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 March 6, 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, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general, The Bride, the final season of Outlander, In the Blink of an Eye, War Machine, Hoppers, Scream 7, the battle for Warner Bros, a scandal at the BAFTA Awards, tributes to Dan Simmons and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 86 new science fiction, fantasy and horror books arriving in March 
• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in March 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in March 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in March 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in March 2026   
• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in March 2026  
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in March 2026    
• Alex Brown shares their most anticipated Young Adult SFF for March and April 2026 
• Ada Palmer explains why all science fiction and fantasy writers are also historians. 
• Rachel Griffin shares five SFF books that pair heavy topics with a heap of whimsy
• James Davis Nicoll lists four times familiar characters faced nuclear armageddon
• Sam Reader shares six standalone werewolf novels to unleash the beast within 
• Christopher Lockett shares a brief history of Gremlins. 
• Molly Odintz lists crime novels about crows and related birds.   
• Lauren J. Joseph discusses the current popularity of doppelgangers in fiction and film.
• Alissa Burger talks about the tendency of characters to fall or be shoved from cliffs in 1990s YA horror novels. 
• Tasha L. Harrison talks about the connection between the rise of the bodice-ripper in the 1970s, the current popularity of dark romance and US evangelical purity culture. 
• Jennifer Sklias-Gahan talks about gothic fiction and the magic of storytelling
• Andrea Asuaje and Charlie Desjardins talk about romantic fanfiction.  
• Molly Templeton asks if you can ever really draw a line between genres and if it matters.  
• Marissa Levien explains what we lose when we gamify reading 
• Catherine Shoard wonders why today’s children’s books and films are often so much better than adult ones. 
• Judith Tarr shares her appreciation for the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. 
• Samantha Mills talks about Lord of the Rings and bittersweet endings. 
• SFF writer and fan M.R. “Hilde” Hildebrand has died aged 80.

 

Tributes to Dan Simmons:

• Science fiction writer Dan Simmons died aged 77.
• Eric Berger shares a tribute to Dan Simmons and his most famous novel Hyperion. 
• Locus remembers Dan Simmons. 
• Sian Cain remembers Dan Simmons. 

  

Comics and Art:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews "Rerolled", volume 2 of The Last Session, by Jasmine Walls and Dozerdraws  
• Stew Hotston reviews The One Hand and the Six Fingers by Ram V and others. 
• Brian Cronin looks back at DC Comics 1951 science fiction comic Mystery in Space.  
• Jim Beard revisits the 1963 Batman comic “Robin Dies at Dawn!”, written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall takes a look at British science fiction comics from 1971. 
• Fan artist Grant Canfield has died aged 80.

 

Film and TV:

