This is my last WWWednesday column; from here on out, I’ll be focusing on The Expanded Universe column and catching up on my many reviews I have yet to complete! (You know you’re past your freshman year as a FanLit reviewer when you’re at least 15 books behind, and reading more all the time.) Thanks for sticking with me this past year, and let’s welcome Marion Deeds next week when she takes over the web round-up column!
Dragon in a Bestiary
Writing, Editing, and Publishing
SFWA has a pic of the Nebula Award Winners after receiving their awards.
The Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic has narrowed down its shortlist, still keeping some of our favorites on there, like Emily St. John Mandel and Jo Walton.
A Legend of the Future by Cuban author Augustin de Rojas, called here the “patron saint of Cuban science fiction,” has been newly translated into English. It’s my goal to read more writers from non-Anglophone countries, so this is a great one to add to my list.
John Scalzi weighs in on a new Hugo amendment to get rid of the “Best Novelette” award in favor of a “Best Saga” award. He has some great remarks, and I especially appreciate how he’s championing younger/newer writers. Let’s have both awards!
Damien Walter at the Guardian writes about the joys of reading, instead of playing, RPG games.
J.K. Rowling has released some new backstory on the Dursleys on her website Pottermore. And Tyler Vendetti at XOJane comments on a recent fracas in the literary world, in which Lynn Shepherd said that J.K. Rowling should “stop writing.” Vendetti disagrees with Shepherd, but makes a similar claim about the Harry Potter stories–that Rowling should “let them go.” I’d be interested to hear our readers’ thoughts on this!
Ever find yourself wondering what the VanderMeers are up to? I know I do! Well, now Ann and Jeff have a website, vandermeercreative.com, that will keep you up to date on all their many events. And congratulations to Ann, who recently left her day job so she can focus on editing and other VanderMeer Creative projects!
Finally, the Toast ranks the deaths in Middle Earth according to their metal-ness. Oh, the Toast. You never fail me.
Dragon from a Book of Hours
Film and Television
Tor.com posted a great article about some summer TV, old and new, that you might be missing out on. These are some interesting shows–I have just recently gotten into the zombie genre (via iZombie, which is incredible and everyone should watch), so I might check out In the Flesh. Sense8 sounds right up my alley, too. And then, of course, there’s always Xena, for when we need more chain mail bikinis.
And NBC canceled Hannibal! Fava beans around the world breathe a sigh of relief, though Mads Mikkelsen fans are disappointed.
Pixar’s film Inside Out was released last week, to almost unanimous acclaim. Business Insider, Forbes, and the Telegraph all review it glowingly.
Neil Gaiman and Bryan Fuller posted some lovely concept art for the television adaptation of American Gods.
I didn’t watch this (don’t like to be scared, ahhh!) but it looks interesting: a short horror film about going to the dentist. My apologies to those of you who have appointments coming up.
The Onion hilariously takes on fans who oppose a black actor portraying the Human Torch.
Internet Stuff
This is so cool. Apparently the Doctor occasionally makes cameos in franchises that aren’t Doctor Who related! My favorite, of course, is the Buffy one.
If you want to learn more about the history of Westeros, here are some cool maps of the country, charting the various incursions into the land that we learn about in A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE.
Finally, some great parenting advice from the Daily Dot. An exhaustive list on what to do if your child sees a ghost.
Featured Art
In keeping with art themes I have developed over my year doing WWW, we’re going out on dragons and medieval manuscripts. I also wanted to include some images of the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon hoard, which has some absolutely stunning dragon embellishments on helmets, buckles, and arm-bands, but we just don’t have infinite space, so you’ll have to check those images out yourself. Without a doubt, my favorite this week is the kite. It is possibly the most bad-ass kite I have ever seen. you just know that dude is sitting pretty up on his horse, feeling like he owns the world because he’s flying a dragon like he’s Daenerys Targaryen. (Also, check out the feather in his cap.)
No! that is not a kite! It is a pet dragon going for a glide, and I’m sticking to that interpretation.
At first I didn’t really understand the need for a “best novelette” category in either the Nebs or the Hugos; then I figured out, of course, that it’s a way to acknowledge more work. I thought Scalzi’s arguments were great, and I hope the Hugos wise up and keep the old while creating the new. (And then I have lots of questions about “Best Saga” and how that is going to differ from “best series.”)