Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 25, 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, Widow's Bay, Supergirl, season 3 of House of the Dragon, season 2 of the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat, Backrooms, The Death of Robin Hood, Toy Story 5 and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cynthia Ward talks about the sword and sorcery resurgence and worries that the genre may be losing some of its essential weirdness. 
• Rogues in the House talk about point of view in sword and sorcery fiction. 
• Ruthanna Emrys shares five books about futures worth fighting for  
• Andrea Hairston shares five books that make history fantastic.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five ways to get transported to other worlds that don’t involve getting hit by a truck 
• Molly Templeton points out that the way to read more is to read more 

   

Comics and Art:

• Bill Capossere reviews The Ultimates by Ted Adams
• Anthony Pollock shares fifteen weird and wonderful Vertigo Comics.  

  

Film and TV:

• Ann Michelle Harris calls Phantom Lawyer a fantasy K-drama that offers lawyers, ghosts and lots of emotional intensity  
• Leah Schnelbach calls the time loop movie Rose of Nevada something special.
• Kali Wallace declares that Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes offers charmingly low-stakes time loop hijinks 
• Phil Hoad calls Shadows of Willow Cabin a talky low budget horror film.
• Cath Clarke calls The Morrigan a predictable and conventional horror movie from Ireland.  
• Phil Hoad calls Pitfall a laborious and bombastic horror thriller set in a forest where a maniacal woodsman and a cast of irritating victims converge with gory results
• Catherine Bray calls Hold the Fort an enjoyable horror comedy. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Sugar.  
• Val Nolan talks about the different ways Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy handle the subject of nostalgia.   
• David Denby explains why the Odyssey keeps defeating filmmakers. 
• Ben Child discusses the weirdest fan rumours surrounding Spider-Man: Brand New Day  
• Monica Castillo says that the recent wave of stop motion animated films is part of the backlash against AI. 
• Lorna Wallace lists five science fiction and fantasy found footage movies 
• Carmine M Pariante discusses the psychological reasons why some people cannot tolerate horror movies. 
• E.L. Chen talks about slasher movies and stereotypes.  
• Reuben Baron interviews Louise Bagnall, director of the animated movie Julián 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1971 Doctor Who serial "The Daemons".  
• Don Kaye revisits the 1971 science fiction film Escape from the Planet of the Apes 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1985 animated fantasy film The Black Cauldron. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “Movements of Fire and Shadow” 
• Judith Tarr shares her appreciation for Bugs Bunny and his dearest frenemies. 
• William Hughes reports that an animated Dark Shadows series is in the works. 
• Germain Lussier reports that Warner Bros may be planning an animated Thundercats movie  
• Willa Rowe reports that Genndy Tartakovsky is planning to make an animated Conan the Barbarian series.  

 

Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:

• Adam McCombs shares his thoughts on Masters of the Universe and lists which characters he hopes to see in a potential sequel. 
• This is Play calls Masters of the Universe a big, romping blockbuster that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. 
• CastleMania Games interviews James Wilkinson who plays Mekaneck in Masters of the Universe. 
• Goreminister interviews James Wilkinson who plays Mekaneck and James Apps who plays Spikor in Masters of the Universe.  
• Simon Gallagher interviews Dolph Lundgren who played He-Man in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie. 
• He-Mania interviews Arun Bassi who plays Pig-Boy in Masters of the Universe.  
• Colt Crane interviews Barrie Gower, prosthetics and make-up designer for Masters of the Universe. 
• He-Mania interviews Barrie Gower. 
• Kurt Crucial visits various filming locations of the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie and takes a look at what they look like today. 
• James Eatock takes a look at the Masters of the Universe mini-comic "Leech: The Master of Power Suction Unleashed" 
• Watch a clip from Masters of the Universe. 
• Watch a featurette about the making of the soundtrack of Masters of the Universe.  
• Watch "Orko and Teela Set Traps for Skeletor", the second episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.  

