Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 8, 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 Picard and the many iterations of Star Trek, Moon Knight and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, The Northman, Halo, Morbius, Severance, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, season 11 of The Walking Dead, the implosion of Silver Shamrock Publishing, Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter, responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 2022 Hugo finalists and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy lists thirty-seven new science fiction and fantasy books coming out this April. 
• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in April. 
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in April. 
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in April.
  
• Amal El-Mohtar takes a look at her favourite new science fiction and fantasy books. 
• Jo Walton shares her March 2022 reading list.
  
• Jo Walton talks about revisiting long SFF series.
  
• Rey Rowland shares her favourite historical fantasy books. 
• Deborah Falaye talks about morally grey characters.
  
• Ken Lizzi shares his ten favourite sword and sorcery characters. 
• G.W. Thomas shares some lesser known sword and sorcery stories. 
• Judy I. Lin shares five SFF books to pair with a good cup of tea.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about lawyers and the law. 
• Brendan P. Bellecourt shares five books about telepathy.
  
• Jedediah Berry shares five labyrinthine SFF books. 
• Rachel Barenbaum talks about time travel and metafiction.
  
• Guillermo Martínez talks about fiction within fiction.
  
• Aaron Jones talks about religion in fantasy. 
• Renay Williams shares a guide to the novels of John Scalzi. 
• C.D. Covington talks about lingusitic worldbuilding in Lana Elena Donnelly's Amberlough novels.
  
• Jonathan Thornton shares his appreciation for the subversive fantasy novels of Angela Carter. 
• Bobby Derie talks about Antisemitism in Robert E. Howard's fiction and letters.
  
• Sophie Litherland shares her thoughts on H.P. Lovecraft from the POV of a trans woman. 
• Bobby Derie profiles weird poet Robert Larson, his troubled relationship to his parents and his correspondence with H.P. Lovecraft.
  
• Age of Dusk shares their appreciation for the Hyperborean Cycle of Clark Ashton Smith.
  
• Bill Ward shares his appreciation for the works of William Morris reprinted in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. 
• Paperback Warrior profiles Jack Pearl, prolific writer of war, adventure, science fiction and tie-in novels as well as non-fiction books.
  
• The Rogues in the House podcast discusses The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and its many adaptations.
  
• Austin Gilkeson wonders whether a dragon or a balrog would win the ultimate showdown in Middle Earth. 
• Alex Farnsworth, Michael Farnsworth and Sebastian Steiner have created a simulation of Arrakis from Dune to see if humans could live there. 
• Borys Sydiuk shares an update about the state of various Ukrainian SFF writers and translators following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  
• The European Science Fiction Society has made a statement regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 
• Children's book author David McKee has died aged 87.
  
• Bookseller and editor Richard Labonté has died.
  

Comics and Art:

• BuzzFeed share their fifteen favourite comic book covers of all time. 
• Elizabeth Blair calls George O'Connor's Olympians series a graphic novel about Greek Gods which does not talk down to kids.
  
• Justin Carter reports that a new character named Lin Lie will take on the mantle of Iron Fist at Marvel Comics. 
• Leela Corman discusses the importance of Art Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus.
  
• James Bacon reports that a War comic anthology by Ukrainian writers and artists is in production. 
• Robert Wilonsky reports that some rare DC Comics ashcan editions from the 1930s and 1940s will be auctioned off. 
• The Guardian shares the dystopian collages of Joe Webb.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Alex Brown discusses the queer joy of Our Flag Means Death. 
• Bill Capossere calls The Adam Project a fun time travel film for the whole family. 
• Paul Levinson calls Moonshot a joyful science fiction film. 
• Paul Levinson calls Antlers a neo retro horror film. 
• Aaron Jones calls All of Us Are Dead yet another brilliant SFF series from South Korea. 
  
• Leslie Felperin calls Father of Flies a creepy but uneven horror film. 
• Sean Dowie shares his thoughts on the French film Titane.
  
• Todd Gilchrist reports that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is better than its predecessor. 
  
