Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 1, 2023

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the cancellation of Star Trek Prodigy and Star Trek in general, Secret Invasion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, season 3 of The Witcher, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Flash and the DC Cinematic Universe in general, season 6 of Black Mirror, Barbie, I'm a Virgo, Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken, the ongoing WGA strike, Turner Classic Movies in trouble, the debate about AI writing and art, tributes to Alan Arkin and Julian Sands and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Adrian Collins shares his favourite dark SFF of 2023 so far. 
• Rey Rowland lists twenty genre-defying fantasy books to enjoy. 
• Katrina Leno shares five summer reads perfect for stargazers.
  
• James Davis Nicoll lists five SFF books he will never forget for highly specific reasons.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five classic science fiction stories about huge rocks smashing into Earth.
• James Davis Nicoll shares four science fiction stories about epic infrastructure projects. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five classic science fiction stories about invasive species.
  
• Katie Moench takes a look at Oceanpunk. 
• Noreen Malone talks about post-apocalyptic tales featuring children living after the end of the world.
  
• Jimmy Juliano shares five books that mess with time. 
• Molly Templeton explains why she loves paladins and similar characters.
  
• Carina Pereira shares ten horror novel series to keep you up at night. 
• Lionel Ray Green and Brian Keene wonder whether older horror authors are right to feel forgotten and ignored. 
  
• Randee Dawn talks about goblin markets and other uncanny shopping experiences in fantasy. 
• Emily Tesh talks about the origin of the Green Man.
  
• Rogues in the House share their thoughts on Robert E. Howard's Bran Mak Morn.
  
• Mark Dawidziak shares his ten favourite Edgar Allen Poe short stories.
  
• Jill Dearman finds parallels between The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and anti-LGBTQ hysteria in the Victorian era and today. 
• Elyse Martin talks about Piranesi by Susannah Clarke and the Renaissance memory palace. 
  
• Anya Johanna DeNiro explains what Martha Wells' Murderbot books mean to her as a trans woman. 
• Steven Poole shares a guide to the works of Iain Banks. 
• Gigi Griffiths recounts how she accidentally became a horror writer.
  
• Frank Pournelle shares Robert Bloch's thoughts on Jerry Pournelle from 1984. 
• Kate Dwyer talks about the growing popularity of short novels and novellas. 
• Lincoln Michel explains how novellas came to be published as standalones rather than in magazines or as part of collections.
  
• Scholar and Mythopoeic Society member Amy Wisniewski has died aged 76.
  
• YA fantasy writer Nicky Singer has died aged 66.
  

Comics and Art:

• David Brooke announces that a new Masters of the Universe comic miniseries called Forge of Destiny by Tim Seeley and Eddie Nuñez is coming out in September. 
• Justin Carter looks ahead at the "Fall of X" X-Men crossover event. 
• Roy Thomas, former Marvel editor and writer, responds to the Stan Lee documentary on Disney Plus.
  
• Deuce Richardson shares a gallery of Sanjulian's a.k.a. Manuel Pérez Clemente's fantasy art for his 82nd birthday.
• Heritage Auctions reports that Frank Frazetta's 1976 painting "Dark Kingdom" has been sold for a record-breaking six million US-dollars. 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about overambitious beach reads.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Germain Lussier lists the best horror, science fiction and fantasy films and series streaming in July.
  
• Michaele Jordan shares her thoughts on Three Thousand Years of Longing. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 7 premiere of Outlander.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Silo. 
• Christopher Vourlias calls Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire a watershed moment for animation from Africa.
• Arturo Serrano declares that Elemental offers great visuals, but a generic and forgettable story.
  
• Phil Hoad calls Cerebrum an enigmatic science fiction horror film. 
  
• Phil Hoad calls The Gates a confused science fiction horror thriller about a serial killer's spirit on a rampage.
  
• Matthew Jackson shares the best horror movies of 2023 to date. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten horror films set in hospitals.
  
