Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 10, 2023

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, Loki, The Marvels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the series finale of Attack on Titan, Gen V,  Five Nights at Freddy's, Elf at twenty, the SAG-AFTRA strike, the debate about AI generated writing and art and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in November. 
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in November. 
• Tor.com shares all the new horror, romantasy and SFF crossover books coming out in November. 
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in November. 
• Alex Brown shares their most anticipated YA SFF books coming out in November and December. 
  
• Publishers Weekly share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2023. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF novels about autocrats and the problems of wielding absolute power
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories set in tower blocks, high rises and buildings of unusual size. 
• Cole Rush lists five SFF sports he would love to try. 
• Tor.com shares their favourite SFF librarians.
  
• Chelsea Iversen recommends stories about supernatural sisterhoods. 
• Richard Marpole attempts to explain why people love elemental fantasy. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares seven SFF short stories featuring lyrical writing and stunning imagery
  
• Wole Talabi shares a list of modern African books based on mythology  
• Vanessa Lillie shares indigenous novels recommended by indigenous booksellers.   
  
• R. Nassor talks about supernatural sitcoms and the rise of cozy fantasy.
  
• G.W. Thomas attempts to define sword and sorcery. 
• Liam's Lyceum offers an overview of sword and sorcery classics.
  
• Christian Lindtke wonders whatever happened to the planetary romance subgenre, 
• Alexander James talk about horror and humanity’s enduring love affair with fear
  
• Jordyn Taylor talks about fighting toxic masculinity via YA fiction. 
  
• John Michaud and Nicole Rudick share their appreciation for the works of Joanna Russ. 
• Anthony Aycock profiles Harry Harrison. 
• Gregory James Wakeman profiles Terry Brooks.
  
• Esme Symes Smith shares their appreciation for The Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. 
• Logan Dreher talks about trans identity in The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie.
  
• Helena Kelly wonders how much we really know about Charles Dickens. 
• Ella Creamer reports that several stories believed to have been written by Louise May Alcott under the pen name E.H. Gould in the 1850s and 1860s have been rediscovered.
  
• Jamie Mackay reports how The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien has been turned into a weapon in the culture wars by the Italian far right. 
• Mailing No. 4 of TRIAPA is available.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Publishers Weekly share their favourite comics and graphic novels of 2023. 
• Aaron Jones reviews the graphic novel Her Little Reapers by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
  
• Alasdair Stuart reviews the graphic novel Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas
• Robert Mammone reviews Bloodrik #1 by Andrew Krahnke  
• Brad Hawley reviews Rai: Deluxe Edition, Volume 1 by Matt Kindt, Clayton Crain and Dave Lanphear 
• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel The Cliff by Manon Debaye
  
• Karen Haber reviews The Keeper by Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes and Marco Finnegan; Spectrum Fantastic Art Quarterly: Volume Two, edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner and The Corset and The Jellyfish: A Conundrum of Drabbles by Nick Bantock 
• Alec Worley recounts how he resurrected the British sword and sorcery comic Black Beth. 
• Rowdy Geirsson shares five Norse mythology inspired comics and graphic novels that are not The Mighty Thor.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews comic editor and publisher Mike Gold. 
• Justin K. Young interviews fantasy cover artist Brom.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the work week of crime novel cover models.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Manuel Betancourt calls Beacon 23 an enjoyable, if wildly uneven, science fiction series
• Rebecca Nicholson calls the animated show Blue Eye Samurai an absolute joy to watch
• Leila Latif calls Invincible far and away the best superhero show on TV 
• Aaron Jones sjares his thoughts on The Fall of the House of Usher.
  
• Cath Clarke calls Showdown at the Grand an ode to 1980s action films and praises the performances of Terrence Howard and Dolph Lundgren. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Give Me Pity! a brilliantly observed hallucinatory nightmare of 1980s showbiz 
• Saloni Gajjar calls season 4 of  For All Mankind one giant, soapy misstep
  
• Catherine Bray calls Wickedly Evil an Irish heist-gone-wrong comedy-horror film.
• Phil Hoad calls The Jester a fairground horror film that despatches its victims with style, but whose feeble plotting means that film adds up to not a lot 
• Martin Edwards shares his thoughts on Don't Worry, Darling.
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 1 of Pantheon. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Doom Patrol. 
• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Fear the Walking Dead. 
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Nicholas Cage, star of many things. 
• Josh Ocampo interviews film critic Erik Piepenburg.
  
• Michael Hogan interviews several TV trailblazers. 
• James Whitbrook lists every version of Godzilla, from 1954 to 2023. 
• Brett Brooks shares his appreciation for the films of Ray Harryhausen. 
• Stuart Heritage notes that the 2023 John Lewis Christmas ad is an unexpected horror story.
  