• David Stewart ranks his ten favourite science fiction films of the 1970s.
  
• Lorna Wallace shares her five favourite zombie movies from around the world. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares none horror movies about horror film shoots gone tragically wrong.
  
• Joe George rates his fifteen favourite time travel movies. 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Macra Terror". 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 2001 horror film Session 9.
  
• Camestros Felapton shares more thoughts on the 2002 space opera series Firefly. 
• Benjamin Lee interviews Goran Stolevski, director of You Won't Be Alone.
• Ben Child wonders whether part 2 of Dune can win an Oscar for best film, since part 1 didn't.
• The Movie District shares the filming locations of the 1956 science fiction horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
• Steve Vertlieb remembers film composer Elmer Bernstein.
• Actress Estelle Harris, who appeared in Toy Story, Night Court, Once Upon a Time in America and Seinfeld, has died aged 93.
• Actress June Brown, best known for playing Dot Cotton in East Enders, has died aged 95.
• Actor Nehemiah Persoff, who was in everything, has died aged 102.
  

 

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

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Fly Me To the Moon", the latest episode of Star Trek Picard.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Fly Me To the Moon".
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Fly Me To the Moon".  
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Fly Me To the Moon".
  
• James Whitbrook reports about an Easter egg in "Fly Me To the Moon".
• Adam B. Vary reports that a lot of Star Trek: The Next Generation castmembers will reunited for season 3 of Star Trek Picard. 
• Galactic Journey revisits the 1967 Star Trek episode "The Alternative Factor".
  
• Keith R.A. De Candido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Oasis". 
• Rich Pelley intervies Jason Isaacs who played Captain Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek Discovery.
  
• Justin Kroll interviews Chris Pine, star of The Contractor, All the Old Knives and the Star Trek movies.  
• James Whitbrook interviews David C. Fein, producer of the director's edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
  
• Watch a teaser for season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
  
• Watch a trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• Watch a teaser for To The Journey, a documentary about the making of Star Trek Voyager.
  

 

Comments on Moon Knight and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on "Summon the Suit", the latest episode of Moon Knight.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "Summon the Suit". 
• Andy Welch shares his thoughts on "Summon the Suit". 
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on "Summon the Suit". 
• Sabina Graves shares her thoughts on "Summon the Suit". 
  
• David Betancourt interviews Oscar Isaac, star of Moon Knight. 
• Eric Davis interviews Sam Raimi, director of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
• Watch a trailer for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
  

 

Comments on The Northman: 

• Sam Knight calls The Northman the most accurate Viking movie ever made and the most ambitious one. 
• Valerie Ettenhofer shares some early reactions to The Northman. 

 

Comments on Halo:

• James Whitbrook is happy that the Halo TV show lets the Master Chief take off his helmet.
• Watch the first episode of Halo for free in the US.
  

 

Comments on Morbius:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Morbius a ridiculously pointless Jekyll and Hyde vampire monster yarn. 
• Artem Golub calls Morbius a messy void.
  
• Germain Lussier notes that the post-credits scenes of Morbius defy logical explanation.
• Mike Ryan interviews Daniel Espinosa, director of Morbius.
• Jason Guerrasio interviews Daniel Espinosa and also addresses the negative reviews for Morbius.
  
• Zack Sharf reports that Daniel Espinosa responds to the negative criticism of Morbius by pointing out that he has a lot of self-hatred.
  
• Matt Schimkovitz points out that the relative success of Joker, Venom and Morbius proves that supervillain movies can be popular.
• Rob Bricken reports that Morbius had a remarkably good opening weekend for a movie about a little known comic character with bad reviews.
  

 

Comments on Severance:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts about the latest episode of Severance.
• Saloni Gajjar interviews the production designer and set decorator of Severance.
• Molly Templeton reports that Severance is getting a second season.

 

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.
  

