Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 23, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with LGBTQIA+ SFF for pride months, Star Wars in general, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general, Secret Invasion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Flash, season 6 of Black Mirror, season 7 of Outlander, Asteroid City, I'm a Virgo, Elemental, the Reddit blackout, the debate about AI writing and art and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Jennie Ivins shares a list of LGBTQIA+ SFF authors to read for pride month.
• Fiona Denton shares eight new and upcoming LGBTQIA+ SFF and horror novels  
• Nic Anstett shares ten SFF short stories by trans authors.
  
• Elisa Schoenberger shares seven thrilling SFF murder mysteries. 
• James Davis Nicoll lists five SFF novels featuring political scandals 
• Jon Bassoff talks about the intersection of westerns and gothic fiction. 
• Kim Sherwood shares her ten favourite adventure novels that women as well as men can enjoy.
  
• Christopher Rowe shares a list of contemporary sword and sorcery series characters. 
• Howard Andrew Jones shares his favourite Conan pastiche novels. 
• Brian Murphy profiles Lin Carter. 
• Joel Cuthbertson profiles Connie Willis.
  
• Douglas A. Anderson profiles SFF writer, critic and translator Richard Hodgens. 
• Roseanna Penlebury takes a look at two modern reimaginings of the myth of King Arthur.
  
• James Wallace Harris shares Alfred Bester's dismissive thoughts about science fiction first published in 1961. 
• Erica Frank takes a look at the SFF stories published in Playboy in 1968. 
• Camestros Felapton shares some notes on genres and how they are defined. 
• Camestros Felapton talks about cognitive load, genre and tropes. 
• Molly Templeton points out that different forms of reading still count.
  

Comics and Art:

• Sean Carlson interviews comic artist John Romita Jr. about his late father John Romita Sr.
  
• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Thomas Girtin: The Forgotten Painter by Oscar Zarate
  
• Sam Barsanti shares the statement of Neal Kirby, son of Jack Kirby, in response to the Disney Plus Stan Lee documentary,
• Justin Carter reports that a new comic series by Skybound Entertainment will unite Transformers and G.I. Joe. 
• Brad Hawley shares his thoughts on the 2007 horror comic 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith
• Deuce Richardson shares his appreciation for the work of fantasy artist Don Maitz.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Judith Tarr discusses how Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves handes shapeshifters.
  
• Cheryl Morgan shares her thoughts on the Willow TV series. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Silo. 
• Olivia Rutigliano shares her thoughts on Renfield. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Nimona a good-humoured LGBTQ+ fantasy. 
  
• Leslie Felperin calls She Came From the Woods a jolly teen horror romp.
  
• Joe George lists his ten favourite fathers in superhero TV shows and movies. 
• Cole Rush lists five non-Disney animated movies everybody should watch.
  
• Justin Carter wonders why live action remakes of animated movies are so annoying.
  
• Daisy Jones wonders why smoking is making a comeback in movies and TV shows. 
• Scott Edelman interviews screenwriter and Babylon Five creator J. Michael Straczynski
• Catherine Shoard interviews Jennifer Lee, head of Disney's animation division.
  
• Amber Dubin trbidizd the 1968 horror movie Rosemary's Baby.
  
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1973 folk horror movie The Wicker Man. 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1977 horror film Orca in the light of recent orca attacks on yachts.
  
• Swords & Schlock revisits the 1980 sword and sorcery movie Hawk the Slayer and the 1984 sword and sorcery movie Conan the Destroyer. 
• Aamir Mehar revisits the 2003 superhero movie Hulk. 
• Stuart Heritage recounts how Tom Cruise persuaded Hayley Atwell's grandmother to go on a helicopter trip with him, even though the elderly lady was afraid of helicopters. 
• Catherine Shoard reports that the search for actor Julian Sands, who went missing during a hike in California this January, has been scaled back.
• Adam Whitehead remembers Ray Stevenson.

