It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the 2023 Dragon Award finalists, season 2 of Foundation, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general, Secret Invasion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, season 3 of The Witcher, Barbie and the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, They Cloned Tyrone, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Talk to Me, The Meg 2, the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the debate about AI writing and art, tributes to William Friedkin and Sharon Farrell and much more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Joshua Glenn chronicles the development of science fiction in the early twentieth century.
- Alex Brown shares five underrated SFF books to read this summer.
- Jo Walton shares her reading list for July 2023.
- James Davis Nicoll lists five surprisingly devoted SFF couples.
- R. Nassor shares Dungeons & Dragons inspired fantasy romances.
- Jenny Hamilton discusses her problems with small town cozy witch romances.
- Scott Oden talks about the alleged glut of sword and sorcery.
- Sarah Kozloff talks about mother daughter relationships in fantasy fiction.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five stories about the unintended consequences of time travel.
- Nick Kolakowski talks about nuclear noir.
- Tobias Carroll shares five SFF books featuring strange gods.
- Cole Rush lists five fantasy swordsmen and women he'd never ever want to challenge.
- Kirsten Patterson talks about magic and normativity in The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir.
- Howard Andrew Jones discusses the big idea behind his sword and sorcery novel Lord of a Shattered Land.
- Bobby Derie chronicles the career of Belgian writer Jean Ray a.k.a. John Flanders in Weird Tales and other fantastic pulps of the era.
- Deuce Richardson remembers fantasy author and editor Robert Adams.
- Emily H. Wilson wonders whether the Sumerian goddess Inanna was one of the earliest literary heroines alongside Gilgamesh.
- Molly Templeton talks about learning to read generously.
- Vanessa Armstrong reports that Neil Gaiman has said that he will write season 3 of Good Omens as a novel if the series is not renewed.
- Amanda Silberling reports that fanfiction writers are rallying fandom against a controversial US bill supposed to protect minors online.
- Omenana shares tributes to the late South African SFF writer Nick Wood.
Comics and Art:
- James Whitbrook reviews X-Men #25 written by Gerry Duggan with art by Stefano Caselli
- James Davis Nicoll reviews the graphic novel Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
- Steven Heller interviews comic collector and scholar Richard Marshall.
- James Whitbrook reports that Marvel is planning a sequel to the controversial 2006 mini-series Spider-Man: Reign.
- Tom Gauld shares a cartoon of classic novels improved by AI.
Film and TV:
- Sam Barsanti calls My Adventures With Superman one of the best depictions of the Man Of Steel ever
- Lucy Mangan says that the animated series Strange Planet has the potential to be wonderful, but is full of gimmicky characters and repetitive takes
- Meredith Hobbs Coons calls the animated show Mech Cadets a family friendly failure.
- Omenana calls Ajaka: Lost in Rome a mesmerising animated fantasy film from Africa.
- William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
- Drew Gillis calls Red, White and Royal Blue a fun and frothy fantasy
- Phil Hoad calls The Communion Girl a creepy doll horror film from Spain.
- Leslie Felperin calls The Inhabitant a shopworn horror film about the Lizzie Borden case.
- Jack Seale calls Zombieverse a ludicrous new reality-horror show.
- Leslie Felperin calls Hunt Club a tacky human hunt horror film and praises the performance of Mena Suvari.
- Cath Clarke calls Katak: The Brave Beluga a gentle animated tale for small kids with a Watership Down ending
- Cheryl Eddy declares that the documentary King on Screen only scratches the surface of the vast world of Stephen King adaptations
- Matthew Jackson ranks his twenty-five favourite vampire films of all time.
- Matt Mills ranks his sixteen least favourite vampire movies of all time.
- Joanthan Alexandratos revisits the 1967 dystopian spy thriller The Prisoner.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1968 science fiction film The Year of the Sex Olympics.
- Janice Newman revisits the 1968 anime series Mahoutsukai Sally and GeGeGe no Kitaro
- Chris Broughton takes a look behind the scenes of the 1973 science fiction TV series The Tomorrow People.
- Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1973 martial arts movie Enter the Dragon.
- Jennifer Giesbrecht revisits the 1993 space opera series Babylon 5.
- Judith Tarr revisits the 2009 romantic fantasy movie Ondine.
- Michaele Jordan revisits the 2011 Chinese historical fantasy film The Great Magician.
- Morgan Jeffery reports that many of the missing Doctor Who episodes from the 1960s are believed to still exist in private collections whose owners refuse to return them.
- Adam B. Vary interviews Noah Schnapp who plays Will Byers in Stranger Things.
- Xan Brooks interviews Matthew Broderick, star of War Games, Ladyhawke, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Family Business, Dopesick and many others.
- For Eternia interviews Ted Biaselli, executive producer for Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution.
- Steve Rose profiles the legendary black stuntwoman Jadie Davis.
- Mary Kate Carr reports that comedian Adam Devine has blamed the decline of comedy movies on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a racism controversy embroiling the fan-made film Spider-Man: Lotus.
- Justin Carter reports that a proposed Black Adam sequel fell victim to the leadership changes at Warner Bros.
- Nellie Andreeva reports that Albert Arr, executive producer of the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives, has been replaced following several allegations of inappropriate conduct on set.
- Film editor Arthur Schmidt, who worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Back to the Future, What Lies Beneath, Contact, Ruthless People and many others, has died aged 86.
- Actor Robert Swan, who appeared in Somewhere in Time, The Untouchables, Natural Born Killers, The Twilight Zone and many others, has died aged 78.
Comments on season 2 of Foundation:
Comments on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Subspace Rhapsody", the latest episode of Star Trek Strange New Worlds.
- Graeme Virtue shares his thoughts on "Subspace Rhapsody".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Subspace Rhapsody".
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on "Subspace Rhapsody".
- James Whitbrook ranks the songs from "Subspace Rhapsody".
- Fiona Underhill reports how the musical episode "Subspace Rhapsody" came to be.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Home".
- Vanessa Armstrong shares an alternate look at the last scene of Captain Liam Shaw in Star Trek Picard.
Comments on Secret Invasion and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):
Comments on season 3 of The Witcher:
- Andrew Webster calls the season 3 finale of The Witcher a big wasted opportunity.
- Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on season 3 of The Witcher.
- Jarrod Jones praises the graceful performance of Henry Cavill in the otherwise graceless season 3 of The Witcher.
- James Hibberd wonders who is to blame for the lack of audience interest in season 3 of The Witcher, season 3 of The Mandalorian, Secret Invasion and other once popular shows.
Comments on Barbie (and Barbenheimer):
- David Cox calls Barbie a muddled feminist fantasy that still bows to the patriarchy
- Pamela McClintock takes a look at the audience breakdown of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
- Rebecca Rubin reports that Barbie has crossed the one billion US-dollar box office mark after only seventeen days.
- Borys Kit reports that in spite of the massive success of Barbie, there are no plans for a sequel yet.
Comments on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem:
- Leah Schnelbach calls Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem a great time at the movies.
- Cindy White explains what Mutant Mayhem gets right about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Brian Davids interviews Jeff Rowe, director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
- Watch a clip from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Comments on The Last Voyage of the Demeter:
Comments on They Cloned Tyrone:
Comments on Talk To Me:
Comments on The Meg 2:
- Ryan Gilbey calls The Meg 2 a busy but flavourless bouillabaisse of ideas nicked from Jaws, Jurassic Park, Alien and Sharknado
- Germain Lussier declares that The Meg 2 tries and fails to be big dumb fun.
- Mark Keizer calls The Meg 2 awfully fun and awfully bad.
- Inspired by The Meg 2, Cheryl Eddy shares ten shark or sea monster movies to enjoy.
- Also inspired by The Meg 2, Robert DeSalvo shares twenty-one shark or sea monster movies to enjoy.
Tributes to William Friedkin:
- William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, The French Connection, Sorcerer, Cruising and many others, has died aged 87.
