Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 5, 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, 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, Pluribus, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Zootopia 2, an uproar about Amazon Prime Video adding AI-generated dubs to anime series, tributes to Tom Stoppard and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares thirty-one new science fiction, fantasy and horror books arriving in December  
• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in December 2025  
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in December 2025 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in December 2025  
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in December 2025  
• Lorna Wallace shares five SFF stories that start with characters waking up with amnesia 
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF short stories told through articles and reviews 
• Bethany Jacobs shares her appreciation for the work of Iain M. Banks.
• Camestros Felapton shares his appreciation for the Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw science fiction mysteries by Isaac Asimov. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares things he wishes he had known when starting a book collection 
• Molly Templeton wonders what keeps people reading. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Matt Donato shares his twenty favourite horror movies of 2025.
• James Smart shares his favourite graphic novels of 2025. 
• io9 share their favourite SFF characters of 2025. 
• Vote in the Reactor Best of the Year Readers' Poll. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Rich Johnston reports that comic writer Tim Seeley has been receiving death threats over his depiction of Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik a.k.a. Darkchild in  X-Men Age Of Revelation 
• Paul Morton takes a look at the work of golden age comic artist and writer Fletcher Hanks. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Ajay Aravind ranks their ten favourite science fiction movies of the last hundred years.  
• Rai Furniss-Greasley declares that the latest iteration of the Frankenstein story, as percolated through Guillermo del Toro’s darkly wonderful mind, is not a ‘monster movie’ and that’s a good thing.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido calls Thunderbolts* an absolute delight — while also dealing with some serious themes  
• Natalia Keogan calls 100 Nights Of Hero an entrancing feminist fairy tale 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Eternity tries to break the mold, but only bends it slightly 
• Dan Persons calls Common Side Effects a surprisingly great animated science fiction series 
• Adrian Collins declares that Kill Lupercal showcases how good Warhammer 40000 can look on screen.  
• Ramon Antonio Vargas reports about the upcoming documentary Anne Rice: An All Saints’ Day Celebration  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discusses the recent popularity of horror movies focussing on old women.
• Ben Child wonders why Marvel won't let Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine retire in peace? 
• Oli Welsh lists six things that David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Dune did better than Denis Villeneuve's recent adaptation. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1950 science fiction film Rocketship X-M. 
• Josh Weiss revisits the 1971 Night Gallery episode "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture."
• Elijah Gonzales revisits the 1985 anime Angel's Egg  
• Asa West revisits the 1988 fantasy movie The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey.
• Simon Bland revisits the 1990 fantasy film Gremlins 2: The New Batch 
• Collier Jennings revisits the 1995 military science fiction TV show Space: Above and Beyond 
• Geoffrey Bunting revisits the 1995 horror film Castle Freak.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Rumors, Bargains, and Lies”
• Musicians Huey Lewis and Chris Hayes remember how their song "The Power of Love" ended up on the Back tp the Future soundtrack. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Sigourney Weaver, who played Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 about the fate of her on screen son Oscar from Ghostbusters 2.
• Sabina Graves interviews Bryan Fuller, creator of Hannibal, Pushing Daisies and Dust Bunny
• Rich Pelley interviews Tom Felton who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. 
• Callum Parke shares an update about a lawsuit over Lucasfilm digitally resurrecting Peter Cushing for Rogue One.  

 

Tributes to Tom Stoppard:

• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard has died aged 88. 
• Locus remembers Tom Stoppard 
• Eric Grode points out that the late Tom Stoppard worked as a script doctor on the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies among others. 
• Olivia Rutigliano also takes a look at Tom Stoppard's uncredited rewrites of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 
• Joe Wright remembers Tom Stoppard. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Hannah Gearan and Tatiana Hullender interview Nicholas Galitzine who plays Prince Adam/He-Man in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film. 
• Colt Crane reviews Masters of the Universe #2: The Sword of Flaws Part 1 by Tim Seeley and Freddie Willims II. 
• Mike Eakins reviews Masters of the Universe #2: The Sword of Flaws Part 2 by Tim Seeley and Freddie Willims II.
• Mike Eakins reviews the Masters of the Universe Andra one-shot by Tiffany Smith and Adriana Melo. 

