Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for March 13, 2026

 

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 upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general, The Bride, season 2 of the live action One Piece, Project Hail Mary, Hoppers, Elio and Pixar in general and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Emily C. Hughes shares horror novels coming out this month. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for February 2026
• Amritesh Mukherjee talks about the history of Indian feminist science fiction. 
• Alex Brown shares five SFF books that deserve a film or TV adaptation 
• Lorna Wallace shares five speculative stories to cure or inspire an existential crisis 
• Kirsten Kaschock imagines a new landscape for the gothic
• Stephanie Ellis attempts to define folk horror. 
• Matthew Cheney talks about horror in theory. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares a quick and dirty primer on Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros  
• Steve Davidson celebrates the 100th anniversary of Amazing Stories. 
• SFF fan Alina R. Chu has died aged 69. 
• SFF writer and editor Lee Martindale has died aged 76. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Rachel S. Cordasco shares her favourite SFF of 2025.
• Niall Harrison shares his favourite SFF of 2025. 

  

Comics and Art:

• Judith Tarr reviews The Space Between by Corinna Bechko and Danny Luckert 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Deborah Tang 
• David Harth lists ten DC Comics Retcons that make no sense 
• Isaiah Colbert reports that the manga Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto is ending. 
• Teklemariam Bekit reports that Eritrean cartoonist Biniam Solomon has been released after spending fifteen years in prison without charge. 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on haters. 
• DC Comics colourist Tatjana Wood, best known for her work on Swamp Thing, Camelot 3000 and Animal Man, has died aged 99.

 

Film and TV:

• Jonathan Cowie wonders if  Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die could be the mainstream science fiction film of the year.
• Erika Hardison talks about Sinners, the Great Migration and Rust Belt gothic. 
• Phil Hoad declares that the anime Scarlet turns Hamlet into tale of prowling knights and deep nothingness.
• Catherine Bray calls Bad Voodoo an escaped-convict horror film worthy of a theme park ghost train 
• Catherine Bray calls Bodycam a low-budget chiller that oozes with supernatural menace
• Katie Rife calls the horror film undertone a surreal nightmare. 
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the season 8 premiere of Outlander.
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Paradise.  
• Cheryl Eddy lists ten essential episodes of  The Orville 
• Leah Thomas shares her thoughts about the anime Aria. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on OBEX. 
• Leah Schnelbach shares a brief survey of concerns expressed by the films of 2025 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1950 science fiction film Destination Moon 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1970 East German science fiction film Signals - A Space Adventure. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari” 
• Isaiah Colbert revisits the 2006 anime Origin: Spirits of the Past   
• Scott Neitlich explains how the Vietnam War influenced US pop culture. 
• Actress Jennifer Runyon, best known for her appearances in Ghostbusters, A Very Brady Christmas, Another World, Magnum PI, Quantum Leap and many others, has died aged 65.

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Colt Crane reviews Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Flaws #4 by Tim Seeley and Freddie Williams II. 
• Adam McCombs remembers the late Michael Halperin who wrote the series bible for the Filmation He-Man cartoon as well as several mini-comics and also worked on the 200X cartoon.
• The late Michael Halperin explains how his Jewish faith influenced Masters of the Universe.  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “Rubincon”, the season 1 finale of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “Rubincon”, the season 1 finale of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "300th Night”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.   
• Matthew Byrd reports that Paul Giamatti and Tatiana Maslany, who play Nus and Anisha respectively, won't return for season 2 of Starfleet Academy. 
• James Whitbrook explains the most dangerous molecule in Star Trek history.
• Meredith Jacobs interviews Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, executive producers of Starfleet Academy.  
• Samantha Coley also interviews Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. 
• Anthony Pascale interviews Jonathan Frakes who played Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and has directed many Star Trek episodes in various series since then. 

