It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the attack on Salman Rushdie, tributes to Wolfgang Petersen and Anne Heche, the many iterations of Star Trek, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, The Sandman, season 4 of Westworld, season 3 of For All Mankind, season 3 of Locke and Key, Red Rose, Day Shift, Orphan: First Kill, Dragon Ball Super Hero, Warner Bros cancelling every remotely interesting movie or TV show except for The Flash after their merger with Discovery, the 2022 Dragon Award finalists and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Abigail Nussbaum shares the best recent science fiction and fantasy books.
- Tor.com shares all the new horror and genre-bending books coming out in August.
- Caitlin Hobbs shares her twenty favourite science fiction novels of all time.
- Leah Rachel von Essen shares standalone fantasy novels perfect for those new to the genre.
- Alana Joli Abbott shares six new fantasy novels with female protagonists.
- Brian Murphy talks about politics in speculative fiction.
- Cole Rush talks about pseudo-profanity as SFF worldbuilding.
- Adam Thierer explains how science fictional dystopias are shaping the real world debate about robotics and artificial intelligence.
- Katelyn Monroe Howes talks about alternative futures and the fear of science.
- James Wallace Harris muses why he can no longer connect with contemporary science fiction.
- Randee Dawn lists the greatest divas of fantasy.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about hermits, recluses and loners.
- Deborah A. Wolf talks about the appeal of antiheroes.
- The Dungeon Dive podcast talks about new edge sword and sorcery.
- Judith Tarr declares that the dragon is the ultimate fantasy beast.
- Russell James shares his favourite horror novels.
- Michael Seidlinger talks about the responsibility of the author and the audience when writing and reading horror.
- Shaun Duke tackles the "true fan" argument and why it's nonsense.
- Madeline Kiss talks about the benefits of reading.
- David Samuels profiles Philip K. Dick.
- Alison Flood profiles Alex Aster, who got a six figure book deal for her YA fantasy Lightlark after talking about it on TikTok.
- Peter Suderman reports that Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury of all books was once censored for high school students.
- Elizabeth A. Harris reports that Peter S. Beagle has regained control of his works.
- Gene Park explains how playing the videogame Cyberpunk 2077 helped him deal with cancer.
- Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer, has died aged 72.
Comments on the attack on Salman Rushdie:
- Writer Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage during an event in Chautauqua, New York. Moderator Henry Reese was also injured.
- Porter Anderson reports that according to his agent Andrew Wylie, Salman Rushdie was grieveously injured and may lose an eye and also suffered nerve and liver damage.
- Carolyn Johnson and Hillel Italie share a health update on Salman Rushdie.
- Ramon Antonio Vargas reports that Salman Rushdie's road to recovery will be long.
- Maya Yang shares reactions by colleagues and friends to the attack on Salman Rushdie.
- Hurubie Meko also shares responses to the stabbing of Salman Rushdie.
- Margaret Atwood shares her thoughts on the attack on Salman Rushdie.
- George R.R. Martin shares his thoughts on the attack on Salman Rushdie.
- Nesrine Malik declares that we should not forget that Salman Rushdie is a human being and not just a symbol of freedom of speech.
- Ramon Antonio Vargas reports that the man who stabbed Salman Rushdie has been charged with attempted murder.
- Ed Pilkington and Philip Oltermann report that prior to the attack Salman Rushdie thought his life was normal again.
- Julian Borger looks back on the enormous uproar caused by Salman Rushdie 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which ultimately led to his stabbing.
- Nesrine Malik also looks at the background of the attack on Salman Rushdie.
- Sarah Shaffi reports about Salman Rushdie's latest essay about the state of democracy in India, which was published in a PEN India anthology.
- Sarah Shaffi reports that hundreds of authors will be reading from Salman Rushdie's books in solidarity with the author at a public event in New York City.
- Mark Brown reports that the Scottish police are investigating a threat against J.K. Rowling in the wake of the attack on Salman Rushdie.
Comics and Art:
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1981 X-Men story arc "Days of Future Past" by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.
- Jenna Margolis lists the most obscure DC superheroes with the weirdest powers.
- Lisa Levy interviews Grace Ellis, co-creator of a graphic novel biography of Patricia Highsmith.
- Jeff LaSala interviews fantasy artist Kip Rasmussen.
- Jane Frank shares her appreciation for the fantasy art of Stephen Fabian.
- Bill Ward takes a look at the many covers David Gemmel's novels have had over the years.
- Bill Ward takes a look at the many covers Brian Aldiss' novels have had over the years.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh takes a look at the many covers H.P. Lovecraft's works have had over the years.