 

Comments on Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore:

• Tomris Laffy finds that Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore lacks the magic and fun of the Harry Potter films even without the controversies surrounding J.K. Rowling.  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore good-natured magical entertainment.  
• Peter Debruge calls Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore an emotional middle chapter for the Fantastic Beasts series.
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2022 Hugo Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2022 Darrell Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2022 Eagle-Con Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2021 Aurealis Awards has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2022 Tolkien Society Awards has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Quantum Short Flash Fiction Competition have been announced.
  
• The finalists in the science fiction and fantasy category for the 2022 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards have been announced.
• The finalists in the horror category for the 2022 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2022 International Costumers' Guild Awards have been announced.
  
• The inductees into the 2022 Filk Hall of Fame have been announced.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Charlie Jane Anders shares seven tips for avoiding the biggest problems with villains. 
• Amanda Eyre Ward explains why keeping secrets is an important tool for writers. 
• Lincoln Michel points out that conflict is only one way to think about stories.
  
• Timothy David Mack talks about cowriting. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks some more about copyright.
  
• Locus reports about the so-called Great Resignation in the US publishing industry.
  
• Libby Brooks reports that children's books on diversity are increasingly subject to bans or censorship even in the UK. 
• Danika Ellis reports that Follett Learning, a company that develops software for school libraries, is developing a system that would allow parents to monitor the books their children are reading.
  
• Gina Cherelus reports that the New York Public Library has abolished all late fees and promptly got a lot of long missing books returned.
• Mike Glyer reports that Don Blyly, owner of the Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's SFF and mystery bookstores, which were burned down during the riots in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020, has found a new home for both stores.
  

Comments on the closing of Silver Shamrock Publishing: 

• Roxie Voorhees points out that Silver Shamrock Publishing announced a racist novel by Gene O'Neill, which caused a backlash which eventually led to the publisher shutting down. 
• Locus reports about the closing of Silver Shamrock Publishing. 
• Thomas Wagner weighs in on the implosion of Silver Shamrock Publishing.
  

 

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews Paul Witcover. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Rachel Cordasco. 
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews Chase A. Folmar.
  
• Jen Gheller interviews Amy Mills Klipstine.
• Gord Sellar and Jihyun Park interview Djuna.
• Cora Buhlert interviews Joachim Boaz. 
• Ian Benke interviews J. Lynn Else.
  
• John Ezard interviews J.R.R. Tolkien (in 1968).
• Linda Mitchell interviews Terry Pratchett (in 1992).
  

Reviews:

• For Winter Nights reviews Our Child of Two Worlds by Stephen Cox.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Our Child of Two Worlds by Stephen Cox. 
• The Hugo Book Club Blog reviews Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Braking Day by Adam Oyebanji. 
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews War Games by Anna Mocikat.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan. 
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford. 
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher.
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Silver Moon by Catherine Lundoff.
  
• J.W. Wright reviews Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews No Beauties or Monsters by Tara Goedjen.
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn. 
• Molly Templeton reviews The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews City of Dusk by Tara Sim. 
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig.
  
• Adri Joy reviews Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Gallant by V.E. Schwab. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May.
  
• Angela Gualtieri reviews The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker.
  
• Nate Aubin reviews The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish. 
• Nina Allan reviews Metronome by Tim Watson.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Entropy of Loss by Stewart Hotston. 
• Arturo Serrano reviews One Arm Shorter Than The Other by Gigi Ganguly. 
• Russell Letson reviews Galaxias by Stephen Baxter.
  
• Alex Brown reviews The Kindred by Alechia Dow.
  
• Maryann Corbett reviews Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley.
• Crom's Mountain reviews Worlds Beyond Worlds by John R. Fultz. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Giving the Devil His Due, edited by Rebecca Brewer. 
• Martin Morse Wooster reviews Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski.
  
• J.W. Wright reviews Robert E. Howard Changed My Life, edited by Jason M. Waltz.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Lisa Tuttle revisits the 1827 scientific romance The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Pool of the Black One" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1948 vampire story "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" by Fritz Leiber.
  
• Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1956 historical fantasy novel The Great Captains by Henry Treece.
  