• Isaiah Colbert declares that the animated science fiction film Mars Express is phenomenal because it remembers what cyberpunk actually means 
• Phil Hoad calls Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved a visually stunning dimension hopping anime. 
• Ann Lee explains why Frankenstein should win the best picture Oscar  
• Steve Rose explains why Sinners should win the best picture Oscar
•  Josh Pearce reviews Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die  
• Matthew Byrd calls Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie a science fiction comedy in disguise. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Worldbreaker a father-daughter science fiction survival drama 
• Chris Garcia declares that Anwar made him feel like intelligent and emotionally complex science fiction was alive and well 
• Phil Hoad calls Obex an inventive retro gaming tribute with surreal Lynchian vibes  
• Leslie Felperin calls Dolly a gory, trope-filled horror film.
• Catherine Bray calls Play Dead an intriguing high-concept horror thriller
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Paradise.  
• Matt Larkin shares his thoughts on the fantasy series Tale of the Nine Tailed 
• Shealynn Scitt shares ten cyberpunk TV shows that she considers masterpieces 
• Readers of The Guardian share their favourite TV couples. 
• Isaiah Colbert ranks all members of the Strawhat Pirates from One Piece. 
• Jim Halterman interviews Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz, co-creators of the shortlived 2001 TV show The Lone Gunmen. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Ryan Gosling, star of Barbie, Project Hail Mary, Star Wars:Starfighter, Blade Runner 2049 and many others.  
• Emma John interviews Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield, stars of The Magic Faraway Tree
• Borys Kit interviews Jason Blum, CEO of the horror film studio Blumhouse. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1929 science fiction film Woman in the Moon 
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1971 horror film Lust for a Vampire. 
• Amber Dubin revisits the 1971 Night Gallery episodes "The House" and "Certain Shadows on the Wall"  
• Zack Handlen revisits the 1989 Quantum Leap episodes "Star-Crossed" and "The Right Hand Of God." 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “No Compromises” 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 2009 science fiction film Moon. 
• Ben Child declares that a Spider-Man Universe without Spider-Man is completely pointless.and wonders why Sony won't include him.  
• Justin Carter is surprised that Rotta the Hutt, son of Jabba, will appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu. 
• Neely Tucker reports that the 1897 science fiction film "Gugusse et l'Automate" by George Méliès has been rediscovered by the Library of Congress in Washington DC. 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that actor Bruce Campbell, star of the Evil Dead films, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr, Herculas, Xena, Burn Notice and many others, has been diagnosed with a treatable but not curable cancer. 
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Robert Carradine. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• He-Mania interviews Mackenzi Lee, author of the Masters of the Universe tie-in novel Teela: Daughter of Eternos.  
• Rob McCallum explains the origins of the Mythic Wall separating the dark and light sides of Eternia as seen in various incarnations of Masters of the Universe.
• Michael Halperin, who wrote the series bible for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, has died aged 91. 

 

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

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “300th Night”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “300th Night”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "The Life of the Stars”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.   
• Meredith Jacobs interviews Nora Landau, producer of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, as well as writer and co-creator Gaia Violo and Mary Wiseman, who plays Sylvia Tilly. 
• Richard Edwards wonders whether Nus Braka's weapon in the latest Starfleet Academy episode "300th Night" is a Galaxy Quest in-joke.

 

Comments on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: 

• Tom Beasley reports that a review bombing and rankings war has broken out among fans of Breaking Bad and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
• Inspired by the rankings war between fans of Breaking Bad and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Sacha Judd talks about review bombing and how an obsession with rankings can ruin one's love for a movie or TV show.   
• Ben Child wonders how audience will react to the planned Game of Thrones movie focussed on the Targaryen family. 
• Watch a blooper reel of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 

 

Comments on The Bride!:

• Luke Hicks calls The Bride! a bold, bloody, feminist Frankenstein freakout 
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Bride! a darkly comic and gleefully bizarre reimagining of the 1935 film
• Cheryl Eddy calls The Bride! a violent, wildly energetic horror romance. 
• Jim Vorel revisits the 1985 version of The Bride and calls it a take on My Fair Lady weirdly uninterested in its title character. 

 

 

Comments on In the Blink of an Eye:

• Jesse Hassenger calls In The Blink Of An Eye a discount Cloud Atlas without Tom Hanks
• Arturo Serrano also unfavourably compares In the Blink of an Eye to Cloud Atlas. 
• Rory Doherty reports that In The Blink Of An Eye is not the first preachy live-action science fiction misfire from a Pixar director. 

 

Comments on the final season of Outlander:

• Hunter Ingram declares that Outlander's final season gets off to a promising, characteristically busy start
• Natalie Zutter discusses the changes of the Outlander theme song.  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Matthew B. Roberts and Maril Davis, showrunner and executive producer of Outlander.  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin who play Brianna and Roger in Outlander.  

  

Comments on War Machine:

• Benjamin Lee declares that War Machine bravely asks: what if Predator but Transformers?  
• Caroline Siede calls War Machine proudly, almost guilelessly old-fashioned. 

