Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 3, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, Fallout, Masters of the Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Tales of the Empire and Star Wars in general,, X-Men '97 and X-Men in general, Dead Boy Detectives, 3 Body Problem, I Saw the TV Glow, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Shogun, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Planet of the Apes in general, Knuckles, tributes to Paul Auster and C.J. Sansom and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 43 new science fiction and fantasy books coming out in May.
  
• Gabino Iglesias shares an overview of newly released horror novels.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five vintage works of science fiction by women writers. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares nine SFF short stories that explore the meaning of love
  
• Lorna Wallace lists five fantasy novels with fairy tale vibes.
  
• Jen Williams shares her five favourite novels about hauntings.
• Molly Templeton talks about writing in the margins of books.
  
• Lucy Knight reports that according to a recent story, more than a quarter of YA readers are over 28.
  
• Annalee Newitz profiles Paul Linebarger a.k.a. Cordwainer Smith
  
• Aaron Hicklin remembers Lynne Reid Banks. 
• Children's fantasy writer Jubilee Cho has died aged 25.
  

Tributes to Paul Auster:

• American writer Paul Auster has died aged 77.
• The Guardian shares tributes to Paul Auster from fellow writers. 
• Jonathan Lethem shares a tribute to his friend Paul Auster.
  
• Lisa Allardice remembers Paul Auster. 
• Locus remembers Paul Auster.
  
• The Guardian shares quotes by Paul Auster.
  

 

Tributes to C.J. Sansom:

• C.J. Sansom, author of the Shardlake historical mysteries, has died aged 71.
• Boyd Tonkin shares an obituary for C.J. Sansom.
• J. Kingston Pierce remembers C.J. Sansom.

 

Comics and Art:

• Mandy Sun reviews volumes 1 to 3 of  Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama 
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about two authors. 
• Comic artist Mark D. Bright has died aged 69.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Phil Hoad calls Witch an occultist gothic horror film that takes a swerve into the psychedelic
  
• Saloni Gajjar declares that season 2 of Velma raises a giant middle finger to its haters 
• Lovia Gyarkye calls Humane a tense but underbaked dystopian thriller.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz points out that Abigail's only interesting twist was spoiled by the trailer.
  
• Cath Clarke calls ISS a moderately tense thriller in space and praises the performance of Ariana DeBose.
• Leah Schnelbach declares that The People's Joker remixes our modern myths with sheer trans joy. 
• Matthew Jackson calls The Beast an ambitious, compelling monster of a science fiction movie
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Animal Kingdom a well-crafted apocalyptic thriller from France.
  
• Ann Michelle Harris calls The American Society of Magical Negroes a poignant exploration of racism wrapped in sarcastic, quirky, romantic comedy magic.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Beacon 23.
  
• Cath Clarke shares her thoughts on the animated children's film Super Wings: Maximum Speed  
• Lauren Huff interviews George Miller, director of Furiosa, as well as stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth.
  
• Chris Heath interviews Daniel Radcliffe, best known for playing Harry Potter in the eponymous film series.
  
• Lindsey Bahr interviews Lee Isaac Chung, director of Twisters. 
• io9 interviews Jennifer Tilly, star of Chucky and many others.
  
• Chris Broughton interviews director Philip Kaufman and actress Veronica Cartwright about the making of the 1978 Invasion of the Boy Snatchers.
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1969 folk horror movie The Witchmaker and the 1969 science fiction horror movie The Body Stealers. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido rerevisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode “The Parliament of Dreams”
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1999 horror movie eXistenZ 
• Andrew Pulver reports that sex scenes in Hollywood movies have declined by forty percent since 2000.
  
• Cheryl Eddy reports that a Mickey Mouse versus Winnie the Pooh horror movie is in the works. 
• Stuart Heritage reports that one episode of the children's cartoon Bluey is banned in the US.
  
