It's
time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting
links
about speculative
fiction from
around the web, this week with the best SFF books of 2025, Star Trek in general, Masters of the Universe in general, Predator: Badlands, the latest version of Frankenstein, the new The Running Man, It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Bat-Fam, luribus, tributes to Lee Tamahori and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
- Lacy Baugher Milas shares her favourite fantasy books coming out in November 2025.
- Natalie Zutter lists romantasy books coming out in November and December 2025.
- Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in November 2025
- Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in November 2025
- Alex Brown shares their most anticipated new young adult SFF books arriving in November and December 2025
- James Davis Nicoll discusses five ways SFF writers handle unlikeable protagonists.
- Lorna Wallace shares five stories set in terrifying science fiction prisons
- Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories about the power of fire
- Michael Knost explains how the western genre influenced science fiction and fantasy.
- Cristin Williams lists five historical events that feel like plots from a fantasy book
- J.H. Markert discusses the fascination with twins and doppelgangers in thrillers and horror novels.
- Elizabeth Broadbent shares five southern gothic books about generational trauma
- Meagan Church talks about hysteria, hauntings and why every story is a ghost story
- Wen-yi Lee talks about the symbolism of cannibalism in literature.
- Jo Walton shares her reading list for October 2025.
- Lewis Black shares his appreciation for the works of Kurt Vonnegut.
- Cheryl Eddy reports that both the publisher Penguin Random House and George R.R. Martin's spokeswoman Raya Golden have denied the use of AI art in an illustrated edition of the novel A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin.
- Jonny Diamond reports that Joyce Carol Oates roasted Elon Musk on Twitter for his lack of normal human interests, which infuriated Musk.
- Physicist and longtime science fiction fan Roger Hill died aged 84.
- British Ukrainian writer Marina Lewycka has died aged 79.
- SFF writer Celeste Rita Baker has died aged 67.
Best of 2025:
Comics and Art:
Film and TV:
- Ann Michelle Harris declares that season 4 of The Witcher is no longer must see television, but it is still entertaining as a standard fantasy.
- Isaiah Colbert calls the anime anthology series Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 a joyously unhinged look into the young mind of manga’s wildest auteur
- Jesse Hassenger calls Keeper an effectively eerie horror film.
- Mark Walsh discusses the use of mobile phones in A House of Dynamite.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Alpha a tonally inept and disjointed body horror film.
- Peter Bradshaw remarks that Christmas Karma has as much Yuletide spirit as a dead rat in the eggnog
- Jacob Oller calls The Carpenter's Son is bland Biblical horror
- Jacob Oller calls In Your Dreams a forgettable, unimaginative animated film that bobbles its themes and keeps its aspirations small.
- Geoffrey Macnab reports about a new wave of Ukrainian horror films inspired by the war with Russia.
- Olav Rokne muses why so many pop culture franchises have problems with showing what happens after the final battle.
- Jay Snow shares his appreciation for the character of Alex Danvers in Supergirl.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet.
- Fiona Moore revisits the 1970 horror film The Horror of Frankenstein
- Rai Furniss-Greasley revisits the 1982 science fiction horror film The Thing.
- Kali Wallace revisits the 1990 science fiction film Total Recall.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Racing Mars”
- Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 2012 superhero movie The Amazing Spider-Man.
- Cheryl Eddy revisits the 2013 Wizard of Oz prequel Oz the Great and Powerful
- Terri White interviews Sigourney Weaver, star of Alien, Aliens, Galaxy Quest, Ghostbusters, Avatar and many others.
- Huw Fullerton interviews Russell T. Davies, showrunner of Doctor Who and the upcoming spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea.
- Adrian Horton interviews Alex Winter, co-star of the Bill and Ted movies.
- Anna Govert interviews the cast of The Mighty Nein
- Trevor Hogg interviews Chris MacLean, visual effects supervisor for Foundation.
- Lacy Baugher Milas interviews Nicholas Denton, one of the stars of Talamasca: The Secret Order
- Matthew Acton reports that the writers tasked with writing a new James Bond movie for Amazon are having problems figuring out how to resurrect James Bond after he died in No Time to Die.
- Zack Sharf reports that actress Florence Pugh suffered a six month bout of depression after her appearance in the horror film Midsommar.
- Tony Maglio reports that Disney is planning to allow user-generated AI content on their Disney+ platform, even though no one asked for this.
- Anthony Hayward shares an obituary for Pauline Collins.
- Actress Sally Kirkland died aged 84.
