It's time again for our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery, Blade Runner 2049, Thor: Ragnarok, Strange Weather, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, afrofuturism, lots of horror, tributes to Julian May as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, awards news, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles and free online fiction.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Keith Rice shares a list of 26 underrated science fiction and fantasy books.
- Jeremy Hogeweide wonders why science fiction became so obsessed with prediction.
- Shaun Duke talks about the depiction of food in science fiction.
- Ian Simpson discusses the evolution of aliens in literature.
- Donyae Coles shares a brief history of afrofuturism and five books as an introduction to the subgenre.
- Troy L. Wiggins talks about afrofuturism and whose experiences it centers.
- Chuck Wendig points out that not being diverse and inclusive in your writing is also a political choice.
- Tobias Carroll wonders why we keep retelling the same old myths over and over again.
- Wired profiles Harlan Ellison.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1992 novel Songsmith by Andre Norton and A.C. Crispin.
- Mike Glyer reports that there is a campaign to persuade the Catholic church to beatify J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Camestros Felapton traces what became of Henry Still who was nominated for the Hugo Award for the best new writer in 1956 and vanished thereafter.
- Camestros Felapton also reads Vox Day's latest oevre, so we don't have to.
- The participants of the latest Mind Meld share their favourite works featuring zombies.
- Melissa F. Olson talks about the horror of the suburbs.
- Elsa Sjunneson-Henry shares seven horror stories in which women are more than victims.
- Kate McLain shares five horror novels with open endings.
- Lish McBride shares some weird and whimsical Halloween reads.
- Theresa DeLucci shares ten hair-raising horror novels not written by Stephen King.
- Randall Colburn shares the connection between Stephen King's novels It and The Shining.
- Mark Yon shares his thoughts on 1922, the film adaptation of Stephen King's eponymous novella.
- Michael Moreci shares his appreciation for John Carpenter and his movies.
- Doris V. Sutherland takes a look at the vampire movies of the silent screen.
- Shaun Duke shares his five favourite science fiction movies of the 1980s.
- Zack Sharf takes a look at upcoming science fiction movies from Hollywood.
- Sean Danker explains why he loves Star Wars.
- Bradley P. Beaulieu explains why he loves Star Wars.
- Germain Lussier calls Geostorm mainly a movie about people staring at computers.
- Dorothy Bendel explains what Twin Peaks can teach us about trauma.
- Emily Asher-Perrin reports that the 13th Doctor as played by Jodie Whittaker, will have three companions.
- Rachel Mans McKenny takes a look at the world portrayed in the early Wonder Woman comics of the 1940s.
- Science fiction author Julian May has died aged 86.
- The SFWA remembers Julian May.
- Astronaut Paul Weitz has died aged 85.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery:
- Katharine Trendacosta declares that serialized television has become a disease, using Star Trek Discovery as an example.
- Katharine Trendacosta also shares her frustration with episode 6 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares her thoughts on episode 6 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Angel Wilson shares her thoughts on episode 6 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Keith DeCandido shares his thoughts on episode 6 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Swapna Krishna shares her thoughts on episode 6 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on episode 6 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Jodie from Lady Business shares her thoughts on episode 3 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Ethan Siegel declares that Star Trek Discovery is finally beginning to look like Star Trek.
- Zack Handlen declares that the many call-backs to other Star Trek series to make it even more notable that Star Trek Discovery does not feel like Star Trek.
- Cora Buhlert finds some surprising parallels between Star Trek Discovery and the German science fiction TV show Raumpatrouille Orion.
- Standback offers an analysis of the characters of Michael Burnham and Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek Discovery.
- Juliette Harrison asks if Star Trek Discovery should use the f-word.
- John E. Price declares that diversity is not Star Trek Discovery's problem.
- Emily Asher-Perrin declares that Sarek is one of science fiction's worst fathers.
- Kevin Melrose sums up a fan theory regarding the character of Ash Tyler in Star Trek Discovery.
- Kevin Melrose shares some background about Airim, the cyborg crewmember in Star Trek Discovery.
- Emily Asher-Perrin reports that Star Trek Discovery has been renewed for a second season.
Comments on Blade Runner 2049:
- David Jenkins calls Blade Runner 2049 bombastic but shallow.
- A.A. Dowd declares that Blade Runner 2049 creates a gorgeous spectacle from our collective memories of the original.
- Mazeem Salin and Eli Lee discuss Blade Runner 2049 in the context of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep? upon which the 1982 original was based.
- Chris Ormond discusses the woman problem of Blade Runner 2049.
- Wired wonders whether audiences are too lazy to appreciate Blade Runner 2049.
- Jordan Zakarin explains how Blade Runner 2049 created the holographic threesome sequence.
Comments on Thor: Ragnarok:
- David Jenkins declares that Thor: Ragnarok brings heart, soul and humor to the Marvel universe.
- Jeremy Aspinall calls Thor: Ragnarok a fabulous fantasy and the funniest Marvel movie yet.
- James Hunt calls Thor: Ragnarok unique, unpredictable and audacious.
- Robbie Collin calls Thor: Ragnarok an exhilaratingly fresh nostalgia trip.
- Tim Grierson calls Thor: Ragnarok a grinningly goofy comic book movie.
- Peter DeBruge declares that Thor: Ragnarok injects a welcome dose of self-parody into the franchise.
- James Dyer calls Thor: Ragnarok a full-bore comedy using blockbuster spectacle as a background.
- Kristy Puchko declares that Thor: Ragnarok is funny, but lacks real heart.
- Steve Rose calls Thor: Ragnarok funny but inconsequential.
