Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 27, 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, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Ironheart and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Murderbot, Nautilus, Gundam GQuuuuuuX, 28 Years Later, M3GAN 2.0, Elio, season 3 of Squid Game, Jaws at fifty, the future of James Bond and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• John Mauro shares his favourite dark fantasy and science fiction books of 2025 so far
• Lorna Wallace shares five science fiction stories without human characters 
• Lee Mandelo shares five works of queer and trans futurity
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories featuring highly supportive parents 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about making amends for past mistakes. 
• Charlie Jane Anders shares eight enchanting novels about witches
• Ellery Weil notes that folk horror is having a moment right now. 
• Simon Toyne wonders why people are so fascinated by headless corpses. 
• Miranda Smith shares book recommendations based on your favourite horror film. 
• Charlotte Lillie Balogh recommends YA horror novels for fans of 1990s horror films. 
• Fleur Hopkins-Loféron looks back on French science fiction from the early twentieth century. 
• Kate Jackson explains how she approaches writing reviews. 
• C. Brandon Ogbunu reports how zine culture is experiencing a resurgence after being nearly replaced by social media.
• Joseph Bernstein wonders why fewer men are reading fiction.  
• Sam Leith explains how children’s books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity 

 

Comics and Art:

• Rosa Dekking reviews Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: A graphic novel adaptation by Manu Larcenet 
• Olivia Rutigliano wonders why the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker and turned him into Spider-Man never bit anybody else. 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about choosing the perfect books for a summer holiday

 

Film and TV: 

• Adam Troy Castro calls Sinners a new horror classic. 
• Alex Wallace calls The Life of Chuck unabashedly humanist and unashamedly existentialist 
• Alex Wallace reviews Ballerina and notes that if you change the accoutrements, this movie would be low fantasy  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Revival. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Resident Alien.  
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Librarians: The Next Chapter.  
• Saloni Gajjar declares that current TV is tapping into our collective desire to rage against the machine 
• Leah Schnelbach shares fifteen Irish horror movies to enjoy this summer. 
• Anne Billson shares her favourite films by Mel Brooks. 
• Isaiah Colbert interviews Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, directors of K-Pop Demon Hunters.
• Germain Lussier interviews Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One, Jurassic World Rebirth and Godzilla. 
• Andrew Pulver also interviews Gareth Edwards. 
• Kenneth Lowe revisits the 1988 science fiction horror film They Live.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode “Ship of Tears”
• Leah Thomas revisits the 2003 anime Full Metal Alchemist. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2004 not-really science fiction movie 2046. 
• Avery Kaplan declares that the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Ad Astra Per Aspera" is a trans rights allegory 
• Ben Child wonders whether two different filmic versions of Batman can co-exist at DC. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the plans for a Jason Universe centered around Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th. 
• Justin McCurry celebrates the fortieth anniversary of Studio Ghibli and wonders about its future.
• Jesse Hassenger reports about a potentially shocking moment in the season 36 finale of The Simpsons.

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• For Eternia chronicles Nicholas Galitzine's physical transformation into He-Man for the upcoming live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• For Eternia discusses the evolution of Teela's outfit in more than forty years of Masters of the Universe. 
• The Eternia Four share their thoughts and speculations on the upcoming live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• James Eatock takes a look at the final appearance of He-Man and Skeletor in the She-Ra episode "Assault on the Hive".

 

Comments on Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• Phoebe Wagner shares her thoughts on episode 8 of season 2 of Andor. 
• Ana Marie Cox reports how Andor became an unlikely muse for the Anti-Trump movement.
• Sabina Graves reports about the intense secrecy during the production of season 2 of Andor. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the newly updated official map of the Star Wars galaxy 
• Germain Lussier shares Mark Hamill's ideas about Luke Skywalker's fate. 

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Alex Brown shares their thoughts on “Complementary Species”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “Complementary Species”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on “Complementary Species”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Beatrix Kondo interviews David Dastmalchian who plays Gurathin in Murderbot.
• Demet Koc interviews Andrew Miano, executive producer of Murderbot. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares producer David S. Goyer's comments about the future of Murderbot and Foundation. 

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future (spoilers): 

• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1970 Doctor Who serial "Inferno". 
• Nicholas Whyte recounts how Christopher Priest almost wrote for Doctor Who.
• Sabina Graves reports that the BBC has apologised for accidentally spoiling the finale of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Jake Kanter reports that the BBC has pledged to be “mindful” of spoilers after irate viewers complained about the Doctor Who reveal 

 

Comments on Ironheart and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Jarrod Jones declares that Ironheart gets off to a breezy and reasonably engaging start
• Trent Moore declares that Ironheart is a surprisingly solid Marvel mash-up, even if it does feel a bit late 
• Kathryn Porter declares that Ironheart tries its best to blast out of the Marvel Cinematic's Universe’s mold
• Lucy Mangan declares that the small screen can barely contain the energy of Ironheart. 
• Justin Carter declares that Ironheart has kinks to work out, but flies high enough  
• Monita Roy Mohan shares her thoughts on Ironheart. 
• James Whitbrook shares early reactions to Ironheart. 
• Germain Lussier notes that Ironheart has an unexpected link to the first Iron Man movie. 
• Germain Lussier reports that Jake Schreier has been confirmed as director of the upcoming X-Men movie. 
• Watch a trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps. 