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1965 anthology New Writings in S-F 6, edited by John Carnell.
• David Grigg and Perry Middlemas revisit the 1967 anthology Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison, as well as the 1967 science fantasy novel Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.
• David Levinson revisits the April 1967 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1968 first contact novel His Master's Voice by Stanislaw Lem, translated by Michael Kandel.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 dystopian thriller Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1975 anthology Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year: Fourth Annual Collection, edited by Lester Del Rey. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 space opera novel Star Hunters by Jo Clayton.
  
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1983 horror collection From the Heart of Darkness by David Drake.
  
• Timothy the Talking Cat revisits the 1984 cyberpunk novel Neuromancer by William Gibson.
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1989 YA horror novel Prom Dress by Lael Littke and the 1996 YA horror novel The Prom Date by Diane Hoh. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1994 X-Files tie-in novel Goblins by Charles Grant.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• The sword and sorcery RPG Swords & Chaos is looking for funding. 
• Apex Magazine is looking for funding for its 2021 Compilation Anthology.
  
• Sarah Whitten reports that Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter closed at 41.7 million US-dollar.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong shares some detail about the four books that will be published as part of Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• The third progress report for Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon in Chiacgo, Illinois, is available for download. 
• Charles De Lint has stepped down as Guest of Honour from Chicon 8.
  
• The 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, answers some questions regarding their membership and fee structure. 
• Mary Robinette Kowal launches a not entirely serious Worldcon bid for Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2032.  
• Victor Domashev reports that WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will take place in person again in 2022.
  
• Lucy Knight reports that the Hay Literary Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, will take place as an in-person festival again in 2022.
  
• Rich Lynch reports about a visit to the Futures exhibition at the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. 
  
• Merrit Kennedy reports that among the many casualties of the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is IT 8-BIT, a popular retro computer museum.
• Sabina Graves reports that a new Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction is coming to Epcot Center at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
• Sabina Graves interviews Alex Lee, entertainment producer at the Galactic Starcruiser resort in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
• Nick Ahad calls the stage production of The House With Chicken Legs in Manchester, UK, an inventive folk talke.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Katie Hunt and Ashley Strickland report that NASA has stopped the planned test for its Artemis 1 rocket for the second time.
  
• Julie Nováková talks about the quest for habitable exo-moons. 
• Logan D. Whitney talks about modern day piracy.
  
• Mark T. Givens and David Bushman talk about the unsolved murder of Hazel Drew in Upstate New York in 1908, which inspired Twin Peaks. 
• Edmund Richardson reports about the 19th century fugitive and adventurer James Lewis a.k.a. Charles Masson.
  
• Rene Ebersol reports that police officers in Tennessee are trained to use dowsing to find bodies.
• Tim Cushing also reports about police officers being trained to use dowsing to find bodies.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Doc Luckless and the Station Mistress" by Thoraiya Dyer in Clarkesworld. 
• "Two Spacesuits" by Leonard Richardson in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Hunter and the Hunted" by Mario Caric in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Sword and Spore" by Dominica Phetteplace in Tor.com. 
• "Advice from the Civil Temporal Defence League" by Sandra McDonald in Lightspeed. 
• "A History of Snakes, Part I" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed.
  
• "Grizzly Bear Conflict Manager" by John Scalzi in Whatever.
  
• "Rescue Unwanted" by Cora Buhlert in Wyngraf Magazine. 
• "Eshat's Temple" by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The Fruits and Other Memories of Rialynas" by AnaMaria Curtis in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Book and the Sea" by George Jacobs in The Lorelei Signal.
  
• "Face" by Amy Mills Klipstine in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Isio" by Martins Deep in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "Synchronous Online" by Shannon Scott in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Knotlings" by Aliya Whiteley in The Dark. 
• "The Apples" by Mari Ness in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "NPC" by James Van Pelt in Daily Science Fiction. 
• "Deus X" by David Gianatasio in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "The Ghastly Tale of Princess Lamia" by Liam Hogan in Daily Science Fiction.
  
