Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 26, 2023

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with a massive uproar about the 2023 Hugo nominations, Masters of the Unvierse: Revolution, Echo and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Avatar: The Last Airbender in animation and live action, the 2024 Academy Award nominations and the perceived subs of Barbie, tributes to Norman Jewison, Terry Bisson, Howard Waldrop and Tom Purdom.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Horst Smokowski shares a not entirely serious list of all types of science fiction.
  
• Jonathan Russell Clark discusses the history of multiverses in popular culture.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF works featuring noble lies and useful prevarications
  
• James Davis Nicoll lists five science fiction stories featuring memory manipulation. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction visions of the future according to math.
  
• Chris Wheatley shares a list of books about cryptids. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror novels featuring weird, spooky mountains.
  
• Elizabeth Gonzalez James shares weird fiction set in Texas. 
• Tyffany D. Heiheiser explains why haunting is the perfect metaphor for PTSD.
  
• Brian Murphy explains how he organises his bookshelves. 
• Luke Poling takes a look at the literary afterlife of James Bond after his created Ian Fleming died in 1964. 
  
• James Maliszewski remembers A. Merritt for his 140th birthday. 
• James Whitbrook reports that scalpers are buying up the limited edition Warhammer 40000 Siege of Terra hardcover editions to the anger of fans. 
  
• Deuce Richardson reports that Robert E. Howard scholar Rusty Burke is improving after suffering a head injury due to a fall. 
• Shelly Brisbin and Joe R. Lansdale remember the late Howard Waldrop.
  
• Gary Farber remembers the late Terry Bisson. 
• Michael Swanwick remembers the late Tom Purdom.
  
• Rich Horton shares a triple obituary for Howard Waldrop, Terry Bisson and Tom Purdom.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Cora Buhlert reviews Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny by Tim Seeley and Eddie Nunez
  
• Robert Mammone reviews Universal Monsters: Dracula #3 by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds 
• Brad Hawley reviews Near Death (Volume One) by Jay Faerber and Simon Guglielmini 
• Nicholas Whyte reviews Doctor Who: A Fairytale Life by Lilah Sturges, Kelly Yates and Brian Shearer 
  
• James Whitbrook discusses how the X-Men comics are handling the character of Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast.
  
• David Barnett reports that the family of the late SFF artist Josh Kirby, best known for illustrating the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, is looking for a patron in order to keep Kirby's artwork together.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the social media outrage cycle.
• Comic fan and writer Frank Strom has died.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Josh Pearce and Arley Sorg discuss Godzilla Minus One
• Benjamin Lee calls I Saw the TV Glow a devastating tale of identity, fandom and obsession 
• Germain Lussier declares that the science fiction romance Love Me is like Wall-E in real life 
  
• Benjamin Lee calls Freaky Tales a bizarrely misjudged hodgepodge of gore, needle drops and nostalgia
• Cath Clarke calls Forever Young an implausible science fiction film about a new anti-ageing treatment and praises the performance of Diana Quick. 
• Benjamin Lee calls Handling the Undead a sad, slow-burn zombie drama that is less gore and more grief 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Baghead a not particularly scary horror film. 
• Benjamin Lee calls Presence an intriguing ghost story experiment 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that the documentary Realm of Satan brings dark glamour to a misunderstood culture 
  
• io9 interviews Alex Winter, star of the Bill and Ted films and Destroy All Neighbors. 
  
• Sabina Graves interviews Vivienne Medrano, creator of Hazbin Hotel.
• Steve Weintraub interviews Otto Bathurst, director and executive producer of season 2 of Halo.
  
• William Earl interviews Ariana DeBose, star of ISS. 
• Lara Rosales interviews Chiké Okonkwo, one of the stars of La Brea.  
• Melody McCune shares her predictions for season 5 of For All Mankind.
  
• Ellen E. Jones and Mark Kermode discuss British dystopian movies. 
• Charlie Jane Anders shares ten science fiction shows set in space that don't get enough love.
  
