Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with a whole lot of space opera, Star Wars at forty, Alien Covenant, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the return of Twin Peaks, tributes to Roger Moore, the 2016 Nebula Awards as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, awards news, a whole lot of con reports, crowdfunding projects, science articles and free online fiction.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Laura Miller discusses what happens when literary novelists experiment with science fiction.
- Jeff Somers discusses six non-authors who helped to make SFF what it is today.
- Thomas Diehl shares the secret to series immortality.
- Rio Youers discusses the appeal of the unlikely hero.
- Martin Cahill wonders what genres various SFF authors should tackle next.
- Alex Acks talks about Arrakis, Tatooine and the science of desert planets.
- Judith Tarr shares her appreciation for Sorceress of Witch World by Andre Norton.
- Natalie Zutter discusses The Queen's Thief series by Natalie Zutter.
- Matthew Keeley shares her appreciation for Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban.
- Claire Armitstead profiles Margaret Atwood.
- Cynthia Zarin profiles Madeleine L'Engle.
- Robert Minto profiles Samuel R. Delany.
- T.W. O'Brien profiles Harlan Ellison.
- Christopher Borelli profiles Timothy Zahn.
- Amber Friend profiles William Ledbetter following his Nebula win.
- Grady Hendrix revisits the 1979 horror novel The Glow by Brooks Stanwood a.k.a. Howard and Susan Stanwood Kaminsky.
- Tobias Carroll discusses the new wave of politically conscious horror.
- Leigh Butler discusses the influence of the 1998 movie Dark City on modern science fiction.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore declares that those racist Star Trek fans who complain about the diverse cast of the upcoming Star Trek Discovery obviously know nothing about the history of Star Trek.
- Michael Moreci discusses how George Lucas' love of movies changed cinema forever.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Star Wars the greatest soap opera in the galaxy.
- Alex Acks discusses the found family themes in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.
- Jessica Plummer discusses the subtle sexism of Danny Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist in the eponymous TV series.
- James Whitbrook discusses the season finale of The Flash and what it means for the future of the show.
- James Whitbrook discusses a surprising twist in Marvel's Secret Empire crossover event.
- IndieWire lists the 25 best science fiction films of the 21st century to date.
- Tor.com ranks King Arthur movies.
- Stephen Dalton calls Okja an ungainly mix of monster movie, action comedy and coming of age tale.
- Naman Ramachandran takes a look at the global success of India's regional film industry.
Space opera week:
- Emily Asher-Perrin wonders whether space opera is merely fantasy set in space.
- Yoon Ha Lee discusses space opera and the emphasis on big space battles.
- Cora Buhlert wonders what it is that makes space opera so good.
- Natalie Zutter takes a look at Brian K. Vaughan's and Fiona Staples' space opera comic Saga.
Comments on Alien Covenant:
- Alasdair Stuart discusses the good, the bad, the sexist and the ridiculous in Alien Covenant.
- Gary Westfahl declares that Alien Covenant has plenty of xenomorph action, but is otherwise a lamentable movie.
- Ben Child declares that Alien Covenant contains lots of gore, but few answers.
- Fenton Coulthurst quips that Alien Covenant should really be called Alien versus Prometheus.
- Matthew Jacobs praises Michael Fassbender's dual role as two androids who even get to seduce each other in Alien Covenant.
- Camestros Felapton reviews Alien: Covenant.
- Stephen Harper Piziks explains why he won't watch Alien: Covenant.
- Gwynne Watkins reports that the original Alien garnered a lot of negative reviews back in 1979.
- Nick Schrager discusses various planned Alien movies that were never made.
- Ryan Britt wonders whether Ridley Scott's Alien prequel Prometheus is science fiction or religious fiction.
Comments on the new Twin Peaks:
- Cheryl Eddy declares that Twin Peaks has evolved, but is still as surreal, ominous and wonderful as ever.
- Cheryl Eddy also has a whole lot of questions about the new Twin Peaks.
- Mark Lawson declares that the new Twin Peaks will baffle and irk even hardcore fans.
- Stuart Heritage calls the new Twin Peaks deliberately and punishingly tedious, which is what makes it so beguiling.
- Stuart Jeffries declares that Twin Peaks has become much weirder with the revival.
- David Cranmer shares his thoughts on the new Twin Peaks.
- Theresa DeLucci declares that David Lynch still remembers what made Twin Peaks so compelling the first time around.
- Theresa DeLucci offers a reading list for Twin Peaks fans.
Comments on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales:
- Mike McCahill declares that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales offers the usual pantomimic nonsense, but no fresh ideas.
