It's
time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting
links
about speculative
fiction from
around the web, this week with the best SFF books of 2024, Masters of the Universe in general, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, season 2 of Arcane, season 2 of Silo, season 7 of Outlander, Dune Prophecy and Dune in general, What We Do in the Shadows, Moana 2, Spellbound, Wicked, The Franchise, tributes to Barbara Taylor Bradford and Jim Abrahams and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Reactor shares all the new science fiction books coming out in November and December 2024.
- Reactor shares all the new fantasy books coming out in November and December 2024.
- Reactor shares all the new romantasy, horror and genre hybrid books coming out in November and December 2024.
- Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books coming out in November and December 2024.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories in which hope survives.
- Lauren A Forry explains why space is the perfect setting for a locked room mystery.
- Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories featuring plants and gardens
- W.R. Gorman shares her favourite criminals in fantasy fiction.
- Charlotte Batson claims that our world is a mirror of dystopian novels.
- John Self attempts to explain why Japanese fiction is so popular in the English speaking world.
- Rachel Cordasco talks about East European speculative fiction
- Meghan Herbst profiles Martha Wells.
- Muse from the Orb shares their appreciation for the Solomon Kane stories of Robert E. Howard.
- Robin Ann Reid explains how Christopher Tolkien's work opened up new spaces for feminist scholarship
- Bobby Derie has unearthed three letters to the editor that H.P. Lovecraft wrote to the Providence Journal in 1909.
- The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog share their appreciation for the fan writing of Brian Collins.
Best of 2024:
Tributes to Barbara Taylor Bradford:
Comics and Art:
- Paperback Warrior reviews issue 1 of the new The Savage Sword of Conan.
- Locus interviews artist Virginia Lee.
- Bradley Powers interviews artist Asya Yordanova
- David Barnett reports that David Cunningham can't find a British or US publisher for his new graphic novel Elon Musk: Investigation into a New Master of the World, because publishers fear lawsuits from Musk.
- John Freeman reports that Mega City Comics in London, UK, will be closing down after more than forty years.
Film and TV:
- Alasdair Stuart calls Identiteaze an unusual cyberpunk film.
- Hector DeJean asks if The Penguin is the bloody, nihilistic crime saga we need right now.
- Matthew Jackson calls Dear Santa a bad Christmas movie.
- Jim Vorel calls Rita a wondrous dark fantasy, in tribute to the horrifying reality of a 2017 fire in a home for troubled young people in Guatemala that claimed the lives of 41 teenage girls.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Fede Alvarez, director and co-writer of Alien Romulus.
- Zoe Williams interviews Kathy Bates, star of Misery and the new Matlock.
- James Whitbrook interviews Carla Shelley, executive producer of Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
- Patrick Frater interviews Chuck Russell, director of The Mask, The Blob and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
- Sam Merican shares Anthony Mackie's comments about taking over the mantle of Captain America,.
- James Whitbrook shares a brief history of forced regenerations in Doctor Who.
- Ryan Britt revisits the 1939 Buck Rogers serial.
- Joe Reid revisits the 1969 science fiction movie Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
- James Eatock shares his ten favourite episodes of the 1986 cartoon The Real Ghostbusters.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1995 Babylon 5 episode “GROPOS”
- Luke Buckmaster revisits the 2014 science fiction movie Edge of Tomorrow.
- Nadira Begum revisits the 2014 science fiction film Interstellar.
- Jesse Hassenger revisits the 2019 science fiction movie Alita: Battle Angel.
- Pauli Poisuo shares his five favourite science fiction movies where no one dies.
- Steven Thrash reports that DC Studios head James Gunn has defended making movies about alleged "niche" characters like Swamp Thing or Sergeant Rock rather than the umpteenth Batman film.
- Paula Mejia reports that several Hollywood celebrities have banded together to purchase the Jim Henson Company studio in Los Angeles, California.
- Marcos Melendez reports that Sony has alllegedly scrapped Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and that it's not known when or if the movie will come out.
- William Hughes reports that Hasbro is not planning to make any more movies based on their properties, because Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Transformers One allegedly underperformed.
- Actor Michael Villella, who played the killer in Slumber Party Massacre, has died aged 84.
- Actor Earl Holliman, best known for his appearances in Forbidden Planet, The Twilight Zone, Police Woman, Giant, The Rainmaker and many others, has died aged 96.
Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:
- Mike Fleming Jr. reports that Idris Elba has been cast to play Duncan a.k.a. Man-at-Arms in the planned Masters of the Universe live action film.
- James Eatock revisits the 1985 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode "The Curse of the Spellstone".
- James Eatock explains how a scene in the Filmation He-Man cartoon of Skeletor influencing a young boy to break window via his sheer evil personality was censored.
- Watch "Sucker Punch", an animated Masters of the Universe minicomic.
- Watch "Challenge of Jitsu", an animated Masters of the Universe minicomic.
Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general:
Comments on Star Wars in general:
- James Whitbrook interviews Jon Watts and Chris Ford, creators of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
- Rich Pelley interviews Daisy Ridley, best known for playing Rey in the Star Wars movies.