• Nicholas Barber wonders why there are so many movies about sad men in space.
  
• Cheryl Eddy explains how to survive a high school prom in a horror movie in ten easy steps. 
• Judith Tarr takes a look at paranormal TV shows attempting to tackle the mysterious Mothman.
  
• Robert Repino finds some unexpected parallels between Superman and The Matrix. 
• Dan Persons revisits the 1968 The Prisoner episode "The Schizoid Man".
  
• Laura Sirikul revisits the 1980 Chinese science fiction film Death Ray on Coral Island.
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project. 
  
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Netflix has scrapped the almost completed science fiction film The Mothership after multiple post-production delays.
  
• Josh Funk reports that the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, which were stolen from a museum in 2005, were stolen by a reformed mobster looking for one last big score. 
• Broadway and film composer and comedy musician Peter Schickele has died aged 88. 
• British film composer Laurie Johnson, who worked on The Avengers, Dr. Strangelove, Tiger Bay, First Men in the Moon and many others, has died aged 96. 
• Actor Gary Graham, best known for his roles in Alien Nation and Star Trek Enterprise, has died aged 73. 
• Actor David Emge, one of the stars of Dawn of the Dead, has died aged 77.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe: Revolution (spoilers): 

• Dad-at-Arms shares a spoiler-free review of Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
• For Eternia shares a spoiler-free review of Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
• Jeffrey Harris shares a spoiler-free review of Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
• Joshua M. Patton shares a spoiler-free review of Masters of the Universe: Revolution. 
• Mega Jay Retro shares a spoiler-free review of Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
• Dad-at-Arms interviews Ted Biaselli, executive producer of Masters of the Universe: Revolution and also the voice of Gwildor. 
• For Eternia interviews Griffin Newman, who voices Orko in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Revolution. 
  

 

Comments on Echo and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:

• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Echo.
  
• Meredith Hobbs-Coons declares that Echo's portrayal of disability is a great step forward for Marvel.
• Jordan Iaccobucci shares ten valid reasons why some audience did not like Echo.  
• Cheryl Eddy reports that actor Tom Hollander frequently gets mixed up with Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and even once got a hefty bonus cheque intended for Holland. 
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general:

• Charlie Jane Anders finds that rebooting Star Wars would be a good idea.
  
• Ben Child wonders how different Star Wars might have looked if Jodie Foster or one of the other actresses considered had played Princess Leia.
• Watch a trailer for the final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Galactic Journey revisits the 1969 Star Trek episode "The Mark of Gideon".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Terra Prime".
  
• James Whitbrook wonders just how bad the Battle of Wolf 359 in Star Trek really was.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future:  

• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1969 Doctor Who serial "The Krotons". 
• Christel Dee interviews Sophie Aldred who played Ace in Doctor Who. 
  
• K.J. Yossman reports that Millie Gibson will be leaving Doctor Who after series 14 and that Varada Sethu will be the new companion in series 15.
  

 

Comments on the Oscar snubs for Barbie: 

• Clayton Davis reports that Ryan Gosling who plays Ken in Barbie has criticised the fact that neither star Margot Robbie nor director Greta Gerwig have received Oscar nominations for the movie.
• Angelique Jackson and Clayton Davis interview America Ferrera, who received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Barbie. 
• James Whitbrook wonders why people think Barbie has been snubbed, when the film did receive eight Oscar nominations.
  

 

Comments on Avatar: The Last Airbender in animation and live action: 

• Cole Rush shares a guide to Avatar: The Last Airbender. 
• Sade Johnson shares five reasons why you should watch Avatar: The Last Airbender.
• Watch a trailer for the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender.  

 

Tributes to Norman Jewison:

• Norman Jewison, director of In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, Rollerball and many other has died aged 97.
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Norman Jewison.
  
• Elena Goodinson shares photos from Norman Jewison's lengthy career.
  

