Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 2, 2026

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best (and worst) SFF of 2025, a debate about ethical AI use in writing and publishing and if that's even possible, Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of Fallout, Avatar: Fire and Ash,  the final season of Stranger Things, Pluribus, tributes to Brigitte Bardot and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 42 new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in January  
• Karen Lord talks about finding the space between Utopia and Dystopia  
• Nicholas Whyte takes a look at what science fiction has to say about 2026. 
• Judy I Lin shares five SFF books to pair with a good cup of tea 
• Molly Templeton talks about the long-running series we grow up with. 
• Dave Hook talks about climbing and speculative fiction.
• Katie Bernet talks about narrators from beyond the grave.
• Kamilah Cole talks about dark academia.  
• Cole Rush shares his favourite fantasy clocks. 
• Charlie Jane Anders talks about the limits of realism.  
• Annie Holmquist claims that modern literature is not diverse enough, because it is lacking white men,  
• Michael D.C. Drout explains why he keeps returning the The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. 
• Matthew Cantor shares his appreciation for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. 
• Jeanne Britton notes that Mary Shelley left behind two very different versions of Frankenstein. 
• French science fiction author Pierre Bordage has died aged 70. 
• Canadian SFF writer Terence M. Green has died aged 78.

 

Best (and worst) of 2025:

• Grimdark Magazine share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2025.
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares her favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2025. 
• SFF World share their favourite science fiction books of 2025.  
• SFF World share their favourite horror books of 2025. 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite gothic novels of 2025. 
• Marlene Harris shares her favourite books of 2025. 
• SFF World share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror movies and TV shows of 2025.  
• Grimdark Magazine share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror movies and TV shows of 2025. 
• Grimdark Magazine share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror games of 2025. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Justin Carter reports that DC is having a massive hit with their Absolute Universe. 
• James Bacon reviews The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew
• Issue 92 of Journey Planet discusses comic book culture. 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about December 27th. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Grimdark Magazine share their most anticipated SFF TV-shows and movies for 2026.  
• William Earl lists horror movies coming out in January. 
• Isaiah Colbert shares new anime shows releasing in January. 
• Graeme Virtue explains how tech bros became Hollywood’s go-to baddie in 2025 
• Tara Bennett calls We Bury The Dead a contemplative zombie movie. 
• Josh Pearce shares his thoughts on Dust Bunny. 
• Issue 93 of Journey Planet discusses season 2 of Andor. 
• Rich Knight revisits the 1957 horror musical The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. 
• J. Antonio Juarez revisits the 1965 animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1970 folk horror film Tam-Lin and George Pritchard revisits the 1970 folk horror TV-movie Robin Redbreast.  
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 revisits the 1981 anime Ulysses 31. 
• Ashley Land revisits the 1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Chain of Command". 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2005 animated superhero show Ben 10. 
• Louise Gold remembers how The Muppets Show got started in the UK. 
• Andreas Wiseman shares eighteen high-profile movies that were shot but haven’t seen the light of day 
• Andrew Pulver wonders how Donald Trump's interest in the US film industry will impact what movies are made. 
• Lanre Bakare explains how anime became an economic juggernaut. 
• Justin Carter notes that in spite of several DC superhero movies, Wonder Woman hasn't really been seen since Wonder Woman 1984 came out five years ago. 
• Germain Lussier shares Ryan Coogler's original plan for Black Panther 2. 
• Germain Lussier reports that James Cameron, director of Aliens, also dislikes the choice to kill off Newt and Hicks during the opening credits of Alien 3.  
• Jesse Hassenger reports that Francis Ford Coppola is still not willing to give up on Megalopolis. 
• Catherine Shoard shares some tributes of Cary Elwes and Martin Scorsese to the late Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer as well as an update on the mruder investigation.
• Annette Dionne, last survivor of the famous Dionne quintuplets, has died aged 91.  

 

Tributes to Brigitte Bardot:

• French actress Brigitte Bardot has died aged 91.
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Brigitte Bardot. 
• Sarah Gilbert shares photos from Brigitte Bardot's lengthy career. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Ben Massa interviews Masters of the Universe artist Simon Soltau.
• He-Mania shares some behind the scenes photos and footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• He-Mania also shares a theory about how the various Heroic and Evil Warriors come by their toy names in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• Jukka Issakainen shares some Easter eggs and references found in issue 1 of the Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny comic mini-series by Tim Seeley and Eddie Nunez. 

 

Comments on season 2 of Fallout:

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Fallout. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Fallout. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things: 

• Saloni Gajjar declares that Stranger Things packs an emotional punch as it sets the stage for its finale
• Cheryl Eddy declares that the latest batch of Stranger Things episodes charts a propulsive path to the finale  
• Bryce Olin declares that we should stop worrying about how Stranger Things ends and start enjoying the chaos  
• Stuart Heritage notes that the fact that the second half of season 5 of Stranger Things isn’t unbearable is a miracle 
• Germain Lussier and Cheryl Eddy share fifteen things they liked and five they didn’t about the latest batch of Stranger Things episodes. 
• Germain Lussier notes that the truth about the Upside Down was already theorised in season 1, but not confirmed until season 5. 
• Kate Arthur interviews Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of Stranger Things.  
• Cheryl Eddy ranks her favourite couples from Stranger Things. 
• Jordan Moreau reports that the release of the series finale of Stranger Things crashed Netflix. 

