Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 24, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the 2018 Nebula Awards, the final episode of Game of Thrones, Avengers: Endgame,  Detective Pikachu, season 4 of Lucifer, Good Omens, Brightburn, Aladdin, What We Do In The Shadows, The Phantom Menace at twenty, Tim Burton's Batman at thirty, tributes to Judith Kerr and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Andrew Liptak shares thirteen new science fiction and fantasy books to check out.
• Oliver Morton explains how science fiction is powering a new moon rush.
• Sandra Newman wonders why there are so many dystopias and so few utopias these days. 
• Kristian Wilson shares fifteen finished fantasy series to read. 
• Jeff Somers shares fifteen epic fantasy series that nail the ending.
• Steven T. Wright shares six fantasy books to read after Game of Thrones.
• The Barnes & Noble bloggers share six books featuring killer sword fights.
• Nicole Hill shares seven fascinating science fiction and fantasy books about twins. 
• Tor.com shares nine pairs from science fiction and fantasy that bring out the best and worst in each other. 
• Christine Lynn Herman shares five SFF books with POV characters who don't see eye to eye.
• Kerstin Hall shares five books about monsters that tug on our heartstrings. 
• Tor.com lists eight SFF characters that embody the green man.
• Jeff Somers discusses some oddly normal character names in fantasy fiction. 
• Veronica Scott Esposito explains how reading science fiction and fantasy helped her with her transition from male to female.
• G.S. Denning discusses the surprising logic behind Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft mash-ups.
• Steph Post finds some surprising parallels between fairytales and hardboiled crime fiction.  
• Alison Flood reports that several romance writers have pledged to address the subject of abortion in their novels following Alabama's new abortion ban law.
• Catherynne M. Valente shares her love for the Eurovision Song Contest.
  

Tributes to Judith Kerr:

• Children's book writer and illustrator Judith Kerr died aged 95.
• Nancy Banks-Smith remembers Judith Kerr.
• Readers of The Guardian remember Judith Kerr.
  

Film and TV:

• Peter Bradshaw calls the science fiction thriller Little Joe a wilting triffid horror. 
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the latest episode of the new Twilight Zone. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on episode 3 of the Chernobyl miniseries. 
• John Squires shows how Godzilla's size has changed over the years.
  
• Katie Rife shares her appreciation for Hong Kong horror films.
• Anne Harrington remembers Chester Pierce, the black psychiatrist who helped to create Sesame Street. 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1964 Doctor Who serial "The Keys of Marinus".
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1966 and 2004 film versions of Modesty Blaise.
• Andrew Pulver reports that Daniel Craig injured his ankle while filming the upcoming 25th James Bond film.  
• Internet phenomenon Grumpy Cat has died aged 7.
  

Comments on the final season of Game of Thrones (spoilers):

• Sarah Hughes shares her thoughts on "The Iron Throne", the final episode of Game of Thrones.
• Lucy Mangan shares her thoughts on "The Iron Throne". 
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne".  
• Myles McNutt shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne". 
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne".
• Beth Elderkin shares her thoughts on "The Iron Throne".
• Theresa DeLucci shares her thoughts on "The Iron Throne". 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne".
• Joe Brosnan shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne". 
• Ben Van Iten shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne".
• Matthew Cantor shares his thoughts on "The Iron Throne" from the point-of-view of someone who has never seen the series. 
• Dean Smith-Richards also shares his thoughts on the Game of Thrones finale from the POV of someone who's read a few of the books and followed the discussion about the show on Twitter.
• Daniel d'Addario points out that the Game of Thrones finale couldn't satisfy anybody.  
• Cora Buhlert finds the Game of Thrones finale more satisfying than expected.
• Kelly Lawler calls the Game of Thrones finale a disaster that fans didn't deserve. 
• Rebecca Nicholson asks if the Game of Thrones finale was the cheesiest ending in TV history.
• Zeynep Tufekci claims to have found the real reason why so many fans are hating the final season of Game of Thrones. 
• Tyler Dean declares that Game of Thrones asks whose and which stories ultimately matter. 
• Sarah Hughes ranks every episode of Game of Thrones. 
• Beth Elderkin shares eight questions Game of Thrones will never answer. 
• Beth Elderkin shares her appreciation for the finale fate of Sansa Stark. 
• Lily shares her issues with the portrayal of Bran Stark. 
• Beth Elderkin discusses the rise and fall of Daenerys Targaryen.
• Nylah Burton points out that Daenerys Targaryen was always a power-hungry coloniser.
• Hannah Collins laments that Daenerys Targaryen could have been television fiercest antihero.
• Sarah Larson interviews Emilia Clarke who played Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore shares the farewells of assorted Game of Thrones castmembers to the series. 
• George R.R. Martin himself weighs in on the Game of Thrones ending.
• Gabrielle Bruney takes a look at the development of Robin Arryn, a minor character in Game of Thrones.  
• Gabrielle Bruney also reports about the media ecosystem that has formed around Game of Thrones. 
• Theresa DeLucci looks back on eight years of writing Game of Thrones reviews.
  
• Stuart Heritage wonders what will fill the void left by Game of Thrones.
• The BBC analyses how much women speak in Game of Thrones.
  
• Gwilym Mumford has spotted an errant water bottle in the final episode of Game of Thrones, two weeks after an errant coffee-to-go cup was spotted in a previous episode.
• Wesley Morris explains what it's like to watch all of Game of Thrones in five weeks after ignoring the show for eight years.
• Meanwhile, Adrienne Lafrance proudly declares that she has never watched Game of Thrones and still feels compelled to give us her thoughts.
  

Comments on Avengers: Endgame and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (warning: spoilers):

• Clarkisha Kent is not happy with the portrayal of Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame. 
• L.D. Nolan explains why we should worry about Hulk after Avengers: Endgame.
• Dylan Blade shares Iron Man's most heroic moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
• L.D. Nolan points out some potential problems with reversing the Thanos snap in Avengers: Endgame.
• Sam Stone muses that it wasn't Thanos who tore a hole between dimensions in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, but that it was Loki.
• Watch a deleted scene from Captain Marvel.
  

Comments on Good Omens:

• Charles Pulliam-Moore calls Good Omens a delightful apocalypse we'd be lucky to live through.
• Josh Bell declares that Good Omens mostly delivers.
  

