Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 12, 2025

 

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 of 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Masters of the Universe in general, the final season of Stranger Things, The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who in general,  It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Pluribus, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Dust Bunny, Netflix planning to buy Warner Bros, tributes to Tom Stoppard and Sophie Kinsella and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in December 2025   
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in December 2025  
• Emily C. Hughes shares horror highlights for December 2025 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five freshly reprinted SFF series to enjoy. 
• Daniel Yadin attempts to explain the romantasy genre.
• Donna Glee Williams shares her issues with the hero's journey. 
• Gautam Bhatia talks about the secret history of Indian science fiction. 
• Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse shares six international folk horror novels.
• Alex Brown shares five underrated suburban horror novels 
• Hayley Dennings talks about using black vampire fiction to explore America's horrific past  
• Kristi DeMeester shares books about gender, domesticity and witchcraft. 
• Marissa Lingen discusses the domestic fantastic in classic Nordic children’s fantasy 
• A.M. Gelberg talks about outgrowing your childhood heroes. 
• Sabina Graves explains how the Grinch became a holiday icon. 
• Gyles Brandreth reminds us that A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, also wrote romance novels 

 

Tributes to Sophie Kinsella:

• Writer Madeleine Wickham a.k.a. Sophie Kinsella, best known for the Shopaholic series, has died aged 55. 
• Joyo Moyes shares an obituary for Sophie Kinsella. 

 

 Best of 2025:

• The Reactor reviewers share their favourite SFF books of 2025. 
• Twenty SFF writers share their favourite SFF books of 2025. 
• Adam Roberts shares his five favourite science fiction books of 2025.
• io9 shares the fictional characters and shows we lost in 2025

 

Comics and Art:

• Stew Hotston reviews The One Hand and The Six Fingers by Ram V., Laurence Campbell, Dan Watters, Sumit Kumar, Lee Loughridge, Adiya Bidikar and Tom Muller   
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the best conspiracy books of 2025.

 

Film and TV: 

• Kali Wallace calls Mars Express a truly rich, compelling science fiction movie that's flown under the radar for too long... 
• Aaron Jones calls Last Samurai Standing an action-packed survival series set during an interesting time in history  
• Ann Michelle Harris calls Zomvivor an entertaining succession of jump scares and survival stress. 
• Leah Thomas calls the anime Hell’s Paradise a brutal quest for immortality that leads to fascinating questions about human nature and connection. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution combines all the worst impulses of the anime compilation film format  
• Cheryl Eddy calls Influencers a killer sequel. 
• Cath Clarke calls Animalia a surreal exploration of class, gender and spiritual transformation  
• Justin Carter shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Mighty Nein. 
• Tom Russell lists five science fiction shows with perfect villains. 
• James Whitbrook shares a history of the many different cuts of Star Wars: A New Hope. 
• Sydney Bucksbaum interviews Aleks Paunovic who plays Polyphemus in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1983 fantasy movie Krull. 
• Dan Larson revisits the 1983 animated series Dungeons & Dragons. 
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 revisits the 1983 animated series Dungeons & Dragons.  
• Dan Larson revisits the 1983 animated series The Littles.  
• Samantha Nelson revisits the 1990 animated film The Rescuers Down Under. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Moments of Transition” 
• Using Avatar: Fire and Ash as an example, Phil Hoad talks about strategies to turn movies into events and blockbusters.  
• Caitlin Huston reports that Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to Google pver AI copyright infringement.
• Isaac Rouse reports that Disney has licenced several of its iconic characters to OpenAI's Sora platform, proving that they have no problem with copyright infringement as long as they are paid. 
• Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, best known for his roles in the Mortal Kombat series, James Bond: Licence to Kill, The Last Emperor and many others, has died aged 75. 

 

Tributes to Tom Stoppard:

• Brian Cox remembers Tom Stoppard.
• Readers of the Guardian remember Tom Stoppard. 

 

Discussion of Holiday Horror Movies:

• Jordan Shiveley talks about the changes in Christmas horror films from slasher films to dark fantasy. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five lesser-known horror movies set at Christmas 
• Germain Lussier ranks his sixteen favourite holiday movies. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Colt Crane reviews issue 2 of Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Flaws by Tim Seeley and Freddie Williams II. 
• Aaron Sagers and Anthony Lund interview Morena Baccarin, who will play the Sorceress in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film.
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 discusses the rise and fall of She-Ra: Princess of Power. 
• James Eatock takes a look at the origin of the Masters of the Universe character Man-e-Faces.

