Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for July 5, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Doctor Who past, present and future, Star Wars: The Acolyte and Star Wars in general, Masters of the Universe in general, Star Trek Prodigy and Star Trek in general, season 2 of House of the Dragon, season 4 of The Boys, season 2 of Interview with the Vampire, A Quiet Place: Day One, The Devil's Bath, MaXXXine, My Lady Jane, Despicable Me 4, tributes to Robert Towne and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy lists all the new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in July. 
• Drew Broussard shares their most anticipated science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in the second half of 2024. 
• Tobias Carroll lists indie and small press SFF for July and August 2024.
  
• Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Ellen Gamerman and Isabella Simonetti report about the romantasy boom.
  
• Amanda Lima shares five books where the devil plays a central role. 
• Adrienne Tooley shares five SFF books featuring teenaged reincarnated deities
  
• Jenny Hamilton shares her appreciation for the works of Aliette de Bodard.
  
• Kellie B. Gormley profiles SFF poet and editor of a pioneering LGBTQ magazine Edythe Eyde a.k.a. Tigrina a.k.a. Lisa Ben.
• Randal S. Brandt profiles mystery writer Dana Wilson who wound up marrying James Bond producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. 
  
• A.J. McDougall reports that J.K. Rowling expressed support for the British Communist Party, who promptly decided that they want nothing to do with her. 
• SFF writer and scholar Robert Irwin has died aged 78.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Sam Thielman reviews recent graphic novels.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Barda by Ngozi Ukazu 
• Javier Davis reviews Invincible Vol. 1: Family Matters by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker
  
• John Yoon reports that Thomas Taylor's original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, for which Taylor was paid 650 US-dollars, has sold at auction for 1.92 million US-dollars. 
• Tom Gould shares a cartoon about book festivals gone rogue.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Abigail Nussbaum shares her thoughts on I Saw the TV Glow. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Kalki 2898 AD a maximalist science fiction epic from India that mixes the Mahabharata with Mad Max  
• Arturo Serrano calls Identiteaze a cyberpunk allegory about the dangers of reducing human life to binary codes
  
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Handling The Undead shambles into the boundaries of horror 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that The Vourdalak proves that there is still blood in the vampire story
  
• Nathan Rubin looks back at the disaster that was Madame Web and how star Dakota Johnson delightfully subverted her own movie. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on episode 2 of Orphan Black Echoes.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Lazarus Project. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dark Matter. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Reginald the Vampire.
  
• Rebecca Liu calls The Imaginary a charming anime
  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on the anime series Go Go Loser Ranger 
  
• Phil Hoad shares his thoughts on the anime Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi
• Nick Romano looks ahead at Deadpool & Wolverine. 
  
• Ben Child wonders whether Marvel is breaking its own rules with the upcoming Fantastic Four film, which will be set in the 1960s. 
• Aria Bendix talks about the phenomenon of feeling grief, when a favourite TV series ends.
  
• Will Harris interviews Marc Singer, star of V, Beastmaster and Agent Recon. 
• Chris Broughton interviews Steven L. Sears, producer of Xena: Warrior Princess and Renee O'Connor who played Gabrielle. 
• Rich Pelley interviews David Duchovny, best known for playing Fox Mulder in The X-Files.
  
• Zoe Williams interviews Stellan Skarsgård, star of Thor, The Avengers, What Remains, Nightwatch, Dune and many others. 
• Steve Rose interviews stuntman Kiran Shah, who appeared in Return of the Jedi, Lord of the Rings, Superman, Titanic and many others.
  
• Brian Davids interviews Jan de Bont, director of Twister. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1953 monster movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
• Germain Lussier revisits the 1979 science fiction horror movie Alien. 
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon Five episode "Signs and Portents". 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1999 adventure movie The Mummy.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2002 horror movie The 13th Child. 
• Matt Schimkowitz revisits the 2004 superhero movie Spider-Man 2.
  
• Bruce Haring reports that Paramount Global has purged the online archives of Comedy Central, MTV News, CMT and TVLand going back more than twenty years.
• Sharon Knolle reports about the reactions of various MTV News staffers to their hard work being purged. 
• Pamela McClintock reports that Inside Out 2 has now grossed one billion US-dollars worldwide.
  