Comments on season 3 of House of the Dragon:  

• Jack Seale declares that in season 3, House of the Dragon becomes the orgy of carnage it should always have been 
• Caroline Siede declares that House Of The Dragon is for the history nerds 
• Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood”, the season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon. 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood”, the season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood”, the season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon. 
• Sean T. Collins shares his thoughts on “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood”, the season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon. 
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews Olivia Cooke who plays Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Olivia Cooke and Harry Collett, who plays Jacaerys Velaryon in House of the Dragon.  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Steve Toussaint, who plays Corlys Velaryon, and Abubakar Salim, who plays Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon.  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Tom Glynn-Carney who plays King Aegon Targaryen and Matthew Needham who plays Lord Larys Strong in House of the Dragon 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett and Clinton Liberty, who play the so-called Dragonseeds in House of the Dragon.
• Cheryl Eddy reports that the ratings for season 3 of House of the Dragon are only slightly down from season 2, but a far cry from season 1. 

 

Comments on Supergirl: 

• Jesse Hassenger calls Supergirl not as terrific as its source material, but it's still a worthwhile companion piece to DC's big guy. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Supergirl a sprightly and sparkling superhero yarn without the usual baffling DC backstory 
• Germain Lussier declares that Supergirl is deeper and darker than you’re expecting 
• Owen Gleiberman feels the need to let us know that he really, really, really hates Supergirl. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin also really doesn't like Supergirl. 
• Jordan Iacobucci shares seven reasons that many critics are wrong about Supergirl.   
• Jamie Lovett reports that while many critics dislike Supergirl, audiences are overwhelmingly positive.  
• Germain Lussier interviews Ana Nogueira and Milly Alcock, writer and star of Supergirl 
• Caroline Siede revisits the 1984 superhero movie Supergirl.  
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Comments on season 2 of the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender:

• Isaiah Colbert declares that the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender still feels off-balance in season 2
• Joshua Rivera wonders why all attempts to revive Avatar: The Last Airbender failed to recapture the magic of the original. 

 

 Comments on Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat:

• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. 
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. 

 

Comments on Widow's Bay: 

• Olivia Rutigliano calls Widow's Bay the best show on TV. 
• Dean E.S. Richard shares his thoughts on Widow's Bay and notes that funny and scary are subjective 
• The Hugo, Girl! podcast discusses Widow's Bay.
• Emma Fraser shares her appreciation for the costumes of Widow's Bay.   

 

 Comments on The Death of Robin Hood: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin notes that The Death of Robin Hood is not the first time someone has tried to insert realism into a Robin Hood story... but it might be nice if it were the last.
• Jacob Oller offers a spoilerish review of The Death of Robin Hood, even though the title spoils the ending.  

 

Comments on Backrooms:

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on Backrooms. 
• Josh Pearce reviews Backrooms 

 

Comments on Toy Story 5: 

• Arturo Serrano calls Toy Story 5 a movie that has no reason to exist
• Caroline Siede find that Pixar keeps Toy Story 5 fresh by focussing more on the kid who owns the toys than on the toys themselves.  
• Jesse Hassenger takes a look at the entire Toy Story series and finds deep philosophical things to say about them.  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 Eugie Foster Memorial Award have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2026 Ignyte Awards has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Robert E. Howard Awards have been announced.  
• The shortlist for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award has been announced  
• The finalists for the 2025 Sidewise Awards have been announced.  
• The winners of the 2026 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Prix ActuSF de l’Uchronie have been announced.
• The winners of the 2025 Coyotl Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Future Worlds Prize have been announced.
• The winner of the 2026 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 American Manga Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2026 Bill Finger Award have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Russ Manning Award have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Carnegie Medals for Children’s Writing and Illustration have been announced.  
• The shortlist for the 2026 Diana Jones Award has been announced. 

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Jason Sanford speaks about about harassment at the hands of SFF writer and publisher E.D.E. Bell.  
• Catriona Menzies-Pike declares that Australia is publishing books too quickly – and everyone is losing out
• Emma Loffhagen reports that teen boys in the UK are mostly reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney, while teen girls have much broader tastes.  

 

Interviews:

• Chris Power interviews M. John Harrison.
• Alex Puncekar interviews Molly Tanzer. 