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of Pluribus.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his appreciation for Pluribus. 
• Stuart Heritage interviews Rhea Seehorn who plays Carol Stuka in Pluribus.  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Rhea Seehorn. 
• Belen Edwards explains why The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is so important to Pluribus. 
• Matthew Byrd shares recommendations for what to read after watching Pluribus. 

 

Comments on Avatar: Fire and Ash: 

• Alex Lei declares that James Cameron tried to bring the Western into the future, but only went backwards with Avatar: Fire And Ash 
• Mekado Murphy breaks down a specific scene in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2025 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fiction Parents has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Forrest J Ackerman Award for Lifetime Achievement has been announced.
• The winner of the 2025 SFPA President’s Lifetime Service Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Champions League has been announced. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Brandon Sanderson explains why total worldbuilding is a trap for new writers
• Daniel Estrin and Esther Margolis discuss the demise of the mass market paperback. 
• John-Henri Holmberg mourns the demise of the mass market paperback. 
• Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter note that sales of nonfiction and YA books dropped in 2025, but genre fiction and the Buble are booming
• Neda Ulaby lists the most borrowed titles in US libraries. 
• Dave Hansen explains what payouts eligible authors may expect from the settlement of the class action lawsuit against Anthropic AI. 

 

The Debate about intentional and unintentional AI-use in writing and publishing: 

• Erin Underwood shares an open letter to SFWA and claims that avoiding using AI in the writing and publishing process is impossible.
• Paul Weimer responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Chuck Wendig responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Foz Meadows responds to Erin Underwood. 
• T. Frohock responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Shaun Duke responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Robin Anne Reid shares her distaste for AI and how it invades academia. 

 

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews George Gene Gustines.
• Walter Marsh interviews Shaun Tan. 

 

Reviews: 

• Adrienne Martini reviews Red Star Hustle by Sam J. Miller and Apprehension by Mary Robinette Kowal  
• Christine D. Baker reviews Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite  
• Russell Letson reviews Halcyon Years by Alastair Reynolds 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Hearthspace by Stephen Baxter 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman
• Paul Weimer reviews Making History by K. J. Parker
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson 
• Niall Harrison reviews Helm by Sarah Hall 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Deathless by Rob J. Hayes
• Lesa Holstine reviews New Year’s Nosferatu by Heather Graham 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Feeding by A.J. Ryan 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Fiend by Alma Katsu  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss
• Ian Mond reviews We Live Here Now by C.D. Rose 
• Alex Brown reviews These Bodies Ain’t Broken, edited by Madeline Dyer
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1948 fantasy anthology From Unknown Worlds, edited by John W. Campbell, Jr. 
• Dave Hook revisits the 1969 science fiction collection The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World by Harlan Ellison 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 Hainish science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1971 issue of Analog. 
• Abigail Nussbaum revisits the 1996 speculative novel Orlanda by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Sschwartz. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Marcin Klak reports about the 2025 SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden.
• TrekMovie.com shares a look at a Star Trek themed float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. 

 

Science and technology:

• Richard Hollingham shares all you need to know about the International Space Station's 25 years in orbit 
• Leonard David explains how NASA changed in 2025 — possibly forever  
• Mike Pearl discusses China's proposed rules for anthropomorphic AI systems
• Cormac McQuinn reports that fewer Irish people are using ChatGPT than in other countries 
• Cannon Taylor reports that the police department in Heber City, Utah, is testing AI software to automatically generate police reports based on bodycam data with some interesting results. 
• Gabe Castro-Root shares some tips how to protect yourself against phone searches at the US border. 
   

Gaming: 

• Kali Wallace explains what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has to say about storytelling and life.  
• Justin Carter notes that 2025 was the year ninja games made a comeback  
• Stew Hotston reviews the video game Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

 

Toys and collectibles:

• The DorkLair shares his ten favourite action figures from Four Horsemen Studios of 2025.
• Scott Neitlich explains why no toy company kept the Stranger Things licence for more than a year in spite of the show's huge popularity. 
• James Whitbrook shares new LEGO sets coming out in January. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Blood for a Stone" by Deirdre Walker in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "This Sepulchral Aegis" by Rob Gillham in Clarkesworld.
• "Home Grown" by Madeleine Vigneron in Clarkesworld. 
• "Morning Shed" by Namita Krishnamurthy in Strange Horizons.  
• "The Pretendian" by Jason Pearce in The Deadlands.  
• "The Patron" by Thomas Ha in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "Blacula" by P.C. Verrone in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Circus Skills" by Seán Padraic Birnie in Interzone Digital. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Wonder Man. 
• Watch a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 26, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best (and worst) SFF of 2025, an uproar about the Nebula Awards, holiday movies, Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of Fallout, Avatar: Fire and Ash,  the final season of Stranger Things, the new Anaconda, The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who in general, Pluribus, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer as well as Vince Zampella, Jane Austen at 250 and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares 22 wintery SFF books. 
• Alex Brown shares must read speculative short fiction for November 2025 
• Beth Cato talks about the fantastical food of fantasy fiction 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares seven SFF stories featuring beloved toys that may or may not be alive. 
• Ella Risbridger explains why romance fiction is booming, even though it is still dismissed by many critics. 
• Claudia Efemi reports that the bestselling books of 2025 in the UK are dominated by crime novels, thrillers, fantasy and romance. 
• Dana Goldstein reports that teenagers in the US rarely read full books anymore, not even in English class. 
• Richard Luscombe reports that a previously unpublished 1938 horror radio play called The Strangers by Tennessee Williams has been published for the first time after 87 years.  
• Emma Loffhagen reports that children's book writer David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher Harper Collins UK, following alleged sexual harassment of female employees of Harper Collins UK.
• Paul Glynn and Ian Youngs report that David Walliams has denied all inappropriate behaviour.

