Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 23, 2018

It's time for the weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Black Panther, Star Trek Discovery, Annihilation, Altered Carbon, an planned adaptation of Iain Banks' Culture novels, sexual harassment in the children's and YA publishing industry, the Nebula Awards nominees and many other awards, afrofuturistic music videos by Janelle Monáe as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, con reports, crowdfunding campaigns, science articles, free online fiction and much more. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Damien Walter shares seven must-read literary fantasy and science fiction novels.
• Ian Sales explains what he wants to see in science fiction. 
• Jenn Northington shares fifteen SFF books that don't contain sexual violence against women.
• Brady Gerber discusses how dystopian fiction became commercialised.
• T.W. O'Brien shares five novels that give artificial intelligences real personalities. 
• Natalie Luhrs offers an analysis of the Locus Recommended Reading List.
• Joyce Chng offers an overview of Malaysian science fiction. 
• Mark Yon revisits Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
• Frank Catalano profiles Ramez Naam. 
• Frank Catalano also profiles Peter S. Beagle.
• Carrie Golus profiles Ada Palmer.
• Frannie Jackson shares her appreciation for Nnedi Okorafor and her works.
• Jim Wampler shares his appreciation for Andre Norton and her works.
• Valerie Strivers shares some recipes inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin's 1969 science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness.   
• Kevin Klein offers a statistical analysis of the entire Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.
• Lauren Sarner discusses the highly problematic justice system in Harry Potter and the related Fantastic Beasts series. 
• Bradley Russell shares some early reactions to a screening of the upcoming Aquaman movie.
• Rosemary Benton revisits Roger Corman's 1963 Edgar Allan Poe adaptation The Raven.
• Peter Bradshaw explains why he believes that Jordan Peele's horror movie Get Out should win the best picture Oscar.
• Bob Mayer shares his thoughts on the post-apocalyptic movie The Survivalist.
• Rich Pelley attempts to define the moment when The X-Files jumped the shark.  
• Ben Gazur explains when and how the vampire show True Blood jumped the shark. 
• Camestros Felapton attempts to explain why so many rightwingers hate Disney's Frozen.
• Director Paul Verhoeven and actress Denise Richards look back at the filming of Verhoeven's 1997 adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. 
• Ian Sales ranks all the Bond films from worst to best.
• Zach Baron profiles actor Brendan Fraser and reveals that Fraser was sexually harrassed by a powerful Hollywood man. 
• Rebecca Bengal profiles actress and singer Janelle Monáe.
• Sophie Aldred, best known for playing the Seventh Doctor's companion Ace, discusses her experiences as a voice actress.
• River Donaghey reports that director Guillermo Del Toro and actor Doug Jones are not happy with the dildo inspired by The Shape of Water.
• Frank Catalano reports that Frank Herbert will be honoured by his hometown Tacoma, Washington, where a park will be named after his most famous novel Dune.
  

Comments on Black Panther:

• The G. calls Black Panther the best Marvel film he has seen so far.
• Jamie Sugah declares that Black Panther raises the bar for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Alex Brown calls Black Panther far more than just a superhero movie. 
• Chris M. Barkley declares that Black Panther has exceeded his expectations.
• Van Jones calls Black Panther a revelation.
• Emily Asher-Perrin tells people to stop reading reviews and just to go out and watch Black Panther already. 
• Camestros Felapton calls Black Panther gorgeous, riveting and fun. 
• Film Crit Hulk talks about Black Panther's right thing.
• Shaun King calls Black Panther one of the most important cultural moments in US history.
• Abigail Nussbaum discusses the worldbuilding and political dimensions of Black Panther.   
• Sonya Rao takes a look at Black Panther in the context of a general resurgence of afrofuturism.
• Kate Macdonald calls Black Panther a marvelous film and particularly praises the female roles.
• Briana Lawrence talks about Black Panther and LGBT representation.
• E. Oliver Whitney explains why a hint at a lesbian romance was cut from Black Panther.
• Aaron Reese explains why Wakanda itself is the most important character in Black Panther.
• Narayan Liu explains the dramatic ending of Black Panther. 
• Narayan Liu also shares his appreciation for the character of Eric Killmonger in Black Panther.
• Brooke Obie offers a defence of Eric Killmonger.
• Yohana Desta profiles Winston Duke who plays M'Baku in Black Panther. 
• David Greene interviews Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther. 
• Trey Mangum interviews Ruth E. Carter, costume designer for Black Panther.
• Laura Rearick debunks reports regarding fake claims of racially motivated violence at Black Panther screenings. 
• Julie Muncy reports that the organisation Electoral Justice Project is registering voters at Black Panther showings.
• Abraham Riesman profiles Christopher Priest, one of the most influential writers of the Black Panther comic. 
• James Killen interviews Reginald Hudlin, one of the writers of the Black Panther comic.
• Matt Kamen corrects some facts about the 1973 comic where Black Panther fought the KKK.
• Amy Held reports that Black Panther has grossed more than 200 millions US-dollars on its opening weekend.
• Justin Carter reports that some Black Panther fans are confusing the fictional African country Wakanda with the similar named town of Wauconda in Illinois.
• Alex Brown shares eight books and comics to read after watching Black Panther.
  