  

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• James Whitbrook shares some background on how the Doctor-lite Doctor Who episode "73 Yards" came to be,
• Meredith Taylor Ammons takes a look at Broadway stars who have appeared in recent episodes of Doctor Who. 
  
• Jess Parker reports that Paul McGann will be returning to the role of the Eighth Doctor alongside India Fisher in a live recording of the audio drama The Stuff of Legend.
  

 

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

• Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on "Night", the fifth episode of The Acolyte.
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “Teach/Corrupt”, the sixth episode of The Acolyte. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “Teach/Corrupt”
  
• James Whitbrook ranks the ways various Jedi met their ends in The Acolyte. 
• James Whitbrook also wonders why no one bothered to recover the bodies of the fallen Jedi in The Acolyte. 
• Germain Lussier finds an unexpected reference to the Beastie Boys in The Acolyte.
  
• Lyvie Scott interviews Leslye Headland, showrunner of The Acolyte.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of House of the Dragon: 

• Kayleigh Dray shares her thoughts on "The Burning Mill", the latest episode of House of the Dragon. 
• Tom Huddleston shares his thoughts on "The Burning Mill". 
  
• Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on "The Burning Mill". 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on "The Burning Mill". 
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "The Burning Mill". 
  
• Melody McCune shares her five favourite moments from "The Burning Mill" 
• Cheryl Eddy discusses an unexpected cameo in "The Burning Mill". 
• Melody McCune shares her appreciation for the character of Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon. 
  
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on the season 2 premiere of House of the Dragon.
  
• Jordan Moreau interviews Geeta Vasant Patel, director of "The Burning Mill".
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Jay Glatfelter, Dan Lrson and Ted Biaselli revisit the 1987 Masters of the Universe live action movie.
  
• Shaun Corley discusses the relationship between Hordak and Horde Prime in Masters of the Universe. 
• Shaun Corley also notes that the Masters of the Universe: Revolution prequel comic mini-series portrays the Horde as a twisted version of Star Trek's Federation. 
  
• James Eatock shares some background on how the transformation from Prince Adam into He-Man evolved across various iterations of Masters of the Universe.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek Prodigy and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on season 2 of Star Trek Prodigy.  
  
• Avery Kaplan shares episode by episode reviews of season 2 of Star Trek Prodigy.
• Avery Kaplan lists all the cameos and connections to other Star Trek shows in season 2 of Star Trek Prodigy.

 

Comments on season 2 of Interview with the Vampire:

• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of Interview with the Vampire.
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of Interview with the Vampire.
• Sabina Graves shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of Interview with the Vampire.
  
• Tara Bennett interviews Rolin Jones, showrunner of Interview with the Vampire. 
  

 

Comments on season 4 of The Boys:

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Boys.
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Boys.
  

 

Comments on The Devil's Bath: 

• Leah Schnelbach declares that The Devil’s Bath finds folk horror in historical reality 
  
• Matt Donato calls The Devil's Bath a gloomy slow-burn horror film. 

 

Comments on MaXXXine:

• Germain Lussier calls MaXXXine a pulpy Hollywood tale that feels too tame
  
• Katie Rife calls MaXXXine the weakest entry in the trilogy. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls MaXXXine a horribly watchable Hollywood tale of sex, death, fear and gore  
  

 

Comments on My Lady Jane: 

• Lucy Mangan calls My Lady Jane a wild, fun bit of escapism
  
• Isobel Lewis declares that My Lady Jane tries annoyingly hard to be edgy 
  
• Diana Keng shares episode by episode reviews of My Lady Jane.
  

 

Comments on A Quiet Place: Day One:

• Steve Vertlieb calls A Quiet Place: Day One easily the best A Quiet Place movie.
• Haley Zapal calls A Quiet Place: Day One thrilling, sweet and a great popcorn movie for summer aliens
  
• David Rooney calls A Quiet Place. Day One a nail-biting prequel.
  
• James Hibberd interviews Michael Sarnoski, director of A Quiet Place: Day One.  
• Rachel Leishman interviews Michael Sarnowski.
• Rebecca Rubin reports that A Quiet Place: Day One had the best opening weekend for the franchise. 
• Rebecca Rubin discusses how A Quiet Place became such a reliable box office hit.
  

