Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 28, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF of 2025, Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, Masters of the Universe in general, the final season of Stranger Things, Wicked for Good,  It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Sinners, Pluribus, Zootopia 2, Donald Trump inexplicably demanding more Rush Hour films and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Tobias Carroll shares indie and small press speculative fiction coming out in November and December 2025.
• Alex Brown shares must read short speculative fiction from October 2025  
• Clifford Stumme attempts to define the eight eras of fantasy literature. 
• Sam Reader shares six dark, chilly reads to liven up late fall 
• James Davis Nicoll explains why Saturn and its many moon are the perfect space opera setting. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories about the power of song 
• Niall Ferguson worries that if humans stop reading, barbairans will be living among us again. 
• Imani Perry and Tananarive Due share their appreciation for the works of Octavia E. Butler. 
• Olivia Rutigliano reminds us that Sherlock Holmes was a scientist as well as a detective  
• Genre journalist and blogger Sue Granquist has died aged 59. 
• Canadian science fiction writer Jean-Louis Trudel has died aged 58. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Charlie Jane Anders shares her ten favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2025. 
• Book Riot share their favourite science fiction books of 2025
• Book Riot share their favourite fantasy books of 2025 
• Book Riot share their favourite horror books of 2025 
• Book Riot share their favourite comics of 2025 
• Io9 share the pop culture they’re thankful for for getting them through 2025

 

Comics and Art:

• Paul Cornell, Stuart Moore and Chris Ryall discuss how they discovered their love for Marvel Comics 
• Sophie Austin reports about attempts to repeal a local comic book ban dating from 1949 in Sacramento, Califonia. 
• Olivia Rutigliano shares her favourite Far Side cartoons about detectives  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about a librarians versus booksellers tug-of-war contest.

 

Film and TV: 

• Petrana Radulovic shares all the SFF movies coming out in December. 
• Petrana Radulovic shares all the TV shows coming out in December.  
• Stuart Heritage shares his favourite TV series prophecies for how AI will end us all. 
• Angelo Delos Trinos lists the most controversial SFF movies of all time. 
• Su Fang Tham praises how showrunners Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz handle the inner monologue of Murderbot.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido declares that Captain America: Brave New World is not perfect, but deserved better than its lukewarm reception  
• Isaiah Colbert declares that the successes of Frankenstein and Nosferatu are the antidote to Hollywood’s franchise obsession 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Luc Besson’s romantic reimagining of Dracula ridiculous but watchable  
• Leslie Felperin declares that Primitive War features Green Berets versus dinosaurs in a cheerfully cheesy Vietnam war gorefest 
• Haley Zapal calls Keeper a slow-burning, dizzying and surreal descent into folk horror madness 
• Phil Hoad calls Troll 2 a mayhem-filled mockbuster 
• Tim Grierson calls Eternity a slight comedy that takes its love triangle into the afterlife 
• Catherine Bray calls The Creeps a reference-heavy and stupid funny mashup of Gremlins and American Pie 
• Shrai Popat reports about the documentary The Age of Disclosure, which claims that aliens really exist and that there is proof. 
• Dana Schwartz, Devan Coggan and Kevin Jacobsen rank their favourite Doctor Who speeches.  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1970 Timeslip serial "The Time of the Ice Box".  
• Tam Phan revisits the 1970 science fiction spy thriller Hauser's Memory and Joe Reid revisits the 1970 crime movie They Call Me Mr Tibbs 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1970 UFO mockumentary The Delegation. 
• Isaiah Colbert revisits the 1985 anime Angel's Egg. 
• David Smith revisits the 1995 animated film Toy Story. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Bablyon 5 episode “Conflicts of Interest”
• Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 1999 science fiction comedy Galaxy Quest.
• Isaiah Colbert revisits the 2006 South Korean kaiju movie The Host. 
• Sophie Evans revisits the 2008 science fiction show Fringe. 
• Caroline Siede revisits the 2012 dystopian film The Hunger Games.  
• Chris Broughton interviews John Carpenter, director of the 1974 science fiction comedy Dark Star and many others, as well as Brian Narelle who played Lieutenant Doolittle 
• Rich Pelley interviews Richard O'Brien, creator of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 
• Louise Griffin and Morgan Jeffery interview Russell T. Davies, showrunner of Doctor Who. 
• Jake Coyle interviews Brendan Fraser, star of the Mummy movies. 
• Justin Carter interviews the creators of The Mighty Nein.  
• Michael Hogan interviews several actors who committed memorable on screen killings.  
• Ben Child wonders whether the villain of the first two Avatar movies will switch sides in the upcoming third one. 
• Dave Roskin explains why so many modern Hollywood movies suffer from a lack of colour, inconsistent lighting and generally dark, murky visuals. 
• Steve Vertlieb remember Ray Harryhausen. 
• Indian actor Dharmendra, star of many Bollywood movies, has died aged 89.  
• British actress Jill Freud, who was the inspiration for Lucy Pevensie in the Narnia novels, has died aged 98.  
  