 

Comments on The Bride!:

• Hope Madden calls The Bride! a feminist Frankenstein reboot and a punk rock triumph
• Arturo Serrano calls The Bride! a smart, visceral, unapologetic cry of rebellion
• Rachel Tolleson calls The Bride! the embodiment of female rage
• Caroline Siede declares that The Bride! mistakes female rage for female depth  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that The Bride! can’t decide which revolution it wants to power 
• Leah Marilla Thomas declares that people who think The Bride! is the worst movie of all time need to watch more movies. 
• Kirsten Chuba interviews Maggie Gyllenhaal, writer and director of The Bride! 
• Anthony D'Alessandro attempts to explain why The Bride bombed. 
• Rebecca Rubin shares five reasons The Bride! was dead on arrival at the box office 

 

Comments on Project Hail Mary:

• Jacob Oller calls Project Hail Mary a great alien buddy-comedy stuck orbiting a novel 
• Germain Lussier declares that Project Hail Mary rocks 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Project Hail Mary a bit silly, but declares that Ryan Gosling’s charisma keeps it watchable

  

Comments on season 2 of the live action One Piece:

• Elijah Gonzales declares that season 2 of the live action One Piece was worth the wait.
• Isaiah Colbert declares that the live action One Piece finds its groove in its second voyage 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that season 2 of the live action One Piece charts a course to shake things up  

 

Comments on Hoppers, Elio and Pixar movies in general: 

• Arturo Serrano declares that  Hoppers is totally not like Avatar, but both more and less than that 
• Matt Schimkowitz declares in reference to Hoppers that even Pixar's originals are starting to feel like sequels
• Ben Fritz interviews Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar. 
• Sarah Welch-Larson talks about the loneliness of Elio and growing up queer in the US military 
• Justin Carter slams Pixar for cutting an LGBTQ storyline from Elio, pointing out that they have never shrunk away from serious subjects before.
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Hoppers has done well at the box office, ending a dry streak for Pixar, while The Bride! has bombed.

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 Imadjinn Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 Audie Awards have been announced.  
• The finalists for the 2026 Zsoldos Péter Award have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 British Book Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Saturn Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Writers Guild Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 British Film Designers Guild Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards have been announced.
• The 2026 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame have been announced. 

 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Nick Petrie talks about the joys and challenges of writing a long-running series
• J.D. Brinkworth shares tips for cowriting with your partner. 
• Dan Milmo reports that thousands of authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman have published an “empty” book to protest against AI firms using their work without permission. 

 

Interviews:

• Edie Stern interviews Robert Silverberg. 
• Alex Dueben interviews Olivia Waite.
• Gabrielle Harbowy interviews J.M. Frey. 

 

Reviews: 

• Runalong the Shelves reviews Jitterbug by Gareth L. Powell  
• Marlene Harris reviews Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell
• Trish Matson reviews Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Sentient by Michael Nayak 
• Marlene Harris reviews Sentient by Michael Nayak 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Department of What It (Really) Means to be Human by M. Darusha Wehm 
• Jim McLeod reviews The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key.  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Misheard World by Aliya Whiteley
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Misheard World by Aliya Whiteley
• Marion Deeds reviews The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Ballad of the Bone Road by A.C. Wise 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison:  
• Martin Cahill reviews The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Once and Again by Rebecca Serle 
• Jim McLeod reviews Between Two Fires Review by Christopher Buehlman 
• Marlene Harris reviews Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo
• Vick Weisfeld reviews Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward 
• Arley Sorg reviews Midnight Somewhere by Johnny Compton 
• Grimdark Magazine reviews The Silverblood Promise by James Logan 
• Z.B. Steele reviews Ironbound by Andrew Givler 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Daggermouth by H. M. Wolfe 
• Robert Mammone reviews The Dorians by Nick Cutter
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Crawl Space by Steve Toase
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1926 lost world novel When the Earth Swung Over by Alfred Colbeck 
• John Boston revisits the March 1971 issue of Fantastic. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the April 1971 issue of Galaxy. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 Heechee Saga science fiction novel Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl 
• Runalong the Shelves revisits the 2015 urban fantasy novel The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2017 space opera This Insubstantial Pageant by Kate Story   

 

Con and event reports:

• Emma Loffhagen shares the guest list for the 2026 Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales.
• George Gene Gustines reports about an exhibition of comic artwork by Klaus Janson in New York City. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• The Cryptoids: War for the Green Planet action figure line from Cryptoid Toys is looking for funding. 
• Special effects artist, stuntman, martial artist, swordmaster and teacher Dragon Donet needs some help. 

