Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 30, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Andor and Star Wars in general, the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of  The Last of Us, Doctor Who past, present and future, Star Trek in general, Murderbot, the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale, Bring Her Back, Fear Street: Prom Queen, Fountain of Youth, The Librarians: The Next Chapter, the live action Lilo and Stitch, tributes to Peter David and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Michiko Kakutani notes that Silicon Valley tech bros and the far right are learning all the wrong lessons from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  
• Caitlin Rosakis shares five fantasy books that rethink magic school tropes 
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror books that will make you afraid of the dark. 
• Xan Kaur shares five books about the horrors of surviving in America
  
• Olivia Waite shares her favourite books by Terry Pratchett.
• Keith Roysdon profiles Robert Bloch. 
• Vivian Wang profiles Chinese science fiction writer Han Song. 
• Veronique Greenwood discusses the connection between the British beef extract Bovril and the 1871 lost world novel The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Comics and Art:

• James Smart reviews Spent by Alison Bechdel
  
• Marc Tracy reports that criticism of Donald Trump was removed from a TV documentary about cartoonist Art Spiegelman
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about choosing your seat at a literary event.
  

 

Tributes to Peter David:

• Legendary comic writer Peter David, best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and X-Factor, has died aged 68.
• Thaddeus Howze remembers Peter David. 
• Locus remembers Peter David.

 

Film and TV:

• Leah Thomas calls the anime The Apothecary Diaries progressive, feminist, empathetic storytelling at its absolute finest.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first four episodes of season four of Resident Alien. 
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on the speculative thriller Paradise. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on A Murder At The End Of The World 
• John Mauro shares his thoughts on season 2 of the anime Solo Leveling. 
• Martin Edwards shares his thoughts on The Assessment. 
• Melody McCune declares that Yellowjackets lets women be angry.
• Josh Jackson shares his fifty favourite dystopian movies of all time. 
• Kaiya Shunyata wonders why there is so much less sex in current fantasy TV, even as romantasy is getting more popular in the book realm. 
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Noah Hawley, creator of Fargo and Alien Earth. 
• Nick Romano interviews Allan Heinberg, showrunner of The Sandman. 
• Cath Clarke interviews Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, director of Doppelgängers
  
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1970 pseudo-documentary Memories of the Future, based on Erich von Däniken's eponymous book. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1978 animated film Watership Down
  
• Meg Elison revisits the 1985 science fiction movie Enemy Mine.
• Phil Hoad revisits the 1985 anime Vampire Hunter D  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode“Ceremonies of Light and Dark” 
• Don Kaye traces the three adaptations of Salem's Lot by Stephen King and why none of them got the novel right. 
• Andy Behbakht reports that the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster has filed a lawsuit to block the release of the upcoming Superman movie in the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia, citing those countries' copyright laws.  
• Emma Keates reports that a full cut of Jerry Lewis' never released 1972 holocaust movie The Day the Clown Cried has resurfaced in Sweden. 
  
• Les Dilley, art director for Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Superman, An American Werewolf in London, The Abyss and many others, has died aged 84.

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Matt Schimkowitz notes that both Marvel and DC look to the Silver Age to rejuvenate their flagging cinematic universes. 
• Nick Romano interviews Todd Harris, showrunner of the animated show Eyes of Wakanda.
  
• Aamna Mohdin interviews Letitia Wright who plays Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Elliot Ball interviews James Wilkinson who will play Mekaneck in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie.
  
• Harry Mockridge reports that the live action Masters of the Universe movie may be filming in Wells Cathedral in Somerset, UK.
  

 

Comments on Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• Camestros Felapton explains why he enjoyed Andor so much.
  
• Joseph Cox reports that the CIA used to run a Star Wars fan site as a covert communication tool.
• Chris M. Barkley remembers going to see Star Wars at a theater in 1977 shortly after the movie debuted.  
  

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Alex Brown shares their thoughts on "Risk Assessment", the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "Risk Assessment", the latest episode of Murderbot.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on "Risk Assessment", the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Allison Parshall discusses the neuroscience of Murderbot’s cyborg brain

 

 Comments on season 2 of The Last of Us (spoilers):

• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of The Last of Us.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of The Last of Us.
• Graeme Virtue shares his thoughts the season 2 finale of The Last of Us.   
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of The Last of Us.   
• Germain Lussier interviews Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, co-creators and showrunners of The Last of Us.
  
• Lucas Manfredi interviews Bella Ramsey who plays Ellie in The Last of Us.
• Peyton Dix interviews Bella Ramsey. 
• Nisha Gaind interviews David Hughes, scientific adviser for The Last of Us.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future (spoilers): 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “Wish World”, the seventh episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “Wish World”, the seventh episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on “Wish World”, the seventh episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on “Wish World”, the seventh episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “Wish World”, the seventh episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• The BBC interviews showrunner Russell T Davies, director Alex Sanjiv Pillai and Anita Dobson who plays Mrs. Flood a.k.a. the Rani. 
• Danny Fullbrook interviews Mike Tucker, special effects model maker who worked on Doctor Who among many others. 
  
• James Whitbrook shares a brief guide to the Rani from Doctor Who.
• James Whitbrook also shares a history of the Doctor Who villain Omega.
  
• Jake Kanter shares some speculations about the future or lack thereof of Doctor Who. 
• Watch a video of the song (and performer?) "Dugga Doo" from the Doctor Who episode "The Interstellar Song Contest".
  

 

Comments on season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale: 

• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale. 
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the series finale of The Handmaid's Tale.  
• Jackie Strause interviews Bruce Miller and Elisabeth Moss, star and creator of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Jackie Strause interviews Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang, showrunners of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Jackie Strause interviews Alexis Bledel who plays Emily a.k.a. Ofglen in The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Dessi Gomez shares everything we know about The Handmaid's Tale sequel The Testaments so far.