 

Reviews:   

• Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds review Platform Decay by Martha Wells 
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth 
• Clara Cohen reviews Villain by Natalie Zina Walschotts  
• Matthew Keeley reviews Earth 7 by Deb Olin Unferth 
• Carla Schantz reviews Magic City Mayhem by Marcus X. Figuerola. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney  
• Tobias Carroll reviews Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry,
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Physical Magic by William C. Tracy 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Artificer’s Knot by Eric Lewis
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Of Mages and Makers by Rel Carroll 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Of Magic and Empire by Shay Yates Roberts 
• Alex Brown reviews The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Bedlam Rose by Terry Dowling 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
• Colleen Mondor reviews Girl of Lore by Melanie Dale 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Pariah by Dan Abnett 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Bloodweaver by C.N. Kuster 
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Blood of the Damned by Antony J. Stanton
• Rob Bedford reviews The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DeLouie. 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Until We Drown by Ava Morwood 
• Ed Crocker reviews Atomic Coffin by Benedict Anning 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Nestlings by Nat Cassidy 
• Niall Harrison reviews Animal Spiral by Luis Othoniel Roa, translated by Katie Marya 
• Niall Harrison reviews Plastic, Prism, Void by Violet Allen
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Dispatcher by John Scalzi 
• Hache Pueyo reviews The Delivery by Margarita García Robayo.
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Oaths and Offerings, edoted by Nathaniel Spain 
• Chris Kluwe reviews Auntie Heroes, edited by Rita Beeman 

 

Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1963 non-fiction book Is There Life on Other Worlds? by Poul Anderson   
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1971 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.  
• Winona Menezes revisits the 1971 speculative fiction anthology Clarion, edited by Robin Scott Wilson. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1976 anthology Galactic Empires: Volume Two, edited by Brian W. Aldiss.  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 military science fiction collection Bolo: The Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade by Keith Laumer 
• Mark Yon revisits the 1980 autobiography In Joy Still Felt by Isaac Asimov 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1983 portal fantasy The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novel The Scream Team by Diane Hoh 
• Joe Sherry revisits the 1994 fantasy novel The Magic Engineer by L.E. Modesitt.  

 

Con and event reports:

• Karen Fishwick clears up some confusion regarding the Fantasycon, the World Fantasy Convention and Eurocon 
• Clarke Gayford declares that literary festivals are the new raves and that he couldn't be happier.
• Germain Lussier shares his favourite custom toys and figures on display at DesignerCon in Pasadena, California. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• Blue Fire: A Jirel of Joiry Novella by Molly Tanzer is looking for funding.

 

Science and technology:

• Ian Sample shares the largest and most detailed shot of the Milky Way’s centre to date.  
• Cory Doctorow talks about Elon Musk and the AI bubble. 

 

Gaming: 

• Jen Lennon shares the best games to snag on Free RPG Day 
• Isaiah Colbert shares his thoughts on the video game Truck-kun Is Supporting Me From Another World?!  
• Keith Stuart shares the history of brilliantly terrible World Cup video games 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Fright Pit playset.  
• Matthew Aguilar shares a look at the Mattel Masters of the Universe Core Battle for Eternia playset.
• Toy Habits shares a look at some Dukes of Hazard action figures and car from Ramen Toys.  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Ecstasy of the White Sea" by K.J. Kabza in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Waiting for The Yellow Ships" by Edward Hodge in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The Sharing of Some Familiar Song" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.   
• "Ash-Shūrā; or, A Book, a Bowl, a Bag of Coins" by Beesan Odeh in Lightspeed.   
• "The Tithe of Ulfthern" by Patrick Kanouse in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "#HumansOfMars" by Lavie Tidhar in Uncanny Magazine  
• "Ada the Last Daughter: On Blackhole Cosmology and Computation" by Chris Campbell in Apex Magazine.  
• "Three Cases from the Cosmic Psychiatric Clinic" by Pan Haitian, translated by Blake Stone-Banks in Clarkesworld. 
• "Burning Day" by Samantha Murray in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Black Fox" by David Demchuk in The Dark. 
• "Word of Mouth" by Andrea Phillips in The Sunday Morning Transport.

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Batman: Caped Crusader.  
• Watch a trailer for Klara and the Sun.
• Watch a trailer for Practical Magic 2.  
• Watch a trailer for Forgotten Island. 
• Watch a trailer for The Magic Faraway Tree.  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 19, 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, Widow's Bay, Disclosure Day, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat, I Am Frankelda, The Death of Robin Hood, Leviticus, season 2 of Sugar, Toy Story 5 and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.  
• Alex Brown shares must-read speculative short fiction published in May 2026. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five very different science fictional takes on space habitats 
• James Davis Nicoll takes  a look at science fiction story that offers solutions to traffic problems  
• Lish McBride shares her favourite whimsical LGBTQ+ SFF. 
• Aly Noel shares recommendations for children's and YA fantasy series.  
• Lindsey Kent shares five great novels that read like bad trips, fever dreams or reality warps  
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror stories that offer a twist on the final girl formula 
• Matthew Cheney takes a look at the early horror works of Clive Barker and Joel Lane.  
• SFF writer Jane Yolen has died aged 87. 