Comments on Star Trek Discovery: 

• Annalee Newitz shares her thoughts on the season finale of Star Trek Discovery. 
• Ethan Siegel shares his thoughts on the season finale of Star Trek Discovery.
• Crude Reviews is really annoyed with the season finale of Star Trek Discovery and also has massive issues with the morality of handing the Klingon Empire over to the control of a torturer, rapist and genocidal fanatic. 
• Abigail Nussbaum has mixed feelings on the first season of Star Trek Discovery. 
• Keith DeCandido calls the first season of Star Trek Discovery mostly uneven, but feels the show has potential.
• Javier Cabrera feels Star Trek Discovery shows a lot of promise in spite of a troubled first season. 
• Tom and Lorenzo call the first season of Star Trek Discovery flawed but enjoyable.
• Daniel Cooper delcares that season one of Star Trek Discovery failed to do what good science fiction does.
• Chris Taylor calls season one of Star Trek Discovery a cosmic dud.
• Gerry Canavan declares that Star Trek Discovery manages not to follow through on many of the interesting storylines it has set up.
• Witney Seibold takes a look at the hits and the misses of season one of Star Trek Discovery.  
• Andrew Bloom and Clint Worthington also take a look at the highs and lows of season one of Star Trek Discovery.
• Angelica Jade Bastién explains why Star Trek Discovery needs to evolve.
• Matt Zoller Seitz feels that Star Trek Discovery's first season was incredibly good.
• Matthew Allen declares that the first season of Star Trek Discovery was the best of any Star Trek show. 
• Genevieve Valentine explains how Star Trek Discovery and The Good Place find humanity in hell.
• Crude Reviews discusses the problematic portrayal of PTSD in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Standback shares a round-up of reactions to Star Trek Discovery.
• Jonathan Alexandratos takes a look at the science book Mycelium Running by the real Paul Stamets and how it relates to Star Trek Discovery.
  

Comments on Annihilation: 

• Emily Yoshida calls Annihilation, the film adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's eponymous novel, flawed, but unforgettably mind-bending. 
• Benjamin Lee calls Annihilation an unnerving science fiction thriller, which leaves a haunting impression.  
• Peter Debrugge calls Annihilation a visually stunning science fiction thriller. 
• Leah Greenblatt calls Annihilation a science fiction stunner.
• Manohla Dargis calls Annihilation a science fiction action film sprinkled with gothic horror.
  

Comments on Altered Carbon:

• Michael Rougeau explains why there is so much nudity and violence in Altered Carbon. 
• Aramide A. Tinubu interviews Renée Elise Goldenberry, one of the stars of Altered Carbon.

Comments on the planned adaptation of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels:

• Swapna Krishna reports that Amazon is planning to adapt Iain M. Banks' Culture novels.
• Damien Walter shares five things that could go wrong with an adaptation of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. 

The debate about sexual harrassment in children's and young adult publishing:

• David Himmelstein reports about sexual harrassment in children's and young adult publishing.
• Anne Ursu shares the results of a survey regarding sexual harrassment in the children's book industry.  
• Gwenda Bond calls for children's and YA writers to take a stand against sexual harrassment in their community. 
• The New York Times reports that YA author James Dashner has been dropped by his agent following allegations of sexual harrassment.
• James Dashner responds to allegations of sexual harrassment.
• Myke Cole responds to allegations of sexual harrassment and apologises to any women he made feel uncomfortable.

Awards: 

• The nominees for the 2017 Nebula Awards have been announced.
• The longlist for the David Gemmell Legend Awards has been announced and voting is open. 
• The finalists for the 2018 Sir Julius Vogel Awards have been announced. 
• The first round nominations for the 2018 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire have been announced. 
• Nominations are open for the 2018 Nommo Awards.
• The finalists for the 2018 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced. 
• The nominees for the 2018 Rando Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 Gaughan and Skylark Awards have been announced.
• The Horror Writers Association has announced the winners of its 2017 Service Awards.
• The winner of the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity has been announced.
• The winners of the 2018 BAFTA Awards have been announced.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2017 Nebula Award nominees.
• JJ shares some links where to find the 2017 Nebula Award nominees online.
• Rocket Stack Rank offers an annotated overview of the 2017 Nebula Award nominees in the short fiction categories.
• Olivia Ho profiles the two Singaporean Nebula nominees, J.Y. Yang and Vina Jie-Min Prasad.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Lauren Sapala tells writers suffering from imposter syndrome that they are not alone.
• The Puppet Show shares some tips for choosing the perfect story title. 
• Oren Ashkenazi shares six tips to make your fantasy setting more immersive.
• Caitlyn Paxson shares some tips for writing fantasy inspired by a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
• Brain Fuzzies discusses the entirely unnecessary near-demise of Barnes & Noble.
  