 

Jane Austen at 250:

• Sarah Lyall explains how Jane Austen fans are celebrating the writer's 250th birthday.
• Morgan Leigh Davis also reports about Jane Austen's 250th birthday and why her work still resonates today. 
• Heidi Lux celebrates Jane Austen's 250th birthday by sharing a deleted sex scene from Price and Prejudice. 

 

Best (and worst) of 2025:

• Readers of Reactor share their favourite SFF works of 2025. 
• Mark Yon shares his favourite fantasy books of 2025. 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite speculative mysteries and thrillers of 2025.  
• Ginger Nuts of Horror share their favourite YA horror books of 2025. 
• A.C. Wise shares her favourite SFF short fiction of 2025. 
• A.C. Wise shares her favourite SFF media of 2025. 
• io9 share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror movies of 2025. 
• io9 share their favourite movie moments of 2025.  
• Aidan Moher shares his ten favourite games of 2025. 
• The Guardian shares the twelve worst films of 2025

 

Comics and Art:

• Alex Segura interviews Ed Brubaker, writer of Criminal. 
• Nick Kolakowski shares his thoughts on the French comic series The Killer by Matz (the pen name of Alexis Nolent) and Luc Jacamon  
• James Whitbrook reports that Archie Comics will get another reboot.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on the last-minute Christmas rush at the bookshop 

 

Film and TV: 

• Andrew Lawrence discusses how Sinners became the most culturally important film of 2025 
• Isaiah Colbert calls My Hero Academia a superhero epic that never lost its way and also elevated the genre to new heights.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on season 2 of the animated series The Legend of Lara Croft 
• Autumn Wright declares that Star Wars: The Force Awakens launched the opening salvo of the fan-service culture war 
• Chris Garcia shares his thoughts on The Ugly Chickens.
• Isaiah Colbert declares that anime novies faced a defining, precarious theatrical crossroads in 2025  
• James Whitbrook shares a brief history of the Klingon-Federation conflict in Star Trek.  
• Germain Lussier talks about a Star Wars gag in Wake Up, Dead Man. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 crime comedy The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and the 1970 holiday musical Scrooge 
• Caroline Siede revisits the 2000 wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  
• Steve Rose revisits the 2001 gothic horror film The Devil’s Backbone  
• Variety interviews Mads Mikkelsen, star of Rogue One, Hannibal, Casino Royale, Dust Bunny and many others. 
• Justin Carter interviews Taliesen Jaffe who voices Mollymauk in The Mighty Nein. 
• Joe Anderton reports that Sigourney Weaver has called for releasing a director's cut of the 1999 science fiction comedy Galaxy Quest with cut scenes featuring the late Alan Rickman restored. 
• Ben Child wonders what on Earth Marvel was thinking to show different versions of the trailer for Avengers Doomsday before selected screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash.
• GMA News Online reports that Lucasfilm has won a bid to throw out a UK lawsuit over the resurrection of actor Peter Cushing in Star Wars: Rogue One.
• Swedish actress May Britt, star of  Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair, War and Peace, Haunted, The Young Lions, The Hunters and The Blue Angel as well as former wife of Sammy Davis Jr., has died aged 91.
• Actor James Ransone, best known for his roles in It, Black Phone, Nobody 2 and The Wire, has died aged 46 

 

Tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer:

• Martin Scorsese shares a tribute to the late Rob Reiner and Michele Singer. 
• Jamie Graham recounts the experience of watching Stand By Me together with Rob Reiner.
• Todd S. Purdum remembers Rob Reiner. 
• Andrew Pulver shares more information on the deaths of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer. 
• Nancy Dillon reports that Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia before allegedly murdering his parents. 

 

 Discussion of Holiday Movies:

• Bridget McGovern shares elevan oddball holiday classics to celebrate the Season
• Cheryl Eddy shares eight holiday horror movies to enjoy. 
• Grimdark Magazine calls the new Silent Night, Deadly Night an absolute banger. 
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1965 animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Cora Buhlert reviews the Masters of the Universe: Andra one-shot comic by Tiffany Smith and Adriana Melo.
• James Eatock recounts how Beast-Man turned from genuine threat to Skeletor's bumbling henchman over the course of the Filmation He-Man cartoon.  
• The Spirit of Grayskull podcast share Masters of the Universe holiday memories. 

