Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 19, 2016

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with romances in science fiction, a controversial article about the cutting edge of science fiction as well as comments on Deadpool and 11.22.63. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Ardi Alspach explains why science fiction and fantasy matter. 
• S.B. Divya says that speculative fiction is big enough for everybody.
• Sherwood Smith says that science fiction is growing up.
• Foz Meadows shares her thoughts on tragic queerness in speculative fiction.
• Natalie Luhrs takes down those who feel the need to attack the romance genre without actually having read any of it, at least not recently.
• K. Thor Jensen shares the greatest romances in science fiction.
• Linda Serck discusses the rise of robot romance and erotica. 
• Ceridwen Christensen shares eleven stories of love between robots and humans. 
• James Wallace Harris talks about the cutting edge of science fiction. Unfortunately, he seems to think only white men write it.
• James Wallace Harris also asks if science fiction can save us.
• Rafi Letzter explains how climate change has transformed science fiction.
• Charles Payseur takes a look at Millennial science fiction.
• Dwayne Day explains why we need entertainment set in space.  
• The participants of the SF Signal Mind Meld discuss what makes alternate history so compelling.
• Sarina Dorie explains what Steampunk is.
• Alison Flood reports that two previously unknown poems by J.R.R. Tolkien have been found in a school magazine from 1936. 
• Rich Horton shares his appreciation for The Ginger Star by Leigh Brackett. 
• Jeff Somers shares his appreciation for the Windrose Chronicles by Barbara Hambly.
• Ars technica reports about the quest for a unifying theory of time travel in Star Trek. 
• Maisie Williams has some ideas about who should be the next Doctor Who. 
• Charlie Jane Anders claims that Agent Carter has become one of the most unique stories in the Marvel Universe.
• Charlie Jane Anders also shares 16 great unsung SFF TV shows of the past few years.
• Foz Meadows talks about the golden age of SFF adaptations.
• Marc N. Kleinherz has some ideas about what comic books can learn from comic book movies.
• Science fiction author and lifelong fan Bud Webster died aged 63. 
• John O'Neill remembers Bud Webster. 

Comments on Deadpool:

• Derek Austin Johnson and Xander Johnson feel that Deadpool finally gives Ryan Reynolds the superhero movie he deserves.
• Hunter Heilman calls Deadpool a curious twist on the superhero movie formula.
• Rich Juswiak calls Deadpool a superhero movie for people who are sick of superhero movies. 
• Rob Hunter thinks Deadpool is the superhero adventure people have been waiting for.
• Lucas Siegel believes that Deadpool is the film fans have been dying for.
• Kyle Pinion believes that Deadpool is a movie only a fan could love.
• Emily Asher-Perrin thinks that Deadpool is both hysterically funny and deeply disappointing.
• Kyle Buchanan discusses Deadpool and the promising rise of heteroflexibility.
• Matthew Monagle talsk about Deadpool and genre indexicality.
• Josh Rottenberg chronicles how Deadpool rose from Hollywood purgatory.
• James Gunn worries that Hollywood will draw the wrong lessons from the success of Deadpool.
• Betty White reveal herself to be a huge Deadpool fan.
• Meanwhile, the comic version of Deadpool has made the Guinness World Record for the largest number of characters ever to appear on a comic book cover. Unfortunately, we still don't know who his bride is.

Comments on 11.22.63: 

• Kevin Yeoman calls 11.22.63 a fun and somewhat lopsided trip through time.
• Yvonne Villarreal interviews 11.22.63 showrunner Bridget Carpenter.

Awards:

• C.J. Cherryh has been SFWA Grandmaster.
• The nominees for the 2016 Rhysling Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2015 Asimov's Readers' Awards have been announced. 
• The nominees for the 2016 Aurealis Awards have been announced.
• The preliminary ballot for the 2016 Ditmar Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2016 Compton Crook Awards have been announced.
• Rich Horton talks about Hugo nominations in general and shares some suggestions for the short fiction categories. 
• Matthew Surridge looks back on the great Hugo war of 2015.

