus on lightsabre fights.
• Ryan Cracknell reports about a rare Star Wars trading card from 1977 and the reason it is so rare.
  

 

Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek:  

• Galactic Journey revisits the 1967 Star Trek episode "Court Martial".
  
• James Whitbrook revisits the Star Trek Voyager episode "Prime Factors".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Silent Enemy".
• Daniel Reynolds profiles Emily Coutts who plays Lieutenant Keyla Detmer in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Bobby Derie reviews the 2008 Lovecraftian Star Trek zine Cthulhu Trek by Leslie Thomas.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past and present:

• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Underwater Menace". 
• Alicia Adejobi reports that Jodie Whittaker, who plays the Thirteenth Doctor, is pregnant with her second child.
  

 

Comments on the various DC Comics based movies and TV-shows:

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Peacemaker.
  
• Daniel Riley interviews Robert Pattinson, star of The Batman.
  

 

Comments on Moonfall: 

• Martin Morse Wooster calls Moonfall so bad that it's the first film he's seen that deserves a triple zero. 
• Arturo Serrano says that Moonfall puts the disaster in disaster movie and that it's barely a movie either. 
  

 

Comments on The Legend of Vox Machina:

• Shivani Ishwar talks about the background of The Legend of Vox Machina.
• Justin Carter interviews Matt Mercer, co-creator of The Legend of Vox Machina.
• Justin Carter interviews the voice cast of The Legend of Vox Machina.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2022 Chesley Awards have been announced. 
• The semi-finalists for the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2022 Premio Vegetti has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2022 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2022 Audie Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2022 Dell Magazines Award has been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2022 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced. 
• The nominations for the 2022 Oscars have been announced with some love for genre films.
  
• Cora Buhlert spotlights SFF-related non-fiction eligible for the 2022 Hugo Awards.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kate Elliott points out that an idea is not a story. 
• Kate Elliott asks what is a story.
  
• Cat Luria talks about new writing experiments she wants to try in 2022.
• Lauren Sapala discusses what to do when your inner critic is holding your inner writer hostage.
• Mark Lawrence explains how to weave worldbuilding information into a story.
  
• Sara Gran talks about the art of writing suspense. 
• Rebecca Sacks shares some principles for writing great sex scenes.
  
• Lincoln Michel talks about word counts. 
• Cat Rambo shares some tips on crowdfunding and Patreon for writers.
  
• Cat Rambo reports about some possible upcoming changes to the SFWA membership requirements. 
• Draft2Digital announces that they are aquiring Smashwords. 
• Alison Flood reports that in person library visits have declined in 2021 due to the covid pandemic, but digital visits have increased.
  
• Alison Flood reports that more than 100 writers have signed a letter calling for urgent action in the case of the Rwandan poet Innocent Bahati, who went missing a year ago. 
• Adam Gabbatt reports about the Banned Books Club, a book club for teenagers on Pennsylvania, dedicated to books banned in some parts of the US.
  
• Philip Oltermann reports that the Stasi ran a poetry circle called "Working Circle of Writing Chekists". 
• Play with Narrative Device, an AI that writes the opening paragraph of a story based on two themes you enter. 
  

Interviews:

• The Guardian interviews David Mitchell. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews H.M. Long.
  
• S.E. Lindberg interviews John C. Hocking. 
  
• S.E. Lindberg interviews John C. Hocking again (part 2 of the interview above).
• Scott Edelman interviews Daryl Gregory.
• Cat Rambo interviews Joe R. Lansdale.
  
• Locus interviews Marlon James. 
• Redditors interviews Marlon James.
  
• The Red Hot Chilli Writers interviews Dean Koontz.
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews Jason Ray Carney. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Louise Carey. 
  
• Cat Luria interviews Elizabeth Hinckley. 
• Phoebe Barton interviews Dominique Dickey.
  
• The HWA interviews Penelope Flynn.
• The HWA interviews Maurice Carlos Ruffin.
• The HWA interviews L. Marie Wood.
• The HWA interviews Marc L. Abbott.
• Cora Buhlert interviews Camestros Felapton.
  

Reviews:

• Lesa Holstine reviews Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb 
• Rob Bedford reviews Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes.
  
• Russell Letson reviews Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. 
• Martin Cahill reviews Lightyears From Home by Mike Chen.
  
• Marlene Harris reviews When the Goddess Wakes by Howard Andrew Jones. 
• Dear Author reviews The Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Green Man's Foe by Juliet E. McKenna.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Face in the Leaves by Nina Oram.
• Liza Wemakor reviews Where the Rain Cannot Reach by Adesina Brown.  
• Mark Yon reviews The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan.
  
• Rich Horton reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. 
• Amy Goldschlager reviews Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune and Empire of the Vampires by Jay Kristoff. 
• Joe Sherry reviews Spelunking Through Hell by Seanan McGuire.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews 36 Streets by T.R. Napper.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The This by Adam Roberts.
• Maya C. James reviews Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Legacy of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson. 
• Ian Mond reviews Burntcoat by Sarah Hall.
  