Interviews:

• Carl Slaughter interviews Laura Resnick. 
• David Barr Kirtley interviews Carmen Maria Machado.
• Joel Cunningham interviews Seth Dickinson. 
• Books & Tea interviews Rati Mehrotra.
• The Qwillery interviews Tina LeCount Myers. 
• The Qwillery interviews Kaethe Schwehn.
• Elizabeth Fitzgerald interviews Marlee Jane Ward. 
• SpecPo interviews Ruth Berman.
• Chloe N. Clark interviews Brian Ramos.
  

Reviews:

• Ross Johnson reviews Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell.
• The Qwillery reviews Black Star Renegades by Michael Moreci. 
• Liz Bourke reviews Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel.
• Liz Bourke reviews A Study in Honor by Claire O'Dell and Blood Binds the Pack by Alex Wells. 
• Corrina Lawson reviews The Armoured Saint by Myke Cole.
• Paul Weimer also reviews The Armoured Saint by Myke Cole.
• Ceridwen Christensen reviews Paris Adrift by E.J. Swift. 
• Thea James reviews Sister of Glass by Naomi Cyprus.
• Becca Evans reviews Creatures of Light by Emily B. Marin. 
• Emily Nordling reviews When The Light Left Us by Leah Thomas.
• J.L. Gribble reviews Hounds of the Underworld by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray.
• Thea James reviews Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman.
• John Langan reviews The Changeling by Victor LaValle. 
• Rebecca Fisher reviews Warrior Witch by Danielle L. Jensen.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Madness is Better Than Defeat by Ned Beauman. 
• Brit Mandelo reviews Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories by Vandana Singh.
• Mark Chitty reviews Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The First One You Expect by Adam Cesare. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks also reviews Glimpse by Jonathan Maberry.

Crowdfunding:

• Anathema: Spec from the Margins, a Canadian magazine for speculative fiction by LGBT writers of colour, is looking for funding.
• The Newcastle Noir crime festival in Newcastle, UK, is looking for funding.
• The 6th Extinction card deck, a poker deck featuring 54 extinct species, is looking for funding.
• Writer K. Tempest Bradford is looking for funding to visit Egypt to research a Steampunk novel she's planning to set there.
  

Con reports:

• James Bacon reports about Capricon in Wheeling, Illinois, and shares some photos. 
• James Bacon also offers an overview of the parties at Capricon and shares some more photos.
• James Bacon shares yet more experiences at Capricon as well as several more photos. 
• Dave Doering reports about Life, The Universe & Everything in Provo, Utah, and shares several photos.
• Paul Cornell shares his experiences at Gallifrey One in Los Angeles, California, as well as several photos.
• Rich Johnston shares some photos of Gallifrey One in Los Angeles, California, including a very young girl cosplaying as the 13th Doctor.  
• Clei Doic shares some more cosplay photos from Gallifrey One.
• John King Tarpinian reports about the 51st California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Passadena, California, and shares some photos. 
• The Qwillery shares the new comics announcements made at the Image Expo 2018 in Portland, Oregon.
• Jon Del Aroz threatens to sue WorldCon 76 after they preemptively banned him, when Del Arroz threatened to harrass other attendants.
  

Science and technology:

• Ethan Siegel explains how SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch brings humanity one step closer to Mars.
• Joe Stech explains in graphic detail what happens to animals (and humans) in the vacuum of space.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Utmost Bound" by Vivian Shaw in Uncanny Magazine.
• "One True Love" by Malinda Lo in Lightspeed. 
• "The Date" by R.K. Kalaw in Uncanny Magazine.
• "The Goddess Has Many Faces" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed.
• "Mother of Invention" by Nnedi Okorafor at Slate.
• "The Ones Who Chose the Rain" by George Edwards Murray in Daily Science Fiction.
• "You Know How the Story Goes" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt at Tor.com.
• "Mrs. Sorenson and the Sasquatch" by Kelly Barnhill at Tor.com.
• "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... and Beyond" by C. Gold.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a trailer for Lost in Space.
• Watch a trailer for The Terror.
• Watch a trailer for Janelle Monáe's new album Dirty Computer.  
• Watch the video for "Django Jane" by Janelle Monáe. 
• Watch the video for "Make Me Feel" by Janelle Monáe.
• Joanna Davies explains how to get cheap Steampunk cosplay goggles.