 

Science and technology:

• Andy Tomaswick declares that terraforming Mars isn't a climate problem—it's an industrial nightmare 
• Ethan Gudge reports that robotic "mice" have been developed to inspect the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
• Vitaly Shevchenko reports that armed robots are being used in Ukraine.
• Tereza Pulterova reports that a meteorite crashed through the roof of a house in Koblenz, Germany. 
• Isaaq Tomkins reports that AI allows hackers to identify anonymous social media accounts. 
• Richard Luscombe reports that new research suggests that stormy space weather may be garbling messages from aliens. 

 

Gaming: 

• James Whitbrook reports that Hasbro’s CEO Chris Cocks has said that Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons will never use generative AI 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• D Amazing reviews the Mythic Legions Skapular the Cryptbreaker 2 action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• Germain Lussier reviews the Project Hail Mary LEGO set 
• Justin Carter shares a look at the Bandai SH MonsterArts Godzilla Minus One action figure. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hot Toys Neo action figure from The Matrix. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at LEGO’s new Luigi Mario Kart set 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that LEGO will finally start producing the much fan-demanded Super Mario mini-figures. 
• Geek Dad Live discusses US retailer Target slashing its toy selection and what this means for toy collectors and the industry. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Blade Through the Heart" by Carrie Vaughn in Reactor. 
• "Where the Dream Train Goes, Pt. II" by Jason Sanford in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The Book Collectors" by J.W. Halicks in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Nameless" by Aliya Whiteley in The Dark. 
• "Saint Tibalt’s Night" by Robert Rhodes in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.  
• "The Tide Folk" by Jennifer Hudak in Lightspeed.   
• "La Sirena’s Blessing of Belonging" by V.M. Ayala in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "You Are Invited to Our SPRING CELEBRATION" by Thoraiya Dyer in Clarkesworld.
• "Scion: Afterword" by Thomas Ha in Clarkesworld. 
• "Ascension" by P.L. McMillan in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Doll Problem" by Angela Liu in Nightmare Magazine. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for The Miniature Wife
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of From. 
• Watch a trailer for Disclosure Day. 
• Watch a trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for September 29, 2023

 

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, Ahsoka and Star Wars in general, season 2 of The Wheel of Time, the live action One Piece, The Creator, Barbie, Gen V, Doctor Who past, present and future, No One Will Save You, Spy Kids: Armageddon, Saw X, The Exorcist at fifty, the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the debate about AI writing and art, tributes to David McCallum and Michael Gambon and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF works featuring Draconian legal systems.
  
• Lorna Wallace shares five science fiction books that are perfectly suited to audio. 
• John Scalzi shares his five favourite corporate science fiction villains. 
• Jared Shurin talks about the rise, fall and uncontainable rebellion of Cyberpunk.
  
• Lincoln Michel shares some surreal books from around the world.
  
• Kate Yoder notes that reality has caught up to climate fiction. 
• Lilith Saintcrow shares five mothers in SFF who are dynamic, multi-dimensional characters
  
• Kim DeRose shares her favourite books about witch covens. 
• Courtney Smyth shares five fantasy books featuring unlikely alliances with ghosts.
  
• Kalyn Josephson shares five fantasy books featuring Jewish mythology. 
• Megan Kamalei Kakimoto talks about telling tales of Hawaiian mythology to people unfamiliar with the legends of Hawaii.
• Rachel Ulatowski reports that young adult fiction is increasingly influenced by the tastes of adult YA readers rather than by actual teenagers. 
• Crime Reads hosts a roundtable on dark academia.  
• Molly Templeton wonders whether reading goals are actually good. 
• Claire Kirch discusses the enduring popularity of genre fiction.
  
• G.W. Thomas explains that the superhero team is a creation of the pulp era and goes back all the way to Doc Savage.
  
• Longbox of Darkness share their ten favourite Conan stories. 
• G.W. Thomas remembers the Bullard of the Space Patrol series by Malcolm Jameson.
  
• Steve Vertlieb profiles Robert Bloch.
• Tom McCarthy profiles J.G. Ballard.
• Jonathan Thornton shares his appreciation for the works of Emma Bull.
  
• Joe Kloc profiles Gary Lovisi. 
  
• William F. Wu remembers Michael D. Toman.
  