 

Comments on season 2 of Fallout:

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Fallout. 
• Keza MacDonald compares the Fallout TV-series to the video game series it is based upon. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things: 

• Tyler Dean shares his favourite moments from five season of Stranger Things.
• Eric Zalben interviews Frank Darabont, director of the first few seasons of The Walking Dead, The Green Mile, The Mist and an episode of season 5 of Stranger Things. 
• Nick Romano interviews Jamie Campbell Bower who plays Vecna a.k.a. Henry a.k.a. One in Stranger Things. 
• Cheryl Eddy discusses the cultural impact of Stranger Things. 

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 8 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 8 of Pluribus. 

 

Comments on the new Anaconda.:

• Jesse Hassenger calls the new Anaconda a charming and unusual meta-comedy remake  
• Matt Schimkowitz declares that the Anaconda "remake" has the right amount of bite  
• Germain Lussier declares that the new Anaconda slithers on that line of so bad, it’s good  

  

Comments on Avatar: Fire and Ash: 

• Arturo Serrano declares that Avatar: Fire and Ash remains faithful to its tried and true formula: visually breathtaking, narratively uninspired 
• James Grebey declares that Avatar: Fire And Ash works best when it gets hot and bothered 
• Justin Carter shares a spoilerish review of Avatar: Fire and Ash. 
• Ben Child shares a spoilerish review of Avatar: Fire and Ash. 
• Matt Schimkowitzh shares a spoilerish review of Avatar: Fire and Ash.  
• Germain Lussier shares all the burning questions he has after Avatar: Fire and Ash   
• Germain Lussier interviews James Cameron, director of Avatar: Fire and Ash, and many others. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Oona Chaplin and Stephen Lang, who play Varang and Miles Quaritch in Avatar: Fire and Ash. 
• Nancy Tartaglione reports that Avatar: Fire and Ash is off to a good start at the box office, particularly outside the US.

 

Comments on The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who in general:

• James Whitbrook declares that what little potential The War Between the Land and the Sea had is dead and buried and has only sunk further into the depths the longer the show went on. 
• James Whitbrook revisits the 2005 Doctor Who Christmas special "The Christmas Invasion". 
• Daniel Bibby reports that actress Alex Kingston who played River Song in Doctor Who has written a choose-your-own-adventure type interactive novel featuring her character.  

 

 Comments on The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants:

• Mike McCahill calls The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants review – swashbuckling, snicker-inducing silliness  
• Tara Bennett declares that The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants has lost more than its pants and can't find anything original to say.  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 1970 Galactic Stars have been announced. 
• SFWA shares a press release explaining the organisation's stance on AI-aided and generated writing for the Nebula Awards.
• Mike Glyer reports that SFWA changed its stance on AI-aided and generated works in the Nebula Awards following a massive backlash and now bans such works altogether instead of requiring disclosure of AI usage. 
• Jason Sanford shares his thoughts on the Nebula Award rule changes and their quick retraction. 
• Justin Carter reports about the Nebula Awards uproar. 
• Mike Glyer shares an apology issued by the SFWA board for the Nebula rule changes regarding AI-generated and AI-aided work. 
• Harrison Ford will receive the 2026 SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• J.D. Mathes explains how writing workshops can help formerly incarcerated people begin to heal 
• Lincoln Michel shares his thoughts on publishing a novel in 2025. 
• Matilda Battersby reports that authors are inundated with scammy spam e-mails offering overpriced promotion. 
• John Van Stry discusses the truly terrible contract terms offered by Shadow Light Press.  
• Sam Spratford reports that Ablaze Publishing has acquired the graphic novel publisher NBM Publishing  
• Ed Nawotka reports that authors have filed yet another lawsuit against various AI companies.
• Juanita Hurtado Huérfano profiles Becky Barker, who operates the mobile romance bookstore Rescued by Romance in Colorado.
• Lauren Almeida reports that the US hedge fund Elliott, owner of bookstore chains Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, is planning to list them on the stock market. 

 

Interviews:

• Z.B. Steele interviews Michael Michel.

 

Reviews: 

• Adrienne Martini reviews Angel Maker by Elizabeth Bear 
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club reviews Outlaw Planet by M.R. Carey. 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi
• Adam Roberts reviews The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews There Is No Antimemetics Division by QNTM 
• Ian Mond reviews Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer 
• Andrew Liptak reviews The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. 
• Fiona Denton reviews Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Ring the Bells by C.K. McDonnell 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Sheltering Flame by Ruthanna Emrys and Walking A Wounded Land by Andrew Knighton 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Blackfire Blade by James Logan. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Abeni and the Kingdom of Gold by P. Djèlí Clark 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD: The Thin Blue Ley-Line by Keith R. A. DeCandido 
• Kate Jackson reviews Miss Darcy Investigates: A Crime Through Time by Amelia Blackwell  
• Archita Mittra reviews Daedalus is Dead by Seamus Sullivan 
• Colleen Mondor reviews If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry  
• Maya C. James reviews Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Visions of Grace by Alison Littlewood 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura, translated by Yuki Tejima 
• Abergale Shep reviews Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei. 
• Stuart Kelley reviews Ice by Jacek Dukaj 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Itch by Gemma Amor  
• C.T. Phipps reviews Eldritch Prisoners, editen by David Hambling
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Big Book of Cyberpunk Volume 2, edited by Jared Shurin 
• Steven Poole reviews Killing the Dead: Vampire Epidemics from Mesopotamia to the New World by John Blair 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 dystopian novel A Torrent of Faces by James Blish and Norman L. Knight 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1971 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 fantasy collection The Compleat Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt 
• Aditya Chakrabortty revisits the 2006 dystopian novel Kingdom Come by J.G. Ballard.