• Cheryl Eddy lists ten demons from film and TV who would actually be fun to hang out with. 
• Stuart Heritage lists the best films about artificial intelligence. 
• Eric Francisco explains how to make a satisfying finale to a movie series and how to mess it up.
  
• Noah Ciubotaru wishes there were fewer antihero stories on TV. 
• Randee Dawn explains that made for TV movies are making a comeback. 
• Alyssa Mercante looks forward to the new series of Doctor Who.
  
• Tim Lewis interviews Simon Pegg, star of the Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, World's End, the Mission Impossible series and one of only two people worldwide to have appeared in Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who. 
• Sophia Nguyen interviews Rosamund Pike, who plays Moiraine in The Wheel of Time and also records the audio book versions.
  
• Mark Benedict revisits the 1973 thriller Don't Look Now. 
• Dan Persons revisits the 1990 time travel movie Back to the Future Part III.
  
• Swords and Schlock takes a look at the various film adaptations of Henry Rider Haggard's fantasy adventure novel She.
  
• Justin Carter looks back on the devastating helicopter accident on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1983, which killed actor Vic Morrow and two child actors. 
• Cindy White looks back on the career and legacy of the late Carrie Fisher.
  
• Andrew Pulver reports that actor Idris Elba has spoken out about the racist backlash, when he was in the running to play James Bond.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that the popular fantasy show Warrior Nun has been saved from cancellation. 
  
• Josef Adalian reports that fans of Turner Classic Movies are right to worry about the future. 
  
• Scott Huver explains why Turner Classic Movies matters more than ever.
• Maureen Dowd calls for Warner Bros. to save Turner Classic Movies. 

 

Comments on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the cancellation of Star Trek Prodigy and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “Ad Astra per Aspera”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “Ad Astra per Aspera”.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on “Ad Astra per Aspera”.
  
• Danielle Ryan shares a theory about the character Chief Engineer Pelia in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 
• James Whitbrook ranks every Star Trek trial and courtroom episode. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Countdown".
  
• TrekMovie.com reports that the animated series Star Trek Prodigy has been cancelled. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that season 2 of Star Trek Prodigy was almost completed, when the show was cancelled, and that season 1 will be removed from Paramount Plus. 
• James Whitbrook is upset about the fate of Captain Kathryn Janeway who was unceremoniously removed from Star Trek along with Star Trek Prodigy.
  
• James Whitbrook explains where to watch Star Trek: Prodigy now it has been removed from Paramount Plus.
  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a social media campaign to save Star Trek Prodigy. 
• James Whitbrook reports that Paramount's Star Trek struggles are a mess of their own making, as they tried to lock all Star Trek shows into Paramount Plus, which wasn't even available in many countries worldwide, thus leaving fans high and dry. 
  

 

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

• Monita Mohan discusses how Miles Morales reclaims his own story in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 
  
• Chris Lee reports that working on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was a nightmare for animators and artists.
• Isaiah Colbert reports that there are multiple versions of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 
• Pamela McClintock reports that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has returned to the top of the US box office charts, beating out The Flash and Elemental.
  

 

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

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Promises", the latest episode of Secret Invasion. 
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Promises".
• Linda Codega shares her thoughts on "Promises". 
• Andy Welch shares his thoughts on "Promises". 
  
• Rob Bricken discusses the implications of the shocking ending of episode 1 of Secret Invasion.
• Sarah Shaffi expresses her displeasure with how Secret Invasion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general handled the character of Maria Hill. 
  
• Brian Davids interviews Samuel L. Jackson and Olivia Colman who play Nick Fury and Sonya Falsworth in Secret Invasion. 
• David Canfield interviews Cobie Smulders who plays Maria Hill in Secret Invasion. 
• Carly Thomas interviews Emilia Clarke who plays G'iah in Secret Invasion.
  
• Brian Davids interviews Kingsley Ben-Adir whom plays Gravik in Secret Invasion.
  
