Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 24, 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, Masters of the Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace at 25 and Star Wars in general,, X-Men '97 and X-Men in general, IF, Furiosa, Sugar, season 2 of Outer Range, season 2 of Interview with the Vampire, Thelma the Unicorn and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll shares collections and anthologies collecting science fiction by women from the first half of the twentieth century. 
• Alex Brown shares five underrated works of near future science fiction. 
• Cole Rush shares five wise and quirky mentors from recent SFF novels,
  
• Lorna Wallace shares seven SFF stories about weird weather.
  
• Holly Kybett Smith shares twelve poems about mermaids.
• Michael Bennett shares crime novels and films where dead characters show up to tell their story.  
• Fiona McPhillips talks about the aesthetics and popularity of Dark Academia. 
  
• Steve Bean profiles Roger Zelazny. 
• Alan Boyle profiles Vonda N. McIntyre.
  
• Camestros Felapton reports that conservative Mormon author Brad Torgersen has criticised fellow Mormon fantasy author Brandon Sanderson's public support of LGBTQ people, which Torgersen believes to be against LDS ideology.  
• Alexander Boldizar explains how his experiences as a refugee from former Czecheslovakia inspired his time travel thriller The Man Who Saw Seconds.
  
• Lauren Larson profiles romance writer Colleen Hoover, who is currently dealing with a massive case of writer's block. 
• Paul Weimer explains why the aggressive trolls that harrass Patrick Tomlinson also harrass him.
  
• Deuce Richardson shares a health update on Robert E. Howard scholar Rusty Burke.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian Battle of the Black Stone by Jim Zub and Jonas Scharf 
• Rachel Cooke reviews  So Long Sad Love by Mirion Malle
• Bobby Derie discusses the Spanish comics “El guardian”  by Enrique Balmes and Roc Espinet and “Life After Death” by David Güell and how they deal with Robert E. Howard's suicide. 
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about a ghost who refuses to leave due to all the books left unread.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Cheryl Eddy calls I Saw the TV Glow a nightmare drenched in neon and nostalgia 
• Philip Oltermann shares Francis Ford Coppola's remarks comparing his new movie Megalopolis to the current political situation in the US.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Substance a grisly body horror caper 
• Catherine Bray declares that the horror thriller You Can't Run Forever lacks momentum, but praises the performance of J.K. Simmons. 
• Leah Schnelbach talks about the one truly great scene in Madame Web.
  
• Steve Rose declares that the patriarchy is the true horror in the Pakistani horror film In Flames. 
• Cath Clarke calls William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill a documentary that is short on detail
  
• Leigh Monson calls The Garfield Movie an identity-free adaptation that is Garfield minus Garfield 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Beacon 23.
  
• Brian D. Bradley shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dark Matter. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Reginald the Vampire.
  
• Ben Child lists some recent SFF movies that could use sequels rather than Hollywood making ever more Star Wars, Marvel and Lord of the Rings movies. 
• Vincent Alexander shares his favourite animated title sequences. 
• Ben Zimmer explains how the B-movie got its name.
• Collider interviews Xelia Mendes-Jones who plays Renna in Wheel of Time and Dane in Fallout.
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Bruce Joel Rubin, writer of Ghost.
  
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1927 science fiction film Metropolis.
  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1982 science fiction film Tron.
  
• Alex Wallace revisits the 1982 fantasy anime Porco Rosso.
  
• Ann Michelle Harris revisits the 1984 time travel movie The Terminator. 
  
• Charles Moss revisits the 1994 dark fantasy movie The Crow and explains how it perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the 1990s.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode “And the Sky Full of Stars” 
• Shaurya Thapa looks back on the never released 1994 Fantastic Four movie and the legend surrounding it.
  
