Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for October 6, 2023

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, Ahsoka and Star Wars in general, Loki and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, season 2 of The Wheel of Time, season 2 of Our Flag Means Death, Gen V,  Saw X, The Exorcist: Believer, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the debate about AI writing and art, tributes to Michael Gambon and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy lists seventy new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in October. 
• Tor.com lists all the new science fiction books coming out in October. 
• Tor.com lists all the new fantasy books coming out in October. 
• Tor.com lists all the new YA SFF books coming out in October. 
  
• Dan Sinykin explains how Lester and Judy-Lynn Del Rey created the modern fantasy genre as we know it. 
• Crime Reads hosts a roundtable on the weird western genre.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five ways generation ships are doomed to fail in science fiction
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF novels featuring science-fictional messiahs
• Aidan Moher shares thirteen SFF books for fans of Japanese RPGs.
  
• Melanie Golding shares her favourite novels featuring circusses. 
• Laura Steven shares six dark academia books with angry heroines. 
• Stop Gap discusses the different way SFF books, films and TV shows handle swearing. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five enduring reasons to love mass market paperbacks. 
• Marissa Lingen urges everybody not to save books for later, but read them now, if you want to read them. 
• Molly Templeton talks about dead dogs and other reading dealbreakers.
  
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for September 2023.
  
• Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Joshua Uchenna Omenga talk about Afropantheology.
• Marc Burrows ranks all the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett.
  
• Mary Whitfill Roeloffs reports that two copies of The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie and The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle from the collection of Rolling Stones member Charlie Watts have become the most expensive books ever sold.
  
• Elizabeth Blair reports that Winnie the Pooh is campaigning against deforestation now.  
• Leyland Cecco reports that rapper, journalist and YA SFF author Wab Kinew has been elected premier of Manitoba, Canada. 
  
• Science fiction fan Helena Binns died aged 82.
• Science fiction author Michael F. Flynn has died aged 76.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Blue Book Balloon reviews Noir Burlesque by Enrico Marini 
• Brad Hawley reviews Blue Book by James Tynion IV and Michael Avon Oeming 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Cyberpunk 2077: Blackout by Bartosz Sztybor and Roberto Ricci 
• James Smart reviews the graphic novel Monica by Daniel Clowes.
  
• Locus interviews SFF artist Lauren Raye Snow. 
• Emine Sinmaz reports that Bobby Joseph has been appointed UK comics laureate.
  
• Michael de Adder shares a cartoon tribute to Charles Saunders. 
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about exclusive revelations from Sauron’s memoirs
  

 

Film and TV:

• Arturo Serrano declares that El Conde lets us laugh at the monster that was Augusto Pinochet.
  
• Camestros Felapton declares that 65 is not stupid enough to be any good and also too stupid to be interesting
• Maya Gittelman talks about queer longing in Good Omens. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that The Creator fails to offer unique science fiction cinema at a time when it’s desperately needed.
  
• Leah Schnelbach calls the science fiction horror movie No One Will Save You a breath of fresh air.
  
• Cindy White calls The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar a charming Roald Dahl adaptation by Wes Anderson.
• Phil Hoad calls Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time visually brilliant and declares that it unsurprisingly concludes with an emotional father-son confrontation.
• Benjamin Lee calls Totally Killer a cheap and cheerful time travel slasher movie. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Bargain an addictive horror drama from South Korea.
  
• Cath Clarke calls the latest version of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde an atmospheric adaptation.
  
• Arturo Serrano declares that the TV adaptation of the webcomic Strange Planet proves that what works un one medium doesn't necessarily work in another. 
• Paul Levinson calls Love at First Sight a romance movie sprinkled with a little fantasy and philosophy
• Leslie Felperin calls Haunting of the Queen Mary a tap-dancing, time-skipping horror film.
  
• Saloni Gajjar calls season 3 of Chucky freaking fantastic. 
• Benjamin Lee calls  Pet Sematary: Bloodlines a pointless horror prequel
  
• Adrian Horton calls Foe a dull Black Mirror knock-off. 
• Phuong Le calls The Latent Image a standard slasher movie brightened by the sizzling chemistry between its leads.
  
• Alex Brown shares their thoughts on the latest episode of The Changeling. 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Flash. 
• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Daed: Daryl Dixon.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether it's time to get excited about Superman Legacy. 
• Jay Kang Romanus talks about disability and monstrosity in the Alien movies. 
• Matthew Jackson shares his favourite horror movies of 2023 to date.
  