 

Comments on Hoppers: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Hoppers a fun animated film about a teen trying to talk to the animals and save them from an evil developer  
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Hoppers is a reminder of how good and weird Pixar can be when it aims small
• Germain Lussier declares that Hoppers is easily one of Pixar’s funniest, darkest and best movies in years 
• Reuben Baron calls Hoppers a brilliantly silly ecological adventure
• Bill Bria interviews Daniel Cong, director of Hoppers. 

 

Comments on Scream 7: 

• Germain Lussier declares that Scream 7 is so bad it’s hard to know where to start. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel calls Scream 7 a lot of messy fun 
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending of Scream 7 and whether it makes any sense at all. 
• Matthew Byrd recounts the many controversies haunting Scream 7.
• Matt Schimkowitz declares that for all its zeitgeist-chasing references, Scream still can't get a handle on the modern slasher film's relationship to true crime. 
• Nick Romano interviews outsted Scream 7 writers/directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett about their plans for the film. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports about yet another controversy besetting Scream 7. 
• Drew Gillis reports that despite boycott threats, Scream 7 has achieved a record-breaking opening at the weekend box office
• Germain Lussier reports that Scream 7 broke franchise box office records despite earning franchise-worst reviews   

 

Comments on the battle for Warner Bros: 

• Rick Ellis shares a look behind the scenes of Netflix's decision to drop their bid for Warner Bros.  
• Lucas Shaw interviews Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, about pulling out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that the much hated Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav reaps even more benefits of the Paramount offer to Warner Bros by unloading $114 million of Warner Bros stock 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that the California Attorney General may still block Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros for regulatory reasons.

 

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2016 BSFA Awards has been announced.  
• The shortlist for the 2026 Robert E. Howard Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Kurd Laßwitz Preis have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Ursa Major Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 Rhysling Awards have been announced.   
• The winners of the 2026 FAAn Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the Must Read Books Award For Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing has been announced  
• The longlist for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced.  
• The winners of the 2026 Libby Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Actor Awards have been announced 
• The winners of the 2026 PGA Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 International Film Music Critics Association Awards have been announced

 

Comments on the scandal at the BAFTA Awards ceremony:

• Andrew Pulver reports that Wummi Mosaku, one of the stars of Sinners, felt that her BAFTA win was tainted by hearing the n-word, though she blames not Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson for involuntarily saying it, but the BBC for not editing it out.
• Andrew Pulver shares the reaction of Delroy Lindo, one of the stars of Sinners, to hearing slurs aimed at him at the BAFTA Awards.  
• Catherine Shoard reports that BAFTA Awards host Alan Cumming has criticised the BBC for ‘broadcasting slurs and censoring free speech’ 
• Readers of The Guardian discuss what the BAFTA Awards n-word controversy revealed about disability and race 
• Shania Russell reports that the activist group Tourette Action has condemned the comedy show Saturday Night Live for mocking John Davidson and people with Tourette syndrome over the BAFTA incident. 

 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Tracy Maton talks about writing what you love  
• James Rollins talks about crafting characters that readers will care deeply about. 
• Linda Joffe Hull and Keir Graff talk about co-writing. 
• Gin Phillips talks about researching her latest novel.
• Gin Phillips talks about research some more. 
• Dan Barry talks about the glut of scams aimed at writers. 
• Jackson Chen reports that the US Supreme Court has rejected a case regarding whether AI generated art can be copyrighted. 
• Nathalie op de Beek reports that employees of the American Library Association have announced plans to form a union.

 

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Rebecca Roanhorse. 
• Will McClelland interviews Christopher Buehlman. 
• Emma Loffhagen interviews Malorie Blackman. 
• Alex Puncekar interviews Oliver Brackenbury.
• Arley Sorg interviews J.M. Siderova. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Liz Gorinsky. 