• Arley Sorg and Josh Pearce discuss Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
• Cheyenne Roundtree and Althea Legaspi report about the many abuse allegations against Jonathan Majors who plays Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  
• Smantha Bergeson reports that Jonathan Majors' lawyers blame his history of violent behaviour on method acting.
  
• Emily Garbutt reports that the late Chadwick Boseman who played T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will receive a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
• Watch a trailer for Rogers: The Musical.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of The Witcher: 

• Jack Seale praises Henry Cavill's performance as Geralt of Rivia in season 3 of The Witcher, but feels that the show is strong enough to survive without him.
• Jen Lennon finds that Netflix split season 3 of The Witcher at an awkward point.

 

Comments on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: 

• Lauren Coates calls Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a warmed over sequel that wastes the talents of its cast.
  
• Peter Bradshaw finds much to like about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ends far better than it begins.
  
• Germain Lussier interviews James Mangold, director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 
• Joy Press interviews Phoebe Waller-Bridges, who plays Helena in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 
• Molly Edwards interviews Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, producers of the Indiana Jones movies.
  
• Germain Lussier lists twelve things to remember before Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny comes out.
  
• William Hughes revisits the much maligned 2008 movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and finds it better than its reputation.
  
• Sabina Graves ranks Indiana Jones imitators from worst to best. 
• Meilan Solly shares the real history behind the Antikythera mechanism, the titular dial from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
  
• Watch a video of Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridges, stars of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, playing with Indiana Jones toys.
  

 

Comments on season 6 of Black Mirror:

• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on season 6 of Black Mirror.
• Kayleigh Dray praises how the Black Mirror episode "Loch Henry" explores how problematic the true crime genre is.
  

 

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

• Leonard Maltin calls The Flash a hot mess of a film.
  
• Ben Child notes that The Flash's resounding box office failure is a mess of DC's own making, because viewers are burned out from too many bad DC movies. 
• Owen Gleiberman declares that the cure to superhero fatigue is making better movies than The Flash.
  
• Pamela McClintock wonders why Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav and new DC Studios head James Gunn did not distances themselves from The Flash, but instead heaped effusive praise on the film. 
• Rob Bricken reports that The Flash's box office failure has gotten even worse in its second weekend in theatres.
  
• Savannah Walch reports that the box office failure of The Flash may lead to Warner Bros gutting Turner Classic Movies.
• Justin Carter notes that the eagerness to set up sequels and franchises instead of telling a good story is harming The Flash and other superhero movies.
  
• Justin Kroll reports that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will play Clark Kent and Lois Lane in Superman: Legacy. 
• Ben Child points out that announcing the casting of a new Clark Kent and Lois Lane does not actually distract anybody from the resounding box office failure of The Flash.
  

 

Comments on Barbie: 

• Eliana Dockterman explains how the Barbie movie came to be.
• Matt Schimkovitz reports that Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, director and producer/star of Barbie, had a run-in with a Mattel executive over their interpretation of Barbie. 
• Ryan Gilbey reports about the weird and manufacturered Barbie versus Oppenheimer rivalry. 
• Wenlei Ma reports about the marketing campaign for Barbie.
  

 

Comments on Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken: 

• Ellen E. Jones calls Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken a sweet animated coming of age film.
• Manuel Betancourt calls Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken perfectly adequate, but not particularly original.
  

 

Comments on I'm a Virgo: 

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls I’m a Virgo is a dazzlingly original and inventive political satire about a 13-foot-tall teenager.
• Lucy Mangan calls I'm a Virgo a glorious coming-of-age tale.
  

 

Tributes to Alan Arkin and Julian Sands:

• Actor Alan Arkin, star of Gross Pointe Blank, Wait Until Dark, The Seven Percent Solution, Edward Scissorhands, The Rocketeer, Gattaca, Catch-22, Freebie and the Bean, The Return of Captain Invincible and many others, has died aged 89. 
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Alan Arkin. 
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Alan Arkin. 
• Greg Whitmore shares photos from Alan Arkin's lengthy career.
  
