Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 7, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek in general, The Fantastic Four: Firsat Steps and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, season 3 of Invincible, season 2 of Severance, Dog Man, Companion, Heart Eyes, The Monkey, the sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman, tributes to David Lynch and John Erwin and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in February 2025 
  
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in February 2025  
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy, horror and genre hybrid books arriving in February 2025    
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in February 2025 
  
• Alex Brown shares five underrated black speculative fiction books.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction works featuring space colonies 
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories about defiance and taking charge 
  
• Henry Farrell talks about dystopias, Philip K. Dick and the second Trump administration.
  
• Christopher Lockett talks about the occasional banality of the Weird.
  
• John Grayshaw profiles Leigh Brackett and Edmond Hamilton.
  

 

Best of 2024:

• Locus share their 2024 recommended reading list.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe shares his favourite SFF works of 2024. 
• Archita Mittra shares her favourite SFF works of 2024.  
• Ian Mond shares his favourite SFF works of 2024. 
  

 

Comments on the sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman:

• Dominic Patten reports that Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer have been sued by their erstwhile victims. 
• Jessa Crispin declares that Neil Gaiman und Amanda Palmer are an industry problem.
  
• Kayti Burt reports about how fans of Neil Gaiman respond to the sexual abuse allegations against him.
• Ella Creamer reports that DC Comics has pulled an omnibus edition of the Sandman spin-off Death in response to the allegations against Neil Gaiman.
  

 

 Comics and Art:

• Scott Edelman interviews Larry Hama, writer of G.I. Joe, Wolverine and The Punisher among others.
  
• Locus interviews fantasy artist Ethan Price. 
• Isaiah Colbert interviews several manga translators.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on The Shining.
• Artist David Edward Byrd, famous for his posters and book covers, has died aged 83.

 

Film and TV:

• Aaron Jones calls Scavengers Reign a stunning blend of science fictional survival thriller, psychological tension and incredible animation.
• Alissa Wilkinson calls Love Me a marvelously inventive science fiction romance that spans eons yet pokes at a simple question.
  
• Sabina Graves declares that Nosferatu ushered in a new age of hot monsters  
• David Masciotra declares that 2073 merges documentary and cyberpunk cinema to sound a warning 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that despite its title, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is a surprisingly sweet tale
  
• Cheryl Eddy calls The Virgin of the Quarry Lake a dreamy, grimy meditation on teenage rage
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Presence finds its horror in loneliness 
• Natalia Keogan declares that Opus lacks clarity in its commentary of media frenzy and stan culture.
  
• Ann Michelle Harris shares her thoughs on the anime Hell’s Paradise 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Harley Quinn.
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Mayfair Witches. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Mythic Quest.
  
• Leah Thomas shares some mecha animes.
  
• Zoe Williams interviews Coralie Fargeat, writer and director of The Substance.  
• Diana Keng interviews Katy Townsend who voices Maddie Nolen in Arcane. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Scott Derrickson, director of The Gorge
  
• Michael Hogan interviews several actors about their shocking TV deaths.
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 near future film The Peace Game. 
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1995 Babylon 5 episode “Confessions and Lamentations” 
• Jeff Ewing revisits the 1995 cosmic horror movie In the Mouth of Madness.
• Danny Horn revisits the 2007 Transformers movie and explains what became of its cast both human and robotic. 
  

 

Tributes to David Lynch:

• Mark Kermode shares a tribute to David Lynch.
• Garrett Martin declares that Twin Peaks: The Return was an unlikely and perfectly timed miracle, when it came out in 2017. 
• Kali Wallace revisits David Lynch's 1977 surrealist movie Eraserhead. 
  
• Emma Madden reports that the death of David Lynch, which can be partly attributed to his smoking habit, has scared smokers into quitting. 
  

 

Tributes to John Erwin:

• For Eternia remembers John Erwin.
  
• Emma Keates remembers John Erwin.
  
• Masters Cast shares a tribute video to John Erwin.
• Mega Jay Retro remembers John Erwin.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Joe George notes that we need the idealism and occasional cornyness of Star Trek now more than ever.
• James Whitbrook revisits the 1995 Star Trek Voyager episode "Phage".
  
• Avery Kaplan notes that Star Trek captains tend to retire to the countryside. 
• Adam Kotsko revisits the 1979 novelisation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Gene Roddenberry himself and finds plenty of problems with it.
  

 

Comments on The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general: 

• Daniel Dern shares his thoughts on Your Friendly Neighbor Spider-Man
  
• Fiona Sturges interviews Hayley Atwell, best known for playing Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• BlackTreeTV interviews Anthony Mackie who plays Sam Wilson a.k.a. the Falcon a.k.a. Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Aaron Couch reports that Rob Liefeld, co-creator of Deadpool, Cable and many other characters, will no longer work with Marvel after feeling disrespected at the Deadpool and Wolverine premiere. 
  