- Frank Frazetta Jr. remember his father on what would have been his 94th birthday.
- Deuce Richardson remembers Joe Kubert on the tenth anniversary of his death.
- George Gene Gustines reports that comic artist Frank Miller is sueing the widow of editor David Anthony Kraft about the return of two pages of art.
- Jean-Jacques Sempé, illustrator of the Petit Nicolas children's books, has died aged 89.
Film and TV:
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
- Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on season 3 of The Boys.
- Maya Gittelman shares her appreciation for the portrayal of the character Mary Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death.
- Rogues in the House share their thoughts on Prey and explain why it is a sword and sorcery movie.
- David Cote calls The Undeclared War a sluggish cyberthriller.
- Leslie Felperin calls The Feast a creepy British folk horror movie.
- Adrian Horton calls Look Both Ways a warm but inbalanced exploration of what if.
- Charlie Jane Anders lists seven wrong lessons creators learned from Game of Thrones.
- Linda Codega discusses the gender politics of the anime Inu-Oh.
- Inspired by the Batgirl cancellation, Lizzy Denning takes a look at other infamous never finished or released movies.
- Luke Buckmaster revisits Violence in the Cinema Part 1, George Miller's rarely seen first film from 1972.
- John Safran recounts the making of Oz: A Rock 'n Roll Road Movie, a 1976 Australian musical take on The Wizard of Oz.
- Jon O'Brien revisits the 1992 science fiction comedy Stay Tuned.
- Alex Ritman shares some news and speculations over the future of Doctor Who.
- Josh Weiss interviews Seth McFarlane, showrunner and star of The Orville.
- Peter Scobel and Ian Spelling interviews Owen Wilson, one of the stars of Secret Headquarters.
- Jack Smart interviews Taylour Paige, one of the stars of Mack and Rita.
- Charlie Moloney reports that British actor Steve Toussaint has received racist abuse after he was cast in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.
- Nellie Andreeva reports that actor Jordan Elsass, who played Jonathan Kent in Superman and Lois, has abruptly left the show and that the role will be recast.
- Benjamin Lee asks which lessons Hollywood can learn from the summer box office of 2022.
- The Guardian reports that Harrison Ford's original Han Solo blaster prop from Star Wars will be auctioned off for an expected half million US-dollar.
- British director and producer Mamoun Hassan has died aged 84.
Tributes to Wolfgang Petersen:
- Wolfgang Petersen, director of Das Boot, Enemy Mine, Air Force One, In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, The Neverending Story and many others, has died aged 81.
- Benjamin Lee remembers Wolfgang Petersen.
- Germain Lussier remembers Wolfgang Petersen.
- Phil Pirello remembers Wolfgang Petersen.
- Deadline shares photos from Wolfgang Petersen's lengthy career.
Tributes to Anne Heche:
- Actress Anne Heche, star of Volcano, Donnie Brasco, I Know What You Did Last Summer and the Psycho remake, died aged 53 after several days is in a coma following a car crash in Los Angeles, California.
- Peter Bradshaw calls the late Anne Heche a little too stylish and smart for Hollywood.
- The Guardian shares photos from Anne Heche's career.
Comments on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
- Dominic Patten calls She-Hulk: Attorney at Law a laugh out loud Marvel comedy.
- Lucy Mangan declares that female empowerment was never as much fun as in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Molly Templeton calls the series premiere of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law mostly charming.
- Jenna Scherer declares that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is off to a fun, self-aware start.
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Linda Codega shares early reactions to She-Hulk.
- Jenna Scherer offers a crash course on She-Hulk before the new show starts.
- Fiona Sturges interviews Tatiana Maslany who plays Jennifer Walters a.k.a. She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Mike Rampton interviews Mark Ruffalo who plays Bruce Banner a.k.a. Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Germain Lussier interviews Jessica Gao, writer and producer of She-Hulk, Attorney at Law.
- Gregory Ellwood interviews Brett Goldstein who plays Hercules in Thor: Love and Thunder.
- Artem Golub interviews Xochitl Gomez who plays America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Comments on the many iterations of Star Trek:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Vanishing Point".
- Melissa Navia, who plays Lieutenant Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, opens up about losing her partner Brian Bannon to cancer in December 2021 and having to go back to film season 2 barely a month later.