 

Awards:

• The 2023 Hugo nomination and voting statistics have finally been released to much outrage.
• Cora Buhlert shares a round-up of discussions of the 2023 Hugo nomination and voting statistics.
  
• The preliminary ballot for the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards has been announced.
  
• The longlist for the 2023 BSFA Awards has been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2024 Women’s Prize for Playwriting has been announced.
• The results of the 2023 Critters poll have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medals and RUSA Best Lists have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 ALA Youth Media Awards have been announced.
  
• The nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards have been announced with lots of love for the usual dull and earnest movies.
  
• The nominations for the 2024 Razzie Awards have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Janice Hallett talks about maintaining the tricky balance between tension and humour. 
• Philip Athans points out that adverbs are fine, actually.
  
• C.E. Murphy talks about editorial letters and how to respond to them.
• Jonathan Lichtman talks about the CIA's creative writing group. 
• Victoria Strauss talks about a new scam aimed at writers. 
• Andrew Atterbury reports that Florida is planning changes to its controversial book ban law after it turned out to be a logistical nightmare.
  

 

Interviews:

• Grimdark Magazine interviews Seth Dickinson.
  
• Anthony Cummins interviews Helen Oyeyemi. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews H.M. Long. 
• Gordon B. White interviews V. Castro.
  
• Joe Sherry interviews Phoebe Wagner.
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Cristina Jurado. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury interviews Dave Ring.
  
• Anya Ryan interviews Sarah Grochala.
  

 

Reviews:

• Marlene Harris reviews Random in Death by J.D. Robb
• Lesa Holstine reviews Random in Death by J.D. Robb 
• Ryan Howse reviews Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes 
• Liz Bourke reviews These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Luna by Allen Stroud
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley 
• Mark Yon reviews Machine Vendetta by Alasdair Reynolds. 
• Chris Kluwe reviews Snowglobe by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort.
  
• Trish Matson reviews The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older
  
• Charles Bonkowsky reviews Exordia by Seth Dickinson.
  
• Richard Fisher reviews The City of Marble and Blood by Howard Andrew Jones
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Demon Daughter by Lois McMaster Bujold. 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Demon Daughter by Lois McMaster Bujold. 
• Bill Capossere reviews Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Pillar of Ash by H.M. Long 
• Archita Mittra reviews Dry Land by B. Pladek 
• Phoebe Wagner reviews Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris   
  
• The Hugo Book Club Blog reviews The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler. 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler.  
• Adri Joy reviews Between Blades by Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko 
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews The Division: Recruited by Thomas Parott 
• Mandie Griffiths reviews The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman 
• Paula Guran reviews The Reformatory by Tananarive Due 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Reformatory by Tananarive Due  
• John Mauro reviews Six Rooms by Gemma Amor
  
• John Mauro reviews The Last Haunt by Max Booth III. 
• Justin Blazier reviews Lute by Jennifer Thorne
  
• Arturo Serrano reviews Eynhallow by Tim McGregor   
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023, edited by R.F. Kuang and John Joseph Adams.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews issue 1 and 2 of New Edge Sword and Sorcery.
     
  

Classics reviews:

• M.C. Tuggle revisits the 1844 horror story "The Premature Burial" by Edgar Allan Poe.
  
• Al Harron revisits the 1924 adventure fantasy novel The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1929 Interstellar Patrol space opera novel Outside the Universe by Emond Hamilton.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1939 historical fantasy story “The Valley Was Still” by Manly Wade Wellman
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1939 Ki-Gor adventure story Ki-Gor and the Giant Gorilla-Men by John Peter Drummond
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1956 science fiction story “Consider Her Ways” by John Wyndham 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 parallel universe novel The Universe Next Door by Robert Anton Wilson
  
• Christopher M. Chupik revisits the 1980 fantasy anthology Lost Worlds, edited by Lin Carter. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1986 Traveller post-apocalyptic novel Hell on Earth by D.B, Drumm a.k.a. Ed Naha.
  
