Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for March 3, 2017

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Doc Savage, Revenger, international science fiction, the Oscars, tributes to Bill Paxton and others 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:

• The participants of the latest Mind Meld share their favourite fresh perspectives on common SFF tropes. 
• Corey J. White shares five books about the collapse of New York City.
• Andrea Phillips talks about dangerous ideas and revolutions in fiction and in real life.
• Emily Feng discusses how China became a science fiction powerhouse. 
• Lavie Tidhar declares that the golden age of Chinese science fiction is now.
• Amar Ekushey discusses how science fiction is popular with young readers in Bangladesh.
• Geoff Ryman shares an insight into the Kenyan SFF scene of Nairobi. 
• John Ostrander talks about identification and the Other.
• Hillel Italie reports that Ursula K. Le Guin has been accepted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 
• Ceridwen Christensen shares six reasons to love the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain.
• Nathaniel Williams shares a potential beginner's guide to Doc Savage.  
• Cat Rambo revisits the Doc Savage adventure The Spook Legion by Kenneth Robeson a.k.a. Lester Dent. 
• Grady Hendrix revists sleazy 1970s and 1980s paperback novels about satanism, brainwashing and cults.
• Katharine Trendacosta shares ten science fiction curse words for all occasions. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares the ten worst people after the apocalypse.
• Mark Yon celebrates British comic 2000AD on its 40th anniversary. 
• Patrick Caughill discusses how scientifically accurate several popular science fiction films are. 
• Zachary Pincus-Roth discusses the political dimension of Arrival and other science fiction films.
• David Betancourt declares that Logan is the Wolverine movie Hugh Jackman has always deserved. 
• Karin L. Kross shares her thoughts about the film adaptation of The Girl with All the Gifts.
  

Deaths and tributes:

• SFF writer Susan Casper, wife of editor Gardner Dozois, has died aged 70. 
• SFF writer Richard Purtill has died aged 85.
• British fantasy writer Nancy Willard has died aged 80.
• Neil Fingleton, actor, stuntman and Britain's tallest man, has died aged 36.
• Actor Bill Paxton, who appeared in many SFF movies and TV shows among other things, has died aged 61 following complications of heart surgery. 
• Alasdair Stuart remembers Bill Paxton.
• io9 share their 13 all-time favourite Bill Paxton performances.
• Real life storm chasers have united for a unique tribute to Bill Paxton, since Paxton played a storm chaser in Twister.
  

Awards:

• The 89th Academy Awards have been awarded with an embarassing envelope mix-up and very little recognition for SFF films.
• Inspired by the Oscar envelope mix-up, Mike Glyer recalls several gaffes at various SFF awards celebrations.
• The winners of the 2017 Golden Raspberry Awards a.k.a. Razzies have been announced and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice won several of the uncoveted awards. 
• The finalists for the 2017 Asimov's Readers Awards have been announced.
• The nominees for the 2017 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2017 D.I.C.E. Videogame Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2016 Richard Laymon Award has been announced.
• The winner of the HWA's 2016 Specialty Press Award has been announced. 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Oren Ashkenazi shares five underused speculative fiction settings.
• Amanda Bressler shares some tips for using news headlines as inspirations for horror stories.
• Jon Skovron shares a video about how to write a fantasy novel with a fountain pen. 
• Steven Smith discusses how to bring a fantasy trilogy to a strong ending. 
• Stuart J. Whitmore talks about health, fitness and productive writing.
• J.A. Konrath discusses how good is good enough.
• Monica Valentinelli discusses the role of writers in game production.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch shares some financial tips for writers and other freelancers.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch also shares some tips for writing with a chronic illness.
  

Interviews:

• Dag Rambraut interviews Kameron Hurley. 
• Pat's Fantasy Hotlist interviews Jacqueline Carey.
  
• The Civilian Reader interviews Sarah Gailey.
• Steven Brust and Skyler White interview each other.
• William Meikle interviews Dave Jeffery.
  
• Kathryn McGee interviews Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. 
• Kathryn McGee also interviews Lucy A. Snyder.
• Kathryn McGee also interviews Rain Graves.
• NPR interviews Dr. Mae Jemison, NASA's first black female astronaut.

Reviews:

• Joe Sherry reviews The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley.
• Renay Williams reviews Revenger by Alastair Reynolds.
• Mark Yon also reviews Revenger by Alastair Reynolds. 
• John Bardinelli also reviews Revenger by Alastair Reynolds.
• Alasdair Stuart reviews Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. 
• MarkYon reviews The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams.
• Eric Christensen reviews Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.
• The Civilian Reader reviews River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey. 
• Charlie Hopkins reviews Skullsworn by Brian Staveley.
• Suicide by Books reviews An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows.
• The Fantasy Café reviews Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia A. McKillip.
• Rob Bedford reviews Into the Fire by Patrick Hester.  
• Rich Rosell reviews The Wrong Dead Guy by Richard Kadrey.
• Shana DuBois reviews Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews We Are Always Watching by Hunter Shea. 
• Mark Yon reviews Hekla's Children by James Brogden.
• Bookworm Blues reviews Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames.
• Steve Davidson reviews Sisters of Tomorrow: The First Women of Science Fiction, edited by Lisa Yaszek and Patrick B. Sharp.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Volume 2 of Dates!, an anthology of queer historical fiction edited by Zora Gilbert and Cat Parra, is looking for funding.

Con reports:

• Rich Lynch discusses which was the first ever science fiction convention.
• Fandom Rover shares an overview of Polish conventions.
• Australian writer Tom Taylor explains why he will not be attending Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington, as well as other US conventions.
• The Geekiary reports about a film industry professional from New Zealand who is also reluctant to travel to San Diego Comic Con and other US conventions. 
• Bryan Brandenburg explains why Salt Lake City Comic Con in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an important economic factor. 
• Melanie Marttila reports about a panel on the dark side of fairy tales at the 2016 WorldCon in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Beth Elderkin shares some very cute photos of a little girl's Wonder Woman costume at Milwaukee Comic Con in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  

Science and technology:

• SpaceX is planning to send two paying passengers around the moon.  
• The international legal issues of colonising Mars.
• China uses so-called "citizen scores" to blacklist people from buying plane and high speed rail tickets.
• Can genetic engineering cure sickle cell disease?
• Why do extremely tall people die relatively young.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Unknown God" by Ann Leckie in Uncanny Magazine.
• "The Revolution, Brought to You by Nike" by Andrea Phillips in Fireside Fiction.
• "Lazy Dog Out" by Suzanne Palmer in Asimov's.
• "Pilgrim's Refuge" by Thomas Diehl.

Odds and Ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.
• Watch a trailer for Kong: Skull Island. 
• Watch a clip from Ghost in the Shell.
• Crochet a cuddly doll of Dr. Mae Jemison, NASA's first black woman astronaut.