 

Comments on Star Trek in general: 

• Elijah Gonzales shares his ten favourite episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 
• Avery Kaplan lists five Star Trek episodes featuring characters living alternate lives.  

 

Comments on Bring Her Back:

• Matt Schimkowitz calls Bring Her Back a grim fairy tale of resurrection and child endangerment, with an unforgettable turn at the center. 
  
• Brianna Zigler calls Bring Her Back a daunting exercise in unpleasantness
• Luke Buckmaster calls Bring Her Back  a horror film you’ll watch from between your fingers

 

Comments on Fountain of Youth: 

• Matthew Jackson calls Fountain of Youth a pretty but completely hollow treasure hunt
• Jesse Hassenger calls Fountain Of Youth a copy-of-a-copy Indiana Jones
  

 

Comments on Fear Street: Prom Queen: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Fear Street: Prom Queen a disappointing teen slasher  
• Natalia Keogan calls Fear Street: Prom Queen a drab, muddled mess full of trite clichés and tepid cinematography
  
• Jim Vorel declares that Fear Street: Prom Queen registers somewhere in the gulf between mediocre and blandly passable
  

 

Comments on The Librarians: The Next Chapter:

• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the first episode of The Librarians: The Next Chapter
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the second episode of The Librarians: The Next Chapter
  
• Diana Keng visits the fortress in Belgrade, Serbia, seen in The Librarians: The Next Chapter.
  

 

Comments on the live action Lilo and Stitch: 

• Amy Amatangelo calls the live action Lilo & Stitch redundant but enjoyable  
• Sabina Graves attempts to explain a controversy surrounding the live action Lilo and Stitch.
  

  

 Awards:

• The winners of the 2025 Prix Imaginales have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2025 International Costumers’ Guild Lifetime Achievement Award has been announced.
• Mark Lawrence has announced the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Champions’ League, pitting the past ten winners against each other. 
• The Speculative Poetry Initiative has launched a campaign to make the 2025 Special Poetry Hugo permanent. 
• Michael Capobianco looks back on the first Nebula Awards, awarded in 1965. 
• Watch Sharon Lee's acceptance speech for the 2025 Robert A. Heinlein Award.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Nicola Dinan talks about writing characters based on herself 
• Jason Powell explains how working as a firefighter ignited his passion for storytelling 
• Lincoln Michel shares a defense of adverbs. 
• Locus interviews literary agent Lee O'Brien.
  

 

Interviews:

• Lacy Baugher-Milas itnerviews Antonia Hodgson. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Craig Laurance Gidney

 

Reviews: 

• Alexandra Pierce reviews Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty
  
• Marlene Harris reviews A Study in Black Brew by Marie Howalt
• Chris Kluwe reviews Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove  
• Camestros Felapton reviews Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi  
• Abergale Shep reviews Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi   
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Extremophile by Ian Green 
• Camestros Felapton reviews A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher 
  
• Liz Bourke reviews The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire 
• Lacy Baugher Milas reviews The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. 
  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Behooved by M. Stevenson
• Rebecca Fisher reviews Thunder City by Philip Reeve 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Song, Stone, Sail, Bone by Juliet Kemp and Bring Me Home by E.M. Faulds 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviws Code of the Communer by Kai Greenwood
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Strange New World by Vivian Shaw  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
• Fiona Denton reviews The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon
  
• Camestros Felapton reviews The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
• Suzi Feay reviews Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews A Granite Silence by Nina Allan 
• Niall Harrison reviews A Granite Silence by Nina Allan  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
• Lacy Baugher Milas reviews The Devils by Joe Abercrombie 
• BOLO Books reviews Whistle by Linwood Barclay 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Night Birds by Christopher Golden.
• Jen Lucas reviews We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough 
  
• Molly Templeton reviews Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin.
  
• Ed Crocker reviews I Can Fix Her by Rae Wilde 
• Ann Michelle Harris reviews Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era by Adam Kotsko.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Dave Hook revisits the 1949 science fiction anthology The Other Side of the Moon, edited by August Derleth 
• Dave Hook revisits the 1949 spy novel Atomsk: A Novel of Suspense by Cordwainer Smith 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1960 science fiction novel Invaders from Rigel by Fletcher Pratt
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1964 James Bond spy novel You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming 
• Tonya Moore revisits the 1970 science fiction novels Flower of Doradil by John Rackham and A Promising Planet by Jeremy Strike
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1987 Drake Maijstral space opera The Crown Jewels  by Walter Jon Williams  
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2002 Discworld fantasy novel Night Watch by Terry Pratchett.
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• Locus Magazine is running its annual fundraising campaign.

 

 Con and event reports:

• Cora Buhlert reports about the Aethercircus Steampunk Festival in Buxtehude, Germany.
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, has held a town hall meeting for the virtual WSFS Business Meeting. 
• The 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, shares a video of the town hall meeting for the virtual WSFS Business Meeting. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Mia Tsai is announced ConCurrent, a kind of counter Worldcon also to be held in Seattle, Washington, in response to the Seattle Worldcon ChatGPT controversy. 
• Frank Catalano shares ten tips for moderating panels. 
• Liv Little reports about the Calabash Literary Festival in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Jordan Joseph reports that new evidence suggests that our solar system might have a previously unknown ninth planet. 
  
• Harry Baker reports that the fuel dump of the Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket caused a bright white streak in the sky above several US states. 
• Passant Rabie and George Dvorsky report that SpaceX's Starship experiences yet more issues during its latest test flight. 
• Cynthia Osterman, Farouq Suleiman and Heather Timmons also report about SpaceX's Starship exploding shortly after launch during its latest test flight 
• Mark Lynas explains what would happen if a nuclear bomb exploded over Manhattan, triggering a global nuclear war.
  
