Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 9, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Wars in general, Star Trek in general, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Flash, Doctor Who past present and future, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, the new Little Mermaid, the WGA strike, the debate about AI writing and art and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 42 science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in June. 
• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in June 2023. 
  
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in June 2023. 
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in June 2023. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five satisfying standalone SFF books. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories in which kids save the day.
  
• Jane Hennigan shares a list of quiet apocalyptic books to read. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury discusses the problem with modern fairy tale and mythology retellings.
  
• Bryanna Gary shares five examples of so-called "Copaganda" in SFF. 
• James Byrne explains why tech bros make for good villains. 
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares seven SFF stories featuring students and scholarship.
  
• C.J. Leede shares eight terrifying objects from horror fiction that are also kind of cool. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for May 2023. 
  
• Beth Skwarecki explains how to make sure you actually read the books you buy.
• Samantha Edmonds talks about tear-inducing moment in SFF and Tolkien's eucatastrophe  
• Cole Rush shares his appreciation for the Salvagers space opera series by Alex White.
  
• The 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, profiles Robert J. Sawyer.
  
• Ryan Naumann reports that the J.R.R. Tolkien estate is sueing author Demetrious Polychron for publishing an unauthorised Lord of the Rings sequel.
  
• Science fiction author Rajnar Vajra has died aged 75.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Alasdair Stuart reviews Essential Psi-Judge Anderson: Shamballa by Alan Grant, Arthur Ranson and Mike Austin.
• James Whitbrook interviews J. Michael Straczynski about his upcoming Captain America run.
• Zach Rabiroff interviews Al Ewing about his upccoming Immortal Thor run.
  
• Dad-at-Arms interviews comic artist and toy designer Emiliano Santalucia. 
• Locus interviews horror artist Eli John.
  
• Jennifer Lynn Parsons interviews the fantasy artist known as Indicreates.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Leah Schnelbach declares that The Boogeyman provides genuine horror, but doesn’t fully embrace its darkness
  
• Cath Clarke calls Sight Extended an unsettling near future science fiction film.
• James Whitbrook declares that Pride Month is the perfect time to watch the anime The Witch from Mercury. 
• Rob Bricken shares a guide to the heroes of the upcoming series Rebel Moon. 
  
• Germain Lussier revisits the 1984 adventure movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. 
• Archita Mittra revisits the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. 
• Rich Pelley interviews Jeff Goldblum, star of Independence Day, Jurassic Park, Thor: Ragnarok, The Tall Guy, The Fly and many others.
  
• Justin Carter interviews Megan Fitzpatrick, writer of  Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part One.
• Matt Mills shares the fifteen worst Stephen King adaptations.
• Lorna Wallace shares six hopelessly cheesy SFF films so bad they're good. 
• Gordon Cameron shares eleven classic fantasy movies made before CGI.
  
• David Renshaw wonders whether the era of prestige television is coming to an end.
  
• Guy Lodge delves into the lengthy history of the gay best friend character in Hollywood films. 
• Lee Mandelo shares five vibrantly queer SFF TV shows from Thailand.
  
• Charlotte Higgins reports that the long-running British radio soap opera The Archers is venturing into Wicker Man territory.  
• Abbey White reports about tensions on the set of Sleepy Hollow and how star Nicole Beharie was sidelined after conflicts with the showrunners and her co-star Tom Mison.
  
• Samantha Highfill reports that Yellowjackets will get a bonus episode between seasons 2 and 3.
• Nellie Andreeva reports that The Winchesters is officially dead after being cancelled by the originalo broadcaster and not getting picked up by another.
  
• The Guardian reports that Disney Pixar has cut many jobs, including those of the producers of the animated flop Lightyear. 
• Todd Spangler reports that Disney will receive a 1.5 billion US-dollar tax write-off after pulling several films and TV-shows from its Disney Plus streaming service. 
• Andrew Pulver reports that Studio Ghibli will release Hayao Miyasaki's final film How Do You Live? without any trailer or other promotion.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• James Whitbrook muses about Order 66 and how many Jedi survived it.
  
• Ryan D'Agostino profiles Harrison Ford who played Han Solo in Star Wars as well as Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and many others. 
• Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, and Diego Luna, who played Cassian Andor in Rogue One and Andor, interview each other.
  
• Ben Travis interviews Dave Filoni, showrunner of Ahsoka. 
• Watch a trailer for Ahsoka.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "The Forgotten".
• Dalton Norman explains every member of Spock's family ever seen in any iteration of Star Trek.
  

 

Comments on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: 

• James Preston Poole calls Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a new highpoint for animation and superheroes.
  
