Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 8, 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 books of 2023, sixtieth anniversary of Doctor Who, Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla in general, season 4 of For All Mankind, Wonka, the debate about AI generated writing and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 21 new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out this December. 
• Natalie Zutter shares science fiction and fantasy books coming out this December. 
• Amal El-Mohtar shares her favourite recent fantasy and science fiction books.
• Tor.com shares all the new science fiction books coming out in December.  
• Tor.com shares all the new fantasy books coming out in December. 
• Tor.com shares all the new horror, romantasy and SFF crossover books coming out in December. 
  
• Tor.com shares all the new YA SFF books coming out in December. 
  
• Carrie Sessarego takes a look at science fictional holiday stories 
• Ethan Sabatella takes a look at seasonal horror and its roots. 
  
• Charlie Jane Anders shares twelve male role models from science fiction and fantasy. 
• Alex Brown shares five underrated space operas.
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares seven SFF stories featuring rebellions big and small
• Molly Templeton talks about fantastic architecture in SFF.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction novels that imagine the future of Canada.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five stories featuring spooky phones and supernatural communication devices 
• Steven Katz lists crime and horror novels about cursed films. 
  
• Gemma Amor shares her favourite works of gothic fiction.
  
• The Guardian talks about utopias and dystopias. 
• Finley Turner talks about unreliable narrators.
  
• Kristen Patterson finds some unexpected connections between Emily Wilson's new translation of The Iliad and the works of Ursula K. Le Guin. 
  
• Gideon Marcus explains that The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction published the highest number of stories by women writers in the 1950s and 1960s. 
• Terence E. Hanley takes a look at the weird true crimes series by Seabury Quinn that appeared in Weird Tales in the 1920s. 
  
• Graeme Virtue remembers Iain Banks.
• Marilyn Joyce “Fuzzy Pink” Wisowaty Niven, SFF fan, con runner, crafter and wife of Larry Niven, has died aged 83.
  
• Science fiction, mystery and romance writer D.G. Compton a.k.a. Guy Compton a.k.a. Frances Lynch has died aged 93.
  

 

Best of 2023:

• The Quill to Live share their favourite SFF books of 2023.
  
• Rachel Cooke shares her favourite graphic novels of 2023.
• James Smart shares his favourite graphic novels of 2023.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Rey Rowland shares eight new graphic novels coming out this December. 
• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #5 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story by Sarah Kuhn and Arielle Jovellanos 
• Brad Hawley reviews Hide: The Graphic Novel by Kiersten White, Scott Peterson, Veronica Fish and Andy Fish.
• Jason DeHart interviews Jim Zub, current writer of Conan the Barbarian. 
• Jean Marc A Sen interviews comic artist Tradd Moore.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about an exceedingly tiny bookshop.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Germain Lussier lists the best science fiction, fantasy and horror films and TV shows to stream this December. 
• Germain Lussier shares fourteen lesser known SFF holiday films to stream this Christmas.
  
• Camestros Felapton laments that the animated science fiction series Pluto seems to fly under the radar. 
• Luke Y. Thompson declares that the animated fantasy film The Boy and the Heron treads familiar ground, in a good way 
  
• Arturo Serrano declares that releasing a movie as unimaginative as Wish was the worst way to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary.
  
• Fiona Denton shares her thoughts on season 1 of Interview With the Vampire. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Beacon 23. 
• Catherine Bray calls The Sacrifice Game a canny Christmas horror film.
  
• Victoria Davis declares that The Velveteen Rabbit captures holiday nostalgia with a stylized live action and animation mix
  
• Dan Sarto calls Leo a clever and charming coming-of-age animated musical comedy
• Cath Clarke calls The Inseparables a subpar animated children's film.
• Chris Jenkins shares his thoughts on The Burning Girls.
  
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Curse. 
• Phil Harrison calls the reality show Squid Game: The Challenge the guiltiest TV pleasure of all time 
  
• Lorna Wallace shares six monster movies from around the world. 
• Ben Child wonders about Alien: Romulus and the future of the Alien movies. 
• Cameron Bolton takes a look at Stuart Gordon's H.P. Lovecraft adaptations. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviws Rhys Darby who plays Stede Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death.
  
• Lucy Ford interviews Catherine Hardwicke, director of the Twilight films. 
• Margot Robbie, star of Barbie, Suicide Squad and I, Tonya, and Cillian Murphy, star of Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer, interview each other.  
• Germain Lussier interviews Martin Starr, star of There's Something in the Barn
  
• Tim Adams interviews Tom Hanks, star of Apollo 13, over his fascination with space. 
• Sabina Graves interviews Luke Wilson who voices Brucy Waybe a.k.a. Batman in Marry Little Batman.
  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Darren Lynn Bousman, director of Saw and The Cello.
  