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:  

• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1966 Star Trek episode "Miri".
• James Whitbrook shares how William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek, feels about the prime directive. 
• Laurie Ulster explains why the practice of the actors having table reads of the scripts stopped on Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things:

• Eric Deggans shares his thoughts on the first four episodes of the final season of Stranger Things.
• Nick Romano interviews Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of Stranger Things. 
• Josh Wigler interviews Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna in Stranger Things. 
• Mikey O'Connell interviews Cara Buono who plays Karen Wheeler in Stranger Things. 
• Adrian Horton reports that season 5 of Stranger Things has broken a Netflix viewership record. 
• Sabina Graves reports that in spited of breaking some Netflix records, season 5 of Stranger Things has not had as many views of Squid Game.  

 

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.  
• William Hughes 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.   
• Eric Vespe discusses the glut of Stephen King adaptations in 2025.

 

Comments on Wicked For Good: 

• Jason P. Frank wonders about a knit cardigan Elphaba is wearing during a romantic scene in Wicked for Good.
• Molly Templeton also wonders about Elphaba's cardigan. 
• Soraya Nadia McDonald interview Paul Tazewell, costume designer for Wicked and Wicked for Good. 
• Chelsea Sanchez also interviews Paul Tazewell. 

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Kelly Connolly interviews Rhea Seehorn who plays Carol in Pluribus.

 

Comments on Five Nights at Freddy's 2:

• Tyler Taing calls Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 a cynical horror sequel that runs on cheap fan service 
•  Jacob Oller calls Five Nights At Freddy's 2 an inane, sprawling sequel 

 

Comments on Zootopia 2: 

• Arturo Serrano declares that Zootopia 2 shows us a more complex side of its society, a deeper manifestation of the disguised prejudices that were already evident in the first movie.  
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Zootopia 2 is sitting at the top of the US box office and broke several opening weekend records.

 

Comments on Amazon Prime Video adding AI generated dubs to anime series:

• James Whitbrook reports that Amazon Prime Video rolled out AI-generated dubs for some anime series to much backlash. 
• Matthew Byrd reports that the studios which produced the anime in question claim that Amazon Prime Video never asked their permission before adding the AI dubs. 
• James Whitbrook reports that Amazon Prime Video has quietly rolled back their AI anime dubs after a massive backlash 
• Frank Landymore also reports that Amazon Prime Video has quietly pulled the disastrous anime AI dubs after a public outcry

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2025 Rotsler Award has been announced.
• The 2026 Worldcon in Los Angeles, California, has announced that they will hand out a special Hugo Award for Poetry again. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Tod Goldberg explains how to create a fictional crime scene out of familiar places

 

Interviews:

• Lisa Allardice and various famous and not so famous readers of The Guardian interview Margaret Atwood. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Naomi Kritzer.
• Locus interviews Dave Hutchinson. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Simon Stålenhag 
• C.T. Phipps interviews Matthew Dawkins. 
• Arley Sorg interviews  Ed Finn and Joey Eschrich

 

Reviews: 