• "After the Uprising" by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Sacrifice to the Kitayu" by Cora Buhlert.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for the Doctor Who Easter special Legend of the Sea Devils. 
• Watch a trailer for Outer Range.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Undone. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Russian Doll.
  
• Watch a trailer for Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. 
• Watch a trailer for Prehistoric Planet. 
• Watch a trailer for Lux Aeterna (flashing strobe warning).
  
• Watch a trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru.
• Watch the trailer for West Side Story with Tony played by a velociraptor, because everything is better with dinosaurs.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 13, 2020

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general, season 2 of His Dark Materials, Freaky, Fireballs: Visitors from Darker Worlds, the woes of the Fantastic Beasts series, NaNoWriMo tips and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Geoff Allshorn talks about LGBTQ science fiction. 
• Chloe Gong shares five SFF books about star-crossed lovers. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five classic science fiction survival stories.
  
• G.W. Thomas takes a look at science fiction stories which treat spaceships as characters of their own. 
• Nina Munteanu shares ten novels of ecological science fiction. 
• Michael Zapata shares genre-bending novels from Latin America. 
• Chris Mooney explains what makes a great villain. 
• James Swallow shares his favourite hacker heroes from science fiction and crime fiction.
  
• Greg Mele shares his appreciation for the Corum stories by Michael Moorcock. 
• G.W. Thomas shares his top ten Edgar Rice Burroughs monsters. 
• Joe R. Christopher finds Tolkien references in the mystery novels of Nevada Barr.
  
• Jason Pak lists every ringbearer in Lord of the Rings in chronological order.
• Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the works of L. Sprague de Camp. 
• Cliff Biggers remembers Donald A. Wollheim. 
• Maddy Warren remembers J. Hunter Holly. 
• Cora Buhlert takes a look at the elusive golden age horror writer Allison V. Harding.
  
• John Cox reminds us that James Bond would have turned 100 on November 11.  
• Colin Newton looks for traces of Ray Bradbury, Raymond Chandler and other famous literary resident of the West Side of Los Angeles, California.
• Bella Ellis offers a brief overview of conspiracy theories involving the Bronte sisters. 
• Tony Ortega takes a close look at the military medals science fiction author and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard supposedly earned.
• Dalya Alberge reports that Anthony Burgess renounced his famous dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange later in life.
• Mike Glyer reports that J. Michael Straczynski, executor of Harlan Ellison's estate, may actually be publishing the long delayed anthology The Last Dangerous Visions.
• The BBC profiles Tamil comic book pioneer Vijayan Soundrapandian.
• James Whitbrook reports that Marie Javins has been named the editor in chief of DC Comics.
• Paul Morley explains why opera will never die.
• The BBC reports that a statue of Mary Wollstonecraft has been unveiled in North London, UK, to some controversy.
  
• Locus remembers Rachel Caine.
• Pippin MacDonald remembers her mother Debra Doyle.
• Science fiction fan and bookseller Ken Barr has died.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Jason Shawhan calls Wolfwalkers an unsettling and magical animated movie.
  
• Phil Hoad calls Train to Busan: Peninsula a tired zombie rehash that lacks the social commentary of the original. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Nuclear an eccentric post-apocalyptic drama. 
• Stuart Heritage calls Fatman the Mel Gibson as Santa Claus action comedy no one wanted or needed. 
• Cath Clarke calls Jingle, Jangle: A Christmas Journey a sugar rush of holiday joy.
  
• Kate Erbland calls Proxima a more cerebral alternative to the more soapy astronaut drama Away.
• Leslie Felperin calls Blood Harvest a lurid religious horror film.
  
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
  
• Randall Colburn shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Moonbase 8. 
• Gwen Ihnat shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Next.
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the horror comedy Truth Seekers.
  
• James Worrad shares his thoughts on the Indian horror movie Tumbbad.  
• Emma John shares her appreciation for Agents of SHIELD.
  
• Rob Sanders shares ten little known fantasy films of the 1980s.
  
• Christian Blauvelt revisits Walt Disney's 1940 animated movie Fantasia for its 80th anniversary.
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1965 Doctor Who serial "The Myth Makers".
  