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1948 ballet fantasy film The Red Shoes.
• Rob Kelly revisits the 1980 space opera film Flash Gordon.
  
• James Eatock revisits the 1982 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode "Teela's Quest". 
• Molly Templeton recounts how Twitter helped to identify an unknown playing in the background in a 1998 episode of The X-Files.
  
• Kitty Drake reports about several people who moved to different countries after seeing movies set and filmed there 
• Dominic Patten reports that Warner Bros Animation and Cartoon Network animators have unionised. 
• Jenna Busch reports how David Tennant ended up voicing the android Huyang in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Ahsoka.
  
• Joe Otterson reports that Foundation has been renewed for season 3.
  
• Bruce Haring reports that actor Mark Sheppard, best known for his appearances in Supernatural, Doctor Who and Warehouse 13, has survived a massive heart attack aged 59.
  
• Sopen Dep reveals just what exactly the cookies that Cookie Monster eats in Sesame Street are made of. 
• James Whitbrook reports that SAG-AFTRA members have officially approved the deal with the studios. 
• Norman Lear, producer of many sitcoms as well as Stand By Me and The Princess Bride, has died aged 101.
  
• Actress Frances Sternhagen, who appeared in Outland, Misery, The Closer, The Mist and many others, has died aged 93.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Avery Kaplan shares ten Earth-based Star Trek episodes. 
• Galactic Journey revisits the 1968 Star Trek episode "Wink of an Eye".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part I"
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko, edited by Derek Tyler Attico
  
• Watch a clip from season 5 of Star Trek Discovery.
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
  
• Germain Lussier reports that Disney will stop reporting box office takes for The Marvels, apparently pissed off by the movie underperforming.
  
• Gloria Oladipo reports that the trial for domestic assault against actor Jonathan Majors, who plays Kang in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has begun
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who at sixty: 

• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special "Wild Blue Yonder". 
• Emmet Asher Perrin shares their thoughts on "Wild Blue Yonder". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Wild Blue Yonder".
  
• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special "The Star Beast".
• James Whitbrook points out that Doctor Who is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary not so much with appealing to nostalgia, but by telling good stories.
  
• Ryan Britt shares some background on Beep the Meep and the Celestial Toymaker, two characters who will be appearing in the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Specials. 
• James Whitbrook reports that showrunner Russell T. Davis regrets the secrecy surrounding "Wild Blue Yonder" may have given fans inflated expectations. 
  
• Morgan Jeffery reports that "Wild Blue Yonder" marks Bernard Cribbins' final appearance in Doctor Who as Donna's grandfather Wilfred Mott at age 93. Cribbins's first appearance in Doctor Who was in 1966.
• Clark Collis reports that Neil Patrick Harris, who will play the Celestial Toymaker in the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special "The Giggle", had never heard of Doctor Who before Russel T. Davies offered him the part. 
• James Whitbrook shares some background on the Celestial Toymaker.
  
• The BBC shares the recipe for Sylvia Noble's tuna madras curry, as seen in "The Star Beast". 
• David George Morten shares the seven worst things the Doctor did.
  
• Ryan Britt and Hoai-Tran Bui share their appreciation for the Doctor Who novelisations published by Target Books. 
  

 

Comments on Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla in general:

• Witney Seibold declares that Godzilla Minus One is a metaphor not for nuclear devastation, but for war trauma.
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Godzilla Minus One will make you believe in Godzilla.
  
• Rafael Motomayor interviews Takashi Yamazaki, director of Godzilla Minus One.
• Watch a trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
  

 

Comments on season 4 of For All Mankind:

•  Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episodes of For All Mankind,
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of For All Mankind.
  

 

Comments on Wonka: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Wonka a superbly sweet treat. 
• Courtney Howard calls Wonka a delightfully infectious confection
• Ethan Anderton calls Wonka a sweet treat, but isn't enamoured with Timothee Chalamet's performance as Willy Wonka. 
• Germain Lussier finds Wonka a little too whimsical for its rather dark storyline.
  
• Cindy White shares everything you need to know about Wonka
  
• Stuart Heritage wonders whether Wonka will finally manage to make chocolate look tasty rathe than like excrement on screen.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2023 Waterstones Book of the Year award has been announced.
• The winner of the 2023 Analog Award For Emerging Black Voices has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Television Critics' Choice Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Saturn Awards have been announced.
  
• Michaele Jordan shares her thoughts on the 2023 Hugo finalists for Best Novel
• The 2023 Hugo voting statistics have finally been released.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Ai Jiang explains how writing short fiction has shaped her writing career.
  
• V.E. Schwab explains how she came to write Vicious.
  
• S.J. Rozan explains why food is an important characterisation tool. 
  
