It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with an uproar about a hatchet job profile of Brandon Sanderson, a shake-up at Disney and Marvel Comics, Star Trek Picard and Star Trek in general, The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general, The Last of Us, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, The Power, Tetris, The Big Door Prize, season 2 of Yellowjackets, the abuse allegations against Jonathan Majors and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Jo Walton shares her February 2023 reading list.
- Ann-Marie Cahill shares her favourite realistic science fiction novels to enjoy.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five plot-friendly ways to isolate planets and space colonies.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories that look like fantasy.
- Courtney Rodgers shares ten gothic Steampunk books to enjoy.
- Steph Auteri shares eight terrifying claustrophobia horror novels.
- Evie Green shares eight novels featuring artificial intelligence.
- Lavanya Lakshminarayan explains that Cyberpunk is still alive and thriving in India.
- Brian Murphy weighs in on the ongoing debate about AI-generated writing and art and why sword and sorcery should continue to be human-generated.
- G.W. Thomas shares lesser known sword and sorcery stories from the 1970s.
- Josh Weiss shares ten must-read alternate history thrillers.
- Jess Row talks about camps in post-apocalyptic fiction and the real world.
- L.S. Stratton talks about subverting the white saviour trope.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books about magical teachers and mentors.
- Sarah Shaffi wonders why there are so many feminist retellings of classic stories, including fairy tales, myths and SFF novels.
- Emily Ruth Verona shares eight chilling works of epistolary horror.
- Lorna Wallace shares seven scary stories about frightening fungi.
- Cole Rush shares five SFF sports he would try in a heartbeat.
- Diana Callahan explains how she fell in love with speculative poetry.
- Jacqueline Winspear praises cross genre novels.
- Molly Templeton attempts to define fluid novels.
- Maria Temming discusses the popularity of hurt/comfort fanfiction.
- John Mullan explains why Charles Dickens continues to be popular, both in print and on the screen.
- Hollie Richardson hopes to never see a Charles Dickens adaptation on TV again.
- Maya Jaggi shares an obituary for Kenzaburo Oe.
- Locus remembers Eric Brown.
- Locus remembers Michael Reaves.
- Deuce Richardson remembers John Jakes.
Comments on Wired's hatchet job profile of Brandon Sandderson:
- Jason Kehe attempts to profile Brandon Sanderson and manages to perform a hatchet job instead.
- Sisi Jiang shares Brandon Sanderson's classy response to Jason Kehe's hatchet job profile about him.
- Anne Marble shares her thoughts on Jason Kehe's hatchet job profile about Brandon Sanderson.
- Ed Power responds to Jason Kehe's hatchet job profile about Brandon Sanderson.
- Adam Morgan also profiles Brandon Sanderson.
Comics and Art:
- Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Spa by Erik Svetoft.
- Alex Segura interviews crime fiction and comics writer Benjamin Percy.
- Phil Hoad discusses how manga and anime won over France.
- Bill Ward takes a look at the cover art of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series.
- Raymond Strickland reports that a man in Detroit, Michigan, has discovered a large and valuable comic collection among his late father's belongings.
- Cheryl Eddy reports that Disney has fired the controversial Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that the internal shake-up at Disney could mean big changes for Marvel Comics.
- Heidi MacDonald also wonders what will happen to Marvel Comics now Ike Perlmutter has been fired.
- Comic artist Joe Giella, who worked on Batman, The Flash and Green Lantern during the Silver Age, has died aged 94.
Film and TV:
- Jonathan Alexandratos notes that M3GAN explains what toys mean and do for children.
- Leila Latif calls the TV adaptation of Octavia Butler's Kindred a reductive and hollow view of black trauma.
- Ben Child wonders whether Wes Anderson's upcoming film Asteroid City is really a science fiction movie.
- Linda Codega calls Renfield a very bloody good time.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman a surreal animated Haruki Murakami adaptation.
- Cheryl Eddy calls The Unheard an intriguing but cliched horror film.
- Adam-Troy Castro shares his thoughts on The Menu.
- Arley Sorg and Josh Pearce share their thoughts on the South Korean science fiction movie Jung_E.
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Ark.
- Mary Kate Carr shares her thoughts on season 7 of Riverdale.
- Felicia Fitzpatrick shares her thoughts on season 2 of Schmigadoon!
- Cath Clarke calls Little Eggs: An African Rescue a head-scrambling animated ordeal
- Leslie Felperin calls Mummies an unpleasant animated film with a chatbot-level script and phoned-in voiceovers.
- Cheryl Eddy calls Living With Chucky a documentary that offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the Child's Play movies.
- Maya Gittelman is still bummed that Jamie Lee Curtis and not Stephanie Hsu won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
- Jessica Holmes revisits the 1968 Doctor Who serial "Fury From the Deep".
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1981 science fiction radio drama Earthsearch by James Follett.
- Scott Tobias revisits the 1983 comedy Monty Python's The Meaning of Life for its fortieth anniversary.
- Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1988 horror film Dead Ringers.
- Chris Lough revisits the 1993 videogame movie Super Mario Bros. and actually finds it a great movie.
- Matt Maytum interviews James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Zoe Williams interviews Charles Dance, who played Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones and who also appeared in Alien III, Rebecca, Rabbit Hole and many others.
- Dessi Gomez interviews Kit Young who plays Jesper in Shadow and Bone.
- Sabina Graves interviews Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan, stars of the 1982 science fiction film Tron.
- Louis Chilton reports that a third of all LGBTQ characters will disappear from TV screens this year due to shows being cancelled or ending.
- Alexander Herbert shares a brief introduction to Soviet horror films.
- Ben Child wonders why there are so few movies based on Greek mythology these days.
- Cindy White shares her favourite movie dragons.
- Cheryl Eddy shares ten comedy horror movies to watch for April Fools' Day.
- Ian Spelling wonders why movies are so damned long these days.
- Stuart Heritage gave ChatGPT a few prompts and wanted to find out if it could write a good movie script.
- Rebecca Rubin wonders why Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania failed at the box office after a strong opening weekend.
- Lois Beckett and Adam Amangual offer a look into the Warner Bros archive.
- Andrew Pulver offers an update on the health of Jeremy Renner following his snowplough accident earlier this year.
- John Koblin and Brooks Barnes reports why there are rumourings of a writers' strike in Hollywood.
- Steve Vertlieb remembers Ray Harryhausen.
Comments on Star Trek Picard and Star Trek in general (spoilers):
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Bounty", the latest episode of Star Trek Picard.
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Bounty".
- io9 interviews Michelle Hurd who plays Raffi Muziker in Star Trek Picard.
- Maggie Lovitt interviews Terry Matalas, showrunner of Star Trek Picard.
- Maggie Lovitt interviews LeVar and Mica Burton who play Geordi and Alandra LaForge in Star Trek Picard.
- io9 interviews LeVar and Mica Burton who play Geordi and Alandra LaForge in Star Trek Picard.
- James Whitbrook reports about a potential spin-off from Star Trek Picard, focussing on the crew of the USS Titan.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Similitude".
- James Hibberd shares William Shatner's recollections of how he was cast as Captain James T. Kirk.
- Cheryl Eddy shares news and updates for the various Star Trek shows.
- Molly Templeton reports that Star Trek Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks have both been renewed.
- Molly Templeton reports that Paramount has announced a Starfleet Academy series.
Comments on The Last of Us:
Comments on season 3 of The Mandalorian and Star Wars in general:
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Pirate", the latest episode of The Mandalorian.
- Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "The Pirate".
- Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "The Pirate".
- Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on "The Pirate".
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on The Mandalorian episode "The Foundling".
- StarWars.com interviews Ahmed Best who played JarJar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Kelleran Beq in The Mandalorian.
- Kristin Baver interviews Katee Sackhoff who plays Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian.
- Germain Lussier discusses a cameo in The Mandalorian.
Comments on Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves:
- Linda Codega calls Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves an earnestly funny sword and sorcery adventure that leaves you wanting more.
- Jordan Hoffman calls Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves a thrilling adventures that even non-gamers will enjoy.
- Benjamin Lee calls Dungeons & Dragons, Honor Among Thieves a playful adventure with a lot of goofy charm.
- Alasdair Stuart calls Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves a Dungeons & Dragons movie that's actually good.
- Julia Glassman discusses the post-credits scene of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
- Vanessa Armstrong shares a promotional video for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, featuring the cast of the 1999 TV series Freaks and Geeks, including Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves director and screenwriter John Francis Daley, playing the world's longest game of Dungeons & Dragons.
Comments on The Big Door Prize:
Comments on season 2 of Yellowjackets:
Comments on The Power:
- Meredith Hobbs Coons finds that the TV adaptation of Naomi Alderman's The Power is too focussed on gender binaries.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw finds The Power an engaging feminist thriller with a flawed attitude towards sex and gender.
- Linda Codega declares that The Power shows that political satire hasn't lost its spark.
- Lucy Mangan declares that the TV series The Power doesn't work nearly as well as Naomi Alderman's eponymous novel, but praises the performance of Toni Collette.
Comments on Tetris:
- Linda Codega calls Tetris a spy thriller that understands the impact of videogames.
- Benjamin Lee calls Tetris a mostly entertaining and compelling spy drama.
- Matthew Jackson finds that Tetris can't quite juggle its political, cultural and thriller elements.
- Danny Leigh wonders about the trend for what he calls corporate nostalgia movies like Tetris, Air and Flamin' Hot.
Comments on the assault and abuse allegations against Jonathan Majors:
- Germain Lussier reports that Jonathan Majors, who play Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and also appeared in Lovecraft Country and Creed III, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw shares more on the abuse allegations against Jonathan Majors.
- Jessica Washington shares a round-up of what is known about the allegations against Jonathan Majors.
- Rebecca Rubin reports that Jonathan Majors has been charged with abuse and harrassment following his arrest.
- The Guardian reports that US Army recruiting ads featuring Jonathan Majors have been pulled following his arrest.
Awards:
- The winners of the 2023 IAFA Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2023 Imadjinn Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2023 Space Cowboy Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2022 Australian Romance Readers Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Rathbones Folio Prize have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Audie Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 New York Science Fiction Film Festival have been announced.
- Colson Whitehead has received the National Humanities Medal.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Charlie Jane Anders explains why you shouldn't talk about character agency.
- Lincoln Michel attempts to explain the concept of invisible prose.
- The Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers has launched the Wayward Wormhole, a virtual and in-person intensive workshop in Castell de Llaés in Girona, Spain
- Victoria Strauss shares yet more scams targeting writers.
- Katherine Marsh blames the decline in children's love of reading on bad teaching methods in the US.
- Hillel Italie reports that book ban attempts have hit an all-time high in 2022.
- Sarah Shaffi reports that six libraries in Aberdeen, Scotland, mostly in poor neighbourhoods, will be closed in spit of efforts to save them.
- Mike Glyer reports about the damage to the MIT Science Fiction Society's library following a flooding.
- Jireh Deng profiles the bookstore Octavia's Bookshelf in Pasadena, California.
- Sarah Shaffi reports that a book vending machine has been installed in St. Davids Station in Exeter, Devon, UK.
- Sarah Shaffi reports that Filippo Bernadini, who stole several unpublished manuscripts, will not go to prison, but will have to pay a hefty fine and will be deported from the US.
- Lucy Knight reports about the SALT project that aims to promote South Asian literature in translation.
- Mike Glyer reports that the judge in the lawsuit of four publishing conglomerates against the Internet Archive has decided against the Internet Archive.
- The Internet Archive announced that they will appeal the decision.
- British children's book publisher Peter Usborne has died aged 85.
Interviews:
- Runalong the Shelves interviews Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Scott Edelman interviews Annalee Newitz.
- Paul Weimer interviews Iori Kusano.
- Arley Sorg interviews Victor LaValle.
- Literary Hub interviews Kelly Link.
- Cora Buhlert interviews Paul Kincaid.
- Cora Buhlert interviews J.W. Stebner.
- Cora Buhlert JM, Gretchen and Nate from the Chrononauts podcast.
- Michael Silverblatt interviews Octavia E. Butler (in 2004).
Reviews:
- John Mauro reviews The Scourge Between the Stars by Ness Brown.
- Mark Yon reviews Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey.
- Adrian Collins reviews Empire of the Fallen by Richard Swan.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Hel's Eight by Stark Holborn.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Hel's Eight by Stark Holborn.
- Elloise Hopkins reviews The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Rosebud by Paul Cornell.
- John Mauro reviews The Roamers by Francesco Vero.
- Clara Cohen reviews Battlestar Suburbia by Chris McCrudden.
- Adrienne Martini reviews Dead Country by Max Gladstone
- Marion Deeds reviews Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
- John Mauro reviews A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon.
- Judith Tarr reviews The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis.
- Rob Bedford reviews The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten.
- Ian Sansom reviews Bardskull by Martin Shaw.
- Alex Brown reviews Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia.
- Aigner Loren Wilson reviews The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Keep Within by J.L. Worrad.
- Adrienne Martini reviews Tsalmoth by Steven Brust
- Raven Crime Reads reviews Beautiful Shining People by Michael Grothaus.
- Mary Picken reviews Beautiful Shining People by Michael Grothaus.
- Maura Krause reviews Wild Massive by Scotto Moore.
- Maureen Corrigan reviews Biography of X by Catherine Lacey.
- Mary Picken reviews End of Story by Louise Swanson.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews End of Story by Louise Swanson.
- Runalong the Shelves reviews And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Nadya Mercik reviews And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Arturo Serrano reviews Peculiar Woods by Andrés J. Colmenares
- Arturo Serrano reviews Nothing But the Rain by Naomi Salman.
- Trisha Low reviews Chlorine by Jade Song.
- Ian Mond reviews The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
- Marlene Harris reviews A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Rupert Wong: Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw.
- Paperback Warrior reviews Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi.
- Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Piñata by Leopoldo Gout.
- Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews A Slice of the Dark and Other Stories by Karen Heuler
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Voice That Murmurs in the Darkness by James Tiptree, Jr.
- Bill Capossere reviews White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link.
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
- Fiona Sturges reviews Illuminations by Alan Moore.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Moira's Pen by Megan Whalen Turner.
- Robin Marx reviews issue 3 of Old Moon Quarterly.
Classics reviews:
- The Cromcast revisits the 1933 Conan sword and sorcery story "Black Colossus" by Robert E. Howard.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1935 science fiction horror story "Vulthoom" by Clark Ashton Smith.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1937 science fiction horror story "Strange Orchids" by Dorothy Quick.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1954 science fiction novels Shadows in the Sun by Chad Oliver.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1955 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Blood-Stained God" by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague De Camp.
- Joachim Boaz revisits the 1958 science fiction story "Seeds of Earth" by Robert Silverberg and the 1974 science fiction story "Pale Hands" by Doris Piserchia.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1962 science fiction collection No Future in It and Other Stories by John Brunner.
- Rich Horton revisits the 1964 science fiction novel The Million Year Hunt by Kenneth Bulmer and the 1964 science fiction collection Ships to the Stars by Fritz Leiber
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 Conan sword and sorcery story "Wolves Beyond the Border" by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague De Camp.
- Mark Yon revisits the April 1968 issue of New Worlds.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the April 1968 issue of Analog.
- Anthony Aycock revisits the 1978 humorous fantasy novel Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin and its sequels.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1982 Red Sonja sword and sorcery novel When Hell Laughs by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney.
- Joelle Kidd revisits the 1986 children's fantasy novel Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2008 epic fantasy novel Empire of Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Con and event reports:
- Pemmi-Con, the 2023 NASFIC in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, has posted its first progress report.
- Fox 2 Detroit reports that the Motor City Furry Convention in Ypsilanti, Michigan, had to be evacuated due to a bomb threat.
- Locus reports that the Galactic Philadelphia reading series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been relaunched with a reading featuring Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and C.S.E. Cooney
- Alexis Soloski calls the new production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler in New York City a dazzling Broadway revival
- Tristram Kenton shares some photos of a performance of the ballet Cinderella at at Royal Opers House in London, UK.