Comments on season 4 of Lucifer: 

• Narayan Liu declares that Eve is not the villain viewers expected in season 4 of Lucifer.
• Narayan Liu also asks where the season 4 finale of Lucifer leaves the show. 

Comments on Detective Pikachu:

• Leigh Monson declares that Detective Pikachu hits the sweet spot between fan service and neo noir nostalgia.
• David Sims declares that Detective Pikachu shouldn't work, but somehow manages to be delightful.
• David Fear declares that Detective Pikachu is strictly for the fans - in the best and the worst sense of the word.
• Reuben Baron calls Detective Pikachu the most Millennial blockbuster to date.
  

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace at twenty and Star Wars in general: 

• Germain Lussier discusses the best things that The Phantom Menace brought to Star Wars. 
• Ben Child asks if The Phantom Menace was really as bad as people claim.
• Ethan Alter blames the backlash against The Phantom Menace for the rise of toxic fandom.
• Ryan Britt explains what it felt like to watch The Phantom Menace for the first time.
• Lev Grossman reports about a visit to the set of The Rise of Skywalker with photos by Annie Leibovitz. 
• Meanwhile, Germain Lussier declares that the relative failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story means the death of the Star Wars tradition to release Star Wars movies during the summer (which was only ever a US thing anyway - in Europe we always got Star Wars movies around Christmas).
  

Tim Burton's Batman at thirty: 

• Peter Bradshaw revisits Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film and its three direct sequels.
• Alex Hess also revisits Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and its sequels and declares that they say a lot about 1990s Hollywood and also helped to pave the way for today's superhero boom.
  

Comments on Brightburn:

• Benjamin Lee calls Brightburn an effectively nasty horror movie that subverts the Superman narrative. 
• Germain Lussier calls Brightburn an entertaining superhero horror story told in a clunky way.
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Brightburn doesn't live up to its promise.
• Watch a trailer for Brightburn. 

Comments on the live action Aladdin:

• Steve Rose calls the live action Aladdin lively, colourful and genuinely funny.  
• Germain Lussier declares that the live action Aladdin makes him feel like a kid again.
• David Sims declares that the live action Aladdin is clumsy, half-hearted and impossible to take seriously.
• Ignatiy Vishnevetsky calls the live action Aladdin lifeless and declares that it does not live up to the original.
• Germain Lussier interviews Guy Ritchie, director of Aladdin.
  

Comments on What We Do In The Shadows:

• Katie Rife shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In The Shadows.
• Rebecca Nicholson calls What We Do in the Shadows silly, deadpan and full of killer gags.

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2019 Nebula Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Asimov's Readers' Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 AnLab Readers' Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2018 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off has been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Colorado Book Awards have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2019 Tähtifantasia Awards has been announced.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2018 Nebula Award winners and the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
• Cora Buhlert shares some reactions to the 2018 Nebula Award winners. 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tom Ashford shares the biggest mistakes writers make. 
• Karen DeGroot Carter asks if you should write what you don't know. 
• Gibril Kerefa explains why he stopped calling himself a pantser.
• M.H. Thaung explains how and why people make bad decisions. 
• Acemandese Nzondi Hall discusses how to write about mental health issues and suicide. 
• S.R. Algernon shares some tips for writing non-human protagonists. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the importance of your inventory.
• Cat Rambo shares some tips about how to build a successful internet presence for writers from Norwescon in Seattle, Washington.
  

Interviews:

• Randy Myers interviews Charlie Jane Anders.
• Kelly Gallucci interviews V.E. Schwab.
• The Qwillery interviews Cate Glass. 
• The Qwillery interviews Daniel Findlay. 
• Lisa Morton interviews Gabino Iglesias.
• Book Marks interviews Eugene Lim.
• Christian A. Coleman interviews Ashok K. Banker.
• Lisa Allardice interviews Jeannette Winterson.
  

Reviews:

• Blue Book Balloon reviews No Way by Simon Morden.
• Liz Bourke reviews Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan. 
• Paul Weimer reviews The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. 
• Andrew Liptak reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
• Camestros Felapton reviews Artificial Condition by Martha Wells.
• Liz Bourke reviews Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds.
• Russell Letson reviews Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey. 
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard.
• Camestros Felapton reviews Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
• For Winter Nights reviews Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Exo by Fonda Lee. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Cross Fire by Fonda Lee.
• Tadiana Jones reviews Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen. 
• Katharine Coldiron reviews Smoke and Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg.
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark.
• Carolyn Cushman reviews That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire.
• Camestros Felapton reviews Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. 
• Alex Brown reviews The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad.
• Camestros Felapton reviews Gods, Monsters and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson. 
• Jo Niederhoff reviews European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss. 
• The Qwillery interviews Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike.
• Gary K. Wolfe and Ian Mond review The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson. 
• Sam Reader reviews Last Tango in Cyberspace by Steven Kotler.
• The Qwillery reviews The Gods of Men by Barbara Kloss.
• The Qwillery reviews Sworn to the Night by Craig Schaefer. 
• Brit Mandelo reviews Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks.
• Karen Haber reviews The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Triangulum by Masande Ntshanga.
• Kat Hooper reviews The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley.
• Johanna Thomas-Corr reviews Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
• Sam Reader reviews Wounds by Nathan Ballingrud.
• Marion Deeds reviews Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows by Brian Hauser.
• Matt Brandenburg reviews Ashes and Entropy, edited by Robert S. Wilson.
• D.J. Taylor reviews The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 by Dorian Lynskey.

Classics reviews:

• Alan Brown revisits the 1911 planetary romance A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
• Mark Yon revisits the 1941 science fiction novel Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1954 science fiction novel Search the Sky by Frederick Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. 
• Bitter Tea and Mystery revisits the 1957 post-apocalyptic novel On the Beach by Nevil Shute.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1964 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the June 1964 issue of Fantastic.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 children's science fictio novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien.
• Frances Katz revisits the 1984 Cyberpunk classic Neuromancer by William Gibson.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1998 fantasy novel The Scent of Magic by Andre Norton.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Babylon 5 Preservation Project is looking for funding.
• Hearts of Wulin, a tabletop roleplaying game of Wuxia melodrama by Agatha Cheng and Lowell Francis, is looking for funding.
  