   

Comics and Art:

• Stew Hotston reviews Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez. 
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Alva in the Dark by Aksel Studsgarth 
• Locus interviews comic artist and illustrator Dante Luiz. 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about a hypothetical FIFA Prize for Literature.  

  

Film and TV:

• Germain Lussier shares early reactions to Supergirl.  
• Monica Castillo calls Rose of Nevada an immersive science fiction mystery with an otherworldly style.
• Leslie Felperin calls The Toymaker's Key an eclectic if overwrought steampunk animated film.  
• Isaiah Colbert calls the animated series Among Us a delightful mix of comedy and horror 
• Cath Clarke calls Thirst a trashy 1980s style body horror film.  
• Alex Brown shares their thought on "Starry Night", the latest episode of The Terror: Devil in Silver.  
• Ben Child calls the planned Hunt for Gollum a movie we don't need. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Ryan Condal, showrunner for House of the Dragon. 
• Jake Pitre looks back at 1990s movies that were concerned with the Internet and virtual reality.  
• Leah Thomas shares five anime for fans of John Carpenter 
• Phil Hoad revisits the 1985 anime Angel's Egg.  
• Isaiah Colbert revisits the 1986 anime Project A-Ko 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1994 animated film The Lion King.  
• Kayleigh Donaldsen revisits the 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder” 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2019 science fiction film Cosmos.  
• Sam Barsanti wonders whether it's time to let Doctor Who die. 
• Former child actress and voice actress Daveigh Chase, best known for her roles in The Ring, Big Love and Donnie Darko and for voicing Lilo in Lilo and Stitch and Chihiro in the English version of Spirited Away, has died aged 35. 

 

Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:

• Cora Buhlert, Juan Sanmiguel and Vicky Jakobowski discuss Masters of the Universe. 
• Ann Michelle Harris calls Masters of the Universe a lighthearted nostalgic adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously 
• A,J, from He-Mania calls Masters of the Universe his favourite film of all time. 
• Alex Wiggan talks about the positive impact of Masters of the Universe and how the movie is bringing joy to audiences. 
• Rachel Leishman interviews Travis Knight, director of Masters of the Universe. 
• He-Mania interviews Sam C. Wilson who plays Trap-Jaw in Masters of the Universe.  
• Colt Crane interviews Jon Xue Zhang who plays Ram-Man in Masters of the Universe.  
• Simon Bland interviews Dolph Lundgren and Robert Duncan McNeil who played He-Man and Kevin Corrigan in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie.  
• Colt Crane interviews Tim Sheridan, writer of Masters of the Universe: Wings of Fate.  
• Alex Wiggan reviews Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate #1, by Tim Sheridan and Will Sliney 
• Todd Luck reviews Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate #1, by Tim Sheridan and Will Sliney 
• Captain Video explains why He-Man meant everything to 1980s kids.  
• Alex Wiggan explains why Masters of the Universe still matters decades later. 
• Alex Wiggan laments that Masters of the Universe was called a flop before the movie was even out. 
• Cora Buhlert shares her experiences going to see Masters of the Universe in Hamburg, Germany.  
• James Eatock shares a proposal for a never produced animated Masters of the Universe movie from 1983.  
• Watch "He-Man's Secret Power", the first episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.  

Comments on Widow's Bay:  

• The AV Club share their thoughts on season 1 of Widow's Bay.  
• Leanne Butkovic shares her thoughts on season 1 of Widow's Bay.  
• Josef Ardalian discusses the surprising popularity of Widow's Bay.  
• Caroline Siede declares that Widow’s Bay reclaims the spinster 
• Christina Radish interviews Katie Dippold, showrunner of Widow's Bay 
• Emily Zemler interviews Hiro Murai, director of Widow's Bay. 
• Destiny Jackson interviews Kingston Rumi Southwick, who plays Evan in Widow's Bay. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares eight questions and demands for season 2 of Widow's Bay.  
• Matthew Byrd shares recommendations for what to watch after Widow’s Bay 
• Molly Templeton reports that Widow's Bay has been renewed for season 2. 