• SFF fan and costumer Deborah K. Jones has died aged 75. 
• SFF publisher and fan Ira M. Thornhill has died aged 69.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Matt Morrison reviews Captain America #1 by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz.
  
• Alasdair Stuart reviews the comic The Dead Countess Collective by Bevis Munson.
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Murder on the Orient Express: The Graphic Novel by Agatha Christie; adapted and illustrated by Bob Al-Greene.
• Stephanie Burt explains how comic books became classics. 
• Joshua L.H. Burnett profiles Hal Foster. 
• Stefan Blitz interviews cartoonist Patrick McDonnell.
  
• Bill Ward takes a look at the many different covers Tanith Lee's books have had over the years. 
• Swara Salih takes issue with the messy way in which Marvel has turned Kamala Khan from Inhuman to Mutant. 
• Graeme McMillan notes that the comics industry is broken and wonders if comic workers unionising would be the answer. 
  
• Copyright lawyer Mike Dunford addresses the legal issues behind Bill Willingham's decision to release Fables into the public domain.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Linda Codega declares that season 2 of Our Flag Means Death is more mature and more heartbreaking than season 1.
  
• James Whitbrook calls Castlevania: Nocturne a slick and smart successor to the original Castlevania cartoon.
  
• Germain Lussier calls the new Toxic Avenger stupid in all the best way. 
• Linda Codega calls The Fall of the House of Usher a masterful retelling of timeless horror. 
• Arturo Serrano declares that Futurama is back, as sharp as ever 
  
• Dan Persons declares that Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City tests the boundaries of dreams 
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar a star-studded but two-dimensional Roald Dahl adaptation by Wes Anderson.
• Germain Lussier calls Riddle of Fire a throwback to 1980s kids adventure movies.
  
• Germain Lussier calls River a Japanese Groundhog Day, only that everybody is experiencing the time loop. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Time Addicts a drug-fuelled, time-travelling fairytale set in Melbourne 
• Germain Lussier calls The Animal Kingdom a marvelous movie about mutants 
• Germain Lussier calls There's Something in the Barn a throwback holiday horror film. 
• Cheryl Eddy calls Nightmare an unsettling horror movie from Norway.
  
• C.T. Phipps calls The Peripheral a very entertaining cyberpunk action drama 
• Lorinda Donovan shares a spoilerish review of It Lives Inside.
  
• Judith Tarr compares Disney's animated and live action The Little Mermaid with each other and the original fairy tale.
  
• Phil Hoad calls End of Term a fusion of slasher and country-house whodunnit
  
• Alison Herman declares that the animated Greek mythology sitcom Krapopolis is off to a promising start and priases the voice cast.
  
• Alex Brown shares their thoughts on episode 5 of The Changeling. 
• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. 
• Saloni Gajjar discusses Kim Kardashian's performance in American Horror Story: Delicate.
  
• Adrian Horton notes that the era of binge-watching may be coming to an end. 
• Anthony Orlando lists the ten most influential science fiction movies of all time.
  
• Entertainment Weekly ranks all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to date.
  
• Susan King revisits the 1963 anthology series The Outer Limits for its sixtieth anniversary. 
• Clerics Wear Ringmail revisits the 1974 fantasy film The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. 
• The Cradle to the Grave podcast revisits the 1981 fantasy film Dragonslayer.
  
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1993 dark fantasy movie Hocus Pocus for its thirtieth anniversary.
  
• Sam Barsanti revisits the 2013 Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for its tenth anniversary.
• Simon Hattenstone interviews Joan Collins, star of Dynasty, The City on the Edge of Forever, Tales from the Crypt and many others. 
• Jessica Wang interviews Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson, director and producer of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
• Sabina Graves interviews Jennifer Lee, Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation.
  
• Ayla Angelos talks about designing fictional brand for TV and film. 
• Martin Scorsese feels the need to express his dislike for superhero movies again.
  
• Nellie Andreeva and Bruce Haring report that according to astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the 2022 science fiction movie Moonfall violates even more laws of physics than Armageddon.
  
• Justin McCurry reports that the legendary anime company Studio Ghibli will be acquired by Nippon TV after Hayao Miyasaki steps down. 
• Cinematographer Peter Kozachik, who worked on A Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride and Coraline, has died aged 72.
  

