Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 18, 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: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Murderbot, Superman, season 3 of Foundation, Doctor Who past, present and future, Abraham's Boys, The Institute, I Know What You Did Last Summer, tributes to James Carter Cathcart and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares a round-up of her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
• Christina Orlando shares thirty SFF books coming out in the second half of 2025. 
• Tobias Carroll shares indie and small press speculative fiction for July and August 2025 
• Jordan S. Carroll talks about reactionary futurism. 
• Cairo Smith responds to Jordan S. Carroll. 
• Camestros Felapton discusses some reactions to Jordan S. Carrroll. 
• Farah Mendlesohn talks about resistance in speculative fiction 
• Matthew Clark Davison and Alice LaPlante declare that genre is a container, not a cage, a tool, not a limitation 
• Molly Templeton notes that the thing you want to read is probably out there somewhere. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for June 2025. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five epistolary science fiction books. 
• Emily Buchanan talks about magical realism and climate fiction. 
• Giano Cromley shares books about Bigfoot. 
• P.H. Low talks about the struggles facing diaspora writers. 
• Sam Leith shares his fifteen favourite literary Substacks. 
• Kim Kahan reports about Japan's buzzing zine scene.
• Alec Nevala-Lee profiles Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 
• Rachel Cordasco profiles Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. 
• Jamie Lang discusses Ray Bradbury's friendship with Walt Disney. 
• John Hertz remembers Mark Leeper. 
• Science fiction writer and editor Tess Williams has died aged 71. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Ekow Eshun talk about Black Panther and the dream of escapist emancipation
• Greg Hersom reviews The Savage Sword of Conan #7 by Roy Thomas, Joseph Pruett, Alex Horley, Roberto de la Torre and Goran Parlov 
• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #21 by Jim Zub and Fernando Dagnino. 
• Rich Johnston reports that DC Comics are already planning their 100th anniversary in 1938, while core characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman will enter the public domain. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews crafters Martina and Hansi from the Nerdforge YouTube channel. 
• Sam Spratford reports that comic publishers are still awaiting answers on inventory tied up in the Diamond bankruptcy 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the perfect job. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Phil Hoad calls Futra Days an esoteric science fiction romance 
• Camestros Felapton calls  K-Pop Demon Hunters a really fun movie
• Adrian Collins calls A Knight’s War a brutal tale of magic and trickery and betrayal that he thoroughly enjoyed. 
• Phoebe Wagner discusses the desert settings of Dune and Furiosa. 
• Cath Clarke calls Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado an inoffensive adventure film for kids. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls the latest incarnation of Smurfs an uninspired, unengaging kids’ animation 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Revival. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Resident Alien. 
• Isaiah Colbert shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dan Da Dan. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of  The Librarians: The Next Chapter.
• Cheryl Eddy calls Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic a colourful portrait of a cult horror legend
• Andrew McGowan shares the highest grossing box office stars, most of whom appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
• Justin Carter declares that 2025 is defined by studios trying to get their superhero groove back.
• Kaitlin Thomas laments the swift cancellation of Dead Boy Detectives. 
• Rory Doherty offers a primer to the works of Japanse horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa 
• Damian Holbrook interviews Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, stars of Supernatural 
• Alan Sepinwall interviews Rian Johnson, director of Knives Out, Poker Face and The Last Jedi.  
• Catherine Shoard interviews Eric Idle, star of The Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and many others. 
• Jordan Hoffman interviews Ahmed Best who played Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1991 surreal comedy Delicatessen. 
• Autumn Wright revisits the 1995 anime Whisper Of The Heart 
• Andy Crump revisits the 1995 science fiction film Species. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode “War Without End, Part Two”
• Jesse Hassenger revisits the 2000 superhero movie X-Men. 
• Germain Lussier also revisits X-Men. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares seven shortlived science fiction and fantasy TV series from the 2010s that aired just as streaming services began to take over. 
• Stuart Heritage finds himself unexpectedly excited for the final season of Stranger Things.  
• Mark Tracy reports that DVDs are making a comeback in the streaming era. 
• Stuart Heritage discusses how TikTok clips have conquered movie publicity.

