Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 24, 2023

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF works of 2023, Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, The Marvels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Beacon 23, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Wish, the series finale of Fear the Walking Dead, season 4 of For All Mankind, Aardman Animation's clay shortage, the casting woes of Scream 7, trouble at OpenAI and the debate about AI generated writing and art in general and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories featuring space travel using constant acceleration
  
• Dani Finn hosts a roundtable of trans feminine SFF authors. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for October 2023. 
• Cole Rush shares five SFF tales about embracing found family. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction story featuring cryonics and suspended animation
  
• Tim Maleeny talks about the importance of villains. 
• Christina Henry shares her favourite novels about brave women finding themselves in mysterious and dangerous situations. 
  
• Nicole Rudick talks about the feminist awakening of Joanna Russ. 
• Marion Deeds shares her appreciation for the Alyx stories by Joanna Russ. 
  
• Sophie Kemp talks about visiting Kurt Vonnegut's former home in Schenectady, New York. 
• Michael Curtis profiles William Hope Hodgson. 
• Bridget McGovern declares that audio books have taken over her life and that she loves it. 
• Grace Benfell reports that the man who was arrested for attacking Paul Pelosi, husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claims he was radicalised by Gamergate.
• SFF fan Patricia Diggs died aged 82.
  
• British writer and critic A.S. Bryatt has died aged 87. 
• Horror and military science fiction writer Weston Ochse has died aged 58.
  

 

Best of 2023:

•  She Reads shares their favourite science fiction novels of 2023.
• She Reads shares their favourite fantasy novels of 2023.
• The New York Public Library shares its favourite science fiction novels of 2023. 
• NPR share their favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2023.
  
• NPR share their favourite comics and graphic novels of 2023. 
• io9 list their favourite pop culture works of 2023. 
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Lukas Shayo reviews Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey.
• Lukas Shayo reviews Alpha Flight #4 by Ed Brisson and Scott Godlewski
• Robert Mammone reviews Deviant #1 by James Tynion and Joshua Hixson
  
• Brad Hawley calls Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt a work of genius, a masterpiece
  
• Justin Carter reports that Amazon is shutting down the Comixology app in December. 
• Read the Spider-Man themed issue of The Drink Tank.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Paul Levinson declares that season 1 of The Lazarus Project is time travel done right. 
  
• Olivia Rutigliano calls  Leave the World Behind a tense, uneasy apocalyptic thriller 
• Arturo Serrano declares that in the animated TV series Pluto, the quest for humanlike AI reveals our worst side 
• Manuel Betancourt declares that The Curse is unlike anything else on TV right now. 
  
• Rachel Aroesti calls the latest adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit irresistably tearjerking.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Genie a bafflingly bland holiday comedy that wastes the talents of Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu
  
• Germain Lussier calls Thanksgiving a dumb, disgusting delight
• Mikkel Snyder talks about the difficulty of legally watching the animated science fiction show Pantheon. 
• Daniel Dern shares his thoughts on the final season of Doom Patrol. 
• Matt Schimkovitz shares his thoughts on the latest episode of  A Murder At The End Of The World
  
• Benjamin Lee calls Leo a charming if disjointed animated comedy about a wise lizard.
  
• Jack Seale calls David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived a the touching documentary about a Harry Potter stuntman who broke his neck
• Samuel Stone lists science fiction TV shows that were cancelled on a cliffhanger.
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten Chrismas horror movies to stream. 
  
• Matt Baume interviews animation and comics writer Tim Sheridan.
• Sabina Graves interviews  Rob Letterman, Nick Stoller and Hilary Winston, showrunners of Goosebumps.
• Stuart Heritage notes that durector Ridley Scott is one of the best people to interview. 
• Leah Schnelbach explains how Mystery Science Theater 3000 making fun of educational short films from the 1950s helped her understand her parents better. 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1972 horror movie Who Slew Auntie Roo? 
  
• Germain Lussier revisits the 1973 Disney animated film Robin Hood.  
• Tom Nichols revisits the 1983 nuclear war movie The Day After. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1985 holiday movie Santa Claus: The Movie.
  
• Kabir Chibber revisits the 1993 science fiction movie Demolition Man and finds it unexpectedly predictive.
• The AV-Club revisits the 2008 paranormal romance movie Twilight.
  
• Jacob Stolworthy reports about a backlash against Netflix cancelling several shows, including the popular fantasy show Shadow and Bone. 
• Justin Carter reports that the ainme studio MAPPA, creators of Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga and Jujutsu Kaisen, are being criticised by its staff for overtaxing themselves and a high workload. 
• Zach Schonfeld talks about the conflict between Nicholas Cage and his uncle Francis Ford Coppola. 
• Nadia Khomani reports that according to a recent survey, most members of TV and film crews feel that their safety has been put at risk on some occasions.
  
