Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 28, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, Captain America: Brave New World and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, Masters of the Universe in general, season 3 of The Wheel of Time, season 2 of Severance, season 3 of Yellowjackets, season 2 of Mayfair Witches, Doctor Who past, present and future, The Substance, The Monkey, the future of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the future of James Bond, the best SFF works of 2024, tributes to Gene Hackman, Roberto Orci, George Armitage and Michelle Trachtenberg and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Matthew Gabriele and David Perry discuss what castlecore and romantasy are doing with medievalism.
• Breanne Randall explains why she loves fantasy.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five futures where the US ended not with a bang but a whimper 
• Ratika Deshpande shares six SFF stories about grief and bereavement
  
• Zack Budryk lists five horror short stories that would make killer movies 
• Xueting C. Ni shares five recent Chinese SFF books available in English translation.
• Rachel Cordasco takes a look at French science fiction in translation that was published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in the early 1960s. 
• Premee Mohamed shares her appreciation for Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series 
• Molly Templeton declares that people should whatever the hell they want, not things they should read for some reason or another, but don't want to.
  
• Jennifer Ouelette reports that George R.R. Martin has co-authored a physics paper. 
• Science fiction fan, fanzine publisher and film critic Mark R. Leeper has died aged 75.
  

 

Best of 2024:

• Abigail Nussbaum shares her favourite SFF works of 2024.
• A.C. Wise shares her favourite SFF works of 2024.
  
• Graham Sleight shares his favourite SFF works of 2022.
  

 

 Comics and Art:

• Alex Puncekar reviews Dead Men’s Laughter by Will O’Mullane and Marco Perugini
  
• Lisa Brown shares a tribute to Edward Gorey for the illustrator's 100th birthday.
  
• James Whitbrook reports that DC Comics is relaunching Batman again.
• David Bloom reports that Wendy and Richard Pini, creators of ElfQuest, are donating 500 000 US-dollar to the Columbia University comics archive. 
  
• Tom Gould shares a cartoon on a libertarian librarian. 
  

 

Film and TV: 

• Adrian Horton calls Dune: Part 2 a true blockbuster that harnesses the full power of the art form and a beautiful film to behold 
• Camestros Felapton calls The Gorge a science fiction monster thriller with a dash of romance
  
• Haley Zapal calls Flow a breathtakingly beautiful animated tale about a determined cat, his idiosyncratic animal companions, and the devastating effects of a catastrophic flood on an alien world  
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Cloub Blog calls A Better Man possibly the most audacious — and beautiful — science fiction or fantasy movie released in 2024.
  
• Zoe Williams calls Wicked as authentic and credible as fantasy gets
  
• Jim Vorel declares that Portal to Hell can’t quite deliver the splattery fun its title promises 
• James Whitbrook calls Gundam GQuuuuuuX Beginning a fascinating re-imagination of an anime classic 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts about the latest episode of Invincible.
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Harley Quinn.
  
• Sabina Graves wonders whether the upcoming live action Snow White movie can learn from the success of Wicked.
  
• Jesse Hassenger declares that 2025 is a watershed year for horror at the Oscars. 
• Lorna Wallace lists six spectacular long takes in science fiction, fantasy and horror films and TV shows
  
• Martin Belam talks about how various animal species have been misrepresented in movies. 
• Ellen E. Jones interviews Bong Joon Ho, director of Mickey 17.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1995 Babylon 5 “Comes the Inquisitor”
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2001 surrealist thriller Mulholland Drive,
  
• Sian Cain reports that the Australian soap opera Neighbours has been cancelled for a second time after Amazon dropped out.
• Katie Hims laments that the BBC is steadily cutting programming slots for audio dramas. 
• Ryan Britt reports that showrunner David S. Goyer will be leaving Foundation after season 3 and that the show will continue to ignore the novels

 

Tributes to Michelle Trachtenberg:

• Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harriet the Spy, Gossip Girl, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Criminal Minds and many others, has died aged only 39.
• Benjamin Lee remembers Michelle Trachtenberg. 
• Veronica Esposito shares a tribute to Michelle Trachtenberg.
  
