Cora's Adventures at Worldcon 77 in Dublin, Ireland

Convention Centre Dublin

Regular readers may remember that I was away at WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland, last month. I had a great time and even got to attend the Hugo Awards.

The lobby of the CCD bids WorldCon 77 members welcome.

A look into the lobby from the second floor of the CCD.

WorldCon 77 took place at the Convention Centre Dublin, a spectacular, if somewhat impractical building. As a result, queues for panels were often long.

Queueing for panels at the CCD

Luckily, there were many other things to do at WorldCon 77, even if you couldn't get into a panel you wanted to see. The dealers room was well stocked and there was even a bonafide DeLorean on display, though we have no idea if it can really travel through time.

A DeLorean parked in the dealers room at WorldCon 77. Luckily, there are no parking tickets for time machines.

In addition to the CCD, WorldCon 77 also had a second location about 800 metres or one tram tram stop away, at Point Square, a newly built and partly empty entertainment and shopping complex.

Point Square

Point Square not only hosted some panels and most of the signings, but also the entire arts and crafts portion of WorldCon 77, including the art show, crafting workshops and displays.

Lego castle with an army gathering outside the gates on display at WorldCon 77

The rebel base on Hoth recreated in Logo, on display at WorldCon 77

A Lego plant monster attacks a town in this display at WorldCon 77. In the background, you can see part of the art show.

Bayeux tapestry with bonus TARDIS on display at WorldCon 77. Created by Janet Clark.

Point Square was also home to the Raksura Colony Tree project, a collaborative fibre art project to recreate the giant colony trees described in Martha Wells' Hugo nominated Books of Raksura series. The project was organised by Constanze Hofmann who also outdid herself getting the entire Point Square arts and craft display area set up.

Since I'm also a crafter, a joined the project and contributed a couple of pieces. We not only created a beautiful work of art, but also had a lot of fun.

Crafting the Raksura Colony Tree

Crafting the Raksura Colony Tree

The finished Raksura Colony Tree model

A closer look at the finished Raksura Colony Tree model

The Raksura Colony Tree with some of the many contributors to the project

Furthermore, I also got to attend the Hugo Awards Ceremony as the designated accepter for best fanzine finalist Galactic Journey. We didn't win, but I got to enjoy the Hugo Awards reception and I got to see the ceremony close-up. What was more, I wound up sitting right next to NASA astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps, who presented the best novel Hugo Award.

Contents of the Hugo finalist/accepter packet

At the Hugo reception

The auditorium at the Hugo ceremony

Mary Robinette Kowal wins the Hugo Award for Best Novel for "The Calculating Stars", presented by Dr. Jeanette Epps

Since Galactic Journey did not win a Hugo - the winner in the best fanzine category was the excellent Lady Business - I also got to go the Hugo Losers Party hosted by none other than George R.R. Martin himself. And because I was cold and shared a taxi with two others also going to the party, I also got lucky and arrived early enough to avoid the overcrowding issues that happened when the bulk of the finalists arrived by bus a little later.

George R.R. Martin takes the stage at the Hugo Losers Party

The Hugo Losers Party has spilled out onto the mezzanine of the Guiness Store House.

All in all, I had a wonderful time at WorldCon 77 in Dublin. And the airport even gave me a very Irish farewell, complete with a rainbow.

Rainbow over the airport. Yes, this really happened.

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for September 6, 2019

It's time for another somewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Carnival Row, Chapter 2 of It,  Ad Astra, Joker, tributes to Terrance Dicks, WorldCon 77, debates about the Campbell/Astounding Award and the Tiptree Award, the 2019 Dragon Award winners and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Leah Schnelbach shares five science fiction and fantasy books to look out for in September.
• The Orangutan Librarian shares some gateway science fiction books for new readers. 
• Paul Tassi shares his favourite science fiction books for gamers. 
• Lauren Davis shares the origins of 31 common science fiction terms. 
• John Marrs shares seven dystopian techno-thrillers to read. 
• David Koepp shares seven essential novels about plagues, virusses and contagions.
• Deborah Hewitt shares five books about fantasy versions of London.
• Eric Smith shares five SFF books featuring giant insects.
• Camestros Felapton offers a post-mortem of his project to trace the history of the Hugo Awards through stories featuring dinosaurs.
• Emily Boynton explains how Jewish writers influenced Arthurian legend. 
• Kenneth R. Johnson shares a comprehensive bibliography of gothic romances with fantasy elements. 
• Hampus Eckerman talks about fandom, entitlement and toxicity.
• First Fandom Experience shares a 1937 letter by John W. Campbell.
• Matthew Tompkins talks about illusions that fooled Arthur Conan Doyle and memory and perceptions in general.
  