• Marlene Harris reviews 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence 
• Mark Yon reviews Whalesong by Miles Cameron. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Hole in the Sky by Daniel H. Wilson 
• Paul Weimer reviews Bloodtide by Sophie Burnham  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews I Bring The Fire by C. Gockel 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Wolf of Whindale by Jacob Kerr 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mirror Marked by Vida Cruz-Borja 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Reign and Ruin by J.D. Evans 
• James David Nicoll reviews The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews What Stalks The Deep by T. Kingfisher 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Rainforest by Michelle Paver
• Colleen Mondor reviews Saving Thornwood by David Surface and Julia Rust
• Rob Bedford reviews The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry.
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Map of Lost Places, edited by Sheree Renée Thomas and Lesley Conner 
• Melissa A. Watkins reviews Sinister Societies: Six Novellas of Secrets and Horrors, edited by Linda Hartley 
• Alex Puncekar reviews issue 5 to 7 of New Edge Sword and Sorcery  
• Ruthanna Emrys reviews Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age by Ada Palmer. 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1945 SFF collection The Opener of the Way by Robert Bloch 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1970 issue of Analog. 
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1970 non-fiction book Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. 
• David Levinson revisits the January/February 1971 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction, 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 humorous fantasy novel The Incredible Umbrella by Marvin Kaye 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 Chanur science fiction novel Chanur’s Venture by C.J. Cherryh
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novel Fatal Secrets by Richie Tankersley Cusick
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1992 science fiction novel Aristoi by Walter Jon Williams 
• Clara Cohen revisits the 2012 The Rain Wild Chronicles epic fantasy novel City of Dragons by Robin Hobb. 
• Esmay Rosalyne revisits the 2014 fantasy romance Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat
  
  

Con and event reports:

• Chris M. Barkley reports about Starbase Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana. 
• Chris M. Barkley shares more of his adventures at Starbase Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana.  
• Mike Glyer reports that a team from Nuremberg, Germany, is bidding for the 2028 Worldcon. 
• Daniel Cooper calls The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live, which is currently playing in London, UK, an enjoyable mess 
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2026 Worldcon in Los Angeles, California, has added SFF writer, editor and poet Terese Mason Pierre as a special guest. 
• Dean Simons reports that the 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival has been cancelled over a funding dispute. 
• France 24 reports explains why the 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival has been cancelled 
• The 2026 Trans Atlantic Fan Fund is looking for candidates to sent to MetropolCon, the 2026 Eurocon in Berlin. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Micheal Kabunga, the chair of the 2028 Worldcon bid for Kigali, Rwanda, has been refused a visum to attend SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• Germain Lussier reports that a statue of Robocop has been set up in Detroit, Michigan. 

 

Science and technology:

• Nell Greenfieldboyce reports that the Mars rover Perseverance has detected lightning on Mars.
• Chris Simms reports that the asteroid Bennu carries all the ingredients for life as we know it 
• Eric Berger reports that a launch pad in Baikonur, Kasakhstan, was severely damaged during a launch of a Soyuz spacecraft.  
• Tereza Pultarova reports that German, French and Italian astronauts will be joining NASA's planned Artemis mission to the Moon. 
   

Gaming: 

• Matt Larkin reviews the video game Lords of the Fallen by Hexworks.
• Keith Stuart interviews Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games and lead writer on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• io9 share their favourite nerdy holiday gifts. 
• Rob Keyes shares a look at the LEGO Icons Stranger Things: The Creel House set. 
• Colt Crane corrects some inaccurate reports about the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie tie-in toylines. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Short History of a Long-Forgotten, Ill-Fated Telenovela" by Dante Luiz in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "A Reckoning of Queens" by Dave Ring in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "You Always Told Her You’d Give Her the World" by Aimee Ogden in Lightspeed.  
• "Reality Check" by Nancy Kress in Lightspeed.  
• "Most Likely To . . . (Class of 1997)" by A.C. Wise in The Dark. 
• "Tomorrow. Today." by R.T. Ester in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Horrible Conceit of Death and Night" by J.A. Prentice in Apex Magazine.
• "All That Means or Mourns" by Ruthanna Emrys in Reactor. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch "Destination Daleks", a Doctor Who short starring the Fifth Doctor and Tegan Jovanka. 
• Watch a trailer for The War Between the Land and the Sea 
• Watch a trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 Lost in New Jersey.| 
• Watch a trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. 
• Watch a trailer for The Magic Faraway Tree. 
• Watch a trailer for Mother Mary. 
• Watch a trailer for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.  
• Watch a trailer for The Eagle Obsession. 
  
  
  
  
  

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.
  