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that Israeli fandom is exploring the possibility of a WorldCon bid. 
• Lynzee Loveridge reports about sexual harassment allegations against Eric Torgersen, former chairperson of AnimeNEXT in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 
• Martin Morse Wooster reports about a performance of the play The White Snake by Mary Zimmerman in Washington, DC.
• Patch O'Furr explains how furries resist the commericalisation of their fandom.
• Alysia Grey Painter reports about the fiftieth anniversary of the Haunted Mansion attraction in Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
  

Science and technology:

• Marina Koren talks about the loneliest stars in the galaxy.
• Nell Greenfieldboyce explains how Rich Isaacson helped to start a new field of physics. 
• The BBC reports about the so-called Astrobees, flying robots which are supposed to help the astronauts aboard the international space station. 
• Jane Wakefield reports that AIs and assistance systems with female voices reinforce gender bias.
• Matt McGrath reports that the recent rise of level of the banned ozone-layer harming substance trichlorofluoromethane has been traced to China, where the banned substance is used for home insulation.
• Rob Stein reports that scientists have modified viruses to combat antibiotics resistant infections.
• The BBC reports that a unique iron age shield has been discovered in Leicestershire, UK.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Two-Bullet War" by Karen Osborne in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Abacus of Ether" by Stephen Case in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "A Salt and Sterling Tongue" by Emma Osborne in Uncanny Magazine.
• "The Iron Man" by Max Gladstone in Lightspeed.
• "The Minor Superhero, at Home after His Series Ends" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.
• "Fail-Safe" by Philip Fracassi in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Corzo" by Brenna Gomez in The Dark.
• "N-Coin" by Tobias Buckell in Apex Magazine.
• "Dancers Like Children" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for Star Trek: Picard.
• Watch a trailer for Terminator: Dark Fate.
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Westworld. 
• Watch a trailer for Black Mirror: Striking Vipers.
• Watch a trailer for Black Mirror: Smithereens.
• Watch a trailer for Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley, Too.
• Watch a clip from Dark Phoenix.
• Watch a clip from season 3 of Stranger Things.
• Watch a trailer for Crawl.
• Watch a trailer for Toy Story 4.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 17, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the final season of Game of Thrones, Avengers: Endgame,  Detective Pikachu, season 4 of Lucifer, season 6 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Dead Don't Die, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, The Wandering Earth, Years and Years, The Society, the Tolkien biopic, the Stoker Awards and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Eric Brown offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction and fantasy. 
• Maria Haskins lists thirteen recent SFF anthologies to celebrate short story month.
• James Davis Nicoll shares science fiction works that show the downsides of technology.
• Tor.com share their favourite fantasy pirates.
• Malinda Lo looks back on ten years of LGBT YA speculative fiction since her YA fantasy Ash was released. 
• Anya Johanna DeNiro talks about the portrayal of friendship in Martha Wells' novella Artificial Condition.
• Tom Hunter and Suw Charman-Anderson discuss thirteen years of submission data for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and why there are still fewer books by women than by men submitted.  
• Cora Buhlert points out that the golden age of science fiction was more diverse than most people think. 
• Mike Chomko remembers science fiction and screenwriter Charles Beaumont.
• Mark W. Tiedemann responds to Ian McEwan's rank cluelessness about science fiction. 
• Tina Jordan weighs in on the controversy caused by Ian McEwan.
• Camestros Felapton traces the unusual popularity of stories about dinosaurs on the Hugo ballott over the years.
• Jeff Somers lists ten very strange detective protagonists from science fiction and fantasy crime novels.
• Simon Ounsley recalls the early years of Interzone. 
• Michael Gonzales shares his appreciation for the art of Jim Steranko. 
• Ryan Parker reports that Stan Lee's former manager Keya Morgan has been charged with elder abuse.
• Jonathan Cowie remembers biologist and science fiction writer Jack Cohen.
• Science fiction and horror writer Tommy Donbavand has died aged 52.
  

Film and TV:

• Shannon Miller declares that See You Yesterday cleverly blends science fiction, youthful charm and the harsh reality of police brutality. 
• Paul Levinson declares that the disaster docudrama Chernobyl feels like a horror movie, but is made all the more horrible by the fact that everything depicted really happened.
• Peter Bradshaw calls the Brazilian movie Bacarau a disquieting horror-style near future western.   
• Peter Bradshaw calls Atlantique a supernatural mystery from Senegal. 
• Christopher East takes a look at the latest adaptation of Watership Down.
• Katie Rife shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In The Shadows.
• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the latest episode of the new Twilight Zone.
• Natalie Devitt takes a look at episodes 29 to 32 of season 1 of the original Outer Limits. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits Stanley Kubrick's 1964 nuclear war satire Dr. Strangelove , Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and finds that it's still as good as ever.
• Ryan Britt wonders whether an Easter egg in season 3 of Star Trek Discovery suggests that the far future Federation is evil.  
• Flora Carr reports that Neil Gaiman fought for keeping the character of Agnes Nutter in the TV adaptation of Good Omens.
• Julie Muncy reports that The Orville has been renewed for a third season.
• Screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who wrote the screenplays for Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, died aged 92.
• Comedian Tim Conway, who provided the voice of Barnacle Boy in SpongeBob Squarepants, has died aged 85.  
• Actor Isaac Kappy, who appeared in Thor, Terminator Salvation and Breaking Bad has died aged 42.
• Actress Peggy Lipton, best known for her roles in The Mod Squad and Twin Peaks, has died aged 72.
• Actress Doris Day, best known for her parts in The Man Who Knew Too Much and Midnight Lace, has died aged 97.
  

