Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 5, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the 2024 Hugo finalists, Star Wars in general, Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, X-Men '97, 3 Body Problem, Monkey Man, Doctor Who part, present and future, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Civil War, The People's Joker, Renegade Nell, The Regime, Shogun, The First Omen, Godzille x Kong: The New Empire, the fight for control of Disney's board of directors, tributes to Vernor Vinge, Maryse Condé, Barbara Rush, Louis Gossett Jr. Chance Perdomo, Ed Piskor and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy lists 45 new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in April.
• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books coming out in April.
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books coming out in April. 
• Reactor shares all the romantasy, horror and SFF crossover books coming out in April. 
  
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books coming out in April. 
  
• Fabienne Schwizer shares her favourite grimdark novels with incongruously pink and pastel covers. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books about idealistic pursuits that failed 
• Desiree S. Evans talks about the past, present and future of black horror fiction 
• Ella Creamer reports that sales of horror fiction are booming, likely due to real world anxieties.
  
• Cadwell Turnbull explains why Locus Magazine is important for the SFF community.
  
• A.O. Scott talks about book titles that refer to other book titles.
• R.L. Thornton shares the actual folk songs referred to in the John the Balladeer stories by Manly Wade Wellman. 
• Charles Gramlich shares his appreciation for the works of Andre Norton. 
• Adventures Fantastic remembers H. Beam Piper. 
• Dirk Knudsen profiles podcaster and Hugo finalist Seth Heasley. 
• Bobby Derie republishes "The Green Book" by Duane W. Rimel, an obscure 1936 Lovecraftian story only found in a fanzine.
  
• Bridget McGovern shares 24 bunnies and bunny-like creatures in SFF. 
• Mailing No. 8 of TRIAPA is available.
  
• Deuce Richardson shares an update on the health of Robert E. Howard scholar Rusty Burke. 
• Guadeloupean writer Maryse Condé has died aged 90. 
• Leila Slimani remembers Maryse Condé.
  
• Fantasy author and editor Kirk Dougal has died aged 57. 
• Locus reports that sword and sorcery author Sharon Green died two years ago aged 79. 
  

Tributes to Vernor Vinge:

• Richard Sandemir shares an obituary for Vernor Vinge.
• Adventures Fantastic remembers Vernor Vinge.
  

Comics and Art:

• Jennifer Lyn Parsons interviews fantasy artist Hannah Elizabeth,
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the Easter Bunny’s other life as a poet 
• Comic artist Ed Piskor committed suicide aged 41 following allegations of sexual misconduct. 
• María Porcel reports about the suicide of Ed Piskor and the lead-up to it.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Manuel Betancourt declares that season 2 of Beacon 23 still fails to live up to its lofty ambitions and ideas 
• Drew Gillis declares that Madame Web is not the kind of bad you think it is
  
• Olivia Rutigliano shares her thoughts on The Beekeeper, Argylle, Late Night With the Devil and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls We 12 a delightfully goofy Hong Kong action caper
• Adrian Collins calls La Revolution is a dark, gritty fantasy horror period piece that is quite fun to watch 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the season 3 finale of Resident Alien
  
• Dan Persons shares his thoughts on The Curse. 
• William Hughes lists five allegedly unadaptable science fction novels he wishes someone would adapt. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five unlikely interspecies friendships from animated SFF.
  
• Kali Wallace reviews the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still.
  
• Kris Vyas-Myall reviews series 3 of Out of the Unknown, which aired in 1969. 
  
• Tim Molloy shares a look behind the scenes of the 1987 science fiction parody Spaceballs!
• Ben Gilbert shares a look behind the scene of the 1987 vampire movie The Lost Boys.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1987 children's fantasy film Cry Wilderness and the 2009 children's fantasy film Bigfoot.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode "Midnight on the Firing Line" 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2014 superhero movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  
• Stuart Heritage interviews Walter Goggins, star of Fallout and The White Lotus. 
• Stuart Heritage reports that Hannah Waddingham who played Septa Unella in Game of Thrones was basically waterboarded for hours for a 90 second scene and suffered claustrophobia as a result.
  
• Ben Child wonders where Marvel will take Tom Holland for his fourth Spider-Man film.
• James Whitbrook shares his appreciation for a good joke in the animated superhero show Invincible. 
• Mike Rogoway reports that Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon, is planning to offer a degree in animation financially supported by the stop motion studio Laika.
  
• Rachel Dickinson reports about Thistle Hill Weavers in Cherry Valley, New York, a small textile mill specialising in historically accurate fabrics for movies and TV shows. 
• Justin Carter reports that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has been delayed indefinitely. 
• Germain Lussier reports that Courtney Cox will return as Gale Weathers in the beleaguered Scream 7. 
• Tom Ambrose reports about the decline of the British soap opera Coronation Street.
  