Comments on Red Rose:
Comments on season 4 of Westworld:
Comments on The Sandman:
Comments on season 3 of Locke and Key:
Comments on the season 3 finale of For All Mankind:
Comments on Day Shift:
Comments on Orphan: First Kill:
Comments on Dragon Ball Super Hero:
Comments on Warner Bros cancelling every remotely interesting movie or TV show after their merger with Discovery:
- Cameron Bonomolo reports about the fates of the various DC Comics related superhero shows on HBO Max.
- Sabina Graves reports that the animated show Young Justice will not return for season 5.
- Rob Bricken reports that Warner Bros Discovery is cancelling and completely removing many animated shows from HBO Max.
- Ben Child wonders whether Ezra Miller's erratic and criminal behavious will kill off the DC Cinematic Universe for good.
- Sian Cain reports that actor Ezra Miller, who repeatedly made headlines with their problematic and downright criminal behaviour, has apologised to everybody they have alarmed.
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2022 Dragon Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2022 Sir Julius Vogel Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2022 Aurora Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2022 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced.
- The nominations for the 2022 Saturn Awards have been announced.
- The nominees for the 2022 Harvey Awards have been announced.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2022 Dragon Award finalists.
- Camestros Felapton analyses the gender breakdown of Dragon Award finalists and winners.
- Camestros Felapton traces how the Dragon Awards went mainstream.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his thoughts on the 2022 Hugo finalists for Best Novel, Best Novella and Best Novellette.
- Rich Horton takes a look aat the potential Hugo Awaard finalists for 1960.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Travis Miller notes that some writing advice is crap.
- W.A. Winter discusses the difficulties of naming characters.
- Kitt Crowe talks about the differences between writing romance and writing mysteries.
- Ryan La Sala talks about all the dangerous things he has done in the name of writing research.
- S.L Huang recounts how Communism, Conservatism and the Cold War still influence writing workshops today, including genre writing workshops.
- The HWA has started a mental health initiative.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch points out that your fellow writers are not your competition, but that a rising tide lifts all boats.
- Alex White shares tips for writing good tie-in fiction.
- Louise Wilder talks about book blurbs and what makes a good one.
- Lucille Robbins announces that Ring of Fire Press, a small press operated by the late Eric Flint, will be shutting down following Flint's death.
- Camestros Felapton reports that there are yet more calls for terrorism and violence at Baen's Bar.
- Sarah Shaffi reports about the BookTok phenomenon.
- David Dyer-Bennet shares photos of the opening of the new Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's bookstores in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after the original location of the stores was burned down during the riots following the death of George Floyd due to police brutality.
- Melissa Zygowicz profiles the Renaissance Book Store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- Jay Valle reports that residents have raised almost 100000 US-dollars for the library of Jamestown, Michigan, after it was defunded for refusing to remove LGBTQ themed books from the shelves.
- Sarah Shaffi and Lucy Knight reeport that there are calls for Joanne Harris to step down as chair of the management committee of the Society of Authors following a Twitter poll about death threats to authors.
Interviews:
- Megan Johnson interviews Stephen King.
- Anthony Cummins interviews Namwali Serpell.
- Paul Weimer interviews Jane Yolen.
- Jenni Laidman interviews Kim Stanley Robinson.
- Tangenetic interviews Oliver Brackenbury.
- Locus interviews Sunyi Dean.
- Locus interviews L. Penelope.
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Stephen Cox.
- Fabienne Schwizer interviews Miles Cameron.
- Runalong the Shelves interviews A.C. Wise.
- Goodreads interviews R.F. Kuang.
- Locus interviews R.R. Virdi.
- Nils Shukla interviews R.R. Virdi.
- Geneva Abdul interviews K-Mind Chang.
- Janna Miller interviews Hannah Whiteoak.
Reviews:
- Trisha Low reviews August Kitko and the Mechas From Space by Alex White.
- Ian Mond reviews The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds review Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- John Hertz reviews Stolen Skies by Tim Powers.
- Paul Weimer reviews Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman.
- Mark Yon reviews A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor.
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Splendid City by Karen Heuler
- Arturo Serrano reviews How to Date a Superhero (and Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez.
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young.
- Lucy Nield reviews Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson.
- Molly Templeton reviews The Night Shift by Natalka Burian.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Hooked by A.C. Wise.
- Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews Darling Girl by Liz Michalski.
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean.
- Bookworm Blues reviews The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean.
- Roseanna Pendlebury reviews A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland.
- James Tivendale reviews The Garden of Empire by J.T. Greathouse.
- J.C. Kang reviews The Crimson King by Alec Hutson.
- Tina S. Zhu and Eliza Ying He review When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase.
- Marion Deeds reviews The Liminal War by Ayize Jama-Everett.