 

Reviews: 

• Marlene Harris reviews At Star’s End by Anna Hackett  
• Fiona Sturges reviews The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Halcyon Days by Alastair Reynolds 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Mills of the Gods by Tim Powers 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall  
• Mark Yon reviews Jitterbug by Garath L. Powell. 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Soulstar by C.L. Polk 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Iron Garden Sutra by A. D. Sui 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Mumbai Singularity by Nym Coy  
• Jared Shurin reviews Half City by Kate Golden 
• Alasdair Stuart reviews Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers by Barry Nugent  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers by Barry Nugent 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Sundown Girls by L.S. Stratton 
• Paul Weimer reviews Green and Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Green and Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons 
• Mark Yon reviews Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlmann. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Gods Must Burn by T.R. Moore 
• Marlene Harris reviews Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher 
• Nils Shukla reviews The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar
• Marlene Harris reviews Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan 
• Robin Marx reviews Against the Demon World by D.M. Ritzlin 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Lore of Silver by Ruth Francis Long 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui 
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Witching Hours by Heather Graham  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan 
• Stew Hotston reviews The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson 
• Raven Crime Reads reviews Catherine by Essie Fox. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Body by Bethany C. Morrow. 
• Maya Gittelman reviews The Body by Bethany C. Morrow.  
• Joe Sherry reviews Overgrowth by Mira Grant and Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin 
• Abergale Shep reviews Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Darker Days by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
• Bill Capossere reviews Vigil by George Saunders  
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo, translated by Joheun Lee.   
• Nina Allan reviews The Quantity Theory of Morality by Will Self  
• Niall Harrison reviews If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop, translated by Anton Hur.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews I’m Waiting for You And Other Stories by Kim Bo-Young, translated by Sung Ryu and Sophie Bowmany   
• Ian Mond reviews Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine by Kristina Ten
• Alexandra Pierce reviwws The Year’s Best Science Fiction on Earth 3, edited by Allan Kaster
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1953 science fiction novel The Paradox Men by Charles L. Harness 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1961 Kaiju serial The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga and Yoshie Hotta
• Cat Eldridge revisits the 1965 children's fantasy novel Elidor by Alan Garner 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the March 1971 issue of Analog. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 hard science fiction novel The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven 
• Eddie Clark revisits the 1992 science fiction novel China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1993 science fiction novel Heavy Time by C. J. Cherryh
• Clara Cohen revisits the 2015 epic fantasy novel Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb.
   

Con and event reports:

• Matt Schimkowitz shares the line-up for the Beyond Chicago film festival in Chicago, Illinois. 
• Andy Hageman reports about a visit to the Stephen King Archive in Bangor, Maine.
• Emma Loffhagen reports that Amazon has pulled its sponsorship from the Paris Book Festival in Paris, France, after the French booksellers association Syndicat de la Librairie Française accused the online retailer of trying to ‘flood the market with fake AI-generated books 

 

 

Science and technology:

• Ed Pilkington reports that NASA has announced that the Artemis III mission no longer aims to send humans to Moon
• Brendan Byrne also reports about NASA changing the Artemis Moon mission program and postponing a planned astronaut landing  
• Joe Paica explains why NASA lost their Lunar Trailblazer probe on day after launch. 
• Eric Berger reports that the US Congress has voted to extend the life of the International Space Station. 
• Margherita Bassi reports that a new hypothesis about Saturn’s history might explain its iconic rings and some of its odd moons

 

Gaming: 

• Keith Stuart lists five of the most interesting upcoming indie games 
• James Whitbrook reports that World of Warcraft has just upgraded Silvermoon City for the first time in twenty years and now it’s perfect 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Still a Big Kid reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Etheria She-Ra action figure 
• Zach Oat reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Chronicles Tri-Klops action figure 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at LEGO sets coming out in March.