• C.T. Phipps revisits the 2001 Spanish Lovecraft adaptation Dagon.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2016 horror movie Chupacabra Territory 
  
• Elisabeth Egan reports that actress Reese Witherspoon has specialised in producing adaptations of women's fiction and also hosts a book club focussing on such books. 
• Kirsten Chuba reports about brothers Christopher and Jonathan Nolan publicly discussing the Dark Knight trilogy, which Christopher Nolan directed, and Fallout, which Jonathan Nolan produced.
  
• Fandom Wire reports that George R.R. Martin is happy with the House of the Dragon. 
• The Guardian reports that the Disney-owned animation studio Pixar is planning to lay off fourteen percent of its total staff.
  
• David Smith looks back on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and their impact one year later. 
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Lagrange Point", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Lagrange Point". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Lagrange Point".
  
• Avery Kaplan shares some background information on the Breen in Star Trek Discovery. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Blu del Barrio who plays Adira in Star Trek Discovery.
  
• Michael Cassabon explains how Star Trek Discovery was granted permission to film at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "Boom", the latest episode of Doctor Who.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Boom". 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "Boom". 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Boom". 
  
• Justin Carter shares his thoughts on "Boom". 
• Melody McCune shares eleven Easter eggs in "Boom".
  
• Cameron K. McEwan interviews Steven Moffat, writer of "Boom" and former Doctor Who showrunner.
  
• Jessica Holmes shares her thoughts on the 1969 Doctor Who serial "The War Games"
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Craig Neilson-Adams reviews Masters of the Universe Revolution #1 by Tim Sheridan, Ted Biaselli, Rob David and Daniel HDR
• Shaun Corley reviews Masters of the Universe Revolution #1 by Tim Sheridan, Ted Biaselli, Rob David and Daniel HDR
• Todd Luck reviews Masters of the Universe Revolution #1 by Tim Sheridan, Ted Biaselli, Rob David and Daniel HDR
  
• Shaun Corley reports that the Masters of the Universe Revolution prequel comic gives Shadow Weaver a new origin.
• Henry Hards reports that Sacha Baron Cohen is rumoured to have been cast as Skeletor in the planned live action Masters of the Universe movie.
  

 

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

• Camestros Felapton notes that X-Men '97 proves that the X-Men are much better suited to TV than to movies. 
• Charles Pulliam Moore declares that X-Men ‘97 understood the power of perfect timing 
  
• Christian Holub wonders why X-Men '97 crammed so much plot into a single ten-episode season.
  
• Nick Romano interviews the production team of X-Men '97 about a villain revealed in the final episode of season 1.
• Sabina Graves shares ten things she learned from Assembled: The Making of X-Men '97
  

 

Comments on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace at 25 and Star Wars in general: 

• James Whitbrook shares 25 great things about The Phantom Menace.
  
• Cindy White argues that no one has done more to rehabilitate The Phantom Menace than Dave Filoni.
• Germain Lussier recounts how The Phantom Menace and the hype surrounding its release made him the person he is today
  
• Jeff Spry takes a look at the background of one particular line of dialogue in The Phantom Menace.
  

 

Comments on Furiosa:

• Tara Bennett calls Furiosa the unexpected, exhilarating prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road
• Germain Lussier interviews George Miller, durector of the Mad Max movies and Furiosa. 
• Debbie Zhou interviews George Miller
  
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Tom Burke who plays Praetorian Jack in Furiosa.
• io9 interviews Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, stars of Furiosa. 
  

 

Comments on IF: 

• Germain Lussier shares some spoilers about IF and explains why the film keeps breaking its own rules.
• Arturo Serrano takes a look at the horror film Imaginary and IF and wonders why movies about imaginary friends are so popular right now.
  

 

Comments on Sugar: 

• Wesley Stenzel shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Sugar.
• Saloni Gajjar argues that the big twist in Sugar ruined the whole damn show   
• Tobias Carroll talks about Sugar and the challenging art of genre hybrids 
  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on Sugar and finds the show just puzzling.
• Wesley Stenzel interviews Colin Farrell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, stars of Sugar.