- Lyndsey Winship calls the latest production of the ballet Cinderella at the Royal Opera House a shiny sugar rush.
- Catherine Love calls Amy Leach's production of William Golding's Lord of the Flies in Leeds, UK, a good update of the school reading list staple and praises the young cast.
- Miriam Gillinson calls The Three Billy Goats a captivating musical for young audiences, which is currently playing in London, UK.
- Soumya Karlamagna reports that the Lucas Museum in Los Angeles is slated to open in 2025.
- Sabina Graves offers a look at the Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
- Zack Zwiezen shares the latest developments in the conflict between Disney and Florida governor Ron DeSantis about the Reedy Creek Improvement District near Orlando, Florida, where Disney World is loctaed.
Crowdfunding:
Gaming:
- Alaina Demopoulos wonders whether Dungeons & Dragons can heal real-life trauma.
- Alaina Demopoulos reports that 100000 US-dollar worth of Magic: The Gathering cards were found on a landfill in Texas.
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the new Magic: The Gathering set "March of the Machine".
- Roseanna Pendlebury reviews the videogame Fire Emblem: Engage.
- Zachary Small discusses the challenges of remaking popular videogames like Resident Evil 4 or Dead Space.
- Kellen Browning and Chang Che discuss a rift between the gaming companies Activision Blizzard and NetEase, which led to millions of players in China being cut off from the games they play.
Science and technology:
- Ian Sample reports that tiny glass beads discovered on the Moon might hold billions of tonnes of water.
- Brian Dorminey and Les Johnson discuss what is need for interstellar travel.
- Isaac Schultz reports that astronomers have discovered the brightest gamma ray burst ever detected.
- Paul Sutter wonders whether building a Dyson Sphere would be worth it.
- Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei discuss artificial intelligence and point out that it already is everywhere.
- Amy Thompson explains how robots in warehouses help to deliver online orders.
- Mike McRae reports that Stonehenge might not be an ancient calendar after all.
- Amy Crawford remembers the forgotten women aquanauts of the 1970s.
Free online fiction:
- "All Aboard the Golden Parrot" by Louise Hughes in Clarkesworld.
- "Love is a Process of Unbecoming" by Jonathan Kincade in Clarkesworld.
- "Requiem for the Stars" by Andrea Phillips in The Sunday Morning Transport.
- "Notes From a Pyre" by Amal Singh in The Deadlands.
- "Vengeance Rises With the Full Moon" by Stewart E. Shearer in Side Quest.
- "After the Twilight Fades" by Sara Tantlinger in Apex Magazine.
- "The River and the World Remade" by E. Lily Yu in Tor.com.
- "Destiny Delayed" by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki in Apex Magazine.
- "There's Magic in Bread" by Effie Seiberg in Fantasy Magazine.
- "Locavore" by Kim Harbridge in Strange Horizons.
- "Antelope Brothers" by Craig Laurance Gidney in The Dark.
- "The Preschool" by Jonathan Parks-Ramage in Slate Future Tense
- "The Governess" by Chloe Smith in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "How They Got In" by Julianna Baggott in io9.
- "Stomping Mad" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- "The White Hand of Saruman Will Be Given Only to Uruk-hai Who Subscribe to SaruBlue"by Ryan Kushner in McSweeney's Internet Tendency.
Trailers and videos:
- Watch a trailer for Asteroid City.
- Watch a trailer for Biosphere.
- Watch a trailer for Dead Ringers.
- Watch a trailer for Knights of the Zodiac.
- Watch a trailer for the final season of Fear the Walking Dead.
- Watch a trailer for Unicorn: Warrior Eternal.
- Watch a trailer for Elemental.
- Watch a trailer for Pokémon Horizons.
Toys:
- Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre toy photo story called "The Prisoner of Castle Grayskull".
- Drew Taylor reports that toy manufacturer Funko is gutting its subsidiary Mondo, known for exclusive posters, vinyl records and highly detailed action figures, and sacking most of the staff.
- Germain Lussier shares Funko CEO Brian Maricotti's statement about the future of Mondo.
- Amelia Tait reports about collectors of toys that used to came as premiums in cereal boxes.
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