 

Comments on 28 Years Later: 

• Leah Schnelbach calls 28 Years Later a weird and thrilling post-apocalyptic adventure 
• Matt Schimkowitz discusses the side characters that turn 28 Years Later into an infectious odyssey  
• Jesse Hassenger shares a spoilerish review of 28 Years Later. 
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending of 28 Years Later. 
• Rory Doherty explains how recent British history influenced 28 Years Later. 
• Xan Brooks interviews Danny Boyle, director of 28 Years Later. 
• Jem Aswad also interviews Danny Boyle. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, director and writer of 28 Years Later. 
• Jim Vorel declares that he does not envy Nia DaCosta who is set to direct the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 
• Jim Vorel shares his fifty favourite zombie movies of all time. 

 

Comments on Nautilus:

• Monita Roy Mohan calls the series premiere of Nautilus a rollicking adventure. 
• Saloni Gajjar declares that Nautilus boasts style but lacks substance

 

Comments on M3GAN 2.0: 

• Anna McKibbin calls M3GAN 2.0 a scaled-up sequel that limps into the future
• Jesse Hassenger calls M3GAN 2.0 an eclectic, buggy upgrade  
• Sabina Graves calls M3GAN 2.0 an action-packed sequel that loses some of the first film's horror charms. 
• Brian Davids interviews Allison Williams, star and producer of M3GAN 2.0  
• Nick Romano interviews Allison Williams and James Wan, directo of M3GAN 2.0. 
• Adam Daniel discusses what film’s evil robots from HAL 9000 to M3GAN tell us about contemporary tech fears 

 

Comments on Gundam GQuuuuuuX:

• James Whitbrook declares that the Gundam GQuuuuuuX finale might be one of the most hopeful Gundam endings in years   
• James Whitbrook also reports how a real world scandal impacted the finale of Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
• James Whitbrook also notes that there has never been a better time to revisits the original Gundam. 

 

Comments on season 3 of Squid Game: 

• Shaad D'Souza explains how Squid Game’s brutal finale ramps up the barbarity
• Rhik Samadder notes that the show’s worst characters are back in season 3 of Squid Game … and they’re as unbelievably wooden as ever  

 

Comments on Elio:

• Ben Francisco declares that Elio grapples with loneliness on Earth and in the Communiverse
• Arturo Serrano reviews Elio and notes that Disney loves to write orphans, but doesn't seem to understand them 
• Sabina Graves declares that one of the most surprising moments in Elio feels right out of a horror movie 
• Sabina Graves discusses the post-credits scene of Elio. 
• Dee Jefferson reports that Elio gave Pixar its worst ever box-office opening despite positive reviews

 

Comments on the future of James Bond: 

• Sian Cain reports that Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film. 
• Peter Bradshaw wonders what the hiring of Denis Villeneuve as the next James Bond will mean for the series. 
• Mark Sweney reports about a trademark battle involving James Bond.  

 

Comments on Jaws at fifty: 

• Natalia Keogan notes that shark movies existed before Jaws, but they were never the same after it arrived 
• Brent Lang chronicles the production woes of Jaws. 
• Don Kaye shares twelve things you didn’t know about Jaws
• David Smith interviews stars Richard Dreyfuss and Lorraine Gary and Wendy Benchley, widow of Peter Benchley on whose book Jaws was based for the fiftieth anniversary of the film.  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Laurent Bouzereau, director of Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story,  
• Andrew Shea shares a tour of the locations of Jaws on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. 

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Locus Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2025 British Fantasy Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2025 Glass Bell Award has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Munsey Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Carnegie Medals for Children’s Writing and Illustration have been announced.  
• The winner of the 2025 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award has been announced.  
• Rich Horton shares his thoughts on the finalists for the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury and Emily Tesh discuss the shortlist for the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award.
• Sam Kahn complains about writers he is not familiar with winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Carl Shuker explains how to write about the near future and recent past in a rapidly changing world. 
• Bianca Marais explains how to improvise a locked room murder mystery
• Caitlin Rother notes that when writing nonfiction, the research always takes you in a new direction. 
• Sara Hashemi wonders whether the semicolon is about to die out. 
• Heloise Wood reports about the well-known problem that Goodreads users can rate books that haven't even been released yet. 
• Decca Muldowney reports how fanfiction are fighting back against their work being scraped for AI purposes. 
• Ed Nawotka reports that a US Federal judge has ruled that AI training is fair use in the Anthropic copyright infringement case 
• Benj Edwards reports that Anthropic also destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models, though they at least legally bought them first.  