 

Comments on The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who in general: 

• Lucy Mangan declares that The War Between the Land and the Sea is entertaining, but feels like a wasted opportunity to make genuinely great TV  
• James Whitbrook declares that The War Between the Land and the Sea is off to a soggy start  
• Martin Belam wonders whether The War Between the Land and the Sea can save Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook chronicles how Doctor Who completely disintegrated in 2025. 

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Justin Carter wonders if 2025 was Marvel's comeback year. 
• Watch a clip from Wonder Man. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things:

• Haley Zapal declares that the first part of the final season of Stranger Things did a good job of setting up what's promising to be an epic conclusion. 
• Sabina Graves shares thirteen burning questions she has for the second part of the final season of Stranger Things. 
• Maya Hunter and Chloe Melas pay a visit to Jackson, Georgia, where Stranger Things was filmed.
• The New York Times reports that the phone number seen on a Missing poster in Stranger Things actually works. 

 

Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• William Hughes shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Cheryl Eddy wonders who is the worst villain on It: Welcome to Derry.   

 

Comments on Dust Bunny: 

• Natalia Keogan calls Dust Bunny a macabre yet whimsical tale of kids and killers.   
• Trace Sauveur calls Dust Bunny the sort of gateway horror film for young audiences that Hollywood rarely makes anymore.  

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong discusses a specific cameo in Pluribus.
• Vanessa Armstrong discusses another cameo in Pluribus. 
• Dessi Gomez interviews Rhea Seehorn who plays Carol in Pluribus. 

 

Comments on Five Nights at Freddy's 2:

• Sabina Graves declares that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is at its best when it’s not bogged down by video game lore 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is currently sitting at number 1 of the US box office charts. 

 

Comments on Netflix buying Warner Bros and HBO Max:

• Todd Spangler reports that Netflix will buy Warner Bros and HBO Max in a multi-billion dollar deal. 
• Benjamin Lee reports that the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros is facing backlash from various Hollywood guilds and unions as well as US politicians. 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that the Writers Guild Of America West and East released a joint statement denouncing Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. 
• Vance Kotrla wonders whether Netflix puchasing Warner Bros will mean the end of Hollywood as we know it. 
• Justin Carter declares that no one is happy about Netflix buying Warner Bros. 
• Benjamin Mullins and Lauren Hrisch report that Paramount, recently taken over by Skydance Media, is planning a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. 
• Isaiah Colbert reports that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has promised that Warner Bros films will still receive theatrical releases, though the windows will be shorter. 
• Andrew Pulver wonders what precisely Netflix is hoping to achieve by buying Warner Bros.  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2025 Nommo Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Golden Globes have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Critics Choice Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Game Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Prometheus Hall of Fame Awards have been announced. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Chris M. Barkley has finally received his Hugo Award, which he won in 2023. 
• Stuart Heritage reports that actor Marlon Wayans mispronounced several names during the announcement of the 2025 Golden Globe finalists. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• John Ryan talks about skill tests for video game writers
• Brieanna J. Frank reports that the US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal against the Texas book banning law, which means that several books remain banned in Texas.

 

Interviews:

• Ann Leckie and Arkady Martine interview each other.
• Grimdark Magazine interviews Marie Lu. 
• Locus interviews Bethany Jacobs 
• Martin Cahill interviews Victor Manibo. 

