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, the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas Special, What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the DC Cinematic Universe in general, Rebel Moon, Part 1 - Child of Fire, season 4 of For All Mankind and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Carrie Chi Lough lists her most anticipated dark fantasy and science fiction books for 2024.
- Tor.com shares twenty optimistic fantasy novels to enjoy.
- Grady Hendrix discusses the tradition of writing, reading and telling ghost stories for Christmas.
- Maya St. Clair calls the popular romantic fantasy novel Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Starship Troopers for girls.
- Monica Wasserman remembers Sonia H. Davis, former wife of H.P. Lovecraft.
- Timothy Bella reports that the three-year-old son of SFF author Scott Reintgen decided to open all of the family's Christmas presents at 3 am on Christmas Day.
- Mark Finn reports that Robert E. Howard scholar Rusty Burke suffered a head injury due to a fall.
- British author Hanif Kureishi speaks out about the consequences of a fall last Christmas which left him paralysed.
- Quentin S. Crisp shares a tribute to Mark Samuels.
- Polish fanzine editor and club organiser Piotr Rak has died aged 61.
- Science fiction and mystery writer and veterinarian Jim Hosek has died aged 59.
- SFF writer Richard Bowes has died aged 79.
Best of 2023:
- Adam Roberts shares his favourite SFF books of 2023.
- Cat Rambo shares her favourite SFF books and games of 2023.
- SFF World share their favourite science fiction books of 2023.
- Robin Rose Graves shares her favourite science fiction books of 2023.
- Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite fantasy novels of 2023.
- Molly Odintz shares her favourite SFF crime novels of 2023.
- Marlene Harris shares her favourite books of 2023.
- Sam Thielman shares his favourite comics and graphic novels of 2023.
- io9 shares the forty most memorable science fiction, fantasy and horror movie moments of 2023.
- Cheryl Eddy shares her favourite horror movies of 2023.
- Kirsten Carey lists her ten favourite anime series of 2023.
- Alyssa Mercante shares her favourite games of 2023.
Comics and Art:
- Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #6 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite
- Justin Carter reports that the X-Men comics will be relaunched once again in the summer of 2024.
- Brian Cronin explains how Tom King gave Ace the Bathound a new origin that ties in to Christmas.
- Paperback Warrior looks back at the comic book history of Red Sonja.
- Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the perfect Christmas tree for readers and book lovers.
Film and TV:
- Chitra Ramaswamy calls A Ghost Story for Christmas: Lot No 249 a creepy tale that is absolutely bang on
- Lucy Mangan calls the festive thriller The Heist Before Christmas a total triumph.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Jules a likably folksy twist on ET.
- Jason Ray Carney and Nicole Emelhainz discuss Godzilla Minus One.
- Jack Seale calls the Ghosts Christmas Special a beautiful farewell to a sublime sitcom
- Arturo Serrano talks about the bittersweet sincerity of Carol and the End of the World
- Leslie Felperin calls Arthur’s Whisky an enjoyable body-change comedy
- D.R. Medlen calls Gale: Stay Away From Oz a horror take on The Wizard of Oz.
- Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Blue Eye Samurai.
- Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Gen V
- Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on Leave the World Behind.
- Adam Roberts shares his thoughts on Wonka.
- Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Curse.
- Sabina Graves calls the animated series Pokémon Concierge a chill, feel-good hour of cuteness
- Lucy Mangan calls The Unofficial Science of Die Hard the daftest Christmas program of 2023.
- The Guardian analyses the films most frequenty shown on TV during Christmas in the UK and finds comparatively few Christmas movies.
- Stephen Johnson takes a look at real and fake Disney conspiracy theories.
- The Tor.com reviewers share the non-holiday films they watch over the holidays.
- Aaron Jones shares his most anticipated SFF movies and TV shows of 2023.
- Jake Kleinman wonders why Apple Plus is streaming so many science fiction shows.
- Ryan Fleming explains how Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Nimona and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem pioneered new styles of animation.
- Ben Child explains what happened to Quentin Tarantino's proposed Star Trek movie.
- Robert Ito discusses how filmmakers handle the Oompa-Loompas in film versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to avoid racist and colonialist stereotypes.
- David Smith revisits the 1973 horror movie The Exorcist.
- Adam Fleet revisits the 1990 science fiction action thriller Dark Angel.
- Newshub interviews Temuera Morrison, who plays Jango and Boba Fett in the Star Wars films and TV-shows.
- Sabina Graves interviews Erik Litman, editor of the live action One Piece.
- Leila Latif interviews Lauren Sequeira and Siena Kelly, director and star of Domino Day.
- Steve Rose interviews Boots Riley, director of Sorry to Bother You and I'm a Virgo.
- Justin Carter reports that Disney is sueing the state of Florida.
- Caroline Frost reports that actor Ralph Ineson is sueing Disney over an injury sustained on the set of Willow.
- Gene Maddaus reports that Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon to feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse, will enter the public domain on January 1, 2024.
- Justin Carter reports that after half the cast left, director Christopher Landon has left Scream VII as well.