- James Whitbrook reports that Dune director Denis Villeneuve is one of those people who believe that the Ewoks ruined Star Wars.
Comments on season 7 of Outlander:
Comments on season 2 of Arcane:
- Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on season 2 of Arcane.
- Justin Carter and Isaiah Colbert share four things they liked and four they didn't about season 2 of Arcane.
- Diana Keng shares her thoughts on "Pretend Like It’s the First Time", episode 7 of season 2 of Arcane.
- Isaiah Colbert shares her thoughts on "Pretend Like It’s the First Time", episode 7 of season 2 of Arcane.
- Diana Keng shares her thoughts on "Killing Is a Cycle", episode 8 of season 2 of Arcane.
- Diana Keng shares her thoughts on "The Dirt Under Your Nails", episode 9 of season 2 of Arcane.
- Tom Power interviews Christian Lincke, co-creator of Arcane.
- Isaiah Colbert reports that the sex scene between Caitlin and Vi in season 2 of Arcane was originally longer and steamier.
- Isaiah Colbert also reports how the lesbian scenes in Arcane are being censored in China.
- Nicole Carpenter reports that Netflix is subpoenaing Discord to locate the person who leaked season 2 or Arcane and Squid Game
Comments on season 2 of Silo:
Comments on What We Do in the Shadows:
Comments on Dune Prophecy and Dune in general:
- Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on the latest episode of Dune Prophecy.
- Brian Tallerico shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dune Prophecy.
- Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Dune Prophecy.
- Jeff Spry shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dune Prophecy.
- Brian Davids interviews Alison Schapker, showrunner of Dune Prophecy.
- Cheryl Eddy interviews Aoife Hinds and Faoileann Cunningham, who play Emeline and Jen in Dune Prophecy.
Comments on Spellbound:
Comments on Moana 2:
- Peter Bradshaw calls Moana 2 a frictionless sequel that lacks genuine passion
- Jacob Oller calls Moana 2 lost at sea
- Amy Amatangelo declares that Moana deserves better than Moana 2
- Sabina Graves calls Moana 2 an exciting adventure filled with so much heart and joy
- Sabina Graves also discusses the end credit scene of Moana 2.
- Maureen Lee Lenker interviews Auli'i Cravalho, who voices the titular character in Moana 2.
- Brent Lang reports that Moana 2 had a record-breaking Thanksgiving box office opening.
Comments on Wicked:
- David Rooney calls Wicked a captivating adaptation of the popular stage musical.
- Molly Templeton calls Wicked mostly just fine and praises the performance of Cynthia Erivo.
- Ann Michelle Harris calls Wicked real world social commentary wrapped in memorable show tunes and a classic fantastical setting
- Haley Kluge and Katcy Stephan shares 65 Easter eggs, references and changes in Wicked.
- Stuart Heritage notes that a content warning for "discrimination of people with green skin" before Wicked may seem silly, but that it's an obvious racism analogy.
- Steve Vertlieb shares his thoughts on Wicked.
- Kate McCusker attempts to define the term "holding space", which has been popularised by Wicked.
- Chris O'Falt interviews Jon M. Chu, director of Wicked.
- Germain Lussier interviews Jon M. Chu,
- Beatrice Verhoeven interviews Jon M. Chu,
- Hedy Philips interviews Paul Tazewell, costume designer of Wicked.
- Matt Schimkowitz explains why the colours in Wicked are kind of muted.
- Sabina Graves shares some speculations about part 2 of Wicked.
- Caroline Siede shares her appreciation for the specific dance scene in Wicked.
- The Guardian asks if it's okay for fans of Wicked to sing along with the movie.
- Rob LeDonne reports about the New York City premiere of Wicked.
- Anthony D'Alessandro reports that contrary to rumours, stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande received the same pay for Wicked.
- Clayton Davis reports that Wicked might be a contender for the Best Picture Oscar for unknown reasons.
- The Guardian reports that Wicked has beaten Gladiator II at the boy office,
Comments on The Franchise:
Tributes to Jim Abrahams:
Awards:
- The winners of the 2024 Kitschies have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards in the science fiction category have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards in the fantasy category have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards in the romantasy category have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards in the horror category have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards in the YA fantasy category have been announced.
- The winners of the 2024 HWA Crown Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2024 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics have been announced.
- The winners of the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards have been announced.
- Mike Glyer reports that the SFWA board has approved the creation of two new Nebula categories for comic writing and poetry.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- T.R. Napper shares five pieces of bad writing advice from masters of the form.
- Jess Armstrong talks about the perils of researching historical mysteries.
- Matilda Battersby reports about Spines, a start-up that aims to "disrupt"book publishing via AI, but is basically a vanity press.
- Ella Creamer shares criticisms by various writers and publishers of Spines' business model.
- Abby Kirby explains how she brought fanfiction into the classroom.
- Kelly Jensen reports that the book Living Dead Girl by Sarah J. Maas has been banned from schools in a all of Utah.
- Andrew Albanese reports about a lawsuit filed by authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson about the banning of their children's book And Tango Makes Three in Escambia County, Florida.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Paul Weimer reviews The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt
- Marion Deeds reviews Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Peacekeeper by B. L. Blanchard
- Mark Yon reviews Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone.