 

Comments on Ahsoka and Star Wars in general (spoilers): 

• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Dreams and Madness", the latest episode of Ahsoka. 
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "Dreams and Madness" 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Dreams and Madness".
  
• Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on "Far, Far Away", episode 6 of Ahsoka.
• Stuart Heritage finds some parallels between Grand Admiral Thrawn as portrayed in Ahsoka and Elon Musk, forgetting that Thrawn was created in 1991, well before anybody had ever heard of Musk. 
• Lyvie Scott explains why the Siege of Mandalore continues to be important not just to The Mandalorian, but also to Ahsoka.
  
• James Whitbrook traces the continued influence of the 1994 tie-in novel The Courtship of Princess Leia on the Star Wars universe. 
• William Hughes reports that Disney is apparently trying to rebrand the Star Wars music genre of jizz music due to the unfortunate connotations of the name,
  
• Sabina Graves reports that the members of the boy band NSYNC have confirmed that they had a cameo as Jedi knights in Attack of the Clones, only that the scene was cut. 
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Empathalogical Fallacies", the latest episode of Star Trek Lower Decks. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Empathalogical Fallacies".
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Empathalogical Fallacies".
  
• Galactic Journey revisit the 1968 Star Trek episode "Spock's Brain".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Kir'Shara".
  
• Andrea Johnson and Keith R.A. DeCandido discuss all things Star Trek.
• Sir Patrick Stewart, who plays Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard, explains how Star Trek Picard came to be,
  
• Avery Kaplan discusses the portrayal of the Orions in various incarnations of Star Trek. 
• Ryan Britt reports how Star Trek: Lower Decks fixes the problematic protrayal of Orion women in the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Bound". 
• Samantha Coley reports that the fourth Star Trek reboot movie is supposedly still coming out.
  
• Star Trek scholar and fan Allan Asherman has died aged 76.
  

 

Comments on the live action One Piece:

• Camestros Felapton declares that the live action One Piece mixes absurdity and pathos, martial arts and pirates. 
• Justin Carter reports that Jamie Lee Curtis may be playing Dr. Kureha in season 2 of One Piece.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of The Wheel of Time:

• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on "Eyes Without Pity", the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
• Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on "Eyes Without Pity".
  

 

Comments on The Creator: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls The Creator a vast and exhilarating science fiction film.
• Justin Lowe calls The Creator a thrilling and thoughtful take on A.I. 
• Germain Lussier declares that The Creator is certainly as good as you hope it is, but not better
  
• Cindy White declares that The Creator is next level science fiction and wonders why it is not being promoted that way.
  
• Ben Child shares early reactions to The Creator. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Gareth Edwards, director of The Creator.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who Past, Present and Future:

• Hoai-Tran Bui reports that the lagrely forgotten 1960s Doctor Who villain the Celestial Toymaker is returning for the Sixtieth Anniversary Special, now played by Neil Patrick Harris.
  
• James Cooray Smith shares some background on the 1966 Doctor Who serial "The Celestial Toymaker". 
• Ryan Britt reports that UNIT also returns for the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special and now looks more like Marvel's SHIELD, which was one of the inspirations. 
• Lyndsey Winship interviews Bonnie Langford who played Mel Bush in Doctor Who.
  
• Watch a trailer for the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special. 
  

 

Comments on Barbie:

•  McKinley Franklin interviews Rodrigo Pieto, cinematographer of Barbie. 
• Maria Sotnikova report that bootleg copies of Barbie and equally bootleg Barbie toys have taken over Russian cinemas and toy shops. 
• William McCurdy reports about underground screenings of Hollywood movies like Barbie in Russian cinemas.
  

 

Comments on Gen V: 

• Joel Golby calls Gen V a fun R-rated superhero romp. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on season 1 of Gen V.
  
• Jen Lennon explains how Gen V is connected to The Boys.
  

 

Comments on No One Will Save You:

• Germain Lussier declares that the alien invasion thriller No One Will Save You will surprise and challenge you at every turn
• Benjamin Lee calls No One Will Save You and almost wordless science fiction thriller that loses the plot 
  

 

Comments on Spy Kids: Armageddon: 

• Adrian Horton calls Spy Kids: Armageddon an amiable Netflix reboot
• Matthew Jackson declares that Spy Kids: Armageddon features the same formula, a different family and is still fun.
  

