Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 15, 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, the sixtieth anniversary of Doctor Who, Godzilla Minus One, Monarch_ Legacy of Monsters and Godzilla in general, The Boy and the Heron, Platform 7, Leave the World Behind, season 4 of For All Mankind, the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal, the debate about AI generated writing, tributes to Andre Braugher and David Drake and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Moira Marquis explains why many US prisons ban science fiction and fantasy books as well as books on occultism. 
• Carrie Chi Lough shares romantasy novels for grimdark fans.
  
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for November 2023.
  
• Erika Frank takes a look at science fiction stories and science fiction related articles in Playboy in 1968. 
• Renee Ahdieh shares 5 SFF books Sset in the American South
  
• M.M. DeLuca shares crime novels and thrillers featuring mediums and psychics. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five SFF works about exploring abandoned places.
  
• Ally Wilkes shares a list of supernatural survival horror novels. 
• Michael Curtis takes a look at Poul Anderson's fantasy fiction.
  
• Douglas A. Anderson takes a look at Raymond Chandler's fantasy writing. 
• Maya Yang reports that a lost 1955 poem by Raymond Chandler entitled "Requiem" has been rediscovered at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK.
  
• Bobby Derie shares some of H.P. Lovecraft's Christmas greetings to his many correspondents.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that fantasy writer Diana Paxson and her son Ian were attacked by a distant relative with a knife in their own home.
• Emilie Raguso also reports about the attack on Diana Paxson and her son. 
  
• Weird fiction writer Mark Samuels died aged 56. 

 

Best of 2023:

• The Tor.com reviewers share their favourite SFF books of 2023.
  
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite young adult mysteries, thrillers and horror novels of 2023 
• io9 shares their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror TV shows of 2023.
  
• io9 share their favourite toys of 2023.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on "Best Books of the Year" lists in general.
  

 

Tributes to David Drake:

• SFF writer David Drake has died aged 78. 
• Brian Murphy remembers David Drake. 
• Vanessa Armstrong remembers David Drake. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares a guide to the works of David Drake.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Carrie Chi Lough reviews Creepshow No. 3 by Zoe Thorogood.
• Robert Mammone reviews Creepshow: Holiday Special 2023 #1 by Daniel Kraus, James Asmus and Jonathan Wayshak
  
• Ashley Collins reports that Marvel has settled its lawsuit with the estate of Steve Ditko over the rights to Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. 
• Ella Creamer reports that Heartstopper by Alice Oseman has become the fastest selling graphic novel ever in the UK.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about a trip to a literary fortune teller.
  
• British comic artist Ian Gibson has died aged 77.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Gwilym Mumford calls The Last of Us one of the best TV shows of 2023. 
• Ellen E. Jones calls Poker Face on of the best TV shows of 2023. 
• Kayleigh Dray declares that Percy Jackson And The Olympians adheres to the spirit of Rick Riordan's books.
  
• Luke Y. Thompson calls Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget a sequel that's worth the wait
  
• Cheryl Eddy calls The Cello an odd mix of slow pacing and gory horror.
  
• J.C. Kang shares his thoughts on Blue Eye Samurai.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on Shazam!: Fury of the Gods
  
• Catherine Bray calls The Shift a campy biblical multiverse dystopia based on the Book of Job
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Beacon 23.
  
• Matt Schimkovitz shares his thoughts on the latest episode of  A Murder At The End Of The World
  
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Curse.
• Judith Tarr shares her thoughts on the Chinese film The Mermaid.
  
• Germain Lussier interviews James Mangold, director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Logan. 
• Chris Broughton interviews director Terry Gilliam and star Jonathan Pryce about the making of the 1985 dystopian film Brazil.
• Germain Lussier interviews James Wan, director of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
• Germain Lussier interviews Zack Snyder, director of Rebel Moon, Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and many others.
  
• Michael Segalov interviews Luke Evans, who appeared in The Hobbit, Clash of the Titans, The Alienist, The Beauty and the Beast, Fast and Furious 6, High-Rise and many others. 
  
• Nadia Khomani interviews film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, widow of Michael Powell, director of The Red Shoes, and frequent collaborator of Martian Scorsese.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Scott Marder, showrunner of Rick and Morty. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1971 fantasy film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II”.
• Germain Lussier reports that Kylo Ren was not supposed to be redeemed in the Star Wars sequel trilogy originally.
  
• Aamir Mehar points out that the extended cut of the Lord of the Rings films gives Faramir a chance to shine. 
• Ben Child wonders whether we might see Iron Man again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some form eventually.
  
