Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 25, 2026

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the 2026 Hugo Awrad finalists, the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars in general, Stranger Things - Tales from '85 and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Alex Brown shares must read short speculative fiction for March 2026 
• Stewart Hotston talks about who gets to matter in stories and about problematic tropes in fiction.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fictional solutions to finding your one true love 
•  Anna-Sophie Jürgens and Shao-Jie Jhou note that pop culture shapes science more than we like to admit
• James Davis Nicoll talks about the science behind torchships, science fiction's favorite hypothetical spacecraft 
• Sam Reader shares eight SFF books about haunted broadcasts 
• Christopher Keene shares a brief history of the LitRPG genre. 
• Christopher Lockett shares his appreciation for the work of M.R. Carey. 
• Sean Guynes shares his appreciation for the works of Thomas Burnett Swann. 
• Alyssa Hall talks about reading Tolkien in the time of climate change 
• Chris Harris reports that a man claiming he was Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files urban fantasy series by Jim Butcher tried to break into a house in Fairfield, California, and was arrested. 
• British science fiction author Ian Watson has died aged 82. 

   

Comics and Art:

• Amelia Mevers reviews Otherworld Barbara by Moto Hagio
• Will McClelland interviews SFF artist Micaela Alcaino 

 

Film and TV:

• Leah Thomas calls the live action One Piece a truly brilliant, joyful live-action adaptation that gets the details right 
• Arturo Serrano calls the anime Scarlet a gender-flipped retelling of Hamlet that sends the princess of Denmark to an endless limbo 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Exit 8 a disquieting psychological mystery 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die 
• Jacob Oller calls the latest take on Animal Farm and absurd and creatively bankrupt adaptation. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Invincible. 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Boys. 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of For All Mankind. 
• Rich Pelley interviews Adam Scott, star of Severance. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Katie Dippold and Hiro Murai, creator and director of Widow's Bay.  
• Isaiah Colbert declares that Fullmetal Alchemist is the greatest anime of all time  
• Don Kaye revisits the 1956 kaiju movie Godzilla, King of the Monsters!  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1971 folk horror movie Blood on Satan's Claw and George Pritchard revisits the 1971 folk horror movie The Virgin Witch. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “Day of the Dead”  
• Lorna Wallace shares seven SFF films featuring cinemas being destroyed
• Eric Vilas-Boaz explains why Disney fired 1000 employees last week 
• Justin Carter reports that the new Street Fighter movie knows exactly what it is and embraces the inherent silliness of the concept,
• Jennifer Maas reports that a Phantom live action TV series is in the works. 
• Justin Carter reports that the current era of Star Trek ends with auctioning off props and costumes. 
• Actor Patrick Muldoon, best known for his roles in Starship Troopers, Melrose Place, Days of Our Lives, Dirty Hands and others, has died aged 57 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Tai Gooden talks about the footage from the live action Masters of the Universe movie that was shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Matthew Aguilar interviews Travis Knight, director of the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie, 
• Rob London interviews Travis Knight as well as actors Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Alison Brie, who play Adam/He-Man, Teela, Duncan/Man-at-Arms and Evil-Lyn in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• Digital Charcuterie explain why he is optimistic about the live action Masters of the Universe movie.  
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the latest Masters of the Universe trailer and other recent articles and interviews about the movie.  
• He-Mania.com reports that Mattel is promoting the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie via drone billboards along freeways in Southern California leading to the Desert Destival in Coachella, California. 
• Watch another trailer for Masters of the Universe.  

  

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

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on “Requiem”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “Requiem”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
• Brian VanHooker interviews Michael Uwandi, a member of the visual development team at Marvel Studios who was just laid off during the latest Disney lay-offs.

 

Comments on Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Lord, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars in general: 

• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Lord
• Germain Lussier reports about a visit to the set of The Mandalorian and Grogu 
• Jimmy Kimmel interviews Jon Favreau, director of The Mandalorian and Grogu. 
• Liz Declan lists three Jedi who survived Order 66 that Star Wars still needs to do more with
• Matthew Byrd shares some background on the infamous "Somehow, Palpatine returned" line from The Rise of Skywalker. 

 

Comments on Stranger Things: Tales from '85: 

• Jack Seale declares that the animated Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 has everything that made the original series so lovable 
• Rafael Motomayor declares that Stranger Things: Tales From '85 tries—and fails—to appeal to both longtime fans and young newbies.  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 Hugo Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Aurora Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards have been announced. 
• The recipient of the 2026 International Costumers’ Guild Lifetime Achievement Award has been announced. 
• Shane Hickey reports about multiple problems with the Plaza Prizes. 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2026 Hugo finalists. 