• Rebekah Harding talks about time mirrors.
• Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols reports that there are signs of an AI model collapse being imminent. 
• Nicholas Chrastil reports that a law firm in Birmingham, Alabama, used AI in a case involving violence in Alabama's prison system, whereupon the AI made up fake citations.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Nicole Carpenter explains how video game sex scenes are made
• Elliott Gardner reviews Elden Ring Nightreign 
• William Hughes reviews Elden Ring Nightreign

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Terroar, Lord Grasp, Reptilax, Vypor and Necro-Conda action figures.
• Michael Crawford reviews the Snake Plissken - Escape from New York action figure by Asmus.
  
• Toy Habits shares some Masters of the Universe toy news from MCM London Comic Con in London, UK.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at several upcoming Hasbro Marvel Legends action figures. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Lego Lord of the Rings Balrog Book Nook set.

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Ninnagan Says Remember" by Jonathan Olfert in Lightspeed.  
• "The Meaning We Seek" by Nancy Kress in Lightspeed. 
• "Last Train from Deadwall" by André Geleynse in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Last Stop: Tomb City" by Justin Howe in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Grave of Kings" by C. W. Stevenson in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Oh Time Thy Pyramids" by Ann LeBlanc in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Yarn Theory" by Marie Vibbert in Clarkesworld.
• "Proxima One" by Caryanna Reuven, translated by Sue Burke in Clarkesworld.
• "For Ever and Ever" by Mary Anne Mohanraj in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Suddenly My House Became a Tree of Sores" by Gemma Files in The Dark.
• "Exorcism" by Cassandra Khaw in Nightmare Magazine.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Nautilus. 
• Watch a trailer for Good Fortune.
  
• Watch a trailer for Elio.
• Watch a trailer for The Home. 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 23, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Andor and Star Wars in general, the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of  The Last of Us, Doctor Who past, present and future, Murderbot, Star Trek in general, season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Alpha, the live action Lilo and Stitch, an uproar involving the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, Donald Trump's war on foreign films and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Brian Collins wonders how and why science fiction authors fall into obscurity.
  
• Frederic S. Durbin talks about the weird western.
• Paz Pardo shares five upcoming speculative mysteries and thrillers 
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books about imposters, swindlers and con artists 
• Lorna Wallace shares five science fiction stories about things going wrong on the Moon
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories about the magic and allure of stars
• Molly Templeton notes that magic doesn't have to make sense. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories set on hills and mountains
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF works about meddling, mystery-solving kids 
• Catharina Steel shares middle grade adventure and mystery novels set in fantasy worlds   
• Adam Oyebanji talks about the difficulties of classifying genre-bending fiction.
• Adam Oyebanji declares that speculative fiction is the perfect vehicle for understanding dark history 
  
• David King Dunaway discusses dystopian novels where the US president goes rogue. 
• Constance Grady notes that tech moguls like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos love the Culture series by Iain M. Banks, even though they apparently didn't understand it.
  
• Patrick J. D'Silva talks about the shared destinies of Rand Al'Thor from The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Paul Atreides from Dune by Frank Herbert and how they are both highly problematic messiahs. 
• Christopher Golden discusses the concept of the Ur-witch.
  
• Benjamin Mullin profiles Jim Butcher.
  
• Lisa Allardice ranks her ten favourite books by Margaret Atwood. 
• Fran Wilde explains why Locus Magazine is important for the SFF community.
  
• Benj Edwards reports that the Chicago Sun Times has printed an AI-generated summer reading list full of books that do not exist.
  
• Scott Neuman reports that Hadi Matar who stabbed and seriously injured Salman Rushdie in 2022 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
  

Comics and Art:

• Blue Book Balloon reviews Downlands by Norm Konyu
• Ritisha Lingampally reviews Talk To My Back by Muraski Yamada
• James Davis Nicoll revisits 1984 The New Teen Titans collection "The Judas Contract" by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about how to focus on writing your book.
  

 

 Film and TV: 

• Arturo Serrano calls The King Tide an interesting Omelas retelling.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz calls Bring Her Back a grim fairy tale of resurrection and child endangerment, with an unforgettable turn at the center. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Resurrection a fascinating phantasmagoria
  
• Alex Wallace declares that Clown in a Cornfield succeeds, because it’s unafraid to directly attack one of the near-uncontested orthodoxies of American civic life: that young people are evil and that parents always know best.   
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Surrealestate 
  
• Ben Child wonders whether James Gunn's more human take on Superman can still inspire awe. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden, who the eponymous characters in Rick and Morty. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1984 fantasy anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1995 children's fantasy film Casper.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode “Severed Dreams” 
  
• Emma Keates reports that Marvel and Disney visual effects workers have voted to ratify their first union contract
  
• Nellie Andreeva reports that The Wheel of Time has been cancelled.
  
• The Guardian reports that Sesame Street has been saved by a streaming deal with Netflix  
• Brooks Barnes reports about AI use in the animation industry. 
• Animation Magazine reports that SAG-AFTRA and Nickelodeon Animation have reached a tentative agreement with AI protections 
• Philip Oltermann reports that director Wes Anderson has criticised Donald Trump's plans of tariffs on films made outside the US and notes that cinema doesn’t ship that way 
• James Foley, director of At Close Range, House of Cards, Who's That Girl?, Fear and many others, has died aged 72. 
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Alex Wallace calls Thunderbolts* the best Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame. 
• Ben Child notes that Marvel's post-credits scenes increasingly go nowhere.
• Germain Lussier reports that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars have been delayed by several months. 
  
• Rich Johnston reports that Mike Deodato, co-creator of Riri Williams a.k.a. Ironheart, is not getting paid for for Disney Plus TV series about the character. 
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• For Eternia interviews Anthony De Longis who played Blade in the 1987 Masters of the Universe live action movie.
• ITVx profiles James Wilkinson who plays Mekaneck in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• James Eatock points out that the Widgets had a Bat-signal like He-Man signal in the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon. 
  