• Visual effects artist Tim McGovern, who won an Oscar for Total Recall, has died aged 68. 

 

Comments on X-Men '97: 

• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “Motendo/Lifedeath, Part 1”, the latest episode of X-Men '97.
  
• Calum Marsh reports about the firing of the X-Men '97 showrunner.
• Cheryl Eddy takes a look at how X-Men '97 references the 1992 X-Men arcade game.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons”, the two-part season 4 premiere of Star Trek Discovery. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons”
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons”
  
• Vanessa Armstrong discusses an unlikely Next Generation reference in the season 4 premiere of Star Trek: Discovery.
  
• James Whitbook shares everything to remember before season 5 of Star Trek Discovery. 
• Avery Kaplan celebrates Star Trek's First Contact Day. 
• Avery Kaplan lists five first contact episodes of the various Star Trek shows.
  
• Cheryl Eddy reports that the third season of the cancelled Star Trek: Prodigy, which was never released in the US, is now streaming in France.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general:

• Emily Dugan interviews John Boyega, best known for playing Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, about his childhood friendship with Damilola Taylor who was killed in 2000, aged only 10. 
• io9 interviews Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian and the titular character in Parish.  
• Watch a trailer for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.

 

Comments on 3 Body Problem:

• Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on season 1 of 3 Body Problem.
  
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on "Only Advance", the penultimate episode of 3 Body Problem.
• Zing Tsjeng wonders what's next for 3 Body Problem. 
• Chris Vogner interviews David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo, showrunners of 3 Body Problem. 
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Rosalind Chao who plays Ye Wenjie in 3 Body Problem.
  
• Zosha Millman interviews the cast of 3 Body Problem.
  
• David Pierson reports about the murder of Lin Qi, the Chinese billionaire who held the TV rights to 3 Body Problem, by Xu Yao, a former executive in his company.
  

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• James Whitbrook recounts how both Doctor Who and Madame Web used "Toxic" by Britney Spears. 
  
• Watch a trailer for the new series of Doctor Who.
  

 

Comments on Renegade Nell: 

• Lucy Mangan calls Renegade Nell beyond brilliant and praises the performance of Louisa Harland. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on series 1 of Renegade Nell.
  
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on Renegade Nell. 
• Diana Keng also shares episode by episode reviews of Renegade Nell.

 

Comments on Monkey Man:

• Germain Lussier calls Monkey Man an unforgettable, can't-miss action movie marvel
• Peter Bradshaw calls Monkey Man an ultraviolent Mumbai revenge flick 
• Matthew Jackson calls Monkey Man an unfairly good directorial debut
  

 

Comments on Civil War: 

• Ellen E. Jones interviews Alex Garland, director of Civil War.
• Charlotte Gallagher interviews Kirsten Dunst, one of the stars of Civil War. 
  
• Germain Lussier shares a map of the United States as it is divided in Civil War.
  

 

Comments on The People's Joker:

• Leigh Monson calls The People’s Joker a transgender comic-book parody that highlights the value of outsider art
• Matt Schimkovitz interviews Vera Drew, writer, director and star of The People's Joker.
  
• Eric Grode reports about the copyright battle surrounding The People's Joker. 
  

Comments on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire:

• Matt Goldberg notes that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is very different from Godwilla Minus One, but that the world is big enough for two Godzillas
  
• io9 interviews Rebecca Hall, one of the stars of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
  

 

Comments on The Regime: 

• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Regime. 
• Hattie Lindert declares that The Regime isn’t perfect, but its score just might be.
  

 

Comments on Shogun:

• Meredith Hobbs Coons shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Shogun. 
  
• Saloni Gajjar points out that the female characters are stealing the show in Shogun.
  

 

Comments on The First Omen: 

• Benjamin Lee calls The First Omen a stylish horror prequel damned by its franchise
  
• Germain Lussier declares that The First Omen finds a gruesome way to make a prequel surprising
  

 

Comments on The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live:

• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
  
• Saloni Gajjar declares that The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live gave Rick and Michonne and their children a happy ending, but wonders whether that's enough for good television. 
• Noetta Harjo shares her appreciation for the character of Michonne in The Walking Dead.
  
• Watch a clip from The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon The Book of Carol
  

 

Comments on the struggle inside the Disney board of directors: 

• Edward Helmore reports about the struggle for control of Disney's board of directors. 
• Callum Jones reports that Bob Iger has won the struggle for control of the Disney board of director against Nelson Peltz.
  