• Andrew Pulver reports that a recent survey has found that the ideal movie running time is 92 minutes. 
• Peter Bradshaw points out that the perfect movie length depends on the movie. 
• Steve Davidson declares that NBC has not made payments due to him as the holder of the Amazing Stories tardemark.
  
• Cooper Billingsley reports that director George Lucas owns the most expensive apartment in Chicago, Illinois. 
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Whistlespeak", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Whistlespeak". 
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Whistlespeak".
  
• James Whitbrook finds that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was getting good well before the Dominion War.
• Avery Kaplan lists every Star Trek episode featuring the Mirror Universe.
  

Comments on Fallout: 

• Erin Lynch lists questions she hopes will be answered in season 2 of Fallout.
  
• Meg Walters interviews Howard Cummings and Amy Westcott, production and costume designer for Fallout. 
• Ana Diaz interviews Amy Westcott. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that Fallout is Amazon Prime Video's most watched series since The Rings of Power.
  
• William Hughes recommend which Fallout game people who just finished the series should play first.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Elise Shafer reports how the upcoming season will revolutionise Doctor Who.
• Devan Coggan interviews Ncuti Gatwa who plays the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.
  
• Crossexamining Crime reviews the Fifth Doctor audio drama The Merfolk Murders by Tim Foley 
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Jukka Issakainen and Adam McCombs share some background on the character of Strobo in Masters of the Universe. 
  
• The Battle Ram Blog shares some quick facts about the Masters of the Universe character Zodac. 
• The Battle Ram Blog shares some background on the Masters of the Universe character known as Demo-Man.
  
• Dad-at-Arms interviews character designer Dooz Leslie and background artist Pedro Cardoso, both of whom worked on Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution. 
• For Eternia wonders whether King Randor was murdered in Masters of the Universe: Revolution.
  
• Angelique Jackson shares some news on the much delayed new Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
  
• Watch the animated Masters of the Universe mini-comic "Rock and a Hard Place".
  

 

Comments on X-Men '97 and X-Men in general: 

• William Hughes declares that X-Men '97 is the greatest X-Men adaptation of all time
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Tolerance Is Extinction, Part 1", the latest episode of X-Men '97.
  
• Tom Chang shares X-Men '97 showrunner and writer Beau DeMayo's comments about the inspirations for the episode "Remember It". 
• James Whitbrook shares the long history behind the Sentinel program in the X-Men comics.
  
• Watch a trailer for X-Men '97.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Star Wars in general: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin notes that Star Wars: The Bad Batch gave us an ending no one ever expected.
  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the series finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
• James Whitbrook calls Star Wars: Tales of the Empire a tale of two very different halves.
  
• James Whitbrook interviews Diana Lee Inosanto, who plays Morgan Elsbeth in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and Tales of the Empire. 
• Lyvie Scott reports that Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, would love to reprise her role as Resistance Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix from the Star Wars sequel trilogy. 

 

Comments on Dead Boy Detectives: 

• Julia Glassman declares that Dead Boy Detectives offers something much more interesting than a love triangle.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of Dead Boy Detectives.
• Melody McCune shares her appreciation for the character of Niko Sasaki in Dead Boy Detectives. 
  

 

Comments on I Saw the TV Glow:

• Julia Glassman calls I Saw the TV Glow a gorgeous fever dream
• Julia Glassman shares some background on The Pink Opaque, the fictional TV show at the heart of I Saw the TV Glow.
  

 

Comments on 3 Body Probem: 

• Sumeet Kulkarni discusses the science of 3 Body Problem.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Boris Schmidt, visual effects supervisor for 3 Body Problem. 
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:

• Justin Carter looks back on Avengers: Endgame and what came after.
  
• Karen Valby interviews Chris Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
• Emily Murray interviews Joe and Anthony Russo, director of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and many others. 
• Ben Child wonders whether Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for good.
  

 

Comments on Shogun: 

• Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on season 1 of Shogun. 
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on season 1 of Shogun. 
  

