Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 1, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the series finale of Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, Masters of the Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Star Wars: The Acolyte and Star Wars in general,, Furiosa, Eric, Dark Matter, Atlas, season 2 of Interview with the Vampire, tributes to Richard Sherman, the bankruptcy of the RWA and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Moid Moidelhoff shares a brief history of science fiction. 
• Christian Lindke discusses the difference between planetary romance and sword and sorcery.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction works inspired by pseudoscience. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares six seriously funny SFF short stories. 
• Cole Rush lists five SFF libraries and book stores he'd like to browse.
  
• Rowdy Geirsson lists five unforgettable Norse warriors in historical fiction and fantasy 
• Daria Piskozub talks about Ukrainian SFF.
  
• Hunxi discusses the Chinese SFF subgenre of stories about death games and contests, which hugely popular in China, but barely known in the West. 
• Molly Templeton talks about books which trigger emotions. 
• Elizabeth Minkel talks about early fandoms and the words used to describe them.
  
• Martha Wells explains that she created Murderbot by asking what an artificial intelligence would want, not what humans think they would want.
  
• Olivia Rutigliano talks about nature and human nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 
• Ryan Britt discusses how J.R.R. Tolkien changed the backstory of Gollum for good 
• Sterling Ulrich discusses the real world inspiration for Samwise Gangee from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
  
• James Folta shares his appreciation for the Redwall books by Brian Jacques and praises their depictions of food.
• Chris M. Barkley explains what Harlan Ellison still means to him.
  
• Stephen E. Smith profiles Manly Wade Wellman. 
  
• ROH Press profiles Italian adventure fiction writer Emilio Salgari, creator of Sandokan and the Black Corsair.
  
• Jessi Virtusio profiles Mort Castle. 
• Locus remembers Caitlin Thomas. 
• Scottish writer John Burnside a.k.a. Benjamin Black died aged 69.
  
• Science fiction scholar H. Bruce Franklin has died aged 90. 
• Brazilian writer R.F. Lucchetti, who wrote books, comics, radio plays, TV and movie scripts in many genre, has died aged 94. 
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Adra Curington reviews Berserk, Volume 1 by Kentaro Miura 
• James Smart reviews My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two by Emil Ferris
  
• 70s Sci Fi Art shares SFF covers featuring bars and taverns.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the human-AI collaborative novel Robot Apocalypse 2030
  

 

Film and TV:

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on season 1 of Fallout. 
• Melody McCunne shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of Beacon 23. 
• Melody L. Simpson shares her thoughts on season 3 of Ghosts.
• Matt Schimkowitz shares his thoughts on the animated film Robot Dreams.
  
• Jason Gorber calls The Shrouds a metaphor-heavy film from the king of body horror.
• Anna McCibbin calls In A Violent Nature a slasher film in touch with its surroundings
  
• Cath Clarke calls Sting a low-budget alien spider horror film.
  
• Phil Hoad calls New Life an effective killer virus thriller. 
• George R.R. Martin calls the new Shogun the rare example of a good literary adaptation. 
  
• Luke Y. Thompson declares that Big Shark proves that Tommy Wiseau still doesn't know how movies should be made and that remains the appeal. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Reginald, the Vampire.
  
• Catherine Bray calls Little Monsters an infuriatingly awful family film 
• The Guardian wonders what the greatest movie franchise of all time is. 
  
• Michael Kraus declares that Planet of the Apes is cinema's most consistent franchise. 
• Stephen Holland ranks his favourite monsters from standalone science fiction movies. 
• Matt Lee explains what horror movies mean to him.
  
• Phillip Maciak talks about the failed promise of binge TV.
  
• Rob Kelly revisits the 1949 superhero serial Batman and Robin. 
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1969 horor movies Blood of Dracula's Castle and Nightmare in Wax 
• Jeffrey Talanian revisits the 1974 horror film Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter
• Dan Persons revisits the 1974 supernatural TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1994 horror film The Crow.
  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix.
  
• Simran Hans explains why 1999 was one of the best years in cinema history.
• Marion Deeds revisits season 2 of Lost, which aired in 2005/2006. 
• Heather Havrilesky wants to bring back tearjerkers.
  
• Radheyan Simonpillai interviews Ron Howard, star of American Graffiti and Happy Days and director of Willow, Apollo 13, Jim Henson: Idea Man and many others.
• Madison Vain interviews Bill Skarsgård, star of The Crow, It, John Wick, Nosferatu, Boy Kills World and many others.
  
• io9 interviews Michael Emerson, star of Evil and Lost.
  
• Todd Gilchrist interviews Gaylen Ross, one of the stars of Dawn of the Dead. 
• Sabina Graves interviews Ishana Shyamalan, director of The Watchers. 
• Mary Kate Carr reports that Pixar's new strategy involves sequels, reboots, established IP and mass appeal after several of their movies underperformed.
  