- Planet Money discusses the Hollywood economics behind Warner Bros shelving the already completed film Coyote vs. Acme.
- Justin Carter looks back on the Hollywood strikes of 2023.
- South-Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, one of the stars of Parasite, has died aged 48.
- Peter Bradshaw remembers Lee Sun-kyun.
- Actor Mike Nussbaum who appeared in Men in Black and Fatal Attraction among many others has died aged 99.
- Actor Camden Toy who played several monsters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel has died aged 68.
Comments on Doctor Who at sixty:
- Cindy White shares her thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road", the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas Special.
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road".
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road".
- Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road".
- Leila Latif shares her thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road".
- James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road"
- Cameron McEwan shares his thoughts on "The Church on Ruby Road".
- Laura Pollaco discusses the ending of "The Church on Ruby Road" and wonders who the character Mrs. Flood really is.
- Paul F. Verhoeven interviews Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, who play the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who.
- James Whitbrook notes how co-producers Disney+ influenced "The Church on Ruby Road" by suggesting the insertion of a nice scene.
- James Hibbs reports that the 2006 Doctor Who Christmas Special "The Runaway Bride" has topped a poll of viewers' favourite Doctor Who Christmas Specials.
- Jessica Holmes revisits the 1968 Doctor Who serial "The Invasion".
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2010 Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor".
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2010 Doctor Who episode "The Lodger".
- Camestros Felapton revisits the 2010 Doctor Who episode "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang".
- Sarah Farmer interviews Sue Webb who worked as a production assistanr on the 1963 Doctor Who serial "The Daleks".
- Pauline Bennett, a former employee at the British TV store chain Radio Rentals recounts how Fourth Doctor Tom Baker and BBC manager Terry Sampson came to watch Doctor Who at her house in 1976.
- Watch a trailer for the next season of Doctor Who.
Comments on season 2 of What If...? and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:
- Sam Barsanti calls season 2 of What If...? a fun familiar return.
- Rachel Leishman praises the What If...? episode "What if Happy Hogan saved Christmas?"
- Julia Glassman praises the What If...? episode “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?”
- Britt Hayes wonders why Marvel waited so long to fire Jonathan Majors.
Comments on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the DC Cinematic Universe in general:
- Justin Carter notes that the first Aquaman movie beat the odds, but that the sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has no such luck.
- Germain Lussier notes that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actually leaves the old DC Cinematic Universe in a pretty good place.
- Germain Lussier ranks all the DC Cinematic Universe movies.
- Rebecca Rubin declares that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is sitting at number 1 at the US box office over the holiday weekend, but nonetheless had a very weak opening.
Comments on Rebel Moon, Part 1 - Child of Fire:
- David Ehrlich calls Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire a dreadful science fiction epic.
- David Rooney calls Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire an intergalactic bore.
- The Mary Sue declares that Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire may be Zack Snyder's worst movie yet.
- Arturo Serrano declares that Rebel Moon, Part 1 - A Child of Fire is the most Snyder that Snyder has ever been
- Camestros Felapton declares that Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire feels more like a series of 1980s science fiction book covers stitched together than like a movie.
- Adrian Collins declares that Rebel Moon: Part 1 – A Child of Fire should have been amazing, but wasn't due to bad writing and directing decisions.
- Paul Levinson actually enjoyed Rebel Moon, Part 1 - A Child of Fire and is looking forward to part 2.
- Dave Itzkoff profiles Zack Snyder, director of Rebel Moon.
- Germain Lussier interviews Zack Snyder.
- Caroline Brew interviews Kurt Johnstad, co-writer of Rebel Moon, Part 1 - A Child of Fire.
- Brian Davids interviews Ed Skrein, one of the stars of Rebel Moon.
- D.R. Medlen takes a look at the films that inspired Rebel Moon.
- Watch a trailer for Rebel Moon, Part 2 - The Scargiver.
Comments on season 4 of For All Mankind:
Awards:
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Maris Kreizman talks about the many issues with Goodreads.
- Locus reports that the US Copyright Office has solicited comments regarding AI and copyright.
- Locus reports that the US District Court in Northern California has dismissed part of the class-action lawsuit brought by Christopher Golden and other authors against Meta’s AI program.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Marlene Harris reviews Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher
- Bill Capossere reviews System Collapse by Martha Wells
- Russell Letson reviews Defiance by C.J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher
- Paul Weimer reviews Noumenon Ultra by Marina J. Lostetter
- Andrew Jaden reviews Exordia by Seth Dickinson
- James Fleming reviews Night Time is the Right Time by Merritt Graves
- Niall Harrison reviews The Future by Naomi Alderman
- Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere review Memory Reborn by David Walton
- Marlene Harris reviews Like Thunder by Nnedi Okorafor
- Peter C. Baker reviews Wrong Way by Joanne McNeil.
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow
- Gayle Surrette reviews Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
- Fiona Denton reviews The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliot
- Robin Marx reviews The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden
- Chris Kluwe reviews Uncanny Vows by Laura Anne Gilman
- Marion Deeds reviews A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske
- Paperback Warrior reviews The Lantern Man by Jon Bassoff.