• Noah Berlatsky revisits the 1981 science fiction western Outland and compares it to the 1952 western High Noon. 
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1999 fantasy adventure movie The Mummy.
  
• Ellen Gutorskey remembers The Land of Gorch, a forgotten Jim Henson puppet sketch that briefly ran as part of the comedy program Saturday Night Live in 1975. 
• Beth Elderkin lists twenty actors who could appear in a superhero musical. 
• Cheryl Eddy praises the work of director Rachel Talalay. 
  
• Catherine Shoard interviews Gabrial Byrne, star of The Usual Suspects, Excalibur, Miller's Crossing and many others. 
• Tony King interviews Benjamin Ross Hayden, director of Parallel Minds. 
• Devan Coggan offers some background in the upcoming Marvel TV series WandaVision.
  
• Tony Quine reports that a Russian production company is also planning to film aboard the International Space Station and is looking for a suitable star.
  
• Shannon Miller reports that actress Anne Hathaway has apologised to the disability community for the problematic portrayal of her character in The Witches. 
• Anthony d'Alessandro reports that the theatrical releases of Free Guy and Death on the Nile have been delayed due to the corona pandemic.   
• Andrew Liptak reports that season 13 of Doctor Who will be shorter than usual due to the corona pandemic.
  
• Molly Templeton reports that the Marvel series WandaVision will start streaming on January 15, 2021.
  
• British actor Geoffrey Palmer who appeared in Doctor Who, Whoops, Apocalypse and the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies among many others has died aged 93.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Forget Me Not", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on "Forget Me Not".
• Zack Handlen shares his thoughts on "Forget Me Not".
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Forget Me Not".
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "Forget Me Not". 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Forget Me Not".
  
• Philiana Ng interviews Blu del Barrio who plays Adira in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Eric Pesola discusses some negative fandom reactions to Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek Picard and other current iterations of Star Trek.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Mortal Coil" and "Waking Moments".
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro revisits the 2016 Deep Space Nine tie-in novel Force and Motion by Jeffrey Lang.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general: 

• Paul MacInnes shares his thought on "The Passenger", the latest episode of The Mandalorian. 
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "The Passenger". 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares his thoughts on "The Passenger". 
• Katie Rife shares her thoughts on "The Passenger". 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "The Passenger". 
• Tyler Hersko shares his thoughts on "The Passenger".
• Charles Pulliam-Moore is bothered by Baby Yoda's eating habits in "The Passenger".
  
• John Saavedra explains the background of the critters seen in "The Passenger".
• Adrienne Tyler explains why the Tusken Raiders always wear masks.
• Mark Brown interviews John Boyega, who played Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
  
• Eric Spitznagel shares 99 Star Wars related jokes.
• James Hibberd reports that a restaurant in Bambridge, Northern Ireland, offers a Baby Yoda cocktail.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of His Dark Materials: 

• Stuart Jeffries praises the performance of Ruth Wilson in season 2 of His Dark Materials.
• Jake Kanter interviews producer Jane Tranter and actress Ruth Wilson, who plays Mrs. Coulter in His Dark Materials.
• Sarah Hughes interviews Jane Tranter, producer of His Dark Materials, Doctor Who and Spooks.
  

Comments on Freaky:

• Jesse Hassenger calls Freaky a fun horror hybrid.
• Germain Lussier calls Freaky fun but familiar.

Comments on Werner Herzog's documentary Fireballs: Visitors from Darker Worlds:

• Peter Bradshaw shares his thoughts on Werner Herzog's documentary Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds. 
• Mike D'Angelo shares his thoughts on Fireballs: Visitors from Darker Worlds.
  

 

Comments on the Fantastic Beasts film series replacing Johnny Depp:

• Benjamin Lee reports that Johnny Depp has been asked to resign from the Fantastic Beasts movie series following losing the libel lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard. 
• Andrew Pulver reports that Mads Mikkelsen will replace Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts movies. 
• Luke Walpole wonders how replacing a main actor will affect the Fantastic Beasts series.