 

Tributes to Louis Gossett Jr: 

• Actor Louis Gossett Jr, who appeared in Enemy Mine, An Officer and a Gentleman, Roots, The Punisher, The Powers of Matthew Starr, Toy Soldiers, The Deep, Watchmen, the Iron Eagle movies, Firewalker and many others, has died aged 87.
  
• Maya Yang shares an obituary for Louis Gossett Jr. 
• Michael Carlson shares an obituary for Louis Gossett Jr.
  
• Andrew Lawrence shares a tribute to Louis Gossett Jr. 
• Will Haywood, writer and cousin of Louis Gossett Jr, remembers him. 
• J. Kingston Pierce remembers Louis Gossett Jr.
  
• The Guardian shares photos of Louis Gossett Jr.'s lengthy career.

 

Tributes to Barbara Rush: 

• Actress Barbara Rush, best known for her appearances in When Worlds Collide, It Came From Outer Space, Batman, Peyton Place, Flamingo Road and many others, has died aged 97.  
• Anita Gates remembers Barbara Rush. 
• Ronald Bergan shares an obituary for Barbara Rush.
  

 

Tributes to Chance Perdomo:

• Actor Chance Perdomo, who appeared in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Gen V, has died aged only 27 following a motorcycle accident.
• Justin Carter remembers Chance Perdomo.
• Jeremy Dick shares tributes to Chance Perdomo from various co-stars.
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2024 Hugo Awards have been announced.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2024 Hugo finalists. 
• Jason Sanford shares his thoughts on the 2024 Hugo finalists.
  
• The winners of the 2023 BSFA Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2024 Philip K. Dick Award has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Kurd Laßwitz Award have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Chesley Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2024 Doc Weir Award has been announced.
  
• The 2024 inductees into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame have been announced. 
• Ronald D. Moore will receive the Outstanding Television Writer Award at the 2024 Austin Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
  
• File 770 reports that the SciFidea Dyson Sphere story contest has announced its winners, but is not paying out the promised cash prizes.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Ryan Chapman shares one hundred tips that may (or may not) improve your next novel
  
• Ash Clifton shares tips for writing a great setting.
• Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki wonders whether a writer's identity matters to the editor.
• James Beamon talks about editorial humor. 
• Kester Brewin explains why he added an AI transparency statement to his latest book and why other authors should do the same. 
  
• Adam Morgan talks about the collapse of Small Press Distribution and the consequences for small presses.
  

 

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Ann Leckie.
• Arley Sorg interviews Sofia Samatar.
• Locus interviews Nalo Hopkinson.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Alma Alexander
• Steve Appleford interviews  J. Michael Straczynski about his friendship with Harlan Ellison.
• Sarah Moorhead interviews Stuart Turton.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Robert Mammone.
  

 

Reviews:

• Colleen Mondor reviews Calamity by Constance Fay
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Calypso by Oliver K Langmead
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed
  
• Mary Picken reviews  The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
• Adrian Collins reviews The Fireborn Blade by Charlotte Bond 
• Mark Yon reviews Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Asher. 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
• James Tivendale reviews Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Last Pantheon by Tade Thompson and Nick Wood 
• John Mauro reviews The Fall of the Giants by Gregory Kontaxis
  
• Rob Bedford reviews Dragon Mage by M.L. Spencer. 
• Alex Wallace reviews Austral by Paul McAuley  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow  
• Patrick McGuiness reviews The Morningside by Téa Obreht 
  
• Adrian Collins reviews The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Sorrowmouth by Simon Avery
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Wrong Girl & Other Warnings by Angela Slatter 
• Greg Hersom reviews Neither Beg Nor Yield: Stories With S&S Attitude, edited by Jason M. Waltz 
  
• Paul Weimer reviewe The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume Three: This Mortal Mountain by Roger Zelazny.
    
  

 Classics reviews:

• M. Porcius revisits the 1938 Elak of Atlantis sword and sorcery novella "Thunder in the Dawn" by Henry Kuttner 
  
• Joachim Boaz and Rachel Cordasco revisit the 1950 science fiction story "The Flood" by Kobo Abe, translated by Lane Dunlop. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1951 SFF collection The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1957 meta science fiction story “MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie” by C. M. Kornbluth
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction story “The Language of Love” by Robert Sheckley.
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction story “Let’s Be Frank” by Brian W. Aldiss.
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 fantasy story “You Know Willie” by Theodore R. Cogswell.
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction story “The Cage” by A. Bertram Chandler.
• Brian Collins revisits the 1958 fantasy story "The Omen" by Shirley Jackson. 
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 science fiction novel The Hautned Stars by Edmond Hamilton.
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits two 1969 issues of Famous Science Fiction. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the April 1969 issue of Analog.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1973 Deryni historical fantasy novel High Deryni by Katherine Kurtz 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1980 science fiction collection Clash by Night and Other Stories by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1988 fantasy novel The Crystal Palace by Phyllis Eisenstein 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1997 YA horror anthology Tales of Terror and its 1998 sequel Tales of Terror 2 by Christopher Pike.
   