Tributes to Lee Tamahori:
Comments on Star Trek in general:
Comments on the Predator: Badlands and Predator in general:
- Jesse Hassenger declares that the Predator series softens its claws as it enters the fun Predator Badlands
- Leah Schnelbach declares that Predator: Badlands gives us a new type of Predator story
- Jesse Hassenger declares that like their prey, the Predator movies have evolved in order to survive
- Matt Schimkowitz notes that Predator: Badlands is once again set in the same universe of Alien and pits the Predator against the villainous Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
- Ben Child shares a spoilerish review of Predator: Badlands.
- Germain Lussier discusses the ending of Predator: Badlands.
- Justin Carter wonders what Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator trilogy is about.
- Germain Lussier interviews Dan Trachtenberg, director of Predator: Badlands and Predator: Prey.
- Adam B. Vary interviews Dan Trachtenberg.
- Adam B. Vary interviews Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi who plays Predator in Predator: Badlands.
- Rebecca Rubin reports that both Predator Badlands and the Thomas Pynchon adaptation One Battle After Another are doing well at the box office.
Comments on the new The Running Man:
- Peter Bradshaw calls the new The Running Man a fun update of the 1987 original.
- Jarrod Jones calls the new The Running Man a crackling yet conflicted update
- Germain Lussier declares that the new The Running Man is a fun, fast-paced ride with an unfortunate stumble
- Jesse Hassenger declares that the new The Running Man is more faithful to the book than the 1987 version, but it still feels caught between action thrills and attempts at commentary.
- Germain Lussier interviews Edgar Wright, director of the new The Running Man.
- Germain Lussier lists six other Stephen King movies he'd love to see remade.
Comments on the latest version of Frankenstein:
- Haley Zapal declares that Guillermo Del Toro masterfully crafts a visually stunning, moving adaptation of Frankenstein, full of body horror, epic vistas, and heavy-handed themes.
- Drew Gillis declares that Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein not only displays del Toro's sympathy with so-called "monsters", but also a not entirely negative take on parent/child relationships.
- Matthew Jackson declares that the scariest scene in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein isn't about the creature
- Ellise Shafer interviews English professor Julie Carson about how closely Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein sticks to the original novel by Mary Shelley.
- Neve Gordon-Farleigh and Henry Godfrey-Evans profile chocolatier Sarah Hardy who has created edible props for Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein.
Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general:
Comments on Bat-Fam:
Comments on Pluribus:
- Cheryl Eddy calls Pluribus a standout science fiction series.
- Lacy Baugher Milas calls Pluribus a weird and wonderful ambitious science fiction series.
- Vanessa Armstrong explains episode 1 of Pluribus.
- Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 1 of Pluribus.
- Diana Keng shares her thoughts on episode 1 of Pluribus.
- Diana Keng shares her thoughts on episode 2 of Pluribus.
- Germain Lussier notes that Pluribus includes cameos by the stars of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
- Etan Shanfeld interviews Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, creator and star of Pluribus.
- Lucy Buglass interviews Vince Gilligan, showrunner of Pluribus.
- Saloni Gajjar interviews Rhea Seahorn who plays Carol in Pluribus.
- Inspired by Pluribus, Cheryl Eddy lists eleven freaky science fiction hive minds from movies and TV
Awards:
- The nominees for the opening round of the 2025 Goodsreads Choice Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2025 Prix Utopiales have been announced.
- The winners of the 2025 Christy Awards have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2025 Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year has been announced.
- The winner of the 2025 Booker Prize has been announced.
- The 2025 National Toy Hall of Fame inductees have been announced.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- David Baldacci talks about the challenge of starting a new series.
- Ian Chorão explains what the human desire to be scared can teach writers
- Cheryl Isaacs talks about cliffhanger endings and keeping readers invested until the last page
- P.J. Tracy talks about creating believably warped characters in crime fiction
- Joe Stech explains how he puts an anthology together.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Ian Mond reviews A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi
- Marlene Harris reviews Haze by Katharine Kerr
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Project Hanuman by Stewart Hotston
- Chris Kluwe reviews Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World by Cullen Bunn
- Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne
- Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam
- Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth
- Marlene Harris reviews Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce
- Rich Horton reviews Saint Death's Herald by C. S. E. Cooney
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu
- Liz Bourke reviews The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Clara Cohen reviews The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley
- Liz Bourke reviews The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton
- Marion Deeds reviews What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
- Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
- Marlene Harris reviews Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop
- Z.B. Steele reviews The Strength of the Few by James Islington
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews Hazelthorn by C. G. Drews
- Alison Flood reviews King Sorrow by Joe Hill
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Publication Day Ice by Jacek Dukaj
- Mahvesh Murad reviews The Merge by Grace Walker
- Jen Lucas reviews The Echoes by Evie Wyld
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
- Ian Mond reviews Spread Me by Sarah Gailey
- Tobias Carroll reviews The Night That Finds Us All by John Hornor Jacobs.