• Jon Blistein shares tributes to Michelle Trachtenberg from co-stars. 
• Catherine Delgado shares her favourite performances by the late Michelle Trachtenberg. 
• The Guardian shares photos from Michelle Trachtenberg's career.

 

Tributes to Gene Hackman:

• Actor and writer Gene Hackman, best know for his roles in The French Connection, Superman, Bonnie and Clyde, The Unforgiven, The Quick and the Dead, The Poseidon Adventure, Missisippi Burning, Crimson Tide and many others, has died aged 95 along with his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, aged 63, and their dog. 
• Ed Pilkington reports that the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog are being treated as suspicious. 
• TMZ reports that Gene Hackman's family suspects that the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog may be due to carbon monoxide poisoning. 
• Brian Baxter shares an obituary for Gene Hackman.
  
• Peter Bradshaw shares a tribute to Gene Hackman. 
• Lanre Bakare shares tributes to Gene Hackman from fellow actors and directors. 
• Ella Creamer takes a look at Gene Hackman's late-in-life writing career.
  
• Greg Whitmore shares photos from Gene Hackman's lengthy career.

 

Tributes to George Armitage:

• George Armitage, director of Grosse Pointe Blank, Miami Blues, Hit Man, Gas!, Vigilsnte Force, The Big Bounce and others, has died aged 83.
• Andrew Pulver remembers George Armitage.

 

Tributes to Roberto Orci:

• Roberto Orci, writer and producer of Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Transformers, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Hawaii Five-0, has died aged 51.
• Nellie Andreeva remembers Roberto Orci. 
• Matt Schimkowitz remembers Roberto Orci.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Ryan Britt revisits the 1990 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. 
• James Whitbrook revisits the 1995 Star Trek Voyager episode "Ex Post Facto".
  
• Avery Kaplan lists five Star Trek episodes from unusual perspectives.
• Rachel Carrington reports that Aaron Waltke, executive producer of Star Trek: Prodigy, has asked fans to nominate the show for a Hugo Award.

 

Comments on Captain American: Brave New World and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general: 

• Alex Wallace calls Captain America: Brave New World neither brave enough nor new enough
  
• Adam B. Vary interviews Julius Onah, director of Captain America: Brave New World.
• Armando Tinoco reports that Rob Liefeld, creator of Deadpool and Cable, has called for Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige to step down after the alleged failure of Captain America: Brave New World.
• Justin Carter reports that Tony Dalton will reprise his role as Jack Duquesne, who first appeared in Hawkeye, in Daredevil Born Again.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Germain Lussier shares a brief look at the Power Sword and He-Man's harness in the live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• Lisa Laman shares her concerns that the new Masters of the Universe live action will be at least partially set on Earth. 
• Allison Troy takes a look at the obscure She-Ra villain Acrobad, who was actually based on an unproduced Mattel concept figure.
  
• Watch a commercial for Bosch power tools featuring He-Man and Battlecat.
• Watch an animated narration of the Masters of the Universe mini-comic "Starmarshal".
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Aaron Couch reports that Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, is expected to retire later this year. 
• Borys Kit and James Hibberd wonder who might succeed Kathleen Kennedy.
• Mike Fleming Jr. interviews Kathleen Kennedy who declares that it will be some time yet before she retires.
  
• James Whitbrook talks about the Ghorman massacre, which might play a role in season 2 of Andor.
  
• Joshua M. Patton discusses the song used in the trailer for Andor.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Andor.

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1970 Doctor Who serial "The Silurians".
• Dais Johnston declares that no, Doctor Who has not been cancelled, in spite of rumours to the contrary.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of The Wheel of Time: 

• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Rafe Judkins, showrunner of The Wheel of Time. 
• Cheryl Eddy also interviews Rafe Judkins.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Rosamund Pike and Josha Stradowski who play Moiraine Damodred and Rand al’Thor in The Wheel of Time.
• Melody McCune interviews Ayoola Smart and Ceara Coveney, who play Aviendha and Elayne Trakand in The Wheel of Time.
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Wheel of Time castmembers Sophie Okonedo, Daniel Henney, Dónal Finn, Marcus Rutherford, Ayoola Smart and Ceara Coveney
  

 

Comments on The Substance:

• Paul MacInnes explains why why The Substance should win the Best Picture Oscar, though it doesn't stand a chance.
  