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Eat, Prey, Love: A Modest Proposal for Ensuring Gender Equality Through Selective Dietary Practices; or, a Geriatric Millennial’s Guide to #GirlDinner" by Jilly Dreadful in Lightspeed  
• "The Devourers of War; or, An Excerpt from the Cookbook of the Gods" by Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe in Lightspeed.  
• "Bend Like the Palm" by David D. Levine in Clarkesworld. 
• "Crosstalk, Elysium" by Carolyn Zhao in Clarkesworld. 
• "Where the Dream Train Goes, Part 1" by Jason Sanford in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Ugly House" by Bianca Carvalho in The Dark. 
• "Will the Last One to Leave Please Turn Out the Lights?" by Gordon B. White in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "What Would Akanda Do?" by Samit Basu in Future Tense Fiction.
• "A Very Good Dog" by William Adcock in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Chimera" by Anjali Sachdeva in Uncanny Magazine 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for the live action One Piece.
• Watch a trailer for Lanterns. 
• Watch a trailer for The Testaments. 
• Watch a trailer for Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice 
• Watch a trailer for the final season of The Boys. 
• Watch a trailer for the latest incarnation of Scary Movie. 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 27, 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, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general, The Bluff, season 2 of Paradise, season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Scream 7, the battle for Warner Bros, a scandal at the BAFTA Awards, tributes to Robert Carradine and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Sam Reader shares seven SFF collections to enjoy. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about investigating enigmatic artifacts 
• Francis Spufford discusses the current popularity of fantasy.  
• Marie Lu shares her favourite urban fantasy books. 
• P.S. Livingstone answers questions about romance and spice in SFF.
• Markelle Grabo recommends five fantasy books featuring class difference romances 
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror stories set during medieval times
• Lindy Ryan explains how women are rewriting the "Final Girl" script and reveling in fictional villainy  
• Fred Bradford profiles Ray Bradbury. 
• John Shirley looks back on his writing career and his troubled life. 
• Tom Pinnock looks back on Michael Moorcock's music career. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Russell Letson shares his favourite SFF of 2025.
• Graham Sleight shares his favourite SFF of 2025.
• A.C. Wise shares her favourite SFF of 2025.  

  

Comics and Art:

• Isaiah Colbert calls Claymore by Norihiro Yagi manga’s best-kept dark fantasy secret 
• Isaiah Colbert ranks the villains of Absolute Batman. 
• Tom Gould shares a cartoon about the current popularity of Wuthering Heights

 

Film and TV:

• Petrana Radulovic lists all the SFF TV shows premiering in March. 
• Petrana Radulovic lists all the SFF movies premiering in March.  
• C.T. Phipps declares that season 2 of Fallout was something of a disappointment. 
• Leslie Felperin calls God of Frogs a self-aware horror film set across four time periods which sees a woman impregnated by a human-sized pond-beast resulting in multigenerational havoc  
• Phil Hoad calls the anime All You Need Is Kill considerably inferior to Edge of Tomorrow
• Phil Hoad calls Else a pandemic-style horror film which has bad guys literally crawling out of the woodwork 
• Leah Thomas shares her appreciation for the anime Ya Boy Kongming!  
• Brian Davids interviews Tony Gilroy, creator of Andor. 
• Destiny Jackson interviews Ryan Coogler, writer and director of Sinners, as well as stars Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo  
• Phil Hoad interviews French animator Florence Miailhe 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares an overview of season 4 of Babylon 5. 
• Alex Hiveley revisits the 1929 science fiction film Woman in the Moon. 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1982 animated fantasy film The Flight of Dragons. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1988 horror film The Lair of the White Worm  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2013 science fiction horror film Under the Skin.
• Germain Lussier shares early reactions to Project Hail Mary. 
• Benjamin Svetkey explains why James Van Der Beek was broke at the time of his death. 
• Max Gao reports that Grey's Anatomy paid tribute to its late star Eric Dane.  
• A study of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at the University of California in Los Angeles has found out that young people would like to see more compassionate and supportive portrayals of masculinity.
• Max Goldbart reports that the UK actors union Equity has called for a boycott of the BBC charter renewal survey over AI concerns.