• Nicholas Barber calls Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse dazzling but disappointing. 
• Joe DelFranco declares that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is exactly what a sequel should be. 
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will make us respect cliffhangers again. 
• Inspired by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Charles Bramesco hopes that the trend of splitting movies into two parts for box office and length reasons will end soon. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is bad new for The Flash and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because it is the only multiverse superhero story offering fresh ideas. 
• Leisha Chi-Santorelli reports how Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales are opening up the Spider-Man franchise for female fans and fans of colour.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Gwen Stacy is clearly a trans allegory in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 
• Manuela Lopez Restrepo points out that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse proves that diversity is a winning strategy.  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw talks about the messy politics of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• Clayton Davis declares that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse should be a Best Picture Oscar contender. 
• Adam B. Vary reports about some last minute rewrites and reshoots of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• Germain Lussier shares all the burning questions he has after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
  
• Cindy White shares a guide to the various Spider people appearing in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 
• James Whitbrook also offers an overview of the Spider people shown in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 
• James Whitbrook ranks the various Spider people in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw talks about the animation techniques to create the look of Spider-Punk in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that fourteen-year-old Preston Mutanga created the Lego scene in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• William Hughes shares his favourite Easter eggs from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• Germain Lussier points out an Easter egg in Spider-Man: Across the Spider.Verse. 
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has a huge first weekend at the box office.
  

 

Comments on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: 

• Germain Lussier calls Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a fun return to form 
• Sam Barsanti declares that Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts could be the first film to take the Transformers seriously
  
• Brett Buckalew calls Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts long on action and short on ideas
  
• Charles Bramesco calls Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a limp, lifeless robot sequel
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Stephen Caple Jr., director of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. 
• Artem Golub  interviews Stephen Caple Jr.,
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Michael Schulman recounts how the Marvel Cinematic Universe swallowed Hollywood.
  
• Stuart Heritage reports that several Marvel actors have recently criticised the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
• Hannah-Rose Yee profiles Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Ben Child reports that Robert Downey Jr. almost played Doctor Doom in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie. 
  

 

Comments on The Flash: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls The Flash a gurning, smirking mess. 
• Matthew Jackson calls The Flash an entertaining but overstuffed adventure. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls The Flash fun but unremarkable and no match for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which tells a similar story but better.
  
• Germain Lussier declares that The Flash has no business being as good as it is. 
  
• Tatiana Siegel reports about the unusual pre-release promotion for The Flash, which keeps star Ezra Miller away from any promotional appearances due to their mental health issues and also teases a secret ending.
  
• Germain Lussier reports that Grant Gustin, who played Barry Allan a.k.a. the Flash for nine seasons on TV, will not reprise the role in the upcoming Flash movie starring Ezra Miller.
• Matt Webb Mitovich interviews Grant Gustin who played Barry Allan a.k.a. the Flash in The Flash.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1968 Doctor Who serial "The Wheel in Space".  
• The BBC reports that Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as Mel Bush in Doctor Who.
  

 

 Comments on Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story: 

• Luke Y. Thompson calls Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story an informative documentary about the horror legend.
• Cheryl Eddy lists ten horror roles Robert Englund has played that are not Freddy Krueger. 
  

 

Comments on the new The Little Mermaid: 

• Ann Michelle Harris declares that the new Little Mermaid has just enough modern twists to succeed.
  
• Jake Kanter reports that British diversity campaigner Markus Ryder has criticised the new Little Mermaid for failing to mention slavery.
• Inspired by the new Little Mermaid, Guy Bigel wonders whether the Disney prince is an endangered species. 
• Michelle Toh, Candice Zhu and Gawon Bae report that the new Little Mermaid is underperforming in China and South Korea, partly because of a racist backlash against star Halle Bailey.
  

 

Comments on the strike of the Writers Guild of America:

• The Guardian reports that the Screen Actors Guild SAG-AFTRA has overwhelmingly voted to go on strike as well, should talks with the studios fail.
  
• Patrick Frater reports that the Directors Guild of America DGA has reached a tentative settlement with the Hollywood studios.
  
• Dominic Patten interviews Jeremy Strong, showrunner of Succession, about the WGA strike.
  

 

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2023 Arthur C. Clarke Awards has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2022 Analog AnLab Award and Asimov’s Science Fiction’s Readers’ Award have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2022 Aurealis Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Roswell Award have been announced.
• The winners of the 2023 Markowitz Award have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2023 Goldboro Books Glass Bell Award has been announced. 
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Reuben Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award have been announced.  
• The Arthur C. Clarke Award shares all the candidates submitted.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Mark Roth-Whitworth notes that character-driven versus plot-driven fiction is a false dichotomy. 
• Molly Templeton talks about the importance of paragraphs.
  