- Peter Bradshaw remembers William Friedkin.
- Ellen Burstyn, star of The Exorcist, remembers William Friedkin.
- Horror producer Jason Blum remembers William Friedkin.
- Germain Lussier shares tributes to William Friedkin from other directors and actors.
- Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for William Friedkin.
- Olivia Rutigliano remembers William Friedkin.
- Germain Lussier remembers William Friedkin.
- Greg Whitmore shares photos from William Friedkin's lengthy career.
Tributes to Sharon Farrell:
- Actress Sharon Farrell, star of It's Alive, L.A. 2017, Hawaii Five-O, The Stunt Man, Marlowe, Lone Wolf McQuade and many others has died aged 82.
- Mike Barnes shares an obituary for Sharon Farrell.
- J. Kingston Pierce remembers Sharon Farrell's many appearance in US TV crime dramas in the 1960s and 1970s.
Comments on the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike:
- Mary Kate Carr reports that actor Zachary Levi has come under fire for allegedly criticisng the SAG-AFTRA strike and the related rules.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that actor Robert Beltran, who played Commander Chakotay on Star Trek Voyager, has come under fire for violating the SAG-AFTRA strike rules as well as homophobic remarks.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports about a backlash against actress Rachel Zegler, who will play Snow White in an upcoming live action adaptation of the classic 1937 animated film, for her comments in favour of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
- Adrian Horton reports that actor Billy Porter had to sell his house due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
- Andrew Pulver reports that the vidual effects artists working for Marvel Studios are planning to unionise.
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2023 Dragon Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Mythopoeic Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2023 Tähtifantasia Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Seiun Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Krefelder Preis für Fantastische Literatur have been announced.
- The winner of the 2023 Munsey Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Inkpot Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 ENnie Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2023 Diana Jones Awards have been announced.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the 2023 Dragon Award finalists.
- Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2023 Dragon Award finalists.
- Mike Glyer takes a look at the Goodreads ratings of the 2023 Dragon Award finalists-
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Shannon Hollinger talks about leveraging fear in your fiction.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch shares another example of niche marketing.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about the problem of skimping on business expenses.
- David Barnett reports about the so-called BookTok phenomenon.
- Ella Creamer reports that YouTube is more popular for book recommendations than TikTok.
- Jim Milliot and Andrew Albanese report that the publishing company Simon & Schuster has been sold to the infamous investment firm KKR, who destroyed Toys R Us among many others.
- The Guardian also reports about the sale of Simon & Schuster to KKR.
- Elizabeth Blair also weighs in on the sale of Simon & Schuster to KKR.
- Helen Pidd profiles the Northern English small press Bluemoose Books.
- Victoria Strauss reports that a publishing scammer has no attempted to impersonate her.
- Karawynn Long talks about the coming enshittification of public libraries now that the e-book library service OverDrive has been sold to the infamous locust investment firm KKR.
- Martin Pengelly reports about the fight against rightwing book bans in the US.
- Andrew Albanese reports that the textbook distributor Follett School Solutions has asked publishers to rate their own books in order to comply with a new Texas law.
- Locus reports that Sheila Gilbert has retired from her position as publisher of DAW.
- Locus reports that art director and vice president Irene Gallo is leaving Tor after thirty years.
- Nell McShane Wulfhart profiles influential children't book editor Ursula Nordstrom.
- Adrienne Vaughan, president of Bloomsbury USA, has died aged 45 after a speedboat collision in Italy.
- Editor John R. Douglas has died.
- Locus remembers John R. Douglas.
Comments on the AI controversy:
- Lincoln Michel report about the startup Prosecraft, which claims to use AI to analyse novels - without their authors' consent.
- Linda Codega reports that Prosecraft was shut down after a backlash by authors furious that their works were uploaded without their consent.
- Mack DeGeurin reports that Amazon finally took down several AI-generated books that falsely exploited the name of author Jane Friedman.
- Ella Creamer also reports about Amazon taking down AI-generated books using the byline of Jane Friedman.
Interviews:
- Paul Weimer interviews Howard Andrew Jones.
