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.  
• 
  

 

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.