 

 Comments on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Planet of the Apes in general:

• Germain Lussier interviews Wes Ball, director of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
  
• Germain Lussier revisits the 2014 science fiction film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 
• Charlotte Simmons explains how many Planet of the Apes movies there are. 
• Anne Billson ranks killer apes in movies.
  
• Watch a trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 

 

Comments on Knuckles: 

• Leila Latif calls Knuckles a ludicrous, hilarious and actually rather moving Sonic the Hedgehog  spin-off. 
• Sabina Graves shares six things she liked about Knuckles and four things she didn't. 
• Rachel Leishman interviews Adam Pally who plays Wade Whipple in Knuckles. 
• Sabina Graves reports that Knuckles is the most watched original series on Paramount Plus. 
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2024 Aurora Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Seiun Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2023/2024 Self-Publshed Fantasy Blog-Off has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Tomorrow Prize have been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Achievement Awards have been announced.
• The 2024 inductees into the Filk Hall of Fame have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Bafta TV Craft Awards have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Steven Pressfield talks about the writer's voice.
• Matthew Wills explains why Penguin Books chose a penguin as their logo/mascot.
  
• The Guardian reports that the National Library of France has quarantined antique books believed to contain arsenic.
• Lisa O'Carroll and Philip Oltermann report about a Georgian gang which stole rare books from libraries all over Europe.
  

 

Interviews:

• Monsters, Madness and Magic interviews Jonathan Maberry. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Wole Talabi.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Andrea Hairston.
• Arley Sorg interviews Andrea Kriz.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Francesco Dimitri.
• Lisa Haselton interviews Kirsten Weiss. 
• Rita Chang interviews Clare Beams.
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Daniel Carpenter. 
  

 

Reviews:

• Camestros Felapton reviews Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh 
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
  
• Liz Bourke reviews Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas  
• Haley Zapal reviews Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead.
  
• Lis Carey reviews Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Orbital by Samantha Harvey
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews In Universes by Emet North 
• Niall Harrison reviews Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu.
  
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Chaotic Aperitifs by Tao Wong 
• Fantasy Faction reviews Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark  
• Camestros Felapton reviews Starter Villain by John Scalzi
  
• John Mauro reviews Soul Cage by L.R. Schulz  
• Alex Brown reviews Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan
• John Mauro reviews The Fall Is All There Is by C.M. Caplan
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Man Who Saw Seconds by Alexander Boldizar
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi
• Fantasy Faction reviews Daughter of the Beast by E. C. Greaves
  
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews Age of the Dryad by Jacob Sannox   
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna 
• Fantasy Faction reviews Master of the Void by Wend Raven 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Storm Beneath the World by Michael R. Fletcher   
• Cassie Schulz reviews An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews My Throat An Open Grave by Tori Bovalino
  
• Rebecca Fisher reviews Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild by Philip Reeve 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu  
• Paula Guran reviews The Proper Thing and Other Stories by Seanan McGuire  
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende
• Maya Gittelman reviews Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele 
• Niall Harrison reviews Kurdistan + 100, edited by Mustafa Gündoğdu and Orsola Casagrande 
  
• Mat Osman reviews Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World by Dorian Lynskey
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Writing The Future - Essays on Crafting Science Fiction, edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V. Hirst
     
  

Classics reviews:

• M. Grant Kellermeyer revisits the 1861 horror story "Ultor de Lacy" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. 
• M. Porcius revisits the January 1939 issue of Weird Tales.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 time travel novella “Time Waits for Winthrop” by William Tenn 
• Runalong the Shelves revisits the 1967 science fiction novel City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the May 1969 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the May 1969 issue of Analog.
  
• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1971 science fantasy novel Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1972 science fiction story “Original Sin” by Vernor Vinge 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1976 science fiction novel Giants In The Dust by Chad Oliver 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 science fiction novel Players at the Game of People by John Brunner. 
• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1983 horror novel Pet Sematary by Stephen King.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1988 science fiction story “The Growth of the House of Usher” by Brian Stableford 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1993 YA horror novel Dream Date by Sinclair Smith.
  