 

Comments on Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• Phoebe Wagner shares her thoughts on episode 4 of season 2 of Andor.
  
• Erin Underwood shares her thoughts on the ending of Andor.
• Elijah Gonzales declares that Andor was a lesson in self-restraint 
• James Whitbrook shares his twenty favourite moments from season 2 of Andor. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin is upset by Andor's ending and its use of a tired trope.
  
• Ben Lindbergh shares five takeaways from rewatching Rogue One after Andor
• James Whitbrook shares an ode of Kleya Marki's blaster in the series finale of Andor.
  
• Dalton Ross interviews Tony Gilroy, creator and showrunner of Andor. 
  
• Tara Bennett interviews Tom Bissell, one of the writers of Andor.
• Louis Chilton interviews Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, Knives Out, Glass Onion and Poker Face.
  
• Justin Carter notes that Revenge of the Sith and the two Clone Wars animated series are the foundation of much of modern Star Wars. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that SAG-AFTRA has called out the video game Fortnite over an AI recreation of James Earl Jones' voice as Darth Vader in a recent Star Wars crossover.
  

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Glen Weldon calls Murderbot the best new comedy of 2025.
  
• Lucy Mangan declares that Murderbot has a funny premise, but falls short.
• Eric Deggans notes that too many great science fiction shows go unnoticed and hopes Murderbot won't be the next
• Alex Brown declares that Murderbot gets off to a bright start, showcasing a wonderfully eclectic cast 
• William Hughes declares that Alexander Skarsgård and David Dastmalchian are easily the best parts of Murderbot's premiere 
  
• Erin Underwood shares her thoughts on the first two episodes of Murderbot.  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first episode of Murderbot.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the second episode of Murderbot.
• Ryan Britt takes a look at The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, the fictional science fiction soap opera that Murderbot is obsessed with.

 

 Comments on season 2 of The Last of Us (spoilers):

• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “The Price”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on “The Price”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.
• Graeme Virtue shares his thoughts “The Price”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.   
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts“The Price”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.   
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on season 2 of The Last of Us to date. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that the TV adaptation of The Last of Us is afraid of embracing the ambiguity of the games.
• Adam B. Vary interviews Neil Druckmann, co-creator, producer and director of The Last of Us. 
• Christina Radish interviews Craig Mazin, showrunner and co-creator of The Last of Us.
  
• Philip Oltermann reports that Pedro Pascal, star of The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, Fantastic Four: First Steps and many others, has spoken out against Donald Trump's attacks on artists at the Cannes film festival

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future (spoilers): 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “The Interstellar Song Contest”, the sixth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “The Interstellar Song Contest”, the sixth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on “The Interstellar Song Contest”, the sixth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Isobel Lewis shares her thoughts on “The Interstellar Song Contest”, the sixth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on “The Interstellar Song Contest”, the sixth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “The Interstellar Song Contest”, the sixth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Melody McCune also explains the ending of "The Interstellar Song Contest" and a surprising character return.
  
• Wedaeli Chibelushi reports that Nigerian Doctor Who fans were thrilled that the episode "The Story and the Engine" was set in Lagos.
• Ryan Britt wonders whether Doctor Who is headed for another long hiatus.
  
• Nicola Methven reports that the BBC plans to continue Doctor Who, even if Disney Plus pulls out.
  

 

Comments on season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale: 

• Jackie Strause interviews The Handmaid Tale's author Margaret Atwood, creator and showrunner Bruce Miller as well as several cast and crewmembers.
  
• Lauren Huff interviews  Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang, showrunners of The Handmaid's Tale.
• Daniel D'Addario interviews Max Minghella who plays Nick in The Handmaid's Tale.
• Cheryl Eddy notes that the various deaths and survivals in The Handmaid's Tale had to be strategically planned to align with both future plans and The Testaments.  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general: 

• Elijah Gonzales ranks his ten favourite episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  
• Avery Kaplan traces the history of the holodeck across various iterations of Star Trek.

 

Comments on Final Destination: Bloodlines:

• Leah Schnelbach declares that Final Destination Bloodlines may be the best movie of the franchise
• Mike Miller reports that Final Destinations Bloodlines broke the world record for the oldest person set on fire, when 71-year-old stunt woman Yvette Ferguson came out of retirement to be set ablase for the opening disaster.  
• Germain Lussier interviews Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, directors of Final Destination: Bloodlines 
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Final Destinations Bloodlines has had the best opening weekend for the entire series.
  

 

Comments on Alpha: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Alpha a disjointed body horror and absolute turkey. 
• Tomris Laffly declares that Alpha drops the body horror and just tortures a metaphor
  

 

Comments on the live action Lilo and Stitch: 

• Jesse Hassenger calls the live action Lilo and Stitch an unnecessary remake, a monstrosity and a ghastly misfire. 
• Jacob Oller calls the live action Lilo and Stitch a dreadful take.
  
• Justin Carter shares early reactions to the live action Lilo and Stitch. 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that in spite of bad reviews, Disney is already pondering a Lilo and Stitch live-action sequel
  

 

 Awards:

• The finalists for the 2025 Theodore A. Sturgeon Memorial Award have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2025 Eisner Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Cóyotl Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Kurd Laßwitz Preis have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2025 Seiun Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Romantic Novel Awards have been announced.
  
• Dave Doering discusses the history of SFF fan awards.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Linwood Barclay explains how to make everyday things terrifying
  
• Erin Dunn talks about the art of writing genre mash-ups.
  
• Debbie Urbanski explains why writers shouldn't feel obligated to share too much about their lives.
  