 

Awards: 

• The semi-finalists for the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize for Innovation in Fiction has been announced.
  
• The 2020 inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame have been announced.
• Locus reports about a controversy surrounding the Women's Prize for Fiction.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Margaret Atwood talks about creating art in difficult times.
  
• Andrea Hall shares a NaNoWriMo pep talk for writers. 
• Summer H. Paulus shares writing advice from several published writers. 
• E.A. Aymar hosts a roundtable on writing the other.
  
• Sara Foster explains why narrative structure is such a valuable tool for writers. 
• Charlie Jane Anders explains that irony and emotion can go hand in hand in your writing. 
• John Scalzi looks back on twenty years as an author.
  
• Joby Dorr feels that artists should charge more for their work.
  
• Emily Hare attempts to answer the question if you should start a Patreon.
• Alison Flood announces that hundreds of British authors have signed an initiative to support British bookstores during the pandemic.
• Alison Flood also reports that the British Booksellers' Association declares that bookstores should be classified as essential services and should remain open during the current lockdown in the UK.
  
• Rachel Kramer Brussel reports about people who have opened bookstores during the corona pandemic. 
• Sarah Laskow takes a look into the caretaker's apartments still found inside some branches of the New York Public Library. 
• Jason Kottke reports that Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon, is releasing a fragrance that smells like a bookstore.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that Greg Ketter, owner of DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and an employee were attacked and robbed only months after the store was vandalised during the riots following the death of George Floyd.
  

Interviews:

• Kara Swisher interviews Jeff VanderMeer. 
• Brian Gresko interviews Jonathan Lethem. 
• John Maher interviews Terry Brooks.
  
• Locus interviews Victor LaValle. 
• Andrea Johnson interviews Rachel Cordasco. 
• The Qwillery interviews Ginger Smith. 
• The Qwillery interviews Wayne Santos.
  
• Andrea Johnson interviews Cole Nagamatsu.
  
• Janna Miller interviews Anna Elise Brinich.
• Sian Cain interviews Rumaan Alam.
• Scott Edelman interviews Steve Toase.
  

Reviews: 

• Marion Deeds, Tadiana Jones and Jana Nyman review Network Effect by Martha Wells.
• Julia Frazer reviews Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. 
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews Ballistic by Marko Kloos.
  
• Shellie Horst reviews Dexter and the Sinister Detecting Agents by Keith W. Dickinson. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas.
  
• Adri Joy revisits The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk.
  
• E, Nordling reviews The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich.  
• Rebecca Fisher reviews The Wizard of Once by Cressida Cowell.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust 
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews The Ikessar Falcon by K.S. Villoso. 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen 
• Paul Weimer reviews Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Legacy of Steel by Matthew Ward.
  
• Alice Arneson reviews Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
• Marion Deeds reviews The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.
  
• Margaret Agnew reviews The Cabin on Souder Hill by Lonnie Bush.  
• Pam Guyno reviews The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston. 
• Ian Mond reviews Afterland by Lauren Beukes.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Crowman by Gareth Clegg. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of the Stapletons by James Lovegrove.
  
• No More Grumpy Bookseller reviews Sleep Donation by Karen Russell. 
• Lee Mandelo reviews Dead Lies Dreaming by Charles Stross. 
• Alex Preston reviews Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Utopia by Ahmed Khaled Towfik.  
• Bill Capossere and Kat Hooper review Bloom by Kenneth Oppel.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Evidence by Christopher Priest. 
• Stevie Davis reviews The Betrayals by Bridget Collins.
  
• Mark Yon reviews The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson.
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. 
• James Davies Nicoll reviews Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews After Sundown, edited by Mark Morris. 
• Sean Guynes reviews Theory for the World to Come: Speculative Fiction and Apocalyptic Anthropology by Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer.

Classics reviews:

• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1914 fantasy novel The Moon Pool by A. Merritt.
  