• George Gene Gustines reports that Marvel Comics has changed several lines in a current comic in which Captain America calls the USA a flawed country.
• Amy, wife of writer Jim C. Hines, has lost her fight with cancer.
• Science fiction writer Brad Linaweaver had died aged 66.
• Jack Weaver, longtime fan and webmaster of Fanac.org, has died aged 92.
• Science fiction author Katherine MacLean has died aged 94.
  

Film and TV:

• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the season three finale of The Handmaid's Tale
• Zack Handlen offers episode by episode reviews of season four of Preacher.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Boys.
• Paul Levinson calls See You Yesterday time travel meets Black Lives Matter. 
• Paul Levinson also finds some reasons to praise Mortal Engines.
• Katie Rife declares that Satanic Panic has a clever premise, but manages to be only lukewarm horror. 
• Katie Rife calls Tigers Are Not Afraid a dark Mexican fairytale.
• A.A. Dowd calls the new Jacob's Ladder a crappy remake. 
• Ignatiy Vishnevetsky declares that the time travel aspect are the most convincing thing about the thriller Don't Let Go. 
• Phil Hoad shares his thoughts on the documentary Memory: The Origins of Alien. 
• Jim Vorel shares his 100 favourite horror movies of the last 100 years.
• Catherine Shoard reports that gender and racial diversity in blockbuster films has increased.
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews actor Joseph Gilgun, who plays Cassidy in the TV version of Preacher.
• Ramin Setoodeh interviews Robert Pattinson, star of The Lighthouse and High Life and soon to be Batman.
• Taryn Rayder reports that actress Kristen Stewart was reportedly told to stop holding hands with her girlfriend in public, if she wanted to be cast in a Marvel movie. 
• Stuart Heritage wonders what No Time to Die, the title of the upcoming 25th James Bond film, might mean.  
• Gwen Ihnat reports that Hulu is planning to adapt The Testaments, sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.
• Ryan Britt discusses the regeneration of Romana in Doctor Who in 1979 and how it changed the series forever.
• Longtime Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks has died aged 84.
• Tor.com shartes tributes to Terrance Dicks from several Doctor Who writers past and present.
  

Comments on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance:

• Beth Elderkin calls The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance the groundbreaking fantasy epic we've been waiting for. 
• Beth Elderkin also declares that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is about climate change. 
• Erik Adams declares that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance unleashes the full potential left untapped by the 1982 movie.
• Emily Asher-Perrin declares that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance could save us from the homogeny of modern cinema.
• Glen Weldon calls The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance gorgeous, multi-faceted and hollow at its centre. 
• Jack Seale calls The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance a puppet fantasy purely for fans.
• Donna Dickens explains the ending of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and looks ahead at a possible season 2.
• The BBC shares some background about the original 1982 The Dark Crystal as well as the 2019 prequel.
  

Comments on Carnival Row:

• Paul Levinson calls Carnival Row searingly relevant Steampunk. 
• Tyler Dean calls Carnival Row a surprisingly complex take on Victorian fantasy tropes, race and politics.
• Ed Power calls Carnival Row a riotous Steampunk mash-up.
• Jill Pantozzi finds Carnival Row just dull.
• Danette Chavez declares that Carnival Row might have worked better, if it had gone completely off the rails.
• Hannah J. Davis interviews Cara Delevingne, one of the stars of Carnival Row.
  

Comments on Chapter 2 of It:

• Peter Bradshaw calls chapter 2 of It a painfully long horror show, the most horrible thing about which is the prospect of a third movie.
• Katie Rife declares that chapter 2 of It sinks rather than floats.
• James Smythe explains why he will always prefer the 1990s TV mini-series adaptation of It to the movie duology.
• A.A. Dowd revisits the original 1986 novel and compares it to both film version of It.
• The AV Club lists the best, worst and weirdest Stephen King adaptations.
• Camestros Felapton offers some not entirely serious suggestions for future It sequels.

Comments on Ad Astra:

• Nicholas Barber calls Ad Astra a rewarding combination of pulpy B-movie and ominous, atmospheric drama.
• Xan Brooks calls Ad Astra a suberb space opera with serious daddy issues.