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Devan Coggan interviews Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Luthan Rael in Andor.
• Clayton Davis interviews Pedro Pascal, star of The Mandalorian and The Last of Us. 
  
• Ben Child reports that actor Michael Shannon was offered a villain role in Star Wars, but turned it down, because it was "too mindless" for him, whereas The Flash and Man of Steel are apparently high art.
• Phil Nichols and Colin Kuskie discuss Leigh Brackett's screenplay draft for The Empire Strikes Back and how it differs from the final film. 
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "The Broken Circle", the season 2 premiere of Star Trek Strange New Worlds. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Broken Circle".  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "The Broken Circle". 
• Joe Utichi interviews Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden and Jonathan Frakes, three of the stars of Star Trek Picard.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "The Council".
  

 

Comments on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (spoilers): 

• Germain Lussier discusses a surprise appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
  
• Justin Carter report that Gwen Stacy from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may get a spin-off movie and that other versions of Gwen will also be introduced.
  
• Germain Lussier reports that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been banned in the UAE because of a blink and you'll miss it appearance of a "Protect Trans Kids" poster in the background.
  

 

Comments on Secret Invasion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers): 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Resurrection", the first episode of Secret Invasion. 
• Lucy Mangan shares her thoughts on "Resurrection" and praises the performances of Samuel L. Jackson and Olivia Colman. 
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Resurrection". 
• Linda Codega shares her thoughts on "Resurrection". 
• Andy Welch shares his thoughts on "Resurrection". 
• io9 interviews Ali Selim, director of Secret Invasion. 
• Marlow Stern interviews Samuel L. Jackson who plays Nick Fury in Secret Invasion.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a backlash against the AI-generated artwork in the trailer for Secret Invasion.
• Zosha Millman interviews Ali Selim, director and executive producer of Secret Invasion, about the controversial decision to use AI for the title sequence. 
• Camestros Felapton also weighs in on Secret Invasion's controversial title sequence.
  

 

Comments on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: 

• Christopher Heabey wonders what will become of Indiana Jones after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, 
• Germain Lussier interviews James Mangold, director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
  
• BBC Radio 1 interviews the cast of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 
• Germain Lussier revisits the 2008 movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cystal Skull. 
  
• Stuart Heritage wonders whether the world really needs a 4650 US-dollar Indiana Jones tie-in leather bag. 
• Watch a video of John Williams scoring Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, 
  

 

Comments on season 7 of Outlander: 

• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the season 7 premiere of Outlander.
• Natalie Zutter discusses the many versions of the Outlander theme song.
  

 

Comments on season 6 of Black Mirror:

• Kayleigh Dray calls season 6 of Black Mirror back on form. 
• Stuart Heritage calls season 6 of Black Mirror breathtaking and points out that it also trolls Netflix, the platform where the show is streaming. 
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares eight things she liked and two things she didn't like about season 6 of Black Mirror.
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the Black Mirror episode "Loch Henry" and notes that it criticises the true crime genre.
  
• The Media Show interviews Charlie Brooker, creator and Black Mirror.
• Jeff Glor interviews Charlie Brooker.
  
• Daisy Jones interviews Aaron Paul, star of Breaking Bad and the Black Mirror episode "Beyond the Sea". 
• Saloni Gajjar lists the ten bleakest episodes of Black Mirror. 
• Michael Hogan shares a quiz about whether something happened in real life or an episode of Black Mirror.
  

 

Comments on The Flash (spoilers) and the DC Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Germain Lussier talks about the ending and the post-credits scene of The Flash. 
• Borys Kit reports how a specific cameo at the end of The Flash came to be. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that a cameo by Grant Gustin, who played Barry Allen for nine season on TV, was cut from The Flash, while CGI-cameos of long dead actors who once played DC superheroes made it into the movies
  
• Justin Carter repirts that The Flash went through three different, equally bonkers endings. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw gives some background for the scene in The Flash where Barry Allen put a baby in a microwave. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Andy and Barbara Muschietti, directors of The Flash.  
  