  
  
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 21, 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 books of 2025, Star Trek in general, Masters of the Universe in general, season 4 of The Witcher, the final season of Stranger Things, Wicked for Good, the latest version of Frankenstein, the new The Running Man, It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Keeper, Pluribus and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Emily C. Hughes shares her favourite horror books coming out in November. 
• Sam Reader shares six SFF book featuring terrifying dragons. 
• Gilly Macmillan shares nine novels featuring secret societies.  
• Lev Grossman shares his appreciation for the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories of Fritz Leiber, whom he calls "the American Tolkien". 
• Dave Hook shares his thoughts about the short fiction of J..G. Ballard. 
• Brian Campbell reports about the emergence of Canadian comic and science fiction fandom after WWII. 
• Orlando Reade discusses his interaction with writers of erotic Harry Potter fanfiction. 
• Fu Ting reports that the Chinese government is cracking down on the popular Danmei gay romances, leaving the genre's many fans, usually young women, depressed.
• Matthew Petti reports that science fiction author Vernor Vinge was put under surveillance by the FBI for alleged socialist tendencies. 
• Canadian science fiction fan Kenneth Morton Smookler has died aged 96.

 

Best of 2025:

• She Reads share their favourite science fiction novels of 2025
• She Reads share their favourite fantasy novels of 2025
• She Reads share their favourite romantasy novels of 2025.
• She Reads share their favourite horror novels of 2025.

 

Comics and Art:

• Brad Hawley reviews Tokyo Babylon by CLAMP  
• Adam Rutherford reviews The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco  
• Germain Lussier reports that a near perfect copy of  Superman #1 from 1939 just sold for over nine million dollars, making it the most expensive comic book of all time.  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about two pigeons missing out on the Booker prize

 

Film and TV: 

• Camestros Felapton calls Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein a compelling and visually appealing film with some great performances. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido declares that Kraven the Hunter answers the question, "What is Kraven without Spider-Man?"
• Justin Carter declares that The Mighty Nein still brings the fun of Critical Role to animation  
• Justin Carter declares that the animated series Dispatch is better at superheroic redemption than romance  
• Ann Michelle Harris calls 7th Time Loop a compact time loop/romance/action/adventure anime. 
• Saloni Gajjar declares that Mayfair Witches and Talamasca: The Secret Order pale in comparison to Interview With the Vampire. 
• Ben Child wonders whether Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die won't be yet another ponderous parable about robot souls, digital enlightenment or the hubris of man
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Ice Tower a death-wish fairytale about obsession and idolisation. 
• Catherine Bray calls Bone Lake a smart and witty horror film about a romantic weekend break going gruesomely wrong 
• Isaiah Colbert calls The Wailing a South Korean horror masterpiece you can’t brace yourself for  
• Marion Deeds shares her thoughts on Weapons. 
• Leslie Felperin calls A Desert a horror film where high art meets trailer trash 
• Jim Vorel calls Man Finds Tape a wildly inventive horror film. 
• Benjamin Lee calls The Carpenter’s Son a dull biblical horror film.
• Arturo Serrano declares that taking a nap is preferable to watching the animated film In Your Dreams. 
• Mari Ness discusses the portrayal of disability in The Wheel of Time TV-show. 
• Stephen King shares his ten favourite movies.  
• Lorna Wallace lists five SFF movies with incredibly memorable dialogue-free scenes 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1924 Soviet science fiction film Aelita. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1970 horror film House of Dark Shadows.  
• Craig D. Lindsey revisits the 1978 fantasy musical The Wiz. 
• Leah Schnelbach revisits the 1985 anime cult classic Angel’s Egg 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Lines of Communication” 
• Victoria Davis interviews Don Bluth, animator and director of The Secret of NIMH, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Land Before Time, Anastasia and many others. 
• Scott Roxborough interviews  Ronald Víctor García, director of photography for Twin Peaks, about the show's unique look. 
• Michael Cragg interviews Russell Tovey, star of Being Human and The War Between the Earth and the Sea. 
• Ben Travis interviews Andrew Stanton, director of Toy Story 5. 
• Justin Carter reports that Henry Gilroy, writer and producer of Star Wars: Rebels, believes that turning the character of Sabine Wren into a Jedi in Ahsoka was a bad idea. 
• Camestros Felapton takes a look at the science fiction movies of Harry Piel during the silent and early sound era. 
• Animation Obsessive talks about their quest to locate the lost 1983 Mexican animated science fiction movie Roy from Space. 
• Catherine Shoard reports that actor Dick Van Dyke was tapped to play James Bond in the 1960s, but turned down the part. 
• James Whitbrook reports that director Rian Johnson has ruled out a Muppets/Knives Out crossover.  
• James Whitbrook reports that the disintegrated Doctor Who deal between Disney and the BBC Is leaving the spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea in limbo in the US. 
• Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai, best known for his roles in Ran, High and Low, Sanjuro, The Sword of Doom, Kagemusha and many others, has died aged 92. 
  