 

Tributes to James Carter Cathcart:

• James Carter Cathcart, who voiced many characters in the Pokémon cartoon, has died aged 71. 
• Olivia Rolls remembers James Carter Cathcart. 

 

 Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• For Eternia shares some trivia about Masters of the Universe. 
• James Eatock reports that Battle Cat had a completely different origin in Michael Halperin's series bible for the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Alex Brown shares their thoughts on “The Perimeter”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “The Perimeter” the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “The Perimeter” the latest episode of Murderbot. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on “The Perimeter”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Camestros Felapton declares that it would have been hard for him not to like Murderbot. 
• Carly Lane interviews Chris and Paul Weitz, co-creators of Murderbot. 
• Carly Lane interviews Alexander Skarsgård who plays the titular character in Murderbot.
• Carly Lane interviews David Dastmalchian who plays Gurathin in Murderbot.

 

Comments on season 3 of Foundation: 

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on  “A Song for the End of Everything”, the first episode of season 3 of Foundation.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on  “A Song for the End of Everything”, the first episode of season 3 of Foundation. 

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Ann Michelle Harris calls Ironheart not the usual superhero origin story
• Simon Hattenstone interviews Jeremy Renner, best known for playing Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
• Kenneth Lowe wonders why it is so difficult to make a decent Fantastic Four movie 
• Watch a trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• Watch another trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps 
  
  

Comments on Superman: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Superman is over-stuffed, but who cares when being kind is the new punk rock?
• Arturo Serrano declares that James Gunn understands that a successful story about Superman is one that sticks to the simple ideals that have always defined him, not as lip service, but as a guiding theme of the action. 
• Camestros Felapton calls Superman a really fun movie. 
• Ben Child shares a spoilerish review of Superman. 
• Caroline Siede declares that James Gunn's Superman launches a universe, not a character 
• Matt Schimkowitz explains how a central scene in Superman is a response to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. 
• Steve Vertlieb shares his thoughts on the latest Superman movie and also gives a run-down of the characters history on screen. 
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending and post-credits scenes of Superman.
• Natalie Oganesyan discusses the portrayal of Jor-El in Superman.
• Germain Lussier interviews James Gunn and David Corenswet, director and star of Superman.  
• Germain Lussier interviews Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan, who play Lex Luthor and Lois Lane in Superman. 
• Brian Davids interviews Edi Gathegi who plays Mister Terrific in Superman. 
• Germain Lussier praises Skyler Gisondo's performance as Jimmy Olsen in Superman. 
• Ben Child notes that Superman is of course woke - after all, he fights injustice. 
• Jesse Hassenger analyses the politics of Superman. 
• Justin Carter declares that the right wants to claim Superman for themselves while tearing him down  
• Junot Diaz discusses his problem with Superman as a character. 
• Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports that the Indian Film Board has been criticised for censoring some kissing scenes in Superman, while tolerating violence and misogyny in Indian films 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that Krypto The Superdog powers a surge in dog adoption interest 
• Pamela McClintock reports that Superman had a very good opening weekend. 

 

Comments on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on  “Hegemony, Part II” and “Wedding Bell Blues”, the first two episodes of season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on  “Hegemony, Part II” and “Wedding Bell Blues”, the first two episodes of season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on  “Hegemony, Part II” and “Wedding Bell Blues”, the first two episodes of season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on  “Hegemony, Part II”, the first two episode of season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on “Wedding Bell Blues”, the second episode of season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  
• Melody McCune shares her favourite lines from "Hegemony, Part II" and "Wedding Bell Blues" 
• Samantha Nelson interviews Akiva Goldsman, showrunner of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Martin Quinn who plays Montgomery Scott a.k.a. Scotty in .Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
• Avery Kaplan shares her appreciation for the character of Christine Chapel in Star Trek. 
• Emmet Asher Perrin shares some thoughts about Spock's chest hair. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that Strange New Worlds will delve into several other genres in season 3 and beyond. 
• Avery Kaplan lists six Star Trek episodes featuring doppelgangers. 