- Warner Holme reviews Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston
- Sam Lubell reviews The Middling Affliction by Alex Shvartsman
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Touched by Walter Mosley
- Ian Mond reviews Silent City by Sarah Davis-Goff
- Colleen Mondor reviews Hazardous Spirits by Anbara Salam
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Dark Reflections by Paul Kane
- Fiona Sturges reviews A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett
- Alexandra Pierce reviews The Best of World SF Volume 3, edited by Lavie Tidhar
- Runalong the Shelves reviews issue 1 of Cloisterfox.
- James Bacon reviews The Secret Origin of Earth 616 by David Thorpe
Classics reviews:
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1894 holiday horror story "Thurlow's Ghost Story" by John Kendrick Bangs
- Brian Collins revisits the 1935 Conan sword and sorcery story "Beyond the Black River" by Robert E. Howard.
- Eric Williams revisits the 1939 Fafhrd and Gray Mouser sword and sorcery story "Two Sought Adventure" by Fritz Leiber.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1939 adventure story “Ki-Gor and the Stolen Empire” by John Peter Drummond.
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1947 horror collection The Master of the Macabre by Russell Thorndike
- Todd Mason revisits the 1950 horror novella You're All Alone a.k.a. The Sinful Ones by Frits Leiber.
- Brian Collins revisits the 1951 science fiction story "Genesis" by H. Beam Piper.
- Adam Roberts revisits the 1951 sword and sorcery novel The Tritonian Ring by L. Sprague De Camp.
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story “The Dead Past” by Isaac Asimov
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story “Legwork” by Eric Frank Russell
- Jeff VanderMeer revisits the 1967 post-apocalyptic novella "Termush" by Sven Holm.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1969 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Mark Yon shares his thoughts on the January 1969 issue of New Worlds.
- Rich Horton revisits the 1970 Alyx sword and sorcery story "The Second Inquisition" by Joanna Russ.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1973 science fiction novel The Stone That Never Came Down by John Brunner
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 horror novel The Dead Zone by Stephen King.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 science fiction novel Lincoln’s Dreams by Connie Willis
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1991 science fiction novel Reefsong by Carol Severance
Con and event reports:
- Locus shares a report about the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China.
- Sandra Bond shares her experiences at Pemmi-Con, the 2023 Nasfic in Winnipeg, Canada.
- Todd Spangler reports that Netflix has announced a Three Body Problem immersive experience in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- James Bacon reports about an exhibition with art by SFF artist Viet Max at the US General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
- Tim Jonze shares his thoughts on the stage version of Bluey’s Big Play, which is currently playing in London, UK.
- Dana Goodyear reports that Susan Bay Nimoy, widow of Leonard Nimoy, has restored a historical Art Deco movie theatre in Los Angeles, California, and dedicated it to her late husband.
- Sabina Graves shares news from various US-based theme parks.
Science and technology:
- Passant Rabie reports that NASA's new detonation engine has just passed an important test.
- Robin McKie reports how the James Webb Space Telescope is set to find strange and bizarre worlds
- Kaye Dee reports about the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
- Robin McKie notes that the fact that many prehistoric handprints have missing fingers hints that there may be ritual reasons for this.
Gaming:
- James Whitbrook calls the video game Star Wars: Jedi Survivor the best Star Wars we got this year.
- Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Baldur's Gate 3.
- Ana Valens declares that Lethal Company is her personal game of the year.
- William Hughes interviews Rod Fergusson and Joe Shely, developers of Diablo IV.
- Oli Welsh reports that the video game company Insomniac Games was hit by a ransomware attack and that the hackers released 1.3 million stolen files, including sensitive information.
- John Liu wonders if China will ease its crackdown on videogames.
- Anusha Bayya reports that employees at board game cafés in New York City have unionised.
Toys and collectibles:
Free online fiction:
- "The Juggler of Red Walls" by Walter J. Wiese in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Moult" by Christopher Rowe in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "High To Kolob On A Cosmic Clydesdale" by Katrina Carruth in Luna Station Quarterly.
- "Do the Right Thing and Ride the Bomb the Roundabout Way to Hell" by Andrea Kriz in Lightspeed.
- "Mindfulness and the Machine" by A.T. Greenblatt in Lightspeed.
- "Eight or Die (Part 2)" by Thoraiya Dyer in Clarkesworld.
- "Kill That Groundhog" by Fu Qiang, translated by Andy Dudak, in Clarkesworld.
- "The Dreadful and Specific Monster of Starosibirsk" by Kristina Ten in The Dark.
- "Rigland" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa in Slate Future Tense.
- "Twenty Pieces of Documentation Presented to the Emergency Committee on the Study and Understanding of the M3D1154 Contagion" by Damien Angelica Walters in Apex Magazine,
- "Substitutions" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
- "Christmas 2013" by Ethan Sabatella.
Trailers and videos:
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