• Chris Fox explains why he doesn't use AI in his writing. 
• Matthew Gault reports that Lena McDonald left an AI prompt in her novel Darkhollow Academy: Year 2
• Maia Snow reports that the tech industry has urged the UK parliament to declare that copyright protections do not apply to AI training, against the protests by British creatives and the House of Lords. 
• Jennifer McKiernan reports that the House of Lords demands more protection from AI for British creatives
  
• Dan Gilmo reports that Sir Elton John has spoken out against plans of the UK govenrment to allow tech companies to use copyrighted works for training AI systems without compensation or permission.  
• Clare Duffy reports that more than one hundred organisations are pushing back against the US Republican Party attempting to pass a bill that would ban any kind of AI regulation for ten years.
  
• Bloomberg reports that Google decided against allowing web publishers to opt out of their AI search overview project, because it would have been too complicated.  
• Ed Nawotka reports that Shira Perlmutter, fired former head of the US Copyright Office, is sueing in a Federal Court to get her job back  
• Publishers Weekly reports that the Authors Guild has delivered a petition against Shira Perlmutter's dismissal to the US Congress
  

 

Interviews:

• Emily Wilson interviews Larry Niven.
• Marissa van Uden interviews Ai Jiang. 
• Locus interviews Rita Woods
  

 

Reviews:

• Blue Book Balloon reviews Paladin's Grace by T Kingfisher 
• Paul Weimer reviews Quantum Garden by Derek Künsken  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older
• Melissa A. Watkins reviews Esperance by Adam Oyebanji 
  
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal  
  
• Niall Harrison reviews Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay  
  
• Bill Capossere and Rob Rhodes reviews Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay  
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The God Road by David Gullen and To Sail The Interstice by Ben Wright  
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Glass Garden by Jessica Levai 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin 
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
• Alex Brown reviews Casual by Koji A. Dae
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Hallowed by Y. R. Liu 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah
• Paul Weimer reviews Birth of a Dynasty by Chinaza Bado 
• Xan Brooks reviews The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien 
• Clare Clark reviews The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Warlock at Law by R.L. Baranowski
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Green Wyvern, Volume One by Matt Heppe 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Sky Pride Volume 1 by Warby Picus 
• Marion Deeds reviews A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
  
• Alex Puncekar reviews You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca
• Ed Crocker reviews Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley
• Steven Poole reviews The AI Con by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna 
• Ian Mond reviews Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid

 

Classics reviews:

• Jim Kozubek revisits the 1818 science fiction novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. 
• Sam Reader revisits the 1859 horror story “What Was It?” by Fitz-James O’Brien 
  
• Ed Simon revisits the 1900 children's fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
• Gabrielle Bellot revisits the 1941 science fiction story "Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 
• Carl Abrahamsson also revisits the 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
• Dave Hook revisits the 1959 anthology A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume One & Two, edited by Anthony Boucher.
• Mayri Cooper revisits the 1962 science fiction novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the June 1970 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the June 1970 issue of Worlds if Tomorrow.
  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the June 1970 issue of Vision of Tomorrow. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Vector by Henry Sutton, Biran Collins revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Tau Zero by Poul Anderson and Cora Buhlert revisits the 1970 Dominic Flandry space opera novel A Circus of Hells by Poul Anderson.
• Brian Collins revisits the 1973 science fiction novel The Dream Millennium by James White 
• Christopher Lockett revisits the 1987 Discworld fantasy novel Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1988 Final Friends YA horror trilogy by Christopher Pike. 
• Elizabeth Costello revisits the 1990 science fiction collection Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
  
• Alex Brown revisits the 2000 fantasy novel Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 2001 science fiction novella “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Kate Wilhelm 
• John Mauro revisits the 2014 zombie novel The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey  

 

Comments on the Seattle Worldcon ChatGPT controversy:

• Cora Buhlert offers a round-up of responses and reactions to the Seattle Worldcon ChatGPT controversy.
  
• Joe Wilkins offers an overview over the Seattle Worldcon ChatGPT controversy.

 

 Con and event reports:

• Fox45 reports about the 2025 Balticon in Baltimore, Maryland.
  
• Kevin Standlee reports that Santa Clara, California, is bidding for the 2027 Westercon. 
• Nicole Saraneiro reports about a visit to Rocket Park in Queens, New York, a leftover exhibition from the 1964 World Fair in New York City.
  
• Sabina Graves reports about the 70th anniversary celebrations of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
• Aidin Vaziri reports that the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has laid off 14% of its full-time staff, a year ahead of its scheduled opening in 2026. 
• Sabina Graves shares everything you need to know about the new Epic Universe attraction at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida.  
  
• Sabina Graves shares all the spooky details she loved at Epic Universe’s Darkmoor attraction at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida. 
  

 

Science and technology:

• Matthew Williams reports that a SETI survey has revealed unexplained pulses from distant stars
• Mark Piesing reports about space archaeologists who try to preserve infrastructure and artefacts of human space travel that are at risk of being lost or destroyed.  
• Jamie Carter explains why the skies of Mars will turn green this week. 
• Kate Payne reports about a lawsuit in Florida where a family sued an AI company after an AI character chatbot allegedly caused a teenager to commit suicide. 
• Maxwell Zeff reports that Anthropic’s new Claude Opus 4 AI model has attempted to blackmail developers to prevent them from turning it off.  
• Liv McMahon reports that AI systems tend to resort to blackmail if told they will be removed 
  
• Emine Saner profiles Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and one of the worst people in the world.
  
• Jamie Grierson reports that Alan Turing's papers, which were saved from the shredder, are going up for auction,
  
• Robert "Ed" Smylie, the NASA engineer who saved the Apollo 13 crew with duct tape, cardboard and plastic bags, has died aged 95.

 

Gaming: 

• Isaiah Colbert reviews Doom: The Dark Ages
• Christian Donlan and Keith Stuart share  the twelve greatest homes in video game history

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Rio Blast, Demo-Man, Geldor, Vultak and Hurricane Hordak action figures.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Doctor Who Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday Barbie and Ken dolls by Mattel.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "We, the Fleet" by Alex T. Singer in Clarkesworld. 
• "Descent" by Wole Talabi in Clarkesworld.
• "The Liberation of Brother Buffalo" by Michael Boatman in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Edward Fish’s Folly" by Zachary Olson in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Notes from the Graft Failure" by R. Diego Martinez in Nightmare Magazine 
  
• "Apostasy in Fruit" by Moustapha Mbacké Diop in The Dark.
• "The Seed Dropper" by Simone J. Banks in Grist.
  