 

Comments on Doctor Who Past, Present and Future: 

• Kai Young reports that a female Doctor was almost cast in 1986 and 2006. 
• Max Goldbart reports that the BBC remains committed to its cooperation with Disney Plus on Doctor Who.  

 

Comments on Abraham's Boys:  

• William Earl calls Abraham’s Boys a subversive western Dracula sequel  
• Jim Vorel calls Abraham’s Boys a clever horror drama on the isolation and uncertainty of childhood  

 

Comments on The Institute:

• Lucy Mangan declares that The Institute is an example of how to butcher a Stephen King novel 
• Melody McCune interviews Viggo Hanvelt who plays Avery in The Institute.
• Melody McCune interviews Jane Luk who plays Maureen in The Institute. 
• Inspired by The Institute, Sarah Dempster rates the best and worst Stephen King TV adaptations. 

 

Comments on the new I Know What You Did Last Summer:

• Sabina Graves calls the new I Know What You Did Last Summer a smart legacy sequel that doesn't lean too heavily on its past laurels.  
• Natalia Keogan calls the new I Know What You Did Last Summer a violent follow-up that doesn't ever cut as deeply as its kills.  

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2025 Manly Wade Wellman Award has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2025 Prix Utopiales has been announced.
• The nominations for the 2025 Emmy Awards have been announced. 
• Germain Lussier takes a look at the Emmy nominations for SFF shows. 
• Germain Lussier also thinks that several Andor actors were snubbed by the Emmys. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro interviews Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy about perceived Emmy snubs for several Andor actors. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Aaron Jones talks about originality and the importance of passion in storytelling 
• Charlie Jane Anders explains that the choice who gets a POV in a story is a political decision 
• Issa Quincy talks about writing a novel without knowing or planning anything 
• Victoria Strauss reports about an author interview scam.
• The SFWA alerts authors to a clause requiring them to waive moral rights in contract of Must Read Publishing, the new owner of Analog, Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. 
• Sam Spratford reports that Rhode Island has passed the Freedom to Read act. 

 

Interviews:

• Clara Moskowitz interviews Martha Wells.
• Francesca Myman interviews Fran Wilde. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Aimee Ogden. 
• Jay Requard interviews David C. Smith. 
• Ayo Onatade interviews Stuart Turton.  
• Marissa van Uden interviews Daniel A. Oluremi. 

 

Reviews: 

• BOLO Books reviews The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths   
• Adrian Collins reviews Anderson Versus Death by Anna Smith Spark. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Club Contango by Eliane Boey 
• Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds reviews The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Red Sword by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur. 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott
• Fantasy Faction reviews Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Vengeance by Emma Newman 
• Paul Weimer reviews Blood of the Bull by Jo Graham   
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Heart of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker 
• Paul Weimer reviews Forged for Destiny by Andrew Knighton  
• Julia Kitvaria-Sarene reviews The War for the Rose Throne by Peter McLean 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Oathsworn Legacy by K.R. Gangi 
• Rob Bedford reviews By Blood, By Salt by J.K. Odom. 
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Incandescent by Emily Tesh 
• Melissa A. Watkins reviews The Memory of the Ogisi by Moses Ose Utomi 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Archive of Unknown Universes by Ruben Reyes Jr 
• Ian Mond reviews Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Dallergut Dream-Making District by Miye Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews If Wishes Were Retail by Auston Habershaw  
• Marlene Harris reviews If Wishes Were Retail by Auston Habershaw 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino 
• Rob Bedford reviews Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner. 

