It's time again for a special Thanksgiving edition of our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, Justice League, Avengers: Infinity War, The Punisher, Runaways, Blade Runner 2049, The Orville, The Shape of Water, Coco, a controversy surrounding the short fiction review site Rocket Stack Rank, 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:
- The New York Times shares its 100 notable books of 2017, including some genre works.
- Adam Roberts shares his favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2017.
- Sam Reader shares the best horror novels of 2017.
- Spencer Ellsworth shares five science fiction work that use weird bug behaviour to tell great stories.
- File 770 shares an overview of 2017 science fiction and fantasy novella releases.
- Ryan Plummer and Madeleine Monson-Rosen share 21 books that changed science fiction and fantasy forever.
- Computer scientist Dan Rockmore makes the case for speculative fiction.
- James Davis Nicoll explains why unfortunate coincidences such as several books about space elevators all coming out at the same time can happen in science fiction.
- James Davis Nicoll shares twenty urban fantasy novels every SFF fan should own.
- Jeff Somers shares ten fiendishly clever science fictional locked room mysteries.
- Fran Wilde discusses fantasy books where the magic turns out to be math.
- Justice Namaste and Sarah Scoles discuss the portrayal of race and gender in Artemis by Andy Weir.
- Malka Older discusses the concept of micro-democracy, as described in her novel Infomocracy.
- Marina N. Bolotnikova shares her appreciation for Infomocracy and Null States by Malka Older.
- Vivien Jackson explains why she writes about cyborgs.
- Natalie Zutter explains why she loves awkward robots.
- Catherynne M. Valente talks about putting the opera back in space opera.
- Kari Maaren praises the not chosen heroes and heroines.
- Vanessa Thrope profiles Chinese fantasy author Jin Yong and his popular series Legends of the Condor Heroes.
- Dr. Kawthar Ayed offers an overview of Tunisian science fiction.
- Alan Brown shares his appreciation for the 1983 novel Startide Rising by David Brin.
- Steven H. Silver shares his appreciation for the Elric of Melniboné stories and novels by Michael Moorcock.
- Oren Ashkenazi shares five common problems with dark stories.
- Princess Weekes discusses the ongoing problematic depiction of rape and sexual violence in the TV show Once Upon a Time.
- Natalie Luhrs talks about the portrayal of women in the TV show The Flash.
- James Whitbrook reports that Andrew Kreisberg, showrunner of Supergirl and The Flash, has been fired in the wake of sexual harrassment allegations.
- Beth Elderkin reports that according to early critical reactions, Jumanji: Back to the Jungle actually seems to be good.
- Joanna Schaffhausen talks about the enduring popularity of The X-Files and the volumes of fanfiction the show inspired.
- Evan Narcisse reports that showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have left American Gods.
- Ashley R. Pollard revisits Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1962 supermarionation series Fireball XL5.
- Michael Moreci theorises that Anakin Skywalker was a Grey Jedi.
- Alan Wirzbicki wonders about the future of the 70 mm film format, using Stanley Kubrick's 2001 - A Space Odyssey as an example.
- Tor.com reports that former US president Barack Obama met with science fiction author Liu Cixin during the Global Education Summit in Beijing and asked for a copy of his next book.
- Joanna Walters takes a look at what the sexual harrassment allegations against George Takei reveal about the world of social media influencers and paid promotions.
- Rich Johnston reports that C.B. Cebulski, new editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, used to write under the faux Japanese pseudonym Akira Yoshida.
- Weird western writer M.M. Justus died aged 58.
- Prolific television actor Rance Howard, father of actor Clint Howard and actor/director Ron Howard, died aged 89.
Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general (and The Orville):
- Ira Nayman shares their thoughts on Star Trek Discovery so far.
- Standback shares his thoughts on episode 9 of Star Trek Discovery.
- Swapna Krishna complains about the problem of gatekeeping in Star Trek fandom and how it may have influenced the negative reactions to Star Trek Discovery.
- Meanwhile, Camestros Felapton revisits the original series episode I, Mudd.
- Miguel Cima share fifteen things about the Klingons that make no sense.
- James Hibberd reports about a Twitter fight between actors William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek, and Jason Isaacs, who plays Captain Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek Discovery.
- Laurie Ulster reports that Adam Nimoy, son of Spock actor Leonard Nimoy, has stepped down from directing a planned documentary about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- Cheryl Eddy shares the thirteen funniest and most surprising moments of The Orville so far.