• A.A. Dowd wonders whether The Substance is the grossest movie ever nominated for Best Picture  
• Dan Persons calls The Substance a different brand of exploitation film
  

 

Comments on The Monkey: 

• Haley Zapal calls The Monkey a darkly funny adaptation of the classic Stephen King short story about a demonic toy
• Jacob Oller calls The Monkey a gonzo midnight horror film where death is just another punch line. 
  
• Leah Schnelbach calls The Monkey the perfect comedy for our times
  

 

Comments on season 3 of Yellowjackets:

• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Severance: 

• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Severance. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the  latest episode of Severance.  
• Tenacity Plys declares that Severance is the future tech bros want
• Joshua M. Patton calls Severance the unlikely successor to Lost.

 

Comments on season 2 of Mayfair Witches: 

• Hunter Ingram declares that Mayfair Witches finally gets weird in season 2.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Mayfair Witches.
  

 

Comments on the Future of James Bond: 

• Rob Davies and Mark Sweney report that Amazon has paid more than one billion US-dollars to gain control of James Bond.
•  Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin report that Amazon purchased MGM mostly for the James Bond rights and was frustrated with how long it took Eon Productions to get the next Bond movie started,     
  
• Andrew Pulver asks what we can expect from Amazon's James Bond.
• Benjamin Lee shares the reaction of former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton to Amazon acquiring control of the franchise.
  
• Olivia Lee reports how James Bond fans respond to Amazon taking control of 007.
  

 

Comments on the return of Avatar: The Last Airbender: 

• James Whitbrook explains the cycle of avatars in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. 
• Justin Carter wonders whether Avatar: The Last Airbender will work in a modern franchise world.
• Daniel Dockery celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender.
  

 

Awards:

• The final ballot for the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Robert A. Heinlein Award has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Japan SF Grand Prize have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2025 2025 Zsoldos Péter Award have been announced.
• The longlist for the 2025 International Booker Prize has been announced. 
• The 2025 inductees into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame have been announced.
• The winners of the 2025 SAG Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Golden Reel Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 NAACP Image Awards have been announced.  
• John Scalzi wonders what the sale of  Analog, Asimov’s and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction to a new owner means for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, which is currently sponsored by Dell Magazines, former owners of Analog and Asimov's.

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Ada Calhoun praises the much maligned book blurb. 
  
• Lanre Bakare, Raphael Boyd, Nadia Khomami and Robyn Vinter report that working-class creatives don’t stand a chance in the UK today.
• Lanre Bakare and Nadia Khomami also explain who counts as working class and why it matters.
• Jason Sanford reports that Analog, Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine have been sold to a new owner.
• The Wandsworth Times reports that several UK newspapers have launched campaign against AI copyright plans
  
• Jennifer Schuessler reports that the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, Georgia, abruptly cancelled several book events in response to policies by the Trump government. 
• Jon Blistein reports that the Indiana Republican Party has cut the funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which is intended to promote childhood literacy via free books for children.
• Shannon Maughan reports about a PEN America report about book bans in US school libraries. 
  

 

Interviews:

• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog interviews Brandon O'Brien.

 

Reviews:

• Runalong the Shelves reviews Future’s Edge by Gareth L Powell
• Kevin Tipple reviews Encore in Death by J.D. Robb
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Way Up Is Death by Dan Hanks 
• Niall Harrison reviews Mechanize My Hands to War by Erin K. Wagner 
• Bill Capossere reviews Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  
• Lynne Patrick reviews The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
• Bryn Hammond reviews Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone  
  
• Robin Marx reviews Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune
  
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews The Orb of Cairado by Katherine Addison 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Desert Talon by Karin Lowachee 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley
  
• Liz Bourke reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar  
• Alex Faccibene reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar  
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
  
• Crossexamining Crime reviews Twilight Falls by Juneau Black
• Chris Kluwe reviews Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf by C.L. Clark
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Thaumaturgic Tapas by Tao Wong 
• Tobias Carroll reviews Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Crows by C.M. Rosens
  
• Vicki Wiesfeld reviews Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
• Marion Deeds reviews A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson
• Mahvesh Murad reviews At Dark, I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca  
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews The Path of Pain and Ruin by Joel Glover
• Garrick Webster reviews Small Fires by Ronnie Turner  
• Mary Picken reviews Small Fires by Ronnie Turner  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Hot Singles in Your Area by Jordan Shiveley
  
• Paul Weimer reviews One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed 
• Marlene Harris reviews One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed
• Ann Michelle Harris reviews Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions by Nalo Hopkinson.
   