• Phil Hoad wonders why there are so few pan-European blockbusters.
  
• CBS News profiles Aardman Animations, creators of the Wallace and Gromit series and Chicken Run. 
• Rachel Stirling, daughter of Diana Rigg, best known for her roles in The Avengers, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Game of Thrones, shares her mother's difficult final months and her wish for a legalisation of assisted dying.
  
• Mark Sweney reports that Elon Musk, head of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter and all around useless human being, has called for the firing of Disney CEO Bob Iger after Disney stopped advertising on Twitter. 
• Nellie Andreeva reports that the beloved Murderbot stories by Martha Wells will be adapted as a TV-series starring Alexander Skarsgard.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who at sixty: 

• Rachel Leishman calls the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special "The Giggle" a terrifying feat. 
• Martin Robinson declares that "The Giggle" may well be the best hour of Doctor Who ever.
  
• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "The Giggle".  
• Emmet Asher Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Giggle". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Giggle". 
• Miles Reid-Lobatto shares his thoughts on "The Giggle". 
• James Whitbrook wonders what the bi-generation twist in "The Giggle" means for Doctor Who going forward.
  
• Tai Gooden shares the real life background of John Logie Baird, inventor of the television, and his puppet Stooky Bill, both of whom appeared in "The Giggle".
• Kyle Anderson shares the history of former Doctor Who companion and current UNIT computer specialist Melanie "Mel" Bush. 
• Rachel Ulatowski also takes a look at the history of Mel Bush. 
• El Kuiper praises the use of the Spice Girls' song "Spice Up Your Life" in "The Giggle". 
• Lillian Crawford praises the LGBTQ representation in the latest Doctor Who episodes and specials.
• Jake Kanter reports that out of millions of viewers, 144 transphobes complained about what they consider the inappropriate inclusion of a trans character in the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special "The Star Beast". 
• James Whitbrook shares Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston's demands for returning to Doctor Who.
  
• Siobhan Ball shares the best holiday gifts for Doctor Who fans.  
• Watch a behind the scenes video for "The Giggle".
  
• Watch a video introducing Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa's sonic screwdriver.
  
• Watch a trailer for "The Church on Ruby Road", the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas Special.
  

 

Comments on The Boy and the Heron:

• Leah Schnelbach calls The Boy and the Heron a masterpiece of dream logic.
• Ann Michelle Harris calls The Boy and the Heron a strange, beautiful, melancholy study of grief and renewal filtered through a magical lens.
  
• Luke Y. Thompson declares that the animated fantasy film The Boy and the Heron treads familiar ground, in a good way   
• Steve Rose interviews Hayao Miyazaki, director of The Boy and the Heron.
• Sam Barsanti ranks Hayao Miyazaki's movies from “nice and chill” to “this will ruin your day”
  
• Andrew Pulver reports that The Boy and the Heron has taken the top spot at the US box office. 
• Charles Bramesco notes that with The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One, there have now been two record-breaking Japanese hit movies in the US in the space of a month.
  

 

Comments on Godzilla Minus One, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Godzilla in general:

• Leslie Felperin calls Godzilla Minus One one of the best in the series
  
• io9 interviews Kurt and Wyatt Russell, who play Lee Shaw in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters at different times of his life.
• Jill Goldsmith reports that Godzilla Minus One is now the highest grossing Japanese live action film in the US ever. 
• Watch a clip from the next episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
  

 

Comments on Platform 7: 

• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the supernatural crime drama Platform 7.
• Paul Hirons interviews Jasmine Jobson, star of Platform 7.
  

 

Comments on season 4 of For All Mankind:

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

 

Comments on Leave the World Behind: 

• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on Leave the World Behind. 
• Dean E.S. Richard shares his thoughts on Leave the World Behind.  
• Jen Chaney takes a look at the references to the sitcom Friends in Leave the World Behind.
  

 

Tributes to Andre Braugher: 

• Actor Andre Braugher, best known for his roles in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Andromeda Strain, has died aged 61. 
• Alex Williams and Mike Ives remember Andre Braugher.
  
• Stuart Heritage calls Andre Braugher a talent like no other. 
• Alexi Duggins shares his favourite Andre Braugher moments on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 
• Armando Tinoco shares tributes to Andre Braugher from his Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars.
  
• Denise Petski reports that Andre Braugher died of lung cancer.
  