Comments on Justice League:
- Germain Lussier and James Whitbrook explain how Justice League sets up the future of the DC movie universe.
- William Steven Humphrey calls Justice League The Avengers lite.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore explains what the DC TV crossover event Crisis on Earth X got right that Justice League didn't.
- Noah Berlatsky reports that with Ezra Miller playing The Flash a.k.a. Barry Allen in Justice League, there now is a Jewish actor playing a Jewish superhero for the first time.
Comments on The Punisher:
- Dave Richards reviews episodes 5 to 7 of The Punisher.
- Renaldo Matadeen praises The Punisher's treatment of Frank Castle's PTSD.
- Amanda Bruce shares fifteen Easter eggs from The Punisher that many viewers will have missed.
- Mark Zambrano shares fifteen superpowers you never knew the Punisher had.
- Kevin Melrose declares that The Punisher should have killed off Frank Castle.
Comments on Runaways:
- Marykate Jasper calls Runaways a compulsively watchable superhero teen drama.
- Marykate Jasper also criticises an attempted rape scene in Runaways.
- Shirley Li offers a recap of the latest episode of Runaways.
- Charles Pulliam Moore discusses the connection between Runaways and Doctor Strange.
Comments on the Avengers: Infinity War trailer:
- Watch a trailer for Avengers: Infinity War.
- James Whitbrook analyses the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War.
- Jason Cohen also analyses the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War and also explains which footage shown at various conventions is still missing from the trailer.
- Tim Adams wonders which characters are missing from the Avengers: Infinity War trailer.
- Tor.com shares four questions about Avengers: Infinity War.
- Matthew Stevens shares fifteen fan theories about Avengers: Infinity War that might turn out to be true.
- Charles Pulliam-Moore theorises that the one Infinity Stone still missing in action will show up in Black Panther.
- Geoff Miller wonders who is inside the Hulkbuster Armour seen in the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War.
- Kevin Melrose wonders whether the trailer may hint at a major character death in Avengers: Infinity War.
- Joanna Robinson traces the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and profiles Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios.
Comments on The Shape of Water:
- Peter Foy shares his thoughts on Guillermo del Toro's movie The Shape of Water
- A.A. Dowd declares that Guillermo del Toro's love of movies is the true love story at the heart of The Shape of Water.
- Glenn Whipp wonders whether Guillermo del Toro will get an Oscar nod for The Shape of Water.
Comments on Blade Runner 2049:
- Julie Muncy discusses Blade Runner 2049's treatment of women and reports about director Denis Villeneuve's own statements about this issue.
- Marykate Jasper also discusses how Denis Villeneuve attempts to defend the portrayal of women in Blade Runner 2049.
- Sam Moore also discusses Denis Villeneuve's statement regarding the treatment of women in Blade Runner 2049.
- Jordan Hoffman interviews Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049.
- Andrew Wright shares his thoughts on Escape, a documentary about Hampton Fancher, who was the screenwriter of the original Blade Runner.
Comments on Coco:
- Bob Mondello calls Coco joyous and enchanting.
- Peter Hartlaub calls Coco a rewarding movie with unexpected depths.
- Jenni Moore declares that Coco tackles the subject of mortality with humor and depth.
- Germain Lussier declares that Coco is basically Back to the Future, only with dead people instead of time travel.
- Actor Edward James Olmos, who voices a character in Coco, calls the role a personal career highlight.
- Harrison Weber complains about all the previews and pre-movies he had to sit through before finally being able to watch Coco.
- Michael Cavna explains how Coco became a huge hit.
- Jake Coyle reports that Coco has beaten Justice League at the US box office.
- Germain Lussier reports that Coco is also the highest grossing movie of all time in Mexico.
The Rocket Stack Rank controversy:
- Bogi Takács points out that reviews of stories featuring non-binary or trans characters at the short fiction review site Rocket Stack Rank contain problematic language hostile to non-binary and trans people.
- Keffy R.M. Kehrli and several others co-sign an open letter to Rocket Stack Rank, following following complaints about reviews hostile to non-binary and trans people.
- Rocket Stack Rank issues an apology and responds to the open letter.
- Mike Glyer reports about the Rocket Stack Rank controversy and also reports that Greg Hullender has been dropped from the Locus Recommended Reading List panel.
