Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for June 20, 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, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Star Trek in general, Murderbot, Superman, Predator: Killer of Killers, The Phoenician Scheme, 28 Years Later, Elio, the live action How to Train Your Dragon and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books 
• Alex Brown shares her favourite speculative short fiction for May 2025. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for April and May 2025. 
• Jordan S. Carroll talks about reactionary futurism. 
• Zahra Huselid shares ten science fiction books readers at the beginning of their SF journey should avoid. 
• Alex Brown shares five underrated science fiction books about escaping Earth. 
• Laura Elliott talks about writing horror from the margins.
• Becky Stafford explains who horror writers are crucial in the right for the freedom to read. 
• Jenny Hamilton talks about subverting the common trope of the protagonist and their love interest breaking up in romance and romantasy. 
• Keith Woodhouse wonders about the future of climate fiction. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF approaches to calendars. 
• Lincoln Michel praises unlikeable characters. 
• Gideon Lewis-Kraus profiles Martha Wells.
• Cora Buhlert profiles German audio drama producer and director Cora Buhlert  
• Michael Willis reports about the 1946 all-women fanzine Black Flames. 
• Iris Zhao reports that the Chinese police is cracking down on mostly young and female writers of m/m romantic fiction for alleged obscenity. 
• Science fiction and horror writer and editor Al Sarantino has died aged 72. 
• Rodger Turner, conrunner, bookseller and co-founder of SF Site, has died aged 77. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Lesa Holstine reviews Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My Business by Arvind Ethan David, Ilias Kyriazis and Cris Peter  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon of an author’s visit to the lost property office

 

Film and TV:

• Ben Child wonders whether Thunderbolts* was always doomed at the box office 
• Monita Roy Mohan calls the series premiere of Nautilus a rollicking adventure.
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending of The Life of Chuck. 
• Z.B. Steele shares his thoughts on season 2 of Attack on Titan. 
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on The Gorge. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Resident Alien. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Librarians: The Next Chapter 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the penultimate episode of Gundam GQuuuuuuX 
• Ann Michelle Harris calls Bet a live-action version of the quirky anime
• Cheryl Eddy declares that Best Wishes to All proves that Japanese horror can still find new ways to freak you out 
• Leslie Felperin calls I Heart Willie the latest horror schlock made from newly expired copyright
• Radheyan Simonpillai shares his thoughts on Sally, a documentary about Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.
• Cheryl Eddy lists everything to remember before season 3 of Foundation. 
• Sabina Graves shares everything to remember before season 2 of Wednesday.
• Juno Dawson explains how she found safety in slasher films as a teenager. 
• Olivia Rutigliano shares strange international film posters for classic crime and horror movies.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares Charlize Theron’s six best genre roles  
• Isaiah Colbert interviews Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo, stars of K-Pop Demon Hunters.
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1985 post-apocalyptic film The Quiet Earth. 
• Germain Lussier revisits the 1990 science fiction horror filmn Predator 2. 
• Dylan B. Jones revisits the 1993 dinosaur movie Jurassic Park and explains why it is belowed among gay men. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1996 Babylon 5 episode “A Late Delivery From Avalon”  
• Justin Carter revisits the 2005 superhero movie Batman Begins. 
• Chris McPherson shares Michael Sheen's comments about season 3 of Good Omens being truncated into a single 90-minute movie following the sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman. 
• Dani Anguiano reports that actors and filmmaker Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual harassment and workplace gender violence. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Justin Carters shares a glimpse of Nicholas Galitzine in costume as He-Man in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• Ryan Britt interviews Dolph Lundgren who played He-Man in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie. 
• James Eatock takes a look at some of the oddities of the title cards of the Filmation He-Man and She-Ra cartoons.

 

Comments on Andor and Star Wars in general: 

• Phoebe Wagner shares her thoughts on episode 7 of season 2 of Andor. 
• Toussaint Egan shares the real world inspirations for some of the settings of Andor.
• Drew Taylor interviews Tony Gilroy, showrunner of Andor. 
• Maggie Lovitt inerviews Temuera Morrison who plays Boba Fett and Jango Fett in the various Star Wars movies and TV series. 
• Germain Lussier shares Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy's thoughts on the future of Star Wars. 
• Molly Edwards reports that the first print of the original Star Wars has been screened for the first time in decades. 
• James Hibberd watched the screening of the original 1977 Star Wars print and finds that it looks like a completely different movie. 

 

 Comments on Murderbot:  

• Alex Brown shares their thoughts on “Command Feed”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on “Command Feed”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on “Command Feed”, the latest episode of Murderbot.
• Carl Ayers interviews Noma Dumezweni who plays Dr. Mensah in Murderbot. 

 

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

• Melody McCune shares her favourite episodes from series 15 of Doctor Who.
• James Whitbrook reports that showrunner Russell T. Davies remains vague about the future of Doctor Who following the end of series 15. 