• Christina Radish interviews Michael Shannon who plays General Zod in The Flash.
• Zach Seemayer interviews Gal Gadot who plays Wonder Woman in the DC Cinematic Universe.
  
• Pamela McClintock reports that both The Flash and the animated Pixar film Elemental are underperforming at the box office. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro attempts to explain why The Flash underperformed at the box office. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wonders whether The Flash tanking at the box office and the last few Marvel movies underperforming means that superhero movie fatigue is setting in.
  

 

Comments on Asteroid City: 

• Olivia Rutigliano calls Asteroid City Wes Anderson's metaphorical masterpiece.
  
• Xan Brooks interviews Bryan Cranston, star of Breaking Bad and Asteroid City.
• William Hughes ranks bad fathers in Wes Anderson movies.
  
• Jill Goldsmith reports that Asteroid City has had a very good opening weekend for a limited release movie.
  
• Justin Carter shares photos of the Asteroid City immersive experience in New York City and Los Angeles.
  

 

Comments on Elemental: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Elemental a multicoloured, unworldly Pixar fable.
  
• Brooks Barnes reports that Elemental had the worst opening weekend in Pixar's history and wonders what this means for Pixar.
• Cindy White attempts to explain why Elemental underperformed so dramatically and where Pixar can go from here.
  
• Jazz Tangcay interviews Pete Docter, head of Pixar.

 

Comments on I'm a Virgo: 

• Joel Golby calls I'm a Virgo a joyously bold and ambitious anti-superhero movie. 
• Jenna Scherer calls I'm a Virgo a wonderfully weird TV show.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Elgin Awards have been announced,
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Fishing Fortress Science Fiction Awards have been announced.
• Salman Rushdie will receive the 2023 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. 
• The winners of the 2023 Carnegie Medal has been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2023 Diana Jones Award has been announced. 
• The Red Panda Fraction shares an eligibility spreadsheet for the 2023 Dragon Awards.
• Stuart Heritage explains why there should be an Oscar for the best stunt.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Claudia Craven explains what writers of historical fiction can learn from costume designers. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about niche marketing.
  
• SFWA shares safety tips for signings and small author events.
  
• Noble Brigham reports that Rediscovered Books in Caldwell, Idaho, is closing. 
  
• Influential editor Robert Gottlieb has died aged 92.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

•  Lisa O'Carroll reports that the European parliament is debating the world's first law regulating AI.
• Johana Bhuiyan and Nick Robins-Early bemoan that the US is still playing catch-up with regard to AI laws. 
• Simon Winchester wonders if AI will make us stupid. 
• Michael Capobianco talks about copyright, contracts and AI-generated writing and art. 
• Tatiana Siegel reports that Warner Bros has signed a deal for employing an AI-driven film management system.
  

 

Interviews:

• Lorraine Savage interviews Lavie Tidhar.
• Paul Weimer interviews Beth Cato.
• Grady Hendrix and Riley Sager interview each other.
  
• The Guardian interviews Gary Shteyngart.
• Locus interviews Emma Törsz
  
• The HWA interviews Lee Mandelo.
  
• D.M. Ritzlin interviews Lisa Kuznak.
  

 

Reviews:

• Paul Weimer reviews Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey. 
• Cheryl Morgan reviews Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey. 
• Cheryl Morgan reviews Hel' Eight by Stark Holborn. 
• Ian Mond reviews Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway
  
• Cheryl Morgan reviews Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell. 
• Lis Carey reviews Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. 
• Adrian Collins reviews A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark  
• Kat Hooper reviews A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Rose House by Arkady Martine.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman. 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Replika: Sky’s Mission by Hugo Bernard
  
• Arturo Serrano reviews Underland by Maxine J. Durand. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Prophet of Edan by Philip Chase
• Bill Capossere reviews The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
  
• Aaron Jones reviews Battle Song by Ian Ross.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong.
• Liz Bourke reviews To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mother Sea by Lorraine Wilson
• Houman Barekat reviews Azúcar by Nii Ayikwei Parkes
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews I Am AI by Ai Jiang 
• Kali Wallace reviews The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews The Curator by Owen King 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle. 
• Rob Bedford reviews Night's Edge by Liz Kerin. 
• Robin Marx reviews The Vessel by Adam Nevill.
  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker. 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Fascination by Essie Fox. 
  