  

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Mark Cassidy reports that early reactions to the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film are positive.
• Mr. H. Reviews also reports that test screening reactions to the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film were very positive, but that the movie itself appears to be rather light-hearted and comedic.  
• Mega Jay Retro interviews someone who attended one of the test screenings of the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film. 
• He-Mania interviews Leah Smith, camera operator trainee who worked on the live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• Colt Crane reports that the Masters of the Universe comic mini-series "The Sword of Flaws" will become an ongoing series from Dark Horse comics.  
• He-Mania is confused by some blatant errors and misspellings in the Masters of the Universe mini-comic "The Sting of Sting-Or". 

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:  

• James Whitbrook discusses the history and workings of the Klingon Empire in Star Trek. 
• Witney Seibold notes that Bjo Trimble, the Star Trek fan who initiated the letter writing campaign that saved the original Star Trek from cancellation, was an extra in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  
• James Whitbrook interviews Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, writers of the comic Star Trek: The Last Starship, as well as IDW editor Heather Antos 
• Justin Kroll reports that a new Star Trek movie is in the works from directors/writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
• Olav Rokne wonders what the takeover of Star Trek's owners Paramount by Skydance Media and its far right CEO David Ellison will mean for the future of the traditionally leftwing and progressive Star Trek.  

 

Comments on season 4 of The Witcher:  

• Aaron Jones calls season 4 of The Witcher a surprisingly streamlined, action-packed adventure that left him wanting more.  
• Vanessa Armstrong shares showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich's explanation for some of the deaths in season 4 of The Witcher. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things:

• Tyler Dean shares everything you need to know about the final season of Stranger Things.
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews the creators and cast of Stranger Things.  

 

Comments on the new The Running Man:  

• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that the new The Running Man never quite gets up to speed
• Lauren Huff interviews Stephen King about the big ending change in The Running Man 
• Jacob Oller notes that it's pretty damn ironic that Paramount, now owned by the far right Skydance Media, is behind The Running Man 

 

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

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Chris Chalk who plays Dick Hallorann in It: Welcome to Derry. 

 

Comments on Wicked For Good: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Wicked For Good a zingily scored conclusion to the hit origin story 
• Jesse Hassenger calls Wicked: For Good a whole movie's worth of second-act problems 
• Germain Lussier declares that Wicked: For Good never quite flies  
• Zoe Williams interviews Jon M Chu, director of Wicked and Wicked for Good. 
• Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird interviews Marissa Bode who plays Nessarose in Wicked and Wicked For Good. 
• Adrian Horton reports that actress Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda in Wicked and Wicked for Good, contracted covid during the press tour for Wicked for Good. 

 

Comments on Keeper:

•  Jacob Oller calls Keeper a dull and forgettable ghost story 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that in spite of  strong visuals and some cool ideas, Keeper never quite comes together.

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 3 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 3 of Pluribus.  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the first two episodes of Pluribus. 
• BBC Front Row interviews Vince Gilligan, creator of Pluribus, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. 
• Read an excerpt from Winds of Wyncaro, the fictional romantasy novel written by the protagonist of Pluribus. 