• James Wallace Harris wonders when science fiction fans were first portrayed on screen. 
• Aneesa Ahmed reports that younger viewers are no longer interested in sex scenes on screen - much to the annoyance of The Guardian.
  
• Zack Sharf reports about some changes Mattel wanted made to the script of Barbie.
  
• Ben Child chronicles the depressing culture war about Disney's "woke" live action Snow White remake. 
• Stuart Heritage reports that Homer Simpson has stopped strangling Bart on The Simpsons and the show commented on this fact, which led to a predictable backlash. 
• Rebecca Atkinson explains how she created Mixmups, a stop motion show for children which features disabled characters.
  
• Paul Morton recounts how director William Friedkin was planning to adapt Will Eisner's The Spirit in the 1970s.
• Benjamin Lee reports that Warner Bros is shelving another completed movie, Coyote vs. Acme, to save taxes.
  
• Stuntman Taraja Ramsess, who worked on Black Panther, the Avengers films and The Hunger Games among many others, was killed in a car crash aged 41 along with two of his children.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general (spoilers): 

• Arturo Serrano revisits Rogue One.
• Paul Weimer revisits The Force Awakens. 
• Arturo Serrano revisits The Last Jedi. 
• Vance Kotrla revisits The Rise of Skywalker.
  
• James Whitbrook celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars animated series.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:

• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Old Friends, New Planets", the season 4 finale of Star Trek Lower Decks.
• Avery Kaplan also shares her appreciation for the character of Doctor T'Ana in Star Trek Lower Decks. 
• Avery Kaplan explore the legacy of Khan across various incarnations of Star Trek. 
• Galactic Journey revisits the 1968 Star Trek episode "Day of the Dove".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "The Aenar". 
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that the first season of Star Trek Prodigy will be streaming on Netflix from December on.
  

 

Comments on Loki:

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on "Science/Fiction", the latest episode of Loki. 
• Sabine Graves shares her thoughts on "Science/Fiction". 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "Science/Fiction". 

 

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

• Sabina Graves declares that The Marvels delivers a cosmic punch of fun and avenging action
• Valerie Complex calls The Marvels a cosmic triumph grounded in sincerity and humanity
  
• Leigh Monson declares that Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani are a dream team in The Marvels, but that the plot of the film is confused and messy,
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Marvels an entertaining, but insubstantial and bonkers sequel and also praises the performance of Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani.
  
• Sabina Graves interviews Nia DaCosta, director of The Marvels. 
• io9 interviews Nia DaCosta.
  
• Mary Kate Carr explains why director Nia DaCosta left The Marvels, while postproduction was still in progress. 
• Mike Fleming Jr. interviews Yann Demange, director of Blade.
  
• Angela Watercutter interviews Shawn Levy, director of Deadpool 3.
  
• Laura Clark interviews Sydney Freeland, director and executive producer of Echo. 
• Mary Kate Carr shares an update on the recovery of Jeremy Renner, best known for playing Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following his snowplow accident. 
• Watch a trailer for The Marvels.
  
• Watch a trailer for Echo.

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Ali Valle reports that the current Doctor Who production team has finally abandoned a rule against displays of affection between the Doctor and their companions that dates back to the 1980s.  
  
• Emine Saner interviews Christopher Eccleston, best known for playing the Ninth Doctor in Doctor Who. 
• Cindy White shares David Tennant's fifteen best Doctor Who moments.
  

 

Comments on The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes: 

• Eric Francisco calls The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes a sappy riff on Romeo And Juliet
• Peter Bradshaw declares that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is revisiting a franchise now starved of inspiration,
  

 

Comments on the series finale of Attack on Titan: 

• Isaiah Colbert reports about a small, but important change made to the Attack on Titan series finale.
• Rafael Montemajor interviews Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack on Titan.
  

 

Comments on Gen V: 

• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on "Guardians of Godolkin", the season 1 finale of Gen V
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "Guardians of Godolkin". 
• Saloni Gajjar notes that the Gen V season 1 finale perfectly sets up the next season of The Boys.
  
• Jennifer Maas interviews The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke and Gen V co-showrunner Michele Fazekas about the links between the two shows.
  

 

Comments on Five Nights at Freddy's: 

•  Allegra Frank reports about the obsessive fandom of Five Nights at Freddy's. 
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Five Nights at Freddy's still sits at the top of the US box office.
  

 

Comments on Elf at twenty: 

• Scott Tobias revisits the 2003 Christmas fantasy film Elf for its twentieth anniversary. 
• Matt Schimkovitz declares that Elf saved the Christmas movie. 
• Cindy White interviews Claire Lautier, who plays reporter Charlotte Dennon in Elf.
  