• Richard Sandomir reports that the remains of actor Julian Sands, star of The Killing Fields, Arachnophobia, Gothic, Murder on the Moon, Warlock, Naked Lunch, Boxing Helena, The Phantom of the Opera, Ocean's Thirteen and many others, who vanished while hiking in California, have been found dead aged 65. 
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Julian Sands. 
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Julian Sands. 
• Actor Gabriel Byrne remembers his friend and frequent co-star Julian Sands. 
• Director Mike Figgis remembers his friend Julian Sands.
  
• The Guardian shares photos from Julian Sands' lengthy career.

 

Comments on the ongoing WGA strike:

• Peter White reports about the struggle of animation writers to be covered by the WGA and not the lower paid Animation Guild.  
• Katie Kilkenny and Tyler Coates report how a letter signed by many high-profile actors urging the actors' union SAG-AFTRA to strike, if demands are not met, came together.
  
• Max Kim reports that Netflix is increasingly turning to South Korean writers and creators for new films and series to circumvent the WGA, but South Korean creators are increasingly complaining about exploitation, too.
• Kirsten Chuba reports that comedy and late night show writers are returning to stand-up comedy clubs during the ongoing WGA strike. 
• Carolyn Giardina reports that the Cinematographers Guild, which is currently not on strike, has created a hardship fund for those of its members impacted by the ongoing WGA strike. 
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Locus Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Kitschies have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2023 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Phoenix and Rebel Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2023 Australian Fairy Tales Society Award has been announced. 
• The 2023 inductees into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame have been announced. 
• Nuzo Onoh shares an open letter to various SFF awards committees asking for contributors to be recognised in Best Anthology awards. 
• The 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, has finally managed to contact all the Hugo finalists, but are still waiting for responses.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• David Housewright explains whether series characters can and should evolve over time. 
• Christina Lynch talks about the difficulties of teaching and writing at the same time, 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about niche marketing.
  
• Victoria Strauss shares some advice what to do when copyright trolls come for you.
  
• Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris report about the phenomenon of Goodreads review bombings of books that haven't been published yet. 
• Lincoln Michel points out that Goodreads has no interest in doing anything about the review bombing campaigns on their site. 
• Gareth L. Powell notes that star ratings are meaningless.
  
• Katherine McLaughlin shares the nine most beautiful bookstores in the world.
• Leah Rachel von Essen talks about the restructuring of Barnes & Noble.
  
• Ella Creamer celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the feminist small press Virago. 
• Matthew Weaver reports that the Metropolitan Police has admitted to downloading data from the phone of French editor Ernest Moret, when he was arrested on suspicion of terrorism while en route to the London Book Fair. 
• Danika Ellis reports that book bans are driving young people away from libraries and reading.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy: 

• Doc Burford notes that using ChatGPT and other AI writing programs does not give anybody an edge, but makes them unhireable.
• Camestros Felapton takes a look at signs that the Kindle store is being flooded with AI-generated spam books. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also reports about the AI spam book phenomenon. 
  

 

Interviews:

• Devin Singer interviews Malka Older.
  
• Doug Gordon interviews Jonathan Carroll
• Locus interviews Liz Kerin. 
• Paul Weimer intervews Kemi Ashing-Giwa.
  
• The HWA interviews Mae Murray.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Marion Womack.
• Amanda Linsmeier and Amy Goldsmith interviews each other. 
• Arianna Reiche and C.J. Leede interview each other. 
  
• Anthony Cummins interviews Eliza Clark. 
• Fantasy Magazine interviews Daniel Ausema. 
  

 

Reviews:

• Russell Letson reviews Translation State by Ann Leckie
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson
• Ian Mond reviews Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 
• Kat Hooper reviews The Application of Hope by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 
  
• Kat Hooper reviews Becalmed by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao.
  
