Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 16, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Andor and Star Wars in general, Thunderbolts* and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of  The Last of Us, Doctor Who past, present and future, Murderbot, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Clown in a Cornfield, an uproar involving the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, Donald Trump's war on foreign films and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Abigail Nussbaum shares a round-up of recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
  
• Tobias Carroll shares indie and small press speculative fiction for May and June 2025. 
• Alex Brown shares the most anticipated young adult speculative fiction for May and June 2025 
• Alex Brown shares must read short speculative fiction for April 2025  
• Jenny Hamilton discusses romantasy novels which lean more towards SFF and those which lean more towards romance.
  
• Stephen Webb lists several times science fiction writers successfully predicted the future. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five stories about time travel and bureaucracy 
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares six speculative stories about preserving and creating individuals’ memories
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about delivering chaos and destruction 
  
• Christine Li talks about home ownership, haunted houses and the American dream turned nightmare 
• Collin Armstrong shares five SFF works inspired by urban legends
• K.A. Merson shares six great puzzle novels.  
• Charlie Jane Anders discusses the enduring influence of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell on speculative fiction.
•  Kazuo Ishiguro looks back on writing his 2005 science fiction novel Never Let Me Go.
  
• Jake Rossen explains why Isaac Asimov wrote YA science fiction novels under the pen name Paul French. 
• John Lawton discusses how very different the James Bond novels are from the movie series. 
• J. Kingston Pierce reports that two forgotten works by Ian Fleming have been discovered.
• Dalya Alberge reports that the University College London has acquired several papers of George Orwell.  
• Richard Luscombe reports that a ghost story by Graham Greene has been published for the first time ever.
  
• Elif Shafak explains why we still need novels.
  
• SFF writer Peter Morwood, husband of Diane Duane, has died aged 68. 
• Locus remembers Peter Morwood.
  

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #20 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite 
  
• James Bacon revisits the Irish comic magazine The Leprechaun.  
• Deborah Cole profiles Götz Valien, Berlin's last film poster painter.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about martial arts for authors.
  
• SFF artist Stephen Fabian has died aged 95.

 

 Film and TV: 

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Eternaut. 
• Jonathan Cowie shares his thoughts on Sinners.
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the futuristic courtroom drama The Trial. 
• Ann Michelle Harris shares her thoughts on the anime Fire Force.
  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Gundam GQuuuuuuX 
• Alex Wallace declares that A Minecraft Movie ends up feeling like it loves the aesthetic of the game and the emotions evoked by the game, but not the purpose of playing the game  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Surrealestate.
  
• David Barnett shares his thoughts about the documentary Return to Summerisle
• Olivia Rolls reminds us that Alien and Predator began as feminist franchises 
• Jim Vorel notes that maybe not every public domain pop culture character needs to star in a horror film. 
• Avery Kaplan lists five characters and species introduced in Star Trek; The Animated Series.
  
• Leah Thomas recommends cozy and comforting anime.
• Rosanna Greenstreet interviews Walton Goggins, who plays The Ghoul in Fallout.  
• Don Kaye revisits the 1935 horror film Werewolf of London, the first modern werewolf film.
  
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1978 alternate history TV series An Englishman's Castle
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1980 fantasy movie Clash of the Titans.
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1990 Twin Peaks episode "The Last Evening".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode“Point of No Return”
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1998 X-Files episode "Folie à Deux".
• Jeffrey Davis revisits the 2013 science fiction series Orphan Black. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2013 animated film Boy and the World
• Justin Carter revisits the 2015 post-apocalyptic film Mad Max Fury Road.
  
• Amelia Tait reports about actors who only appeared in photographs on screen, often playing dead people. 
• Sabina Graves reports that YouTube is finally cracking down on those fake movie trailer channels. 
• Wendy Lee reports that actress Jamie Lee Curtis found herself at the forefront of a battle over generative AI after requesting Meta to take down an ad using her image and voice without permission.
  
• Angelique Chrisafis reports that actor Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women
• Director and screenwriter Robert Benton has died aged 92.
  