• Writers of the Guardian remember the toughest scenes of filmic violence they've ever watched. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1961 Mexican horror movie The World of Vampires.
  
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1968 science fiction film Charly.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1977 horror movie The Haunting of Julia.  
• Emma Keates praises the horror performances of  Bill Skarsgård.
  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Chris Gismer, director of the new Quantum Leap.
  
• James Whitbrook interviews  Clive Bradley and Sam Deats, writer and director of Castlevania Nocturne.
• Nellie Andreeva interviews Matt Owens, showrunner of the live action One Piece.
  
• Jacob Hall interviews Macon Blair, director of the new Toxic Avenger. 
• Sabina Graves interviews Eli Roth, director of Fright Krewe, Thanksgiving and many others. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Mark Jones, creator of the Leprechaun series of horror movies.
  
• P.J. Grisar interviews actress and documentary filmmaker Lee Grant, who appeared in In the Heat of the Night, Detective Story, Shampoo, Peyton Place, Marooned, Mission Impossible and many others.
• Mark Kermode shares his appreciation for the works of filmmaker Nicholas Roeg. 
• Lewin Day reports that the Matrix fan film The Fanimatrix is now the oldest living torrent on the internet.   
• Elizabeth Wagmeister reports that actress Julia Ormond has sued Harvey Weinstein for sexual assault and the Walt Disney Company as well as her agency for aiding and abetting him.
  

 

Comments on Ahsoka and Star Wars in general (spoilers): 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Jedi, the Watch and the Warlord", the season 1 finale of Ahsoka.
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "The Jedi, the Watch and the Warlord"
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "The Jedi, the Watch and the Warlord" 
• James Whitbook shares his thoughts on "The Jedi, the Watch and the Warlord"   
  
• Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on "Dreams and Madness", the penultimate episode of Ahsoka.
• Germain Lussier shares sixteen burning questions he has after Ahsoka.
  
• James Whitbrook interviews Kevin, Deana and Sean Kiner, who composed the score for Ahsoka.
• Germain Lussier wonders if Ahsoka will be getting a second season.
  
• Aaron Couch reports that Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One and The Creator has spoken out about the making of the former. 
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCamdido shares his thoughts on "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place", the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place".
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place".
• Melody McCune shares the best quotes from "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place".
  
• Galactic Journey revisits the 1968 Star Trek episode "The Enterprise Incident".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Daedalus".
• Avery Kaplan shares examples for Vulcan brains begin remarkably strong.
• The New York Times interviews Sir Patrick Stewart who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard and Professor Xavier in the X-Men movies.
• Alex Moshakis interviews Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Eammon Jacobs reports about Sir Patrick Stewart's less than ideal encounter with Tom Hardy who played the villain in Star Trek Nemesis. 
  

 

Comments on Loki and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:

• Avery Kaplan lists everything to remember for season 2 of Loki.
• Herb Scribner shares eight things to remember for season 2 of Loki.
  
• Mike Ryan interviews Kevin Wright, producer of Loki. 
• Sabina Graves interviews Kevin Wright.

 

Comments on season 2 of Our Flag Means Death:

•  Jenna Scherer shares her thoughts on the season 2 premeire of Our Flag Means Death.
• Leah Schnelbach interviews Maggie Phillips, music supervisor for Our Flag Means Death. 
  

 

Comments on season 2 of The Wheel of Time:

• Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on “Daes Dae’mar”, the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on "Daes Dae'mar".
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 2 of Wheel of Time.
  

 

Comments on Gen V: 

• Lucy Mangan calls Gen V an extraordinary spin-off of The Boys.
• Manual Betancourt calls Gen V bloody and horny as hell
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the first two episodes of Gen V. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of Gen V.
  

 

Comments on The Exorcist: Believer: 

• Leigh Monson declares that The Exorcist: Believer is full of idea that don't add up to an actual movie.
• Benjamin Lee calls The Exorcist: Believer a schlocky sequel.  
• Sabina Graves calls The Exorcist: Believer a compelling morality drama with very few scares. 
• Sabina Graves interviews David Gordon Green, director of The Exorcist: Believer.  
• Matt Schimkovitz revisits the 1990 horror The Exorcist III and claims that it proves that good Exorcist sequels are possible.
  

 

Comments on Saw X: 

•  Luke Y. Thompson calls Saw X gruesomely good.
• Germain Lussier attempts to explain why Saw X works so damned well.
  
• William Earl ranks all the Saw movies. 
• Zack Sharf reports that neighbours called the police after hearing screams from the workplace of Saw X editor Steve Form.
  