 

Comments on the SAG-AFTRA strike:

• Anthony D'Alessandro and Dominic Patten report that SAG-AFTRA and the studios have finally reached a tentative agreement. 
• Sabina Graves reports that the reason the SAG-AFTRA strike is still going on is that the studios insist on a horrifying AI clause granting them rights to an actor's likeness in perpetuity.
• Lesley Goldberg and Katie Kilkenny also report that the sticking point in the negotiations between the studios and SAG-AFTRA are AI protections for actors.
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2023 Endeavour Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2023 Prix Utopiales have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2023 Prix ActuSF de l’Uchronie have been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize has been announced. 
• Michaele Jordan reviews the 2023 Best Novella Hugo finalists
  
• Camestros Felapton shares an update on the continued lack of Hugo statistics.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Jeremy T. Wilson declares that psychology is important for motivation, but that your characters need more than diagnoses
  
• Mur Lafferty explains how she approached writing a science fiction mystery.
  
• Lincoln Michel declares that more novels should be written like Moby Dick, full of weird digressions and detours. 
• Frank Zafiro explains how he edited the multi-author novella series A Grifter's Song.
  
• Andrew Albanese reports that Goodreads is now asking users to combat review bombing. 
• Jim Millot reports that the Wall Street Journal has dropped its bestseller list.
  
• Therese Anne Fowler asks if traditional fiction publishing is broken.
• The Economist reports that the business of mining literary estates for new editions, translations and film adaptations is booming. 
• Kelly Jensen reports about two new studies about the book reading and book ownership of Americans.
  
• Alex Marshall reports that the British Library in London, UK, experienced a cyberattack. 
• Alex Blasdel profiles literary agent Andrew Wylie.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

• SFWA has sent a letter about AI to the US Copyright Office.
• Eric Ofgang discusses the impact of AI art programs on illustrators. 
  

 

Interviews:

• C. Brandon Ogbonu interviews Nnedi Okorafor.
• Arley Sorg interviews David D. Levine.
• Adrian Collins interviews Anna Smith Spark.
  
• Lisa Allardice interviews Naomi Alderman. 
• Paul Levinson interviews Jack Dann.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Cory Doctorow. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Eule Grey. 
  

 

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Liberty’s Daughter by Naomi Kritzer 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher. 
• Jim Janney reviews The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher. 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Warriorborn by Jim Butcher 
• Natalie Zutter reviews A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. 
• Russell Letson reviews War Bodies by Neal Asher 
• Angela Gualtieri reviews Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell
  
• Archita Mittra reviews The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson and The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten 
  
• Adrian Collins reviews The Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward 
• Judith Tarr reviews The Deep by Rivers Solomon. 
• Ian Wang reviews The Future by Naomi Alderman.
  
• Marion Deeds reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo 
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older, and The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 3, edited by Allan Kaster 
• Marion Deeds reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Starling House by Alix E. Harrow 
• Lucy Popescu reviews Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle and Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica
  
• Marlene Harris reviews A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather 
• Liz Bourke reviews Silent City by Sarah Davis-Goff
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw
  
• James Tivendale reviews Deity by Matt Wesolowski
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews Knife Witch by Susan diRende
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Wolfe at the Door by Gene Wolfe
• Warner Holme reviews The Village Killings and Other Novellas by Ramsey Campbell
• Bill Capossere reviews Jewel Box by E. Lily Yu
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews This Island Earth: 8 Features from the Drive-In by Dale Bailey
  
• Mark Yon reviews In These Hallowed Halls, edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane
• Amy Nicholson reviews MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards
   
  

Classics reviews:

• G.W. Thomas revisits the 1905 lost world novel The Wolf-Men by Frank Powell.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1913 Barsoom sword and planet novel The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
• Cthulery revisits the 1932 Bran Mak Morn sword and sorcery story "Worms of the Earth" by Robert E. Howard. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1964 anthology 9^th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F, edited by Judith Merril 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1968 issue of Galaxy.
  
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1974 science fiction horror novel The Portals by Edward Andrew Mann. 
• Sam Reader revisits the 1980 cosmic horror story "The Autopsy" by Michael Shea.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 science fiction anthology The Best of All Possible Worlds, edited by Spider Robinson 
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1980 post-apocalyptic novel The Fires of Lan-Kern by Peter Tremayne 
• Rich Horton revisits the 1983 fantasy novel The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford. 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1988 science fiction novel Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold.
  
• Young People Read Old SFF revisit the 1988 cyberpunk story "Our Neural Chernobyl" by Bruce Sterling.  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1990 cosmic horror story "The Last Feast of Harlequin" by Thomas Ligotti
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1995 science fiction novella “A Man of the People” by Ursula K. Le Guin
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Mariachi Legends, a game by Halberd Studios, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Ken McLeod shares his experiences at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China.
  