- Tobias Carroll reviews The This by Adam Roberts.
- Shellie Horst reviews The Calculations of Rational Men by Daniel Godfrey.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews The Damage Done by Michael Landweber.
- Leah Schnelbach reviews A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.
- Alex Brown reviews The Honeys by Ryan La Sala.
- Beejay Silcox reviews The Furrows by Namwali Serpell.
- Namwali Serpell reviews The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid.
- Jake Arnett reviews Maror by Lavie Tidhar.
- Richard Marpole reviews Ahab's Return or The Last Voyage by Jeffrey Ford.
- Liza Wemakor reviews Talk Like a Man by Nisi Shawl.
- Brian Murphy reviews issue 6 of Tales of the Magician's Skull.
Classics reviews:
- James Reasoner revisits the December 1930 issue of Astounding Stories of Super Science.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1931 contemporary fantasy novel Turnabout by Thorne Smith.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1934 Conan sword and sorcery story "A Witch Shall Be Born" by Robert E. Howard.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1956 science fiction short story "The Fair" by John Brunner.
- Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1965 Elric sword and sorcery novel Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1967 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1967 dark fantasy anthology The Devil His Due, edited by Douglas Hill.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1967 science fiction anthology Orbit 2, edited by Damon Knight.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the 1967 science fiction novel Five Against Arlane by Tom Purdom and the 1967 planetary romance novel Lord of the Green Planet by Emil Petaja and Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1967 science fiction novels Thorns by Robert Silverberg and The Werewolf Principle by Clifford D. Simak.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 time travel novel Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1974 YA gothic novel Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 SimeGen science fiction novel Unto Zeor, Forever by Jacqueline Lichtenberg.
- Jo Walton revisits the 1979 sword and sorcery collection Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany.
- James Maliszewski revisits the September 1983 issue of White Dwarf.
- Alissa Burger revisits the 1991 YA horror novel The Accident by Diane Ho and the 1992 YA horror novel Mirror, Mirror by D.E. Athkins.
Crowdfunding:
Con and event reports:
- Mike Glyer reports that Nigerian SFF writer and editor and two-time Hugo finalist Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki has been denied a visa to attend Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon in Chicago, Illinois.
- Locus reports about the 2022 Baycon in San Mateo, California.
- The Skull, mascot of Tales from the Magician's Skull, shares his experiences at the 2022 GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon in Chicago, Illinois, has published progress report No. 5.
- Neil Rest shares some tips for people visiting Chicago, Illinois, for Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon.
- Ed Fortune reports about the 2028 Worldcon bid for Kampala, Uganda.
- Mike Glyer also reports about the 2028 Worldcon bid for Kampala, Uganda, and interviews bid chair Michael Kabunga.
- Cylithria Dubois shares the final report about the 2022 ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan.
- Mike Glyer reports that the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, has passed funds back to the 2022 Worldcon in Chicago, Illinois.
- S.E. Lindberg shares several videos from panels at GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Goodman Games shares photos of gaming in a vintage air-brushed van at GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- David Bratman shares his scholar guest of honour speech held at the 2022 Mythcon in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Sarah Shaffi wonders about the future of book festivals after the covid pandemic.
- Helen Davidson reports that a Chinese cosplayer was harassed and detained by the police in Suzhou, China, for wearing a kimono as part of her cosplay.
- Keith Roysdon reports about the so-called "ghost shows" of the first half of the 20th century.
- Open Culture reports about an exhibition of notes and other items left in library at the Oakland Public Library in Oakland, California.
Science and technology:
Free online fiction:
- "What Has Waited Between the Stars" by Daphne Fama in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The Arm Ouroboros" by Adam-Troy Castro in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Fishmonger" by Joshua Turner in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "The Ghosts of the Manhole at Enem Junction" by Achalugo Chioma Ilozumba in Omenana.
- "Your Space Between" by Marie Cooke in Apex Magazine.
- "Girlfriend Material" by M.H. Ayinde in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Slight Forms" by R.T. Ester in Clarkesworld.
- "The Scene of the Crime" by Leonard Richardson in Clarkesworld.
- "We Can Make Death Work" by Cassandra Khaw in The Saturday Morning Transport.
- "The Farewell" by Elana Gomel in The Dark.
- "Homecoming" by Brynn Olenberg Sugarman in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Pick-Up Time at the Daycare" by Filip Wittgren in Daily Science Fiction.
- "The Faces and the Masks" by Marie Brennan in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Social Gaffe" by Lindsey Duncan in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Thirst Trap" by Shannon Fay in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Without End" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