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews White Smoke by John Gilstrap
• Blue Book Ballon reviews The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan. 
• Martin Cahill reviews The Faithless by C.L. Clark.  
• Adrian Collins reviews Savage Crowns by Matt Wallace
  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong. 
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das 
• Marion Deeds reviews A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Ivory Tomb by Melissa Caruso. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart.
  
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson.
  
• Christina Ladd reviews A Sleight of Shadows by Kat Howard.
• Colleen Mondor reviews Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks. 
• Fiona Denton reviews Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Witch Upon a Star by Angela M. Sanders
• Lis Carey reviews The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman.
  
• Brigid Flanagan reviews The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
• Lyndsey Luther reviews The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson.
• Arturo Serrano reviews The Book of Rain by Thomas Wharton. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Hurricane Caged Inside Of Her by Erik Hofstatter
• Angela Maria Spring reviews Ghost Music by An Yu. 
• Chris Kluwe reviews The Will of the Many by James Islington
  
• Rob Bedford reviews The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule.
  
• Gabino Iglesias Reviews The Merry Dredgers by Jeremy C. Shipp
  
• Blue Book Ballon reviews The Fascination by Essie Fox. 
• Marion Deeds reviews A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Once Yellow House by Gemma Amor
  
• John Mauro reviews The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan 
  
• Russell Letson reviews Season of Skulls by Charles Stross
• Paul Weimer reviews Season of Skulls by Charles Stross
  
• Warner Holme reviews  Dark Gods by T.E.D. Klein.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Dead Man and Other Horror Stories by Gene Wolfe 
• Russell Letson reviews The Best of Michael Swanwick: Volume Two by Michael Swanwick
  
• Richard Fisher reviews Broadswords and Blasters Presents: Futures That Never Were,edited by Cameron Mount and Matthew X. Gomez
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1923 horror novel The Fire Spirits by Paul Busson.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1927 horror novel The Devil of Pei-Ling by Herbert Asbury
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1947 science fiction story “The Green Hills of Earth” by Robert A. Heinlein
• Scott Heller and several writers revisit the 1948 horror story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1951 science fiction novel Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1954 science fiction story “Ghost V” by Robert Sheckley
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1954 science fiction novella "The Oceans Are Wide" by Frank M. Robinson. 
• Cat Eldridge revisits the 1958 time travel story "All You Zombies..." by Robert A. Heinlein.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1960 science fiction story “Captain Nemo’s Last Adventure” by Josef Nesvadba. 
• Matthew J. Constantine revisits the 1967 Hawkmoon science fantasy novel The Jewel in the Skull by Michael Moorcock.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 science fiction novel Born Under Mars by John Brunner.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1968 issue of Analog. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 Retief science fiction collection Retief of the CDT by Keith Laumer.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1976 science fiction story “The Phantom of Kansas” by John Varley.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1985 YA fantasy Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1990 YA horror novel Funhouse by Diana Hoh and the 1996 YA horror trilogy Fear Park by R.L. Stine.
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 2003 Discworl fantasy novel Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Traveling Light: A Worldbuilding for Masochists Anthology, edited by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Cass Morris and Rowenna Miller, is looking for funding.
  
• Susan Banks, the daughter of the late SFF writer and editor Mike Banks, needs some help to pay for funeral expenses and other costs.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Preston Grassman reports about the 2023 Hal-Con in Yokohama, Japan. 
• Adam B. Vary reports that Marvel, Netflix, Sony, HBO and Universal will not take part in the 2023 San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California. 
• Germain Lussier shares a list of which major studios are and are not coming to San Diego Comic Con this year.
  
• Locus shares some photos of the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, California. 
• Sally Stieglitz reports about the panel “A Novel Idea: Jewish Identity in Genre Fiction” at the 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition of the American Library Association in Chicago, Illinois.
• Mike Glyer shares some new aquisitions made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California.
• Kevin Hurler reports that an animatronic figure of Donald Trump in the Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is actually a Hilary Clinton figure that was hastily changed into Donald Trump after the 2016 US election. 
• Emily Latimer discusses how ever-evolving amusement park and fun fair ride technology make her sick.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Passant Rabie reports that four researchers have locked themselves into the simulated Mars habitat CHAPEA for a year.
  