• Lara Feigel reviews Reproduction by Louisa Hall
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 7, edited by Allan Kaster
• James Davis Nicoll reviews  Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays, edited by Julie Nováková, Lucas K. Law and Susan Forest
• Arley Sorg reviews Dark Matter Presents: Monstrous Futures, edited by Alex Woodroe
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1904 ghost story "The Ash Tree" by M.R. James.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1915 historical horror novel The Devil’s Mistress by J.W. Brodie-Innes
• Ro Salarian revisits the 1929 science fiction novella "The Feminine Metamorphosis by David H. Keller.
• Fletcher Vredenburgh revisits the 1932 Solomon Kane historical horror story "Wings in the Night" by Rober E. Howard.
  
• Mitch Lopes da Silva revisits the 1936 dark fantasy story "Strange Interval" by Seabury Quinn.
• James Maliszewski revisits the 1939 horror story "The Sorcerer's Jewel" by Robert Bloch. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1950 postapocalyptic stories "The Highway" by Ray Bradbury and "The Day the Bomb Fell" by Leslie A. Croutch.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1958 science fiction story "Two Dooms" by C.M. Kornbluth.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1963 science fiction story “Tale of the Computer That Fought a Dragon” by Stanislaw Lem
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1966 science fiction story "The Wings of a Bat" by Pauline Ashwell.
  
• Mark Yon revisits the July 1968 issue of New Worlds. 
• Warner Holme revisits the 1969 fantasy novel The Green Man by Kingsley Amis. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1971 The Second Trip by Robert Silverberg. 
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1972 science fiction story "Pairpuppets" by Manuel van Loggem. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1972 horror story "The Mark of Satan's Claw" by Fred Ottenheimer.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1977 science fiction novel Michaelmas by Algis Budrys. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1978 science fiction novel Sunstop 8 by Lou Fisher.
  
• Young People Read Old SFF revisits the 1986 science fiction story "Rat" by James Patrick Kelly.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1989 science fiction novel Buying Time by Joe Haldeman.
  
• Joe Sherry revisits the 1993 Wheel of Time fantasy novel The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan. 
• Warner Holme revisits the 1998 urban fantasy novel King Rat by China Miéville.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 2003 Disworld fantasy novel The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Zombie Need Brains Magazine is looking for funding for its second year.
• Brightside, a spy adventure comic by Stu Perrins and Nico Queme, is looking for funding.
  
• Murder, Death, Kill!, a science fiction action comic by Jim Hanna and Mike Macropoulos, is looking for funding, 
• Deadball: Masters of the Game, an expansion for a tabletop baseball simulation game, is looking for funding. 
• SFF writer David Gerrold and his family need some help with moving expenses. 
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Marcin Klak reports about Konflikt, the 2023 Eurocon in Uppsala, Sweden.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2025 Eurocon will take place in Mariehamn, Åland, Finland.
• Cheryl Morgan reports about the 2023 Swansea Comic & Gaming Convention in Swansea, Wales. 
• Jason Ray Carney shares the schedule for Spiral Con 2 in Newport News, Virginia.
  
• Cheryl Morgan reports about the 2023 Tolkien Lecture, given by Maria Dahvana Headley, in Oxford, UK. 
• Ellen Datlow shares some photos of the latest edition of the Fantastic Fiction Reading Series at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Nathan Ballingrud and Dale Bailey. 
• Throttle Power shares a video of the model contest at the 2023 WonderFest in Louisville, Kentucky.
  