Comments on Joker:

• Nicholas Barber calls Joker a dark, dingy drama about urban decay, alienation, and anti-capitalist protests.
• Stephanie Zacharek declares that Joker wants to criticise the emptiness of our culture, but instead becomes a prime example of it. 
• Christina Newland declares that the violence in Joker is horrific, but that the film refuses to take sides.
• Germain Lussier calls Joker powerful, confused and provocative, just like the titular character.
• Xan Brooks calls Joker a daring reboot and praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the titular character. 
• Owen Gleiberman is impressed by Joker and praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance. 
• Jim Vejvoda calls Joker amazing and also praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance.
• Jenna Bush also praises Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the titular character in Joker.  
• Richard Lawson calls Joker bracing and disturbing.
• Steve Weintraub calls Joker a comic book movie unlike any other.
• David Ehrlich calls Joker the boldest and most exciting superhero movie since Dark Knight.
• Ben Child wonders whether there is encounter between the Joker as played by Joaquin Phoenix and Batman as played by Robert Pattinson in the works and whether the resulting film could rival Marvel's box office.
  

Awards:

• The winner of the 2019 Eugie Foster Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Dragon Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2019 Booker Prize has been announced.
  
• The winner the 2019 James White Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2019 Year's Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers' Choice Award has been announced. 
• CoNZealand has announced that they will host the 1945 Retro Hugos. 
• Peter Libbey reports about the Campbell Award name change.
  
• John-Henri Holmberg weighs in on calls to rename the Tiptree Award.
• The James Tiptree Jr. Award motherboard explains that they will not change the name of the award.
• Nicholas Whyte weighs in on the viability of the best art book category, which was trialed this year at the Hugo Awards.
• Doris V. Sutherland shares her thoughts on the 2019 Dragon Award winners.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2019 Dragon Award winners.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Chris Winkle shares some tips for turning your fanfiction into original fiction. 
• R.J. Theodore shares some worldbuilding tips for creating worlds without monocultures.
• Joe McDermott talks about worldbuilding and the labour of food.
• Rena Barron talks about drawing inspiration from black magic.
• Maura Yzmore shares her experiences as a slush reader for a speculative fiction magazine. 
• Marie Bilodeau talks about her issues with her publisher.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about licensing in. 
• The new SFWA pro rate of eight cents per word for short fiction is now in effect.
  

Interviews:

• Sarah Hughes interviews George R.R. Martin.
• Khalia Strong interviews Nalini Singh. 
• Carl Slaughter interviews Charlie Jane Anders.
• The Word on the Street interviews Amal El-Mohtar.
• John Parker interviews Sarah Pinborough.
• John Parker interviews Hanna Jameson.
  
• Tia Kalla interviews Jennifer McKeon.
• A.M. Justice interviews C.T. Phipps.
• Summer H. Paulus interviews Todd Lockwood.
  

Reviews:

• Danielle Kurtzleben reviews The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. 
• Alex Clark reviews The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
• Liberty Hardy reviews Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. 
• Christina Tucker reviews The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett.
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
• Lee Mandelo reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
• Lis Carey reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: Stories of the Xuya Universe by Aliette de Bodard.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse and Other Situations by S.B. Divya. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Dark Age by Pierce Brown.
• Maya Gittelman reviews Red Skies Falling by Alex London.
• Adrienne Martini reviews Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Reticence by Gail Carriger.
• Kelly Lasiter reviews Small Spaces by Katherine Arden.
• Alex Brown reviews Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron. 
• Rebecca Fisher reviews Crown of Dreams by Katherine Roberts. 
• J.C. Kang reviews Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Sanctuary by V.V. James. 
• Amy Goldschlager reviews Miranda in Milan by Katherine Duckett. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Lent by Jo Walton.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall.  
• Colleen Mondor reviews An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Song of the Sycamore by Edward Cox.
• Paul di Filippo reviews Sing Your Sadness Deep by Laura Munro. 
• L.A. Young reviews Bound by Mark Lawrence.
• Mark Yon reviews The Grip of It by Jac Jemc. 
• Tracy Robinson reviews Grind Your Bones to Dust by Nicholas Day.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Weeping Season by Sean O'Connor. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Slash by Hunter Shea. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Cold Storage by David Koepp. 
• Nina Allan reviews The Institute by Stephen King.
• Sarah Ditum reviews The Need by Helen Phillips.
• Amal El-Mohtar reviews Palestine + 100, edited by Basma Ghalayini.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Monster She Wrote by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson.
  