• Briley Lewis reports that dying stars release enormous cocoons of gas that cause gravitational waves. 
• Karlijn Korpershoek reports how a former jungle prison in Kourou, French Guiana, became the launch site for ESA rockets.
  
• Kaye Dee talks about military communication satellites in the 1960s. 
• Phys.org reports that the claim that men were hunters and women gatherers in hunter/gatherer societies is a myth.
  
• Tim Newcomb reports that an archaeologist claims to have found evidence for the existence of the Viking city of Jomsborg, which was believed to be mythological.
• Archaeology World reports that a couple in Norway has found a Viking grave under their house during renovation work.
  
  

Gaming: 

• James Whitbrook explains how to get started with Magic: The Gathering's Lord of the Rings cards
• Iain Harris declares that Final Fantasy XVI can stand alongside the greats of the series.
  
• Hirun Cryer calls Aliens: Dark Descent a fresh and fun take on the series. 
• Sam Loveridge calls Forever Skies a refreshing take on the post-apocalyptic survival genre.
  
• Aidan Moher shares a history of the Nintendo RPG Chrono Trigger.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Parija Kavilanz reports that the popular 1990s toy Furby is making a comeback.
• Lis Carey reviews the  FanTaminals Cocker Spaniel Scroll Wood Puzzle
• Mattel Creations is offering the Jurassic Park Gates playset as a crowdfunded project, but only for Americans. 
• James Whitbrook shares some new Indiana Jones toys coming out from Hasbro. 
• Pixel Dan reviews the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem villains action figures from Playmates.  
• Toy Habits reports that Super7 has teased a new version of the Thundercats Cat's Lair playset.
  
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Pride Month Special called “Ambush in the Mystic Mountains”.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "All Our Whiskered Idols" by Kahlo Smith in Luna Station Quarterly. 
• "Dara Needs a Better Job" by Carrie Vaughn in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
  
• "Magic Is Like a Box of Chocolates" by Y.M. Resnick in Wyldblood. 
• "Plums in Chocolate" by Ernestas Parulskis, translated by Kotryna Garanasvili, in Samovar.
  
• "A Pilgrimage to Memories Tattooed" by Elena Pavlova, translated by Desislava Sivilova, in Samovar. 
• "Disassembling Light" by Kel Coleman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "By the Far Salt Lake" by Portia Elan in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "There’s a Door to the Land of the Dead in the Land of the Dead" by Sarah Pinsker in The Deadlands.
  
• "What Passes for Eyes in Dreams and Death" by Daniel Ausema in Fantasy Magazine.
  
• "Mirror View" by Rajeev Prasad in Clarkesworld.
• "To Helen" by Bella Han in Clarkesworld. 
• "Always Personal" by Rich Larson in Lightspeed. 
• "Philoctetes in Kabul" by Deborah L. Davitt in Lightspeed.
  
• "Lady Koi-Koi: A Book Report" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa in Apex Magazine.
• "They Say" by Matt Dovey in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Ceffo" by Jonathan Carroll in Tor.com.
  
• "Canvas" by Lynne Inouye in Pyre Magazine.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Dune, Part II. 
• Watch a clip from season 2 of Good Omens.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 5 of The Dragon Prince. 
• Watch the full pilot of Skull Island. 
• Watch a trailer for Bird Box Barcelona.
  
• Watch a trailer for Wonderwell.
• Watch a trailer for Five Nights at Freddy's. 
• Watch a trailer for Final Cut.
  
• Watch a trailer for the new season of Futurama. 
• Watch a trailer for Empire V. 
• Watch a trailer for Superpowered: The DC Story.