 

Reviews: 

• Lesa Holstine reviews The Tale of the Wicked by John Scalzi
• Mark Yon reviews Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Z.B. Steele reviews Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews All That We See Or Seem by Ken Liu 
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews There Is No Anti-Memetics Division by QNTM. 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Polyphonic Seduction by Kit Englard 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Psychopomp and Circumstance by Eden Royce 
• Molly Templeton reviews Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Retrovival by Douglas Thompson 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna 
• Fiona Denton reviews Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson 
• Chris Kluwe reviews The Trident and The Pearl by Sarah K.L. Wilson 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews To The Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-Young, translated by Soje.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Tom's Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski 
• Paul Weimer reviews  Babylonia by Constanza Casati 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks  
• Ed Crocker reviews Play Nice by Rachel Harrison 
• Ian Mond reviews The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Murder in Absentia by Assaph Mehr  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Shattering of Glass by Deck Matthews 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo 
• Fiona Sturges reviews The Dead of Winter by Sarah Clegg  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Utopias of the Third Kind by Vandana Singh 
• Niall Harrison reviews Between Worlds, edited by Gautam Bhatia 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Gary Warner revisits the 1952 time travel story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1963 science fiction novel Way Station by Clifford D. Simak  
• John Boston revisits the January 1971 issue of Amazing. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1971 issue of Galaxy. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1972 space opera Space Skimmer by David Gerrold  
• Kristen Patterson revisits the 1994 Hainish science fiction novella "Solitude" by Ursula K. Le Guin. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1994 Zhu Wong time travel novel Summer of Love by Lisa Mason  
• Brian Collins revisits the 2003 science fiction story “Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst” by Kage Baker 
• Brian Collins revisits the 2005 science fiction story “I Live with You” by Carol Emshwiller
• Esmay Rosalyne revisits the 2016 fantasy romance Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat
  
  

Con and event reports:

• Alice Strangman reports about the 2025 World Fantasy Convetion in Brighton, UK.
• Mike Glyer shares a summary of future Worldcon bids presented at SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• Octothorpe report about the 2026 SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• The schedule for the 2026 virtual WSFS Business Meeting has been announced.  
• Germain Lussier lists all the SFF films that will be shown at the Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah. 
• Matthew Byrd reports about the Robocop statue set up in Detroit, Michigan. 
• Deena Prichep reports about a Krampuslauf in Portland, Oregon. 

 

Science and technology:

• Sarah Knapton reports that according to Steven Pinker, the current situation is not like George Orwell's 1984. 
• Janna Brancolini reports that McDonald's was forced to pull an AI-generated holiday commercial after a massive backlash.  
• P.J. Nelson recounts how the ghost of Margaret Mitchell is allegedly haunting the theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, outside of which she was hit by a car and killed.
• Maxie Dara shares three stories about haunted places.  
• Nadia Davids talks about hauntings in South Africa. 
• Famous architect Frank Gehry has died aged 96.
• Science reporter John Noble Wilford, who covered the Moon landings among other things, has died aged 92. 
   

Gaming: 

• The Guardian shares the thirty best board games for Christmas 2025
• Kate Jackson reviews the video game Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping
• C.T. Phipps reviews the video game Alone in the Dark
• Naomi Alderman explains why she bought a video game studio.  
• Daniella Lucas reports that newly released Pokémon cards have become so expensive that children can't buy them. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe and Stranger Things crossover figures. 
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 talks about the rise and fall of the 1985 M.A.S.K. toyline from Kenner.

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Us, in Another Universe" by A.C. Wise in Lightspeed.  
• "Crickets in Lost Light" by Jonathan Olfert in Lightspeed. 
• "The Teleporting Disaster Fairy" by Rati Mehrotra in Uncanny Magazine 
• "The Ghost of Cerrera Orbital Station Makes Herself Known" by Laila Amado in The Deadlands.
• "We Have to Go Back" by Nathan Long in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Lustre Mining" by Eliza Chan in The Dark. 
• "A Good Brother" by Anne Wilkins in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Vanya and the Dog Witch" by Walter J. Wiese in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Cassandra and the Changeling" by R.J. Sterling in Apex Magazine. 
• "Imperfect Simulations" by Michelle Z. Jin in Clarkesworld. 
• "Listener Supported" by Juan Martinez in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Review: When the Baby Sleeps" by Lyndsie Manusos in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Proof that the Universe Is Still Good or, The Warm Equations" by Haley Zapal. 
• Reactor lists all the short fiction they published in 2025. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Supergirl. 
• Watch a clip from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. 
• Watch a trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
• Watch a clip from season 2 of Fallout. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender. 
• Watch a trailer for season 5 of The Boys. 
• Watch a trailer for Street Fighter. 
• Watch a trailer for Trigun Stargaze.