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Maria Dahvana Headley talks about her twenty year overnight writing success.
• Joseph Bentz implores writers not to let anybody squash their creativity.
• Marc Turner talks about writing believable character arcs.
• Paul Jessup talks about conflict and mystery in speculative fiction. 
• Chuck Wendig talks about simplicity and elegance in storytelling.
• Juliet E. McKenna discusses the importance of thinking about local values when writing.
• Rob J. Hayes discusses real combat versus fantasy combat.
• Sarina Dorie talks about the inspiration for her novel The Memory Thief.
• Sarina Dorie also talks about different kinds of humor and how to use them in your writing and shares some funny videos that can teach you how to employ humor.  
• Steve Vernon talks about his Kindle Scout campaign.

Interviews:

• The Qwillery interviews Jennifer Estep. 
• The Qwillery also interviews Jordanna Max Brodsky.
• Charles Tan interviews Nalo Hopkinson and Kristine Ong Muslim.
• Amanda McCrina interviews Courtney Schafer. 
• Sandra Odell interviews Jeremiah Tolbert.
• Leo Elijah Cristea interviews Evelyn Skye.
• Klemen Breznikar interviews Paul Levinson.
• Kristin Centorcelli interviews Marc Turner.
• Alasdair Stuart interviews Ed Cox.
• Dorothy Thompson interviews Brian Bennudriti.
  

Reviews:

• Abigail Nussbaum reviews Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho. 
• Kelly Anderson reviews A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab.
• Anthony Vicino reviews Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie.
• Adam Whitehead reviews Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold.
• Charles Payseur reviews Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older.
• Ryan Britt reviews The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. 
• Angela Blackwell also reviews The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. 
• Ruthanna Emrys also reviews The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. 
• Paul Weimer reviews Patchwerk by David Tallerman.
• Andrew K. Lawston reviews 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough.
• Polenth Blake reviews Sugar Scars by Travis Norwood. 
• Carrie Mok reviews Down Station by Simon Morden.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Fireman by Joe Hill. 
• The Behrg reviews Revolver by Michael Patrick Hicks.
• Rob H. Bedford reviews The Pagan Night by Tim Akers.
• The Guardian reviews Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan.
• Bob Pastorella reviews Ecstatic Inferno by Autumn Christian.
  

Crowdfunding:

• The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2015, an anthology edited by Russell B. Farr, is looking for funding.
• 1001 Knights, a three volume anthology edited by Kevin Jay Stanton and Annie Stoll, is looking for funding. 
• E.X.O., a futuristic African superhero graphic novel by Roye Okupe, is looking for funding.
• Falling Into Place, a short story collection by Scott Young, is looking for funding.
• The League and the Lantern, a middle grade adventure series by Brian Wells, is looking for funding.
• The Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers is looking for donations. 

Con reports:

• Paul Cornell shares his experiences at Gallifrey One in Los Angeles.

Science and technology:

• Why you should care about gravitational waves.
• Why Ghana started a space program. 
• The Soviet Union's secret moonbase that never was.
• Astronomers have detected a Super Earth atmosphere for the first time.
• Five-dimensional glass discs can store data for billions of years. 
• The most advanced artificial intelligence in the world still cannot pass an 8th grade science test.

Free online fiction:

• "43 Responses to 'In Memory of Dr. Alexandra Nako'" by Barbara A. Barnett in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Musings on Time Travel" by Robert Reed in Nature.
• "Not by Wardrobe, Tornado or Looking Glass" by Jeremiah Tolbert in Lightspeed.
• "Smoke and Mirrors" by Suleikha Snyder. 
• "The Great Detective" by Delia Sherman at Tor.com.  
• Chapter 4 of "Homage", part 92 of The Descendants by Landon Porter.

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.
• Watch a trailer for Equals.
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of The Expanse.