• Ken Lizzi revisits th 1987 historical fantasy novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novel Hit and Run by R.L. Stine and the 1994 YA horror novel Driver's Dead by Peter Lerangis. 
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 1996 military science fiction novel Redliners by David Drake. 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1997 science fiction story “House of Dreams” by Michael F. Flynn
  
• Joe Sherry revisits the 1998 Wheel of Time fantasy novel The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• The 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, has published its progress report number 4. 
• Mike Burke reports about MarsCon in Norfolk, Virginia. 
• Martin Edwards reports about the Lansdowne Literary Festival in London, UK.  
• Virginia Chumlee reports about a visit to the infamous Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada.
• Chris Wiegand reports that the musical Frozen will close in London's West End in September, but that British school can stage it now. 
• Chris Cox reports that Andrew Lloyd-Webber's musical Starlight Express is returning to the stage in London, UK. 
• Lyndsey Winship interviews choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou about his science fictional inspirations.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• SFF writer Richard Kadrey needs some help with medical bills, rant and feeding his cat.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Jonathan Amos reports that the Japanese Moon lander Slim has successfully landed on the Moon, but is suffering from issues with its solar panels. 
• Vishwam Sankaran reports that NASA is planning to build a solar-powered plane to look for water on Mars. 
• Passant Rabie reports that NASA has finally managed to open the container of samples that the Osiris-Rex spaceprobe brought back from the atseroid Bennu.
  
• Frank Landymore reports that astronomers are baffled by a galaxy which has plenty of gas but no visible stars.
• Kaye Dee reports about the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
  
  

Gaming: 

• Cheryl Eddy lists some of the weirdest Monopoly variations you can buy.
• Keith Stuart explains why Palworld could become the biggest game of 2024. 
• Keith Stuart calls The Last of Us Part II Remastered an unmissable repacking of modern classic
  
• Malindy Hetfield reviews the video game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• The Guardian looks back on the era of LAN parties.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan shares his favourite indie toys of 2023.
• Pixel Dan reviews wave 1 of Mattel's Turtles of Grayskull line.
  
• Iain Delaney reviews the Candygram! Deluxe Big Guy and Rusty, the Boy Robot action figure set.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at several upcoming Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Sideshow Collectibles Han Solo in Carbonite statue. 
• Germain Lussier remembers the toys we always wanted but never got.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "End-of-the-World Lovesick Blues" by Ashley Stokes in Interzone Digital.
• "We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World" by David Anaxagoras in Lightspeed.
• "To Be a Happy Man" by Thomas Ha in Lightspeed. 
• "The Angel Azrael and the Dead Man’s Hand" by Peter Darbyshire in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "A Return to the Fragrant Mountain" by Jonathan Louis Duckworth in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Of a Thousand Arms and More" by Ai Jiang in The Dark.
• "You Dream of the Hive" by C. M. Fields in Clarkesworld.
• "You Cannot Grow in Salted Earth" by Priya Chand in Clarkesworld.
• "Rain Town" by Mary J. Daley in Luna Station Quarterly.
  
• "Embers Burning in the Night" by Marie Brennan in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Then Came the Ghost of My Dead Mother, Antikleia" by Nadia Radovich in Apex Magazine.
• "Don’t Leave the Grim Reaper on Read" by Julia Leef in Wyldblood.
  
• "Do Houses Dream of Scraping the Sky?" by Jana Bianchi in Uncanny Magazine.
• "House on the Edge of the Crater" by Gábor Képes, ttranslated by Anna Kállai in Strange Horizons.
  
• "Image Not Found: Francesca’s Bridge" by Aimee Picchi in The Deadlands.
  
• "Alien Influences" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Molli and Max in the Future.
  
• Watch a trailer for Constellation.
• Watch a trailer for Immaculate.
  
• Watch a trailer for Stop Motion.