• C.J. Tudor and Polly Stewart revisit the 1996 science fiction novel Spares by Michael Marshall Smith.
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 2001 collection The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge by Vernor Vinge.
   
  

Con and event reports:

• ErsatzCulture shares several videos of various events at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China.
  
• The winner of the 2024 GUFF race has been decided.
• ErsatzCulture reports that the Pidu district of Chengdu, China, has announced a ten year science fiction plan, 
  
• Stuart Heritage reports that the 2008 paranormal romance movie Twilight is being rereleased in the UK with a live music accompaniment. 
• Arifa Akbar calls Max Webster and David Haig's stage adaptation of Minority Report, which is currently playing in London, UK, criminally undercooked.
  
• Angela Yang reports that the underwhelming Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience from Glasgow, Scotland, has now been recreated in Los Angeles, California. 
• Sabina Graves shares a look at the new Super Nintendo World attraction at Universal Resort in Orlando, Florida.
  
• Sabina Graves shares some news from the Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood, California, and Orlando, Florida.  
• Sabina Graves reports that replicas of the X-Men mansion and the house from Up will be available as Airbnb rentals.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• The Mörk Borg action figure with zine by Stockholm Kartell is looking for funding.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Michaels Summers and James Trefil wonder where everybody else in our universe is
• Passant Rabie reports that the asteroid Apophis will be coming extremely close to Earth in 2029. 
• Mark Kaufman reports that the Japanese satellite ADRAS-J has snapped a close-up picutre of a piece of space junk.
• Judith Tarr takes a look at Chupacabra sightings. 
• Harini Nagendra writes about Indian street magicians and their relationship with western stage magic.
  
• Mick Conefrey reports about mountaineer George Mallory who vanished in 1924 while trying to climb Mount Everest and about the search for his body. 
  

 

Gaming: 

• C.T. Phipps revisits the 2018 video game Fallout 76.
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the 2024 Hugo finalists for Best Game.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• James Whitbrook shares a look at a limited edition Star Wars Queen Armidala doll sold at the Disney Store. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at upcoming Star Wars Lego sets.
  
• Cora Buhlert reports about the ongoing controversy between Spector Creative and The Figure in Question regarding toy photos used without permission and attribution. 
  
• Watch a video celebrating twenty-five years of Lego Star Wars. 
• Watch a video about how Justin and Shel Rasch of Stunt Puppet Pictures make their toy stop motion animations.
  
• Watch "Turtle Trap", a Turtles of Grayskull stop-motion toy video.
• Watch "Trap Jaw's Trickery", a Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection stop motion toy video.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A Series of Accounts Surrounding the Risen Lady of the Orun-Alai and Other Alleged Miracles in the Final Days of the Riverlands War" by Aimee Ogden in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "A Pilgrimage to the God of High Places" by Marissa Lingen in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Cursed Woods" by Matthew Ilseman in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Garden of Time" by J.G. Ballard in Literary Hub.
  
• "The Oldest Fun" by Natalia Theodoridou in Clarkesworld.
• "The First Five People You Meet In Hell" by Tom Leins in Punk Noir Magazine
• "The Feeding of Closed Mouths" by Eden Royce in Apex Magazine. 
• "Bread Water" by Jorja Osha in The Dark.
• "doorbell dot mov" by Jennifer R. Donohue in The Deadlands.
  
• "The Two Musics" by Michael Cisco in Reactor.
• "Thousand Petal Song" by Caroline Hung in Strange Horizons.
  
• "Second Fiddle" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
   

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of My Adventures with Superman.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of The Lazarus Project. 
• Watch a trailer for Lumina.
  
• Watch a trailer for Mufasa
• Watch a trailer for Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.