 

Comments on Despicable Me 4:

• Leigh Monson calls Despicable Me 4 good enough, but not good
• Pater Bradshaw calls Despicable Me 4 an unassumingly enjoyable sequel. 
  

 

Tributes to Robert Towne:

• Screenwriter and director Robert Towne, who worked on Chinatown, Mission Impossible, Days of Thunder, The Firm, Marathon Man and many others, has died aged 89.  
• Erik Pedersen and Peter Bart shares an obituary for Robert Towne.

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2024 Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction have been announced
  
• The longlist for the 2024 Glass Bell Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Munsey Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Silver Falchion and Claymore Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Elgin Awards have been annoounced. 
• The winners of the 2024 SFRA Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced. 
• The 2024 Canadian SF&F Association Hall of Fame inductees have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Ray Harryhausen Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2024 TikTok Book Awards has been announced.
  
• Issue 82 of Journey Planet, "Be the Change" about proposals to reform the Hugo Awards, is now available.
• Mike Glyer reports that Mike Resnick's five Hugos have been donated to the Worldcon Heritage Organisation.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Vanessa Chakour explains how to reconnect with nature through writing.
  
• Daniel Sellers explains what makes twists work. 
• Peter Swanson talks about the importance of empathy when writing thrillers. 
  
• Robyn Harding talks about the power and the pitfalls of basing characters on real people.
  
• George Sandison talks about submissions from the POV of an editor.
  
• Victoria Strauss shares some tips for writers who have been swindled.
• John Scalzi shares his annoyance that the cover for the Italian edition of Starter Villain features AI generated art.
  
• Ashley Belanger shares an update on the lawsuit of the so-called Big Five publishers against the Internet Archive.
  

 

Interviews:

• Lynette Rice interviews Blake Crouch.
• Brian D. Bradley interviews Blake Crouch.
  
• The Guardian interviews Daniel Handler a.k.a. Lemony Snicket. 
• Locus interviews Cory Doctorow. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Donna Scott.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Samantha Mills. 
• Ayo Onatade interviews Doug Johnstone.  
• Locus interviews Wang Jinkang. 
• One Geek's Mind interviews Cory Panchin. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Sally Wiener Grotta.
  
• Rosanna Greenstreet interviews Count Binface, intergalactic would-be conqueror and serial political candidate in the UK.
  

 

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
• Mark Yon reviews Echo of Worlds by M.R. Carey.
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Unexploded Remnants by Elaine Gallagher
  
• Science Fiction News reviews Woe to the Victor by Nathan H. Green 
• Alex Brown reviews Fall of the Iron Gods by Olivia Chadha 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond 
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks  
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Hermit Next Door by Kevin Hearne  
• Paul Weimer reviews Heretic by Gregory A. Wilson
• Fiona Denton reviews Dreams of Sorrow by Shauna Lawless
  
• Anneke Schwob reviews The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde 
• Grimdark Magazine reviews The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee by Ellen Oh 
• Helen Rhee reviews Snowglobe by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort 
  
• Ian Mond reviews Takaoka’s Travels by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa  
• Marion Deeds reviews My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen
  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima 
• Niall Harrison reviews Elephants in Bloom by Cécile Cristofari  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley. 
• Paula Guran reviews Wild Cards: Sleeper Straddle, edited by George R.R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass 
• David Agranoff reviews Philip K. Dick: Essays of the Here and Now, edited by David Sandner
     
  

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1839 horror story "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1888 lost world novel A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder by James De Mille
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1928 Solomon Kane dark fantasy story "The Right Hand of Doom" by Robert E. Howard. 
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1949 post-apocalyptic novel Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 gothic novel Dark Shadows:Victoria Winters by William Ross. 
• Joachim Boaz and Rachel Cordaso revisit the 1967 science fiction story "Alter Ego" and the 1968 science fiction story "Meccano" by Hugo Correa. 
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1969 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the August 1969 issue of Venture Science Fiction.
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1976 post-apocalyptic novel Chrysalis Of Death by Eleanor Robinson 
  
• Fabienne Schwizer revisits the 1993 dystopian novel Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1996 non-fiction book The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin
  
• Joe Sherry revisits the 2003 Wheel of Time fantasy novel Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 2005 alternate history novella “Autubon in Atlantis” by Harry Turtledove
  
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2011 generation ship novel Grail by Elizabeth Bear
   
  

Crowdfunding:

• Neon Hemlock Press is looking for funding for the LGBTQ specualtive anthologies We're Here 2023, Baffling Year Three and Embodied Exegesis
• The non-fiction book Starlost Unauthorized... and the Quest for Canadian Identity by D.G. Valdron is looking for funding.
  