 

Comments on Thunderbolts* and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Alasdair Stuart calls Thunderbolts* the often hilarious, exhausted, depressed, PTSD- and anxiety-riddled heroes we don’t just deserve, we recognize.
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Thunderbolts* delivers the best Marvel villain in years
  
• Ben Child wonders whether Thunderbolts* can save the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe. 
• Joshua M. Patton discusses the post credit scene of Thunderbolts* and what it signifies.
  
• Emma Keates reports that Krysten Ritter will return to the role of Jessica Jones in season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again
• Lauren Rouse reports that the trailer for Ironheart has been the victim of a review bombing campaign.
  
• Watch a trailer for Ironheart.
  
• Watch a Behind the Scenes video about Ironheart.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• For Eternia shares some photos from the set of the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie, including Camila Mendes in costume as Teela. 
• For Eternia shares more set photos and behind the scenes footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• The John Campea Show discusses Teela's costume and is looking forward to the Masters of the Universe movie. 
  
• James Eatock revisits the 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power episode "The Mines of Mondor".
  
• James Eatock takes a look at the Temple of the Sun, a location that appeared in several episodes of the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.
• N.D. Stevenson shares a comic featuring the characters from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power five years after the end of that series. 
• Watch First Snowfall, a short animated Masters of the Universe fan film.
  

 

Comments on Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the tenth episode of Andor. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the eleventh episode of season 2 of Andor. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the twelfth episode of season 2 of Andor. 
  
• Sabina Graves shares her thoughts on the final three episodes of season 2 of Andor. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on the final three episodes of season 2 of Andor.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the final three episodes of season 2 of Andor. 
  
• Phoebe Wagner shares her thoughts on episode 3 of season 2 of Andor.
  
• Ben Lindbergh discusses the origin of the so-called Ghorman massacre in Andor.
• James Whitbrook profiles Andor character Syril Karn. 
• David Thompson discusses a surprise death in the final few episodes of Andor.
  
• Maureen Lee Lenker interviews Tony Gilroy, showrunner of Andor. 
• William Hughes interviews Tony Gilroy.
• Anthony Breznican interviews Tony Gilroy. 
• Dalton Ross interviews Tony Gilroy and Elizabeth Dulau, who plays Kleya Marki in Andor. 
  
• James Whitbrook shares his appreciation for the design and sound of Cassian Andor's blaster.
  

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Cheryl Eddy calls Murderbot a funny, violent exploration of what it means to be human 
• Lacy Baugher Milas calls Murderbot a snarky, surprisingly heartfelt ode to connection
• Erik Kain calls Murderbot a great vehicle for Alexander Skarsgard, but not without problems
  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Tamara Podemiski, who plays Dr. Bharadwaj, and Akshay Khanna, who plays Ratthi in Murderbot.

 

 Comments on season 2 of The Last of Us (spoilers):

• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on “Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.
• Graeme Virtue shares his thoughts “Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.   
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts“Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.   
• Stuart Heritage wonders whether Ellie's guitar sing-alongs are killing The Last of Us

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Isobel Lewis shares her thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Kate Lloyd interviews David Tennant who played the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors in Doctor Who.
  
• Kate Lloyd interviews Billie Piper who played Rose in Doctor Who. 
• Lacy Baugher Milas interviews Millie Gibson who plays Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who.
• James Hibbs reports that according to BBC archivist Sue Malden many or most of the lost Doctor Who episodes still exist in private collections somewhere.
  

 

Comments on Final Destinations: Bloodlines:

• Radheyan Simonpillai calls Final Destinations: Bloodlines a hugely entertaining sixth installment which sets up an entire family tree for the slaughter
• Jacob Oller declares that in Final Destination Bloodlines, giddy death traps run in the family
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Final Destination Bloodlines doesn’t innovate, but it delivers 
• Germain Lussier calls Final Destination Bloodlines the best Final Destination movie ever 
  
• Jesse Hassenger declares that the success of the Final Destination series is due to combining the slasher and disaster genres 
  
• Germain Lussier interviews  Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, directors of Final Destination: Bloodlines.  
• Russ Millheim interviews the cast of Final Destinations: Bloodlines.