- Paperback Warrior reviews Conan: Lord of the Mount by Stephen Graham Jones.
- Will McClelland reviews Out of the Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise
- Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson
- Clara Cohen reviews The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett
- Rob Bedford reviews Blood over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang.
- Chris Kluwe reviews And the Sky Bled by S. Hati
- John Mauro reviews The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
- Justin Blazier reviews Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Ian Mond reviews Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Usurpation by Sue Burke
- Jake Casella Brookins reviews Remember You Will Die by Eden Robins
- Marion Deeds reviews Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
- A.K. Blakemore reviews The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
- Mandie Griffiths reviews The Descent by Paul E. Hardisty
- Adam Roberts reviews Thirst by Giles Foden
- Niall Harrison reviews Playground by Richard Powers
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Cicada by Tanya Pell
- Marlene Harris reviews Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Stone Martyrs by Erik Hofstatter
- Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Model Home by Rivers Solomon
- Nina Allan reviews Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions by Nalo Hopkinson
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Cheer The Sick by Verity Holloway
- Marlene Harris reviews Feuds, edited by Mercedes Lackey
- Rob Latham reviews The Last Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison and J. Michael Straczynski and the 60th anniversary issue of New Worlds.
Classics reviews:
- James Wallace Harris revisits the 1958 science fiction novel A Mirror for Observers by Edgar Pangborn.
- Fiona Moore revisits the December 1969 issue of New Worlds.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1970 science fiction novel The Daleth Effect by Harry Harrison
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1988 The Deathlands post-apocalyptic novel Ice and Fire by James Axler.
- Paperback Warrior revisits the 1992 alternate history Fatherland by Robert Harris.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1993 science fiction novel Muddle Earth by John Brunner
- Brian Collins revisits the 1994 fantasy novella “Last Summer at Mars Hill” by Elizabeth Hand
- Alan Brown revisits the 1998 science fiction anthology The Good Old Stuff, edited by Gardner Dozois
Con and event reports:
- Jules Burt shares a video of the London Paperback and Pulp Fair in London, UK.
- Stuart Heritage reports about the exhibition Dune: Exposures in London, UK.
- The program for the 2024 Psychedelic Film and Music Festival in New York City has been announced.
- Runalong the Shelves reports about a stage adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, which is currently playing in Liverpool, UK.
- Dominic Patten reports that Disney will pay out a settlement of 43 million US-dollars in a class action lawsuit about unequal pay for male and female employees in its theme parks.
Science and technology:
- Chandelis Duster reports that the International Space Station had to adjust its orbit to avoid space debris.
- Josh Dinner reports that NASA has hired SpaceX and Blue Origin to deliver the components of its planned moon base to the Moon,
- Brett Tingley reports about the Blue Ghost moon lander, which SpaceX is planning to launch next year.
- Michelle Starr reports that astronomers have deduced what the interior of the Moon looks like.
- Brett Tingley reports that NASA scientists analysing the ice layer of Greenland discovered a secret Cold War era military base.
- Erum Salam reports that astronaut and engineer Emily Calandrelli had to deal with a deluge of misogynistic comments.
- Kaye Dee profiles the women of the Apollo program.
- Gideon Marcus reports about the Apollo 12 mission in 1969.
- Nikki Forrester interviews astronomer Desireé Cotto-Figueora
- Jim Buuermann discusses how technology is changing the nature of policing.
- Graham Brown discusses how the criminal justice system might deal with artificial intelligences.
- Chamian Cruz reports about a pilot program in Georgia that uses jailbots to monitor prisoners.
- Justin Jackson reports that a recent study reports that experiences designed to scare people such as haunted houses or ghost train rides may actually be beneficial to your health.
- Judith Tarr offers a quick survey of legendary Canadian lake monsters.
Gaming:
- James Davis Nicoll shares five fun, extremely distracting SFF roleplaying games
- Keith Stuart reviews the videogame Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- David Grandmougin reports that the movements of Pokémon Go players may have been used to train a new AI system without their knowledge or consent.
- Game designer Kory Heath has died.
Toys and collectibles:
Free online fiction:
- "The Vessels of Song" by Avram Klein in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Speaking the Sun" by Thomas Bales in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Technicolor Bath" by Raahem Alvi in Clarkesworld.
- "Unquiet Graves" by Michael Swanwick in Clarkesworld.
- "Ancestor Code Error" by Ai Jiang in Lightspeed.
- "The Ones Who Come At Last" by P H Lee in Lightspeed.
- "The Feast Night of Vengeful Ghosts" by Lavie Tidhar in The Deadlands.
- "The Soul Garden" by Rhys Hughes in The Dark.
- "Infinite Branches" by Mary Robinette Kowal in The Sunday Morning Transport.
- "A Guide for Your Journey to the Green Hills" by R. K. Duncan in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Shadow in the Eye" by Erik Waag in Swords and Heroes.
- "A Time Between" by Kevin Galvin in Future Tense Fiction.
- "A Book Is a Map, a Bed Is a Country" by Angel Leal in Uncanny Magazine
- "Standing Up for Grace" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trailers and videos:
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