• Charlie Jane Anders talks about revision. 
• Victoria Strauss shares statements from current and former clients of New Leaf Literary & Media.
  
• Blake Montgomery reports that author Sarah Stusek has been dropped by her publisher afteer she attacked a reviewer on TikTok.
• Patrick J. Kiger shares the fifteen most banned books in the US for the current school year.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

• The Authors Guild shares some new recommended publishing contract clauses regarding the use of AI. 
• Owen Williams reports that Charlie Brooker tried to get ChatGPT to write an episode of Black Mirror, but that the result was shit.
  

 

Interviews:

• Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe interview Ursula Vernon a.k.a. T. Kingfisher.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Matt Wallace.
• Emily Flouton interviews Tananarive Due.
  
• Shelf Awareness interviews Peter S. Beagle. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Vajra Chandrasekera. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Kemi Ashing-Giwa. 
• Emmanuel Henderson interviews Naseem Jamnia.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Paul Kane.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews William Shunn. 
• The HWA interviews Vince A. Liaguno.
  
• Cora Buhlert interviews Jim Beard.
  
• The Guardian interviews Jenny Erpenbeck.
  

 

Reviews:

• Kat Hooper reviews Heaven's Queen by Rachel Bach.
  
• Liz Bourke reviews The Iron Princess by Barbara Hambly 
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Air War by Adrian Tchaikovsky. 
• Arturo Serano reviews In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi 
• Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys review Rose/House by Arkady Martine.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Last Night at the Star Dome Lounge by M.R. Carey
  
• Elizabeth Tabler reviews A Sleight of Shadows by Kat Howard
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee. 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Pennies from Heaven by James P. Blaylock
  
• Marlene Harris reviews A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato
  
• John Mauro reviews Buzzard’s Bowl by John Palladino
• Judith Tarr reviews Defender Cave Bear by Zoe Chant. 
• Angela Gualtieri reviews The Warden by Daniel M. Ford. 
• James Tivendale reviews Forge of the High Mage by Ian C. Esslemont
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Heavenly Sword by Alice Poon. 
  
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews The Bone Ships by R.J. Baker 
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews The Silver Queendom by Dan Koboldt
  
• Brigid Flanagan reviews Medusa's Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear. 
• John Mauro reviews Nothing But the Rain by Naomi Salman.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Broken Light by Joanne Harris.
  
• Matthew Keeley reviews Dual Memory by Sue Burke. 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini. 
• Paperback Warrior revies How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Under My Skin by K.J. Parker
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Zombies! by Paul Kane.
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews H’ard Starts: The Early Waldrop by Howard Wal­drop 
• Christopher Rowe reviews issue 136 of Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Kate Griffin revisits the 1898 horror novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. 
• Desmond Rae Harris revisits the 1911 horror story "An Exchange of Souls" by Barry Pain.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1912 occult thriller The Sorcery Club by Elliott O'Donnell. 
• Joe Koch revisits the 1937 horror story "The Thing on the Doorstep" by H.P. Lovecraft.
  
• Hugo, Girl! revisits the 1938 Arthurian fantasy novel The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1947 humorous science fiction story "Exit the Professor" by Henry Kuttner.
  
• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1951 space opera Empire of Evil by Robert Arnette a.k.a. Paul W. Fairman. 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1952 science fiction novel Big Planet by Jack Vance. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1959 anthology SF: The Year’s Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy: 4th Annual Volume, edited by Judith Merril. 
  
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1963 Fafhrd and Gray Mouser sword and sorcery story "The Cloud of Hate" by Fritz Leiber.
  
• David Levinson revisits the July 1968 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction.
• John Boston revisits the July 1968 issue of Amazing.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 satirical science fiction novel The Muller-Fokker Effect by John Sladek.
  
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1971 Peter Ward occult spy thriller Diabolus by David St. John a.k.a. E. Howard Hunt.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1972 science fiction story "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" by Gene Wolfe. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1972 post-apocalyptic novel The End of the Dream by Philip Wylie. 
• Paul Weimer revisits the 1973 science fiction novel Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1973 science fiction story "The Chaste Planet" by John Updike.
• M. Porcius revisits the April 1975 issue of Fantastic. 
  
• Drew Gillis revisits the 1984 horror novel Thinner by Richard Bachman a.k.a. Stephen King which is actually set in his hometown of Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
• James Maliszewski revisits the April 1986 issue of White Dwarf. 
• Sam Reader revisits the 1987 horror story "Evening Primrose" by John Collier. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 science fiction novel Toolmaker Koan by John McLoughlin. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1993 YA horror novel The Eternal Enemy by Christopher Pike and the 1994 YA horror novel Silent Witness by Carol Ellis.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• The anthology Year's Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume 1 is looking for funding.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that Kickstarter has suspended a campaign to fund a transphobic comic.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Cora Buhlert shares her experiences at Metropol Con in Berlin, Germany.
• John O'Neill reports about the 2023 Windy City Pulp & Paper Show in Lombard, Illinois. 
• Brian Murphy shares his experiences at the 2023 Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas.
  
