Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 10, 2026

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, the cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general, season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, The Testaments, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord and Star Wars in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, For All Mankind, Paradise, The Boys, Exit 8, The Miniature Wife, the 2026 Eastercon and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in April 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in April 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in April 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in April 2026   
• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in April 2026   
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in April 2026     
• Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck share their favourite books about aliens. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five science fiction stories about the dark side of A.I. 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley talks about cyborgs. 
• Sam Reader shares seven strange, secret SFF versions of history 
• Alex Brown shares five SFF books set in strange houses. 
• Carly Racklin talks about queerness and visibility in body horror 
• Molly Templeton talks about the specific experience of being stuck on a book 
• Lyndsie Manusos shares a guide to the works of Ilona Andrews.  
• Charlie Jane Anders explains why Locus matters more than ever  
• Science fiction writer Joseph L. Green has died aged 95.
• Fantasy author John Flanagan has died aged 81.  
• SFF writer Eluki Bes Shahar a.k.a. Rosemary Edghill a.k.a. James Mallory has died aged 70.  

   

Comics and Art:

• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Power Fantasy Vol. 3 by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Clayton Cowles and Rian Hughes  
• David Barnett reports that British science fiction comic hero Dan Dare will return in Dan Dare: First Contact, written by Alex de Campi and illustrated by Marc Laming
• James Whitbrook reports that Absolute Batman introduced a version of Robin who is a giant robot. 
• Fantasy artist Michael Hague has died aged 77. 

 

Film and TV:

• Isaiah Colbert calls the anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End a sublime fantasy that finds beauty in the mundane   
• Leah Thomas calls season 2 of the anime Dorohedoro a bizarre masterpiece.  
• Elijah Gonzales declares that the Little Mermaid-inspired anime ChaO offers a goldfish in Air Jordans and not much else 
• Reuben Baron declares that the Brazilian film The Blue Trail examines aging amidst an ageist dystopia  
• Peter Bradshaw declares that the latest incarnation of Dracula is only notionally about the vampire and involves a bizarre troupe of actors doing a floor-show routine 
• Jacob Oller calls Faces Of Death a so-so slasher too wrapped up in its metafiction 
• Jacob Oller declares that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie unifies its approach to its multigenerational audience by treating them all like babies.  
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Invincible. 
• Michael Hogan explains how AI became TV drama’s new go-to villain 
• Ben Child shares his favourite superhero movies of all time. 
• Jessica Holmes rewatches the 1971 Timeslip serial "The Day of the Clone".  
• James McClellan rewatches the 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido rewatches the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “Strange Relations"  
• Nathan Tavares rewatches the 1999 Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Helpless". 
• Leslie Felperin rewatches the 2006 horror movie Slither. 
• Isaiah Colbert rewatches the 2008 science fiction film Speed Racer.  
• Ryan Gajewski chronicles how Pixar scrapped the animated movie Be Fri in 2023, since it focussed on female friendships and was considered not relatable for male viewers, only for the somewhat thematically similar KPop Demon Hunters to become a runway hit two years later.  
• Justin Carter reports that indie animation is currently having a moment on YouTube  
• British science fiction writer and TV producer Rob Grant, best known for co-creating Red Dwarf, had died aged 70.
• Actor and dancer Keith Hodiak, best known for his appearances in Revenge of the Pink Panther, Doctor Who, Full Metal Jacket and An American Werewolf in London, has died aged 74. 
• Actor John Nolan, best known for his appearances in Doomwatch, Person of Interest and several Batman films, has died aged 87. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Scott Neitlich wonders whether Masters of the Universe can work as a comedy. 
• James Eatock discusses how the Filmation cartoon initially planned to keep the ability of Cringer/Battle-Cat to talk a secret from anybody except for Adam/He-Man's closest friends.

 

Comments on the cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general: 

• Cheryl Eddy reports that the sets of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy have been torn down, spelling the end to this era of Star Trek.
• TrekMovie.com also reports about the dismantling of the sets of Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds and also reports that some props will be auctioned off. 