• James Whitbrook shares a breakdown of The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer.  
• James Whitbrook shares some background about HERBIE, the Fantastic Four's robot.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that Marvel Studios has come under fire for allegedly using AI for the poster for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. 
• Watch a trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of Invincible:

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season 3 premiere of Invincible.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on episode 2 of season 3 premiere of Invincible.
• Melody McCune shares her appreciation for the character of Atom Eve in Invincible.
  

 

Comments on Companion:

• Hoai Tran Bui declares that Companion cleverly flips the killer robot movie on its head
• Maureen Lee Lenker calls Companion a deliciously smart comedic thriller 
• Arturo Serrano calls Companion a fun slasher drama, but nothing groundbreaking
  
• William Earl interviews Drew Hancock, director of Companion.
  
• Sydney Buchsbaum interviews Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher, stars of Companion.
  
• Sabina Graves interviews the cast of Companion.
  

 

Comments on Heart Eyes: 

• Germain Lussier declares that Heart Eyes does a solid job blending horror, comedy and romance  
  
• Katie Rife calls Heart Eyes a slick and disposable holiday slasher film. 
• Kimberly Pierce calls Heart Eyes is a silly slasher distraction
  

 

Comments on Dog Man:

• Cath Clarke calls Dog Man an energetic animated film.
  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Dog Man.
• Emma Keates reports that Dog Man has taken the top spot at the US box office.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Severance: 

• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Severance. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the  latest episode of Severance.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares several burning questions about season 2 of Severance.
  
• Alex Faccibene shares seven SFF novels for fans of Severance.
  

 

Comments on The Monkey:

• Katie Rife calls The Monkey a ridiculous, broad, pitch-black horror-comedy.
• Cheryl Eddy calls The Monkey a ghastly, gruesome, gory good time 
  

 

Awards:

• The longlist for the 2024 BSFA Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Seraph Award have been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2025 Tähtivaeltaja Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Saturn Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Clarkesworld 2024 Reader’s Poll have been announced.
• Voting is open for the 2025 Locus Awards. 
• Camestros Felapton reports about the removal of a contestant from the 2024 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition for violation of the Code of Conduct. 
• Camestros Felapton also talks about the dilemma that addressing the problematic views of various far right SFF authors gives them publicity, but not talking about them means they can worm their way into various SFF spaces because people aren't warned about them.
  
• Jo Lindsay Walton and Polina Levontin share an article about gender, democracy and SFF literary awards.
• Camestros Felapton responds to Jo Lindsay Walton and Polina Levontin.
  
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog takes a look at the finalists for the 1984 Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo Award and which movies and TV series are notable by their absence. 
• Emma Creamer reports that the Giller Prize has dropped its sponsor Scotiabank in response to anti-Israeli pressure groups.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Valerie Valdes explains why The Artist's Way never worked for her. 
• Nicholas Harvey explains how to balance technical jargon with reader engagement
  
• William Boyle talks about writing a modern novel steeped in kitchen-sink realism 
• Sarah Manavis reports that Jane Austen's novels are being reissued with new covers to appeal to young female readers.
  
• Victoria Strauss reports about a new scam targeting writers. 
• Camestros Felapton reports about a conflict between the SFF publishers Baen Books and Ark Press. 
• Publishers Weekly reports that several literary organisations have issued a joint statement decrying Donald Trump's latest anti-trans executive order.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that publishers have sued the state of Idaho over library book bans.
  
• Jim Milliot reports that a new report by the US Copyright Office addresses whether AI works can be copyrighted. 
• Marina Hyde notes that its hilarious that OpenAI complains that China stole its large language models to create its own AI chatbot DeepSeek, when OpenAI's ChatGPT has used copyrighted works without authoritsation fr its training. 
• Pat Saperstein reports that Nicholas Cage has spoken out against AI.
  
• Alexandra Alter reports that Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros has become the fastest-selling adult novel in twenty years
• Ella Creamer reports that the popularity of romantasy is driving growing SFF sales in the UK.
  

 

Interviews:

• Locus interviews Gareth K. Powell.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Dave Ring.
• Arley Sorg interviews Sean Markey. 
• Ann LeBlanc And Tenacity Plys interview each other.
• The HWA interviews Jamal Hodge.
  