 

Tributes to Michael Gambon: 

• Variety shares an obituary for Michael Gambon.
• Michael Billington shares an obituary for Michael Gambon.
  
• Paul Hirons revisits Michael Gambon's greatest role in The Singing Detective. 
• Catherine Shoard shares tributes by other actors and directors to Michael Gambon.
  

 

Comments on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike:

• Kathleen Sharp wonders what the lessons from the WGA strike are.
  
• Alex Winter points out that the AI clauses in the WGA deal put a lot of faith in the studios to do the right thing.
• Linda Codega notes that even though the WGA strike may have finished, the battle over AI is far from over. 
• William Hughes reports that several writers are refusing to continue to work on The Drew Barrymore Show, after the daytime talk show attempted to film in spite of the WGA strike.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that the visual effects artists working at Walt Disney Pictures have voted to unionise.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Ditmar Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2023 WSFA Small Press Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Rhysling Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2023 Glass Bell Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2023 Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2023 National Book Awards has been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2023 Royal Society Science Book Prize has been announced.
• The winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature has been announced.
  
• Nicholas Whyte explains his issues with the Best Series Hugo.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Isle McElroy talks about writing sex scenes. 
• Jim Milliot reports that according to a survey of the Authors Guild, most writers make writing income below the poverty line. 
• Lucy Knight reports that Ian McEwan has spoken out against sensitivity readers.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that a surviving fragment of the first draft manuscript of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, which was torn up by the writer's dog Toby in 1936, has been put up for auction.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

• Timothy B. Lee and Sean Trott explain Large Language Models with a minimum of math and jargon
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about AI and copyright.
  

 

Interviews:

• John Mauro interviews Anna Smith Spark.
  
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog interviews Wole Talabi.
• Fabienne Schwizer interviews Jacqueline Carey. 
• Paul Weimer interviews Thea Guanzon.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Phil Sloman. 
  
• Ella Creamer interviews Anne Heltzel
• David J. Schow interviews Robert Bloch (in 1991).
  

 

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews Devil’s Gun by Cat Rambo 
• Russell Letson reviews Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
• Randy Money reviews Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Second Chance For Yesterday by R. A. Sinn
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Exadelic by Jon Evans
  
• Mark Yon reviews Creation Node by Stephen Baxter.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi. 
• Marlene Harris reviews Bad Blood by Lauren Dane 
• Leslye Penelope reviews The Faithless by C.L. Clark
• Runalong the Shelves reviews An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo 
  
• John Mauro reviews The Shadow Gate by L.L. MacRae
• Alexandra Pierce reviews After the Forest by Kell Woods 
• Clara Cohen reviews Age of Ash and Blade of Dreams by Daniel Abraham. 
• Tanjil Rashid reviews The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated by Martin Aitken
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Will of the Many by James Islington 
  
• Lis Carey reviews What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
• Warner Holme reviews A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Lone Women by Victor LaValle
  
• Grab This Book reviews Girls of Little Hope by Sam Beckbessinger and Dale Halvorsen   
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews They Shut Me Up by Tracy Fahey 
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Schrader’s Chord by Scott Leeds
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Despatches by Lee Murray
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews The Quiet Room by Terry Miles 
  
• Alex Wallace reviews 8:59:29 by Polly Schattel
  
• Alex Brown reviews Magic Has No Borders, edited by Sona Charaipotra and Samira Ahmed
  
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins
• Anthony Cummins reviews Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare
  
• Bill Capossere reviews MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards
• Rob Bedford reviews 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann.
  
  

Classics reviews:

• Davide Mana revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Scarlet Citadel" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Davide Mana revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Tower of the Elephant" by Robert E. Howard.  
• The Cromcast revisits the 1935 Conan sword and sorcery story "Jewels of Gwalhur" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1952 YA science fiction novel The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1963 anthology 8th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F, edited by Judith Merril.  
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1968 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the November 1968 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 post-apocalyptic novel Summer Rising by Sheila Sullivan 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1979 fantasy novel The Merman's Children by Poul Anderson.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1981 To the Stars science fiction novel Wheelworld by Harry Harrison.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1981 To the Stars science fiction novel Starworld by Harry Harrison.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1982 Red Sonja sword and sorcery novel Endithor's Daughter by David C. Smith and Richard Tierney.
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novel The Best Friend and its 1997 sequel The Best Friend 2 by R.L. Stine
  
• James Tivendale revisits the 2001 Malazan fantasy novel Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Creative Beast Studios is looking for funding for their Cyberzoic line of science fictional dinosaurs and dragons and their riders.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Germain Lussier ranks all the movies shown at the 2023 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. 
• Ed Nawotka reports about the 2023 Brooklyn Book Festival in Brooklyn, New York.  
• Susan De Vries also reports about the 2023 Brooklyn Book Festival
  
• Arifa Akbar shares her thoughts on Ravi Jain's stage adaptation of the Mahabharata, which is currently playing in London, UK.  
• Arifa Akbar shares her thoughts on the haunted house play These Demons by Rachel Bellman, which is currently playing in London, UK. 
  