 

Comments on The Testaments:

• Cheryl Eddy calls The Testaments a beautifully executed dystopian nightmare  
• Natalie Zutter declares that The Testaments is rewriting Gileadan sisterhood, for better or for worse 
• Margaret Atwood reports about her visit to the set of The Testaments.

  

Comments on season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “Gloves Off”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “Gloves Off”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
• Watch a trailer for The Punisher: One Last Kill. 

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future:

• James Whitbrook wonders what on Earth is happening with Doctor Who? 
• Gareth Roberts finds some surprising conservatism in old Doctor Who.  
• Nicholas Whyte responds to Gareth Roberts. 
• Jessica Holmes rewatches the 1971 Doctor Who serial "The Claws of Axos". 

 

Comments on Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Lord and Star Wars in general: 

• Elijah Gonzales declares that Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord breathes a bit of life into a stock villain 
• James Whitbrook calls Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Lord a fine prequel to a great TV show  
• Zack Sharf reports that Stephen Soderbergh has no intention of reviving The Hunt for Ben Solo under Disney’s new leadership 

 

Comments on season 5 of The Boys: 

• Lucy Mangan calls season 5 of The Boys a horrifying pleasure to watch 
• Saloni Gajjar declares that season 5 of The Boys doesn't have anything new to say 
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Jessie T. Usher and Anthony Starr, who play A-Train and Homelander in The Boys.

 

Comments on season 2 of Paradise: 

• Arturo Serrano calls Paradise season 2 a welcome jump in quality over season 1
• Jackie Strause interviews Sterling K. Brown, star of Paradise. 

 

Comments on season 5 of For All Mankind: 

• Germain Lussier interviews Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert, showrunners of For All Mankind.  
• Jeff Spry also interviews Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolbert 

 

Comments on The Miniature Wife:

• Saloni Gajjar calls The Miniature Wife a fantastical and surprisingly substantive dramedy. 
• Lucy Mangan calls The Miniature Wife a pointless comedy 

 

Comments on Exit 8: 

• Germain Lussier calls Exit 8 a satisfying, scary Twitch stream come to life  
• Jacob Oller declares that Exit 8 is tedious, but smart enough to use that to its advantage.  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2026 BSFA Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2026 Philip K. Dick Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Otherwise Award has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2026 Tolkien Society Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Romantic Novel of the Year Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Astra Book Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Ursa Major Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 Xingyun Awards have been announced. 
• The recipient of the 2026 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2026 Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Awards have been announced.  
• The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association has announced its 2026 Grand Master.  
• The winner of the 2025 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Playwriting has been announced. 
• The recipients of the 2026 Big Screen Achievement Awards have been announced.  
• Nadia Khomani reports that the BAFTA organisation has finally apologised for the events surrounding John Davidson’s Tourette’s outburst at the 2026 BAFTA Award ceremony.

 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Hillel Italie reports that PEN America has launched a US safety program for authors facing harassment 
• Mariella Moon reports that Amazon is cutting off support for older Kindles. 
• Jenny Gross and Aimee Ortiz report that Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service have reached a new deal on deliveries after a year of talks  
• Jim Milliot reports that the Trump administration has withdrawn an appeal to the judgment in favour of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, but has also withdrawn their funding.

 

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Suzanne Palmer. 
• Locus interviews Rebecca Roanhorse.
• Paul Weimer interviews John Chu. 
• Arley Sorg interviews John Chu.  
• Dominique Musorrafiti interviews Alan Moore. 
• Locus interviews Richard K. Morgan. 
• Gabrielle Harbowy interviews Peadar Ó Guilín 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Sylvain Neuvel. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Alan Smale. 
• The Guardian interviews Deborah Levy. 

 

Reviews: 