 

Comments on Saw X: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Saw X a torture porn horror sequel with more blood and less value than its predecessors.
  
• Grimdark Magazine declares that Saw X delivers generous amounts of graphic violence. 
• William Hughes ranks the twenty best and five dumbest traps in the Saw movies. 
  

 

The Exorcist at fifty: 

• Richard Roeper revisits the 1973 horror film The Exorcist for its fiftieth anniversary. 
• Peter Bradshaw also revisits The Exorcist and finds that it still shocks fifty years later. 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1990 horror movie The Exorcist III. 

 

Tributes to David McCallum:

• Actor David McCallum, star of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Sapphire and Steel, NCIS, The Invisible Man and many others, has died aged 90. 
• Lesley Kaufman shares an obituary for David McCallum. 
• Mike Barnes shares an obituary for David McCallum. 
• Carmel Dagan shares an obituary for David McCallum. 
• Jason Whiton remembers David McCallum. 
• Matt Schimkovitz remembers David McCallum. 
  
• Bill Koenig remembers David McCallum. 
• Bill Koenig also remember David McCallum's most famous role, Ilya Kuryakin in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 
  

 

Tributes to Michael Gambon: 

• Actor Michael Gambon, star of Harry Potter, Maigret and The Singing Detective, has died aged 82
• Mark Lawson remembers Michael Gambon's TV career from The Singing Detective to Top Gear.
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Michael Gambon. 
• David Jays remembers Michael Gambon. 
• Greg Whitmore shares photos from Michael Gambon's long career. 
  

 

Comments on the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike:

• Oliver Darcy and Chris Isidore report that negotiations between the WGA and the Hollywood studios have resumed and that a deal is immiment.
• Variety reports that the WGA and the studios have reached an agreement after 146 days of striking. 
• Linda Codega shares a breakdown of the concessions that the WGA won.
  
• Linda Codega reports that video game actors in SAG-AFTRA have voted to authorise a strike. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports about General Strike, a new comic supporting the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. 
• Paul Morton reports about a strike at the Max Fleischer Animation Studio in 1937. 
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Elgin Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2023 Bard Fiction Prize has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Baihua Literature Awards have been announced,
  
• Niall Harrison shares his thoughts on the finalists for the 2023 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Dana Cameron explains how misconceptions about writing held her back for decades.
  
• Lesley Thomson talks about research.
• S.M. Carriére explains how reviews help authors. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about opening her own online bookstore. 
  
• Victoria Strauss lists a couple of scams aimed at writers. 
• Betsy Gomez reports that actor LeVar Burton will be the honourary chair for the 2023 Banned Books Week.
  
• Ayana Archie reports that there have been attempts to ban or censor more than 1900 library books in the US.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that book bans in US public schools have risen by a third in a year.
• Jordan Blumetti reports about students and parents fighting against book bans in Florida. 
• Emily Tencer reports that the King's English Bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah, had to be evacuated due to a bomb threat during a drag queen story event.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that libraries in Northern Ireland can no longer afford to buy books.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

• Alex Reisner offers a searchable database of the 183000 books in the Books3 database used to train AI Large Language Models like ChatGPT. 
• Alex Reisner also takes a closer look at the kind of books found in the Books3 database. 
• The Authors Guild explains what to do when you find out that your book has been used to train AI. 
• Associated Press reports that Amazon is investing up to four billion US-dollar in the AI start-up Anthropic.
  

 

Interviews:

• Linda Codega interviews Martha Wells.
• Bill Ward interviews Howard Andrew Jones.
• The Guardian interviews Rebecca F. Kuang.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Hildy Silverman.
• The HWA interviews Luisa Colón.
  
• The HWA interviews Javier Loustaunau. 
• The HWA interviews Vincent Tirado. 
• Fantasy Magazine interviews Sam Kyung Yoo 
  
• Paul Burrke intervviews Andrew Nette. 
  