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1897 lost world novel The Great Stone of Sardis by Frank R. Stockton
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1898 lost world novel The Enchanted Stone by Charles Lewis Hind
• Sam Reader revisits the 1907 horror story “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1961 science fiction story “Arcturus Times Three” by Jack Sharkey 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1961 religious fantasy story “Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas” by R. A. Lafferty
• Brian Collins revisits the 1963 science fiction story “Think Blue, Count Two” by Cordwainer Smith 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the August 1970 issue of Fantastic. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the August 1970 issue of Vision of Tomorrow. 
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1970 anthology Other Worlds, Other Seas: Science Fiction Stories from Socialist Countries, edited by Darko Suvin.  
• Runalong the Shelves revisirs the 1971 science fiction novel The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1977 science fiction anthology New Voices: The Campbell Award Nominees, edited by George R R Martin  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1991 science fiction novel A Maze of Stars by John Brunner  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1992 science fiction fix-up novel Unwillingly to Earth by Pauline Ashwell 
• Peter Milne Greiner revisits the 2004 YA fantasy novel Gifts and its 2006 sequel Voices and 2007 sequel Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin.  
• Alex Brown revisits the 2013 YA Steampunk novel Emilie and the Hollow World and its 2014 sequel Emilie and the Sky World by Martha Wells.
   

Con and event reports:

• Mike Chomko discusses some of the programming of the 2025 PulpFest in Mars, Pennsylvania. 
• Germain Lussier shares the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con panels he is most excited about 
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that George Lucas will attend San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California, for the first time ever.
• Mike Glyer shares a summary of the latest WSFS Business Meeting of the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Ben Yalow has resigned from the WSFS mark protection committee.
• Clare Worden reports about a collection of Star Wars memorabilia on display at a museum in King's Lynn, Norfolk 
• Sabina Graves reports about the Walt Disney—A Magical Life attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which features an animatronic Walt Disney. 

 

Science and technology:

• Natalia Mesa reports about a UK-based mission to determine whether there is life on Venus. 
• Ian Sample reports that scientists have detected the biggest ever merger of two massive black holes  
• Ethan Siegel reports that US science is about to face its greatest brain drain in history due to Donald Trump's policies. 
• Yasemin Sapankoglu reports that intelligence on Earth evolved independently at least twice 
• Stuart Heritage talks about people falling in love with AI chatbots. 
• Kelsey James lists occult sites in California.
   

Gaming: 

• James Whitbrook reports that Games Workshop will remove gendered language from the Horus Heresy rulebooks
• Libby Rainey reports that SAG-AFTRA has signed a new contract with video game studios offering protections against AI. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Turtles of Grayskull Skele-Shredder San Diego Comic Con exclusive.
• Toy Habits shares a look at the  Flip-Or ToyzaRius The Champions of Nefarity San Diego Comic Con exclusive action figure by Hatter Toys.
• Sabina Graves shares a look at some Wicked For Good tie-in dolls and toys from Mattel. 
• Chris Turner-Wharfe shares photos of a rare Lego mini-figure of Peter Jackson. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Redemption Song" by Quan Barry in Reactor. 
• "Ambush in Herezan" by William Morris in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Bits and Pieces on This Floor" by Eric Del Carlo in Clarkesworld. 
• "Penny For Them" by Die Booth in The Deadlands. 
• "All the Lovely Brides" by Kelly Sandoval in Grimdark Magazine. 
• "Hungry Ghosting" by Anne Mai Yee Jansen in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Domestic Disputes" by Naomi Kanakia in Lightspeed.  
• "Un-Pragmagic: A Tyler Moore Retrospective" by Spencer Nitkey in Lightspeed.  
• "Moebius Syndrome" by Storm Humbert in Apex Magazine. 
• "Window" by Charlie Hughes in The Dark.

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 5 of Stranger Things. 
• Watch a trailer for Alien Earth. 
• Watch a trailer for Tron: Ares. 
• Watch a trailer for Mortal Kombat II. 
• Watch a trailer for Hoppers. 
• io9 shares a look behind the scenes of M3GAN 2.0