• Jean Rabe talks about researching arson for her crime novels. 
• Michael Cooper talks about researching his historical crime novels.
  
• Vivienne Woodward explains what not to say to bookstore employees.
• Andrew Pettegree recounts how World War II pushed the paperback revolution.
  
• Locus reports that the Scholastic Union has reached a tentative agreement with publisher Scholastic.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

• Maggie Harrison reports that the venerable magazine Sports Illustrated was caught publishing AI-generated articles by writers that don't exist.
• Tom Trapp reports that actual human Sports Illustrated writers are horrified that AI generated articles have been posted on the magazine's website. 
• Nicola Solomon and Sean Michaels discuss AI in publishing
  

 

Interviews:

• John Mauro interviews Patrick Rothfuss. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Cat Rambo and Jennifer Brozek. 
• Maris Kreizman interviews Naomi Alderman.
  
• Locus interviews Tobi Ogundiran. 
• Alex Wallace interviews Monalisa Foster.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Ioanna Papadopoulou 
  
• Lisa Haselton interviews J.P. McLean. 
• RetroCultCast interviews Cassandra Daucus. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Neil Clarke.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews RiverFlow.
  

 

Reviews:

• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Starborn Vendetta by Thomas Wrightson
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Fortune's Favor by Jo Graham  
  
• Warner Holme reviews Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree   
• Liz Bourke reviews A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Shards of Glass by Michelle Sagara
• Fiona Denton reviews My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Causal Angel by Hannu Rajaniemi
  
• James Reasoner reviews Solomon Kane: The Hound of God by Jonathan Maberry
  
• Robin Marx reviews Twilight of the Gods by Scott Oden
• Richard Fisher reviews The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden
  
• Alex Wallace reviews Island of Time by Davis Bunn    
• Molly Templeton reviews Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Uncanny Vows by Laura Anne Gilman  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo
  
• Natalie Zutter reviews A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead by K. J. Parker 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows 
  
• Cole Rush reviews Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman.
  
• Archita Mittra reviews Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta
• Rob Bedford reviews The Dragons of Deepwood Fen by Bradley P. Beaulieu.
  
• Chris Kluwe reviews Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams
• Shane Hawk reviews The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Monstrous Alterations by Christopher Barzak 
• Liz Bourke reviews Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros
  
• Tobias Carroll reviews We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull.
  
• Alexis Ong reviews Malarkoi by Alex Pheby
• Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere review North Woods by Daniel Mason
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Anything with Nothing edited by Mercedes Lackey
• Ann Michelle Harris reviews Out There Screaming, An Anthology of New Black Horror, edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams
• Trish Matson reviews issues 0, 1 and 2 of New Edge Sword and Sorcery. 
• Anthony Perconti reviews issues 1 of New Edge Sword and Sorcery. 
  
• Haley Zapal reviews The Digital Aesthete: Human Musings on the Intersection of Art and AI, edited by Alex Shvartsman. 
   
  

Classics reviews:

• Eric Williams revisits the 1929 Solomon Kane dark fantasy story "Rattle of Bones" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Eric Williams revisits the 1934 Jirel of Joiry sword and sorcery story "Black God's Kiss" by C.L. Moore. 
• Paprback Warrior revisits the 1938 Ki-Gor adventure story "King of the Jungle" by John Murray Reynolds.
  
• James Reasoner revisits the 1943 sword and planet story "Crypt-City of the Deathless One" by Henry Kuttner   
• Brian Collins revisits the 1952 science fiction novells “Pursuit” by Lester del Rey
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1952 alternate history novel The Sound of his Horn by Sarban a.k.a. John William Wall.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story “The Minority Report” by Philip K. Dick.
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story “Clerical Error” by Mark Clifton
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story “Brightside Crossing” by Alan E. Nourse 
• The PorPor Books Blog revisits the 1961 science fiction novel Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1965 anthology 10th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F, edited by Judith Merril.
  
• David Levinson revisits the Janujary 1969 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction. 
• John Boston revisits the January 1969 issue of Amazing.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction novel The Byworlder by Poul Anderson. 
• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1973 Kane sword and sorcery collection Death Angel's Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner. 
• Sam Reader revisits the 1974 horror story "Sticks" by Karl Edward Wagner.
  
• Rich Horton revisits the 1983 historical fantasy novel The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford 
• The PorPor Books Blog revisits the 1983 post-apocalyptic anthology Nukes, edited by John Maclay
  
• Bobby Derie revisits the 1993 cosmic horror novel The Cthulhu Helix by Umehara Katsufumi, translated by James Hubbert. 
• Joe Sherry revisits the 1996 Wheel of Time epic fantasy novel A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 2006 Disworld fantasy novel Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2008 magical realist novel Church of the Old Mermaids by Kim Antieau
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• Bookseller Duane Wilkins needs help with medical costs.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Neil Clarke shares his experiences at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China.
• Danielle Ranucci takes issue with the fact that the 2023 Worldcon took place in Chengdu, China, due to the Chinese oppression of the Uyghurs, even though the Uyghurs live in Xinjiang and Chengdu is in Sichuan.
  