 

Awards:

• The 2024 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award finalists have been announced
  
• The winners of the 2023 Game Awards have been announced.
• The nominations for the 2023 Golden Globes have been announced with some love for genre film and TV. 
• The nominations for the 2024 Film Critics' Choice Awards have been announced. 
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Claire Kells talks about the dilemma of whether to use fictional or real settings. 
• A.T. Greenblatt talks about writing short stories.
  
• Kim Scott discusses how Spotify's move into streaming audiobooks may affect authors and publishers. 
• Ella Creamer reports that two libraries in London, UK, were forced to close because of bedbug infestations.
  
• Vanessa Thorpe reports that the 1968 novel Bound to Violence by Malian author Yambo Ouologuem will be reprinted after the author's career was destroyed by allegations of plagiarism.
  
• Samantha Riedel reports that according to Florida attorney general Ashley Moody, school libraries are a forum for government-sanctioned speech and not free expression in response to attempts to ban And Tango Makes Three, a children's book about penguins who happen to be gay.
• Alasdair Clark and Claire Warrender report that Altany Craik, councillor for Fife, Scotland, was outsted by his own party for being a horror writer.
  

 

Comments on the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal:

• Anne Marble reports about the latest Goodreads review bombing scandal, targeting mainly YA authors of colour. 
• Alyssa Shotwell also discusses the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Locus also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Angela Yang also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Justin Carter also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Timothy Bella also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Ella Creamer and Lucy Knight also report about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
  
• Cait Corrain shares "a sincere apology" for review bombing books by fellow debut authors.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

•  Brian Murphy firmly rejects AI-generated art, music and writing.
• Adam Satariano reports about the European Union's new AI legislation. 
• Ted Johnson reports that Ross Levinsohn, CEO of the publisher of Sports Illustrated, has been fired for running AI-written articles in the magazine. 
  

 

Interviews:

• Kelly Jennings interviews Martha Wells.
  
• Kathryn Shattuck interviews Neil Gaiman.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Sherwood Smith.
• Alexandra Alter interviews Dhonielle Clayton. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews M.V. Melcher.
  
• Jason Ray Carney interviews Michael Burke. 
• Jason Ray Carney interviews Susan L. Lin. 
• Locus interviews Aleksandra Hill and Zhui Ning Chang
• Tom Hunter interviews Mark Blacklock.
  

 

Reviews:

• Gayle Surrette reviews Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
• Marion Deeds reviews Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
  
• The Quill to Live reviews Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones.
  
• Matt Holder reviews The City of Marble and Blood by Howard Andrew Jones. 
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Sunset, Water City by Chris McKinney  
• Liz Bourke reviews The Fractured Dark by Megan E. O’Keefe
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty. 
  
• Lis Carey reviews Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer.
• Lis Carey reviews Chaos on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer.
  
• The Hugo Book Club Blog reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi.
• Marion Deeds reviews The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab 
• Colleen Mondor reviews A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid 
• Martin Cahill reviews A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid 
  
• Adrian Collins reviews The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan  
  
• Clara Cohen reviews The Betrayals by Bridget Collins  
• Molly Templeton reviews The Witch of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig 
• Liz Bourke reviews Menewood by Nicola Griffiths.
  
• Alex Brown reviews Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon
• Helen Rhee reviews Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Broadway Revival by Laura Frankos
  
• Paperback Warrior reviews The Black Farm by Elias Weatherow.
  
• Phoebe Wagner reviews Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The Museum of Human History by Rebekah Bergman 
• Alex Brown reviews The Reformatory by Tananarive Due 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Whalefall by Daniel Kraus 
• Clara Cohen reviews Exordia by Seth Dickinson 
  
• Matthew Galloway reviews Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart and Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott 
• Arley Sorg reviews Skin Thief by Suzan Palumbo.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Extracting Humanity and Other Stories by Stephen Oram
• Ricky Broome reviews Skelos: The Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy, Issue 2  
• Stuart Jeffries reviews A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
  
• Fiona Sturges reviews Making It So by Patrick Stewart 
• Ian Mond reviews A Traveller in Time: The Critical Practice of Maureen Kincaid Speller by Maureen Kincaid Speller, edited by Nina Allan.
   