• Sabina Graves reports that billionaire Nelson Peltz, who tried to take control of the Disney board of directors in order to combat what he considered rampant wokeness, has now sold off his entire stock in the company after his take-over attempt failed.
  
• Documentary film maker Morgan Spurlock, best known for Super Size Me, has died aged 53. 
• Vance Kotrla shares a tribute to Roger Corman.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Life Itself", the series finale of Star Trek Discovery. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Life Itself". 
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Life Itself". 
• Robert Lloyd interviews Alex Kurtzman, the mastermind behind the various current Star Trek series, about the proposed Starfleet Academy and Section 31 series. 
  
• Ben Child wonders what the future of Star Trek could look like and whether there's a place in it for William Shatner.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "73 Yards", the latest episode of Doctor Who.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "73 Yards".
• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "73 Yards".
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "73 Yards".
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "73 Yards".
  
• io9 interviews Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, who plays the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who.
• Daniel D'Addario interviews Matt Smith who played the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who and Daemon Targayren in House of the Dragon.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Michael Andor Brodeur explains what He-Man means to him.
  
• Mia Galuppo reports that actor Nicholas Galitzine has been cast as Prince Adam a.k.a. He-Man in the upcoming live action Masters of the Universe movie.
  
• Jay Glatfelter, Dan Larson and James Eatock discuss the 1983 Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars: The Acolyte and Star Wars in general: 

• Germain Lussier shares early reactions to Star Wars: The Acolyte.
• Germain Lussier reports that The Acolyte can be enjoyed without having watched any other Star Wars movies or TV shows.
  
• Carson Blackwelder interviews Leslye Headland, showrunner of The Acolyte as well as several cast members. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reports that the opening scene of The Book of Boba Fett was inspired by a comedy skit by comedian Patton Oswalt
  
• Berklee Online praises John Williams' music for Star Wars
  

 

Comments on Furiosa and Mad Max in general:

• Haley Zapal calls Furiosa is a solid, entertaining and well-made addition to the Mad Max universe. 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Furiosa tells its own story without the usual pitfalls of prequels
  
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending of Furiosa. 
• Abigail Stevens shares the biggest Mad Max lore reveals from Furiosa.
  
• Germain Lussier interviews George Miller, director of the Mad Max movies and Furiosa.
  
• Ramin Setoodeh interviews Anya Taylor-Joy who plays the titular character in Furiosa.
  
• Jesse Hassenger comments on the cyclical nature and odd timeline of the Mad Max movies.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz recounts how feminist playwright Eve Ensler came to work on Mad Max: Fury Road.
• Brooks Barnes reports that Furiosa is underperforming at the box office. 
• Catherine Shoard reports that the long Memorial Day weekend in the US had the most disappointing box office in several years, with Furiosa barely beating the animated Garfield film. 
• Pamela McClintock and Aaron Couch report that Furiosa underperforming also means that the chances for planned future films in the Mad Max universe to be made is much lower now. 
• Ben Child hopes that George Miller gets to make The Wasteland, his planned next movie in the Mad Max universe, in spite of Furiosa's underwhelming box office performance.
  

 

Comments on Eric: 

• Saloni Gajjar calls Eric a weird, absorbing thriller 
• Lucy Mangan calls Eric a wildly ambitious drama and praises the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch.
  
• Zoe Williams interviews Abi Morgan, screenwriter of Eric.

 

Comments on Dark Matter:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on episodes 3 and 4 of Dark Matter.
• Jenelle Riley interviews Blake Crouch, creator of Dark Matter.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Interview with the Vampire:

• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Interview With The Vampire.
• Sabina Graves shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Interview With The Vampire.
• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Interview With The Vampire. 

 

Comments on Atlas:

• Benjamin Lee calls Atlas a silly science fiction adventure that feels as if it was made twenty years ago.
• Courtney Howard calls Atlas a slipshod science fiction film. 
• Haley Zapal declares that Atlas swings and misses.
  

 

Tributes to Richard M. Sherman:

• Film composer Richard M. Sherman, who worked on Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang among others, has died aged 95. 
• Brian Sibley shares an obituary for Richard M. Sherman. 
• Justin Carter remembers Richard M. Sherman. 

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2024 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Prix Imaginales have been announced.
• The winner of the 2024 Dublin Literary Award has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Orwell Prize have been announced.
  
• File 770 reports that the very first Hugo ever given, to Forrest J. Ackerman, is going up for auction.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Literary Hub shares Ursula K. Le Guin's advice for becoming a writer.
  