Comments on Avengers: Endgame and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (warning: spoilers):

• Alexa Grave shares her thoughts on Avengers: Endgame.
• Chris Bower, who has never seen a single Marvel movie, explains Avengers: Endgame from the POV of a Marvel virgin (spoilers).
• Patrick Shanley interviews screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about various Avengers: Endgame fan theories.
• Sam Stone shares directors Joe and Anthony Russo's comments regarding the major deaths in Avengers: Endgame (spoilers).
• Adam-Troy Castro weighs in on the portrayal of Thor in Avengers: Endgame. 
• L.D. Nolan shares some insight into Thor's videogame antagonist NoobMaster69 in Avengers: Endgame.
• Graeme McMillan declares that it's time for Marvel to leave its past behind. 
• Inspired by the success of Avengers: Endgame, David Cox asks if sequels are destroying US cinema.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore declares that Avengers: Endgame has some nerve making fun of time travel movies.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore declares that the soul stone was the least interesting Marvel McGuffin. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore also reports that according to Kevin Feige, Marvel has future plans for the Mandarin and the Ten Rings. 
• Zach Vasquez reveals what was cut from Avengers: Endgame.
• James Whitbrook reports that a Twitter account supposedly tweeting the always correct prophecies of the Good Omens character Agnes Nutter has apparently tweeted an Avengers: Endgame spoiler before the movie came out.
• Mike Pesca interviews Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Avengers: Endgame.
• Germain Lussier interviews Russell Earl, special effects supervisor for Avengers: Endgame.
• Mike Fleming Jr. interviews James Gunn about his firing and rehiring from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Comments on the final season of Game of Thrones (spoilers):

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "The Bells", the latest episode of Game of Thrones. 
• Theresa DeLucci shares her thoughts on "The Bells". 
• Sarah Hughes shares her thoughts on "The Bells".
• Joe Brosnan shares his thoughts on "The Bells". 
• Myles McNutt shares his thoughts on "The Bells".
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on "The Bells".
• Angel Wilson shares her thoughts on "The Bells".
• Ben Van Iten shares his thoughts about "The Bells". 
• Cheryl Eddy and Beth Elderkin share their thoughts on "The Bells".
• David Stubbs shares his thoughts on "The Bells" and wonders whether Game of Thrones has turned on its bloodthirsty fans.
• Aaron Brady shares his thoughts on "The Bells" and declares that Daenerys was right.
• Rob Bricken is not pleased with the development of Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. 
• Melissa Leon is also bothered by the portrayal of Daenerys Targgaryen. 
• Josh Wigler declares that the seeds for the development of Daenerys have been laid early in the series.
• Beth Elderkin also declares that Daenerys Targaryen's behaviour in "The Bells" is consistent with her portrayal in earlier episodes.
• Damien Walter declares that what Daenerys Targaryen did is no different from what the US did in multiple wars. 
• Michael Livinston talks about war crimes and the missing character arc of Daenerys Targaryen.
• Kevin Fallon feels that Game of Thrones failed its female characters.
• Piya Sinha-Roy interviews Nathalie Emmanuel who plays Missandei in Game of Thrones.
• Graeme Virtue discusses how Game of Thrones enraged its audience. 
• Cora Buhlert finds another problem with "The Bells" that few people talk about.
• Inspired by "The Bells", Brian Menegus wonders whether dragons ever run out of fire.
• Tyler Dean wonders whether "Only death can pay for life" is the ultimate message of Game of Thrones. 
• Bob Mayer makes a prediction regarding the end of Game of Thrones.
• Alison Herman declares that the problems with Game of Thrones are largely due to the show being forced to capitulate to the rules of television.
• Brian Philips declares that the current problems with Game of Thrones show that George R.R. Martin deserves much more respect than he often gets. 
• Alison Flood reports that contrary to claims made by actor Ian McElhinny, George R.R. Martin has not finished writing the final two volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire.
• Joel Cunningham lists all the books to read to discover the full story behind Game of Thrones. 
• Dan Neilan reports that there is a petition to "fix" Game of Thrones that already has 500000 signatures. 
• Luke Holland implores fans to stop nitpicking, because he believes that season 8 of Game of Thrones is marvelous.
• Sam Jones reports about a Spanish dubbing gaffe in a recent episode of Game of Thrones.
• Ben Child wonders whether Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff can breathe new life into Star Wars.
  

Comments on season 4 of Lucifer: 

• LaToya Ferguson offers episode by episode reviews of season 4 of Lucifer.  
• The Geekiary points out that season 4 of Lucifer is emotionally intense. 
• Narayan Liu asks how much violence and nudity really add to Lucifer.
• Christina Radish interviews Tom Ellis who plays Lucifer Morningstar in Lucifer.

Comments on season 6 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: 

• Alan Brown shares his thoughts on "Missing Pieces", the season 6 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Kate Kulzick shares her thoughts on "Missing Pieces". 

Comments on Detective Pikachu:

• Joshua Yehl calls Detective Pikachu super effective.
• Emily Asher Perrin declares that Detective Pikachu is this generation's Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
• Ali Plumb enjoyed Detective Pikachu a whole lot, even though the movie makes no sense. 
• Brian Ashcraft reports that amazingly, Detective Pikachu is a good movie.
• Brian Ashcraft also discusses how Hollywood did not screw up Detective Pikachu.
• Vincent Acovino declares that enjoyment of Detective Pikachu largely depends on one's familiarity with the Pokémon franchise. 
• Anthony Gramuglia explains how Detective Pikachu and the much maligned Sonic the Hedgehog trailer show why Pokémon endures, while Sonic has faded.
• Jon Del Arroz notes a resemblance between a villain in Detective Pikachu and far right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and smells a cospiracy.
• Mike Bloom interviews Rob Letterman, director of Detective Pikachu. 
• Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin interview Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton, human stars of Detective Pikachu.
• Inspired by Detective Pikachu, Clara Mae asks why there are so few good movies based on videogames.
• Chris Godfrey explains how Pokémon became the highest grossing media franchise of all time.
• Borys Kit report that a Detective Pikachu sequel is already in the works.
  

Comments on The Dead Don't Die: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls The Dead Don't Die a stumbling zombie comedy.
• A.A. Dowd calls The Dead Don't Die a zombie comedy for the Trump era.
  

Comments on The Wandering Earth:

• Karen Han calls the Chinese science fiction movie The Wandering Earth a thrilling mix of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Armageddon and Gravity.  
• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on The Wandering Earth.
  

Comments on Godzilla: King of the Monsters:

• Christian Long shares some early reactions to Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
• Eric Diaz reports that Godzilla's head bursts out of the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, California, as part of a promotion for Godzilla: King of Monsters.
• Katie Rife interviews Scott Chambliss, production designer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
  

Comments on Years and Years:

• Lucy Mangan calls Years and Years a brilliant near future drama by Russell T. Davies. 
• Hugh Montgomery takes a look at Years and Years and wonders why dystopian near future TV shows are so popular at the moment.
  

Comments on The Society:

• Lucy Mangan calls The Society a deeply silly science fiction take on Dawson's Creek or The Breakfast Club. 
• Josh Bell declares that The Society is plagued by whiny characters and doesn't live up to its potential.  
• Haleigh Foutch calls The Society binge-worthy and surprisingly smart.