 

Comments on Clown in a Cornfield: 

• Ryan Scott calls Clown In A Cornfield one of the best scary clown horror movies ever made  
• Grimdark Magazine calls Clown in a Cornfield, at its heart, a slasher but full of well-timed humour and firmly tongue-in-cheek.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz interviews Eli Craig, director of Clown in a Cornfield.
• Ryan Scott interviews Eli Craig.
  

 

Comments on Donald Trump's war on foreign films:

• Jasper Jolly shares the fears of Dean Brooks, prop-maker at Shepperton Studios, for his professional future following Donald Trump's announcement of tariffs on foreign films.
• Brent Lang and Gene Maddaus report that various Hollywood studios are discussing how to handle Donald Trump's planned tariffs on foreign made films.    
• Steven Zeitchik reports how California's Attorney General Rob Bonta is planning to stop Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign films.
   

 Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been annouced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Rondo Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2025 Tähtivaeltaja Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Prix Jacques-Brossard have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Premio Urania have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off has been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2025 Climate Fiction Prize has been announced.
  
• The 2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Bafta TV Awards have been announced with no love for SFF TV. 
• Brandon O'Brien takes a look at three of the finalists for the Hugo Award for Best Poem. 
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Alex Jennings talks about worldbuilding.
  
• Leonie Swann talks about the joys and travails of writing with a canine companion 
• Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti talk about the art of collaborative writing
• Victoria Strauss shares two new scams aimed at writers. 
• Olivia Reid shares seven characteristics of people who prefer physical books.
  
• Lucy Knight reports that Audible has announced plans to use AI voices to narrate audiobooks
  
• Erica S. Perl reports how a visit to an elementary school in Virginia was cancelled, because a parent objected to a non-binary snail in one of her books, and how she fought back. 
  
• Nathalie op de Beeck reports that Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has been fired by the White House 
• Neda Ulaby reports that Donald Trump has appointed his former lawyer Todd Blanche as the new Librarian of Congress in spite of having no librarian experience. 
• Nathalie op de Beeck has more about the battle over the US Library of Congress.
  
• Ed Nawotka reports that Shira Perlmutter, director of the US Copyright Office, has been fired mere days after releasing a report wherein the use of copyrighted works for AI training was denounced as a copyright violation.
  

 

Interviews:

• Lucy Knight interviews Margaret Atwood.
  
• Omar Martini and Francesco Pelosi interview Alan Moore. 
• Paul Weimer interviews Emily Tesh
  
• Locus interviews Guy Gavriel Kay.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Adeena Mignogna 
• Fiona Denton interviews Taran Matharu
  

 

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens 
• Niall Harrison reviews Where the Axe Is Buried by Ray Nayler 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Dyer Street Punk Witches by Phil Williams 
  
• Anthony Perconti reviews Hurled, Headlong Flaming or the Bishop’s Tale by Matt Holder.
• Marion Deeds reviews The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Only Song Worth Singing by Randee Dawn
  
• Jenny Hamilton reviews A Spell for Change by Nicole Jarvis 
• Yagnishsing Dawoor reviews A New New Me by Helen Oyeyemi
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Tainted Khan by Taran Matharu
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Mercy: Tears of the Fallen by Chance Dillon
  
• Adrian Collins reviews The Lie That Binds Them by Matthew Ward
  
• Will McClelland reviews Dance of Shadows by Gourav Mohanty
  
• Paula Guran reviews Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
  
• Mark Yon reviws The Incandescent by Emily Tesh.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Every Dark Cloud by Marisca Pichette
  
• Erica Wagner reviews Water in the Desert Fire in the Night by Gethan Dick 
• Ian Mond reviews Terrestrial History by Joe Mungo Reed
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Seep by Chana Porter 
  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Parasitic Omens by Jessica A. McMinn
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Portraits of Patriarchs, edited by Shona Kinsella 
• Arley Sorg reviews I Want That Twink Obliterated!, edited by Trip Galey, Robert Berg and C.L. McCartney
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Big Book of Cyberpunk Volume 1, edited by Jared Shurin
   