Classics reviews: 

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1905 feminist utopian novel Sultana's Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1953 science fiction novel Star Rangers a.k.a. The Last Planet by Andre Norton.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Authors (1958 - 1966), edited by Gideon Marcus. 
• Margarita Mospanova revisits the 1960 science fiction novella From Beyond by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1964 science fiction novel Greybeard by Brian Aldiss.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1964 issue of Analog.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1974 science fiction novel Icerigger by Alan Dean Foster.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 science fiction novel Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 science fiction novel The Shattered Stars by Richard S. McEnroe.
• Jana Nyman and Rebecca Fisher revisit the 1984 fantasy novel In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1986 science fiction collection Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin. 
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King.
• Kelly Lasiter revisits the 1993 historical fantasy novel The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Fantastic Fiction of Hannes Bok, a hardcover collection of the three fantasy novels written by SFF writer and artist Hannes Bok, is looking for funding.
• Phoenix Pick is looking for funding to publish Robert A. Heinlein's unpublished novel The Pursuit of the Pankera. 
• Elements: Earth, a comic anthology by creators of colour, is looking for funding.
• Don't Go Without Me, a comic collection by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, is looking for funding.
  

Reports about WorldCon 77:

• Karlin Lillington reports about WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
• Cheryl Morgan shares an extensive report about WorldCon 77.
• Jay Faulkner shares his experiences at WorldCon 77. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares their experiences at WorldCon 77. 
• Nell Jenda shares her experiences at WorldCon 77.
• First time attendant Sara of Not Another Book Blogger shares her experiences at WorldCon 77.
• Hedwig's World shares her experiences at WorldCon 77 as well as several photos. 
• John Coxon shares his experiences at WorldCon 77.
• Espana Sheriff shares her experiences at WorldCon 77.
• Greg Hullender and Eric Wong share their experiences at WorldCon 77.
• Brenda Clough shares her experiences and several photos of WorldCon 77.  
• Cora Buhlert shares some photos of the Hugo reception as well as of the Raksura Colony Tree project at WorldCon 77.
• Steamtinkerer's Klönschnack reports about WorldCon 77 and shares some photos. 
• George R.R. Martin shares his experiences at WorldCon 77 and TitanCon in Belfast.

Comments about the issues with the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 77:

• George R.R. Martin weighs in on the issues with the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 77. 
• Alex Acks responds to George R.R. Martin. 
• Kat Tanaka Okopnik responds to George R.R. Martin.
• Tammy Coxen offers a brief history of the Hugo Losers' Party.
• George R.R. Martin shares his personal recollections of past Hugo Losers' Parties. 
• Cora Buhlet shares some photos of the Hugo Losers' Party at WorldCon 77. 

Other con and event reports:

• John Hertz reports about SpikeCon in Layton, Utah. 
• Geoff Matthews reports about VoyagerCon in London, UK, and shares some photos.
• Emily Stein reports about PodCon 2019 in Seattle, Washington.
• Mark L. Blackman reports about the latest edition of the New York Reviewof Science Fiction Readings Series in Brooklyn, New York, featuring Gregory Feeley and Michael Swanwick. 
• Mike Roe reports about the Oogie Boogie Bash, a Halloween themed event at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. 
• Erik Adams and Allison Shoemaker report about a visit to the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. 

Science and technology:

• Andrew Jones reports that the Chinese Lunar Rover Yutu-2 has made a strange discovery on the far side of the moon. 
• Scottie Andrews reports that NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars.
• Jonathan Amos reports about the James Webb Space Telescope.
• William Harwood reports how Kennedy Space Center in Florida is preparing for hurricane Dorian.
• Zachary Fryer-Biggs reports about battlefield robots.
• Jon Hamilton reports that lab-grown mini-brains start having brainwaves after approximately six months.
  

Free online fiction:

• "A Bird, a Song, a Revolution" by Brooke Bolander in Lightspeed. 
• "Exile From Exinction" by Ramez Naam in Lightspeed.  
• "Brigid Was Hung By Her Hair from the Second Story Window" by Gillian Daniels in The Dark. 
• "A Song for the Leadwood Tree" by Aimee Ogden in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Sweetest Fruit of Summer" by R.K. Duncan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Beyond the High Altar" by Ray Nayler in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Next Year In" by Merridawn Duckler in Jewish in Seattle Magazine. 
• "Crunchers Inc." by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• "The Bleak Heath" by Cora Buhlert.
• Read an excerpt from The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Terminator: Dark Fate.
• Watch a trailer for the DVD release of season 26 of the original Doctor Who featuring Sophie Aldred as Ace.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 30, 2019

