Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 12, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Wars in general, Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, X-Men '97, Fallout, Invincible, Civil War, The People's Joker, Chucky, The Regime, Shogun, The First Omen, Twin Peak, The Matrix at 35, an uproar about Angry Robot planning to use AI to scan submissions. ttributes to Lynne Reid Banks and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Liberty Hardy shares ten new SFF books coming out in April. 
• Namir Khaliq hosts a roundtable of science fiction authors discussing whether science fiction shapes the future.
  
• Simon McNeil declares science fiction dead yet again. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction novels inspired by disproven scientific theories
  
• Reactor lists ten solar eclipses in science fiction and fantasy 
• Holly Kybett Smith shares twelve cosmic poems.
  
• Stacy Stokes shares five YA crime novels with supernatural elements. 
  
• Alex Faccibene shares five SFF books with great autism representation. 
• James Davis Nicoll lists five science fiction stories about involuntary organ donation
  
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for March 2024. 
• Molly Templeton asks if a book can really be for everyone.
  
• Lindy Ryan talks about setting her vampire novel in a small Texas town.
  
• Logan Dreher talks about Octavia Butler, Audre Lorde and the power of pleasure
  
• Sam Woodward profiles H.P. Lovecraft.
  
• Gershon Hepner profiles Avram Davidson. 
• Klaus N. Frick remembers the German science fiction author William Voltz on the fortieth anniversary of his death.
  
• Brittany Allen remembers Maryse Condé.

Tributes to Lynne Reid Banks:

• Lynne Reid Banks, author of  The Indian in the Cupboard and many others, has died aged 94.
• Janet Watts shares an obituary for Lynne Reid Banks. 
• Michael Morpurgo remembers Lynne Reid Banks.
  

Comics and Art:

• Brad Hawley reviews The Magic Order Volume 3 by Mark Millar and Gigi Cavenago
  
• Jukka Issakainen shares a cover gallery of the 2002-2004 Masters of the Universe comic run. 
• Locus interviews SFF artist Sara Felix.  
• Thom Truelove talks about the orientalist depictions of Madripoor in various Marvel comics and TV shows and how the city never really feels like Indonesia, where it's supposed to be located.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon entitled "The Novelist's Latest Draft".
• Cartoonist and Wonder Woman artist Trina Robbins has died aged 85.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Alex Brown declares that Monkey Man seems like a straight revenge film, but is so much more.
  
• Haley Zapal calls Late Night With the Devil an inventive take on found-footage horror with incredible '70s period detail 
• Sigal Samuel declares that 3 Body Problem’s most mind-bending question isn’t about aliens, but about how humanity reacts to them.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz declares that Sasquatch Sunset has more in common with a nature documentary than a narrative film
  
• Rebecca Nicholson calls Baby Reindeer a brilliantly eerie, borderline horror film. 
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Beacon 23.
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Constellation.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls The Beast a stylish and sprawling reincarnation romance
• Justin Carter shares early reactions to Abigail.
  
• Anne Billson talks about the current wave of Satanic possession horror movies and what this says about the anxieties of our current age. 
• Matt Schimkovitz lists seven SFF movies with messy copyright situations.  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians
  
• Natasha Tripney revisits the 1974 humorous science fiction film Dark Star. 
• Paul Morton revisits the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series and praises how it handles Batman's rogues gallery.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode "Soul Hunter". 
• Michelle Jaworski shares her appreciation for the knitted sweater worn by the titulac character in the 2009 stopmotion fantasy film Coraline.
  
• Ryan Britt discusses how Doctor Who made an episode about The Beatles without being able to play any Beatles songs due to copyright law.
  
• Sabina Graves takes a look at the many iterations of Beetlejuice in movies, cartoons, theme park attractions and more. 
• Seth Abramovitch reports about the many problems Francis Ford Coppola's science fiction film Megalopolis has finding a distributor.
  
• Katie Kilkenny reports that the DreamWorks animation production workers have voted to join the Animation and Editors Guilds
• Caroline Reid attempts to explain why Disney is making huge losses with Disney Plus.
  
• Nellie Andreeva reports that the new Quantum Leap has been cancelled after two seasons. 
• Edward Helmore reports that actor Alec Baldwin behaved erratically on the set of Rust before accidentally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. 
• Actor, American football player and suspected double murderer O.J. Simpson has died aged 76.
  

 

Comments on X-Men '97: 

• Kalya Shunyata declares that X-Men ‘97 finally gives Marvel’s best superhero team the respect they deserve
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Remember It", the latest episode of X-Men '97. 
• James Whitbrook shares the history of the island nation Genosha in the X-Men comics.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Jinaal", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery. 
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Jinaal". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Jinaal".
  
• Charlie Jane Anders explains why Star Trek: Discovery is her favorite 21st century Star Trek
  
• James Whitbrook declares that Star Trek: Discovery is opening Star Trek's biggest Pandora's Box  
• Avery Kaplan discussesthe links between season 5 of Star Trek Discovery and an abandoned storyline from The Next Generation.
  
• Liz Barr talks about Star Trek and the diversity paradox.
• io9 interviews Sonequa Martin Green who plays Michael Burnham in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Jamie Jirak interviews Sonequa Martin Green.
  
• Jamie Jirak interviews Doug Jones who plays Saru in Star Trek Discovery.
  
• Dan Pimental interviews Michael Dorn who played Lieutenant Commander Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. 
• Avery Kaplan shares her appreciation for the character of Sylvia Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general:

• Ben Travis interviews Leslye Headland, creator and showrunner of The Acolyte.
• Ben Travis interviews Daisy Ridley who played Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. 
• Gene Maddaus shares an update about Gina Carano's lawsuit against Disney for being fired from The Mandalorian for repeated problematic comments.
  

Comments on Fallout: 

• Lucy Mangan calls Fallout an absolute blast of a TV show
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the first and second episode of Fallout.
  
• Melody McCune shares episode by episode reviews of season 1 of Fallout.
  
• io9 interviews Michael Esper who plays Bud Askins in Fallout.
  

 

Comments on Invincible: 

• Kenneth Lowe declares that season 2 of Invincible heightens what made the comic special 
• Jordan Moreau interviews Robert Kirkman, creator of Invincible.
  

 

Comments on Civil War: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Civil War a delirious dive into a divided US society  
• Germain Lussier calls Civil War a powerful alternate reality war movie that's not what it seems
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Alex Garland, director of Civil War.
  

 

Comments on The People's Joker:

• William Earl interviews Vera Drew, director, writer and star of The People's Joker.
• Matt Schimkovitz interviews Vera Drew. 
  

Comments on Shogun:

• Meredith Hobbs Coons shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Shogun. 
• Saloni Gajjar explains how the mesmerising action sequences in Shogun were made.
  
• James Whitbrook finds an unexpected Star Wars reference in Shogun.
  

 

Comments on The Regime: 

• Joel Golby calls The Regime a bizarre political drama and praises the performance of Kare Winslet.
• Lucy Mangan calls The Regime a mess of a satire that wastes the talents of Kate Winslet. 
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of The Regime. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on season 1 of The Regime.
  

 

Comments on Chucky:

• Saloni Gajjar calls season 3 of Chucky a comedy horror masterpiece. 
• Cheryl Eddy calls Chucky the best horror comedy on TV.
  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Don Mancini, creator of Chucky.
  

 

Comments on The First Omen: 

• Matthew Jackson calls The First Omen a horror prequel done (mostly) right
• Drew Taylor interviews Arkasha Stevenson, director of The First Omen.
  

 

Comments on Twin Peaks:

• Brian Davids interviews Emily Alyn Lind who plays Melody in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.  
• Andreas Wiseman interviews David Lynch, director and creator of Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Dune, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and many others. 
  
• Todd Gilchrist interviews Mark Frost, co-creator of Twin Peaks. 
• Myles Burke interviews Mark Frost.

 

Comments on The Matrix at 25: 

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw revisits the 1999 cyberpunk thriller The Matrix for its twenty-fifth anniversary.
• Ben Child wonders whether we really need a fifth Matrix film.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2024 Pulp Factory Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Awards have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2024 Tolkien Society Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists of the 2023 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition have been announced. 
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Xingyun Awards for Chinese Science Fiction have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2024 Prix Jeunesse des Univers Parallèles have been announced.
  
• The nominees for the 2024  Canadian SF&F Association Hall of Fame have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2024 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival Awards have been announced.
  
• Chris M. Barkley shares his thoughts on the 2024 Hugo finalists.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Sarah Langan explains how she integrated her personal fears into her latest novel.
  
• Aidan Moher reports that publishers Angry Robot wanted to let AI evaluate submissions and then backtracked after massive protests. 
• Aidan Moher also interviews Angry Robot publisher Eleanor Teasdale about the controversial decision to use AI to evaluate submissions.
  
• Lorraine Wilson wonders if there is a book submissions arms race. 
• Lilith Saintcrow asks what the hell is wrong with traditional publishing.
  
• Victoria Strauss warns about a book licensing scam. 
• Ella Creamer reports that Meta discussed buying publisher Simon & Schuster to train its AI large language models.
  
• Maris Kreizman points out that people are always better at recommending books than algorithms. 
• The American Library Association lists the top ten most challenged books of 2023.
  
• Kelly Jensen reports that a bill in Louisiana would criminalize librarians and libraries who join the American Library Association 
• McKenna Jordan recounts how she came to run the mystery bookstore Murder By The Book in Houston, Texas,
  

 

Interviews:

• Canvas Rebel interviews Gareth L. Powell.
  
• Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien interview Nisi Shawl.
• Angie Fiedler Sutton interviews Chuck Tingle.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Sunny Moraine. 
• Monsters, Magic and Madness interviews Ramsey Campbell.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Oliver K. Langmead.
• Madeline James interviews Oliver Brackenbury. 
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Sersa Victory. 
• Luise Strothmann interviews Aiki Mira.
  

 

Reviews:

• Carrie Chi Lough reviews The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
  
• Adrian Collins reviews Scream in Blue by Jeremy Szal 
• Adrian Collins reviews Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 
• Russell Letson reviews The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
  
• Mary Picken reviews  The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews  The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
• Alex Faccibene reviews A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke.
• Ian Mond reviews Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi
  
• Lesa Holstien reviews Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan 
• Rebecca Fisher reviews Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden 
• Fantasy Faction reviews A Rival Most Vial by R. K. Ashwick
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Warden by Daniel M. Ford.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Snowglobe by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Grand Illusion by Syd Moore  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett  
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang.
  
• Adrian Collins reviews Bridge of Kings by Logan D. Irons 
• Jessie Greengrass reviews Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson 
  
• Ellen Peirson-Hagger reviews Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Returners by Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Higano. 
• Alex Brown reviews The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke 
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Morningside by Téa Obreht 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Rupert Wong and the Ends of the Earth by Cassandra Khaw 
• Robin Marx reviews The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Gathering by C.J. Tudor 
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter 
• John Mauro reviews Diavola by Jennifer Thorne 
  
• Gary K. Wolfe teviews Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie 
• Rowdy Geirsson reviews Nordic Visions, edited by Margrét Helgadóttir
  
• Arley Sorg reviews The White Guy Dies First, edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker
     
  

Classics reviews:

• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1862 speculative poem "Goblin Market" by Christina Rosetti.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1929 cosmic horror story “The Hounds of Tindalos” by Frank Belknap Long
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction novella “Profession” by Isaac Asimov 
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction story “The Education of Tigress Macardle” by C. M. Kornbluth
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction horror story “The Fly” by George Langelaan 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1959 post-apocalyptic story “Day at the Beach” by Carol Emshwiller  
• Sam Reader revisits the 1965 horror story "The Roaches" by Thomas M. Disch.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1968 science fiction mystery collection Asimov’s Mysteries by  Isaac Asimov. 
  
• David Levinson revisits the May 1969 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the May 1969 issue of Galaxy. 
• John Boston revisits the May 1969 issue of Amazing.
  
• Murray Ewing revisits the 1985 horror novel The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1995 science fiction novella “A Woman’s Liberation” by Ursula K. Le Guin
  
• Gabrielle Zevin revisits the 2004 speculative novel Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 2009 Discworld fantasy novel Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett.
   
  

Con and event reports:

• The 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, shares it Progress Report No. 4.
  