 

Comments on Disclosure Day: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Disclosure Day should have remained undisclosed
• Mike McCahill declares that Disclosure Day appears terribly hazy, if not outright befuddled, on crucial plot points. 
• Leah Schnelbach notes that Disclosure Day puts religion and aliens in a blender, with mixed results 
• Arturo Serrano notes that Disclosure Day is not about the power of whistleblowing, but about the power of movies
• Rory Doherty declares that Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's riskiest finale yet 
• Xan Brooks wonders why movies are suddenly into conspiracy theories again. 

 

Comments on season 2 of Sugar:

• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on season 2 of Sugar.  
• Jack Seale calls Sugar a luxurious labyrinth of noir 

 

 Comments on Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat:

• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. 
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. 

 

Comments on I Am Frankelda: 

• Monica Castillo calls I Am Frankelda a pure animated delight 
• Isaiah Colbert calls I Am Frankelda a stop-motion fever dream you’ll never want to wake up from 

 

 Comments on The Death of Robin Hood: 

• Jacob Oller declares that The Death of Robin Hood reckons with myth but stays on the surface. 
• Caroline Siede revisits the 1938 The Adventures Of Robin Hood and finds that it still holds up. .

 

Comments on Leviticus:

• Monica Castillo calls Leviticus a harrowing horror film from Australia.   
• Reuben Baron calls for queer horror fans to watch Leviticus.   

 

Comments on Toy Story 5: 

• Peter Bradshaw declares that Toy Story 5 shows that the inexplicably popular Pixar franchise is played out. 
• Jesse Hassenger finds that the emotional core and big laughs remain in Toy Story 5, even if the plotting gets overbusy
• Germain Lussier claims that Toy Story 5 does Pixar’s signature franchise proud

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2026 Lambda Literary Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 TCA Awards have been announced. 
• With regard to the surprising Clarke Award nomination for Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, Camestros Felapton notes that the increased scrutiny that comes with a major award nomination isn't always good for a work. 

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Ruthanna Emrys talks about finding inspiration beyond books.
• Holly Beretto profiles the Murder by the Book mystery bookstore in Houston, Texas. 

 

Interviews:

• Fiona Denton interviews Sarah Hinkley.  
• Deborah Kalb interviews Claudia Gray. 
• Esmay Rosalyne interviews Adrian M. Gibson. 
• Esmay Rosalyne interviews Z.B. Steele. 
• Harold Schechter and Lauren Oliver interview each other.   
• Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee interview David Goodman. 
• Locus interviews Sheree Reneé Thomas. 
• Locus interviews Nivia Evans.

 

Reviews:   

• Paul Di Filippo reviews Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Moon Over Brendle by Jeff Noon 
• Mark Yon reviews The Captain's Daughter by Peter F. Hamilton.  
• Alex Brown reviews Bromantasy by Máire Roche
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews Villain by Natalie Zina Walshots 
• Paul Weimer reviews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm  
• Camestros Felapton reviews There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman  
• Melissa A.Watkins reviews Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb 
• Niall Harrison reviews Homebound by Portia Elan 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst 
• Arturo Serrano reviews The Nightland Express by J. M. Lee 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu   
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews City of Stone by K. T. Holder 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler
• Liz Bourke reviews The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn  
• Vanessa Fogg reviews The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews A Murder Most Fungal by Adrian M. Gibson 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan 
• Clara Cohen reviews Rainmaker, Rainmaker by Kevin B. Hillstrom 
• Alex Puncekar reviews A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Until We Drown by Ava Morwood  
• Rob Bedford reviews Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian.  
• Z.B. Steele reviews The Ash Remains by C. William Phillips 
• Hache Pueyo reviews The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa. 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed  
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews The Franchise by Thomas Elrod. 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Dorians by Nick Cutter.  
• Niall Harrison reviews Glyph by Ali Smith 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Wretch by Eric LaRocca 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Decomposition Book by Sara van Os 
• Steven Poole reviews The Uses of Utopia by Joad Raymond Wren 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Ada Palmer and Jo Walton 