• Kat Allen offers an update on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Science Fiction Society's library, which has been badly damaged by flooding.  
• Sabina Graves reports that Rogers: The Musical will start a limited run at Disney's California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Katrina Miller reports that scientists have discovered the presence of phosphates on the Saturn moon Enceladus, which makes it even more likely that Enceladus might bear life.
  
• Mike Bezemek shares seven ways to explore space without leaving Earth.
• Davide Castelvecchi reports that IBM's quantum computer has passed a calculation milestone, 
• Erin Marquis reports about hundreds of radioisotope thermoelectric generators distributed all over the former Soviet Union with little to no protection in spite of being dangerously radioactive.
• Jonny Thomson shares the military's five step method for falling asleep anytime anywhere. 
• Jonathan H. Smith talks about the neuroscience of fear.
  
• Ayla Gard wonders why Australian parrots are experiencing an epidemic of paralysis. 
• Edward Helmore and Leyland Cecco report that a submarine ferrying tourists to the wreck of the Titanic has gone missing in the North Atlantic. 
• Nikki Main shares what is known so far about the missing submarine Titan.
  
• Ethan Gach reports that the missing submarine Titan was jury-rigged with unapproved off-the-shelf parts and highly unsafe. 
• Richard Luscombe reports that the Titan imploded and that the crew likely died instantly.
  
• Philip Hoare and Jeroen Hoekendijk reports that the orca attacks on yachts have now extended northwards and that a yacht was attacked near Shetland, Scotland.
  
• The Guardian reports that a stunning 3000 year old bronze sword was unearthed from a tomb in Nördlingen, Bavaria, Germany.
  
  

Comments on the Reddit blackout:

• Jay Peters and Mila Sato report that Reddit sent threatening messages to the moderators of subreddits participating in the blackout protest.
  
• Kevin Hurler reports that several big subreddits are retreating from the blackout protest.
• Scharon Harding notes that community trust is the true casualty of the Reddit wars. 
• Jay Peters interviews Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Christian Amauger shares a guide to crafting richer tabletop roleplaying experiences.
• Aidan Moher explains how Final Fantasy XVI redefines the series yet again.
  
• Adrian Collins reviews Diablo IV. 
• Arturo Serrano interviews Miguel Colón and Adrián Mejia, creators of the Latin American tabletop roleplaying games Boricubos and Koboa.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1968 tabletop war game Viet Nam.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

•  Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Double Feature: “New Dad” and “Orko Interruptus”
• Pixel Dan reviews the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Jim Lawson four-pack from NECA Toys.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "We’re Sorry, This Number Has Been Disconnected" by E.A. Brenner in Luna Station Quarterly.
  
• "The Moon Rabbi" by David Ebenbach in Clarkesworld.
• "...Your Little Light" by Jana Bianchi in Clarkesworld.
• "Away With the Mermaids" by Megan Baffoe in Wyldblood
• "The Haunted Tea Set" by Sarah Jackson in Bone Parade. 
• "Thing Handed Down" by Kim M. Munsamy in Fantasy Magazine.
  
• "Kelpie" by Neil Willcox in Crow & Cross Keys.
• "Smoke Fire Wind Sea" by Valerie Kemp in Apex Magazine.
• "Queen of the Andes" by Ruth Joffre in Lightspeed. 
• "Bestiary Viventem" by Kyle E. Miller in Lightspeed.
  
• "After the Animal Flesh Beings" by Brian Evenson in Tor.com.
  
• "Better Than Flesh" by Shelby Dollar in Pyre Magazine. 
• "The November Lamassus" by Simo Srinivas in Strange Horizons. 
  
• "The Hufaidh Sounder" by Ray Cluney in The Dark .
• "Office Auntie" by Rachelle Cruz in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "and its place remembers it no more" by Neal Auch in Nightmare Magazine.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a clip from season 3 of The Witcher.
  
• Watch a trailer for One Piece.
• Watch a trailer for Three Body Problem. 
• Watch a trailer for Kraven the Hunter. 
• Watch a trailer for Natty Knocks.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of Solar Opposites.