  

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Colt Crane interviews Tiffany Smith, who voiced Andra in Masters of the Universe Revelation und Revolution and who also wrote the Andra comic one-shot. 
• James Eatock reveals that Ram-Man was originally supposed to be of regular height in the Filmation He-Man cartoon.
• James Eatock explains some discrepancies between the broadcast version of a Filmation He-Man episode and an early VHS release.  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:  

• James Whitbrook reports that Christina Chong who plays La’an Noonien Singh in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and who also appeared in an episode of Doctor Who has an idea for a crossover between the two franchises. 

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Adam Chitwood interviews Leslye Headland, creator and showrunner of The Acolyte. 
• James Whitbook explains the history of the Stark Hyperspace War, which occurs a few years before The Phantom Menace. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things:

• Carly Thomas shares ten things to remember about Stranger Things before watching the final season.  
• Jack Seale declares that the final season of Stranger Things will have you standing on a chair, yelling with joy 
• Sabine Graves shares her thoughts on the first two episodes of the final season of Stranger Things.  
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the first two episodes of the final season of Stranger Things. 
• Saloni Gajjar also complains about the bloated runtimes of the episodes of the final season of Stranger Things.  
• Sabina Graves shares ten things she liked about the season 5 premiere of Stranger Things and four things she didn’t  
• Katie Campione interviews Ross and Matt Duffer, creators of Stranger Things.
• Samira Ahmed interviews Ross and Matt Duffer, creators of Stranger Things. 
• Dessi Gomez interviews Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown who pay Will Byers and Eleven in Stranger Things.  
• Tom Huddleston shares a Stranger Things quiz. 
• Rachel Hall reports that Netflix has crashed within minutes of releasing season 5 of Stranger Things  

 

Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.   
• Cheryl Eddy discusses a terrifying box which appeared in a recent episode of It: Welcome to Derry. 
• Meghan O'Keefe interviews Jason Fuchs, showrunner of It: Welcome to Derry.

 

Comments on Wicked For Good: 

• Ann Michelle Harris calls Wicked: For Good a grim change from the tone of the first film which ultimately leaves audiences with a sense of hopefulness 
• Molly Tmepleton calls Wicked: For Good a less magical return to Oz 
• Caroline Siede declares that splitting Wicked into two movies reinforces the fact that the second half of the stage musical was always weaker. 
• Pete Hammond declares that Wicked For Good flies even higher than part one. 
• Sabina Graves shares ten burning questions she still has after Wicked: For Good.  
• James Whitbrook explains the background for the frequent mentions of clock ticks in Wicked for Good. 
• Destiny Jackson interviews Dana Fox, screenwriter of Wicked and Wicked for Good. 
• Erin Vanderhoof reports that conservatives are upset that Wicked and Wicked For Good are supposedly a perversion of the original The Wizard of Oz film and the Frank L. Baum books. 
• Jesse Hassenger revisits the original 1939 fantasy musical The Wizard of Oz and tries to explain its enduring appeal. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Wicked For Good's opening weekend is projected to exceed that of part 1.
• Pamela McClintock reports that Wicked for Good had the best ever box office opening for a Broadway adaptation and the third best ever for a musical. 

 

Comments on Sinners:  

• Marcus Errico interviews Delroy Lindo who plays Delta Slim in Sinners.  
• Ryan Fleming interviews Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Annie in Sinners, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter.

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 4 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy discusses a particular cameo in Pluribus. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discusses how Pluribus handles Carol's career as a writer of romantasy novels and her reluctance to come out as gay.
• Matthew Byrd explains how Pluribus reimagines 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers for a generation with nothing left to sell out
• Nellie Andreeva reports that Pluribus has sets a record for the biggest Apple TV series launch 

 

Comments on Zootopia 2: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Zootopia 2 a just-about-passable family comedy sequel that might as well be AI generated  
• Caroline Siede calls Zootopia 2 a stagnant sequel with one stellar subplot 
• Germain Lussier declares that Zootopia 2 was never going to natch Zootopia and that’s okay  
• Inspired by Zootopia 2, Matt Goldberg explains why conspiracy theorists are such popular characters for movies and TV shows. 

 

Comments on Donald Trump inexplicably demanding more Rush Hour movies:  

• Peter Bradshaw reports that Donald Trump would love to see a fourth Rush Hour movie made for reasons best known to himself. 
• Adrian Horton reports that a fourth Rush Hour movie is actually in the works at Paramount after Trump demanded one. 
• Jim Vorel declares that we are apparently just letting Donald Trump greenlight major motion pictures now
• Stuart Heritage wonders which franchise Donald Trump might resurrect next after Rush Hour. 

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards for Science Fiction have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards for Fantasy have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards for Romantasy have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards for Horror have been announced.  
• The winners of the 2025 British Audio Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year has been announced.  
• The winners of the 2025 Frank R. Paul Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards have been announced.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Lynn Tavernier explains how asking questions can help writers craft inventive thrillers 
• Sarah Mughal Rana explains how her collection of dagger has influenced her fantasy writing. 
• Victoria Strauss reports about issues with the publisher Mango Publishing/Blushing Books/Bottlecap Press
• John Scalzi warns of fake author service and book club e-mails. 
• Hetan Shah reports that the British Library in London, UK, is in a severe crisis. 
• Winston Cho shares an update about the lawsuit of several authors against OpenAI. 