  

 Classics reviews:

• Martin Edwards revisits the 1957 gothic novel The Pretty Ones by Dorothy Eden.  
• Fiona Moore revisits the March 1970 issue of New Worlds.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1974 sword and planet novel The Hounds of Skaith by Leigh Brackett  
• Sam Reader revisits the 1980 cosmic horror story “Crouch End” by Stephen King
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 science fiction novel Ambassador of Progress by Walter Jon Williams 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 fantasy novel The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2014 science fiction collection Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2014 Elfhome urban fantasy novel Wood Sprites by Wen Spencer  
• Alex Brown revisits the 2017 Raksura fantasy novel The Harbors of the Sun by Martha Wells.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Cora Buhlert shares her experiences at the Marché Noir Retro toy, comic and games fair in Dorsten, Germany.
• The Gallifrey One Doctor Who convention in Los Angeles, California, announces that they will be ending their run in 2028. 
• Germain Lussier wonders what will be shown at the 2025 Star Wars Celebration in Chiba, Japan. 
• Chris Wiegand reports that a stage adaptation of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins will open in London, UK soon.
  
• Molly Young reports about an exhibition of objects that look like books but aren't books at the  Center for Book Arts in New York City. 
• James Bartlett reports that the horror shop Dark Delicacies in Los Angeles, California, will close down after thirty years.

 

Science and technology:

• Nicola Davis reports that China’s Zhurong Mars rover has found traces of an ancient ocean with beaches under the surface of Mars.
• Kaye Dee reports about the launch of Ohsumi, Japan's first satellite, in 1970.
  
• Jack Tamisea reports that the sewer system of Cape Coral, Florida, actually is inhabited by alligators and other creatures, unlike New York City. 
• Daisy Pearce wonders why cases of poltergeist activity are so often linked to teenaged girls. 
  

 

Gaming: 

• Megan Farokhmanesh reports that game developers fear that anti-trans measures passed by the Trump government might hit their industry next.
• German Lopez reports how China is censoring Marvel's Rivals and other video games. 
• Keza MacDonald wonders about the future of Netflix's gaming division.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Panthor action figure.
• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Catra action figure. 
  
• For Eternia reviews the Tweeterhead Masters of the Universe Skeletor and Panthor statue. 
• Brian Cave reviews the Mattel Turtles of Grayskull Hordak, Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection Hordak and Cartoon Collection Skeletor. 
• Toy Habits shares a look at some of the upcoming MASK toys from The Loyal Subjects. 
  
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Lego Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton set.
• Sabina Graves shares a look at some upcoming Funko Pop figures.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Sharper than Steel, Colder than Death" by Robert Rhodes in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Witch and the Wyrm" by Elizabeth Bear in Reactor.
• "What We Don’t Know About Angels" by Kristina Ten in Lightspeed.  
  
• "Celestial Migrations" by Claire Jia-Wen in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Poison Gardener" by Marie Brennan in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Extreme Sports Club for Octogenarians" by Kate Lechler in The Deadlands. 
  
• "Halfway Alive, Halfway Living" by Colton Kekoa Neves in Apex Magazine. 
• "If They Can Learn" by Wole Talabi in Omenana. 
• "Arachnomorphosis" by Beth Goder in Strange Horizons.
• "Necessary Things" by E.M. Linden in The Dark.
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Wednesday.  
• Watch a trailer for Nyaight of the Living Cat
  
• Watch a trailer for The Rule of Jenny Pen. 
• Watch a trailer for The Assessment.
  
• Watch a trailer for Control Freak.
  
• Watch a trailer for Clown in a Cornfield.
• Watch a trailer for A Minecraft Movie.