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Platform Decay by Martha Wells   
• Paul Weimer reviews The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen 
• Christine D. Baker reviews Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer  
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall 
• Mark Yon reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi. 
• Jared Shurin reviews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews 
• Liz Bourke reviews Bloodtide by Sophie Burnham 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Year of The Mer by L.D. Lewis 
• Stuart Cripps-Schnoor reviews The Grimnir Saga by Scott Oden  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Heretic by Noah Isaacs
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Governess’s Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses by Amy Rose Bennett 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
• Alex Brown reviews You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Love Lethal, Death Divine by Jelena Dunato 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Light of the Song by Joyce Ch'ng  
• Ed Crocker reviews The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon 
• Kate Jackson reviews Vivian Dies Again by C. E. Hulse  
• Marion Deeds reviews The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister 
• Krystle Matar reviews The Brides by Charlotte Cross 
• Ian Mond reviews A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu 
• Jen Lucas reviews Black Lake Manor by Guy Morpuss  
• Maya C. James reviews An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole  
• Niall Harrison reviews Event Horizon by Balsam Karam 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Every Galaxy a Circle by Chloe N. Clark
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar  
• Hache Pueyo reviews You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi, translated by Chris Andrews.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Fight Like A Girl, edited by Roz Clarke and Joanne Hall 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Paranormal Payback, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes 

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber and Marion Deeds revisit the 1908 weird horror novel The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1927 Lost World novel In the Beginning by Alan Sullivan
• Dave Hook revisits the 1943 fantasy anthology The Moonlight Traveler: Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination, edited by Philip Van Doren Stern  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1957 science fiction collection Earth Is Room Enough by Isaac Asimov
• David Levinson revisits the May/June 1971issue of World of If. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the May/June 1971 issue of Galaxy. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1981 contemporary fantasy novel Little, Big by John Crowley. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1985 fantasy novel Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1993 YA horror novel The Wish by Diane Hoh. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1994 science fiction novel Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh. 
• Clara Cohen revisits the 2017 Fitz and the Fool epic fantasy novel Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Simon Burley shares his experiences at Iridescence, the 2026 Eastercon in Birmingham, UK.
• Luckykaa shares their experiences at Iridescence. 
• Morwenna's Tower shares their experiences at Iridescence. 
• Alison Scott and John Coxon interview Claudia Rapp, the chair of MetropolCon, the 2026 Eurocon in Berlin, Germany. 
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction Reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Michael Swanwick and Mike Allen . 
• Alex Beam reports about the Cat Museum in Salem, Massachussetts. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• The anthology Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume Four is looking for funding. 
• SFF artist and Hugo winner Maurine Starkey needs help to keep her home. 

 

Science and technology:

• Thomas L. Friedman shares his concerns about Anthropic's AI system Claude.
• Elizabeth Gibney reports that the International Conference on Machine Learning in Seoul, South Korea, rejected almost 500 papers for violating their AI policies.  
• John Carreyrou attempts to unmask the creator of Bitcoin.  

 

Gaming: 

• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Cocoon by Geometric Interactive 
• Matt Larkin reviews the video game Nioh 3. 
• Germain Lussier reviews the video game Resident Evil Requiem
• Keith Stuart discusses how games capture the awe and terror of cosmic isolation 
• Martin Cahill explains where to start with Critical Role

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Dorklair reviews the Highland Warrior action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.
• D Amazing reviews the Highland Warrior action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.
• Toy Bro reviews the Highland Warrior action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at the Star Wars Black Series Darth Nihilus and Darth Traya two-pack from Hasbro.  
• Germain Lussier takes a look at some Star Wars: Black Series action figures from Hasbro that come with practice targets and t-shirts. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at some upcoming Tron: Legacy action figures from Hasbro. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at some Star Wars themed popcorn buckets. 
• Germain Lussier reports that the Labubu hype has faded and may be taking down Pop Mart with it. 
• Suhauna Hussain reports that one million US-dollar worth of stolen LEGO sets have been recovered in California.  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Saint Zero of the Hollows and the Eagle Knight" by V.M. Ayala in Lightspeed.  
• "Hell Is Empty" by J.R. Dawson in Lightspeed.  
• "Macaroni Art in the Age of Filtration" by Ryan Cole in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Trajectory of Memory is Forward" by Rajeev Prasad in Clarkesworld.
• "How Gods Feed" by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Under White Air" by Jonathan Olfert in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Let’s Go to the Zoo" by Louis Evans in Reactor.
• "The Lesson" by David Mulry in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Final Girl Trap" by A.C. Wise in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Windows" by Ibrahim Ojedokun in The Dark. 
• "Easter Haunting" by Margaret Mendel in Kings River Life.  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Widow's Bay.
• Watch a trailer for Buffet Infinity.