It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many iterations of Star Trek, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, Nope, The Invitation, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at thirty, Warner Bros cancelling every remotely interesting movie or TV show except for The Flash after their merger with Discovery, the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Cheryl Eddy lists 56 science fiction, fantasy and horror novels coming out in September.
- David Robson offers an introduction to hopepunk.
- Joshua Kristian McCoy explains the giant meteor trope in science fiction.
- Savannah Walsh discusses the teen dystopia craze that was sparked by the success of The Hunger Games.
- C.J. Carey explains what dystopias reveal about us.
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- Adalyn Grace shares gothic romances featuring non-human love interests.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books that celebrate classic rock.
- Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman share five SFF books about deadly magical games.
- John Mauro shares his top ten standalone grimdark fantasy novels.
- John Kaledin talks about apex predators in fiction.
- Olivia Rutigliano ranks the fifty best fictional dragons.
- V.M. Burns talks about relating to diverse characters.
- Tim Ford honours the legacy of interactive fiction.
- Jennifer Lynn Barnes talks about the psychology of fandom.
- Kate Wallace Pry praises the unapologetic campness and lesbianness of Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series.
- Grace Johnson and Carolin Dithrich praise the lesbian swordswomen of the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir.
- Lissa Harris discusses the swordfighting mechanics of the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir.
- David Polansky profiles Neal Stephenson.
- K.G. McAbee shares her appreciation for the work of John Wyndham.
- Jonathan Woods talks about the gothic sensibilities of Flannery O'Connor, Harry Crews, Toni Morrison and Donald Ray Pollock.
- Bobby Derie takes a look at the letters exchanged between Robert E. Howard and Novalyne Price.
- Bobby Derie also takes a look at H.P. Lovecraft's views on hormone therapy and early SFF stories featuring trans people.
Comics and Art:
- Stephen J. Golds shares twenty graphic novels you should read as soon as possible.
- C.T. Phipps reviews the graphic novel Vampire: The Masquerade: Vol. 2: The Mortician’s Army by Tim Seeley, Blake Howard and Tini Howard.
- Michael R. Brown profiles Weird Tales cover artist Margaret Brundage.
- Jeff LaSala shares his appreciation for Justin Gerard's Middle Earth art.
- Andy Baio talks about opening the Pandora's Box of AI-generated art.
- Liam Nolan reports about the death of a key character (who is not really a Marvel character) in Savage Avengers No. 4.
Film and TV:
- Michaele Jordan is thrilled that the animated prehistoric adventure show Primal is back.
- Judith Tarr declares that the animated series The Dragon Prince won her heart.
- Ryan Howse shares his thoughts on season 4 of Stranger Things.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Archer.
- Elizabeth Vincentelli calls Alienoid a bonkers SFF movie from South Korea.
- Leah Schnelbach declares that the horror movie The Black Phone feels like it was made for her.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
- Dejan Jotonovich talks about the rise of musuclar bodies on screen or what he calls the Marvel body.
- Ben Child wonders whether Disney's live-action Pinocchio can re-ignite their slate of live action remarks of animated classics.
- Guy Lodge shares his favourite British folk horror films.
- Scott Tobias revisits the 1972 horror film The Last House on the Left for its fiftieth anniversary.
- Austin Gilkeson revisits the 1977 animated adaptation of The Hobbit.
- Germain Lussier shares ten supporting characters from 1980s SFF movies that deserve their own spin-off.
- Randee Dawn shares yet more SFF-nal storylines from soap operas.
- Ben Travis interviews Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi and Knives Out.
- Andrew Male interviews Richard Harris, star of Foundation, Chernobyl and Mad Men.
- Seth Abramovitch interviews Ellen Burstyn, star of The Exorcist.
- Leonard Maltin interviews former Disney animator Andreas Deja.
- Nikki Baughan interviews Hanna Bergholm and Ilya Rautsi, director and screenwriter of the Finnish horror film Hatching.
- Jason Mosberg talks about the Hollywood IP craze.
- Disney executive Ron Logan has died aged 84.
- Actress Charlbi Dean, who appeared in Black Lightning, Blood in the Water, Triangle of Sadness, Don't Sleep and others, has died aged only 32.
- Peter Bradshaw remembers Charlbi Dean.
Comments on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
- Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on "The People vs. Emil Blonsky", the latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Jenna Scherer shares her thoughts on "The People vs. Emil Blonsky".