 

Comments on season 2 of Outer Range:

• Cheryl Eddy declares that season 2 of Outer Range offers a lot more western weirdness.
• Audrey Kearns shares episode by episode reviews of season 2 of Outer Range.
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten questions she has after season 2 of Outer Range.
  

 

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 Thelma the Unicorn:

• Adrian Horton calls Thelma the Unicorn a simple and sunny cartoon.
  
• Cindy White wishes that Thelma The Unicorn were as ambitious as its protagonist
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Aurealis Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Rhysling Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Lambda Literary Awards have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2023 Coyotl Awards have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2024 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire have been announced.
• The winner of the 2024 Prix Jacques-Brossard has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Xingyun Awards for Chinese Science Fiction have been announced.
• The 2024 Hugo Voter Packet is now available. 
• Kyle Kellams and Pastor Clint Schnekloth discuss the finalists for the 2024 Hugo Awards.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Hart Hanson discusses the differences between writing novels and screenplays. 
• Baron Birtcher talks about the intersection of writing and music.
  
• Ronald Kelly explains what the Toy Story movies can teach us about the relationship between old and new writers.
  
• Kate White shares thirteen weird or fascinating things she learned while researching her novels.
• Wrath James White explains under what circumstances it is okay for a non-black author to use the N-word in fiction. 
• Elizabeth Reed Aden recounts how she discovered several unpublished manuscripts by her godmother, golden age mystery writer Eunice Mays Boyd, and her quest to publish them and how it inspired her to writer her own mysteries. 
• Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris report that Penguin Random House has dismissed the publishers of their Alfred J. Knopf and Pantheon and Schocken imprints.
  

 

Interviews:

• The Mountain View Public Library interviews Ann Leckie. 
  
• Fabienne Schwizer interviews Sebastien de Castell.
• Fabienne Schwizer interviews Laura Purcell.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Linda H. Codega.
  
• Locus interviews Victor Manibo. 
• Bobby Derie interviews Wendy N. Wagner.
  
• Scott Simon interviews Peter S. Beagle. 
• Neil McRobert interviews Emil Ferris
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Lesley Conner.
• Hephzibah Anderson interviews Sam Taylor. 
• Charlie Jane Anders interviews Kristine Johansoon.
  

 

Reviews:

• Paul Weimer reviews Warped State by Jo Miles 
• Mark Yon reviews In Our Stars by Jack Campbell 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews In Our Stars by Jack Campbell 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Beyond the Light Horizon by Ken Macleod 
• Lis Carey and Cider review Voyage of the Dogs by Greg van Eekhout
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills  
• Carrie O'Grady reviews Hey, Zoey by Sarah Crossan
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Downloaded by Robert J. Sawyer. 
  
• Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere review Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone  
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
  
• Marlene Harris reviews How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon, translated by Anton Hur. 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Silverblood Promise by James Logan
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Dark Feather by Anna Stephens 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Dragonfly Gambit by A. D. Sui  
  
• Clara Cohen reviews The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan 
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh
  
• Esme Rosalyne reviews A Memory of Song by Scott Palmer
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland  
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
  
• Maura Krause reviews Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw 
• Ian Mond reviews Changes in the Land by Matthew Cheney 
  
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews A Grave for Us All by Michael Roberti
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi  
• Arley Sorg reviews Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews This Skin Was Once Mine And Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca 
• Natalie Zutter reviews Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews issue 30 of FIYAH. 
     
  

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1839 gothic horror story “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1956 post-apocalyptic novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1962 horror story “Descending” by Thomas M. Disch
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1962 science fiction collection Other Worlds of Clifford Simak by Clifford D. Simak
• Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1969 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• Victoria Lucas and Jason Sacks share their thoughts on the 1969 science fiction novel UBIK by Philip K. Dick.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1981 science fiction novella “Polyphemus” by Michael Shea
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2002 science fiction novel He Walked Among Us by Norman Spinrad 
• Marion Deeds revisits the 2014 horror novel Bird Box by Josh Malerman.
   