 

Reviews:

• Lesa Holstine reviews Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb  
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Orphan Planet by Madeehah Reza 
• Bill Capossere reviews Orbital by Samantha Harvey
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Stone Certainty by Simon R. Green
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Cold Steel by Joyce Chng 
  
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Orb of Cairado by Katherine Addison 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Triggernometry Finals by Stark Holborn 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry
• Fiona Denton reviews The Morrigan by Kim Curran
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Conjurer’s Wife by Sarah Penner 
• Marion Deeds reviews Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune 
• Niall Harrison reviews Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Sea of Souls by N.C. Scrimgeour
  
• Mark Yon reviews Grave Empire by Richard Swan 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Constancy by Tilly Wallace
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston 
• Matthew Jackson reviews Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
  
• Krystle Matar reviews Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Your Blood and Bones by J. Patricia Anderson 
• Rob Bedford reviews A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher.
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Remedy by J.S. Breukelaar
• Lucy Popsecu reviews The Lamb by Lucy Rose  
• Paperback Warrior reviews Hacking Mall by Brian G. Berry.
  
• Laura Miller reviews Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World by Dorian Lynskey.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic by Stefan Ekman
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1896 science fiction horror novel The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1932 comedic science fiction novel Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and its 1995 film adaptation.
  
• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisits the 1939 horror story "Mommy" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman 
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 1955 kaiju novels Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama, translated by Jeffrey Angles.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1958 YA science fiction novel Undersea City by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1958 horror story “That Hell-Bound Train” by Robert Bloch. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1960 science fiction novel Deathworld by Harry Harrison. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1964 science fiction novel The Ethical Engineer by Harry Harrison
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1967 science fiction story “Starfog” by Poul Anderson
• David Levinson revisits the March 1970 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• Jonathan Bolton revisits the 1974 science fiction novel The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 science fiction fix-up novel Lifeboat Earth by Stanley Schmidt 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 Faded Sun planetary romance Kutath by C.J. Cherryh 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1983 horror novel Dead White by Alan Ryan.
  
• Russell Contreras revisits the 1993 dystopian novel Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1994 YA horror novel Be Mine by Jane McFann.
  
• Clara Cohen revisits the 1996 epic fantasy novel Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb.
• Sylas K. Barrett revisits the 2005 Wheel of Time epic fantasy novel Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Chris M. Barkley reports about the 2025 ConFusion in Novi, Michigan.
  
• Ersatz Culture reports that the local officials from the Henan province in China are planning a Worldcon bid in support of the local SFF industry. 
• Andrew Pulver reports that the beloved Prince Charles Cinema in London, UK, is at risk of closure due to a greedy landlord wanting to redevelop the site.
  
• Alfie Packham shares audience memories of the Prince Charles Cinema in London, UK, which is under threat of closure.
  
• Laura Baisas reports that a fire-breathing dragon statue in Krakow, Poland, has been switched off, while engineers investigate why it is using too much gas. 
  

 

Science and technology:

• Kenneth Chang reports how Donald Trump's campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion programs impacts NASA who have long been championing diversity.  
• Helen Gordon reports about a meteorite that landed in Winchcombe, UK, in 2021. 
  
• Victor Tangermann reports that OpenAI has struck a deal with the US Government to use its AI for nuclear weapon security
• Rebecca Morelle reports how a burned scroll from Herculaneum was made readable via a combination of X-ray imaging and artificial intelligence  
• Alison Gaylin talks about the lure of conspiracy theories. 
  

 

Gaming: 

• Tom Faber reviews the video game Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector.
  
• Alex Puncecar reviews the video game Skald: Against the Black Priory
• Kyle Tam talks about tabletop RPG adaptations of speculative fiction 
• Megan Farokhmanesh reports about issues with Pokemon TCG Pocket's trading system. 
• Keza MacDonald reports that she loved Pokémon Trading Card Pocket until she didn't. 
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Still a Big Kid reviews the Jada Toys Ultra Street Fighter 2 Dee Jay action figure.
  
• Sean Fallon shares a look at the upcoming Masters of the Universe x ThunderCats action figures from Mattel.
• Pixel Dan shares his thoughts the upcoming Masters of the Universe x ThunderCats action figures from Mattel.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Nine Births on the Wheel" by Maya Chhabra in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Into Duty, Into Longing, Into Sparrows" by Nne Ukwu and Somto Ihezue in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Shadows of the Forgotten Empire" by D. K. Latta in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "King of the Castle" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Bodyhoppers" by Rocío Vega, translated by Sue Burke, in Clarkesworld. 
• "Yoyin of the Captivating Form" by Rafeeat Aliyu in Omenana.
• "The Funniest Centaur Alive" by Gregory Mone in Future Tense Fiction.
  
• "Not Alone" by Pat Murphy in Reactor.
• "God of the Black Moon" by Dan Stintzi in Nightmare Magazine.  
  
• "It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand, Part 1" by Lowry Poletti in Lightspeed.  
• "An Omodest Proposal" by Andrew Dana Hudson in Lightspeed. 
  
• "Out of All of Them" by Nelson Stanley in The Dark.
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth.
  
• Watch a trailer for Final Destination: Bloodlines.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Rule of Jenny Pen.
• Watch a trailer for Smurfs.