It's time for another somewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with WorldCon 77, the fallout between Marvel and Sony over Spider-Man, the renaming of the Campbell Award. the Disney+ streaming service and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Nerds of a Feather hold a roundtable discussing their favourite speculative fiction of the year so far.
• James Davis Nicoll shares science fiction and fantasy books where violence is not the solution. 
• Font Folly wonders when Cyberpunk began as a subgenre and whether it is much older than we thought.
• Alix Nathan talks about subterranean fiction.
• Sam Reader shares six metafictional horror books that dissect the genre. 
• Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson share five haunted house books written by women.
• Tim Grierson and Will Leitch shares the five best schools in science fiction and fantasy.
• Tor.com shares the best birds from science fiction and fantasy.
• Emily Wenstrom shares eight lesser known works by Ray Bradbury.
• Emily Temple shares eleven writers' thoughts about the legacy of Shirley Jackson.
• Evan Urquhart points out that Gamergate never died, but that the people who made up the harassment movement are still there.
• Anthony Gramuglia reports how alt-right affiliated movements such as GamerGate, ComicsGate, IStandWithVic, etc... harrass and dox those who disagree with them.
  

Film and TV:

• Laurie Penny explains how fanfiction and the internet have influenced storytelling particularly in film and TV.
• Glen Weldon shares his thoughts on the horror comedy Ready or Not.
• Ryan Britt lists six Doctor Who aliens that would be great for season 12 and three that wouldn't. 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1964 Doctor Who serial "The Reign of Terror".
• Alex Taylor wonders whether it is possible to modernise James Bond.
• Jason Kottke reports about the Nigerian amateur film group The Critics Company who are making remarkably professional looking short SFF films. 
• The BBC reports that Avengers: Endgame has also broken the digital download record.
• Aaron Couch reports that Marvel has announced three new live action TV shows to air on the Disney+ streaming channel.
• Lesley Goldberg offers a comprehensive guide to all programming on the new Disney+ streaming service.
  

Comments on the fallout between Disney/Marvel and Sony over Spider-Man:

• Borys Kit reports about the fallout between Disney/Marvel and Sony about the Spider-Man movies. 
• Richard Newby declares that the fallout between Disney/Marvel and Sony about Spider-Man shows the ugly side of fandom. 
• Devan Coggan interviews Tom Holland and Kevin Feige, star and producer of the Marvel/Sony Spider-Man films. 
• Josh Weiss shares star Tom Holland's remarks about the next Spider-Man film.
• Jennifer Bisset reports that some Spider-Man fans are planning to storm Sony's offices in outrage over the fallout between Marvel and Sony. 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2019 Silver Falchion Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2019 Munsey Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2019 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 ESFS Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2019 Big Heart Award has been announced.
• The nominees for the 2019 Pegasus Awards have been announced.
• The nominees for the 2019 Ringo Awards have been announced.
• Adri Joy and Joe Sherry discuss the 2019 Hugo Awards.
  

Comments on the Campbell a.k.a. Astounding Award:

• Rachel Cheung reports about Jeanette Ng's remarks about John W. Campbell and the Campbell Award.
• Inspired by Jeanette Ng's remarks about John W. Campbell, Steve Davidson asks whether John W. Campbell was a fascist.
• John Scalzi weighs in on Jeanette Ng's comments about John W. Campbell and the Campbell Award.
• Cory Doctorow weighs in on Jeanette Ng's comments about John W. Campbell.
• Camestros Felapton weighs in on Larry Correia's reaction to Cory Doctorow's reaction to Jeannette Ng's comments.
• Trevor Quachri, editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, announces that the Campbell Award will be renamed the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.
• Camestros Felapton shares Brad Torgersen's reaction to the Campbell Award name change.
• Camestros Felapton also reports that Vox Day has reported science fiction dead, now that the Campbell Award will be renamed.
• Steve Davidson weighs in on the Campbell Award name change.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Janice Hardy talks about setting the right tone for your novel.
• Evan Ramzipoor talks about balancing writing and your day job.
• Timothy the Talking Cat shares his thoughts on writing. 
• Angela Slatter explains how to deal with rejection as a writer.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about time management for writers.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about licensing for writers and making decisions.
  