  

Crowdfunding:

• Small Wonders Magazine is looking for funding for its second year.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Simon Janßen reports about the Los Amigos Masters of the Universe convention in Neuss, Germany, and shares several photos.
• Cora Buhlert shares her experiences at the 2024 Los Amigos convention as well as several photos.
• Star Smutje shares an overview of the food trucks at the 2024 FedCon in Bonn, Germany.
• Ella Creamer reports that two more guests have withdrawn from the Hay Literary Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, because they disagree with one of the sponsors, investment firm Baillie Gifford. 
• Mark Fisher reports about playwright Zinnie Harris and composer Louis Barabbas’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline, which will open in Leeds, Yorkshire, and tour in 2025 
  
• Jenny Nicholson shares her experience at the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and explains why it failed.
  
• Johnny Diaz reports that the people working as costumed characters in Disneyland in Anaheim, California, have voted to unionise.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Scott Neuman reports that Ed Wright, who almost became NASA's first black astronaut, has finally made it into space aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft at the age of 90.  
• Sharmila Kuthunur reports about India's Mangalyaan-2 Mars mission.
• Bronwyn Thompson reports that the Dream Chaser DC-100 spaceplane Tenacity is about to embark on its first flight to the Internation Space Station.
  
• Samatha Mathewson reports about NASA's new pulsed plasma rocket propulsion system. 
• Tripp Nickle reports that OpenAI has stolen the voice of actress Scarlett Johansson for its new AI voice system, after Johansson declined OpenAI's requests to use her voice. 
  
• Oliver Wainwright takes a look at fascinating buildings that were never built.
• Keith Thomson recounts how the Spanish soldier Juan Martín de Albujar was abandoned and left to die only to stumble upon what might have been the legendary Eldorado.
• Elodie Reed reports about Max, a cat who received in honorary doctorate from Vermont State University.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Ana Diaz talks about a shipping war involving the video game Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Matthew Wynn Sivils talks about the first US boardgame Travelers’ Tour Through the United States, which was released in 1822.

 

Toys and collectibles:

• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Prince Adam and Cringer.
  
• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Webstor.
• Pixel Dan reviews several Masters of the Universe Origins and Turtles of Grayskull figures. 
• Iain Delaney reviews the Ultraman Science Special Search Party Ray Gun Super Gun by Tamashii Lab.
  
• Andrew Cunningham shares a look at the upcoming Lego Lord of the Rings Barad-dûr set. 
• Germain Lussier shares Hue Hughes' Lego Star Wars toy photography.
  
• Former Kenner engineer Jacob Miles talks about the rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype from the vintage Star Wars line, which never made it to market due to safety concerns.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Five Answers to Questions You Probably Have" by John Wiswell in Uncanny Magazine 
• "Sever and Bind" by Amanda Helms in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Gods and Monsters and Brothers" by J. Bridges in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Blinding Light of Resurrection" by Rajeev Prasad in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Texture of Memory, of Light" by Samara Auman in Clarkesworld. 
• "At Night She Dreams of Silverfish" by Monica Joyce Evans in Apex Magazine.
• "And the Dreams That You Dare to Dream" by Marissa Lingen in Lightspeed.  
• "Over a Long Time Ago" by Nisi Shawl in Lightspeed.
  
• "like blood on the mouths of death" by Victor Forna in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Other Kelly" by Genevieve Valentine in Reactor.
  
• "I Love Him Artichoke" by Anna-Claire McGrath in The Deadlands.
  
• "Rabbit’s Foot" by H. Pueyo in The Dark.
• "Salem Week" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
   

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a clip from season 2 of My Adventures With Superman. 
• Watch another clip from season 2 of My Adventures With Superman.
  
• Watch a trailer for the final season of Sweet Tooth. 
• Watch a trailer for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
  
• Watch a trailer for Dead Cells.
• Watch a trailer for Longlegs. 
• Watch a trailer for My Lady Jane. 
• Watch a trailer for the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow.