Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for October 25 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Masters of the Universe in general, Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, What We Do in the Shadows, Venom: The Last Dance, Hysteria!, The Penguin, Joker: Folie a Deux, The Franchise, Teacup, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, all the news from New York Comic Con and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll lists five formidable female characters from classic SFF. 
• Sarah Reese Brennan shares five SFF books featuring villainous team-ups.
  
• Leah Schnelbach shares spooky stories recommended by Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Creature and other classic monsters  
  
• C.J. Cooke shares her favourite witchy books. 
• Alena Bruzas shares her favourite literary horror novels. 
• Lorna Wallace shares seven spooky stories set on Halloween. 
  
• C.J. Leede talks about sexual repression and horror fiction.
• Jeff VanderMeer shares his six favourite books that delve into the unknown. 
• Lily Anderson shares her favourite haunted houses in fiction and reality. 
• Holly Kybett-Smith shares thirteen poems for Halloween.
  
• Elisa Shoenberg shares five SFF books about elections and technology. 
• Molly Templeton wishes for more genre mashups.
  
• Rachel Cordasco takes a look at Stanislaw Lem's work from the early 1960s. 
• Daily Kos shares their appreciation for the works of John M. Ford. 
• Bill Ryan shares his appreciation for the horror short fiction of Ramsey Campbell.
  
• Jackson Sawa shares some facts about Edgar Allan Poe. 
• Bobby Derie finds some connections between H.P. Lovecraft and the Shaver mysteries.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that a reader has stumbled upon a forgotten 1891 horror story by Bram Stoker in a library in Dublin, Ireland.
• ErsatzCulture reports that Yao Haijun, editor of the Chinese magazine Science Fiction World, two-time Hugo finalist and co-chair of the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, is under investigation in China for alleged "serious violations of discipline and law".
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #15 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about Batman keeping his priorities straight.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Arturo Serrano declares that The Wild Robot gives off a warm aura that soothes and uplifts the weary soul. 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Rumours responds to the absurdity of modern life with absurdity of its own 
• Phil Hoad calls Family Pack review a card-game-based time-travelling caper
  
• Fiona Denton calls The Radleys less horror and more dark comedy with some blood spatter. 
• James Whitbrook calls Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance a miserable show that has no idea what it wants to say.
  
• Jacob Oller calls Memoir Of A Snail a claymation weepie that crawls through a gauntlet of misery
  
• Cath Clarke calls Rebellious a convulted animated fairy tale full of outdated stereotypes that barely scrapes past the Bechdel test 
• Luke Buckmaster calls My Freaky Family an overly quirky and unforgivably mawkish animated film.
  
• Joel Golby calls Before a creepy drama that is perfect for Halloween. 
• Jesse Hassenger shares a spoilerish review of Smile 2.
  
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Terminator Zero.
  
• Louise Griffin interviews Peter Capaldi who played the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who.
• Germain Lussier interviews Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann, director and producer of The Wild Robot.
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Leigh Whannell, writer and director of Wolf Man. 
• Isaiah Colbert interviews Kamome Shirahama, creator of Witch Hat Atelier. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Brad Miska, excutive producer of Terrifier 3.
  
• Stuart Heritage praises Andrew Garfield's appearance on Sesame Street where he opens up about his late mother and his grief towards Elmo. 
• Tyler Dean shares his nine least favourite on-screen Draculas. 
• Marya E. Gates revisits the 1924 Soviet science fiction film Aelita: Queen of Mars
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1931 horror film Dracula.
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1958 horror film Dracula.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 horror thriller Circus of Horror and the 1967 horror thriller She-Freak. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 horror sexploitation film The Playgirls and the Vampire and the 1965 horror sexploitation film The Beach Girls and the Monster  
• Don Kaye revisits the 1964 Outer Limits episode “Demon with a Glass Hand”.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1965 horror movie Devils of Darkness and the 1973 horror movie Ganja & Hess
  
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1966 horror movie Kill, Baby, Kill.
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1969 science fiction film Moon Zero Two and the 1969 surreal anti-war comedy Oh, What a Lovely War! 
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1974 horror movie Dracula.
  
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1977 Japanese horror movie House.
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1978 dark fantasy movie Watership Down.
  
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1984 horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street.
• Dan Larson revisits the 1986 cartoon series Filmation Ghostbusters, not to be confused with The Real Ghostbusters.
  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1988 science fiction movie They Live. 
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Bablyon 5 episode "The Long Dark". 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1995 crime comedy To Die For and the 2001 ghost story movie The Others. 
• David Masciotra revisits the 1997 post-apocalyptic movie The Postman. 
• Joe Otterson reports that instead of a full third season, Good Omens will conclude with the 90 minute movie and that Neil Gaiman is not involved in the production,
  
• Christi Carras reports that the producers of Blade Runner 2049 are sueing Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery over the Tesla Cybercab launch
  
• Mary Kate Carr reports that the lawsuit by actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting about allegedly being forced to perform nude while underage in the 1968 movie Romeo and Juliet has been dismissed again. 
• Actor Ron Ely, star of Tarzan, Doc Savage, The Aquanauts and many others, has died aged 86.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general: 

• For Eternia shares a video about Kudu-Kesh, the conlang created for Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution.
  
• James Eatock shares how an obscure one-of She-Ra villain named Acrobad was actually based on a concept for a never-produced action figure from the Masters of the Universe line.
  

 

Comments on Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “Death’s Hand in Mine”, the latest episode of Agatha All Along. 
• Jen Lennon  shares her thoughts on “Death’s Hand in Mine”, the latest episode of Agatha All Along.  
• Gordon Jackson shares his thoughts on “Death’s Hand in Mine”, the latest episode of Agatha All Along.   
• Andi Ortiz interviews Joe Locke who plays Billy Maximoff in Agatha All Along.
• Ben Child tackles the nonsensical claim that Marvel movies killed off the movie star.
  

 

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

• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the first half of season 5 of Star Trek Lower Decks.
• Elijah Gonzalez shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Dos Cerritos" and "Shades of Green, the first two episode of season 5 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her favourite Star Trek: Lower Decks episodes featuring Beckett Mariner.
  
• Melody McCune shares all the reveals from the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con in New York City. 
  
• Watch a clip from season 5 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  
• Watch a clip from season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  

 

Comments on Teacup: 

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Teacup.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on episode 6 of Teacup.

 

Comments on What We Do in the Shadows: 

• Tara Bennett shares her thoughts on the season six premiere of What We Do In the Shadows.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season six premiere of What We Do In the Shadows.
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of season 6 of What We Do In the Shadows.
  
• Saloni Gajjar takes a look behind the scenes of season six of What We Do In the Shadows. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Kayvan Novak who plays Nandor in What We Do In the Shadows. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Harvey Guillén who plays Guillermo in What We Do In the Shadows.
  

 

Comments on Venom: The Last Dance: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Venom: The Last Dance a messy sequel that ends the series with a shrug
• Jesse Hassenger calls Venom: The Last Dance a hit or miss sequel. 
• Germain Lussier declares that Venom: The Last Dance doesn’t quite stick the landing 
  
• Jarrod Jones declares that Venom: The Last Dance is at odds with its acknowledgment of the void and a driven need to party 
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending of Venom: The Last Dance.
  

 

Comments on Hysteria!:  

• Saloni Gajjar declares that Hysteria! mines the Satanic panic for a devil of a good time 
• Cassie Holguin interviews Chiara Aurelia, Kesii Curtis and Emjay Anthony, three of the stars of Hysteria!  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Matthew Scott Kane, creator of Hysteria! 
  

 

Comments on Joker: Folie à Deux: 

• Erin Underwood declares that Joker: Folie à Deux could have been brilliant as a film, if it weren’t tied to Joker
  
• Readers of The Guardian share their thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux.
  

 

Comments on The Penguin: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Brent Lang explains why John Turturro who played Carmine Falcone in The Batman did not return for The Penguin.
  

 

Comments on The Franchise: 

• Lucy Mangan calls The Franchise a bit of a mess – largely due to the lack of great jokes. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise.  
• Marina Hyde, one of the masterminds behind The Franchise, promises that the series' view of superhero movies and how they are made is completely realistic.
• Tim Lowery declares that Richard E. Grant’s career comes full circle in The Franchise
  

 

Comments on The Remarkable Life of Ibelin: 

• Leslie Felperin calls The Remarkable Life of Ibelin a moving tale of a disabled gamer’s digital double life
• Jacob Oller calls The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin a documentary that will make you cry.
  
• Cath Clarke interviews the parents of Mats Steen, the subject of The Remarkable Life of Ibelin.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2024 World Fantasy Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been announced. 
  
• The winner of the 2023 Endeavour Award has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Tianwen Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Harvey Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival Awards have been announced.
  
• Lanre Bakare reports that the top prize at the London Film Festival has been won by the animated film Memoir of a Snail
  

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have uncovered a slew of AI written books with AI narrated audiobooks credited to authors who don't exist.
  
• Ella Creamer and Lucy Knight report that children's book authors are frustrated by the rise of children's books (ghost)written by celebrities.
  

 

Interviews:

• Alexandra Alter interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
  
• Chris Vognar interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
• Lincoln Michel interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
  
• Alex Clarke interviews Nick Harkaway. 
• Kevin Canfield interviews Nick Harkaway. 
  
• Hannah Grieco interviews Tara Campbell. 
• Adam McPhee interviews Graham Thomas Wilcox.
  
• Steven Heller interviews Arlen Schumer.
  

 

Reviews:

• Russell Letson The Mercy of God by James S.A. Corey 
  
• Kate Gardner reviews Orbital by Samantha Harvey 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Fangs So Bright and Deadly by Piper J. Drake
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage by Hiyodori 
• Alex Brown reviews The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Wishing Stone by Adam Holcombe 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Warlords of Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker
• Paul Weimer reviews  The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The First Scars by Ivor K. Hill 
• Alex Brown reviews Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim, translated by Anton Hur.
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The City in Glass by Nghi Vo 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Beyond The Burning Sea by T.B. Schmid and R. Wade Hodges
• Nedine Moonsamy reviews Dakini Atoll by Nikhil Singh
  
• Alex Preston reviews Gliff by Ali Smith 
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball  
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Sleepwalking by Daniel Barnett 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather   
• Rob Bedford reviews This Cursed House by Del Sandeen.
  
• Mark Yon reviews The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay 
• Arley Sorg reviews Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror, edited and translated by Xueting Christine Ni
  
• Camestros Felapton reviews Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Bobby Derie revisits the 1948 cosmic horror poem “The Eldritch One” by Pauline Booker
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison 
• David Levinson revisits the November 1969 of Venture Science Fiction. 
• Muse from the Orb revisits the 1971 science fiction story “Good News from the Vatican” by Robert Silverberg.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1974 horror story“The Same Dog” by Robert Aickman
• Brian Collins revisits the 1975 horror story “The Ghastly Priest Doth Reign” by Manly Wade Wellman
• Bogi Takács revisits the 1978 feminist science fiction novel Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre
  
• Sam Reader revisits the 1984 gothic horror story “Three Days” by Tanith Lee 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 horror novel Song of Kali by Dan Simmons 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1991 YA horror novels The Cheerleader and The Return of the Vampire and the 1993 YA horror novel The Vampire's Promise by Caroline B. Cooney.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Melody McCune shares a round-up of news from day one of New York Comic Con in New York City. 
• Melody McCune shares a round-up of news from day two of New York Comic Con in New York City.
• Emma Keates shares all the announcements from the Blumhouse panel at New York Comic Con in New York City.
• William Hughes shares everything James Gunn said at the DC Studios panel at New York Comic Con.
• Justin Carter reports about the DC Comics panel at New York Comic Con.
  
• Emma Keates shares some statements horror director Mike Flanagan made at a New York Comic Con panel. 
  
• James Whitbrook reports about the Lucasfilm publishing panel at New York Comic Con.
• Saloni Gajjar reports about The Walking Dead panel at New York Comic Con.
  
• Kyle Barr reports about the Red Dead Redemption II panel at New York Comic Con.
• George Gene Gustines reports about emergency repair services for cosplayers at New York Comic Con.
  
• Dean Moses shares cosplay photos from New York Comic Con.
• Laura Barton talks about the issues facing British literary festivals after sponsor Baillie-Gifford pulled out of several festivals, following protests by actvist groups.
  
• Jim Broadbent remember his experiences starrring in the science fiction play Illuminatus! by Ken Campbell in 1976.
  
• Locus reports that a museum dedicated to Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin has opened in Yangquan, China.

 

Science and technology:

• Alan Boyle reports that Blue Origin will donate the New Shepard booster and space capsule to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.
• Gideon Marcus remembers the Soyuz 6, 7 and 8 space missions in 1969.
  
• Pieter Arntz reports that several robotic vacuum cleaners in the US have been hacked to spy on and insult their owners.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the video game Thank Goodness You're Here
• Matt Cox reports how difficult it was to translate the very British and specifically very Northern game Thank Goodness You're Here in different languages. 
• Keza MacDonald asks if there is even any point in making more powerful games consoles.
  
• Jonathan Cowie wonders whether physical exercise or video games are better for your health., 
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Germain Lussier shares a look at the upcoming Hasbro HasLab crowdfunded Ghostbusters Ecto-1 vehicle
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the upcoming Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Skeleton Crew figures.
  
• For Eternia shares a look at the Mondo Masters of the Universe Buzz-Off figure revealed at New York Comic Con. 
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre toy photo story called “Puzzle Expanded” 
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Who Walks With You" by Premee Mohamed in Imagine 2200. 
• "Ingénue, Once" by Aimee Ogden in Trollbreath Magazine.
  
• "Numbers Matter" by Teel James Glenn in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Dragons of Paris" by Michael Swanwick in Reactor. 
• "The V*mpire" by P.H. Lee in Reactor. 
  
• "Midnight Patron" by Mike Robinson in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Face of God: A Documentary" by Damián Neri in Clarkesworld. 
• "Hot Hearts" by Lyndsie Manusos in Lightspeed. 
  
• "Perfect Water" by Simon Gilbert in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Bunting" by Neil Williamson in The Dark.
• "A Very Short History of the Discovery and Origin of Homo Sapiens Microplasticus in Three Parts" by Joshua Ginsberg in Apex Magazine.
  
• "I’m an Undecided Hobbit, Torn Between a Dark Lord Who Promises an Age of Chaos and an Elf Queen Whom I Just Wish I Knew More About" by Sam Woods in McSweeney's Internet Tendency.
• "SeniorSource" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 7 of Outlander. 
• Watch a trailer for Interior Chinatown.
  
• Watch a trailer for Nautilus.
• Watch a traialer forr Wolf Man. 
• Watch a trailer for Black Cab. 
• Watch a trailer for Creature Commandos.
  
• Watch a trailer for Batman versus Yakuza League. 
• Watch a clip from Lazarus. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Severance.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Stranger: Chapter 2. 
  
• Watch a teaser for The Walking Dead: Dead City.