Tributes to Robert Carradine: 

• Actor Robert Carradine, best known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds, Django Unchained, Escape from LA, The Big Red One and Lizzie McGuire, has died aged 71. 
• Drew Gillis remembers Robert Carradine. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Colt Crane reports that Rob David, who co-created and produced Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution as well as the CGI animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series and who also wrote the DC Masters of the Universe comics, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Animation at Mattel  
• James Eatock takes a look at the Masters of the Universe comics by DC Comics from the early 1980s and explains how they shaped the lore of Masters of the Universe.
• Jukka Issakainen and Daniel Benedict explain how He-Man turns back into Prince Adam. 
• Watch the Masters of the Universe trailer recreated with action figures. 

 

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

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Life of the Stars”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Life of the Stars”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Ko’Zeine”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.   
• James Whitbrook discusses a gay love triangle developing in Starfleet Academy.
• James Whitbrook finds some unexpected parallels between Starfleet Academy and Grey's Anatomy. 
• Meredith Jacobs interviews George Hawkins who plays Darem in Starfleet Academy. 
• Rich Pelley interviews George Takei, best known for playing Sulu in Star Trek. 
• James Whitbrook reports that the mugs seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are making a comeback. 

 

Comments on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: 

• Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on "The Morrow", the latest episode of  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on "The Morrow" , the latest episode of  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on "The Morrow", the latest episode of  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.   
• Camestros Felapton enjoyed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 
• Aaron Jones declares that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms offers something fresh and different in the familiar grimdark world.
• Stuart Heritage declares that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has saved the Game of Thrones universe
• Caroline Siede discusses how A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms upends a universe about hereditary power 
• Cheryl Eddy explains how the Targaryens of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms connect to House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones.   
• Christopher Lockett explains that Game of Thrones was not as big a departure from HBO's other offerings as many assumed.  
• James Whitbrook reports that A Knight of the Seven Kingdom left the question whether Dunk was truly knighted or not deliberately vague. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports about a change made to the ending of season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compared to the novella it's based upon and what this means for a potential season 2.  
• Nick Romano interviews Ira Parker, showrunner of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 
• Jordan Moreau interviews Ira Parker. 
• Brian Davids interviews Sam Spruell who plays Maekar Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 
• Rick Porter reports that the season 1 finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms had the highest ratings for the entire series to date. 
• Joe Otterson explains that A Knight of the Seven Kingdom is a ratings success and gets higher ratings than the critically acclaimed medical drama The Pitt. 

 

Comments on The Bluff:

• Caroline Siede calls The Bluff a rollicking and ridiculous pirate romp. 
• Owen Myers calls The Bluff a swashbuckling and often gory tale of 19th-century buccaneers in the Caribbean

 

Comments on season 2 of Paradise:

• Brian Tallerico declares that Paradise struggles to find direction in season 2
• Cheryl Eddy declares that season 2 of Paradise brings even more tension and thrills 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Paradise. 
• Inspired by Paradise, Fallout and Silo, Duncan Barrett discusses the popularity of TV shows set in or around nuclear bunkers. 

  

Comments on season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: 

• Hunter Ingram declares that season 2 of Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters struggles to stake its claim in a colossal world 
• Vanessa Armstrong lists what to remember before watching season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

 

Comments on Scream 7: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Scream 7 a nostalgic slasher sequel 
• Natalia Keogan calls Scream 7 the flimsiest film in the franchise. 
• Rebecca Rubin and Brent Lang report about the troubled production history of Scream 7. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin explains what to expect from Scream 7. 
• William Hughes reports that Scream 7 is already sporting the franchise's all-time lowest review scores 
• Jack Dunn reports that a handful of Pro-Palestine protesters showed up at the premiere of Scream 7, calling for a boycott. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that the character of Gale Weathers from the Scream movies is better than the average final girl 

 

Comments on the battle for Warner Bros: 

• Alex Weprin reports that Netflix has backed out of the bidding war for Warner Bros and that Paramount is now set to buy Warner Bros. 
• Jesse Hassenger wonders whether Netflix or Paramount would be a better owner for Warner Bros.  