• Kevin Standlee reports about the results for the Westercon 77 site selection, which was won by "None of the Above" and what happens now. 
• The 2023 SMOFCon in Providence, Rhode Island, shares the results of questionnaires sent to various Worldcon and SMOFCon bids. 
• The European Fan Fund is seeking nominations for 2024.
  
• Rich Lynch reports about a visit to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
• The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, UK, reports about an exhibition of Doctor Who vehicles they are hosting. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls the multimedia event "The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks" in London, UK, a gobsmackingly huge space spectacle
  
• Arifa Akbar calls Arabian Nights by Sonali Bhattacharyya, which is currently playing in Bristol, UK, a fizzing modern-day fable about the power of storytelling 
• Chris Wiegand calls Annie Siddons version of Cinderella, which is currently playing in Derby, UK,  a festive fairytale with a sprinkling of socialism
• Mark Fisher calls Mike Kenny's adaptation of Pinocchio, which is currently playing in Hull, UK, an action-packed musical voyage
• Brian Logan calls Jack and the Beanstalk by Anna Morgan, which is currently playing in Stratford, London, UK, a spirited panto with droll touches
  
• Arifa Akbar shares her thoughts on the latest adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, starring Ralph Fiennes, which is currently playing in Liverpool, UK.  
• Kate Wyver reports about a visit to the warehouse and workshop of Evolution Productions, the company behind many pantos in the UK. 
• Sabina Graves talks about the special holiday events at various US-based theme parks.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Mikko M. Puumala, Kirsi Lehto and Oskari Sivula discuss whether a permanent human settlement on Mars makes sense.
  
• Sarah Scoles points out that any attempts to grow plants on Mars would require insects.
• Rachyl Jones reports that a company is planning to trigger lucid dreams to allow software engineers to write code in their sleep.
  
• M.H. Banias reports that a team of scholars have developed an AI able to decypher ancient cuneiform texts. 
• Erin Holly reports that so-called witch bottles are washing up on the Texas Gulf coast.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Keith Stuart and Keza MacDonald explain every Grand Theft Auto game and controversy.
• Keza MacDonald calls the video game A Highland Song a moving, magical-realist journey through Scottish scenery and mythology
  
• Ethan Gach calls the much-hyped zombie game The Day Before a dumpster fire.
  
• James Whitbrook discusses the new epilogue of Baldur's Gate 3.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• For Eternia reviews the Masters of the Universe Masterverse Evil-Lyn in the design from the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie.
• Toy Habits reviews the Turtles of Grayskull Man-at-Arms figure.
  
• Sabina Graves shares a look at the new Hot Toys Spider-Man figure.
  
• James Whitbrook shares new Lego sets coming out this December.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Misty Moon" by Elizabeth Hinckley in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "The Shambling Dead" ​by Geoffrey Hart in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "Morag's Boy" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld. 
• "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Cyborg" by Samara Auman in Clarkesworld.
• "Deconstruction in the Form of a Cat God" by LaShawn M. Wanak in The Sunday Morning Transport.
  
• "Dragon Tears, Part 2" by Caleb Williams in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.
  
• "To Kill a God" by Hannu Afere in Omenana.
  
• "A Strange & Terrible Wonder" by James Bennett in The Dark.
• "Sun River" by Nisi Shawl in Tor.com.
• "Saltier" by Kate Orman in Interzone.
• "Whispers From the Sea" by Oyedotun Damilola Muees in Lightspeed.
• "Carbon Zero" by D. Thomas Minton in Lightspeed.
  
• "We’re Looking for the Best" by Cecil Castellucci in Uncanny Magazine
• "Maladaptive Camouflage" by Ann LeBlanc in Strange Horizons 
• "Bettina" by R.J. Joseph in Apex Magazine.
• "Bête Noire" by Lynette S. Hoag in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Ghosts of Christmas Present" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
• "Ten Thousand Ghosts" by Neil Willcox.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Fallout. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of House of the Dragon. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Halo.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of The Boys. 
• Watch a trailer for Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 1.
  
• Watch a trailer for Suicide Squad Isekai.
• Watch a trailer for Carol and the End of the World. 
• Watch a trailer for Roswell: Delirium.
  
• Watch a trailer for I.S.S.
• Watch a trailer for No Way Up. 
• Watch a trailer for Handling the Undead.