 

Con and event reports:

• Ehud Maimon reports about the 2025 ICon in Tel Aviv, Israel. 
• Octothorpe report about the 2025 SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• Pete Hammond reports about the“Frankenstein: Crafting a Tale Eternal” exhibition in Los Angeles, California, and that it is moving to London, UK.  
• Fan Chen reports that Japanese content and cosplay has been banned from the Comicup convention in Hangzhou, China. 
• Maia Snow reports that British children's book author David Walliams has been dropped from the programming of the Waterstones Children's Book Festival in Dundee, Scotland, following sexual harassment allegations. 
• Emma Loffhagen also reports that David Walliams has been dropped from the programming of the Waterstones Children's Book Festival in Dundee, Scotland  
• Amy Goldschlager shares a photo of the latest Brooklyn Books & Booze event in Brooklyn, New York. 
• Ben Dowsett reports about the immersive science fiction experience Interstellar Arc in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

 

Science and technology:

• Robert Lea reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a runaway supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy.
• Jonathan O’Callaghan reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a stretched out planet that is shaped like a lemon. 
• Pasant Rabie reports that a Starlink satellite is tumbling toward Earth after a strange anomaly in orbit 
• Stephen Clark reports that a safety panel says that NASA should have taken the Boeing Starliner incident more seriously  
• Maggie Aderin-Pocock talks about the commercialisation of space and why national laws are not adequate to deal with it. 
• Levi Christiansen interviews David Rankin, operations manager at the Catalina Sky Survey in Catalina, Arizona, where he observes and tracks potentially dangerous asteroids. 
• Taro Kaneko report that several drivers in the UK have been falsely accused of stealing fuel and sometimes banned from gas stations due to faulty licence plate recognition software.  
   

Gaming: 

• Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty video game series, has died aged 55
• Keza MacDonald and Keith Stuart remember Vince Zampella. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Cora Buhlert reviews the Figura Obscura Mouse King action figure from Four Horsemen Studios 
• Tyler Roberts reports that Playmates Toys have lost the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle licence after 38 years. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Adventures on the Omega Train at Night" by A. T. Greenblatt in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "The Space Between Us" by P.A. Cornell in Lightspeed.  
• "Memories of the MindMine" by David Marino in Lightspeed.  
• "Curse of the Bone God" by L.D. Whitney in Cliffhanger Magazine. 
• "Last Words" by Steven French in Antipodean SF.
• "Guard Duty at Pink House" by D. A. Raymond in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Measurements Expressed as Units of Separation" by M. L. Krishnan in The Dark. 
• "The Hole" by Ferenc Samsa in Clarkesworld. 
• "Between Here and Everywhere" by Robert Reed in Clarkesworld. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday. 
• Watch a trailer for Tinsel Town.
• Watch a trailer for The Odyssey.
• Adrian Collins shares five YouTube channels where awesome people make awesome things. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 19, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF of 2025, holiday movies, Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of Fallout, Avatar: Fire and Ash,  It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Pluribus, Netflix planning to buy Warner Bros, tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer, John Varley, Gil Gerard, Anthony Geary, Peter Greene and Joanna Trollope and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares a list of Christmas SFF books.
• Talia Kliot discusses the popularity of cozy fantasy, cozy horror and cozy mysteries particularly during the winter months. 
• Sofia Bianchi discusses how feminist horror novels are redefining fear 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five books about conversing with animals 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite recent dark academia novels  
• Lorna Wallace shares five scary short stories that read like urban legends 
• Emma Loffhagen attempts to explain how books suddenly become massive bestsellers. 
• Molly Templeton talks about the art of buying books for other people 
• Sam Reader shares eight M.R. James stories to make your holidays a little scarier 
• Fan writer and fanzine publisher Arthur D. Hlavaty has died aged 83. 

 

Tributes to John Varley:

• Science fiction writer John Varley has died aged 78.
• James Davis Nicoll remembers John Varley and shares his favourite John Varley books. 
• Michael Swanwick remembers John Varley. 