  

Classics reviews:

• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1912 holiday horror story "Between the Lights" by E.F. Benson,
• The Cromcast revisits the 1935 Conan sword and sorcery novel The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1939 horror story "Spawn of Blackness" by Carl Jacobi. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1941 horror novel The White Wolf  by Franklin Gregory
  
• Rich Horton revisits the 1952 alternate history novel The Sound of His Horn by Sarban a.k.a. John William Wall.
• Brian Collins revisits the 1953 historical fantasy novel Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson 
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story "The Country of the Kind” by Damon Knight
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story "Silent Brother" by Paul Janvier a.k.a. Algis Budrys
• Brian Collins revisits the 1966 science fiction story “The Keys to December” by Roger Zelazny
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1969 issue of Galaxy. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction collection Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? by Robert Sheckley 
  
• The Dark Crusade revisits the 1976 Bran Mak Morn historical fantasy novel Legion From the Shadows by Karl Edward Wagner.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1978 Kane sword and sorcery novel Darkness Weaves by Karl Edward Wagner. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1986 time travel novel The Cross-Time Engineer by Leo Frankowski
  
• Murray Ewing revisits the 1990 historical fantasy novel Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1994 YA holiday horror Slay Bells by Jo Gibson and the 2001 YA holiday horror Secret Santa by D.E. Athkins.
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 2000 spy novel Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Empyre by Will Murray.
  
  

Con and event reports:

• Silvia Hildr shares her experiences at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China.
  
• Octothorpe discusses Pemmi-Con, the 2023 NASFIC in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 
• Brian Heater reports that the gaming expo E3 in Los Angeles, California, has been cancelld after thirty years.
  
• Journey Press reports about an author event featuring Marie Vibbert in Cleveland, Ohio.
  
• Miriam Gillinson reports about the Solstice immersive holiday event for children in Battersea, London, UK. 
• Arifa Akbar declares that the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is currently playing in London, UK, is breathtaking theatre  
  
• Chris Wiegand shares his thoughts on the children's musical The Enormous Crocodile by  Suhayla El-Bushra and Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, based on Roald Dahl's eponymous book, which is currently playing in Leeds, Yorkshire.
• Mark Fisher reports about a production of Cinderella that is currently playing in Newcastle, UK. 
• Chris Wiegand reports that Paddington Bear will soon star in a musical.
  

 

Science and technology:

• George Dvorsky reports that a tomato that went missing aboard the International Space Station ISS has finally been found. 
• Kathleen E. Mandt reports that increasing the diversity of spacecraft mission teams reduces risk.
  
• Michael Moorcock talks about the hubris of the great airship designers. 
• Dave Kindy reports about an early helicopter prototype developed by an architect in Alabama in 1862.
  
• Angela Giuffrida reports that archaeologists have unearthed a bakery with barred windows staffed by slaves in Pompeii.
• Sarah Lacy and Cara Ocobock report that prehistoric women hunted just like men did.
  
  

Gaming: 

• Cole Rush shares five boardgames for fantasy fans.
• James Whitbrook recounts how Hasbro's mistakes ruined what should have been a great year for Dungeons & Dragons.
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews the video game Alan Wake Remastered. 
• Ethan Gach reports that Fntastic, the studio responsible for the controversy ridden zombie game The Day Before, has closed.
  
• James Whitbrook shares trailers for upcoming video games shown at the Game Awards.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Sopan Deb reports that Mattel's Barbie version of Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller in their Inspiring Women series is beset by various errors in the Cherokee writing on the packaging.
• Pixel Dan reviews wave 2 of the Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem figures 
• Iain Delaney reviews the Corgi Captain Scarlet Angel Interceptor
  
• James Whitbrook offers a look at the Hasbro Star Wars Retro Collection The Phantom Menace line.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Twelve Dying Princesses" by Marisca Pichette in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Ivy, Angelica, Bay" by C. L. Polk in Tor.com.
  
• "Black-Eye & Eight Lives" by J. VanZile in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Sound of Reindeer" by Lyndsie Manusos in Tor.com.
  
• "The Darkness Carried by the Beasts" by Maria Haskins in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Dandelions" by Martin Cahill in Lightspeed. 
• "We’ll Never Die in the Woods" by Carlie St. George in Lightspeed.
  
• "Waffles Are Only Goodbye for Now" by Ryan Cole in Clarkesworld. 
• "In Memories We Drown" by Kelsea Yu in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Horse Girls Til The End" by S.K. Marre in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "The Sisters" by Ai Jiang in The Dark.
  
• "A Treatise on Proper Martian Chiropractic Manipulation" by Lisa Fox in Amazing Stories.
  
• "All the Good You Did Not Do" by Jolie Toomajan in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Tarquin's Gold" by Mike Adamson in SF Revu.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

•  Watch a trailer for Part 2 of Dune.
• Watch a trailer for If.
  
• Watch a trailer for Civil War.
• Watch a trailer for Out Of Darkness. 
  
• Watch a trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4.