Comments on Tolkien: 

• Rosie Knight calls Tolkien a sweet, thoughtful and unabashedly romantic biopic.  
• Alexandra August calls Tolkien a sweet story about the creation of a masterpiece. 
• Diane Lynn Gardner calls Tolkien a sensitive biopic.
• Jeff LaSala declares that the Tolkien biopic informs and inspires.
• Glenn Kenny has mixed feelings about Tolkien.
• Caitlin Penzey Moog muses about the difficulties of translating J.R.R. Tolkien's popularity into a movie, as the Tolkien biopic shows.
• Alison Crist reports that US TV personality Stephen Colbert has hosted the first public screening of Tolkien with the director and stars in attendance. 

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2018 This Is Horror Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Premio Italia have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2019 Prix Imaginales have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2019 Tomorrow Prize have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2019 Nommo Awards has been announced.
• The nominees for the 2019 Premio Ignotus have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2019 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced.
• The finalists for the 10th Annual Xingyun Awards have been announced.
• Mike Glyer shares the results of a poll regarding the top science fiction awards.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Danielle Steel explaims to Samantha Leach how she manages to be so prolific. 
• Michael Blumlein explains how he researched the biological and medical aspects of his fiction. 
• Jo Walton discusses the inspiration behind her medieval fantasy novel Lent.
• Hafsah Faizal explains how her Arabic roots inspired her fantasy novel We Hunt the Flame.
• Caroline Humes shares a list of books for fantasy and science fiction writers.
• Chuck Wendig declares that reviewers really shouldn't tag authors in their negative reviews.
  

Interviews:

• Jen Zink and Paul Weimer interview Ann Leckie.
• Jeff Somers interviews Rudy Rucker.
• Deanna Destito interviews Christopher Priest.
• John DeNardo interviews Grady Hendrix and Will Errickson.  
• Paul Weimer interviews David Quantick.
• The Qwillery interviews Simeon Mills.  
• The Qwillery interviews Henry Thomas.
  

Reviews:

• Rob Bedford reviews The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. 
• C. Gockel reviews Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair.
• Beth Mowbray reviews The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark. 
• Tadiana Jones reviews Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs.
• Ceridwen Christensen reviews Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs. 
• Carolyn Cushman reviews Terminal Uprising by Jim C. Hines and Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter.
• Liz Bourke reviews The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons.
• Colleen Mondor reviews Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. 
• Ross Johnson reviews Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
• Ian Mond reviews Luna: Moon Rising by Ian McDonald. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson.
• Kat Hooper reviews The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. 
• Aidan Moher reviews A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay. 
• Niall Alexander reviews A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay.
• Alex Brown reviews The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig. 
• The Qwillery reviews Out of Nowhere by Patrick LeClerc.
• The Qwillery reviews The Anointed by Keith Ward. 
• Marion Deeds reviews Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell. 
• Adri Joy reviews Shadowblade by Anna Kashina.
• The Qwillery reviews Sowing by Angie Grigaliunas.
• The Qwillery reviews We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson. 
• The Qwillery interviews Symphony of the Wind by Steven McKinnon. 
• Benjamin Evans reviews The Farm by Joanne Ramos.
• Diyah Nayeri reviews The Farm by Joanne Ramos.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull. 
• Christobel Kent reviews Lost Property by Laura Beatty.
• Kat Hooper reviews Inspection by Josh Malerman. 
• Matt Brandenburg reviews Tamer Animals by Justin M. Woodward.
• Suzy Michael reviews A Taker of Morrows by Stephen Paul Sayers.
• Alec-Nevala Lee reviews The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein by Farah Mendlesohn.
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Science Fiction Fanzine Reader: Focal Points 1930-1960, edited by Luis Ortiz.

Classics reviews:

• Sara Light-Waller revisits the June 1929 issue of Science Wonder Stories. 
• Mark Yon revisits the 1943 horror novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber Jr. 
• Paul Fraser revisits the November 1943 issues of Astounding Science Fiction.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1954 science fiction mystery The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov.
• John Boston shares his thoughts on the June 1964 issue of Amazing Stories. 
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1964 science fiction novel Ten Years to Doomsday by Chester Anderson and Michael Kurland.
• Hephzibah Anderson revisits the 1968 dystopian novel Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner. 
• Paul Fraser revisits the April 1976 issue of Science Fiction Monthly.
• Will Errickson revisits Emergence, a 1981 horror novel by Robert D. San Souci.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 YA fantasy novel The Changeover by Margaret Mahy.
• Paperback Warrior revisits Road War, a 1985 novel in The Traveler post-apocalyptic adventure series, by D.B. Drumm a.k.a. John Shirley.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses that Kickstarters can be stressful.
  

Con and event reports:

• Caroline Humes shares her experiences at Ytterbium, the 2019 Eastercon in London, UK.
• Craig W. Chrissinger reports about the 2019 Williamson lectureship in Portales, New Mexico.
• Mike Glyer offers an update about the latest developments in the Jon Del Arroz vs. WorldCon 76 lawsuit. 
• Mike Glyer shares a look behind the scenes of Balticon in Baltimore, Maryland. 
• Ellen Datlow shares some photos of StokerCon in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Rob Jackson offers some recordings of the Saturday program at Corflu 36 in Rockville, Maryland.
• The Geekiary shares ten things to do at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida besides panels.
  