Interviews:

• John Plotz interviews Samuel R. Delany.
• Christian A. Coleman interviews Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
• Paul Weimer interviews Rhett J. Evans.
• Gordon B. White interviews Nathan Ballingrud.
• Ali Karim interviews Gareth Rubin.

Reviews:

• Corrina Lawson reviews Shrouded Loyalties by Reese Hogan. 
• Liz Bourke reviews Five Unicorn Flush by T.J. Berry.
• Maria Haskins reviews Meet Me in the Future by Kameron Hurley. 
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia reviews Automatic Eve by Rokoru Inui, translated by Matt Treyvaud.
• Ceridwen Christensen reviews Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh.
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia reviews The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
• Adrienne Martini reviews Longer by Michael Blumlein. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Unraveling by Karen Lord. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson.
• Liz Bourke reviews Brightfall by Jaime Lee Moyer.
• Ian Mond reviews The Laws of the Skies by Grégoire Courtois, translated by Rhonda Mullins.
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Girl with the Kaleidoscope Eyes by Howard V. Hendrix.
  

Classics reviews:

• Paul Fraser revisits the November 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• Alan Brown revisits the 1957 science fiction novel Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A. Heinlein.  
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the September 1964 issue of Fantastic.
• Mark Yon revisits the September/October 1964 issue of New Worlds.
• Will Errickson revisits the 1967 horror novel Unholy Trinity by Ray Russell.
• Olman Feelyus revisits the 1977 children's fantasy novel Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper.
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Science fiction writer Mike Resnick needs some help with his medical expenses.
• Pulphouse Fiction Magazine is running a subscription drive.
  

Con and event reports:

• Chris M. Barkley shares his experiences of WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
  
• Cheryl Morgan reports about the three-way bidding race for the 2023 WorldCon.
• Mike Glyer reports about the unveiling of a statue of Ray Bradbury in front of the Waukegan Public Library in Waukegan, Illinois.
• John Squires reports that several of Ray Harryhausen's iconic creatures have been restored for an exhibition in Edinburgh, Scotland.
  

Science and technology:

• The BBC reports that Russia has launched a lifesized humanoid robot named Fedor to the ISS.
• Jonathan Amos reports that the assembly of the Rosalind Franklin Mars rover has been completed. 
• Jonathan Amos reports about the successful test flight of SpaceX's Starhopper testbed.
• Caroline Kelly reports that astronaut Anne McClain has been accused of illegally accessing the bank account of her estranged wife while aboard the ISS. 
• Adam Mann reports that scientists are planning to build a real life version of the Enterprise's lifeform scanner. 
• Kaye Dee reports about satellite technology from a 1964 POV.
• The BBC reports about the Bielefeld conspiracy.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Calved" by Sam J. Miller in Lightspeed.
• "No Matter" by Kendra Fortmeyer in Lightspeed.
• "Card Sharp" by Rajan Khanna in Lightspeed.
• "A Leash of Foxes, Their Stories Like Barter" by Cassandra Khaw in Lightspeed.
• "Signal" by L.D. Lewis in Fireside Magazine
• "The Word-Made Flash" by Richard Gavin in  Nightmare Magazine. 
• "The City That Never Sleeps" by Walter Simons at Tor.com. 
• "What the Dead Man Said" by Chinelo Onwualu in Slate: Future Tense.

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
• Watch a trailer for The Mandalorian.
• Watch a teaser for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
• Watch a trailer for Joker.
• Watch a trailer for Memory: The Origins of Alien.
• Small press Aurelia Leo offers an ARC program for reviewers.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 23, 2019

It's time for another somewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with WorldCon 77, the 2019 Hugo Awards and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Trilling discusses Tolkien's modernism.
• James Davis Nicholl shares his appreciation for the works of Sarah Tolmie.
• Camestros Felapton revisits the controversial 2014 Hugo and Nebula finalist "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love..." by Rachel Swirsky.
• Speculative fiction writer Barry Hughart died aged 85.
  

Film and TV:

• Stephanie Hegarty reports about Japanese fans who marry anime characters.
• Animator Richard Williams who worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? among others has died aged 86.
  

Awards:

• The winners of the 2019 Hugo Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Alfie Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Neffy Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2018 Sidewise Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the WSFA Small Press Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 First Fandom Awards have been announced.
• Mike Glyer offers a round-up about a controversy involving the Campbell Award and whether the name still is appropriate.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Cynthia Marinakos shares seven ways to regain your passion for writing.
• Paul Jessup talks about rebound novels. 
• Lauren Sapala discusses the two biggest problems INFJ writers face.
• Madeline Stevens explains how she worked as a nanny to support her writing.
  