• Experimental film maker Paul Busch has died aged 67.
  
• Joss Ackland, star of The House That Dripped Blood, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, Lethal Weapon 2, The Hunt for Red October, Villain and many others, has died aged 95.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general (spoilers): 

•  nerds of a feather host a roundtable discussion on the Disney era of Star Wars.
• Anthony Breznican interviews Dave Filoni, the new chief creative officer of Lucasfilm.
• James Whitbrook notes that Dave Filoni is right where Star Wars needs him to be. 
  
• Brian Davids interviews Daisy Ridley who plays Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. 
• Sabina Graves interviews Tatiana Salaverria, who designs Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Marvel themed clothing sold at Disney parks.
  
• Ben Child wonders how the notoriously terrible 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special was allowed to happen at all.  
• Pablo Hidalgo talks about the origins of Life Day in the Star Wars universe.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Galactic Journey revisits the 1968 Star Trek episode "The Tholian Web".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Divergence".
• Chana Porter talks about the portrayal of food in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 
• Avery Kaplan lists ten Star Trek names with real world inspirations.
  

 

Comments on The Marvels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Camestros Felapton calls The Marvels a solidly entertaining film.
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her appreciation for The Marvels.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Andrew Gladman explains why the second season of the original Doctor Who changed the show for the better. 
  
• Current showrunner Russell T. Davies talks about what Doctor Who means to him.
• Lillian Crawford interviews various people who have worked on Doctor Who over the years. 
• Lillian Crawford interviews even more people who have been involved with Doctor Who over the years.  
• Lillian Crawford interviews yet more people who have been involved with Doctor Who over the years.  
• Lillian Crawford interviews still more people who have been involved with Doctor Who over the years.   
• Dominic Cavendish interviews Bonnie Langford who played Mel Bush in Doctor Who. 
• Morgan Cormack interviews Jodie Whittaker, who played the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.
  
• Christina Orlando revisits the 2008 Doctor Who episode "Partners in Crime". 
• James Whitbrook revisits the 2013 Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special "Day of the Doctor". 
  
• James Whitbrook reports that Davros, creator of the Daleks, will no longer be portrayed as disabled in future episodes of Doctor Who in order to counter the association between disability and evil.
  
• Patrick Mulkern looks back at previous Doctor Who anniversary specials and Radio Times photo shoots.
  
• Watch the 2023 Children in Need Doctor Who Special,.
  

 

Comments on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: 

• Lucy Mangan praises the performance of Kurt Russell in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
• William Goodman interviews Matt Fraction, one of the writers of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
• Vanessa Armstrong also interviews Matt Fraction.
  

 

Comments on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: 

• Graeme Virtue calls Scott Pilgrim Takes Off an animated series as intense as falling in love in your teens 
  
• William Hughes calls Scott Pilgrim Takes Off much, much weirder than a mere nostalgia trip . 
• Molly Tmepleton declares that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off sends a familiar story into the stratosphere
  
• James Whitbrook shares seven things he liked and three he didn't about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off 
• Alan Sepinwall interviews Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, creators of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
  

 

Comments on Beacon 23: 

• Angie Han calls Beacon 23 a heady science fiction saga. 
• Manuel Betancourt calls Beacon 23 an enjoyable, if wildly uneven, science fiction series
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of Beacon 23.
  

 

Comments on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: 

• Emmet Asher Perrin calls The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes yet another unnecessary prequel.
• Germain Lussier declares that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes worked for him until it didn't.
  
• io9 interviews Francis Lawrence, director of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• Brian Davids interviews Francis Lawrence.
  

 

Comments on Wish: 

• Sabina Graves declares that Wish illuminates a century of Disney animated history  
• Benjamin Lee declares that Wish is missing the magic, 
• Ray Greene declares that Wish feels more like a corporate anxiety attack than a 100th-anniversary celebration
• Sabina Graves interviews Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, director of Wish. 
  

 

Comments on the series finale of Fear the Walking Dead: 

• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the series finale of Fear the Walking Dead.
• Noetta Harjo also shares her appreciation for the character of Madison Clark from Fear the Walking Dead.
  

 

Comments on season 4 of For All Mankind: 

•  Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of For All Mankind.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the second episode of season 4 of For All Mankind. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the third episode of season 4 of For All Mankind.
  

 

Comments on Aardman Animation's impending lack of clay: 

• Robbie Collin reports that Aardman Animation, creators of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and many others, are about to run out of clay and the company that was supplying them has shut down. 
• Justin Carter also reports about Aardman Animation's clay shortage. 
• James Whitbrook reports that Aardman Animation has responded to reports about its clay shortage and assure everybody that they have enough clay left and are actively looking for a replacement.