• James Bacon reports about a fandom paraphernalia exhibition at the Arteka Library in Krakow, Poland. 
• Dan Greenfield reports about the opening of the Batman Museum in Logansport, Indiana
  
• Olivia Snaije reports that the French publisher L’École des Loisirs has opened an interactive "House of Stories" for children in Paris, France. 
• The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions announces that they have withdrawn the decision to hold the 2024 World Library and Information Congress in Dubai, UAE.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Eric Lagatta reports about Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May's part in NASA's Osiris Rex mission.
• Passant Rabie reports that the Osirix-Rex spaceprobe has brought back a lot more material from the asteroid Bennu than expected.
  
• Robin George Andrews reports that Saturn's rings may be a more recent phenomenon than believed.
• Debra Kamin reports that 3D printing may make Moon and Mars colonies possible within our lifetimes.
• Cory Doctorow discusses how Google laid down in memos how it defrauded both users and advertisers.
  
• Upworthy reports that a 3700 year old Babylonion tablet has turned out to be the world's first trigonometry table.
• Rowdy Geirsson shares five non-fiction books about Vikings.
  

 

Gaming: 

• C.T. Phipps reviews the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion "Phantom Liberty". 
• Aidan Moher explains how the Final Fantasy VII remake weaponises nostalgia. 
• Ty Schalter explains what his kids taught him about retro video games.
• Linda Codega reports that Dungeons & Dragons will no longer be distributed by Penguin Random House. 
  
• Linda Codega reports that the workers at Hex & Co, a chain of gaming bars in New York City, are unionizing.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Robert Tilendis reviews the Folkmanis Little Hedgehog puppet. 
• For Eternia reviews the Masters of the Universe Masterverse Sorceress Teela.
• For Eternia reviews the Masters of the Universe Masterverse Skeletek.
• For Eternia reviews the Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Man-at-Arms.  
  
• Toy Habits reviews the Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Man-at-Arms.  
• Toy Habits reviews the Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Trap Jaw.  
  
• Pixel Dan shares a reveal of the spring 2024 Masters of the Universe Origins and Masterverse line-up.
  
• Pixel Dan shares a look at new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem figures on dsplay at New York Toy Fair in New York City.
  
• James Whitbrook shares an overview of new Lego sets coming out in October.
• Sabina Graves shares horror film themed collectibles coming out in October.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Tyrant’s Heir’s Tale" by Carrie Vaughn in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Light of Setting Suns" by Samuel Chapman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Travelling Fayre of Señor Monteluz comes to the Occidental Archipelago" by J.M. Cyrus in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Jack O’Dander" by Priya Sharma in Tor.com.
  
• "The Destroyer of Small Things" by Tim Waggoner in The Dark.
• "With Such Stars to Guide Us" by Rick Hollon in Prismatica.
  
• "Halfway Between Albany and West Point" by John Chu in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Where the God-Knives Tread. Part 1" by A.L. Goldfuss in Lightspeed.
  
• "Four Self-Care Secrets for a Long and Happy Life" by Tina S. Zhu in Lightspeed. 
  
• "Possibly Just About A Couch" by Suzanne Palmer in Clarkesworld.
• "The Blaumilch" by Lavie Tidhar in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Forest-sister" by Avril Mulligan in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Memories of the Old Sun" by Eugen Bacon in Apex Magazine.
• "Negative Theology of the Child from ‘The King of Tars’" by Sonia Sulaiman in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "The Sound of Children Screaming" by Rachael K. Jones in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Coffin Maker" by AnaMaria Curtis in Uncanny Magazine
• "Little Assistance" by Stephen Harrison in Slate: Future Tense.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Scavengers Reign.
  
• Watch a trailer for the new Toxic Avenger.
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Spy x Family. 
• Watch a trailer for Leave the World Behind. 
• Watch a trailer for Thanksgiving.
  
• Watch a trailer for Deep Sky. 
• Watch a trailer for LEGO Jurassic Park: The Unofficial Retelling