 

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Where Peace Is Lost by Valerie Valdes 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord.
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi 
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden. 
• Aaron Jones reviews A Day of Reckoning by Matthew Harffy
• Lis Carey reviews Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
  
• Bill Capossere reviews An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
  
• Warner Holme reviews Knight’s Wyrd by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
• Fiona Denton reviews The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
  
• Rob Bedford reviews Be Sure by Seanan McGuire. 
• Chris Kluwe reviews Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia by Jason Pargin
  
• Natalie Zutter reviews The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa. 
  
• Grab This Book reviews The Mysterious Double Death of Honey Black by Lisa Hall   
• Alex Preston reviewsw Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Fall Is All There Is by C.M. Caplan
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Dark Woods, Deep Water by Jelena Dunato
  
• Liz Bourke reviews He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Once a Monster by Robert Dinsdale   
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Whalefall by Daniel Kraus  
• Dan Todd reviews Summer’s End by John Van Stry
  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo 
• Alex Wallace reviews The Road to Neverwinter by Jaleigh Johnson  
• Phoebe Wagner reviews Sordidez by E.G. Condé 
  
• Alex Brown reviews Sordidez by E.G. Condé 
• Paul Weimer reviews Preset by Sarina Dahlan  
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Exploit by Daniel Scanlan 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Quiet Room by Terry Miles 
• Paul Levinson reviews Novikov Windows by Chris Cosmain, 
• Ian Mond reviews Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan 
  
• Adam-Troy Castro reviews Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig 
  
• Alex Brown reviews Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig 
• Alex Brown reviews Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
  
• Raven Crime Reads reviews The Murmurs by Michael J. Malone.  
• Mary Picken reviews The Murmurs by Michael J. Malone.  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan 
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Promise by Christi Nogle  
• Gary Romeo reviews Conan: Lord of the Mount by Stephen Graham Jones
• Jason Ray Carney reviews Lord of Ruin: A Tale of Malus Darkblade by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee  
• Edith Hall reviews The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson 
  
• Bill Capossere reviews Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson
  
• Mario Guslandi reviews Uncertainties 6, edited by Brian J. Showers
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 3, edited by Allan Kaster
  
  

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1835 folk horror story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Davide Mana revisits the 1932 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Phoenix on the Sword" by Robert E. Howard. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1935 horror novel I Am Your Brother by G.S. Marlowe
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1946 science fiction novel The Chronicler a.k.a. Siege of the Unseen by A.E. Van Vogt.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1955 science fiction story “The Short Life” by Francis Donovan 
• Ryan Britt revisits the 1965 science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1966 YA science fiction novel The Revolving Boy by Gertrude Freidberg 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 sword and sorcery collection Conan by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1968 science fiction novel Bedlam Planet by John Brunner.
  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1968 science fiction anthology The Farthest Reaches, edited by Joseph Elder, and issue 1 of Worlds of Fantasy.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1985 cyberpunk story “Green Days in Brunei” by Bruce Sterling.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1988 fantasy anthology Unknown, edited by Stanley Schmidt.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1997 Hercules heroic fantasy novels The Wrath of Poseidon and The Vengeance of Hera and the 2001 sequel The Gates of Hades by John Gregory Betancourt,
  
• Runalong the Shelves revisits the 2005 science fiction novel Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• The Dead Countess Collective, a comic by Bevis Munson, is looking for funding for its print edition.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that the first Business Meeting Reports and Motions for the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, are available.
  
• It Was a Dark and Stormy Book Club talks about the Fright Reads Book Conference in Millersville, Maryland.
  
• The program for the 2023 Psychedelic Film and Music Festival in New York City has been announced.
• Lisa Fickensher reports that Toy Fair in New York City is facing a crisis, because many major toy companies are boycotting the event in an attempt to push for a move to Los Angeles, California.
  
• Kerry Dixon reports about the new exhibitions coming to the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego, California.
• Mark Lawson calls the play Anthropology by Lauren Gunderson, which is currently playing in London, UK, a clever AI missing person mystery. 
• Jennifer Kneeland calls the play Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors by Gordan Greenberg and Steve Rosen, which is currently playing in New York City, cute, not-so-bloody fun
  
• Arifa Akbar reports about David Haig's stage adaptation of the movie Minority Report, which is coming in London, UK. 
• Sabina Graves reports about Sleep No More, a Halloween themed immersive theatre experience currently playing in Manhattan, New York.
  