- Jeffrey Bloomer calls Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales bland, but passably fun.
- Andrew Barker calls Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales a mercenary and unappealing exercise in brand maintenance.
- Ellen E. Jones profiles Kaya Scodelario, who plays the female lead in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Tributes to Roger Moore:
- Actor Roger Moore, best known for playing James Bond and Simon Templar, has died aged 89.
- Peter Bradshaw shares his tribute to Roger Moore.
- A.O. Scott explains why Roger Moore was his favourite James Bond.
- Cora Buhlert remembers Roger Moore.
- James Whitbrook shares his appreciation for the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, starring Roger Moore.
- Steve Green takes a look at Roger Moore's SFF roles.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2017 Nebula Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Asimov's Readers' Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Analog Analytical Laboratory Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2017 Roswell Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Tomorrow Prize have been announced.
- The winners of the 2017 Prix Imaginales have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2017 Theodore Sturgeon Award has been announced.
- The finalists for the 2017 Elgin Awards have been announced.
- The nominees for the fifth annual bisexual book awards have been announced.
- The nominees for the 2016 Cartoonist of the Year Award have been announced.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Joseph Malik talks about voice and point of view.
- Debra Purdy Kong talks about the differences between mystery and fantasy story arcs.
- Rayne Hall talks about writing night scenes.
- Dimitra Fimi declares that attractive covers are also important for academic works.
- Martin Cavanaugh shares a comprehensive guide about how to copyright a book.
Interviews:
- T.O. Munro interviews Bernard Cornwell.
- Andrew Liptak interviews Nnedi Okorafor.
- Goodreads interviews John Scalzi and Cory Doctorow.
- Carl Slaughter interviews Deborah J. Ross.
- Carl Slaughter also interviews Jody Lynn Nye.
- Blaise Lucey interviews Alec Hutson.
Reviews:
- Megan Leigh reviews Tyranny of Queens by Foz Meadows.
- Niall Alexander reviews Paris Adrift by E.J. Swift.
- Thea James reviews The Dispatcher by John Scalzi.
- Paul Weimer reviews The Last Good Man by Linda Nagata.
- Paul Weimer also reviews The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley.
- Ross Johnson reviews The Caledonian Gambit by Dan Moren.
- Kate Coe reviews The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley.
- Nicole Hill reviews The Prey of Gods by Nicki Drayden.
- Mark Yon reviews Iron Gods by Andrew Bannister.
- Laura M. Hughes reviews Cold Counsel by Chris Sharp.
- Faren Miller reviews Skullsworn by Brian Staveley.
- Aaron Pound reviews The Jewel and her Lapidary by Fran Wilde.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Moon and the Other by John Kessel.
- Michelle Garza reviews Cemetery Dance Select by Tim Waggoner.
- Nina Allan reviews Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan.
- Shana DuBois reviews Wicked Wonders by Ellen Klages.
Crowdfunding:
- Sara Benincasa persuaded Neil Gaiman to read the Cheesecake Factory menu out loud, if fans raise 500000 US-dollars for refugees.
- Actor
Tom Hardy is raising funds for the Manchester Emergency Fund to support
the victims of the Manchester bombing and their families.
Con reports:
- Cat Rambo reports about the 2017 Nebula Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Trae Dorn reports that Oz-Con in West Plains, Missouri, had to be cancelled halfway through due to bad weather and severe flooding, and is now offering a free Flood Con event to make up for that.
- Trae Dorn also reports that Kollision Con in Chicago, Illinois, has been cancelled and will be replaced by GEM Con Chicago.
- The Geekiary reports about ClexaCon 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Milt Stevens reports abouit Corflu 34 in Woodland Hills, California.
- Ian Sales reports about Eastercon in Birmingham, UK.
- Sigrid Ellis discusses the etiquette of hugging at conventions.
Science and technology:
- The astronauts heading to Mars will have to spend a year orbiting the Moon.
- China has made a breakthrough in mining methane hydrates a.k.a. "flammable ice".
- Robots can teach new skills to other robots.
Free online fiction:
- "Red" by Ramsey Shehadeh at Tor.com.
- "The Heart's Cartography" by Susan Jane Bigelow in Lightspeed.
- "Carnival Nine" by Caroline M. Yoachim in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Weialalaleia" by Amal El-Mohtar in Lightspeed.
- "Caligo Lane" by Ellen Klages at Tor.com.
- "A Lady's Maid" by Sarah Gailey at the B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog.
- "The Thule Stowaway" by Maria Dahvana Headley in Uncanny Magazine.
- "Red Letter Day" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Odds and ends:
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