 

Interviews:

• Locus interviews Eden Royce. 
• Maya Gittelman interviews Joey Batey.
• Michael M. Jones interviews Jessie Sylva. 

 

Reviews: 

• Paul di Filippo reviews The Albino’s Secret by Michael Moorcock and Mark Hodder
• Ed Crocker reviews This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Murder in Retrograde by Greg Hickey 
• Stew Hotston reviews Alien: Cult by Gavin G. Smith 
• Alasdair Stuart reviews Project Hanuman by Stewart Hotston.  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Slow Gods by Claire North 
• Alex Brown reviews Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce 
• Marlene Harris reviews Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey 
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Nanny’s Handbook for Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes by Amy Rose Bennett 
• Paul Weimer reviews We Who Hunt Alexanders by Jason Sanford  
• Niall Harrison reviews It’s Not A Cult by Joey Batey  
• Jen Lucas reviews It’s Not A Cult by Joey Batey 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The First Thousand Trees by Premee Mohamed 
• Robin Agnew reviews The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
• Liz Bourke reviews The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso  
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge 
• Rob Bedford reviews Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell 
• Liz Bourke reviews House of Dusk by Deva Fagan 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Dust of the Darkness by Deck Matthews  
• Z.B. Steele reviews A Graveyard for Heroes by Michael Michel. 
• Ian Mond reviews King Sorrow by Joe Hill 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes 
• Niall Harrison reviews Archipelago of the Sun by Yoko Tawada, translated by Margaret Mitsutani. 
• Niall Harrison reviews Sea Now by Eva Meijer
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Essential Patricia A. McKillip by Patricia A. McKillip 
• Catriona Ward reviews Bog People: A Working-Class Anthology of Folk Horror, edited by Hollie Starling  
• Marlene Harris reviews How a Game Lives by Jacob Geller 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Brian Collins revisits the 1852 ghost story “The Old Nurse’s Story” by Elizabeth Gaskell 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1957 science fiction novel  The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clarke
• Brian Collins revisits the 1970 science fiction novella “The Region Between” by Harlan Ellison
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1970 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 
• Brian Collins revisits the 1975 horror novel Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 dystopian novel Benefits by Zoë Fairbairns 
• Esmay Rosalyne revisits the 2013 erotic fantasy novel Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat 
   
   

Con and event reports:

• The BBC reports that the TARDIS will appear at Stonehenge for a special Doctor Who Day event.
• Lanre Bakare reports about the exhibition "Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends" at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, UK. 
• Mercedes Milligan reports about the exhibition "Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends" at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, UK.  
• Ian Youngs reports that the Prince and Princess of Wales have met Paddington Bear at the Royal Variety Performance in London, UK. 

 

Science and technology:

• Ellyn LaPointe reports about attempts to save NASA's Swift space telescope which is about to lose orbit and burn up upon reentry. 
• Keith Cooper reports about NASA's proposed Roman Space Telescope. 
• Thomas Germain explains how certain words or phrases cause social media algorithms to bury certain posts or videos. 
• Kristina Armitage discusses what happens at the boundary between sleeping and waking. 
• Harry Sekulich reports that a court in Paris, France, has blocked the auction of the earliest-known calculator
• Scarlett Harris traces the origins of the witch hat. 
   

Gaming: 

• Aaron Jones reviews the video game Ghost of Yotei 
• C.T. Phipps reviews the tabletop roleplaying game The World Below 
• Newt Albiston talks about textbased roleplaying.
• Keza MacDonald declares that the X-Box 360 refined video games in 2005.  
• Ana Diaz reports that Pokémon fans are redefining the art of card collecting 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Adam McComb reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Retro-Punching He-Man and Skeletor two-pack.
• Toy Habits reviews the Masters of the Universe Origins Sketchbook Collection Mark Taylor He-Man action figure. 
• James Whitbrook reviews the Lego Star Trek Enterprise-D set. 
• Germain Lussier reports that the Hasbro Haslab Tron: Heroes of the Grid set failed quite spectacularly. 
• James Whitbrook shares his favourite nerdy gifts for 2025. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Little Thief and the Martyr’s Head" by J.A. Prentice in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Unmasking Of Fioha Dubhan" by Samuel Chapman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Dull’s Knife" by Liam Q. D. Hall in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Destruction of All That is Good and Holy, Otherwise Known as Green Beans" by Erin Ulm in The Deadlands.
• "Twilight Tide" by Samir Sirk Morató in The Dark.
• "The Cold Burning Light of Her" by Sam W. Pisciotta in Lightspeed.  
• "Operation: Grapevine" by Joel W. D. Buxton in Lightspeed.  
• "The Fire Burns Anyway" by Kemi Ashing-Giwa in Clarkesworld. 
• "Ratlines" by Brent Baldwin in Clarkesworld. 
• "Before, After, and the Space Between" by Kel Coleman in Apex Magazine.
• "Subsidence" by E. G. Condé in Future Tense Fiction.
• "Anémona" by Ana Hurtado in Uncanny Magazine

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Goat.