 

Comments on the Scream VII casting woes:

• Aaron Couch reports that actress Melissa Barrera has been removed from Scream VII after posting Pro-Palestinian and Anti-Semitic remarks on social media. 
• Armando Tinoco reports that actress Melissa Barrera has responded to being fired from Scream VII by declaring that she condemns both Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Scream VII director Christopher Landon has said that firing Melissa Barrera was not his decision. 
  
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that actress Jenna Ortega has also left Scream VII over a scheduling conflict with her show Wednesday. 
• Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly report about plans to retool Scream VII now two of its proposed stars are no longer available.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Wonderland Book Awards have been announced.   
• The winners of the 2023 Goldener Stephan have been announced.
  
• Brian Collins addresses the persistent issues with the Best Related Work Hugo.
• Camestros Felapton responds to Brian Collins and finds the Best Related Work work category not broken. 
• Christopher Ruz announces the creation of the Rando Awards.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tim Maleeny asks writers to let dialogue drive their story. 
• Steven Radecki wonders how indie authors can measure their success.
  
• Camestros Felapton asks if outrage marketing works.
  
• Scott Edelman talks about the effect leaving Twitter has had on his podcast Eating the Fantastic.
  
• Jim Milliot shares the results of the 2023 Publishers Weekly publishing industry salary survey.
  
• Gina Cherelus asks if reading makes it easier for people to find romantic partners. 
• Brian Keene and Mary SanGovanni explain why they are opening a bookstore.
  
• Patt Morrison notes that Los Angeles, California, has always been a bookstore boom town.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

• Blake Montgomery and Dani Anguiano reports that OpenAI has fired co-founder and CEO Sam Altman for allegedly lying to the company board
• Dan Milmo and Blake Montgomery report that OpenAI employees are threatening to quit en masse unless Sam Altman is reinstated.
• Maxwell Zeff reports that Sam Altman was reinstated as CEO after a few days.
  
• Joe Blistein wonders what the hell is happening at OpenAI. 
• Winston Cho reports that a US Federal judge has thrown out much of Sarah Silverman's lawsuit against Meta's AI.
  

 

Interviews:

• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Jim Butcher. 
  
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Patrick Rothfuss in two parts.
  
• The Guardian interviews Joanne Harris. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Alex Shvartsman, 
• Locus hosts a roundtable discussion with Ted Chiang, Kelly Link and Usman T. Malik   
• Marissa Van Uden interviews  J.S. Breukelaar
  
• Jeff LaSala interviews Shawn Marchese.
  

 

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews Where Peace Is Lost by Valerie Valdes 
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Ghosts of Trappist by K.B. Wagers  
• Marlene Harris reviews System Collapse by Martha Wells
• Marlene Harris reviews Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Calamity by Constance Fay 
• RacheLeanne reviews Hyvilma by Gideon Marcus. 
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei, Starter Villain by John Scalzi and Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch 
• Maya Gittelman reviews Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
  
• Alex Wallace reviews Threading the Needle by Monalisa Foster. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Inheritance by Nora Roberts.
  
• Gayle Surrette reviews Payback in Death by J.D. Robb 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu 
• Paul Weimer reviews Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Future by Naomi Alderman
  
• John Mauro reviews The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss
  
• Judith Tarr reviews In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Blood Stones by Tori Tecken
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers
• Archita Mittra reviews Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine and Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
• Warner Holme reviews The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Menewood by Nicola Griffith 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate by Adam Roberts   
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Winter Harvest by Ioanna Papadopoulou
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Midwinter's Tail by Lili Hayward
• Marion Deeds reviews Fenris and Mott by Greg Van Eekhout
  
• Mark Yon reviews Weyward by Emilia Hart. 
• Ian Mond reviews Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
  
• John Mauro reviews Until the Last by Mike Shackle
• Adrian Collins reviews Aliens: Bishop by T.R. Napper
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Whole Mess and Other Stories by Jack Skillingstead
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Privilege of the Happy Ending by Kij Johnson 
• Arley Sorg reviews McSweeney’s 71: The Monstrous and the Terrible, edited by Brian Evenson.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Being Michael Swanwick by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Writing The Uncanny - Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V. Hirst
   
  

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1891 ghost story "John Charrington’s Wedding” by E. Nesbit
  
• Cthulery revisits the 1936 cosmic horror story "At the Mountains of Madness" by H.P. Lovecraft.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1939 horror novel The Hand of Kornelius Voyt by Oliver Onions
• Brian Collins revisits the 1943 military science fiction story "Clash by Night" by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore.  
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1946 science fiction stories “The Nightmare” and “To Still the Drums” and  the 1949 science fiction story “The Aristocrat” by Chan Davies.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
  