• The Library of America shares Dashiell Hammett's suggestions for detective story writers.
• Emma Copley Eisenberg explains how collage can help create compelling characters
  
• Nathan Gower talks about using photos as inspiration for fiction. 
• Yael van der Wouden shares advice for writing great sex scenes. 
• Anita Murray explains how to handle sex in historical fiction. 
• Alexandra Alter reports how a self-published self-help book called The Shadow Work Journal by Keila Shaheen turned into a bestseller thanks to TikTok.
  
• Ashley Belanger reports that Nvidia claims the illegal "shadow libraries" whose pirated books they used to train their AI large language model are not actually pirate sites.
  
• The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association is announced its policy on generative AI. 
  
• Claire Kirch reports about Uncle Edgar's and Uncle Hugo's mystery and science fiction bookstores in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  

 

Comments on the RWA filing for bankruptcy:

• Mike Glyer reports that the Romance Writers of America have filed for bankruptcy. 
• Jonathan Randles reports about the bankruptcy of the RWA and blames internal battles about diversity, equity and inclusion 
• Dietrich Knauth also reports about the RWA bankruptcy. 
• Her Hands, My Hands shares a lengthy summary of the many racism, homophobia and other issues besetting the RWA.
  

 

 Interviews:

• Charlie Jane Anders interviews Annalee Newitz.
  
• Michael Dodd interviews Moses Ose Utomi. 
• Fabienne Schwizer interviews Markus Heitz.
  
• Alex Puncekar interviews J. Nicole Jones.
  
• The HWA interviews Wen-yi Lee
• Scott Edelman interviews Tobias Carroll.
  

 

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo 
• Liz Bourke reviews Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard 
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa  
• Marlene Harris reviews Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Ocean’s Godori by Elaine U. Cho 
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo. 
  
• Camestros Felapton reviews Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher 
• Camestros Felapton reviews Rose/House by Arkady Martine 
• Emma Davis reviews Bonded by Thorns by Elizabeth Helen
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Moonstone by Laura Purcell
  
• Warner Holme reviews A Stranger in the Citadel by Tobias S. Buckell.
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed 
• Paul Weimer reviews A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato 
  
• Cassie Schulz reviews Darker by Four by June C.L. Tan
  
• Rich Horton reviews Cold-Forged Flame and Lightning in the Blood by Marie Brennan 
  
• Liz Bourke reviews The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond   
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond   
  
• Liam's Lyceum reviews Hurled Headling Flaming: The Bishop’s Tale by Matt Holder 
• Chris Kluwe reviews The Price of Redemption by Shawn Carpenter
  
• Fiona Denton reviews The Dark Feather by Anna Stephens
  
• Alex Faccibene reviews The Silverwood Promise by James Logan.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry
• James Davis Nicoll reviews We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed
  
• Mark Yon reviews Evocation by S.T. Gibson 
• Bill Capossere reviews I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Freeset by Sarina Dahlan  
• C.T. Phipps reviews The Division: Compromised by Thomas Parrott 
• Bill Capossere reviews A House Like an Accordion by Audrey Burges
  
• Alex Brown reviews Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger  
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews OKPsyche by Anya Johanna DeNiro  
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Malicia by Steven Dos Santos 
• Marion Deeds reviews Lone Women by Victor LaValle 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran 
• John Mauro reviews Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro 
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews.The Horror by Seb Doubinsky  
• Ali Karim reviews You Like It Darker by Stephen King 
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mythologies by Petra Palkovacsova 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Curious Cartography by Alison Littlewood
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Biopeculiar - Stories of An Uncertain World by Gigi Ganguly 
  
• Greg Cwik reviews Greatest Hits by Harlan Ellison 
     
  

Classics reviews:

• Alan Brown revisits the 1939 sword and planet novel Almuric by Robert E. Howard and the 1942 sword and planet novel Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs
  
• Liam's Lyceum revisits the 1949 sword and planet novel The Sword of Rhiannon a.k.a. Sea-Kings of Mars by Leigh Brackett. 
• Clara Cohen revisits the 1951 science fiction fix-up novel Foundation by Isaac Asimov. 
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1953 military science fiction story “The Defenders” by Philip K. Dick
  
• Dave Hook revisits the 1967 science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison.
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1967 science fiction story “The Day After the Day the Martians Came” by Frederik Pohl 
• Roseanna Pendlebury revisits the 1968 science fantasy novel Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey 
  
• Mark Yon revisits the June 1969 issue of New Worlds. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1969 issue of Analog.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 fantasy anthology Alchemy and Academe, edited by Anne McCaffrey 
  
• Max Gladstone revisits the 1977 fantasy collection The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1982 science ficion novel Manshape by John Brunner 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1985 YA horror novel Devil Wind by Laurie Bridges and Paul Alexander.
  
