Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 11, 2016

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Doctor Strange, Arrival, lots of movie trailers as well as the usual mix of awards news, writing advice, interviews, reviews, awards news, con reports, crowdfunding projects, science articles and free online fiction. 

Speculative fiction in general:

• Sherwood Smith talks about heroes, villains and noblebright fantasy. 
• Matt Kim explains why space opera is the future of the western.
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro discusses the future of Cyberpunk. 
• Chuck Wendig wonders why horror seems to be anathema to publishers.
• Paul di Filippo recommends new fantasy novels from female writers. 
• Genevieve Valentine shares a tribute to the late Sheri S. Tepper.  
• Gideon Marcus shares his appreciation for Naked to the Stars by Gordon R. Dickson.
• China Mieville shares his appreciation for Utopia by Thomas More. 
• Brenda W. Clough shares her thoughts about The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. 
• Jeff Somers shares eight mind-bending facts about Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.
• Rachel Neumeier shares her top ten dogs in science fiction and fantasy.
• Alasdair Stuart shares his appreciation for the 1997 movie Contact.
• Germain Lussier shares his appreciation for the movie Arrival.
• Jordan Zakarin explains why the movie Arrival made them more scared of Donald Trump than before. 
• Alex Cranz is pleased about how Supergirl handled the recent coming-out of a regular character (spoiler warning).
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the Doctor Who spin-off Class.
• The staff of The Geekiary declares that progressive geeks have work to do now.
  

Comments on Doctor Strange:

• Paul Weimer shares his thoughts on Doctor Strange. 
• The Geekiary shares the good, the bad and the squee about Doctor Strange.
• Ben Child declares that the portrayal of Christine Palmer in Doctor Strange epitomises the girlfriend problem of superhero films. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore traces how the portrayal of Doctor Strange in the comics changed from stereotyped Asian to white, as Doctor Strange turned from supporting character to hero of his own comic book.
• Dave Schilling links Doctor Strange to the fascination with all things mythical in the 1960s, when the character was created.
• Jordan Hoffman explains the connection between Doctor Strange and Pink Floyd.
• Ross Johnson shares a spoilerish guide to all the easter eggs in Doctor Strange.
• Germain Lussier explains how the magic of Doctor Strange was created. 

Awards:

• The semi-finalists for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2016 ESFS Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2016 Pegasus Awards have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Chuck Wendig shares 25 writing tips for NaNoWriMo. 
• Chuck Wendig also explains that it's okay for writers to make mistakes.
• Kai Ashante Wilson shares some tips for writing dialect in fiction.
  

Interviews:

• Michaeline Duskova interviews Lois McMaster Bujold.
• Kay Kenyon interviews Sharon Shinn.
• Aidan Moher interviews Ilana C. Meyer.
• Justin Ells interviews Malka Older.
• Carl Slaughter interviews Tina Connolly.
• Airship Ambassador interviews Alex Bledsoe.
  

Reviews:

• Corrina Lawson reviews Remnants of Trust by Elizabeth Bonesteel.
• Bookworm Blues reviews Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland.
• Thea James reviews A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Crosstalk by Connie Willis.  
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews Made to Kill by Adam Christopher.
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Heartless by Marissa Meyer. 
• Ceridwen Christensen reviews The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clark.
• Lynn Williams reviews Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. 
• Sam Reader reviews The Weaver by Emmi Itäranta.
• Paul di Filippo reviews Faller by Will McIntosh. 
• Paul di Filippo reviews The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike.
• Nicole Hill reviews The Mountain of Kept Memory by Rachel Neumeier.
• Niall Alexander reviews The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood.  
• Matt Mitrovich reviews The Emperor's Men: Arrival by Dirk van den Boom.
• Paul Levinson reviews episode six of Westworld.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Illustrator Robert Farkas is looking for funding for Clever Fox's Tales about the Universe, a series of illustrated children's books to teach kids about physics.

Con reports:

• Ann Leckie shares her experiences at Utopiales in Nantes, France. 
• The Geekiary shares a report and some photos from MCM London Comic Con in London, UK.
• James Whitbrook shares the best cosplay photos from Blizzcon in Anaheim, California.
  

Science and technology:

• ESA has funded the development of the Ariane 6 rocket.
• Why did NASA blur parts of the James Webb space telescope?
• The real risks of artificial intelligence.
• The truth about the chupacabra. 
• Science experiments you can do with leftover Halloween candy. 

Free online fiction:

• "For the Things We Never Said" by Cassandra Khaw in Daily Science Fiction.
• "Shooting Gallery" by J.B. Park in Lightspeed.
• "Reverse Documentary" by Marisela Navarro at Tor.com. 
• "Standing on the Floodbanks" by Bogi Takács in GigaNotoSaurus.
• "Under the Eaves" by Lavie Tidhar in Lightspeed.
• "Aardvark Says Moo" by Cat Rambo.
  

Odds and ends:

• Watch a TV trailer for Star Wars: Rogue One. 
• Watch an international trailer for Star Wars: Rogue One.
• Watch a trailer for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
• Watch a trailer for Kong - Skull Island. 
• Watch a trailer for A Monster Calls.
• Watch a trailer for Life.
• Watch a trailer for Station 88.
• Watch a trailer for Day of Reckoning.
• Listen to the radio drama How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman.