Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 5, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more on book banning attempts in the US, Star Trek Picard and Star Trek in general, The Mandalorian, Andor and Star Wars in general, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Peter Pan and Wendy, the WGA strike, the 2023 Robert E. Howard Days and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 55 science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in May. 
• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in May. 
  
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in May. 
• Tor.com shares all the new horror and genre-bending books coming out this May.  
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in May. 
• Natalie Zutter shares her favourite new science fiction and fantasy books coming out this May. 
• Carrie Sessarego discusses the uneasy sibling relationship between horror and science fiction.
  
• Amanda Quick shares ten modern gothic novels.
• R. Nassor finds some unexpected parallels between 1960s fantasy sitcoms and the rise of cozy fantasy in the 2020s. 
  
• Tor.com shares eight SFF books written in verse.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five cautionary science fiction tales about enhanced intelligence.
  
• Lorna Wallace shares seven SFF stories about scary and possibly sentient plants.
  
• Cole Rush finds some unexpected parallels between dragons and cats. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for April 2023. 
• Molly Templeton points out that a reader is not a consumer of books.
  
• Oris Aigbokhaevbolo talks about the "death" of Nigerian literature.
  
• V. Castro explains how her family history as a Latina woman in Texas infleunces her horror novels. 
• Phoebe Kramer profiles Chuck Tingle. 
• Jeff Goad profiles Fletcher Pratt.
  
• Ngo Vinh-Hoi profiles Jack Williamson. 
• James Enge and Howard Andrew Jones share their favourite works by Jack Vance.
  
• Michael R. Brown shares his appreciation for the Elak of Atlantis sword and sorcery stories by Henry Kuttner and their continuations by Adrian Cole. 
• Camestros Felapton discusses the portrayal of magic in the Shadows of the Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
  
• Science fiction fan, fanzine publisher and con runner Marty Cantor has died aged 88.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Sam Thielman profiles Argentinian comics writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld, who was imprisoned and presumably murdered during the military dictatorship in Argentina in 1977.
• For Eternia interviews fantasy artist Eamon O'Donaghue.
  
• Bill Ward takes a look at the many different covers the works of Jack Vance have had over the years. 
• Borys Kit reports that comic artist Jim Lee has been promoted to president, publisher and CCO of DC Comics.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Germain Lussier lists all the science fiction, fantasy and horror films to watch out for this summer.
  
• Victoria Davis discusses how the anime movie Suzume reflects the aftermath of the Great Japan earthquake of 2011. 
• Leah Schnelbach calls Evil Dead Rise a delightful update of the classic horror series. 
  
• Cath Clarke calls Wolf Garden a slow-burn werewolf horror thriller.
  
• Cheryl Eddy calls From Black a horror film that explores grief. 
• L.A. Young shares her thoughts on season 3 of His Dark Materials. 
  
• They Come From the North discusses the various Predator movies from the original Predator to Prey. 
• Arturo Serrano calls Knights of the Zodiac an acceptable fight movie.  
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Pamfir a disturbing occult thriller from Ukraine
  
• Cath Clarke calls The Adventures of Jurassic Pet 2: The Lost Secret a dull kids' film about dinosaurs returning to Earth.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether The Flash can live up to the Twitter hype. 
• Vicki Lucas looks back on the debut of Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood in 1968.
  
• Ian Banks revisits the 1999 adventure fantasy movie The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns.
  
• Ben Quinn reports that actress Eva Green won a lawsuit against the production company of the science fiction film The Patriot. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that an animated Babylon 5 movie is in the works.
  
• Lauren Alexa reports that the many Disney layoffs also affect the animation and children's divisions. 
• Justin Carter reports that the new Super Mario Bros Movie has inexplicably made one billion US-dollars. 
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Picard and Star Trek in general (spoilers): 

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on season 3 of Star Trek Picard.
  
• Darren Mooney declares that season 3 of Star Trek Picard turned its back on the future and became overly fixated on nostalgia.
• Emmet Asher-Perrin criticises the way season 3 of Star Trek Picard treats family and parenthood. 
• Adam B. Vary interviews Gates McFadden who plays Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek Picard.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Harbinger".
  
• Kyle Barr reports that you can now visit 3D recreations of every single Star Trek bridge.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of The Mandalorian, Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• Bryant Francis praises Katee Sackhoff's performance as Bo-Katan Kryze in season 3 of The Mandalorian.
• Dalton Ross interviews Jon Fareau and Dave Filoni, showrunners of The Mandalorian. 
• Brian Davids interviews Diego Luna, star of Andor.
• Ben Travis interviews Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna, showrunner and star of Andor.
  
• Charles Pulliam-Moore calls season 2 of Star Wars Visions a breathtaking reminder of how liberating remaining outside the canon can be. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin points out that Luke Skywalker is actually a badarse in Return of the Jedi. 
  
• Linda Codega reports that Damon Lindelof did not quit the Star Wars movie he was supposed to direct voluntarily. 
• The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce reports that Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars saga, will be honoured with a posthumous star on the Walk of Fame.
  

 

Comments on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers): 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a fun and energetic threequel.
• Matthew Jackson calls Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a big, brash blaze of glory. 
• Germain Lussier calls Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a heartbreaking, breathtaking, action-packed roller coaster
• Siddant Aldakha calls Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 James Gunn's messy magnum opus. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw finds that the zany humour of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not mesh well with flashback scenes featuring animal torture. 
• Molly Edwards breaks down the ending and the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (spoilers).
  
• Sabina Graves shares early reactions to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 
• Germain Lussier interviews James Gunn, writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 
• Fay Watson interviews Chris Pratt who plays Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
  
• Germain Lussier shares eleven things to remember before watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
  
• Matthew Jackson offers an introduction to the characters of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 
• Sam Barsanti offers an introduction to Adam Warlock, who gives his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
  
• Bryan Reesman looks back on the troubled making of the first Iron Man movie in 2008  
• Linda Codega notes that Marvel learned the wrong lessons from the success of the Iron Man trilogy. 
• Clark Collis interviews actress Patti LuPone who will play Lilia Calderu in the upcoming Agatha: Coven of Chaos.
  
• Watch a trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. 
  

 

 Comments on Peter Pan and Wendy:

• Benjamin Lee calls Peter Pan and Wendy a passable but unnecessary Disney live-action remake
• Eileen Jones calls Peter Pan and Wendy another lifeless Disney remake.
  
• Courtney Howard calls Peter Pan and Wendy a remake that lacks pixie dust. 
• Arturo Serrano declares that Peter Pan and Wendy goes straight for the symbolism of the story.
  

 

Comments on the strike of the Writers Guild of America:

• John Koblin, Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling report about the impending screenwriters' strike in Hollywood.
• Joy Press and Natalie Jarvey report about the end of the golden age of streaming TV, the impact on screenwriters and the impending writers' strike.
• Nadia Khomani and Edward Helmore report that the Writers Guild of America have begun their strike. 
• Tom Tapp explains why the WGA is striking, what the stakes and issues are and what the effect on viewers will be. 
• Michael Schulman explains why TV writers are so miserable and why they are striking.
• David Robb interviews Meredith Stiehm, president of the Writers Guild of America. 
• Animation writer and longtime WGA member Craig Miller shares his experiences at the previous WGA strikes in 1988 and 2008 and how he expects this strike to pan out.
• Linda Codega explains what the WGA strike means for movie and TV viewers.
• Peter White reports that the first casualties of the WGA strike are the various late night talkshows on US TV, which have to stop production immediately. 
• Mary Kate Carr reports that Jenna Ortega, star of Wednesday, has become a target for the ire of striking WGA writers, following some comments about being forced to alter scripts.
  
• Heidi MacDonald explains how the WGA strike will affect the comics industry and the convention circuit. 
• Matt Schimkovitz reports that actress Drew Barrymore has dropped out of the 2023 MTV Awards in solidarity with the striking writers. 
• Adam B. Vary reports that The Rings of Power will finish filming its second season without the showrunner or any of the writers in set due to the WGA strike.
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2023 Locus Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2023 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Rhysling Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2023 Infinity Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2023 SERAPH Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Tomorrow Prize have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contest have been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2023 Branford Boase Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2023 Republic of Consciousness Prize has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Origins Awards have been announced.
  
• Camestros Felapton weighs on a Dragon Award mystery. 
• Cora Buhlert shares an open letter to the 2023 Hugo finalists, whoever they may be.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tania James explains what it means to be a writer. 
  
• Taylor Adams talk about incorporating your real fears into fiction. 
• Joe Steinbacher shares a report about Clarion West's evolving workshop culture.
  
• Hanna Lee shares a tool that allows writers to calculate when their book will earn out. 
• Alina Adams talks about a book marketing scam. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch points out that Amazon is having some troubles and implores writers to go wide.
  
• PEN America shares some numbers regarding book banning attempts in the US. 
• Tovia Smith reports that library funding is fast becoming "the nuclear option" in the battle over book bans in the US.
  
• Emma Smith points out that trying to censor books may only make them more popular.
  
• Mark Roth-Whitforth shares a proposal to include a clause into book contracts to make sure that a book cannot be used to train AI chatbots. 
  
• Charlotte Colombo explains that Elon Musk's latest changes to the Twitter verification system has left small creators with a difficult choice, either be viewed as the sort of person who'd pay for Twitter or be punished by the algorithm. 
• Emily Temple shares ten of the best independent bookstores in the English speaking world.
  

 

Interviews:

• Writers Drinking Coffee interview Kate Elliott.
  
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews M.R. Carey.
• Arley Sorg interviews Megan O'Keefe. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Premee Mohamed. 
• Linda Codega and Artem Golub interview V.E. Schwab in a two-part interview.
  
• John Shirley interviews Charles Stross. 
• Oliver Brackenbury interviews Charles E. Gannon.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews James Bennett.
• Cat Rambo interviews Lee Martindale.
• Kay's Hidden Shelf interviews Nathaniel Webb.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Steve Carroll.
• Monsters, Madness and Magic interviews Jon Zaremba.
• Kermit Woodall interviews D.L. Gardner.
   

Reviews:

• Paul Di Filippo reviews Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
• Alasdair Stuart reviews Meru by S.B. Divya.
  
• Fantasy Faction reviews Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater. 
• Adrian Collins reviews Savage Bounty by Matt Wallace. 
  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Dragonfall by L.R. Lam. 
• Daniel Dern reviews Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling.
  
• Gavin Chappell reviews Theok the Indomitable: A Spill of Sorcerer’s Blood by James Tuck
• FanFiAddict reviews The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies. 
• Rob Bedford reviews Engines of Chaos by R.S. Ford. 
• Russell Letson reviews Village in the Sky by Jack McDevitt
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Way of Edan by Philip Chase.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Thorns Remain by J.J. A. Harwood.
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao.
• Maya Gittelman reviews Drinking from Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
• Alex Brown reviews Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S. Valley 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Behold the Ape by James Morrow
• Alexis Ong reviews The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter. 
• Maya Gittelman reviews Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo.
• Angela Gualtieri reviews The Mermaid's Tale by D.G. Valdron, 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. 
• Jonathan Cowie reviews Not Alone by Sarah K. Jackson.
  
• Marion Deeds reviews Deadly Memory by David Walton. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Flux by Jinwoo Chong 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow 
• Tzer Island reviews Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow 
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Lost Places by Sarah Pinsker
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Under My Skin by K.J. Parker
• Russell Letson reviews Sleep and the Soul by Greg Egan  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Gold Leaf Executions by Helen Marshall 
• Matt Holder reviews Issue 3 of Old Moon Quarterly.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• James Reasoner revisits the January 1952 issue of Fantastic Adventures.
• Brian Collins revisits the 1953 science fiction novella "The Rose" by Charles L. Harness.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1958 anthology SF: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy: Third Annual Volume, edited by Judith Merril.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1959 post-apocalyptic novel The Rest Must Die by Richard Foster a.k.a. Kendell Foster Crossen.
• Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1962 science fantasy novella The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1962 science fiction novel Mars Is My Destination by Frank Belknap Long.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the May 1968 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the June 1968 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction.
  
• Greg O'Driscoll revisits the 1968 Conan sword and sorcery novel Conan the Avenger by L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg.
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1977 Karios of Atlantis sword and sorcery story "The Dweller in the Temple" by Manly Wade Wellman. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 science fiction anthology The Best of Astounding, edited by Tony Lewis.
  