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1957 science fiction collection Tales From the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1961 satirical science fiction novel The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison   
• John Boston revisits the July 1971 issue of Amazing.  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology New Writings in S-F 19, edited by John Carnell 
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1971 science fiction novel The Bite of Monsters by Dennis O’Neil, George Pritchard revisits the 1971 satirical science fiction novel Little Dog's Day by Jack Trevor Story and the 1971 horror novel Hell House by Richard Matheson and David Levinson revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Son of Man by Robert Silverberg
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction collection Abyss: Two Novellas by Kate Wilhelm and the 1971 YA time travel novel The Old Powder Line by Richard Parker and Winona Menezes revisits the 1971 planetary romance Exiles of the Stars by Andre Norton
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novels The Waitress by Sinclair Smith and The Knife by R.L. Stine.  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2014 Stardrifter space opera Street Candles by David Collins-Rivera 

 

Con and event reports:

• Isobel Lewis reports about the touring queer Doctor Who show Gallifrey Cabaret. 
• Charlotte Higgins reports about the literary festival Book Arsenal in Kyiv, Ukraine. 
• Steven Morris reports about the exhibition "Cracking Exhibition Gromit: 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol" in Bristol, UK. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• Strange Horizons are running their 2027 fundraiser 

 

Science and technology:

• Gayoung Lee wonders what it would mean if dark matter doesnt actually exist. 
• Olivia Rutigliano notes that AI-generated actresses and companions are just the latest iteration of the quest to create the perfect woman. 

 

Gaming: 

• Tom Regan reviews the video game The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan takes a look at more figures from the Mattel Masters of the Universe Core line. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hot Toys Aliens Ellen Ripley and Alien Warrior action figures.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the KPop Demon Hunters Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird LEGO set. 
• Adam Bankhurst reports that the first officially licensed Studio Ghibli store in the US will open in Los Angeles, California. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "I Cut Off a Monster’s Arm. AITA?" by Marie Brennan in Lightspeed.  
• "The Overview Initiative" by David Marino in Lightspeed.   
• "Huntress of the High Trails" by Robert Rhodes in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 
• "Fletcher’s Flights" by Jonathan Olfert in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "A Candle for Her Tireless Dead" by Louis Inglis Hall in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  
• "The Tithe of Ulfthern" by Patrick Kanouse in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Potential Side Effects of Roleplay Stimulation Therapy" by Claire Jia-Wen in Clarkesworld. 
• "Magpie Rhymes" by R.K. Duncan in The Dark. 
• "Patterns of Dentition in Transgender Adults" by Izzy Wasserstein in Nightnare Magazine. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  
• Watch a trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. 
• Watch a trailer for Hot Spot. 
• Watch a trailer for The Last House. 
• Watch a trailer for Gatto.  
• Watch a trailer for Hexed.  
• Watch a trailer for Shrek 5.  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 12, 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, Spider-Noir and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, Widow's Bay, Disclosure Day, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Readers of the Guardian share their one hundred favourite novels of all time. 
• Alex Brown shares five queer YA books for pride month 
• S.D. Coverly shares five SFF novels about murder on campus 
• Cynthia Pelayo lists five dark and speculative adaptations of Peter Pan 
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror books featuring older protagonists 
• N.K. Jemisin shares the text of her SFWA Grand Master speech. 
• Kelly Robinson lists eight overlooked characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice books 
• Literary scholar Alan Gribben who removed some slurs from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has died aged 84.  

   

Comics and Art:

• Ann Michelle Harris reviews Absolute Wonder Woman Volumes 1 and 2 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Mattia De Iulis and Jordie Bellaire,  
• Alex Jennings takes a look at the Absolute Universe by DC Comics.  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on book lies. 
• Comics scholar John A. Lent has died aged 89.  

  

Film and TV:

• Haley Zapal calls The Mandalorian and Grogu basically just a no-stakes, super-long episode of The Mandalorian
• Cath Clarke calls Signal One a high-concept, low-risk first contact film. 
• Josh Pearce reviews Exit 8 
• James Grebey declares that the new Scary Movie ends a horror era so dumb even Scary Movie figured it out
• Amelia Emberwing interviews the cast of The Legend of Vox Machina. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Chinaza Uche who plays Coffee in The Terror: Devil in Silver.  
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1988 fantasy film The Adventures of Baron Münchausen:
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “Darkness Ascending” 
• Eleanor Margolis revisits the 1999 found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project.  
• Radha Vatsal revisits the 2015 post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max: Fury Road.
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2017 horror film The Endless.  