- Paul Semel interviews Howard Andrew Jones.
- Jonathan Koan interviews Howard Andrew Jones.
- Paul Weimer interviews Lilith Saintcrow.
- Elizabeth Tabler interviews Charlaine Harris.
- Michael Washburn interviews Alan Dean Foster.
- Paul Semel interviews Aimee Ogden.
- Paul Semel interviews Wole Talabi.
- Adrian Collins interviews Sunyi Dean.
- Simon Hattenstone interviews Jacqueline Wilson.
- Joachim Boaz interviews Adam Rowe.
Reviews:
- Warner Holme reviews Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.
- Rai Funiss-Greasley reviews Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour
- Marlene Harris reviews A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
- Marlene Harris reviews Jade Shards by Fonda Lee
- Liz Bourke reviews The Salt-Black Tree by Lilith Saintcrow
- Joe Sherry reviews Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire
- Adri Joy reviews The Faithless by C.L. Clark
- Marion Deeds reviews The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
- Mahvesh Murad reviews Bridge by Lauren Beukes.
- Ainslie Hogarth reviews Bridge by Lauren Beukes.
- James Dvais Nicoll reviews Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente.
- Lis Carey reviews Gryphon in Light by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon
- Blue Book Balloon reviews Dragonfall by L.R. Lam
- Bill Capossere reviews Shigidi and The Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
- Fabienne Schwizer reviews Cassiel’s Servant by Jacqueline Carey
- Joe Kenney reviews The Music Of The Spheres by Allister Thompson
- Jenny Bhatt reviews Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
- Rob Bedford reviews Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey.
- John Mauro reviews Lord and King by P.L. Stuart
- Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Inanna by Emily H. Wilson
- Alexandra Pierce reviews Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
- Mark O'Connell reviews The Future Future by Adam Thirlwell
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow
- Charles Bronkosky reviews Sucker by Daniel Hornsby
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Boys In the Valley by Philip Fracassi
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward
- Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews The Night Flowers by Sara Herchenroether
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Nightfall and Other Dangers by Jacob Steven Mohr
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Odes To the Multiverse by Tonya R. Moore
- Ian Mond reviews Hit Parade of Tears by Izumi Suzuki
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Best of Michael Swanwick, Volume Two, by Michael Swanwick.
- Alex Brown reviews Many Worlds, or the Simulacra, edited by by Cadwell Turnbull and Josh Eure.
- Arley Sorg reviews Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, edited by
Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. - Olivia Laing reviews Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder
- Matthew Keeley reviews The Woods of Arcady by Michael Moorcock.
Classics reviews:
- Madeline Ashby revisits the 1904 dystopian novel The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton.
- Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1905 vampire story "For the Blood Is the Life" by F. Marion Crawford.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1918 fantasy novel The Promise of Air by Algernon Blackwood.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1933 humorous fantasy novel Skin and Bones by Thorne Smith.
- Davide Mana revisits the 1933 dark fantasy story "The Island of the Torturers" by Clark Ashton Smith.
- The Cromcast revisits the 1934 Conan sword and sorcery story "The Devil in Iron" by Robert E. Howard.
- James Maliszewski revisits the 1936 cosmic horror story "The Haunter in the Dark" by H.P. Lovecraft.
- Brown Robin revisits the 1950 science fiction novel Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov.
- Alan Brown revisits the 1951 YA science fiction novel Between Planets by Robert A. Heinlein.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1954 science fiction novella "Immigrant" by Clifford D. Simak.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 dystopian novel Lords of the Starship by Mark S. Geston.
- John Boston revisits the August 1968 issue of Amazing.
- Joe Kenney revisits the 1968 science fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke,
- James McGlothlin revisits the 1985 anthology The Year’s Best Horror Stories: Series XIII, edited by Karl Edward Wagner
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1989 horror novel Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep by Frank Lambirth.
- Alissa Burger revisits the 1993 YA horror novel Sunburn by R.L. Stine and the 1995 YA horror novel The Surfer by Linda Cargill.