 

Awards:

• The final ballot for the 2025 Bram Stoker Awards has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2025 Australian Romance Readers Awards has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 Prix Bob Morane has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Phoenix and Rebel Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards have been announced.  
• The winners of the 2026 Annie Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 VES Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 NAACP Image Awards have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2026 International Booker Prize has been announced.   
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Comments on the scandal at the BAFTA Awards ceremony:

• Andrew Pulver reports about a massive scandal at the 2026 BAFTA Awards ceremony, when a Tourette Syndrome in the audience shouted racial slurs as a verbal tic linked to his disease.    
• Alex Ritman reports about the 2026 BAFTA Award controversy and shares an apology by the organisers. 
• K.J. Yossman and Ellisa Shafer report that John Davidson, disability activist with Tourette Syndrome, has apologised for yelling slurs during the ceremony.  
• Clayton Davis interviews John Davidson about the BAFTA Awards incident. 
• Catherine Shoard critiicises the BBC for editing out political remarks before broadcasting the BAFTA Awards ceremony, but not the racial slurs. 
• Stuart Heritage declares that they should just broadcast the BAFTA Award ceremony live. 
• Michael Savage and Andrew Pulver report that the BBC has apologised for airing the BAFTA Award ceremony with the racial slurs included, claiming the producers did not hear them. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Ian McGuire talks about the thrills and the utter despair involved in writing fiction 
• Stewart Hotston explains why "show don't tell" is mostly bullshit advice. 
• Lincoln Michel explains what not reading does to your writing. 
• Ellie Alexander talks about drafting and creativity in the AI era 
• Jennifer K. Breedlove talks about ordinary heroes who take whatever resources and skills they have to step up and solve the crime. 
• Rebecca Philipson talks about naming characters.
• Taylor Adams talks about writing about claustrophobia 
• Rebecca Philipson explains how autobiographical bits appeared in her serial killer novel.
• Brenda W. Clough shares a guide to author readings. 
• Charlie Jane Anders speaks out about losing her job as an SFF book reviewer at the Washington Post. 

 

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews A.C. Wise.
• Samantha Puc interviews Paul Tremblay. 
• Jim McLeod interviews A.G. Slatter.

 

Reviews: 

• Christine D. Baker reviews Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffmann 
• Kevin Tipple reviews Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu. 
• Alex Brown reviews System Collapse by Martha Wells. 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Transmentation | Transgression by Darkly Lem 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Essence by Dave Hutchinson 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart 
• Marlene Harris reviews Perun’s Hammer by Ian Heller
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews Godfall by Van Jensen 
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews After the Fall by Edward Ashton.  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann
• Martin Cahill reviews Queen Demon by Martha Wells 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Brides In the Dark by Jacob Steven Mohr 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver by Rafael Torrubia 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan  
• Chris Kluwe reviews Reliquary by Hannah Whitten 
• James Tivendale reviews No Life Forsaken by Steven Erikson 
• Liz Bourke reviews Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher 
• A.K. Blakemore reviews Nonesuch by Francis Spufford
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1925 lost world novel The Treasure Vault of Atlantis by Olof W. Anderson
• Adafruit Industries revisits the 1967 science fantasy novel Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny and chronicles how a proposed film adaptation in the 1970s was used as a cover to extract the American hostages from Iran in 1979. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 dystopian novel Dance the Eagle to Sleep by Marge Piercy 
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology Science Against Man, edited by Anthony Cheetham
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology The Second Pacific Book of Science Fiction, edited by John Baxter 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1999 disaster novel The Rift by Walter Jon Williams 
   

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that after a year's break, Penguincon will return to Southfield, Michigan.
• The lineup for the 2026 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival in New York City has been announced 
• Erik Piepenburg reports about a musical adaptation of the vampire movie The Lost Boys, which is currently playing in New York City, and a new stage adaptation of Dracula, starring Cynthia Erivo, which is currently playing in London, UK. 
• Youmana Khatib reports about a wake for the The Washington Post’s books section held in Washington DC.  
• Priya Sridhar shares tips for recovering from volunteer burnout.