 

Tributes to Joanna Trollope:

• British romance writer Joanna Trollope has died aged 82. 
• Linda Evans shares an obituary for Joanna Trollope. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Lauren Puckett-Pope shares her favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2025. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite science fiction books of 2025.  
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite fantasy books of 2025. 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite horror novels of 2025. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite horror books of 2025. 
• Ginger Nuts of Horror share their favourite middle grade horror books of 2025.
• Alex Brown shares their favourite young adult science fiction, fantasy and horror. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite SFF novellas of 2025. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favoutite SFF anthologies and short story collections of 2025. 
• io9 share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror TV-shows of 2025. 
• io9 share their 42 favourite moments from science-fiction, fantasy and horror TV in 2025 
• The Reactor reviewers share the things that brought them nerdy joy in 2025 
• James Whitbrook and Germain Lussier share their favourite toys of 2025. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Scott Edelman interviews comic writer and editor Jack C. Harris.
• Neil Cole reports that a lawsuit about the rights for Superman by the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster will likely be decided in favour of DC Comics and Warner Bros. 
• Rich Johnston shares an update on the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors. 
• Heidi MacDonald also shares an update on the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Phil Hoad calls The Great Flood an apocalypctic movie from South Korea that swerves into sinister science fiction territory 
• Murtada Elfadi calls Sore: Wife from the Future a fantastical time-travel romance from Indonesia that never achieves lift-off  
• Adrian Collins calls The Rats: a Witcher Tale a little vignette of the world of The Witcher that plays well if you’re already a fan.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on the animated series The Legend of Lara Croft 
• Ann Michelle Harris calls the final season of My Hero Academia the end of an era. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that The Elephant delivers a blissfully playful collaboration of several animation studios. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Omniscient Reader a one-note science fiction film from South Korea. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Dust Bunny will have you demanding that Bryan Fuller make more movies 
• James Bacon shares his thoughts on the documentary Operation Bogeyman: The Folk Horror Landscape of 1970s Northern Ireland
• Richard Edwards ranks the various Doctor Who spin-offs. 
• Vanity Fair interviews Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien movies, Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Galaxy Quest, the Avatar movies and many others. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Graham McTavish, best known for his roles in Outlander and Spartacus: House of Ashur 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1970 Timeslip serial "The Time Of The Ice Box" 
• John Scalzi revisits the 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “No Surrender, No Retreat” 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2015 Star Wars film The Force Awakens.
• James Hanton revisits the 2021 animated film The Mitchells vs the Machines 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that Zootopia 2 has grossed one billion US-dollar in record-breaking time  
• The Guardian reports that director Carl Rinsch was found guilty of defrauding Netflix out of eleven million US-dollar for a TV-show that never existed. 
• Casting director Susie Figgis has died aged 77. 
• Voice actors Jim Ward, Jeff Garcia and Julie Mayfield have died.   
• Actor and movie memorabilia archivist Bob Burns III has died aged 90. 
• Xan Brooks celebrates the 100th birthday of actor Dick Van Dyke. 

 

Tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer:

• Actor and director Rob Reiner, best known for his roles in All in the Family and New Girl and for directing The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me, Misery, This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men and many others, has been found dead at his home aged 78, together with his wife Michele Singer Reiner, aged 68.  
• Andrew Pulver declares that Rob Reiner changed Hollywood for ever  
• Ryan Gilbert declares that Rob Reiner’s golden run of movies from Spinal Tap to A Few Good Men was breathtaking 
• Pete Hammond calls Rob Reiner a really good man and a great director 
• Tim Jonze declares that meeting Rob Reiner was like a visit from Santa  
• Olivia Rutigliano remembers Rob Reiner. 
• Drew Gillis remembers Rob Reiner. 
• Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie in Stand By Me, shares a tribute to Rob Reiner.  
• Benjamin Lee shares the tribute of Meg Ryan, who played Sally in When Harry Met Sally, to Rob Reiner. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro shares Sally Struthers' tribute to Rob Reiner, who played her husband in All in the Family. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro shares the tribute of Christopher Guest, who appeared in This is Spinal Tap, and his real-life wife Jamie Lee Curtis to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer. 
• Jack Dunn shares a statement released by several close friends of Rob Reiner, including Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and others. 
• Stephen King shares a tribute to Rob Reiner. 
• Sian Cain shares tributes to Rob Reiner by fellow actors, directors and politicians.  
• Maya Yang reports that Donald Trump could not keep his thoughts about the late Rob Reiner to himself, but publicly claimed that Reiner was died because of his dislike of Trump.  
• Dominic Patten reports that Donald Trump felt the need to say more terrible things about the late Rob Reiner. 
• Emily Longeretta reports that actor James Woods, though normally a Trump supporter, has criticised Trump's insensitive remarks about the late Rob Reiner. 
• Stuart Heritage shares his five favourite films by Rob Reiner. 
• Writers of the Guardian share their favourite moments from Rob Reiner's career. 
• The Guardian shares photos from Rob Reiner's long career.  
• The Guardian reports that Rob Reiner and Michele Singer's son Nick, who has struggled with drug addiction, has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of his parents. 
• Dani Aguiano reports that Nick Reiner has been charged with murdering his parents. 
• Benjamin Lee profiles Nick Reiner who was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents. 
• Grace Galante talks about the troubled relationship between Rob Reiner and his son Nick. 
• Andrew Pulver shares more details about how Rob Reiner and Michele Singer's bodies were found. 
• Andrew Polver repots that the release of Rob Reiner’s final film, a concert film called Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale, will be delayed for obvious reasons. 

 

Trubutes to Gil Gerard:

• Actor Gil Gerard, best known for playing the titular role in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, has died aged 82.   
• Jonathan Wolfe shares an obituary for Gil Gerard. 