• Robin Rose Graves revisits the 1968 fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1968 science fiction novel The Man Who Saw Tomorrow by Jeff Sutton and the 1968 science fiction collection So Bright the Vision by Clifford D. Simak, Gideon Marcus revisits the 1968 Star Trek novel Mission to Horatius by Mack Reynolds, Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1968 science fiction anthology Orbit 4, edited by Damon Knight, and the 1968 science fictiion novel The Hole in the Zero by M. K. Joseph, Tonya R. Moore revisits the 1968 historical fantasy novel Moondust by Thomas Burnett Swann and Jason Sacks revisits the 1968 satirical novel One Before Bedtime by Richard Linkroum 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 YA science fiction novel Watchstar by Pamela Sargent. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1986 Conan Little Golden Book The Thing in the Cave by Jack C. Harris and Dan Adkins.
  
• Desiree Burch revisits the 1993 dystopian novel The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1996 anthology The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirteenth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1992 alternate history novel A Spell of Empire: The Horns of Tartarus by Michael Scott Rohan and Allan J. Scott
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• The non-fiction book The Philip Hinchcliffe Years - The DNA of Doctor Who, edited by Gary Russell, is looking for funding.
• The animated science fiction series Thémis - The Next Frontier is looking for funding.
• Escape Artists are running their end of the year fundraiser.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Cat Rambo shares tips for making the most of your con budget.
  
• Locus shares photos of the latest SF in SF reading in San Francisco, California.
• Ryan Dinsdale reports about an interview with Andrzej Sapkowski at Comic Con Vienna in Vienna, Austria. 
• James Hibberd also reports about Andrzej Sapkowski's remarks at Comic Con Vienna. 
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, has added T.L. Huchu as a special guest.
  
• Dalya Alberge reports that a newly rediscovered string quartet by Anthony Burgess will be performed in Manchester, UK: 
• Arifa Akbar calls The Mongol Khan a spectacular, swashbuckling stage play that is currently being performed in London, UK.
• Arifa Akbar calls The Witches a rollcking musical based on Roald Dahl's famous book, which is currently playing in London, UK.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Stephen Clark reports that SpaceX has delayed the launch of its Starship rocket for technical reasons.
• Lauren Aratani reports that SpaceX's Starship actually managed to reach space during its latest launch, but then exploded. 
• George Dvorsky shares sixteen takeaways from the explosion of SpaceX's Starship rocket. 
• Passant Rabie reports that an issue with the heat shield of the Orion capsule threatens to delay NASA's planned crewed moon mission.
  
• Charlotte Beach celebrates Richard Danne, designer of the NASA logo.
  
• Jon Mooallem interviews people who want to be buried in space. 
• Gideon Marcus shares space news from 1968. 
• Michael Marshall asks if time travel is possible.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Marcus De Sautoy explains how Dungeons & Dragons helps build empathy  
• Sally Berrow reviews Baldur's Gate III.
  
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order  
• Joe DelFranco also reviews the video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1994 Star Wars TIE Fighter video game. 
  
• Stephen Totilo reports about a class action lawsuit about an update to the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. 
• Aidan Moher shares a holiday gift guide for geeks and gamers.
  
• Ashley Bardhan shares the best holiday gifts for gamers under 50 US-dollars.   

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the new Sectaurs line by Nacelle.
  
• Iain Delaney reviews the Thunderbirds 2086 Moderoid Thunderbird model kit
• Sabina Graves offers a look at the Hot Toys Star Wars Ahsoka figure, 
• Lauren Mechling reviews the documentary Million Dollar Babies about the Cabbage Patch Kid doll craze of the 1980s.
  
• Watch a stop-motion video featuring the new Turtles of Grayskull crossover toyline between Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Mattel. 
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Captain Courageous in Venice" by Janna Layton in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Dr. Seattle Opens His Heart" by Winston Turnage in Lightspeed. 
• "A Record of Lost Time" by Regina Kanyu Wang, translated by Rebecca F. Kuang in Lightspeed.
  
• "Brexit 409 AD" ​by George S. Walker in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "In the Forest of Talking Animals" by Makena Onjerika in The Deadlands.
• "Patsy Cline Sings Sweet Dreams to the Universe" by Beston Barnett in Strange Horizons.
  
• "Eight or Die (Part 1)" by Thoraiya Dyer in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Mub" by Thomas Ha in Clarkesworld.
• "Any Percent" by Andrew Dana Hudson in GigaNotoSaurus.
• "The Curse of the Boto Boy" by Woody Dismukes in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Youngblood" by Aidan Moher in Astrolabe.
  
• "Auscultation" by J.S. Breukelaar in The Dark.
• "Esqueleto" by Ana Hurtado in Uncanny Magazine
  
• "Barands" by Tunmise Onifade in Omenana.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Merry Little Batman.
• Watch a trailer for Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths.
  
• Watch a trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.