• Chris M. Barkley reports about the "Ask a US Fan" panel he moderated at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China. 
• Chris M. Barkley also shares his emotions upon winning the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer,
  
• Taiyo Fuji reports about the "Decolonise the Future" panel at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China.
• Kevin Standlee reports about the site selection for the 2025 Westercon, which is hampered by the fact that there are no bids.
  
• Arifa Akbar calls Joss Stone's and Dave Stewart's musical adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife, which is currently playing in London, UK, a bumpy ride. 
• Kate Wyver reports about Monster Show, a trans take on Frankenstein, which is currently playing in London, UK.  
• Linda Codega reports about The World We Left Behind, a ballet based on the eponymous tabletop roleplaying game that is currently playing in New York City.
  
• Arifa Akbar talks about the glut of productions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol hitting British theatres during the holiday season and that good adaptations of this familiar tale still manage to surprise. 
• Chris Wiegand calls The Box of Delights, which is currently playing in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, a well-crafted, brilliantly acted version of John Masefield’s novel about an orphan who travels through time
• Arifa Akbar calls Phantasmagoria, which is currently playing on London, UK, a scary drama which forgets the fear factor
• Mark Fisher reports about an outdoors community theatre production of Beowulf in Huddersfield, Yorkshire.
  
• Gareth Llŷr Evans reports about the epic musical Branwen Dadeni, which is based on an ancient Welsh myth and which is currently playing in Cardiff, Wales.
  
• Stuart Lee shares some walking tours of ancient sacred sites in Britain.
  
• Sabina Graves shares a tour of the Tiana's Palace restaurant in Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
  

 

Science and technology:

• The Guardian reports that the NASA spacecraft Lucy has discovered that the asteroid Dinkinesh has a small moon of its own. 
• Passant Rabie reports that a tool bag lost by two ISS astronauts during the spacewalk has now become a mini-satellite that is visible from Earth. 
• George Dvorsky reports that the first known instance of a battle in space occurred when an Israeli defence missile destroyed a ballistic missile supposedly launched in Yemen at the edge of space.
  
• Kaye Dee reports about the Soyuz-2 and 3 space missions in 1968. 
• Dani Aguiano reports that a fire has destroyed a historical blimp hangar in Tustin, California. 
• Andy Corbley reports that a new method of analysing cat DNA makes it much easier to place criminals at a crime scene, provided there was a cat involved. 
  
• NASA astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II has died aged 87.
  

 

Gaming: 

• C.T. Phipps reviews the video game RoboCop: Rogue City
• Joe DelFranco reviews the videogame Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
  
• James Whitbrook talks about the twentieth anniversary of World of Warcraft and the development of the character Anduin.
  
• James Maliszweski shares a two part homage to Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Skeletor.
  
• Pixel Dan reviews the NECA Teenage Mutant Nija Turtles Pizza Van.
  
• Toy Habits reviews the Crimson Strike Team from Hasbro's GI Joe Classified Series.
• Justin Carvoulias shares a brief history of GI Joe action figures. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at LEGO's massive Avengers Tower set. 
  
• Sabina Graves shares some fannish merchandise that would make a great holiday present.
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-piece Theatre toy photo story called "The Maiden and the Monster".
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Year Without Sunshine" by Naomi Kritzer in Uncanny Magazine
• "The CRISPR Cookbook (Chapter Two): A Guide to Biohacking Your Own Eggs into Weapons of Destruction, to Be Forcibly Implanted into One Patriarchist at a Time" by MKRNYILGLD in Lightspeed.
• "What You Are and the Wolf" by Jae Steinbacher in Lightspeed. 
  
• "The Guild's Share" by Nyki Blatchley in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "Eddies are the Worst" by Bo Balder in Clarkesworld.
• "Bird-Girl Builds a Machine" by Hannah Yang in Clarkesworld.
• "Hole World" by J.S. Breukelaar in Apex Magazine.
• "Things out of Place" by Adesire Tamilore in Omenana.
• "Mid-Earth Removals Limited" by R.S.A. Garcia in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Some Ways to Retell a Fairy Tale" by Kathleen Jennings in Tor.com.
  
• "The Dreamweaver’s Name" by Megan Chee in Luna Station Quarterly.
  
• "A is for Alphabet" by Steve Rasnic Tem in The Dark.
• "Waiting for Jonah" by Sharang Biswas in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Keepers" by Sean MacKendrick in Wyldblood.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Godzilla Minus One.
• Watch a trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
  
• Watch a trailer for Genie. 
• Watch a trailer for Candy Cane Lane. 
• Watch a trailer for Inside Out 2.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Velveteen Rabbit.