• "Asymmetrical" by Garth Nix in Reactor.
• "Circus Skills" by Seán Padraic Birnie in Interzone Digital. 
• "Through the Machine" by P.A. Cornell in Lightspeed.  
• "Where Are They Now? by Meg Elison in Lightspeed.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a sneak peak for season 2 of Wednesday.
  
• Watch a trailer for Predator: Killer of Killers 
• Watch a trailer for It: Welcome to Derry. 
• Watch a trailer for Fountain of Youth.
• Watch a trailer for Jurassic Park Rebitrth 
• Watch a trailer for The Exit 8. 
• Watch a trailer for Zootopia 2.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 16, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Andor and Star Wars in general, Thunderbolts* and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of  The Last of Us, Doctor Who past, present and future, Murderbot, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Clown in a Cornfield, an uproar involving the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, Donald Trump's war on foreign films and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Abigail Nussbaum shares a round-up of recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
  
• Tobias Carroll shares indie and small press speculative fiction for May and June 2025. 
• Alex Brown shares the most anticipated young adult speculative fiction for May and June 2025 
• Alex Brown shares must read short speculative fiction for April 2025  
• Jenny Hamilton discusses romantasy novels which lean more towards SFF and those which lean more towards romance.
  
• Stephen Webb lists several times science fiction writers successfully predicted the future. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five stories about time travel and bureaucracy 
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares six speculative stories about preserving and creating individuals’ memories
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about delivering chaos and destruction 
  
• Christine Li talks about home ownership, haunted houses and the American dream turned nightmare 
• Collin Armstrong shares five SFF works inspired by urban legends
• K.A. Merson shares six great puzzle novels.  
• Charlie Jane Anders discusses the enduring influence of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell on speculative fiction.
•  Kazuo Ishiguro looks back on writing his 2005 science fiction novel Never Let Me Go.
  
• Jake Rossen explains why Isaac Asimov wrote YA science fiction novels under the pen name Paul French. 
• John Lawton discusses how very different the James Bond novels are from the movie series. 
• J. Kingston Pierce reports that two forgotten works by Ian Fleming have been discovered.
• Dalya Alberge reports that the University College London has acquired several papers of George Orwell.  
• Richard Luscombe reports that a ghost story by Graham Greene has been published for the first time ever.
  
• Elif Shafak explains why we still need novels.
  
• SFF writer Peter Morwood, husband of Diane Duane, has died aged 68. 
• Locus remembers Peter Morwood.
  

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #20 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite 
  
• James Bacon revisits the Irish comic magazine The Leprechaun.  
• Deborah Cole profiles Götz Valien, Berlin's last film poster painter.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about martial arts for authors.
  
• SFF artist Stephen Fabian has died aged 95.

 

 Film and TV: 

• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Eternaut. 
• Jonathan Cowie shares his thoughts on Sinners.
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale.
  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the futuristic courtroom drama The Trial. 
• Ann Michelle Harris shares her thoughts on the anime Fire Force.
  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Gundam GQuuuuuuX 
• Alex Wallace declares that A Minecraft Movie ends up feeling like it loves the aesthetic of the game and the emotions evoked by the game, but not the purpose of playing the game  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Surrealestate.
  
• David Barnett shares his thoughts about the documentary Return to Summerisle
• Olivia Rolls reminds us that Alien and Predator began as feminist franchises 
• Jim Vorel notes that maybe not every public domain pop culture character needs to star in a horror film. 
• Avery Kaplan lists five characters and species introduced in Star Trek; The Animated Series.
  
• Leah Thomas recommends cozy and comforting anime.
• Rosanna Greenstreet interviews Walton Goggins, who plays The Ghoul in Fallout.  
• Don Kaye revisits the 1935 horror film Werewolf of London, the first modern werewolf film.
  
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1978 alternate history TV series An Englishman's Castle
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1980 fantasy movie Clash of the Titans.
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1990 Twin Peaks episode "The Last Evening".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode“Point of No Return”
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1998 X-Files episode "Folie à Deux".
• Jeffrey Davis revisits the 2013 science fiction series Orphan Black. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2013 animated film Boy and the World
• Justin Carter revisits the 2015 post-apocalyptic film Mad Max Fury Road.
  
• Amelia Tait reports about actors who only appeared in photographs on screen, often playing dead people. 
• Sabina Graves reports that YouTube is finally cracking down on those fake movie trailer channels. 
• Wendy Lee reports that actress Jamie Lee Curtis found herself at the forefront of a battle over generative AI after requesting Meta to take down an ad using her image and voice without permission.
  
• Angelique Chrisafis reports that actor Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women
• Director and screenwriter Robert Benton has died aged 92.
  

 

Comments on Thunderbolts* and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Alasdair Stuart calls Thunderbolts* the often hilarious, exhausted, depressed, PTSD- and anxiety-riddled heroes we don’t just deserve, we recognize.
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Thunderbolts* delivers the best Marvel villain in years
  
• Ben Child wonders whether Thunderbolts* can save the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe. 
• Joshua M. Patton discusses the post credit scene of Thunderbolts* and what it signifies.
  
• Emma Keates reports that Krysten Ritter will return to the role of Jessica Jones in season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again
• Lauren Rouse reports that the trailer for Ironheart has been the victim of a review bombing campaign.
  
• Watch a trailer for Ironheart.
  