- Geoffrey McNab calls Thor: Ragnarok a fun comic book movie lacking dramatic urgency.
- Poppy Doran interviews Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok.
- Kate Erbland describes the post-credit scenes of Thor: Ragnarok.
- Danette Chavez reports that actress Tessa Thompson has confirmed that her character Valkyrie is bisexual.
Comments on season 2 of Stranger Things:
- Katharine Trendacosta reports that season 2 of Stranger Things lives up to the high expectations.
- Erik Adams declares that season 2 of Stranger Things dodges the sophomore slump by cribbing from the sequel playbook.
- Kevin Franish calls season 2 of Stranger Things a bloated and unoriginal sequel.
Comments on the season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead:
- Adam Wagner, Joe Brosnan and Pritpaul Bains share their thoughts on the season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead.
- Rob Bricken shares his thoughts on the season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead.
- John Saavedra takes a spoiler-filled look at The Walking Dead comics to see what might happen in season 8.
- Bill Bradley reports that after eight seasons, The Walking Dead brought back the actress who played the first ever zombie killed in the show.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2017 Pegasus Awards have been announced.
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead has won the 2017 Hurston/Wright Award.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Chuck Wendig shares an oubliette of unconventional writing advice.
- Kay Bolden talks about reclaiming her writer's voice.
- Kay Bolden also talks about writing her novel in fifteen minute chunks.
- Glynn Stewart talks about his writing process.
- G.A. Minton talks about writing horror.
- Jacey Bedford share her thoughts on finishing a trilogy.
- Julianne Q. Johnson shares the top four pitfalls of publishing a newsletter.
- David Gaughran tackles the eternal question of wide versus Kindle Unlimited.
Interviews:
- Lisa Spangenberg interviews Elizabeth Bonesteel.
- Emily Walton interviews Ann Leckie, Sherrilyn Kenyon, V.E. Schwab and S.A. Chakraborty.
- Carl Slaughter interviews Jacey Bedford.
- Cat Rambo interviews Sherwood Smith.
- Savannah Stephens interviews Philip Pullman.
- Adam Morgan interviews Jeffrey Ford.
- Matt Staggs interviews Julie C. Dao.
- A.C. Wise interviews Cassandra Khaw.
- Locus interviews Annalee Newitz.
- Locus also interviews James Patrick Kelly.
- Christian A. Coleman interviews Tade Thompson.
- Marion Deeds interviews David Walton.
- Shellie Horst interviews Clint Wastling.
- SpecPo interviews Magdalena Bell.
Reviews:
- Adrienne Martini reviews River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey.
- Faren Miller reviews The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley.
- Nicole Hill reviews The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia.
- Tim Scheidler reviews La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman.
- Liz Bourke reviews The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso.
- Sam Reader also reviews The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso.
- Adrienne Martini reviews The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch.
- Russell Letson reviews Tomorrow's Kin by Nancy Kress.
- Lisa Taylor reviews The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones.
- Martin Cahill reviews Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess.
- Aidan Moher also reviews Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Core by Peter V. Brett.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Store by Bentley Little.
- Martin Cahill reviews Six Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders.
- Penny Reeve reviews Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado.
- Kevin Power reviews The Real-Town Murders by Adam Roberts.
- Niall Alexander reviews Strange Weather by Joe Hill.
- Sam Reader also reviews Strange Weather by Joe Hill.
- Lisa Taylor also reviews Strange Weather by Joe Hill.
- Mike Glyer also reviews Strange Weather by Joe Hill.
- Ross Johnson reviews Deadlands: Boneyard by Seanan McGuire.
- Ethan Mills reviews Ultima by Stephen Baxter.
- M. Milks reviews Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers, edited by Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett.
Crowdfunding:
- The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter, a new Riyria novel by Michael J. Sullivan, is looking for funding.
- Amana and the Kishi, an epic fantasy novel based on African folklore by Antoine Bandele, is looking for funding.
- Corpse Cold: New American Folklore, a horror anthology with illustrations by Chad Wehrle, is looking for funding.
- TrackerBox Mac, a version of the popular book sales tracker version for Macintosh, is looking for funding.
- Several writers have banded together to raise money for hurricane relief in the Florida Keys.
Con reports:
- Marcin Klak shares his experiences at Octocon in Dublin, Ireland.
- Angel Wilson offers an overview of comic and SF cons in Hawaii.
- Emily Walton shares some photos of New York Comic Con.
- Jamie Sugah reports about the Future Man panel at New York Comic Con.
- Sian Cain reports about the exhibition Harry Potter: A Journey through the History of Magic at the British Library in London, UK.
Science and technology:
- Merging neutron stars have been observed for the first time.
- The possibilities of robotic asteroid mining.
- Where spacecraft go to die.
- Backyard bird feeders might be altering the course of evolution.
- A new study on cannibalism has found that humans are not particularly nutritious.
Free online fiction:
- "What I Told My Little Girl About the Aliens Preparing to Grind Us Into Hamburgers" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.
- "Becoming" by Rachel Swirsky in Lightspeed.
- "Blue Sky Volume 1: Damnation" by M.A. Powers at Akashic Books.
- "The Hatching" by Robert Arellano at Akashic Books.
Odds and ends:
- Watch a trailer for Marvel's Runaways.
- Watch a trailer for Justice League.
- Watch a trailer for Alien Invasion S.U.M.1.
- Watch a trailer for Singularity.
- Watch a trailer for Winchester.
- Watch a trailer for Jurassic World 2: Fallen Kingdom.
- Watch a trailer for the animated Godzilla.
- The definitive ranking of songs in which aliens exterminate all life on Earth.
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