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews The Mad Trinkets by Cameron Scott Kirk. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Queen of the High Fields by Rhiannon A. Grist. 
• Alex Brown reviews Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. 
• Alex Brown reviews Ashes of Gold by J. Elle.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Chancels of Mainz by Russell Hemmell. 
• Jonathan Myerson reviews Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Moment You Remember, The Moment You Forget by Tiffany Jimenez.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Off Target by Eve Smith. 
• Becky LeJeune reviews Off Target by Eve Smith. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the Twenty-Second Century by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Cress by Marissa Meyer.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Luca by Or Luca.
• J. Hoberman reviews Pulp Empire: The Secret History of Comic Book Imperialism by Paul S. Hirsch.
  

 
Classics reviews:

• The Appendix N Book Club revisits the 1908 horror novel The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1910 lost world novel The House on Stilts by R.H. Hazard.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1935 dark fantasy story "The Flower-Women" by Clark Ashton Smith. 
• Matt Mikalatos revisits the 1945 religious science fiction novel That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis.
  
• Cthulery revisits the 1948 horror story "The Whippoorwills in the Hills" by August Derleth.
• Nicholas Whyte revisits the 1950 science fiction fix-up The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. 
• Jaclyn Adomeit revisits the 1968 fantasy novel The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1973 gothic novel House of Dark Illusions by Caroline Farr.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1976 science fiction anthology Orbit 18, edited by Damon Knight.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1977 science fiction novel Earthchild by Doris Piserchia. 
• James Maliszewski revisits the June/July 1981 issue of White Dwarf.
  
• Nathaniel Webb revisits the 1982 sword and sorcery novel Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea. 
• Eileen Gunn revisits the 1984 Cyberpunk novel Neuromancer by William Gibson.
  
• Ben Peek revisits the 1984 Dragonlance fantasy novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1993 teen horror novel Broken Hearts by R.L. Stine and the 1995 teen horror novel My Bloody Valentine by Jo Gibson.
  
• Adam Roberts revisits the 1994 science fiction novel Mars Plus by Frederik Pohl and Thomas T. Thomas. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1997 historical speculative fiction novel The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre.
  
• Joe Sherry revisits the 2021 October Daye urban fantasy novel An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Volume 7 of The Long List Anthology: More Stories From the Hugo Award Nomination List is looking for funding.

 

Con and event reports:

• Morgan Hazelwood reports about the panel "Short Stories Expanded" at DisCon III, the 2021 Worldcon in Washington DC.
  
• The Greenville Journal reports that a collection of Ray Bradbury's papers and books has found a new home at the University of South Carolina in Greenville, South Carolina.
• Dr Pawl Frelik has been elected the next President of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts.

 

Science and technology:

• Laura Dobberstein reports that a geomagnetic storm took out 40 of 49 newly launched Starlink satellites. 
• David Rothery reports that an asteroid sharing Earth's orbit has been found.
  
• Jeff Foust wonders whether film studios in space are a possibility or a science fiction fantasy. 
  
• William Harwood discusses the science behind the disaster satire Don't Look Up. 
• Neil Bradbury writes about strynchnine and why it was so popular as a murder weapon among crime fiction writers in the late 19th and early 20th century. 
  
• Jennifer Ouellette has unearthed an account of ball lightning by a monk named Gervase of Canterbury from 1195 AD. 
• S.A. Barnes shares a history of ghost ships.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Bonsai Starships" by Yoon Ha Lee in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Rich Growth" by Aliya Whiteley in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Crows of the Mynchmoor" by Rab Foster in Sword and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "Father of Rivers" by Gregory Mele in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 
• "The Chronologist" by Ian R. MacLeod in Tor.com. 
• "Bad Code" by Stephen Graham Jones in Lightspeed. 
• "When We Were Gods" by Isha Karki in Lightspeed.
  
• "Informed Consent Logs from the Soul Swap Clinic" by Sarah Pauling in Clarkesworld. 
• "You're Not the Only One" by Octavia Cade in Clarkesworld. 
• "Seen Small Through Glass" by Premee Mohamed in Fireside Magazine.
  
• "The Nix Trial" by Emma Schmid in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Slow Communication" by Dominique Dickey in Fantasy Magazine.
  
• "Tooth, Teeth, Tongue" by Ai Jiang in The Dark. 
• "Isimmiri" by Marycynthia Chinwe Okafor in Omenana. 
• "Fenworth City Municipal Watersheds Field Survey" by A.L. Goldfuss in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Rock Hard Place" by Don Redwood in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Super Hero" by Karen Brenchley in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "Multiverse Apocalypse: A Villanelle" by Timothy Mudie in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "What To Expect, When Your Daughter Returns From Neverland" by Luke Sekiguchi in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Helmie" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
• "Ballroom Blitz" by Cora Buhlert.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a sneak peek for season 3 of The Orville: New Horizons.  
• Watch a trailer for The Lazarus Project.
  
• Watch a trailer for the latest version of Firestarter.
  
• Watch a trailer for Men. 
• Watch a trailer for The Adam Project.
  
• Watch a trailer for Jurassic World: Dominion.
  
• Watch a trailer for Lightyear.