 

Tributes to Anthony Geary:

• Actor Anthony Geary, best known for playing Luke Spencer in the soap opera General Hospital, has died aged 78. 
• Greg Evans shares an obituary for Anthony Geary. 
• Matt Schimkowitz remembers Anthony Geary. 
• Greg Evans shares the tribute by Genie Francis, who played his love interest Laura in General Hospital, as well as other former co-stars to Anthony Geary. 

 

Tributes to Peter Greene:

• Actor Peter Greene, best known for his appearances in Pulp Fiction, The Mask, Under Siege, Training Day, The Usual Suspects and many others, has died aged 60.  
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Peter Greene. 

 

 Discussion of Holiday Movies:

• Sarah Dempster shares her favourite spooky British holiday TV movies of all time. 
• Writers of the Guardian share their favourite underrated holiday movies. 
• Matthew Byrd revisits the 1960 Twilight Zone holiday episode “Night of the Meek” and the 1962 Twilight Zone holiday episode "Changing of the Guard".  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1964 holiday movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1992 holiday movie The Muppet Christmas Carol. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• James Eatock revisits the 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power episode "Flowers for Hordak".
• Jukka Issakainen interviews Reilly Brown, artist of several Masters of the Universe mini-comics as well as the upcoming ongoing Masters of the Universe comic series. 
• James Eatock points out that the toy version of the Attak Trak appeared in the Filmation He-Man episode "Evil Seed". 

 

Comments on season 2 of Fallout:

• Matthew Byrd shares everything you need to know before watching season 2 of Fallout
• James Whitbrook calls season 2 of Fallout a slower, smarter follow-up   
• Graeme Virtue calls season 2 of Fallout an absolutely hilarious postapocalytic thriller. 
• William Hughes calls the season 2 premiere of Fallout fun, but unfocussed. 
• Matthew Byrd explains the meaning of Vault 24 in season 2 of Fallout. 
• Isaiah Colbert reports that Amazon pulled a faulty AI recap video of season 1 of Fallout, following a backlash. 

 

Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• William Hughes shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her eight biggest takeaways from that gruesome, euphoric It: Welcome to Derry finale 
• Cheryl Eddy also shares seven burning questions she has after the It: Welcome to Derry finale  
• Charlotte Garner interviews Taylour Paige, who plays Charlotte in It: Welcome to Derry.

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Jennifer Bryan, costume designer for Pluribus.
• Isaiah Colbert finds some thematic parallels between Pluribus and Sense8. 

 

Comments on Avatar: Fire and Ash: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Avatar: Fire and Ash a gigantically dull hunk of nonsense 
• Nicholas Barber calls Avatar: Fire and Ash the longest and the worst film in the series yet 
• Jesse Hassenger finds Avatar: Fire And Ash overly long, but claims that James Cameron still delivers.
• Germain Lussier calls Avatar: Fire and Ash completely insane in the best possible way  
• Pete Hammond calls Avatar: Fire And Ash a war epic for the ages 
• Germain Lussier shares everything to remember before Avatar: Fire and Ash 
• James Hibberd profiles James Cameron, director of Terminator and Terminator 2, Aliens, Titanic, The Abyss and the Avatar movies. 

 

Comments on Disney partnering with Open AI:

• Caitlin Huston reports that Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to Google pver AI copyright infringement.
• Isaac Rouse reports that Disney has licenced several of its iconic characters to OpenAI's Sora platform, proving that they have no problem with copyright infringement as long as they are paid. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that Disney wants to drag every Disney+ subscriber into the AI slop era due to licensing their characters to OpenAI's Sora platform. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have released statements regarding Disney's partnership with Open AI.  

 

 

Comments on Netflix buying Warner Bros and HBO Max:

• Erin Underwood explains what the Netflix–Warner Bros merger really means for the future of movies
• Erik Hayden and Alex Weprin report that David Zaslav, current Warner Bros CEO, will get a ton of money, if Warner Bros is sold, regardless of being a terrible person and CEO. 

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2025 Analog AnLab Awards and Asimov’s Readers’ Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards has been announced, 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Molly Templeton reports that Amazon has introduced an AI feature on the Kindle e-reader that answers questions about the book and that authors cannot opt out.
• John Scalzi shares some examples of AI hallucinating dedications that he never wrote. 
• Jim Milliot reports that the mass market paperback is being phased out for good. 

 

Interviews:

• Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Eleanna Castroianni
• Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Natalia Theodoridou  

 

Reviews: 