 

Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:

• Branyan Towe calls Masters of the Universe endlessly fun, with a surprising amount of heart. 
• Jack Bottomly calls Masters of the Universe a colourful, hopeful, blast from start to finish which seriously has the power. 
• Erik Kain calls Masters Of The Universe a surprisingly great He-Man movie
• Amy Koto calls Masters of the Universe an entertaining watched filled with nostalgia. 
• Jason Colavito talks about the experience of watching Masters of the Universe with his nine-year-old son.  
• Dave McRae declares that Masters of the Universe is great.  
• Liam Gaughan calls Masters of the Universe an unabashedly geeky, good-natured fantasy romp 
• Considering Stories calls Masters of the Universe a fun two hours long meditation on the failures of inflexible fathers and the hopes for heroes to rise despite their shaky origins
• Keith Carlington notes that Masters of the Universe is built upon a genuine affection for the source material. 
• Ali Rizvi declares that Masters of the Universe gets it (mostly) right 
• CastleMania Games shares a spoilerish review of Masters of the Universe.  
• Brian Particelli interviews Nicholas Galitzine and Dolph Lundgren who plays He-Man in the 2026 and 1987 Masters of the Universe movie respectively.  
• Hayley Campbell interviews Sir Idris Elba who plays Duncan a.k.a. Man-at-Arms in Masters of the Universe.  
• Peri Nemiroff interviews Alison Brie who plays Evil-Lyn in Masters of the Universe.  
• He-Mania interviews Kojo Attah who plays Tri-Klops in Masters of the Universe. 
• He-Mania.com interviews James Wilkinson who plays Mekaneck in Masters of the Universe. 
• Matt Minton interviews Daniel Pemberton who composed the score for Masters of the Universe. 
• Hannah Hart notes that the inexplicable backlash against Masters of the Universe and The Mandalorian and Grogu says more about cinemagoers and the sorry state of film criticism than about those movies.  
• Listen to the Masters of the Universe soundtrack by Daniel Pemberton and others. 

 Comments on Spider-Noir and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Ellery Weil discusses where Spider-Noir fails to live up to its genre — and where it succeeds 
• Rosy Cordero interviews Spider-Noir co-showrunner, writer and executive producer Oren Uziel and actors Lamorne Morris, Jack Huston and Karen Rodriguez.

 

Comments on the future of Doctor Who:  

• Nadia Khomani reports that the 2026 Doctor Who Christmas Special has been cancelled and that the BBC has parted ways with Russell T. Davies and is looking for a new showrunner and production company.   
• Martin Belam wonders whether Doctor Who will survive the exit of Russell T. Davies.  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1971 Doctor Who serial "The Daemons".  

 

Comments on Widow's Bay:  

• Stuart Heritage explains why everyone should be watching Widow’s Bay 
• Erik Adams insists that everybody should watch Widow's Bay.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Widow's Bay.  
• Emma Fraser interviews Matthew Rhys, star of Widow's Bay.   

 

Comments on Disclosure Day: 

• Pete Hammond calls Disclosure Day a masterful 1970s style thriller. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Disclosure Day a conspiracy spectacular.  
• Nicholas Barber calls Disclosure Day a flimsy alien drama that feels like a drab X-Files episode. 
• Monica Castillo declares that Steven Spielberg phones it in with Disclosure Day 
• Germain Lussier calls Disclosure Day an unforgettable Steven Spielberg science fiction spectacle  
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Disclosure Day.  

 

Comments on Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat:

• Saloni Gajjar declares that the already great Interview With The Vampire enters its vibrant Vampire Lestat era
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on "Detroit", the first episode of The Vampire Lestat.  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Sam Reid who plays Lestat and Jarda Klapek in The Vampire Lestat
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw interviews Daniel Hart, who composed the score for Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat.  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 Theodore A. Sturgeon Memorial Award have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Ignyte Awards have been announced.  
• The shortlist for the 2026 Future Worlds Prize has been announced. 
• The semifinalists for the 2026 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition have been announced. 
• The recipients for the 2026 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Tony Awards have been announced.  