 

Crowdfunding:

• Mythic Legions: The Roleplaying Game is looking for funding.

 

Science and technology:

• Michael Banks reports that more than 250 quantum scientists have signed a “manifesto” opposing the use of quantum research for military purposes. 
• Becky Ferreira reports that the lost Soviet Moon lander Luna 7 may have been found
• Kaye Dee reports about the Apollo 14 Moon mission in 1971.
• Judith Tarr talks about sentience, sapience and animal intelligence 
• Skyler Ware reports about a detachable robotic hand. 
• Ross Andersen reports that someone bet a lot of money on the confirmation of the existence of aliens. 
• The Guardian reports that the US AI company Anthropic has accused three Chinese rivals of mass data theft
• Holly Philips reports that a blue glow in the sky initially mistaken for a UFO has been traced to the so-called "Flying Banana", a special train which inspects train tracks.  
• Paul Arnold reports that new research shows that the Tyrannosaurus Rex walked on tiptoes. 
• Shelley Puhak talks about the historical hearsay behind Elizabeth Bathory's notoriety and how believable the accusations against her are.

 

Gaming: 

• Keith Stuart explains why Xbox’s corporate shake-up matters for everyone who plays games 
• Keith Stuart finds unexpected parallels between the 2026 Winter Olympics and 1990s video games.

 

Toys and collectibles:

• The DorkLair reviews the Mythic Legions Attlus the Conqueror II action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.   
• The DorkLair reviews the Mythic Legions Bodvar the Bear action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• ToyBro reviews the Mythic Legions Bodvar the Bear action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• D Amazing reviews the Mythic Legions Bodvar the Bear action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.
• D Amazing reviews the Mythic Legions Neve action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.
• Glasseater reviews the Mythic Legions Neve action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.  
• Glasseater reviews the Mythic Legions Scapular the Cryptbreaker 2 action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• Glasseater reviews the Mythic Legions Yoshanai Kari action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.  
• Toy Habits reviews Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Etheria Despara action figure.
• Toy Habits reviews the Operation Monster Force Sleepwalker Aerial Assault Trooper action figure. 
• Toy Habits reviews the Super 7 Thundercats Ultimates Snarf action figure.
• Germain Lussier takes a look at action figures from The Mandalorian and Grogu that are coming out and shares what else he would like to see.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at some Knight of the Seven Kingdoms themed Funko Pops. 
• Jeremy White shares an inside look at LEGO's new Smart Bricks. 
• James Whitbrook declares that LEGO's Smart Bricks sound awful. 
• Germain Lussier explains how the Project Hail Mary LEGO set came to be. 
• Sarah Whitten discusses the connection between popular movie franchises and toys. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Deathcap" by Lara Elena Donnelly in Reactor. 
• "Tomb of the Bull King" by Dariel R. A. Quiogue in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Emperor Wants Results" by Gabriel Moseley in Night Shades.
• "Piglet Delivers" by Maria Haskins in Apex Magazine. 
• "Within the Pink Paisley Walls" by Kelsea Yu in The Dark. 
• "Warren’s Tentacle" by Susan Palwick in Lightspeed. 
• "A Handbook to Spirit-Hunting" by Modupeoluwa Shelle in Lightspeed. 
• "To Atone for Evil" by Megan Chee in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "What Might Come of Today" by Leah Ning in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of sky" by P.H. Lee in The Sunday Morning Transport
• "Painstaking" by Rich Larson in Clarkesworld.
• "Mushaboom" by Jeremy Morris in The Deadlands. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. 
• Watch a trailer for Mortal Kombat II. 
• Watch a teaser for Backrooms. 
• Watch a trailer for season 5 of For All Mankind.