 

Comments on Superman: 

• Brian Hiatt interviews James Gunn, director of Superman and head of DC Studios. 
• Amanda Seyfried interviews Rachel Brosnahan who plays Lois Lane in Superman. 
• Nick Romano interviews Edi Gathegi who plays Mister Terrific in Superman.
• Alix Strauss interviews Dana Schneider who designed the jewellery worn by Lois Lane in Superman. 
• Zack Sharf shares James Gunn's response to Zack Snyder fans planning to review-bomb Superman. 
• Wesley Yin-Poole reports that the Subreddit where Zack Snyder fans posted a call to review bomb Superman have distanced themselves from this. 

 

Comments on Star Trek in general: 

• Elijah Gonzales calls season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fun, pulpy and thoroughly itself
• Jeremy Mathai interviews Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, producers and showrunners of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds..
• Avery Kaplan revisits the 1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Outcast". 

 

Comments on 28 Years Later: 

• Germain Lussier calls 28 Years Later an incredibly tense, thoroughly fascinating zombie tale
• Peter Bradshaw calls 28 Years Later a badass threequel
• Jacob Oller declares that 28 Years Later necessarily expands in scope as a coming-of-age saga seen through the eyes of a generation born into a ruined world
• Jesse Hassenger declares that 28 Years Later isn’t too long for a super-sized zombie sequel
• The AV-Club lists 28 movies inspired by 28 Days Later  

 

Comments on The Phoenician Scheme:

• Haley Zapal calls The Phoenician Scheme a solid, well composed entry in the Wes Anderson canon, though it lacks the emotional depth of some of his older films
• Tanjil Rashid declares that The Phoenician Scheme is fantasy, but also a remarkable engagement with the real-life conflict in the Middle East  
• Kimberly Pierce shares her thoughts on The Phoenician Scheme.  

 

Comments on the live action How To Train Your Dragon: 

• Ashley Spencer reports how the live action version of How To Train Your Dragon came to be,
• Justin Carter reports that in spite of bad reviews, the live action How To Train Your Dragon is a box office success. 

 

Comments on Elio:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Elio a goofy, giddy guide to the galaxy that offers charm and vulnerability  
• Jesse Hassenger calls Elio an inventive science fiction mash-up
• Sabina Graves declares that Elio shines with science fiction sincerity and heart  
• Amy Amatangelo calls Elio a lightweight summer diversion 

 

 Awards:

• The winners of the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards have been announced.  
• The winners of the 2025 Robert E. Howard Awards have been annunced, 
• The shortlist for the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been announced.  
• The finalists for the 2025 Mythopoeic Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Premios Kelvin 505 have been announced.
• The longlist for the 2025 Sunburst Award has been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2025 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize has been announced 
• The winners of the winners of the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival have been announced.  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Lauren Myracle explains how writing for kids taught her exactly what she needed to know to write for adults, especially when it came to thrillers.
• Gerri Lewis talks about the craft of creating and incorporating background details that enrich a mystery. 
• Lee Cole explains what it means to be a working class writer at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop? 
• Jason Sanford has expanded his Genre Grapevine column with a column focussed on generative AI.
• Jim Milliot reports that audiobook sales have risen by thirteen percent in 2024. 
• Ella Creamer reports that the revenue from audio books in the UK has risen by almost a third in 2024. 
• Ed Nawotka reports that three British aerospace executives have formed the science fiction publisher Factorial Books. 
• Anthony Aycock explains how a single court case could determine the future of book banning in America  
• Dalya Alberge reports that the British Library will symbolically reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reader pass, 130 years after it was cancelled following Wilde's conviction for "gross indecency".

 

Interviews:

• Alex Dueben interviews Malka Older. 
• Mark Yon interviews Peter F. Hamilton. 
• Paul Weimer interviews Natania Barron
• Z.B. Steele interviews James Lloyd Dulin 

 

Reviews: 

• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi 
• James Wallace Harris reviews The Last Astronaut by David Wellington. 
• Alex Brown reviews Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Esperance by Adam Oyebanji  
• Marlene Harris reviews Esperance by Adam Oyebanji 
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews Circular Motion by Alex Foster
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews Transmentation | Transience by Darkly Lem 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Lady, The Tiger And the Girl Who Loved Death by Helen Marshall  
• Marlene Harris reviews Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler 
• Raven Crime Reads reviews Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver.  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab  
• Alex Brown reviews When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley 
• Niall Harrison reviews City of All Seasons by Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whiteley
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews We Seek No Kings by T. Thorn Coyle 
• Fiona Denton reviews A Song of Legends Lost by M. H. Ayinde 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Case Of The Singer And The Showgirl by Lisa Hall   
• Arley Sorg reviews The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Vianne by Joanne Harris  
• Archita Mittra reviews Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Bitter Drink by Azalea Forrest 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Anima Rising by Christopher Moore 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Annie Bot by Sierra Greer 
• Marlene Harris reviews Behooved by M. Stevenson 
• John Mauro reviews Hostile by Luke Scull 
• Marion Deeds reviews The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Maryneal 1962 by Abigail F. Taylor 
• Alex Wallace reviews  Manchukuo 1987 by Yoshimi Red 
• Ian Mond reviews Exit Zero: Stories by Marie-Helene Bertino 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Disgraced Return of The Kap’s Needle by Renan Bernardo 
• Bill Capossere reviews Penelope’s Bones: A New History of Homer’s World Through the Women Written Out of It by Emily Hauser
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1893 horror story  “The Damned Thing” by Ambrose Bierce
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1925 lost world novel The Living Death and the 1927 lost world novel Drome by John Martin Leahy 
• Dave Hook revisits the 1949 anthology From Off This World: Gems of Science Fiction Chosen from “Hall of Fame Classics“, edited by Oscar J. Friend and Leo Margulies 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1959 horror story "The Howling Man" by Charles Beaumont.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 Conan sword and sorcery collection Conan the Usurper by Robert E. Howard.  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the July 1970 issue of Vision of Tomorrow. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1970 science fiction novels The Ships of Durostorum by Kenneth Bulmer and Alton's Unguessable by Jeff Sutton, George Pritchard revisits the 1970 post-apocalyptic novel Tiltangle by R.W. Mackelworth, Gideon Marcus revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Year of the Quiet Sun by Wilson Tucker, Fiona Moore revisits the 1970 translation of the Polish science fiction novel Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, translated from the French by Joanna Kilmartin and Steve Cox and Maureen Hogan revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Indoctrinaire by Christopher Priest
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1975 science fiction collection Homeward and Beyond by Poul Anderson  
• Bobby Derie revisits the 1986 memoir One Who Walked Alone by Novalyne Price Ellis and attempts to answer the question how fictional her account of her relationship with Robert E. Howard is.
• Christopher Lockett revisits the 1988 Discworld fantasy novel Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1990 cyberpunk story “Fool to Believe” by Pat Cadigan 
• Matt Schimkowitz revisits the 1995 horror movie Demon Knight. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1997 Company time travel novel In The Garden of Iden by Kage Baker 
   

 Con and event reports:

• Locus reports about the 2025 Norwescon in Seattle, Washington.
• Preston Grassmann reports about the 2025 Hal-Con in Kawasaki, Japan.
• Archipelacon 2, the 2025 Eurocon in Marieham, Finland, has posted its program 
• Nathan Grayson reports about the 2025 Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, California, and the surreal experience of attending a con while massive protests are going on all over the city. 
• Funduk TV shares a video of the 2025 Fancon in Kiev, Ukraine. 
• The British Fantasy Society announces an online convention as a preview for the 2025 World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, UK. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Terry Fong, bid chair for the 2027 Worldcon bid for Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has stepped down for personal reasons.   
• Isabel Dempsey reports that the publisher Hodderscape and Lucy's Book Club are launching a series of fantasy book events.  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Strange Horizons is looking for funding for 2026. 

 

Science and technology:

• Andrew Liszewski reports that Honda has successfully launched and landed its own reusable rocket  
• Sonja Anderson reports that archaeologists are recreating the long-lost recipe for Egyptian Blue, the world’s oldest known synthetic pigment
• Jerry C. Drake reports about the never solved 1908 murder of Hazel Drew in upstate New York, which inspired the TV-show Twin Peaks.  
   

Gaming: 

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the tabletop RPG When The Walls Fall by Molomoot Games.
• Keith Stuart reports that Ian Proulx, cofounder of 1047 Games, caused some controversy with a tone-deaf promotion for the first person shooter Splitgate 2. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe x Thundercats action figure Lion-O. 
• Jay Glatfelter reviews the Mondo Real Ghostbusters Peter Venkman and Samhain action figures. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Revenge of the Sith Anakin and Obi-Wan duel two-pack, which will be an exclusive for San Diego Comic Con.
• Abe Apfel shares a look at a fan-built LEGO MC80 Mon Calamari Cruiser  
• James Whitbrook reports that Lego is making an official godzilla set 
• Andreas Wiseman reports that Mattel and OpenAI have partnered to develop AI-powered toys. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A Week at the Raven Feather Salon" by Carrie Vaughn in Lightspeed.
• "See Now the Misfortune of the Thinking Tenax" by Lowry Poletti in Lightspeed.  
• "The Hero of Glasire" by Becca Dwight in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Skull of Siyaj Kek" by Greg Mele in Swords and Heroes.
• "We are the Abikus" by Ogochukwu Bibiana Ossai in The Dark. 
• "Faces of the Antipode" by Matthew Marcus in Clarkesworld. 
•  "The Last Lunar New Year" by Derek Künsken in Clarkesworld.
• "Highway 1, Past Hope" by Maria Haskins in The Deadlands. 
• "All the World Is Fog" by DaVaun Sanders in Uncanny Magazine  
• "Because I Held His Name Like a Key" by Aimee Ogden in Strange Horizons. 
• "The Name Ziya" by Wen-Yi Lee in Reactor. 
• "Edgar Addison, the Author of Dévorer (1862-1933)" by Ben Peek in Nightmare Magazine.  
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer. 
• Watch a trailer for In Your Dreams.
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Squid Game. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of The Sandman.