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2026 Damon Knight Grand Master Award has been announced.
• The longlist for the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medals has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 National Book Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2025 Game Awards have been announced. 
• Mike Glyer reports that 2023 Best Fan Writer Hugo winner has moved to dismiss his lawsuit against former Hugo administrator Dave McCarty for not delivering his trophy, because he has been promised to finally receive his trophy by the remaining Chengdu comittee.  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Javier Grillo–Marxuach talks about writing memorable characters. 
• Mike Maden talks about writing memorable villains.
• Scott Edelman explains why he pulled a story he sold to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction for inacceptable contract terms of the new owners Must Read Magazines. 
• Victoria Strauss reports about a new impersonation scam targeting authors. 
• Kelly Burke also reports about a new scam targeting authors. 
• Brendan O'Connor reports that the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York, where writers can rent a desk for a fee, is running out of space. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five reasons to leave the house and go explore a used bookstore
• Alex Call reports that sales of science fiction and fantasy have reached an all-time high in 2025, but that this is mainly due to the runaway success of romantasy.
• Tim Ford reports that the Canadian speculative fiction magazine On Spec is shutting down after 35 years. 
• Dead Girl Reads talks about the problem that reviewers may no longer share their honest opinion, lest the supply of free books and ARCs dries up. 
• Emma Loffhagen reports that more than half of British novelists fear that their work will be replaced by AI according to a recent study. 
• Deborah Cole and Philip Oltermann report that GEMA, the German music licencing agency, won a lawsuit against ChatGPT for using song lyrics for training their Large Language Model without authorisation. 

 

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews Alaya Dawn Johnson.
• UC Davis interviews Jordan S. Carroll. 
• Paul Weimer interviews Stewart Hotston. 

 

Reviews: 

• Mark Yon reviews Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree. 
• Marlene Harris reviews Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Constituent Service by John Scalzi 
• Wendy N. Wagner reviews Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei 
• Z.B. Steele reviews Kingdoms of Death by Christopher Ruocchio 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu 
• Marlene Harris reviews Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold  
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Study in Sirens by Suzannah Rowntree 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Daughters of Nicnevin by Shona Kinsella 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Yomigaeri Tunnel by Kelly Murashige 
• C.T. Phipps reviews The Long Way Down by Craig Schaefer  
• Rob Bedford reviews The Strength of the Few by James Islington 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Blackfire Blade by James Logan 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Lost Reliquary by Lyndsay Ely  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson 
• Aida Edemariam reviews The Wax Child by Olga Ravn  
• Marion Deeds reviews Cinder House by Freya Marske
• Maya Gittelman reviews Cinder House by Freya Marske 
• Alex Brown reviews Tall Is Her Body by Robert de la Chevotière
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Alpha by K.D. Marchesi
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay 
• Rich Horton reviews A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett 
• Ed Crocker reviews The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes 
• Alex Brown reviews The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 5, edited by Allan Kaster
• Ruthanna Emrys reviews The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The In Death Cookbook by Theresa Carle-Sanders  
   

 Classics reviews:

• Postcards from a Dying World revisits the 1948 science fiction story "Mars is Heaven" by Ray Bradbury  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the infamous 1958 science fiction story "The Queen Bee" by Randall Garrett and finds it's still as terrible as ever. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 dystopian novel A Sweet Sweet Summer by Jane Gaskell 
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1970 science fiction novel The Stone God Awakens by Philip Jose Farmer, Cora Buhlert revisits the 1970 sword and sorcery novel Swords of the Barbarians by Kenneth Bulmer anbd Winona Menezes revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Year of the Cloud by Ted Thomas and Kate Wilhelm
• Amber Dubin revisits the 1970 science fiction novels The Communipaths by Suzette Haden Elgin and The Noblest Experiment in the Galaxy by Louis Trimble, Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 science fiction novel The Snow-White Soliloquies by Sheila MacLeod and Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Chronocules by D. G. Compton
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 science fiction anthology Quark/1, edited by Samuel R. Delany and Marilyn Hacker 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1981 horror novel The Third Grave by David Case 
• Young People Read Old SFF revisit the 1981 proto-cyberpunk novella True Names by Vernor Vinge 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1996 YA horror novel Homecoming Queen by John Hall and the 1997 YA horror novel Who Killed the Homecoming Queen? by R.L. Stine
• Lesa Holstine revisits the 2012 science fiction novella An Election by John Scalzi
   