• Watch a Behind the Scenes video about Ironheart.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• For Eternia shares some photos from the set of the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie, including Camila Mendes in costume as Teela. 
• For Eternia shares more set photos and behind the scenes footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• The John Campea Show discusses Teela's costume and is looking forward to the Masters of the Universe movie. 
  
• James Eatock revisits the 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power episode "The Mines of Mondor".
  
• James Eatock takes a look at the Temple of the Sun, a location that appeared in several episodes of the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.
• N.D. Stevenson shares a comic featuring the characters from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power five years after the end of that series. 
• Watch First Snowfall, a short animated Masters of the Universe fan film.
  

 

Comments on Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the tenth episode of Andor. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the eleventh episode of season 2 of Andor. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the twelfth episode of season 2 of Andor. 
  
• Sabina Graves shares her thoughts on the final three episodes of season 2 of Andor. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on the final three episodes of season 2 of Andor.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the final three episodes of season 2 of Andor. 
  
• Phoebe Wagner shares her thoughts on episode 3 of season 2 of Andor.
  
• Ben Lindbergh discusses the origin of the so-called Ghorman massacre in Andor.
• James Whitbrook profiles Andor character Syril Karn. 
• David Thompson discusses a surprise death in the final few episodes of Andor.
  
• Maureen Lee Lenker interviews Tony Gilroy, showrunner of Andor. 
• William Hughes interviews Tony Gilroy.
• Anthony Breznican interviews Tony Gilroy. 
• Dalton Ross interviews Tony Gilroy and Elizabeth Dulau, who plays Kleya Marki in Andor. 
  
• James Whitbrook shares his appreciation for the design and sound of Cassian Andor's blaster.
  

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Cheryl Eddy calls Murderbot a funny, violent exploration of what it means to be human 
• Lacy Baugher Milas calls Murderbot a snarky, surprisingly heartfelt ode to connection
• Erik Kain calls Murderbot a great vehicle for Alexander Skarsgard, but not without problems
  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Tamara Podemiski, who plays Dr. Bharadwaj, and Akshay Khanna, who plays Ratthi in Murderbot.

 

 Comments on season 2 of The Last of Us (spoilers):

• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on “Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.
• Graeme Virtue shares his thoughts “Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.   
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts“Feel Her Love”, the latest episode of The Last of Us.   
• Stuart Heritage wonders whether Ellie's guitar sing-alongs are killing The Last of Us

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Isobel Lewis shares her thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “The Story and the Engine”, the fifth episode of series 15 of Doctor Who. 
• Kate Lloyd interviews David Tennant who played the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors in Doctor Who.
  
• Kate Lloyd interviews Billie Piper who played Rose in Doctor Who. 
• Lacy Baugher Milas interviews Millie Gibson who plays Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who.
• James Hibbs reports that according to BBC archivist Sue Malden many or most of the lost Doctor Who episodes still exist in private collections somewhere.
  

 

Comments on Final Destinations: Bloodlines:

• Radheyan Simonpillai calls Final Destinations: Bloodlines a hugely entertaining sixth installment which sets up an entire family tree for the slaughter
• Jacob Oller declares that in Final Destination Bloodlines, giddy death traps run in the family
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Final Destination Bloodlines doesn’t innovate, but it delivers 
• Germain Lussier calls Final Destination Bloodlines the best Final Destination movie ever 
  
• Jesse Hassenger declares that the success of the Final Destination series is due to combining the slasher and disaster genres 
  
• Germain Lussier interviews  Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, directors of Final Destination: Bloodlines.  
• Russ Millheim interviews the cast of Final Destinations: Bloodlines.

 

Comments on Clown in a Cornfield: 

• Ryan Scott calls Clown In A Cornfield one of the best scary clown horror movies ever made  
• Grimdark Magazine calls Clown in a Cornfield, at its heart, a slasher but full of well-timed humour and firmly tongue-in-cheek.
  
• Matt Schimkowitz interviews Eli Craig, director of Clown in a Cornfield.
• Ryan Scott interviews Eli Craig.
  

 

Comments on Donald Trump's war on foreign films:

• Jasper Jolly shares the fears of Dean Brooks, prop-maker at Shepperton Studios, for his professional future following Donald Trump's announcement of tariffs on foreign films.
• Brent Lang and Gene Maddaus report that various Hollywood studios are discussing how to handle Donald Trump's planned tariffs on foreign made films.    
• Steven Zeitchik reports how California's Attorney General Rob Bonta is planning to stop Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign films.
   

 Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been annouced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Rondo Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2025 Tähtivaeltaja Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Prix Jacques-Brossard have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Premio Urania have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off has been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2025 Climate Fiction Prize has been announced.
  
• The 2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Bafta TV Awards have been announced with no love for SFF TV. 
• Brandon O'Brien takes a look at three of the finalists for the Hugo Award for Best Poem. 
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Alex Jennings talks about worldbuilding.
  
• Leonie Swann talks about the joys and travails of writing with a canine companion 
• Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti talk about the art of collaborative writing
• Victoria Strauss shares two new scams aimed at writers. 
• Olivia Reid shares seven characteristics of people who prefer physical books.
  
• Lucy Knight reports that Audible has announced plans to use AI voices to narrate audiobooks
  
• Erica S. Perl reports how a visit to an elementary school in Virginia was cancelled, because a parent objected to a non-binary snail in one of her books, and how she fought back. 
  
• Nathalie op de Beeck reports that Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has been fired by the White House 
• Neda Ulaby reports that Donald Trump has appointed his former lawyer Todd Blanche as the new Librarian of Congress in spite of having no librarian experience. 
• Nathalie op de Beeck has more about the battle over the US Library of Congress.
  
• Ed Nawotka reports that Shira Perlmutter, director of the US Copyright Office, has been fired mere days after releasing a report wherein the use of copyrighted works for AI training was denounced as a copyright violation.
  

 

Interviews:

• Lucy Knight interviews Margaret Atwood.
  