Science and technology:

• Ethan Siegel declares that the multiverse is inevitable and that we are living in it. 
• Jeremie Harris declares that we are probably living in an alternate universe and explains why this is so.
• Elizabeth Rayne takes a look at some of the stranger moons of Saturn as depicted by the probe Cassini. 
• Jonathan Amos reports about the people who are learning how to control the Rosalind Franklin Rover on Mars.
• Paul Rincon reports that the Chinese moon rover Chang'e-4 has confirmed some theories regarding lunar craters. 
• The BBC reports that Jeff Bezos has just unveiled a moon lander concept.
• Sam Scott explains what the Bikini Atoll looks like today. 
• Rebecca Morelle reports that American explorers have found a new species of crustaceans and a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana trench.
• Sarah Sloat reports that sea monsters reportedly seen by people started to look more and more like dinosaurs as fossil finds and knowledge about dinosaurs increased.
• The BBC reports that the tomb of an Anglo-Saxon prince has been excavated in Southend, UK, between a pub and an Aldi supermarket.
• UFO researcher Stanton Friedman has died aged 84.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Convexity of Our Youth" by Kurt Fawver in Lightspeed. 
• "Truth Is Like the Sun" by Matthew Kressel in Lightspeed.
• "Long is the Way" by Carrie Vaughn and Sage Walker at Tor.com. 
• "The Lonely Dark" by Deborah L. David in Compelling Science Fiction.
• "Green is for Wishes and Apples" by Kathryn McMahon in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Ten Excerpts from an Anotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island" by Nibedita Sen in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Ten Reasons Aliens Just Can't Get Enough of This Small West Virginia Town" by Shae Davidson in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Empress in Glass" by Cory Skerry in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Wiley" by Sara Saab in The Dark.
• "Fugue State" by Steven Barnes and Tanarive Due in Apex Magazine.

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for season 5 of Black Mirror.
• Watch a trailer for Batwoman. 
• Watch a trailer for Swamp Thing. 
• Watch a trailer for The Runaway, a virtual reality Doctor Who story. 
• Watch a trailer for Midsommar.
• Watch a trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. 
• Watch a trailer for Motherland: Fort Salem.
• Watch a trailer for neXt.
• Take a quiz about science fiction planets.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 10, 2019

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with tributes to Peter Mayhew, the final season of Game of Thrones, Avengers: Endgame,  Detective Pikachu, High Life, Chernobyl, the new Twilight Zone, What We Do In The Shadows, the Tolkien biopic, a plagiarism scandal involving the Elder Scrolls Elseweyr game and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Nicola Griffith shares five great SFF books by women.
• Jim Al-Khalili shares his top ten apocalyptic novels.
• Cora Buhlert discusses the somewhat premature death announcement of Steampunk.
• Lux Alptraum wonders why science fiction is so obsessed with robot sex.
• Ian McEwan wishes to make it known that he does not hate science fiction after all. 
• Kelly Lagor talks about J.G. Ballard and the birth of biotech. 
• Foz Meadows talks about problematic romance and relationship tropes in science fiction and fantasy. 
• Timothy R.J. Eveland talks about the difference between heroism and chivalry in fantasy and medieval historical fiction. 
• J.R.H. Lawless talks about logic and the limits thereof in Terry Pratchett's Discworld.  
• Ceridwen Christensen shares six essential works by William Gibson.
• Tor.com shares nine recent Star Wars novels to fulfill specific fandom needs.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares some Star Trek Discovery tie-in novels and comics to tide us over until season 3.
• Amanda Quick talks about 1930s robot technology and how she incorporated it into her novel Tightrope. 
• Alasdair Stuart talks about fandom, geek culture and emotional engagement.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports about the latest X-Men death and what makes it so problematic. 
• Mike Glyer reports that the rightwing comic website Bounding Into Comics has had its Facebook page closed.
• Camestros Felapton offers an update of what the Sad and Rabid Puppies are up to these days.
• Artist and musician Mark Greyland, son and victim of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter Breen, has died unexpectedly. 
  

Film and TV:

• LaToya Ferguson shares her thoughts on episodes 1 and 2 of season 4 of Lucifer. 
• Josh Bell declares that The Society is plagued by whiny characters and doesn't live up to its potential.  
• James Davis Nicoll shares his thoughts on the science fiction movie The Wandering Earth.
• Mark Jenkins declares that the Chinese historical epic Shadow gradually turns into fantasy.
• Vikram Murthi calls El Chicano a shoddy Batman imitation starring an all Latino cast.
• Benjamin Lee calls The Curse of La Llorona an unscary and formulaic horror movie. 
• Tanarive Due talks about the rise of black horror.
• Steven Poole discusses how the spoiler became the most heinous sin in pop culture. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on What We Left Behind, a documentary about the making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
• Alex Taylor explains the difference between US and UK TV productions.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form finalists for the 2019 Hugo Awards.
• Germain Lussier reports that Star Wars will be taking a three year break and that there will be no new Star Wars movies until 2022.
  

Tributes to Peter Mayhew:

• Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies, has died aged 74.
• Anthony Hayward shares an obbituary for Peter Mayhew.
• Peter Bradshaw shares a tribute to Peter Mayhew. 
• Tor.com remembers Peter Mayhew.
• Lexy Perez and Trilby Beresford share tributes from various colleagues to Peter Mayhew.
• The Guardian shares several photos of Peter Mayhew in and out of costume.
• Anthony Breznican shares a 2015 interview with Peter Mayhew.
  

Comments on Avengers: Endgame (warning: possible spoilers):

• John Scalzi shares his spoiler-free thoughts on Avengers: Endgame.
• Abigail Nussbaum shares her spoilerish thoughts on Avengers: Endgame.
• Camestros Felapton shares his spoilerish thoughts on Avengers: Endgame. 
• Arley Sorg and Josh Pearce share their thoughts on Avengers: Endgame. 
• Nerds of a Feather hold a roundtable discussion about Avengers: Endgame.
• Manohla Dargis, A.O. Scott, Wesley Morris, Kyle Buchanan and Aisha Harris hold a roundtable discussion about Avengers Endgame.
• Josh Wigler lists the final fate of the various characters in Avengers: Endgame (spoilers, obviously). 
• Ben Child wonders how the Black Widow movie will work after Avengers: Endgame.
• Jim C. Hines discusses Avengers: Endgame and particularly the portrayal of Thor.
• Inspired by Avengers: Endgame, Natalie Zutter muses about what rewards superheroes deserve.
• Rob Bricken declares that the Avengers messed up and ruined the world they meant to save. 
• Emily Asher-Perrin declares that after Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel movie might be facing the same problem as the comics.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido attempts to list every reference to previous Marvel movies in Avengers: Endgame. 
• Eric Francisco explains why the characters from the various Marvel Netflix TV series were not in Avengers: Endgame.
• Germain Lussier reveals a cameo appearance by actress Katharine Langford in Avengers: Endgame, which was cut from the final film. 
• Tom Beasley shares several behind the scenes photographs and videos from Avengers: Endgame. 
• Mark Savage explains how to make an Avengers film in eleven steps.
• Sarah Sloat discusses a new study regarding the attractiveness of various Marvel comics characters and their filmic counterparts.
• Daniele Palumbo and Jamie Robertson explains how Avengers: Endgame cements Disney's position as an entertainment juggernaut.
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Avengers: Endgame has passed the two billion US-dollar mark after only eleven day and is now the second highest grossing movie of all time.
  