• Young People Read Old SFF revisit the 1984 science fiction story "The Crystal Spheres" by David Brin 
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1985 post-apocalyptic anthology Beyond Armageddon edited by Walter M. Miller Jr. and Martin H. Greenberg,
• Alan Brown revisits the 1986 military science fiction anthology Body Armor: 2000, edited by Joe Haldeman, Charles G. Waugh, and Martin H. Greenberg.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1989 Conan sword and sorcery novel Conan the Bold by John Maddox Roberts. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1991 Time Warriors time travel novel Fuse Point by David North. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1994 YA horror trilogy 99 Fear Street by R.L. Stine.
  
• Marion Deeds revisits the 1995 horror novel The Between by Tananarive Due. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2012 Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy novel Raven Cursed by Faith Hunter. 
• Adrienne Martinin revisits the 2013 space opera Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie for its tenth anniversary.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Ken Lizzi shares his experiences at the 2023 Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas.
  
• Brian Murphy shares his experiences at the 2023 Robert E. Howard Days. 
• Rogues in the House share their experiences at the 2023 Robert E. Howard Days.
  
• John O'Neill shares his experiences at the Windy City Pulp & Paper Convention in Lombard, Illinois. 
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2023 World Fantasy Competition will be held in Niagara Falls, New York.
  
• James Whitbrook shares all the news and reveals from the 2023 Warhammer Fest in Manchester, UK.
  
• Tomris Laffly reports about a concert to honour film composer John Williams in New York City.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Bard City Blues, a cozy fantasy novel by Nathaniel Webb, is looking for funding.
  
• The student library of the Science Fiction Society of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts, is in danger and needs a new home.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Marcia Dunn reports that astronomers have observed a distant star gobbling up an entire planet.
  
• Charles Platt discusses the unbelievable zombie comeback of analog computing.
• Ted Chiang wonders whether artificial intelligence will become the new McKinsey.
  
  

Gaming: 

• Justin Carter declares that Jedi Survivor is Star Wars at its strongest and most comfortable. 
• Richard Marpole reviews Cults of Cthulhu: A Sourcebook for the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
  
• Arturo Serrano interviews game designer Mike Chell.
• Max Gladstone explains which tabletop RPGs are best suited to roleplaying in Gladstone's Craft Sequence universe.
  
• James Whitbrook reports about some new developments in Warhammer 40000. 
• Ethan Gach reports about the exorbitant development costs for would-be blockbuster videogames.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Sabina Graves shares some Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tie-in toys as well as a video of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast reacting to their toy counterparts.
  
• Andrew Liszewski shares some upcoming Lego Star Wars sets.
• Andrew Liszewski shares some new Super Mario Bros. themed Lego sets. 
• Germain Lussier shares Star Wars toy photography by Finnish photographer Truuperi
  
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters of the Universe Piece Theatre toy photo story called "The Story of Keldor (In His Own Words)"
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Better Living Through Algorithms" by Naomi Kritzer in Clarkesworld.
• "Through the Roof of the World" by Harry Turtledove in Clarkesworld. 
  
• "The Officer in Your Heart" by Brandon O'Brien in The Sunday Morning Transport.  
• "Moons We Can Circumnavigate in One Day, or the Space Probe Love Story" by Natalia Theodoridou in Lightspeed.
• "One Heart, Lost and Found" by Kat Howard in Lightspeed.
  
• "Some Assembly Required" by Anne F.G. Nydam in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "Autumn Still Has Its Migrations" by Scott McNee in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Bruised-Eye Dusk" by Jonathan Louis Duckworth in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Relationship of Ink to Blood" by Alex Langer in Apex Magazine.
• "The Peculiar Death of Lady Tremayne" by Ian Banks in Nightmare on Filmstreet. 
  
• "Lake Small" by V.J. Hamilton in Luna Station Quarterly.
  
• "Madam Shaje’s Catering Company" by Adelehin Ijasan in Omenana.
• "A Toitele" by Celia Rostow in The Dark. 
• "Escape Worlds" by K. Chess in Slate Future Tense. 
• "Primal Slap" by Keith Rosson in Nightmare Magazine.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Dune Part Two.
  
• Watch a trailer for Twisted Metal.
• Watch a trailer for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
• Watch a trailer for Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121.
  
• Watch a trailer for Cade: The Tortured Crossing. 
• Watch a trailer for The Eye and the Wall.
  
• Watch a trailer for Deep Astronomy and the Romantic Science. 
• Watch a trailer for Wintertide.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Warm Season.
• Watch a trailer for The Elderly. 
• Watch a video breaking down the portal heist in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.