 

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
• Paul Weimer interviews Helen Marshall. 
• Joachim Boaz interviews Jaroslav Olša, Jr  

 

Reviews: 

• Lesa Holstine reviews All Systems Red by Martha Wells 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Chaos by Constance Fay   
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog reviews Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz.
• Bill Capossere reviews The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver
• Jen Lucas reviews Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver 
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman 
• Z.B. Steele reviews The Radiant King by David Dalglish  
• Liz Bourke reviews Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner.
• Alex Puncekar reviews Sometime Lofty Towers by David C. Smith 
• Chris Kluwe reviews The Only Song Worth Singing by Randee Dawn 
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews A Letter From the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall 
• John Mauro reviews By Blood, By Salt by J.L. Odom 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Private Rites by Julia Armfield 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews The Ice by Ryan Cahill
• Niall Harrison reviews Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel 
• Alexis Ong reviews A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussein  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Tensorate by Neon Yang 
• Alex Brown reviews Sọmadịna by Akwaeke Emezi 
• Marlene Harris reviews Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy
• Julie Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Closing Time at the Sunny-Side-Up by David Niall Wilson  
• John Mauro reviews The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Jump Tribe by Clive Barker
• Bill Capossere reviews Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era by Adam Kotsko 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Dave Hook revisits the 1949 science fiction collection The Cosmic Geoids: and One Other by John Taine 
• French Montana revisits the 1963 generation ship novel Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein. 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1966 science fiction story “When I Was Miss Dow” by Sonya Dorman 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1970 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1977 science fiction novel The Delikon by H M Hoover 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1988 Drake Majistral space opera novel House of Shards by Walter Jon Williams 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1991 science fiction mystery Space Cops: Mindblast by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood  
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novel The Train by Diane Hoh. 
• Mark Yon revisits the 2007 Star Wars novel Star Wars: Death Star by Michael Reeves and Steve Perry
   

 Con and event reports:

• Cora Buhlert shares her experiences at the 2025 Los Amigos Masters of the Universe convention in Neuss, Germany. 
• Geek Dad Live discusses the 2025 Joefest in Augusta, Georgia.
• Locus shares a photo of the Hexagon XVI writers retreat in Crozet, Virginia. 
• James Whitbrook reports that the Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair cinema in Santa Clara, California, is completely Godzilla themed. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• The reedition of the sword and sorcery novel Sometimes Lofty Towers by David C. Smith is looking for funding.

 

Science and technology:

• Mark Thompson reports about the hunt for the ninth planet of our solar system. 
• McKenzie Prillaman reports about ESA's Proha-3 mission to create an artificial solar eclipse to analyse the sun's corona. 
• Ian Sample shares images of a distant galaxy captured by the Vera C. Rubin observatory in Chile. 
• Robert Lea reports that astronomers have found the universe's missing matter. 
• Tim Jonze reports about the iconic golden record attached to the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes and wonders what we would put onto such a record today. 
• Dave S. Brody asks whether it's possible to raise children in space. 
• Gideon Marcus reports about the Soviet Soyuz 9 space flight in 1970 which set a record for the longest time humans spent in space. 
• Emily Newton explains how augmented reality and BIM are revolutionizing construction 
   

Gaming: 

• Isaiah Colbert calls the video game Death Stranding 2 Hideo Kojima’s most refined and relentless vision yet  
• Keith Stuart declares that Hideo Kojima created yet another weird, wonderful world in Death Stranding 2
• Justin Carter celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the Deus Ex series of video games.
• Alex Weprin reports about the upcoming video game 007 First Light 
• Dom Peppiatt interviews Yoko Shimomura who composed the scores for popular video games like Street Fight and Final Fantasy. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Mattel Jurassic Park San Diego Comic Con exclusive. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Mattel Hot Wheels Back to the Future and Jaws San Diego Comic-Con exclusives. 
• Adam McCombs revisits the 1991 Mattel New Adventures of He-Man action figure Quakke,
• James Whitbrook notes that we are entering a golden age of action figures inspired by the Marvel Capcom fighting games. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at some new X-Files and Wallace & Gromit themed Lego sets 
• Sabina Graves wonders if the Labubu hype will last or is a passing fad. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "My Mother, the Supervillain" by Benjamin Blattberg in Lightspeed.  
• "All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt" by Marissa Lingen in Lightspeed.  
• "The Feather Tree" by K.J. Kabza in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "A Crow on the Corpse Road" by Betsy Aoki in Beneath Ceasless Skies. 
• "The Sack of Burley Cottage" by Rich Larson in Reactor.  
• "Why We Sing" by C.C. Finlay in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "The Last to Survive" by Rita Chang-Eppig in Clarkesworld.
• "Outlier" by R.L. Meza in Clarkesworld.
• "The Cephalophore" by Thomas Ha in The Dark.
• "The Ferryman" by Krista Farmer in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Soul Shepherds" by Joshua Lim in The Deadlands. 
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Xeno. 
• Watch a trailer for Weapons.
• Watch a trailer for How It Ends. 
• Watch a trailer for The Strangers, Chapter 2. 
• Watch a video about how the death scenes in Final Destination: Bloodlines came to be.