Comments on the final season of Game of Thrones (spoilers):

• Sarah Hughes shares her thoughts on "The Last of the Starks", the latest episode of Game of Thrones. 
• Theresa DeLucci shares her thoughts on "The Last of the Starks".
• Joe Brosnan shares his thoughts on "The Last of the Starks". 
• Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on "The Last of the Starks". 
• Laura Hudson shares her thoughts on "The Last of the Starks". 
• Ben Van Iten shares his thoughts on "The Last of the Starks". 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "The Last of the Starks". 
• Danette Chavez shares her thoughts on "The Last of the Starks".
• Caitlin Penzey Moog shares her thoughts on "The Last of the Starks".
• Allison Shoemaker rates the food and drink choices of the characters in "The Last of the Starks". 
• Michael Livingston points out that a certain event in "The Last of the Starks" is mathematically impossible.
• Tyler Dean discusses the shared trauma of the characters Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.
• Amy Imhoff shares her appreciation for the character Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.
• Abigail Chandler declares that Game of Thrones has betrayed many of its female characters.
• Gretchen Smail explains why the death of a specific character in Game of Thrones is tragic in more ways than one. 
• Tyler Dean declares that Game of Thrones proves that rewriting history cannot change the past. 
• Beth Elderkin and Germain Lussier discuss the mental state of Daenerys Targaryen.
• Shilpa Ganatra wonders about the mental health of some of the claimants to the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones.
• Charles Pulliam-Moore points out that the dragons of Game of Thrones are much weaker than they have been portrayed so far. 
• James Hibberd interviews Gwendoline Christie who plays Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. 
• Kate Storey interviews Joe Dempsie who plays Gendry in Game of Thrones.
• Matt Nowak reports that a coffee-to-go cup accidentally left on a table in "The Last of the Starks" inspired dozens of jokes and memes. 
  
• Mallory Hughes reports that several members of the Game of Thrones cast sent video greetings to an 88-year-old hospice patient from Rhode Island, whose final wish it was to watch the battle of Winterfell. 
• Valeriya Safronova discusses the popularity of Game of Thrones inspired baby names.
• The BBC reports that Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, got married to musician Joe Jonas in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  

Comments on Detective Pikachu:

• James Whitbrook calls Detective Pikachu almost too cute for its own good.
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Detective Pikachu offers tomorrow's nostalgia junk today.
• Michael Rechtshaffen declares that Detective Pikachu isn't half bad.
• Steve Rose declares that Ryan Reynolds' voice acting transforms Detective Pikachu from an average videogame movie to an enjoyable family film.
• Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin interview Ryan Reynolds, star of Detective Pikachu.
• Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin interview Rob Letterman, director of Detective Pikachu.
• Jennifer Ouellette discusses how neuroscientists have discovered a region in the brains of eager Pokémon players dedicated to identifying Pokémon.

Comments on High Life:

• Peter Bradshaw calls High Life a superbly eerie and mysterious space drama. 
• Margot Harrison calls High Life an existential science fiction odyssey. 
• Andrew Winter calls High Life one of the best films of the year.
• Daniel Vaughan calls High Life a look at the darker side of humanity.
• Alan Meban calls High Life a taboo-ridden and hellbound science fiction story.
• Ryan Gilbey has more problems connecting with High Life than with Claire Denis' other movies.

Comments on Chernobyl:

• Will Gompertz praises the mini-series Chernobyl for its harrowing realism.
• Amy Glynn calls Chernobyl brilliant, but almost too harrowing to watch. 
• Tim Goodman calls Chernobyl solid, but very difficult to watch.
• Lorraine Ali calls Chernobyl haunting.
• Ben Travers calls Chernobyl a jarring appraisal of human nature.
• Mike Hale declares that Chernobyl feels too much like a conventional disaster movie. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Chernobyl a confusing nuclear disaster epic.
• Joe Bendel shares his thoughts on Chernobyl. 
• Elena Nicolaou explains which of the characters in the Chernobyl TV series are based on real people.
• Watch a trailer for Chernobyl.

Comments on the new Twilight Zone:

• Cheryl Eddy declares that the new Twilight Zone is hitting us over the head a little too hard. 
• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the latest episode of the new Twilight Zone. 

Comments on What We Do In The Shadows:

• Katie Rife shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In The Shadows. 
• Clark Collins interviews the creators of What We Do In The Shadows.

Comments on Tolkien: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Tolkien an affecting biopic. 
• Jesse Hassenger compares Tolkien to Shakespeare in Love, only without the laughs.
• Jane Mulkerrins interviews Lily Collins, one of the stars of Tolkien.
  

Comments on the Elder Scrolls Elseweyr plagiarism scandal: 

• Kyle Orland reports that an Elder Scrolls Elseweyr tie-in RPG has been taken down, when it was found to have been plagiarised from a 2016 Dungeons and Dragons game.
• Charlie Hall also reports about the Elder Scrolls Elseweyr plagiarism scandal.
• Camestros Felapton is bothered by how very clumsy the plagiarism was.
  

Awards: 

• The shortlist for the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced.
• The fnalists for the 2019 Locus Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 Aurealis Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2019 Prix Aurora Boréal have been announced.
• The winner of the 2019 Tähtivaeltaja Award has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2018 Còyotl Award has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2018 Australian Shadows Awards have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2019 Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards has been announced.
• The recipients of the 2019 RWA Awards have been announced. 
• The nominees for the 2019 Prism Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2019 Chautauqua Prize have been announced with some love for genre novels.
• The winners of the 2019 FAAn Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the NASA Recycling in Space Awards have been announced.
• Mike Glyer asks which are the top five SFF awards.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kath Middleton talks about genre and genre mashups. 
• Shaunta Grimes shares her system for reaching the end of the draft. 
• Seanan McGuire talks about the daily process of writing a novel.
• Scott D. Parker shares some writing lessons from pulp writer Frank Gruber. 
• Elizabeth Vaughan explains why she writes. 
• Chris Pavone talks about writing sequels and series. 
• Juliet Grames explains what writing a novel taught her about being an editor. 
• Charon Dunn talks about releasing the second editions of her Adventures of Sonny Knight series.
• Mary E. Roach talks about how the demand for #ownvoices stories can cause agents or editors to ask intrusive questions of authors.
• Edward Trimnell talks about digital sharecropping and social media.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about a problematic rights grab paragraph in the Patreon Terms of Use.
• The SFWA has announced the results of its 2019 officer elections.
  