 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Michael Cowan talks about crafting suspense and great danger through a character’s restraint, hesitation or silence – or through action/spectacle
• Ande Pliego talks about the marvelous libraries that inspired her new novel 
• Camestros Felapton investigates rumours that Baen Books is in trouble. 

 

Interviews:

• Tasha Robinson interviews Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck a.k.a. James S.A. Corey. 
• Mark Yon interviews Jeremy Szal.  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Jeremy Szal. 
• Martin Cahill interviews Amal El-Mohtar. 
• Gabrielle Harbowy interviews S.L. Huang. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews John Twelve Hawks.
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Heather Child.
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Dan Coxon. 
• Circulating Ideas interviews Lynne M. Thomas and Katy Rawdon  

 

Reviews: 

• Bill Capossere reviews The Faith of Beasts by James S. A. Corey 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Obake Code by Makana Yamamoto 
• Jim McLeod reviews Crawlspace by Adam Christopher 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Voidverse by Damien Ober 
• Marlene Harris reviews Death Meets Cute by J. Penner
• Marlene Harris reviews Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe  
• Joe Sherry reviews Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire  
• Martin Cahill reviews The Swan’s Daughter: A Possibly Doomed Love Story by Roshani Chokshi 
• Niall Harrison reviews City Like Water by Dorothy Tse, translated by Natascha Bruce 
• Alex Brown reviews Year of the Mer by L.D. Lewis 
• Marion Deeds reviews Black Rose by Arlo Z. Graves 
• Robin Marx reviews Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon by James Lovegrove 
• Alex Brown reviews The Gravewood by Kelly Andrew  
• Z.B. Steele reviews Our Lady of Blades by Sebastien de Castell 
• Adrienne Martini reviews Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by K.J. Parker 
• Marlene Harris reviews Lightning Runes by Harry Turtledove 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Of Song and Shadow by G. R. Matthews  
• Marion Deeds reviews A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson 
• Alexis Ong reviews Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick. 
• Alex Wallace reviews Look Out for the Little Guy by Rob Kutner 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Demon King by Peter V. Brett.  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Bone Queen by Will Shindler 
• Melissa A. Watkins reviews The Witch by Marie N’Diaye, translated by Jordan Stump  
• Krystle Matar reviews On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield 
• Hache Pueyo reviews Walking Practice by Dolki Min  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Dark Duets by Penny Jones and Teika Marija Smits 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Rabbit Test and Other Stories by Samantha Mills  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Come Sing For The Harrowing: Stories by Dan Coxon 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Witchcraft - Folk & Horror Stories, edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane 
• Adam Sisman reviews The Illuminated Man: Life, Death and the Worlds of J.G. Ballard by Christopher Priest and Nina Allan 

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1930 lost world novel Subterrania by Harl Vincent 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1954 hard science fiction novel Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement 
• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1967 dystopian story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 horror anthology New Writings in Horror and Supernatural #1, edited by David Sutton.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1973 science fiction collection The Queen of Air and Darkness and Other Stories by Poul Anderson  
• Caroline Bicks revisits the 1982 horror novel Pet Sematary ny Stephen King. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1990 Culture space opera novel Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks  

 

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that the feminist science fiction convention WisCon will return in 2026 as a pure online event.

 

Science and technology:

• Gayoung Lee reports that NASA plans to start a fire on the Moon in a first-of-its-kind experiment  
• Lisa Lock reports that NASA is shutting off instrument on Voyager 1 to keep the spacecraft operating 
• Ada Palmer and Bruce Schneier worry about how generative AI might impact human speech.
• Chris Stokel-Walker reports that scientists invented a fake disease and that AI told people it was real

 

Gaming: 

• Keza MacDonald declares that including online games in social media bans is unworkable, unnecessary and would harm young people

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Jay Glatfelter reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Core movie He-Man, Teela and Beast-Man action figures. 
• Kenzo's Creations reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Chronicles movie He-Man, Man-at-Arms and Tri-Klops action figures. 
• DorkLair reviews the Infinite Legions Phanost action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.
• Adam Power reviews the Cosmic Legions Anthophilees action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.   
• Geek Dad Live wonders whether novelty popcorn buckets are killing action figure collecting. 
• Pixel Dan shares a look at the Masters of the Universe novelty popcorn buckets and other merchandise shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Germain Lussier takes a look at the Hasbro Marvel Legends Daredevil: Born Again Daredevil and Jessica Jones two-pack 
• Justin Carter takes a look at some Spider-Man: Brand New Day LEGO sets. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at the first ever LEGO Shrek set. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley [Part 2]" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed. 
• "Update on Rules for the Spatiotemporal Use of Campus Spaces" by Andrea Kriz in Lightspeed.  
• "Welcome to Heroism" by John Wiswell in Uncanny Magazine  
• "What lies in the dark" by Ali Ortiz in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Dromedary Mary" by Phoenix Alexander in The Dark.
• "D0G" by Tania Fordwalker in Clarkesworld.
• "The Starling" by Dana Jaye Cadman in Mystery Tribune. 
• "We Are All in the Same Boat" by Avi Burton in Nightmare Magazine.  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Coyote vs. Acme. 
• Watch a trailer for Practical Magic 2.
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina. 
• Watch a trailer for The Vampire Lestat. 
• Watch a trailer for Clayface. 
• Watch a trailer for Star City. 
• Watch a trailer for Hokum. 
• Watch a trailer for Hungry. 
• Watch a teaser for Evil Dead Burn. 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 17, 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, season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, The Testaments, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars in general, Lee Cronin's The Miniature Wife, the 2026 CinemaCon and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for March 2026. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five vintage SF works about traveling to the Moon 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about what happens after we get to the Moon 
• Jim McLeod implores readers to stop skipping prologues and epilogues. 
• Nightmare Magazine asks why we like the Weird. 
• Candice Wuehle finds some unexpected parallels between the spooky mansions of gothic fiction and modern day celebrity compouns. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror stories that humanize zombies  
• Kathleen Rhodes talks about the long and irreverent tradition of religious satire in horror fiction 
• Kat Cho pairs five young adult SFF books with K-Pop songs 
• Angela Boord talks about the pleasures of discovering gaps in your reading  
• Michael Hoskin talks about speculative fiction authors and their literary afterlives  
• Eden Gordon discusses the tragic real-life inspiration behind Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. 
• Science fiction writer Pat Cadigan announces that she is cancer free. 

   

Comics and Art:

• Dean Simons interviews graphic novelist Brian Fries. 
• Dalya Alberge reports that E.H. Shepard's sketches for original Winnie-the-Pooh book have been shared for the first time 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the manosphere

 

Film and TV:

• Arturo Serrano declares that The Miniature Wife takes full advantage of its outlandish premise to shed literal and metaphorical light on the ways even a modern, educated, independent career woman can be made to feel small in her marriage. 
• Isaiah Colbert calls Sentenced to Be a Hero and Clevatess two dark fantasy anime series that just so happen to be about accidentally adopting a child.  
• Isaiah Colbert explains why fans are calling Apocalypse Hotel the real anime of the year  
• Catherine Bray declares that the animated film Time Hoppers: The Silk Road offers more educational value than entertainment value 
• Catherine Bray calls Itch! a low budget body horror film. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Invincible. 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Boys. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Redux Redux. 
• Chris Garcia shares his thoughts on the short film It’s Hard Not to be Romantic About Time Travel  
• Cheryl Eddy notes that Paula, the wicked stepmother of The Testaments is so much fun to hate    
• Laura Kuensberg interviews Peter Capaldi who played the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who. 
• Josh Du interviews Becky Clements, executive producer of the live action One Piece as well as co-showrunner Joe Tracz and writer Ian Stokes 
• Isaiah Colbert shares sixteen underrated anime that deserve your love  
• Cheryl Eddy lists horror films set on islands and in coastal towns.  
• Marco Vito Oddo lists seven unsolved TV show mysteries that still haunt us years later  
• Amber Dubin revisits the 1971 Night Gallery episodes "Make Me Laugh" and "Clean Kills and Other Trophies" 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1971 folk horror film Blood on Satan's Claw
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth.
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1989 Ian Fleming biopic Goldeneye.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “Secrets of the Soul” 
• James Whitbrook recounts how badly Avatar: The Last Airbender has been treated by studios over the years in spite of being a much beloved property. 
• Catherine Shoard reports that more than 1000 film and TV industry professionals have signed an open letter protesting against Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery 
• Sid Krofft, producer and creator of  H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, has died aged 96 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Gerrad Hall interviews Travis Knight, director of the upcoming Masters of the Universe live ation movie, as well as Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes and Idris Elba, who plays Prince Adam/He-Man, Teela and Duncan/Man-at-Arms respectively. 
• Nischelle Turner interviews Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes. 
• Jay Glatfelter talks about some footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie that was shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Jim Vejvoda also discusses the footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie that was shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• B.J. Colangelo also discusses the footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie that was shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.  
• Pixel Dan also discusses the footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie that was shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.  
• Germain Lussier also discusses the footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie that was shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.   
• He-Mania.com also discusses the footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie that was shown off at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.    
• Alan Smith interviews Alex Davison who plays Komodo in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie.
• James Eatock explains why He-Man never used the shield which came with the action figure in the Filmation cartoon. 

  

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

• Felipe Rangel calls season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again the show Marvel fans have been waiting for 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “The Grand Design”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “The Grand Design”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
• Germain Lussier reports that a full scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day was shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Germain Lussier reports about some footage from Avengers: Doomsday that was shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Rich Johnston reports that Marvel Studios has been hit hard by recent lay-offs at Disney. 
• James Whitbrook also reports that Marvel Studios has been hit hard by recent lay-offs at Disney. 
• William Hughes reports that Disney has just laid off the team responsible for giving the Marvel Cinematic Universe its shared visual identity 

 

Comments on Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Lord, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars in general: 

• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on Star Wars: Maul: Shadow Lord
• James Whitbrook interviews Brad Rau, producer of Maul: Shadow Lord. 
• Germain Lussier reports about some footage from The Mandalorian and Grogu that was shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Jon Favreau, director and co-writer of The Mandalorian and Grogu. 
• Germain Lussier shares some theories about The Mandalorian and Grogu based on the opening credits. 
• Germain Lussier notes that an obscure Star Wars toy vehicle from the 1980s can be spotted in The Mandalorian and Grogu poster. 
• Watch a trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu. 

 

Comments on Lee Cronin's The Mummy: 

• Simon Abrams declares that Lee Cronin's The Mummy rises from its sarcophagus to curse those expecting quality 
• Benjamin Lee declares that in Lee Cronin's The Mummy a classic monster gets dug up for unravelling resurrection  
• Cheryl Eddy declares that Lee Cronin’s The Mummy should be called "Lee Cronin’s The Exorcist". 
• The AV-Club wonders if  Lee Cronin's The Mummy is even a mummy movie.
• Justin Carter shares early reactions to Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 Locus Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2026 Compton Crook Award has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Cóyotl Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Ditmar Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Tähtifantasia Award have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Prometheus Award have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award have been announced.
• The recipient of the 2026 Infinity Award has been announced. 
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog take a look at the 1991 Hugo Award finalists for Best Dramatic Presentation. 

 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Alexandra Alter discusses how AI affects readers, writers and publishers.
• SFWA shares an FAQ regarding the Anthropic AI settlement. 
• Jason Sanford weighs in on the Anthropic AI settlement. 
• Jim Milliot reports that a recent survey has found that readers still prefer print books
• Matthew Weaver reports that the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, UK, censored an exhibition catalogue after the Chinese government demanded changes via the Chinese printer. 
• Molly Templeton points out that the book news isn't all bad. 

 

Interviews:

• Locus interviews John Chu. 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley interviews Stephen Graham Jones.
• Scott Simon interviews V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke 
• Will McCelland interviews A.S. Tamaki. 

 

Reviews: 

• Paul Di Filippo reviews Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Camestros Felapton reviews Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Fleet Champions by Rob J. Hayes 
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews The Many by Sylvain Neuvel 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The People's Republic of Love by Heather Child
• Rob Bedford reviews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews.  
• Maya Gittelman reviews Apparently Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Strothers 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Sword Garden by Peadar O Guilin  
• Marlene Harris reviews Double Shadow by Andrew Ludington  
• Eric Ballein reviews Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell 
• Jim McLeod reviews The Lighthouse at the End of the World by Philip A. Suggars 
• Eddie Clark reviews The Lighthouse at the End of the World by Philip A. Suggars  
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo.  
• Ian Mond reviews Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman 
• Vanessa Armstrong review The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Museum of Unusual Occurrence by Erica Wright
• Lesa Holstine reviews Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Sleepless by Jen Williams 
• Stewart Hotston reviews When There Are Wolves Again by E.J. Swift 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Body Builders by Albertine Clarke 
• Mark Yon reviews Paradox of Douglas and Aletheia Preston. 
• Russell Letson reviews The Regicide Report by Charles Stross 
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews Dead First by Johnny Compton. 
• Ian Mond reviews What the Bones Know by Kirstyn McDermott 
• Colleen Mondor reviews They Call Her Regret by Channelle Desamours
• Marion Deeds reviews The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter    
• Adrian Collins reviews Abyss by Nicholas Binge 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar   
• Bill Capossere reviews Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar  
• Marlene Harris reviews Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar 
• Arley Sorg reviews Sauúti Terrors, edited by Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton and Cheryl S. Ntumy 