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "The People vs. Emil Blonsky".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Lauren Puckett-Pope interviews Tatiana Maslany, who plays Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
- Germain Lussier reports that Reed Richards was originally planned to appear in a post-credits scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- Linda Codega reports that Tenoch Huerta could not swim when he took the role of Namor the Submariner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and the many iterations of Star Trek:
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Least Dangerous Game", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Least Dangerous Game".
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "The Catwalk".
- Molly Templeton reports that Denise Crosby will appear in season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
Comments on House of the Dragon (spoilers):
- Daniel Fienberg declares that House of the Dragon offers plenty of dragons but also too many Targaryens in bad wigs.
- Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on the latest episode of House of the Dragon.
- Jenna Scherer shares her thoughts on the latest episode of House of the Dragon.
- Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the latest episode of House of the Dragon.
- Tom Huddleston shares his thoughts on the latest episode of House of the Dragon.
- Joe Brosnan shares his thoughts on the latest episode of House of the Dragon.
- Lincoln Michel talks about Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon and realism in fantasy.
- James Hibberd interviews Milly Alcock who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.
- Rob Bricken reports that the ratings of House of the Dragon have climbed even higher with the second episode.
- Molly Templeton reports that House of the Dragon has already been renewed for season 2.
- James Hibberd and Borys Kit report that showrunner Miguel Sapochnik will be leaving House of the Dragon before season 2.
Comments on The Sandman:
Comments on Nope:
Comments on Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that The Rings of Power does its best to copy Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Rebecca Nicholson calls The Rings of Power so astounding that it makes House of the Dragon look amateur.
- James Whitbrook declares that The Rings of Power starts off beautiful but slow.
- Matt Schimkowitz calls The Rings of Power a dazzling return to Middle Earth.
- Jenna Kass and Dylan Roth ask if The Rings of Power is for diehard Lord of the Rings fans or for everybody.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay and Lindsey Weber, showrunners and executive producer of The Rings of Power.
- Tom Huddleston interviews the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Charlie Vickers and Trystan Gravelle, two of the stars of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
- Cindy White attempts to explain the toxic controversy surrounding The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.
Comments on The Invitation:
Comments on Warner Bros cancelling every remotely interesting movie or TV show after their merger with Discovery:
- Mary Kate Carr reports that producer Dan Lin will be placed in charge of all DC Comics related movies and TV shows at Warner Bros Discover.
- Justin Carter wonders whether the cancelled animated show Batman: The Caped Crusader will have a future on another streaming service.
- Hattie Lindert reports that Elizabeth Hannah, the daughter of a scamming church leader who was the subject of a HBO Max documentary, is openly cheering at the channel's destruction.
Comments on Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at thirty:
Awards:
- The winners of the 2022 Seiun Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2022 Australian Fairy Tale Society Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2022 Pegasus Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2022 Ringo Awards have been announced,
- The winners of the 2022 Gamescon Awards have been announced.
- The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association discusses a revamping of the Rhysling Awards.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Katrina Schroeder talks about setting writing goals.
- Evan Puschak talks about writing a book without getting in your own way.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch points out that writers should never stop growing and learning.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about business mindset.
- Kate Dwyer traces the publishing journey of author Jessamine Chang.
- Tom Gauld takes a satirical look at bad publishing.
- Jim Milliot muses about the future of mass market paperbacks.
- J. Kingston Pierce reports that Angry Robot is planning to move into crime fiction.
- Andrew Albanese reports that librarian Kathy Zappitello is running for office in Conneaut, Ohio, after her library came under fire for displaying LGBTQ themed books.
- Kelly Jensen reports that the obscenity charges against the books Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas in Virgina Beach, Virginia, have been dismissed.
Interviews:
- Brian Hiatt interviews Neil Gaiman.
- Kameron Hurley interviews Ursula Vernon a.k.a. T. Kingfisher.
- Sona Charaipotra interviews Sofia Samatar.
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Sunyi Dean.
- Alexandra Rowland and Victoria Goddard interview each other.
- Paul Weimer interviews David Towsey.
- D.M. Ritzlin interviews J.T.T. Ryder.
- Gordon B. White interviews Cynthia Pelayo.
- Scott Edelman interviews David Ebenbach.
- Janna Miller interviews Hannah Hulbert.
- John Grayshaw interviews Charles Platt.
Reviews:
- Alix E. Harrow reviews Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
- C.T. Phipps reviews Ten Sigma by A.W. Wamg.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez.
- Nadia Elbaar reviews The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson.
- Matt Holder reviews The Ballad of Periloud Graves by Alex Jennings.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless.
- Ian Mond reviews The Last Blade Priest by W.P. Wiles.
- Age of Dusk reviews The Godblade by J. Christopher Tarpey.