• Ian Hunter shares a guide to Glasgow, Scotland, for members of the 2024 Worldcon. 
• The winner of the 2024 European Fan Fund Race has been announced.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that the Edinburgh International Book Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, has announced a relaunch, following boycott threats because of a controversial sponsor.
• Germain Lussier shares his experience in a promotional attraction for Twisters displayed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that The Lord of the Rings musical will have its US premiere in Chicago, Illinois.
• Sabina Graves also reports about the impending US premiere of The Lord of the Rings musical in Chicago, Illinois.
  
• James Whitbrook recounts how the Star Tours ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, laid the foundation for Disney cooperating with and eventually buying Lucasfilm. 
• Germain Lussier reports about the latest updates to the Star Tours ride at various Disney Parks.
  
• Sabina Graves takes a look behind the scenes of the new water ride attraction Tiana's Bayou Adventure in Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 
• Cassidy Wixom reports that the Evermore fantasy theme park in Pleasant Grove, Utah, is shutting down.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Christopher Cokinos explores the possibilities and pitfalls of lunar settlement 
• Jamie Grierson explains what will happen when our sun becomes a white dwarf. 
• Katherine Kornei reports that climate change is complicating the hunt for meteorites in Antarctica.
  
• Amy Hawkins reports that grieving families in China are turning to AI to resurrect dead loved ones. 
  
• CBS News reports that the recipient of world's first pig kidney transplant has been discharged from a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
• James Robinson reports about the company Colossal Biosciences which is attempting to "de-extinct" the mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger, using genetic engineering  
• Physicist and Nobel Prize winner Peter Higgs who theorised the existence of the Higgs boson particle, has died aged 94.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Camestros Felapton reviews the video game Chants of Sennaar
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews the video game Vampire: The Masquerade Blood Hunt
• Paul Weimer interviews RPG designer Alan Bahr. 
• Daisuke Wakabayashi and Claire Fu report that Blizzard Entertainment and the Chinese Internet company NetEase have come to an agreement, making the MMORPG World of Warcraft available in China again. 
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• James Whitbrook shares a look at a Dungeons & Dragons themed LEGO set.
  
• Pixel Dan takes a look at which vintage Masters of the Universe figures still have to appear in the Origins line.
• Pixel Dan also shares Mattel's replies to his questions regarding the upcoming Masters of the Universe figures for fall.
  
• Sabina Graves shares some Star Wars collectibles designed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace. 
• Dad-at-Arms interviews Emiliano Santalucia, who designed the Mondo Masters of the Universe Teela figure and the Legends of Dragonore figures from Forma Toys.
  
• Ethan Wilson shares his side of his copyright battle with toy industry consultant and YouTuber Scott Neitlich.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "An Intergalactic Smuggler's Guide to Homecoming" by Tia Tashiro in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Indomitable Captain Holli" by Rich Larson in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Best-Ever Cosplay of Whistle and Midnight" by Annalee Newitz in Uncanny Magazine
• "Under a Star, Bright as Morning" by David Anaxagoras in Lightspeed.  
• "How to Know Your Father Is a God" by Modupeoluwa Shelle in Lightspeed.
  
• "Blackjack" by Veronica Schanoes in Reactor.
  
• "Greys and Smokes and Silvers and Steels" by Sean Jones in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Symphony of the World’s Roots" by Damián Neri in The Deadlands.
  
• "Water Like Broken Glass" by Carina Bissett in The Dark.
• "The Ferns and the Fiddleheads" by Leah Ning in Apex Magazine.
  
• "I Am Not the One Who Gets Left Behind" by Eric Smith in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "You Will Be You Again" by Angela Liu in Interzone Digital.
  
• "The Grandmother Hypothesis" by J.S. Richardson in GigaNotoSaurus.
• "There are three children jumping over a can outside a bodega" by Mark Galarrita in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Tiny Shark" by Anna Koltes in Wyldblood.
  
• "Have You Eaten? Part 4: Harper’s Homecoming" by Sarah Gailey in Reactor.
  
• "Realms of Glomora: A Murderer's Coin" by David B. Corder. 
• "Man with a Hobby" by Robert Bloch​
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Borderlands.
  
• Watch a trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux
• Watch a trailer for Civil War.
  
• Watch a trailer for Under Paris. 
• Watch a trailer for Dark Matter.
  
• Watch a trailer for MaXXXine.
• Watch a trailer for Speak No Evil.
  
• Watch a trailer for Fly Me To The Moon.