  

Con and event reports:

• Runalong the Shelves shares his experiences at Levitation, the 2024 Eastercon, in Telford, UK.  
• Mike Glyer reports that disgraced former Hugo administrator Dave McCarty attempted to buy a memebership to Levitation at the door in spite of having been informed beforehand that he was not welcome and had to be escorted off the premises by security. 
• Tea Krulos reports about the 2024 GaryCon in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. 
• Sarah Gulde has won the 2024 Transatlantic Fan Fund race.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that the literary festival Aye Write and its children-focussed sister festival Wee Write in Glasgow, Scotland, had to be cancelled due to lack of funding.  
• Runalong the Shelves reports about the play 2:22: A Ghost Story by Danny Robbins, which is currently playing in Liverpool, UK.
  
• Sabina Graves shares her favourite trackless theme park rides.
• Caroline Reid and Christian Sylt report that Disneyland Paris continues to remain profitable for Disney.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• An Entertainment In Londinium: A Girl Genius Graphic Novel by Phil and Kaja Foglio is looking for funding.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Mike Wall reports that Artemis III astronauts will carry plants to the Moon in 2026
• Space Lab shares more details about LEAF, the plant science experiment for NASA’s Artemis III lunar mission. 
  
• Will Sullivan shares a new image of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. 
• Stephen Clark reports that trash from the International Space Station may have hit a house in Florida
  
• Howard Fischer reports that Pluto is now Arizona's official state planet. 
• Cora Buhlert shares photos of a planetary walk in Hude, Germany.
  
• Kirk Johnson remembers astronomer Henrietta Leavitt.
  

 

Gaming: 

• C.T. Phipps reviews the RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse
• James Davis Nicoll reviews the RPG The Comae Engine
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Concrete Genie by Pixelopus  
• nerds of a feather discusses whether vudeo game remakes/remasters are loving restorations of beloved classics or lazy cash-ins? 
  
• Harvey Randall reports about the harassment directed at the video game consulting company Sweet Baby Inc. by a would-be Gamergate 2.0 movement.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Camille Alexa reviews the Folkmanis unicorn stage puppet
• Pixel Dan shares a closer look at the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Remastered action figures from Playmate Toys.
  
• James Whitbrook shares Hasbro's new Star Wars, Marvel Legends and Transformers reveals.
• Scott Neitlich remembers how the Masters of the Universe Classics Saurod action figure came to be. 
  
• James Whitbrook takes a look at the evolution of Lego's space subline in the past fifty years.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A Magical Correspondence, to the Tune of Heartstrings" by Valerie Valdes in Uncanny Magazine
  
• "I Will Give You a Crown of Gems to Wear" by Gustavo Bondoni in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Sphynx’s Blind Date" by Katherine Quevedo in Wyldblood.
• "The Coffee of Torcat" by Devin Miller in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Speech That God Understands" by Jonathan Edelstein in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Lark Ascending" by Eleanna Castroianni in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Chị Tấm is Tired of Being Dead" by Natasha King in Apex Magazine.
• "a testament to indirection, an enigma, the sun above" by Mitchell Shanklin in Lightspeed. 
• "A Pedra" by Endria Isa Richardson in Lightspeed
  
• "Auspicium" by Diana Dima in The Deadlands.
• "Vivisepulture" by James Bennett in The Dark.
  
• "My Containment" by Shannon Scott by Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "The Plasticity of Being" by Renan Bernardo in Reactor.
  
• "Have You Eaten? Part 1: Daneka’s Birthday" by Sarah Gailey in Reactor.
• "Have You Eaten? Part 2: Dinner with Peter" by Sarah Gailey in Reactor.
• "Have You Eaten? Part 3: Morrow’s Comfort" by Sarah Gailey in Reactor.
  
• "The Last Vampire" by Kristine Grayson. 
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Daed Boy Detectives.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Interview With the Vampire.
• Watch a trailer for Orphan Black: Echoes. 
• Watch a trailer for Boy Kills World.
• Watch a trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 
• Watch a trailer for Abigail.
  
• Watch a trailer for Cuckoo. 
• Watch a trailer for Bambi: The Reckoning