Crowdfunding:
Con and event reports:
- Arley Sorg reports about the 2023 BayCon in Santa Clara, California.
- Marion Deeds reports about a panel at the 2023 ReaderCon in Quincy, Massachusetts.
- The 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, hosts an online event to celebrate that the con will open a year from now.
- Justin Carter reports that 300000 US-dollars worth of collectible cards were stolen from a vendor at the 2023 GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Linda Codega shares more information about the GenCon card heist.
- Linda Codega reports about the 2023 GenCon and shares new games presented there.
- Alison Scott reports about the first ever Trans Oceanic Fan Fund in 1968.
- Locus shares a photo of the Sycamore Hill Writers Conference in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
- Frank Scheck shares his thoughts on Back to the Future: The Musical, which is currently playing in New York City.
- Caroline Frost reports that an image of J.K. Rowling has been removed from a Harry Potter themed exhibition at The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, due to the author's transphobic views.
- Hollie Richardson reports that actor Pedro Pascal, star of The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, attempted to visit an art show dedicated to him in Margate, UK, only to find the gallery closed.
- Sabina Graves shares a look at the special Halloween events planned at various US theme parks.
Science and technology:
- Sam Jarman reports that the James Webb Space Telescope may have observed stars powered by dark matter.
- Marcia Dunn reports that NASA has been able to restore contact with Voyager 2.
- Mike Benton wonders whether we should use genetic engineering to bring extinct animals back to life.
- Thomas Germain reports that the Reddit protest ended with a victory for Reddit.
Gaming:
- Levi Winslow shares 54 games that have been discontinued in 2023.
- Linda Codega interviews Luke Stratton, creator of the tabletop RPG Pirate Borg.
- Justin Carter reports that Magic the Gathering is adding characters from videogames like Final Fantasy, Fallout or Assassin's Creed to its decks.
- Matt O'Brien reports that Dungeons & Dragons has told illustrators to stop using AI to generate artwork for game.
- Linda Codega reports that Baldur's Gate 3 will credit its translators in the next patch.
Toys and collectibles:
- Germain Lussier interviews Patrick Schneider and Chris Reiff, gloabl marketing director and product designer for the Star Wars toy line at Hasbro.
- Geek Dad Live reviews the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem Sewer Level Playset from Playmates.
- Sabine Graves shares a look at several movie-inspired Barbie dolls coming out soon.
- George Gene Gustines talks about the problems facing inheritors when collectors die.
- Cora Buhlert shares a Masters of the Universe Piece Theatre toy photo story entitled "The Uninvited Guest".
- Watch a stop motion commercial for Masters of the Universe Origins.
Free online fiction:
- "Headhunting" by Rich Larson in Tor.com
- "The Gibbeting of Azmyre" by Rab Foster in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "The Angel Azrael Battles a Dead God Among the Heretics" by Peter Darbyshire in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Naming of Knots" by M.A. Carrick in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Thirty-Two Tumbling Teeth" by Neil Williamson in The Dark.
- "Love at the Event Horizon" by Natalia Theodoridou in Uncanny Magazine
- "Light Speed is Not a Speed" by Andy Dudak in Clarkesworld.
- "The Tale of the Mother and the Hexed VCR" by Nika Murphy in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "The Letters They Left Behind" by Scott Edelman in Lightspeed.
- "All the Colours of the Death Knell" by Russell Hemmell in Lightspeed.
- "Always Be Returning" by Eugenia Triantafyllou in The Sunday Morning Transport.
- "The Dogman" by Christopher Rowe in Whetstone.
- "Declawed" by J.P. Relph in Wyldblood.
- "Ask The Beasts" by Masimba Musodza in Omenana.
- "Voices of Kings" by Joshua Lim in Fantasy Magazine.
- "The Discarded Ones" by Linda Niehoff in Apex Magazine.
- "No Regrets" by Carter Scholz in Slate: Future Tense.
- "Oyili" by Nuzo Onoh in Nightmare Magazine.
Trailers and videos:
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