Awards:
- La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman has been named Waterstones Book of the Year.
- Jeanne Gomoll has won the 2017 Rotsler Award.
- Erin Roberts has won the Speculative Literature Foundation's 2017 Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds grant.
- The longlist for the 2017 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award has been announced.
- The Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award to honour speculative fiction about the ramifications of technology has been established.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Zak Slayback shares the easiest way to become a better writer.
- Larissa Runkle shares the ten best books for fiction writers.
- Steve Tornello shares his secret for writing sixty pages in two days.
- The Puppet Show shares a list of random setting generators.
Interviews:
- Locus interviews Aliette de Bodard.
- Rob Bedford interviews S.A. Chakraborty.
- Civilian Reader interviews Ken Scholes.
- Civilian Reader also interviews Joshua Reynolds.
- Katherine Mangu-Ward interviews Andy Weir.
- Locus also interviews Andy Weir.
- Locus interviews David Marusek.
Reviews:
- Liz Bourke reviews In Evil Times by Melinda Snodgrass.
- Liz Bourke also reviews Starfire: Shadow Sun Seven by Spencer Ellsworth.
- Liz Bourke also reviews The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton.
- Liz Bourke also reviews Horizon by Fran Wilde.
- Tadiana Jones reviews The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty.
- Julie Keller reviews Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand.
- Katrina Niidas Holm reviews Artemis by Andy Weir.
- Ceridwen Christensen reviews Mass Effect Andromeda: Initiation by N.K. Jemisin and Mac Walters.
- Liz Bourke also reviews Mass Effect Andromeda: Initiation by N.K. Jemisin and Mac Walters.
- Mark Chitty reviews Polity Agent by Neal Asher.
- Ira Nayman reviews The Naked World by Eli K.P. William.
- Faren Miller reviews The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell.
- Revecca Fisher reviews Ashling by Isobelle Carmody.
- Mark Yon reviews Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities by James Lovegrove.
- Faren Miller reviews The Strange Bird by Jeff VanderMeer.
- Sam Reader reviews Red Dust and Dancing Horses by Beth Cato.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer.
- Ursula K. Le Guin reviews You Should Come With Me Now by M. John Harrison.
- Joel Cunningham reviews The Inside Out Man by Fred Strydom.
- Michael Patrick Hicks reviews The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson.
- Philip Rafferty reviews Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes.
Crowdfunding:
- Lost Signals of the Terran Republic, a science fiction anthology edited by Charles E. Gannon, is looking for funding.
- LAAB, an art magazine about black representation in science fiction and culture, is looking for funding.
- Crossplay, an erotic graphic novel by Niki Smith set at an anime con, is looking for funding.
- The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at the University of Indiana is looking for funding to preserve Bradbury's writing and papers for future generations.
- Writer Elizabeth Ann West needs some help with legal expenses connected to frivolous lawsuit.
Con reports:
- Rudy Rucker shares his experiences as guest of honour at Windycon in Lombard, Illinois, and shares some photos.
- Derek Künsken reports about the 4th International Science Fiction Conference in Chengdu, China, and shares some photos.
Science and technology:
- Becky Ferreira reports about Thanksgiving aboard the ISS.
- Hanneke Weitering also reports about Thanksgiving aboard the ISS.
- Bryan Nelson reports that a spider that has drunk graphene has spun a web that is strong enough to carry a human.
- Brynn Holland and Missy Sullivan report about a poetry writing supercomputer programmed to crack the cyphers sent by the serial killer known only as the Zodiac Killer to the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Fiona Sturges reports about lifelike animatronic sex dolls.
- Matthew Vickery reports about Ingolstadt, the birthplace of the Illuminati.
Free online fiction:
- "Who Won the Batlle of Arsia Mons?" by Sue Burke in Clarkesworld.
- "The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" by Nick Mamatas and Tim Pratt in Apex Magazine.
- "Dead Heroes" by Mike Buckley in Clarkesworld.
- "The Fare to Ride the Universe" by Amy Power Jansen in Compelling Science Fiction.
- "The Coyote Way" by Kieran Shea in Beat to a Pulp.
- "The Catalog of Virgins" by Nicoletta Vallorani, translated by Rachel S. Cordasco in Clarkesworld.
- "The Siret Mask" by Marie Brennan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Crisis" by M. John Harrison in the Times Literary Supplement.
Odds and ends:
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