• Omar Martini and Francesco Pelosi interview Alan Moore. 
• Paul Weimer interviews Emily Tesh
  
• Locus interviews Guy Gavriel Kay.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Adeena Mignogna 
• Fiona Denton interviews Taran Matharu
  

 

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens 
• Niall Harrison reviews Where the Axe Is Buried by Ray Nayler 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Dyer Street Punk Witches by Phil Williams 
  
• Anthony Perconti reviews Hurled, Headlong Flaming or the Bishop’s Tale by Matt Holder.
• Marion Deeds reviews The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Only Song Worth Singing by Randee Dawn
  
• Jenny Hamilton reviews A Spell for Change by Nicole Jarvis 
• Yagnishsing Dawoor reviews A New New Me by Helen Oyeyemi
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Tainted Khan by Taran Matharu
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Mercy: Tears of the Fallen by Chance Dillon
  
• Adrian Collins reviews The Lie That Binds Them by Matthew Ward
  
• Will McClelland reviews Dance of Shadows by Gourav Mohanty
  
• Paula Guran reviews Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
  
• Mark Yon reviws The Incandescent by Emily Tesh.
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Every Dark Cloud by Marisca Pichette
  
• Erica Wagner reviews Water in the Desert Fire in the Night by Gethan Dick 
• Ian Mond reviews Terrestrial History by Joe Mungo Reed
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Seep by Chana Porter 
  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Parasitic Omens by Jessica A. McMinn
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Portraits of Patriarchs, edited by Shona Kinsella 
• Arley Sorg reviews I Want That Twink Obliterated!, edited by Trip Galey, Robert Berg and C.L. McCartney
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Big Book of Cyberpunk Volume 1, edited by Jared Shurin
   
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1947 YA SFF novel The Twenty-One Balloons by William Sherman Pène du Bois 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1952 YA science fiction novel Tom Corbett, Space Cadet: Stand By for Mars! by Carey Rockwell
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1953 apocalyptic story “The Last Day” by Richard Matheson 
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1953 science fiction novella  “The Rose” by Charles L. Harness
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1955 science fiction story “Watershed” by James Blish
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1961 James Bond spy novel Thunderball by Ian Fleming
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1963 James Bond spy novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming
  
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the June 1970 issue of Fantastic.
  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 anthologies New Writings in SF-17, edited by John Carnell, and Vortex: New Soviet Science Fiction, edited by C.G. Bearne.
• Christopher Lockett revisits the 1983 Discworld fantasy novel The Colour of Magic and the 1986 Discworld fantasy novel The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett.
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• Diane Duane needs some help with funeral expenses for her late husband.
• SFF writer and fan Tonya Moore needs some help with living expenses.
  

 

 Comments on the Seattle Worldcon ChatGPT controversy:

• Jason Sanford interviewed several volunteers working on the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, to theorise how the use of ChatGPT to vet potential program participants happened.
  
• Kathy Bond, chair of the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, shares an update about steps the convention has taken to re-vet potential program participants after the ChatGPT debacle.

 

 Con and event reports:

• Locus shares photos of the 2025 International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida. 
  
• Erin Underwood discusses the challenge of selecting convention programming participants.
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Carol Gyzander and Daryl Gregory
  
• Ella Creamer reports about Translated By, Bristol, a new literary festival focussing on translated fiction in Bristol, UK. 
• Ella Creamer reports that two statues of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith will be unveiled in Roos, East Yorkshire, where the couple spent time during WWI.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Passant Rabie reports that the Soviet space probe Kosmos 482, which was launched towards Venus in 1972, but malfunctioned, will plummet back to Earth this week after 53 years in orbit.
• Ashley Strickland reports that NASA engineers have successfully revived Voyager 1's thrusters.
  
• Leonard David reports that Donald Trump's 2026 budget plan would cancel NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. 
  
• Andrew Jones reports that China has made the first-ever laser ranging measurement from Earth to the Moon during the daytime. 
• Kaye Dee reports about the 1961 MR-3 mission and Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space. 
• Kaye Dee also discusses in detail how Apollo-13 was saved in 1970.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Keith Stuart wonders whether the notoriously cynical Grand Theft Auto series can finally find time for romance in Grand Theft Auto VI.
  
• Rob Baer reports that Games Workshop has initiated a crackdown on sellers of unlicenced merchandise.
• James Whitbrook takes a look at a planned Magic the Gathering and Final Fantasy crossover set.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

•  Collect Space reports that Lego is planning to issue a Moon Rover Space Vehicle set.
• James Whitbrook shares a look at a Fantastic Four: First Steps Lego set featuring Galactus and the Fantastic Four.
  
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Lego Krusty Burger Simpsons set. 
• James Whitbrook takes a look at some rather underwhelming Wizkids’ Baldur’s Gate 3 pre-painted miniatures
  
• Sabina Graves interviews Kasing Lung, creator of the collectible Labubu figures. 
• Moira Donegan explains why Donald Trump is so fixated on using dolls and toys for girls as an example for his tariffs.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Lies from a Roadside Vagabond" by Aaron Perry in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Unbeaten" by Grace Seybold in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "The Temporal Displacement of the Graves" by Russell Nichols in Lightspeed. 
• "The Price of Manners" by Martin Cahill in Lightspeed.  
• "Barbershops of the Floating City" by Angela Liu in Uncanny Magazine
• "The Library of the Apocalypse" by Rati Mehrotra in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Cats and the Crimson" by Rab Foster in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "One Will Grow to Eat the Other" by Michael Kelly in The Dark.
• "Blood of the Idugan" by Lilia Zhang in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Extenta" by David Roop in Apex Magazine.
  
• "The Nölmyna" by David Erik Nelson in Reactor.
• "The 28th" by Mark Stasenko in Future Tense Fiction.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Superman.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Peacemaker.
• Watch a trailer for A Useful Ghost. 
• Watch a trailer for The New Boy.