• Watch a video of the Glenn Lord Symposium at the 2023 Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas. 
• The Seattle, Washington, bid for the 2025 Worldcon shares some updates, including that they will go into site selection unopposed.
  
• Derick Bryson Taylor reports that a vandal has caused 250000 US-dollars of damage to a Jurassic Park exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia. 
• Bill Newcott and Rebecca Hale share a rare look into the vast storerooms of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. 
• Sabina Graves reports about a visit to the upcomingg Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction in Disneyland in Anaheim, Califonira, and Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Jonathan Amos reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has detected a massive plume of water spewing from the Saturn moon Enceladus. 
• Ian Sample reports that scientists have discovered mysterious cosmic threads in the Milky Way. 
• Daniel Wu reports that NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity is still flying several years after exceeding its expected lifespan, though it occasionally vanishes from NASA's scanners. 
• Shawn Knight reports that Japan is planning to put a wooden satellite into orbit next year.
  
• Ramin Skibba reports that artist Daniela de Paulis has simulated an encoded alien message, which people around the world are trying to decypher.
• Kevin Hurler reports that scientists at the California Institute of Technology have successfully managed to transmit solar power generated in space to Earth for the first time. 
• James Felton reports that archaeologists have found a jar containing a mummified hand clutching a copper coin in a cemetery in Nyarlorinc, Hungary
• Nicole Karlis reports that scientists have taught cats to communicate. 
• Robin Andrews reports that someone has etched a giant penis into a dried out lake bed in Australia.
  
  

Gaming: 

• Aaron Tremmell explains how Board Game Geek helped to make board games more inclusive.
• Charlie Theel shares the best boardgames of 2023 so far.
  
• Linda Codega reports that Paizo has announced the third and final draft of their new Open RPG Creative License. 
• James Whitbrook reports about the upcoming launch of the 10th edition of Warhammer 40000. 
• Andy Brown reviews Diablo IV.
  
• Levi Winslow shares 29 tips for players of Diablo IV.
• Charlie Hall reports how the BattleTech fan community has closed ranks to support the creators of an LGBTQ fanzine. 
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• James Whitbrook takes a look at some upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures and toys. 
• Sabina Graves shares some upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse merchandise. 
• Hasbro is crowdfunding the G.I. Joe Classified Series G.I. Joe Assault Copter Dragonfly (XH-1).
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre toy photo story called "The Prisoner of Castle Grayskull Revisited".
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Schroedinger's Kitten Falls in Love" by Bidisha Banerjee in Fantasy Magazine. 
• "The Seconds Between Light and Sound" by Ozzie M. Gartrell in Nightmare Magazine.
• "Spaceship Joyride" by Dominique Dickey in Lightspeed. 
• "The Bone-Gatherer's Lament" by Wendy Nikel in Lightspeed.
  
• "Vast and Trunkless Legs of Stone" by Carrie Vaughn in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Officiant" by Dominica Phetteplace in Clarkesworld. 
  
• "The Black Cult of Tarantium" by Mike Adamson in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Broken Princess" by K.R. Segriff in Luna Station Quarterly.
  
• "The Promise of Saints" by Angela Slatter in The Dark.
• "The God of Minor Troubles" by Megan Chee in Strange Horizons.
  
• "I Know Thy Works" by Tara Isabella Burton in Slate Future Tense. 
• "Chupa Samgre" by Tre Harris Salas in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Star Bear" by Michael Swanwick in Tor,com.
• "With a Gleam in Its Eye" by Lark Morgan Lu in Pyre Magazine. 
  
• "The Unbitten Fruit" by Oliver Smith in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. 
• "Penny Rutherford’s Super Awesome Adventure Journal" by Matt Bliss in Wyldblood.
  
• "The Penelope Qingdom" by Aidan Moher in Astrolabe.  
• "The Morning After Eggsperience" by John Weagly in Punk Noir Magazine.
  
• "Mementos and Memories" by Cora Buhlert.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Good Omens.
  
• Watch a trailer for My Adventures with Superman. 
• Watch a trailer for The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart
  
• Watch a trailer for Poor Things.
  
• Watch a trailer for Miracle Workers: End Times. 
• Watch a trailer for Insidious: The Red Door. 
• Watch a trailer for Talk To Me.
  
• Watch an animated version of the Masters of the Universe mini-comic "Beast Barrage".