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1947 YA SFF novel The Twenty-One Balloons by William Sherman Pène du Bois 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1952 YA science fiction novel Tom Corbett, Space Cadet: Stand By for Mars! by Carey Rockwell
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1953 apocalyptic story “The Last Day” by Richard Matheson 
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1953 science fiction novella  “The Rose” by Charles L. Harness
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1955 science fiction story “Watershed” by James Blish
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1961 James Bond spy novel Thunderball by Ian Fleming
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1963 James Bond spy novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming
  
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the June 1970 issue of Fantastic.
  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 anthologies New Writings in SF-17, edited by John Carnell, and Vortex: New Soviet Science Fiction, edited by C.G. Bearne.
• Christopher Lockett revisits the 1983 Discworld fantasy novel The Colour of Magic and the 1986 Discworld fantasy novel The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett.
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• Diane Duane needs some help with funeral expenses for her late husband.
• SFF writer and fan Tonya Moore needs some help with living expenses.
  

 

 Comments on the Seattle Worldcon ChatGPT controversy:

• Jason Sanford interviewed several volunteers working on the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, to theorise how the use of ChatGPT to vet potential program participants happened.
  
• Kathy Bond, chair of the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, shares an update about steps the convention has taken to re-vet potential program participants after the ChatGPT debacle.

 

 Con and event reports:

• Locus shares photos of the 2025 International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida. 
  
• Erin Underwood discusses the challenge of selecting convention programming participants.
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Carol Gyzander and Daryl Gregory
  
• Ella Creamer reports about Translated By, Bristol, a new literary festival focussing on translated fiction in Bristol, UK. 
• Ella Creamer reports that two statues of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith will be unveiled in Roos, East Yorkshire, where the couple spent time during WWI.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Passant Rabie reports that the Soviet space probe Kosmos 482, which was launched towards Venus in 1972, but malfunctioned, will plummet back to Earth this week after 53 years in orbit.
• Ashley Strickland reports that NASA engineers have successfully revived Voyager 1's thrusters.
  
• Leonard David reports that Donald Trump's 2026 budget plan would cancel NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. 
  
• Andrew Jones reports that China has made the first-ever laser ranging measurement from Earth to the Moon during the daytime. 
• Kaye Dee reports about the 1961 MR-3 mission and Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space. 
• Kaye Dee also discusses in detail how Apollo-13 was saved in 1970.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Keith Stuart wonders whether the notoriously cynical Grand Theft Auto series can finally find time for romance in Grand Theft Auto VI.
  
• Rob Baer reports that Games Workshop has initiated a crackdown on sellers of unlicenced merchandise.
• James Whitbrook takes a look at a planned Magic the Gathering and Final Fantasy crossover set.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

•  Collect Space reports that Lego is planning to issue a Moon Rover Space Vehicle set.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at a Fantastic Four: First Steps Lego set featuring Galactus and the Fantastic Four.
  
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Lego Krusty Burger Simpsons set. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at some rather underwhelming Wizkids’ Baldur’s Gate 3 pre-painted miniatures
  
• Sabina Graves interviews Kasing Lung, creator of the collectible Labubu figures. 
• Moira Donegan explains why Donald Trump is so fixated on using dolls and toys for girls as an example for his tariffs.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Lies from a Roadside Vagabond" by Aaron Perry in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Unbeaten" by Grace Seybold in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Temporal Displacement of the Graves" by Russell Nichols in Lightspeed. 
• "The Price of Manners" by Martin Cahill in Lightspeed.  
• "Barbershops of the Floating City" by Angela Liu in Uncanny Magazine
• "The Library of the Apocalypse" by Rati Mehrotra in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Cats and the Crimson" by Rab Foster in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "One Will Grow to Eat the Other" by Michael Kelly in The Dark.
• "Blood of the Idugan" by Lilia Zhang in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Extenta" by David Roop in Apex Magazine.
  
• "The Nölmyna" by David Erik Nelson in Reactor.
• "The 28th" by Mark Stasenko in Future Tense Fiction.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Superman.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Peacemaker.
• Watch a trailer for A Useful Ghost. 
• Watch a trailer for The New Boy.