• James Malizewski revisits the 1932 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Frost Giant's Daughter" by Robert E. Howard.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1949 science fiction anthology The Best Science Fiction Stories, edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T.E. Ditky.
  
• Matthew Beaumont revisits the 1951 dystopian story "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury.
  
• Steve J. Wright revisits the 1957 YA science fiction novel Blast-Off at Woomera and its 1958 sequel The Domes of Pico by Hugh Walters.
  
• Bill Ward revisits the 1963 Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story "Bazaar of the Bizarre" by Fritz Leiber.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1965 issue of Galaxy. 
• John Boston revisits the December 1965 issue of Amazing Stories. 
• Joe Kenney revisits The Endless Orgy, a 1969 sleaze time travel novel by Richard E. Geis.
• Book Marks shares contemporary reviews of the 1969 science fiction novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 fantasy novel No Flying in the House by Betty Brock.
  
• Terhali's Peculiar Satisfaction revisits the 1972 Jerry Cornelius novel The English Assassin by Michael Moorcock.
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1974 science fiction anthology Universe 4, edited by Terry Carr. 
• Joe Kenney revisits The Blood Merchants, a 1982 Sabat horror men's adventure novel by Guy N. Smith.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1984 historical adventure novel Stand and Deliver by Andre Norton.
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1996 fantasy novel Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey.
• Ryan Howse revisits the 1998 Ile-Rien fantasy novel The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells.

Con and event reports:

• Cat Eldridge reports about the virtual 2020 World Fantasy Convention. 
• L.D. Lewis shares her experiences as one of the organisers of the virtual 2020 FIYAHCON.
• Alasdair Stuart interviews the team behind FIYAHCON.
• Mike Glyer reports about the virtual one day SMOFCon.
• The schedule for the virtual OR-e-Con is online.
• The 2021 Eurocon in Fiuggi, Italy, has been postponed until July due the corona pandemic.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvannia, where part of the 1958 movie The Blob was filmed, needs help to remain open. 
  
• Louise Perenne, artist and member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, needs some help to pay for home healthcare.
• The SLF Podcast: Mohanraj and Rosenbaum Are Humans is looking for funding.
• Jenitales: Artemisia, an erotic supernatural comic by Jennie Gyllblad, is looking for funding.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Jennimai Nguyen reports that Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot is being used by the NYPD at crime scenes in New York City.
  
• Matan Shelomi reports how people are using Pokémon to expose scientific misinformation and predatory, non-peer-reviewed journals.
• Rebecca Mead reports about the discovery of a Viking hoard in the UK and what happened afterwards. 
• Kellie Doherty lists her favourite mythological creatures that are not dragons.
  

Free online fiction:

• "To Sail the Black" by A.C. Wise in Clarkesworld.
• "Lost in Darkness and Distance" by Clara Madrigano in Clarkesworld.
• "Words We Say Instead" by Brit E.B. Hvide in Uncanny Magazine.
• "Our Lady of the Wicker Bridge" by Angela Slatter in The Dark.
• "Giant Beach" by Amy Porter in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law" by Lavie Tidhar in Tor.com.
  
• "The Gwyddien and the Raven Fiend" by J.T. Greathouse in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "A Land of Blood and Snow" by Cooper Anderson in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Do Androids Dream of Capitalism and Slavery?" by Mandisi Nkomo in Omenana.
• "Small Hopes and Dreams" by Beth Dawkins in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Legacy of Alexandria" by Maurice Broaddus in Apex Magazine. 
• "Burn the Ships" by Alberto Yáñez in Lightspeed.
• "Night Doctors" by P. Djèlí Clark in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Schrödinger's Catastrophe, Part 2" by Gene Doucette in Lightspeed.
  
• "I Decline" by Cat Rambo in Daily Science Fiction.
• "An Introduction" by Reina Hardy in Fantasy Magazine.
  
• "Double-Cross" by Cora Buhlert.
  

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Beastars. 
• Watch a trailer for Midnight Sky. 
• Watch a trailer for Superintelligence.
  
• Watch a trailer for the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special.