• Rich Horton revisits the 1986 science fiction novel To the Resurrection Station by Eleanor Arnason  
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1994 YA horror novel The Watcher by Lael Littke and the 1996 YA horror novel Starstruck by Richie Tankersley Cusick.
  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 2011 Discworld fantasy novel Snuff by Terry Pratchett. 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2013 YA fantasy novel Chupacabra by Roland Smith. 
   
  

Crowdfunding:

• MaryAnn Harris, wife of Charles De Lint, needs help with medical expenses.

 

Con and event reports:

• Anthro New England, a furry con in Boston, Massachussetts, announces that they removed to senior staff members for undisclosed reasons. 
  
• Lucy Knight reports that the Hay Literary Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, has dropped its sponsor, investment firm Baillie Gifford, following cancellations and protests by participants.
• Lucy Knight reports that the Edinburgh International Book Festival has also dropped its sponsor Baillie Gifford in response to the same pressure groups.
  
• C.E. Murphy shares her experience at a writing retreat at Gladstone's Library in Hawarden, Wales.
  
• Sabina Graves explains that the defunct Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser attraction in Disney World in Orlando, Florida, was never intended to be a hotel but an immersive experience. 
• Sabina Graves asks what makes interactive experiences work.
  
• Sabina Graves shares news from various US-based theme parks.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Ian Sample reports that the Euclid space telescope has spotted rogue planets floating free in the Orion nebula.
• Jonathan Amos reports about Vigil, an ESA satellite intended to monitor the sun.  
• Mike Wall reports that SpaceX is preparing for another test of its giant Starship rocket. 
  
• Shi En Kim shares the seven most amazing discoveries made while exploring Jupiter.
• Valerie Neal profiles Ellison Shoji Onizuka, the first Asian American in space, who died in the Challenger disaster in 1986   
• Robert Z. Pearlman reports that handwritten diary pages by Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died in the Columbia disaster in 2003, have been added to the National Library of Israel.
  
• Kaye Dee discusses the 1969 NASA Apollo-10 mission. 
• Ryan French reports that the giant sunspot which caused the aurora to be visible in places where it normally isn't is still active and may trigger another round of aurora sights. 
  
• Nico Grant reports that Google AI's flat out wrong search errors and recommendations have caused an uproar among users. 
• TeeJay Small reports that biometric data stored by the Indian police was recently hacked and leaked and discusses potentia consequences.
  
• Tina Hesman Saey reports that a vaccine that is supposed to protect honeybees against a bacterial infection has the unexpected side effect of also fighting off viruses.  
• Bronwyn Thompson reports that researchers have finally figured out why orcas are attacking yachts in European waters. 
• James Davis Nicoll lists four non-fiction subjects that will always find an SFF audience.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Nick Zarzycki interviews Richard Garfield, creator of Magic the Gathering. 
• Arturo Serrano takes a look at the table top RPG Tales of the Valiant
  
• Sam Illingworth explains how roleplaying games can inspire people to take action with regard to climate change.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Tri-Klops, Meckaneck and Snout Spout. 
• Still a Big Kid reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Trap Jaw
  
• Still a Big Kid reviews the NECA Flash Gordon Ming the Merciless action figure in the look of the 1980 movie.
• Toy Habits reviews the Super7 Ultimates Silverhawks Quicksilver and Steelheart.
• James Whitbrook reviews the Lego Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr set. 
• Four Horsemen Studios announce the new Mythic Legions Ashes of Agbendor wave.
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at an upcoming NECA Vincent Price action figure. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at an upcoming Hot Toys Star Wars Kit Fisto figure.
  
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the upcoming Lego Legend of Zelda set.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at new Lego sets coming out in June. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at some new pop culture posters to be sold at Vice Press' Open House event in Sheffield, UK.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "City of Dreadful Light" by James Enge in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.
  
• "The City Unsleeping" by Anya Leigh Josephs in The Deadlands. 
• "Blood and Desert Dreams" by Y.M. Pang in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "We Shall Drink Wine" by Andrew K Hoe in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Richard Nixon and the Princess of the Crows" by P.H. Lee in Lightspeed. 
• "Chaos Theory" by Ash Howell in Lightspeed. 
  
• "Canary Glass" by Sarah Jackson in Wyldblood.
  
• "Mirage in Double Vision" by Tia Tashiro in Uncanny Magazine 
  
• "The Spindle of Necessity" by B. Pladek in Strange Horizons.
  
• "The Weight of Your Own Ashes" by Carlie St. George in Clarkesworld.
• "Our Father" by K. J. Khan in Clarkesworld
• "The Roach Mom" by Eugenia Triantafyllou in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "Down the Dust Hatch" by Derrick Boden in Apex Magazine.
• "Embedded" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
   

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for the final season of The Umbrella Academy.
  
• Watch a trailer for Moana 2.