Con and event reports:

• Alison Scott, John Coxon and Emily Tesh report about the 2025 Novacon in Buxton, UK 
• Mike Glyer discusses what happens when the Wolrd Science Fiction Society cannot address all proposals during the alotted time for the business meeting. 
• Chris M. Barkley shares his experiences at the Books By the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
• The program for the 10th Annual City Tech Science Fiction Symposium on Image and SF has been announced.
• Ellen Datlow shares some photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction Reading, featuring Lara Elena Donnelly and Sam J. Miller, at the KGB Bar in New York City.  
• Claire Moses reports about Paddington: The Musical, which is coming to the stage in London, UK.

 

Science and technology:

• The Guardian shares NASA's photos of the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas  
• Kate Blackwood explains how we could detect life in the clouds of other worlds.
• Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner wonder what it would mean if aliens don't actually do science as we understand it. 
• Kristina Nienhaus reports that our solar system is moving faster than expected 
• Skander Garroum notes that solarpunk is already happening in Africa. 
• Casey Michael Henry wonders why so nuch new technology feels inspired by dystopian science fiction movies. 
• H. Lee Justine talks about the toxicity of social media, particularly when young children are involved by their influencer parents without their consent.  
   

Gaming: 

• Adam Serwer explains why Elon Musk needs Dungeons & Dragons to be racist.
• Germain Lussier reviews the video game Hades 2.  
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Death Stranding: Director's Cut by Kojima Productions  
• Justin Carter bids goodbye to Halo Infinite, which has received its final update. 
• Keza MacDonald reports how the use of AI in the video game ArcRaiders caused an uproar. 
• Video game designer Rebecca Heineman has died aged 62. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Mantenna action figure. 
• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Mosquitor action figure.  
• Toy Habits reviews the Super 7 Thundercats Ultimates Lion-O action figure reissue. 
• Toy Habits reviews the Super 7 Thundercats Ultimates Reptilian Guard action figure.  
• Toy Habits reviews the Loyal Subjects Rainbow Brite doll with Twink. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the Hot Toys Predator: Badlands Dek and Thia figure.
• Mega Jay Retro interviews Brian Flynn, head of Super 7.  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Regarding the Childhood of Morrigan, Who Was Chosen to Open the Way" by Benjamin Rosenbaum in Reactor. 
• "How to Build a Homecoming Queen: A Guide by a Bad Asian Girl" by Tina S. Zhu in Lightspeed. 
• "Visible Damage" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman in Lightspeed.  
• "The Millay Illusion" by Sarah Pinsker in Uncanny Magazine 
• "Dull’s Knife" by Liam Q. D. Hall in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Trees at Night" by Ramiro Sanchiz, translated by Sue Burke in Clarkesworld. 
• "Prerequisites for the Creation of a Possible Predicted World" by Chisom Umeh in Clarkesworld. 
• "We Used to Wake to Song" by Leah Ning in Apex Magazine. 
• "Tragedia dell’Arte" by T.J. Cimfel in The Dark.
• "Bleed for Me, Bro" by Sharang Biswas in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Hamaka, Leave Me Alone" by Testimony Odey in The Deadlands.

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Project Hail Mary. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
• Watch a trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping 
• Watch a trailer for Varanasi to the World. 
• Watch a trailer for Hoppers. 
• Watch a trailer for the new Wuthering Heights.
• Watch a trailer for Return to Silent Hill.