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews Alexandra Rowland.
• Adri Joy interviews Keren Landsman.
  

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews Broken Shadow by Jaine Fenn.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly.
• Adri Joy reviews The Heart of the Circle by Keren Landsman, translated by Daniella Zamir.
• Rob Bedford reviews The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Iron Dragon's Mother by Michael Swanwick.
• Ian Mond reviews The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager.
• Gary K. Wolfe and Adrienne Martini review Fall, or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson.
• Ian Mond reviews Triangulum by Masande Ntshanga.
• The G. interviews Infinite Detail by Tim Maughan.
  

Classics reviews:

• Paul Fraser revisits the 1953 anthology Star Science Fiction Stories, edited by Frederick Pohl. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1964 issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• John Boston revisits the September 1964 issue of Amazing Stories.
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1964 science fiction novel The Whole Man a.k.a. Telepathist by John Brunner and Erica Frank revisits the 1964 science fiction novel the Universe Against Her by James H. Schmitz.
• Joe Sherry revisits the 1988 fantasy novel Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Winter's Tale, an illustrated children's book by Nike Sulway with illustrations by Shauna O'Meara, is looking for funding.
• Abismo: II Festival de Literatura Fantástica in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, is looking for funding.

Reports about WorldCon 77:

• Chris M. Barkley shares his experiences at WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland. 
• Chris M. Barkley shares more WorldCon experiences.
• Daniel Dern reports about the opening press conference of WorldCon 77.
• Daniel Dern shares several photos of WorldCon 77 in Dublin, Ireland.
• Daniel Dern shares some more photos of WorldCon 77.
• Rich Lynch shares his experiences as well as several photos of WorldCon 77.
• Rich Lynch shares several photos of WorldCon 77.
• Eric Wong shares some photos of the File 770 meet-up at WorldCon 77.
• Corinna Stark offers a live blog of the WorldCon Business Meeting.
  

Other con and event reports:

• James Perkins Mastromarino reports that BronyCon in Baltimore, Maryland, is giving up after nine years. 
• Mike Glyer offers an overview of future WorldCon bids. 

Science and technology:

• Gideon Marcus talks about early computing languages in the 1960s.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Seonag and the Seawolves" by M. Evan MacGriogair at Tor.com. 
• "The Skin of a Teenage Boy is Not Alive" by Senaa Ahmad in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Eternal Boiler" by Taiyo Fujii in The Thinkerbeat.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 16, 2019

It's time for a soewhat truncated weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with WorldCon 77, an incident at ArmadilloCon, the 1944 Retro Hugos and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Eric Brown offers a round-up of the best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
• Amal El-Mohtar asks why there are so many new books about time-travelling lesbians.
• Una McCormack shares five SFF books with heroines over forty.
• Tansy Rayner Roberts and Rivqua Rafael shares five books that give vice to artificial intelligences.
• Esther Inglis-Arkell shares the best Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark from the eponymous YA horror anthologies of the 1980s. 
• Tor.com shares ten stories which feature dragon societies.
• Camestros Felapton continues his survey of the history of science fiction and the Hugo Awards through the medium of dinosaurs. 
• Peter J. Bowler talks about H.G. Wells and the uncertainties of progress.
• Cora Buhlert points out that Leigh Brackett's character Eric John Stark is a literal social justice warrior.
• Jordy Rosenberg profiles Samuel R. Delany. 
• Michael Livingston remembers Robert Jordan.
• James P. Blaylock talks about his personal library. 
• Myke Cole declares that the modern fetish for a misrepresented Sparta is a cultural cancer.
• Matthew Aguilar reports that Superman has joined Twitter and promptly waded into a debate on immigration.
• Erica Frank takes a look at several comic fanzines of the 1960s.
• Comic artist Eernie Colón has died aged 88.
• Interviewer, reviewers and fan writer Carl Slaughter has died aged 61.
  

Film and TV:

• Abigail Nussbaum shares her thoughts on the British dystopian TV series Years and Years.
• Camestros Felapton declares that season 3 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is very good.
  
• A.K. Larkwood shares their appreciation for season 1 of Farscape.
• Scott Tobias revisits the 1989 science fiction film The Abyss for its thirtieth anniversary. 
• Matthew Keeley revisits the 1963 Czech science fiction film Ikarie XB 1.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1980 and 2007 versions of Flash Gordon.
• Tom Philip explains that horror movies can be great, even if they are not scary.
• Sian Cain reports that Amazon Prime's upcoming Lord of the Rings series cannot use much of Tolkien's plot for rights reasons.
  