- Ryan Howse reviews Empire Under a Dying Sun by Joseph O. Doran.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Queen of Eventide by Matthew Ward.
- Maya C. James reviews A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland.
- Roseanna Pendlebury reviews A Restless Truth by Freya Marske.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia.
- Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds review Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham.
- Clare Clark reviews The White Rock by Anna Hope.
- Tobias Carroll reviews 40 by Alan Heathcock.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Dark Factory by Kathe Koja.
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak.
- Tobias Carroll reviews The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias.
- Paula Guran reviews Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies by John Langan
- Lesa Holstine reviews Chesapeake Crimes: Magic is Murder, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman and Marcia Talley.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Queer Weird West Tales, edited by Julie Bozza.
- Brian Murphy reviews issue 6 of Tales From the Magician's Skull.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews John Brunner by Jad Smith.
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1911 fantasy novel The Centaur by Algernon Blackwood.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1935 Northwest Smith planetary romance "The Cold Gray God" by C.L. Moore.
- Mark Yon revisits the September 1967 issue of New Worlds.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1967 issue of Analog.
- Mark Yon revisits the 1968 fantasy novel The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 science fiction collection Farewell to Yesterday's Tomorrow by Alexei Panshin.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1987 novelisation of Robocop by Ed Naha.
- Alissa Burger revisits the 1990 YA horror novel Final Exam by A. Bates and the 1995 YA horror novel Night School by Caroline B. Cooney.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1995 medie tie-in novel Predator: Concrete Jungle by Lawrence Watt-Evans.
Con and event reports:
- Chicon 8, the 2022 Worldcon in Chicago, Illinois, has released its pocket program.
- Mike Glyer reports that Nigerian SFF author Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki has been granted a visa for the US and can attend Chicon after all.
- Mike Glyer shares some more background about how Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki came to have a second visa interview and received his visa after all.
- Elisabeth Vincentelli reports about the 2022 Necronomicon in Providence, Rhode Island.
- The chair of the 2022 Discworld Convention in Birmingham, UK, has a message regarding an important omission.
- Locus shares photos of the 2022 Sycamore Hill Writers Conference in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
- Sabina Graves shares the latest news from various US theme parks.
- Arifa Akhbar reports about Into the Woods, Terry Gilliam's rollicking adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's fairytale musical in Bath, UK.
- Sarah Shaffi reports that the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, is partnering with the Lviv BookForum in Lviv, Ukraine, to protect freedom of expression and highlight the plight of Ukraine and its writers.
Crowdfunding:
- Black God's Kiss, an RPG based on C.L. Moore's eponymous Jirel of Joiry sword and sorcery story, is looking for funding.
- The Feast of Fools and Other Tales, a sword and sorcery anthology edited by Robert Poyton, is looking for funding.
- Outlaw Mage, a magical school dropout adventure by K.S. Villoso is looking for funding.
- Zombies Need Brains is looking for funding for four SFF anthologies.
- Science fiction and comic book writer Rachel Pollack needs help with medical and care expenses.
Science and technology:
- Christian Davenport reports about the launch of NASA's new Artemis rocket.
- Will Sullivan reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered carbondioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet.
- Hannah Devlin reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has captured images of exoplanets in unprecendented detail.
- Joshua Hawkins reports that scientists have discovered an ocean world one hundred lightyears from Earth.
- Margaret Osborne reports that the current draught has revealed 113 million years old dinosaur footprints in Texas.
Free online fiction:
- "The Death Artist" by Adam Breckenridge in Beneath Ceaseless Skies
- "Imagine a Thief With Golden Fire in Their Voice" by Riley Neither in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "What Has Waited Between the Stars" by Daphne Fama in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Sky Boys" by Kameron Hurley in Apex Magazine.
- "Oyarsu-Terraforming Earth" by Dooshima Tsee in Omenana.
- "The Library of Vadargarn" by Rab Foster in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "The Thief of Memory" by Sunyi Dean in Tor.com.
- "The Only Innocent Man" by Julian K. Jarboe in Slate Future Tense.
- "Papa Legba Has Entered the Chat" by DaVaun Sanders in Fireside Magazine.
- "The Slow Deaths of Automobiles" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld.
- "Around the Corners" by Jarod K. Anderson in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Haunted" by T.R. Frazier in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Aveley" by E. Kimball in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Kronoship(r) FAQs" by Eric James Stone in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Blackwater Sound" by Michael Haynes in Daily Science Fiction.
- "She Looks So Much Like Sophie" by Leila Muton Poole in Daily Science Fiction.
- "Killing Time" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