Interviews:

• Tyler Cowan interviews Margaret Atwood.
• Brandon Crilly interviews Rebecca Roanhorse. 
• Ilana C. Myer interviews Guy Gavriel Kay. 
• Powell's Books Blog interviews Ted Chiang.
• Brigid Alverson interviews Cecil Castellucci
• Richard Lea interviews Ben Smith.
  

Reviews:

• Paul Weimer reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.  
• Russell Letson reviews A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Finder by Suzanne Palmer. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe.
• Camestros Felapton reviews Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee. 
• Camestros Felapton reviews Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders.
• Liz Bourke reviews Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Field of Heroes by Craig Robert Saunders. 
• Joyce Carol Oates reviews Exhalation by Ted Chiang.
• Adam Morgan reviews Exhalation by Ted Chiang. 
• Skye Walker reviews Dread Nation by Justina Ireland.
• Jana Nyman reviews The True Queen by Zen Cho. 
• Camestros Felapton reviews Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
• L.A. Young reviews Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.
• Pippa of Fantasy Faction reviews The Poison Song by Jen Williams. 
• Ross Johnson reviews Westside by W.M. Akers.
• Nicole Hill reviews Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. 
• Shauna Morgan reviews Middlegame by Seanan McGuire.
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman.  
• Carolyn Cushman reviews Wild Country by Anne Bishop and Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell. 
• Rob Bedford reviews Empire of Grass by Tad Williams. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Empire of Grass by Tad Williams.
• Aidan Moher reviews Empire of Grass by Tad Williams. 
• Katharine Coldiron reviews Tides of the Titans by Thoraiya Dyer. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Peasprout Chen - Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien.
• Rich Horton reviews Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss and Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Warm South by Paul Kerschen.  
• Sam Reader reviews China Dream by Ma Jian.
• Emma Jane Unsworth reviews The Heavens by Sandra Newman.
• Ian Mond reviews Mouthful of Birds by Samantha Schweblin.
• Elizabeth Fitzgerald reviews Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Natural Selection by Malinda Lo.
• Adri Joy reviews The Half-God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams.
• Bill Capossere reviews The War Within by Stephen R. Donaldson
• Rachael McKenzie reviews Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin.
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Man Who Walked Through Cracks: The Collected Short Fiction, Volume 5 by R.A. Lafferty
• Hannah Jane Parkinson reviews Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews A Penny For Your Thoughts by Robert Ford and Matt Hayward.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Master of Pain by James White and Kristopher Rufty.
  

Classics reviews:

• Paul Fraser revisits the October 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1947 time travel novella Lands of the Earthquake by Henry Kuttner. 
• Napoleon Doom revisits the 1959 science fiction novel A Matter of Proportion by Anne Walker. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1964 issue of Galaxy.
• Victoria Lucas revisits the 1964 science fiction novel Transit by Edmund Cooper. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1966 comic science fiction novel Mindswap by Robert Sheckley. 
• Paul Weimer revisits the 1966 science fiction novel Rocannon's World by Ursula K. LeGuin.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1970 sword and sorcery collection Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber.
• Mari Ness revisits the 1971 science fantasy novel Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey. 
• Nisi Shawl revisits the 1977 literary fantasy novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.
• The PorPor Books Blog revisits the 1977 sword and sorcery anthology Swords Against Darkness, edited by Andrew J. Offutt.
• The PorPor Books Blog revisits the 1980 science fantasy novel Lore of the Witch World by Andre Norton.
• Tamsyn Muir revisits the 1982 children's fantasy novel The Halfmen of O by Maurice Gee. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 superhero anthology Wild Cards, edited by George R.R. Martin. 
• Mark Yon revisits the 1993 dystopian novel Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack.
• Judith Tarr revisits Andre Norton's 1995 fantasy novel Mirror of Destiny.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Kristine Kathryn Rusch is looking for funding for The Renegat, a new Diving Universe novel .
  

Con and event reports:

• Martin Morse Wooster reports about Corflu 36 FIAWOL in Rockville, Maryland.
• John Hertz announces three discussions about classics of science fiction to be held at Spikecon in Layton, Utah.  
• Cat Sparks shares some photos from the Aurealis Awards ceremony in Melbourne, Australia.
• Summer H. Paulus reports about the Georgia Renaissance Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and shares several photos. 
• Ed Tahaney reports about the exhibition "Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy" at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California, and shares several photos.

Science and technology:

• Elizabeth Rayne reports that the asteroid Apophis wil come extremely close to Earth in 2029.  
• Buzz Aldrin declares that humans should go to Mars and establish a base there.
• The BBC reports about the hunt for gravitational waves.
• Christopher Joyce reports that the ancient human Homo Denisova has been traced to Tibet. 
• Malia Wollan interviews astronaut Scott Kelly.
• Biologist Jack Cohen died aged 85.
  

Free online fiction:

• "This Way to Paradise" by Rati Mehrotra in Lightspeed. 
• "The Portal" by Debbie Urbanski in Lightspeed. 
• "Her Bones the Trees" by Georgina Bruce in The Dark.
• "The Thirty-Eight-Hundred Bone Coat" by R.K. Duncan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Bone Flute Quartet" by K.J. Kabza in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Dune Song" by Suyi Davies Okungbawa in Apex Magazine.
• "Your Inheritance Will Taste of Salt" by Karolina Fedyk in Fireside Magazine. 
• "Nice Things" by Ellen Klages in Uncanny Magazine.  
• "Probabilitea" by John Chu in Uncanny Magazine. 
• "Perennials" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• "Tea and Treachery" by Cora Buhlert.
• "The Deer Boy" by Micah Dean Hicks in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Into the Flames" by Jasmine Smith in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "The Mare of the Meuse" by Janna Layton in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "At Love's Heart" by Amanda J. McGee in Luna Station Quarterly.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home (warning: contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame) 
• Watch a trailer for Rim of the World. 
• Watch a trailer for chapter 2 of It.
• Watch a trailer for Watchmen.
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Legion. 
• Create your own MagicXMayhem character.