Awards: 

• The winners of the 1944 Retro Hugo Awards have been announced.
• Nicholas Whyte shares some stats about the 1944 Retro Hugo Awards.
• Cora Buhlert shares some comments on the 1944 Retro Hugo Awards. 
• The finalists for the 2019 Imadjinn Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Teen Choice awards have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Mollie M. Madden shares some military logistics for fantasy writers. 
• Matthew W. Quinn explains how podcasting can help writers learn and network.
• Daniel Scott White shares his views about submitting to short fiction markets.
• The Thinkerbeat shares a list of short fiction markets.
  

Interviews:

• Patrick Freyne interviews George R.R. Martin.
• Mysteristas interviews Ann Aguirre.  
• Forrest Hollingworth interviews Seanan McGuire.
• The Odyssey Writing Workshop interviews Kate Marshall.
  

Reviews:

• For Winter Nights reviews To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers.
• Colleen Mondor reviews Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Jade War by Fonda Lee. 
• Russell Letson reviews The Warship by Neal Asher.
  
• For Winter Nights reviews Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
• Paul Weimer reviews Ash Kickers by Sean Grigsby. 
• Paul Weimer reviews Blood of an Exile by Brian Naslund.
• Paul Weimer reviews The Queen of Crows by Myke Cole. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The House of Binding Thorns by Aliette de Bodard.
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Blue Salt Road by Joanne Harris.
• Adrienne Martini reviews Ragged Alice by Gareth L. Powell.
• Jason Heller reviews Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Sanctuary by V.V. James. 
• Marion Deeds reviews State Tectonics by Malka Older. 
• Kat Hooper reviews Three Laws Lethal by David Walton.
• Bill Capossere reviews Generation Robot: A Century of Science Fiction, Fact and Speculation by Terri Favro.
 

Classics reviews:

• Tadiana Jones revisits the 1943 science fiction novel The Weapon Makers by A.E. van Vogt.
• Tadiana Jones revisits the 1951 science fiction novel The Weapon Shops of Isher by A.E. van Vogt. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1955 military science fiction novel Star Guard by Andre Norton.
• Cora Buhlert reviews the 1964 planetary romances The Secret of Sinharat and People of the Talisman by Leigh Brackett. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the 1982 fantasy collection The Traveler in Black by John Brunner. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1982 space opera novel Sten by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch and its sequels.
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1999 short story "Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" and the 2002 novel Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Silvia Moreno-Garcia is looking for funding to translate the Mexican vampire novel The Road of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate into English.
• You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife is looking for funding.

Con and event reports:

• WorldCon 77 in Dublin shares a restaurant guide as well as the website Dublin 2019 Eats, which reviews several restaurants around town.  
• Daniel Dern and Chris M. Barkley report about their arrival in Dublin for WorldCon 77 and share some photos. 
• Daniel Dern also shares some photos from WorldCon 77 in Dublin.
• Marshall Ryan Maresca shares his toastmaster speech for ArmadilloCon in Austin, Texas.
• ArmadilloCon also reports about an incident at a panel.
• Mike Glyer shares K. Tempest Bradford's report about the incident at ArmadilloCon.
• Nicholas Shectman reports that Arisia in Boston, Massachusetts, has lost its case against the Mariott/Aloft chain and that the penalties put the con in danger.
• Europa SF evaluates the two competing bids for the 2021 EuroCon in Fiugi, Italy and Timisiora, Romania.
• Arley Sorg reports about the Locus Awards weekend in Seattle, Washington, and shares several photos.
• Locus shares some photos of Laffcon 4 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
  

Science and technology:

• Jonathan Amos reports about the Finnish Iceye satellite, which can make extremely sharp radar images. 
• Elizabeth Rayne reports about undead zombie planets. 
• The Indian Express reports that NASA has discovered a cloaked black hole from the earliest days of the universe. 

Free online fiction:

• "Pomegranate, Pomegranate" by Jack Westlake in The Dark. 
• "Spore" by Amanda Downun in Nightmare Magazine.
• "We Need a Wizard Who Can Appeal to the Moderate Orc Voter" by David Howard in McSweeney's Internet Tendency.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for Star Wars: Resistance.
• Visit the new site of Dead Channel JP, an association of science fiction writers connected to Chiba City, Japan.