 

Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1953 science fiction novel More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon  
• John Boston revisits the May 1971 issue of Amazing.
• George Pritchard revisits the 1971 dystopian novel The Fall of New York by Miles Donis and the 1971time travel novel Beware the God Who Smiles by Larry Townsend, Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 dystopian novel The Insane City by Kenneth Bulmer and the 1971 post-apocalyptic novel Out There by Adrien Stoutenberg and David Levinson revisits the 1971 post-apocalyptic novel Survival World by Frank Belknap Long
• Alan Brown revisits the 1986 military science fiction novel War World by William C. Dietz 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1995 YA fantasy novel Sabriel by Garth Nix. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Christian Holub announces that a new comic convention will be launched in Brooklyn, New York. 
• Germain Lussier shares a round-up of movie footage and trailers shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Jennifer Maas looks ahead at the 2026 BookCon in New York City. 
• Malia Mendez reports that the new Samuel Oschin Air & Space Center in Los Angeles, California, has finished construction.  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Ancillary Review of Books is looking for funding to pay their writers and staff.

 

Science and technology:

• The New York Times shares photos from the Artemis II mission. 
• Matthew Byrd shares the best moments from the Artemis II mission 
• Flynn Coleman declares that last week saw humanity at its worst and that Artemis II told the opposite story 
• Elizabeth Howell recounts how Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman chose to rescue the zero gravity indicator/mission mascot Rise against NASA regulations.  
• Molly Crabapple asks if AI is the greatest art heist in history
• You Xiaoying reports that the world's largest wind turbine is being assembled in China. 
• Jason P. Burnham talks about antiobiotics in post-apocalyptic worlds. 

 

Gaming: 

• Eric Ballein reviews the video game Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon 
• Keza MacDonald explains what so-called "unc" games are.

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Adam McCombs reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Chronicles King Grayskull action figure.
• D Amazing reviews the Cosmic Legions AhgCha action figure from Four Horsemen Studios.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at some upcoming Hasbro Marvel Legends Marvel Rivals action figures. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at LEGO Star Wars set of Din Djarin's  N-1 Starfighter from The Mandalorian. 
• Adam McCombs shares a look at novelty popcorn buckets and other merchandise for the live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• Greg Gately also takes a look at the novelty popcorn buckets and cups and other merchandise for the live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• Scott Neitlich points out that the bid advantage of the live action Masters of the Universe movie is that there will be a lot of merchandise released. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Day-Blind Stars" by Christopher Rowe in Reactor. 
• "The Long Weeping Arms of the Parasitic Horde" by Bee Hyland in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "In The Blood" by Alex Irvine in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "The City of Plagues" by Joshua Turner in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Shelter" by Nadia W. Aldsen in Clarkesworld. 
• "Human Studies 401" by Abby Nicole Yee in Clarkesworld.  
• "The Spiders You Swallow in Your Sleep" by Wendy Nikel in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "The Tale’s in the Telling" by Angela Slatter in The Dark.
• "Dad Died on Discord" by Andrew Dana Hudson in Lightspeed.  
• "Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley [Part 1]" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed.  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero. 
• Watch a trailer for the finale of Good Omens. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Outlander: Blood of My Blood. 
• Watch a trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaping. 
• Watch a trailer for The Terror: Devil in Silver 
• Watch a trailer for Street Fighter. 
• Watch a trailer for The Boroughs.
• Watch a trailer for Passenger. 
• Watch a teaser for Ice Cream Man. 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 10, 2026

 

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

Speculative fiction in general:

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

   

Comics and Art:

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

 

Film and TV:

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

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

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

 

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

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

 

Comments on The Testaments:

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

  

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

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

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future:

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

 

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

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

 

Comments on season 5 of The Boys: 

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

 

Comments on season 2 of Paradise: 

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

 

Comments on season 5 of For All Mankind: 

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

 

Comments on The Miniature Wife:

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

 

Comments on Exit 8: 

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

 

Awards:

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

 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

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

 

Interviews:

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

 

Reviews: 

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

 

Classics reviews:

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

 

Con and event reports:

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

 

Crowdfunding:

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

 

Science and technology:

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

 

Gaming: 

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

 

Toys and collectibles:

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

 

Free online fiction: 

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

 

Trailers and videos:

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