• Paul Weimer reviews Rumor Has It by Cat Rambo  
• Aaron Jones reviews Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Outlaw Planet by M. R. Carey 
• Alex Brown reviews Network Effect by Martha Wells. 
• Judith Tarr reviews Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard. 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Mind’s Horizon by Eric Malikyte 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Legend Liminal by Ren Hutchings  
• Maya C. James reviews The Legend Liminal by Ren Hutchings   
• Niall Harrison reviews The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews No One To Hold the Distant Dead by K.L. Schroeder    
• Fiona Denton reviews Butter Cookies and Demon Claws by Peter V. Brett 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Christmas Spirits at Honeywell House by Sharon Booth 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson  
• Maura Krause reviews The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Saints of Storm and Sorrow – Stormbringer by Gabriella Buba 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Venomborn by Benjamin Aeveryn 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian 
• Arturo Serrano reviews Wrath by Shäron Moalem and Daniel Kraus    
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews ITCH! by Gemma Amor 
• Ian Mond reviews The Wax Child by Olga Ravn 
• Sarah Moss reviews Bog Queen by Anna North 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews We Are Always Tender with Our Dead by Eric LaRocca 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Sound of the Dark by Daniel Church 
• Molly Templeton reviews Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung. 
• Alex Brown reviews Empty Heaven by Freddie Kölsch 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike  
• Dave Hook reviews Moon Songs: The Selected Stories of Carol Emshwiller, edited by Matthew Cheney 
• Arley Sorg reviews These Bodies Ain’t Broken, edited by Madeline Dyer 
• Blake Morrison reviews William Golding: The Faber Letters, edited by Tim Kendal 
• Jon Repetti reviews Genre Bending: The Plasticity of Form in Contemporary Literary Fiction by Jeremy Rosen. 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Brian Collins revisits the 1947 science fiction novel Fury by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore   
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1947 horror collection Revelations in Black by Carl Jacobi 
• Rohan Maitzen revisits the 1963 postapocalyptic novel The Wall by Marlen Haushofer.
• Moid Moidelhoff revisits the 1967 science fantasy novel Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1970 science fiction novels The Great Brain Robbery by James P. Fisher and Behind the Walls of Terra by Philip Jose Farmer, Jason Sacks revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Once Departed by Mack Reynolds, Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 surrealist novel Vector for Seven by Josephine Saxton, Winona Menezes revisits the 1970 sword and sorcery novel Kothar and the Wizard Slayer by Gardner F. Fox and Amber Dubin revisits the 1970 science ficiton novels The Gates of Time: The Last Earthman versis. the Empire that died before Earth was born by Neal Barrett, Jr. and Dwellers of the Deep by K.M. O’Donnell
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Cold War in a Country Garden by Lindsay Gutteridge  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1993 science fiction novel Hard Landing by Algis Budrys 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1994 YA holiday horror novel Cheerleaders: The New Evil by R.L. Stine. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1997 space opera The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman 
• Z.B. Steele revisits the 2006 epic fantasy novel Mistborn: the Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• Science Fiction writer David Gerrold needs some help with healthcare costs. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Arley Sorg reports about the 2025 Can*Con in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
• Arley Sorg reports about the 2025 Muse Writers Con­ference in Norfolk, Virginia. 
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction reading at KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Daniel Braum and Martin Cahill. 
• Melina Spanoudi reports that R.F. Kuang as pulled out of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as part of a boycott against Emirates Airlines over events in Sudan. 
• Tiago Rogero reports that at least three writers have withdrawn from the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, in protest against the invitation of rightwing Venezuelan opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado   
• Aidin Vaziri reports about an uproar that erupted when the "Women of Afrofuturism" exhibition in San Francisco, California, was found to have used AI generated artwork. 

 

Science and technology:

• Hamish Johnston shares the top ten breakthroughs of the year in physics for 2025.
• Katie Kavanagh shares seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 
• The Center for Astrophysics reports that astronomers have found the first direct evidence of “Monster Stars” from the cosmic dawn  
• Ellyn Lapointe reports about a CRASH clock, which warns of likely collisions between satellites and spacecraft in orbit. 
• Jessica Rendall explains how colour-changing, bacteria-infused spacesuits could help keep future astronauts safe from space radiation 
• Bryan Walsh claims that AI can help to generate new ideas and receives a lot of pushback over that. 
• Aimee Levitt reports how cooking blogs are suffering a loss of visitors and revenue due to Google's AI overviews. 
   

Gaming: 

• Justin Carter recounts the troubled history of Cyberpunk 2077 
• Justin Carter discusses how the upcoming Tomb Raider games want to unite Lara Croft’s past and future   
• Gideon Marcus discusses computer game pioneer Chris Gaylo.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1970 tabletop wargame The Battle for Moscow. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• James Whitbrook shares a look at an upcoming Hasbro Marvel Legends wave focussed on characters from Deadpool and Wolverine. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the NECA Ultimate Blood Pennywise action figure,
• Becca Down shares a look at some new Lord of the Rings Funko Pops. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A New Justice In Town" by David K. Mitchell in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Hub Living Among the Stars" by Oyedotun Damilola Muees in Lightspeed. 
• "HagioClass" by José Pablo Iriarte in Lightspeed.  
• "Beneath the Duwak Tree" by Jorja Osha in The Dark.
• "The Cold Burns" by Anne Wilkins in Clarkesworld. 
• "Thicker" by Eleanna Castroianni in Uncanny Magazine  
• "The Pretendian" by Jason Pearce in The Deadlands. 
• "Shahmeran" by Leyla Hamedi in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Bonum Certamen” by Andrés Martinez in Future Tense Fiction.

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for the Stranger Things finale. 
• Watch a trailer for Disclosure Day. 
• Watch a clip from episode 7 of The Mighty Nein. 
• Watch a trailer for Hokum. 
• Watch a trailer for Greenland 2: Migration. 
• Watch a trailer for Anaconda. 
• Watch a trailer for Animal Farm.