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Brook Wilensky-Lanford talks about finding the perfect title. 
• Locus reports that Subterranean Books will close in late 2027.  
• Hillel Italie shares a guide to bookstores owned by authors. 

 

Interviews:

• Locus interviews Isabel J. Kim. 
• Joel Miller intervies Guy Gavriel Kay.  
• Ed Crocker interviews C.J. Leede. 

 

Reviews:   

• Daniel Dern reviews Radiant Star by Ann Leckie.  
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Best of All Possible Planets by Alex Shvartsman  
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen.
• Marlene Harris reviews Cash and Gravity by Perrin Pring 
• Mark Yon reviews The Traveller by Joseph Eckert.  
• Marlene Harris reviews Valet by J.P. Lacrampe 
• Cory Doctorow reviews Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer.  
• Michael Faber reviews The End of Everything by M. John Harrison 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty  
• Marlene Harris reviews Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous by Autumn K. England 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Charms, Charts, and Conspiracies by David Green
• Paul Weimer reviews The Final Chronicle of Yeneh by Jo Miles
• Alex Wallace reviews The Palace of Eros by Caro de Robertis 
• Bill Capossere reviews Mortedant’s Peril by R.J. Barker  
• Marlene Harris reviews Heaven’s Graveyard by Grace Curtis 
• Stuart Cripps-Schnoor reviews Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence  
• Summer Hanford reviews Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Rising Gale by Z.B. Steele  
• Christopher Keene reviews Iron Prince by Bryce O’Connor and Luke Chmilenko 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Anarch by Dan Abnett 
• Niall Harrison reviews What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed 
• Rob Bedford reviews It Came From Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo. 
• Ian Mond reviews Department of the Vanishing by Johanna Bell 
• Molly Templeton reviews An Impossibility of Crows by Kirsten Kaschock. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Dead First by Johnny Compton  
• Arley Sorg reviews My Dear You by Rachel Khong 

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1964 weird fiction anthology Worlds of Weird, edited by Leo Margulies
• Alan Brown revisits the 1967 TV adaptation Star Trek and its 1968 sequel Star Trek 2 by James Blish. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1971 issue of Galaxy.  
• George Pritchard revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology Universe 1, edited by Terry Carr. 
• Runalong the Shelves revisits the 1972 science fiction novel The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2005 Pip and Flinx space opera Running from the Deity by Alan Dean Foster 

 

Con and event reports:

• Meredith G. White recounts how Phoenix Fan Fusion in Phoenix, Arizona, grew from small comic con to pop culture giant

 

Science and technology:

• Brendan Byrne reports that NASA has appointed four astronauts for the Artemis III mission 
• Andy Tomaswick reports that space telescopes are now overwhelmed by satellite trails 
• Space Daily reports that in 1977 a radio telescope in Delaware, Ohio, picked up an extremely strong and clear radio signal from the diection of Sagittarius, which has never been heard again.  
• Douglas Fox reports that Earth’s stratosphere is a mysterious superhighway for microbes 
• Thomas Ling explains why cats love sitting on laptops. 
• Caitlin Mullen talks about the legend of the Jersey Devil. 

 

Gaming: 

• Matthew Castle calls 007 First Light a triumphant James Bond game made by obsessive fans
• Matthew Castle interviews Patrick Gibson who portrays James Bond in 007 Frst Light. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• ToyBro reviews the Harbinger Studios Savage Crucible Elric of Melniboné action figure. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Immigrant Girl from the End of the World" by Hannah Yang in Uncanny Magazine 
• "A Princess of the East" by Matthew Ilseman in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Beach House with Its Back to the Sea" by Íde Hennessy in The Dark. 
• "No Agency Without Identity! Stay In Character Always!" by James Patrick Kelly in Reactor.  
• "The Devil in the Details" by Rev. Joe Kelly in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 
• "Ice, Rock, Empathy" by Damián Neri in Clarkesworld. 
• "A Life Measured in Seconds" by Anne Wilkins in Clarkesworld. 
• "My Suicides" by Debbie Urbanski in Apex Magazine.  
• "Memeostasis" by Benjamin Rosenbaum in Lightspeed. 
• "An Oral History of the Schooner Key Invasion" by Alex Irvine in Lightspeed.  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Enola Holmes 3.  
• Watch a trailer for The Dog Stars.
• Watch a trailer for Walking Dead: Dead City.