• Sabina Graves shares news about Halloween events at the Disney Parks, the Universal Studio parks and other US theme parks.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Meenakshi Wadhwa talks about NASA's Osiris-Rex mission to bring back samples from the asteroid Bennu and why it is important.
• Denise Chow reports that Osiris-Rex has successfully dropped a capsule containing samples from the asteroid Bennu. 
• Stephen Clark reports about the opening of the sample capsule of the Osiris-Rex spacecraft.
  
• Geeta Pandey reports that India's Chandrayaan-3 Moon Lander appears to be dead. 
• The Guardian reports that a Nasa astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts have returned to Earth after being stuck in space for just over a year.
  
• Hannah Devlin reports that astronomers have detected the first evidence of a spinning black hole.
• Hannah Devlin reports that scientists at CERN have found that antimatter is subject to gravity 
  
• Alaina Demopoulos reports about the race to build factories in space.
  
• Laurence Tognetti reports that solar sails could reach Mars in just 26 days.
  
• Daniel Boffey reports about the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden.
• Kate Connolly reports that the Einstein Tower observatory in Potsdam, Germany, has reopened after renovations.
  
• Michael Neufeld reports about the restoration of the V2 missile on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.
  
• Jessy Edwards reports that the NYPD is letting a security robot patrol Times Square subway station in New York City.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Linda Codega reviews the table top RPG Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse   
• C.T. Phipps takes a look at the video game Cyberpunk 2077 three years after it was first released.
  
• Sanantha Riedel discusses the uproar surrounding the ability to select one's pronouns in Starfield and what happened when a mod was created to remove that option.
• Durand Welsh shares his thoughts on the Dungeons and Daddies D&D Podcast
  
• Stewart A Shearer shares "The Prison of Bog Goroth", a little Dungeons and Dragons adventure ideal for kids and new players.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Masters of the Universe Origins Snake Mountain playset by Mattel.
  
• Alex Rogan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse Sun-Man action figure.
• Alex Rogan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse Movie He-Man action figure.
• Alex Rogan reviews the Hiya Toys Judge Dredd Judge Mortis action figure.
  
• James Whitbrook shares a first look at the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series figures of Ahsoka villains Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The People from the Dead Whale" by Djuna, translated by Jihyun Park and Gord Sellar, in Clarkesworld.
• "The Five Remembrances, According to STE-319" by R. L. Meza in Clarkesworld.
• "Upgrade Day" by R.J. Taylor in Clarkesworld.
• "FORM 8774-D" by Alex Irvine in Tor.com.
  
• "Built for Her" by Camden Rose in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "His Thing" by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu in Lightspeed.
  
• "Death by Water" by Maria Haskins in Lightspeed.
• "The Curing" by Kristina Ten in Uncanny Magazine.
  
• "A Murmuring Darkness" by N.V. Haskell in Strange Horizons.
• "A Trick of the Night’s Hunger" by Nwuguru Chidiebere Sullivan in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Entertain, Embrace, Eat" by Dana Vickerson in Wyldblood.
  
• "Set Yourself on Fire" by Sam Kyung Yoo in Fantasy Magazine
  
• "Chop! Chop! Chop!" by Osahon Ize-Iyamu in The Dark.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a clip from Masters of the Universe: Revolution. 
• Watch a trailer for Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. 
• Watch the opening seven minutes of Castlevania: Nocturne.
  
• Watch a trailer for Captain Laserhawk. 
• Watch a trailer for Blue Eye Samurai. 
• Watch a teaser for Devil May Cry.
  
• Watch a clip from Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
• Watch a trailer for Wish. 
• Watch a trailer for Argylle.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Mill. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Wolf Like Me. 
  
• Watch a trailer for Fingernails.
  
• Watch a trailer for V/H/S 85.
• Watch a trailer for The Exorcist: Believer. 
• Watch a trailer for Living For the Dead.
  
• Watch a trailer for Suitable Flesh. 
• Watch a trailer for The Enfield Poltergeist.
  
• Watch a trailer for Herd.
• Watch a trailer for Impuratus. 
• Watch a trailer for season 7 of Rick and Morty.