- Grab This Book reviews Darker Days by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
- Doreen Sheridan reviews The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
- Rob Bedford reviews The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke.
- Maya C. James reviews Better Dreams, Fallen Seeds, and Other Handfuls of Hope by Ken Scholes
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The House of Illusionists: and Other Stories by Vanessa Fogg
- Russell Letson reviews Not What I Intended by Nancy Kress
- Robert Mammone reviews Samhain Sorceries, edited by D.M. Ritzlin
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025, edited by Nnedi Okorafor and John Joseph Adams
- Ellen E. Jones reviews Future Boy by Michael J. Fox
Classics reviews:
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1913 Barsoom planetary romance The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1970 issue of Galaxy.
- Victoria Silverwolf revisits the December 1970 issue of Fantastic.
- Dave Hook revisits the 1980 SFF collection The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories by Gene Wolfe.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1981 science fiction novel Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1990 science fiction novel The World at the End of Time by Frederik Pohl
- Cadwell Turnbull revisits the 1998 religious science fiction novel Children of God by Maria Doria Russell.
Con and event reports:
- Locus reports about the 2025 Galaxycon in Chengdu, China.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his experiences at the 2025 World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, UK.
- Locus reports that the 2026 StokerCon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has announced their guests of honour.
- The 2028 Worldcon bid for Brisbane, Australia, shares an update.
- ToyMirth shares a video tour of the 2025 LegionsCon in Whippany, New Jersey.
- Big Dub also shares a video tour of the 2025 LegionsCon.
- Sarah Wood Gonzalez reports that Game of Thrones inspired medieval weddings are increasingly popular among people who have likely never watched Game of Thrones.
Science and technology:
- Riko Seibo reports that the Chinese space station Tiangong hosts dual crews after a space debris impact delays the return of Shenzhou-20.
- Katia Riddle reports that the staff of NASA's Goddard Space Center has said that they are constantly being attacked by the US government.
- Robin Wordsworth muses whether the future of spaceflight should be human, robotic or both.
- Matthew Williams points out that self-replicating probes could be operating right now in the solar system and explains how we could look for them
- Victor Tangermann reports that the mysterious interstallar object 3I/ATLAS may have exploded
- Tudor Tarita reports that scientists have built a working laser entirely from renewable biomaterials
- Alison Green lists some times when AI got things very, very wrong.
- BBC Witness History profiles Michael Hart, the so-called father of e-books and co-creator of Project Gutenberg.
- James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA, died aged 97
Toys and collectibles:
- Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe 200X Cartoon Collection He-Man, Stratos, Tri-Klops and Beast-Man action figures.
- Pixel Dan reviews the Formo Toys Warriors of the Galaxy Huk, Magnon and Baltard action figures.
- Four Horseman Studios announce the Mythic Legions "Dawn of Discovery" wave.
- Dorklair shares an overview of the Four Horseman Studios Mythic Legions "Dawns of Discovery" wave
- Dorklair reviews the Four Horseman Studios Figura Obscura Gods of Ancient Egypt Thoth action figure.
- Sabina Graves shares a look at the KPop Demon Hunters three-pack from Mattel Creations.
- James Whitbrook shares a list of Lego Star Trek sets he hopes for after the Enterprise-D.
- Milton Griep reports that collectibles manufacturer Funko is suffering from declining profits and is not sure if they will survive the next year.
Free online fiction:
- "The Crow’s Second Tale" by Marissa Lingen in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Loaf in the Woods" by David Marino in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Belle of the Ball" by Stephen Graham Jones in Reactor
- "Elegy for Zephyr One" by Gene Doucette in Lightspeed.
- "Beneath the Umdlebe Tree; or, A Vegetable Love Story" by Modupeoluwa Shelle in Lightspeed.
- "The Last Minute Before the Rooster Crows" by Malena Salazar Maciá in The Deadlands.
- "The Case of the Missing Lake" by Colby Devitt in Imagine 2200.
- "FAQ on My Vagina Dentata" by Jarune Uwujaren in Apex Magazine.
- "The Window at My Mother’s Back, the Door in My Belly" by A. W. Prihandita in The Dark.
- "An Ancient and Terrible Appetite" by Matthew X. Gomez in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "Primordium" by Erica Ruppert in Nightmare Magazine.
- "The Apologists" by Tade Thompson in Clarkesworld.
Trailers and videos:
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