• Octavia's Bookshelf, a specialty bookshop in Pasadena, California, is looking for funding,
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Mark Finn reports about the 2024 Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas.
  
• David Agranoff reports about the 2024 Philip K. Dick Festival in Fort Morgan Colorado
  
• Zack Rabiroff interviews cartoonist Miriam Libicki about being banned from the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival in Vancouver, Canada, for the sin of being Jewish and havind served in the Israeli Army more than twenty yearsd ago.
• Chris M. Barkley reports that Penguincon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has issued a "safety statement" in response to pre-emptively banning SFF writer Patrick Tomlinson from the convention, fearing the trolls that tend to attack Patrick Tomlinson and others associated with him.
  
• The virtual 2024 International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts has issues a call for papers. 
• The program for the 2024 NASFIC in Buffalo, New York, is online. 
• Lisa Clarke shares some of the crafts she made for the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland. 
• Kevin Standlee reports that BayCon in Santa Clara, California, has filed a bid to host the 2026 Westercon.
  
• Geek Dad Live shares an overview of all the exclusive toys and collectibles available at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California. 
• Brianna Heaney reports about the Bigfoot Festival in Sutton, West Virginia. 
• Ella Creamer reports that several British book festivals are now desperately looking for funding after kicking their sponsor, the investment firm Baillie Gifford, to the curb in response to pressure from activist groups.
  
• Sabina Graves takes a look at the revamped log flume ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 
• Sabina Graves also discusses how Tiana's Bayou Adventure ties in with Disney's The Princess and the Frog animated movie, which introduced the character.
  
• Alex Weprin reports that the Six Flags theme park chain and the theme park Knott's Berry Farm are merging.
  
• Sabina Graves shares news from several US-based theme parks.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Passant Rabie reports that the Chinese Tianlong-3 rocket was accidentally launched during a test and subsequently crashed.
  
• Passant Rabie reports that the spacesuits kepts aboard the International Space Station tend to malfunction and are in dire need of replacement.
• ETH Zurich reports that new research reveals that Mars is struck by meteorites almost daily.
  
• Davide Castelvecchi lists five new ways to catch gravitational waves  
• Amanda Hess talks about what AI voices tell us. 
• Paul Mozur and Adam Satariano talk about how AI-powered autonomous killer drones are increasingly used during the war in Ukraine.
• Victor Tangerman reports that researchers have made a breakthrough in unravelling the mysteries of the Antikythera mechanism.
  

 

Gaming: 

• James Whitbrook discusses the green dragons of Dungeons & Dragons.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1969 WW2 war game Anzio by Avalon Hill.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Super 7 Ultimates Silverhawks action figures.
  
• Iain Delaney reviews the Neon Genesis Evangelion Progressive Knife PKN-01C
• James Whitbrook shares a look at new LEGO sets coming out in July. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at a new Jaws themed Lego set.
  
• Siobhan Roberts celebrates the fiftieth birthday of Rubik's Cube.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Knight of the Couple" by Andrei-Ion Ghircoiaș in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "Grottmata" by Thomas Ha in Nightmare Magazine
  
• "The Terms and Conditions of Kindness" by James Bennett in The Dark. 
• "Signs of Life" by Sarah Pinsker in Uncanny Magazine
  
• "I Will Meet You When the Artifacts End" by Amal Singh in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Every Hopeless Thing" by Tia Tashiro in Clarkesworld. 
• "Our Lady of the Clay" by Daniela Tomova in Apex Magazine. 
• "The Last Lucid Day" by Dominique Dickey in Lightspeed.  
• "The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)" by K.A. Wiggins in Strange Horizons. 
• "Telemetry" by Guy Lingham in Wyldblood.
  
• "Obera" by Florence Onyango in Omenana
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine.
• Watch a trailer for Kalki 2898 AD 
• Watch a trailer for Kite Man: Hell Yeah!   
• Watch a trailer for Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
  
• Watch a trailer for Bando Stone and The New World