Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 2, 2026

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best (and worst) SFF of 2025, a debate about ethical AI use in writing and publishing and if that's even possible, Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of Fallout, Avatar: Fire and Ash,  the final season of Stranger Things, Pluribus, tributes to Brigitte Bardot and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares 42 new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in January  
• Karen Lord talks about finding the space between Utopia and Dystopia  
• Nicholas Whyte takes a look at what science fiction has to say about 2026. 
• Judy I Lin shares five SFF books to pair with a good cup of tea 
• Molly Templeton talks about the long-running series we grow up with. 
• Dave Hook talks about climbing and speculative fiction.
• Katie Bernet talks about narrators from beyond the grave.
• Kamilah Cole talks about dark academia.  
• Cole Rush shares his favourite fantasy clocks. 
• Charlie Jane Anders talks about the limits of realism.  
• Annie Holmquist claims that modern literature is not diverse enough, because it is lacking white men,  
• Michael D.C. Drout explains why he keeps returning the The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. 
• Matthew Cantor shares his appreciation for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. 
• Jeanne Britton notes that Mary Shelley left behind two very different versions of Frankenstein. 
• French science fiction author Pierre Bordage has died aged 70. 
• Canadian SFF writer Terence M. Green has died aged 78.

 

Best (and worst) of 2025:

• Grimdark Magazine share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2025.
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares her favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2025. 
• SFF World share their favourite science fiction books of 2025.  
• SFF World share their favourite horror books of 2025. 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite gothic novels of 2025. 
• Marlene Harris shares her favourite books of 2025. 
• SFF World share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror movies and TV shows of 2025.  
• Grimdark Magazine share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror movies and TV shows of 2025. 
• Grimdark Magazine share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror games of 2025. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Justin Carter reports that DC is having a massive hit with their Absolute Universe. 
• James Bacon reviews The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew
• Issue 92 of Journey Planet discusses comic book culture. 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about December 27th. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Grimdark Magazine share their most anticipated SFF TV-shows and movies for 2026.  
• William Earl lists horror movies coming out in January. 
• Isaiah Colbert shares new anime shows releasing in January. 
• Graeme Virtue explains how tech bros became Hollywood’s go-to baddie in 2025 
• Tara Bennett calls We Bury The Dead a contemplative zombie movie. 
• Josh Pearce shares his thoughts on Dust Bunny. 
• Issue 93 of Journey Planet discusses season 2 of Andor. 
• Rich Knight revisits the 1957 horror musical The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. 
• J. Antonio Juarez revisits the 1965 animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1970 folk horror film Tam-Lin and George Pritchard revisits the 1970 folk horror TV-movie Robin Redbreast.  
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 revisits the 1981 anime Ulysses 31. 
• Ashley Land revisits the 1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Chain of Command". 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2005 animated superhero show Ben 10. 
• Louise Gold remembers how The Muppets Show got started in the UK. 
• Andreas Wiseman shares eighteen high-profile movies that were shot but haven’t seen the light of day 
• Andrew Pulver wonders how Donald Trump's interest in the US film industry will impact what movies are made. 
• Lanre Bakare explains how anime became an economic juggernaut. 
• Justin Carter notes that in spite of several DC superhero movies, Wonder Woman hasn't really been seen since Wonder Woman 1984 came out five years ago. 
• Germain Lussier shares Ryan Coogler's original plan for Black Panther 2. 
• Germain Lussier reports that James Cameron, director of Aliens, also dislikes the choice to kill off Newt and Hicks during the opening credits of Alien 3.  
• Jesse Hassenger reports that Francis Ford Coppola is still not willing to give up on Megalopolis. 
• Catherine Shoard shares some tributes of Cary Elwes and Martin Scorsese to the late Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer as well as an update on the mruder investigation.
• Annette Dionne, last survivor of the famous Dionne quintuplets, has died aged 91.  

 

Tributes to Brigitte Bardot:

• French actress Brigitte Bardot has died aged 91.
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Brigitte Bardot. 
• Sarah Gilbert shares photos from Brigitte Bardot's lengthy career. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Ben Massa interviews Masters of the Universe artist Simon Soltau.
• He-Mania shares some behind the scenes photos and footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• He-Mania also shares a theory about how the various Heroic and Evil Warriors come by their toy names in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• Jukka Issakainen shares some Easter eggs and references found in issue 1 of the Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny comic mini-series by Tim Seeley and Eddie Nunez. 

 

Comments on season 2 of Fallout:

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Fallout. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Fallout. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things: 

• Saloni Gajjar declares that Stranger Things packs an emotional punch as it sets the stage for its finale
• Cheryl Eddy declares that the latest batch of Stranger Things episodes charts a propulsive path to the finale  
• Bryce Olin declares that we should stop worrying about how Stranger Things ends and start enjoying the chaos  
• Stuart Heritage notes that the fact that the second half of season 5 of Stranger Things isn’t unbearable is a miracle 
• Germain Lussier and Cheryl Eddy share fifteen things they liked and five they didn’t about the latest batch of Stranger Things episodes. 
• Germain Lussier notes that the truth about the Upside Down was already theorised in season 1, but not confirmed until season 5. 
• Kate Arthur interviews Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of Stranger Things.  
• Cheryl Eddy ranks her favourite couples from Stranger Things. 
• Jordan Moreau reports that the release of the series finale of Stranger Things crashed Netflix. 

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of Pluribus.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his appreciation for Pluribus. 
• Stuart Heritage interviews Rhea Seehorn who plays Carol Stuka in Pluribus.  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Rhea Seehorn. 
• Belen Edwards explains why The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is so important to Pluribus. 
• Matthew Byrd shares recommendations for what to read after watching Pluribus. 

 

Comments on Avatar: Fire and Ash: 

• Alex Lei declares that James Cameron tried to bring the Western into the future, but only went backwards with Avatar: Fire And Ash 
• Mekado Murphy breaks down a specific scene in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2025 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fiction Parents has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Forrest J Ackerman Award for Lifetime Achievement has been announced.
• The winner of the 2025 SFPA President’s Lifetime Service Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Champions League has been announced. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Brandon Sanderson explains why total worldbuilding is a trap for new writers
• Daniel Estrin and Esther Margolis discuss the demise of the mass market paperback. 
• John-Henri Holmberg mourns the demise of the mass market paperback. 
• Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter note that sales of nonfiction and YA books dropped in 2025, but genre fiction and the Buble are booming
• Neda Ulaby lists the most borrowed titles in US libraries. 
• Dave Hansen explains what payouts eligible authors may expect from the settlement of the class action lawsuit against Anthropic AI. 

 

The Debate about intentional and unintentional AI-use in writing and publishing: 

• Erin Underwood shares an open letter to SFWA and claims that avoiding using AI in the writing and publishing process is impossible.
• Paul Weimer responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Chuck Wendig responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Foz Meadows responds to Erin Underwood. 
• T. Frohock responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Shaun Duke responds to Erin Underwood. 
• Robin Anne Reid shares her distaste for AI and how it invades academia. 

 

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews George Gene Gustines.
• Walter Marsh interviews Shaun Tan. 

 

Reviews: 

• Adrienne Martini reviews Red Star Hustle by Sam J. Miller and Apprehension by Mary Robinette Kowal  
• Christine D. Baker reviews Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite  
• Russell Letson reviews Halcyon Years by Alastair Reynolds 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Hearthspace by Stephen Baxter 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman
• Paul Weimer reviews Making History by K. J. Parker
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson 
• Niall Harrison reviews Helm by Sarah Hall 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Deathless by Rob J. Hayes
• Lesa Holstine reviews New Year’s Nosferatu by Heather Graham 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Feeding by A.J. Ryan 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Fiend by Alma Katsu  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss
• Ian Mond reviews We Live Here Now by C.D. Rose 
• Alex Brown reviews These Bodies Ain’t Broken, edited by Madeline Dyer
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1948 fantasy anthology From Unknown Worlds, edited by John W. Campbell, Jr. 
• Dave Hook revisits the 1969 science fiction collection The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World by Harlan Ellison 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1969 Hainish science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1971 issue of Analog. 
• Abigail Nussbaum revisits the 1996 speculative novel Orlanda by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Sschwartz. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Marcin Klak reports about the 2025 SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden.
• TrekMovie.com shares a look at a Star Trek themed float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. 

 

Science and technology:

• Richard Hollingham shares all you need to know about the International Space Station's 25 years in orbit 
• Leonard David explains how NASA changed in 2025 — possibly forever  
• Mike Pearl discusses China's proposed rules for anthropomorphic AI systems
• Cormac McQuinn reports that fewer Irish people are using ChatGPT than in other countries 
• Cannon Taylor reports that the police department in Heber City, Utah, is testing AI software to automatically generate police reports based on bodycam data with some interesting results. 
• Gabe Castro-Root shares some tips how to protect yourself against phone searches at the US border. 
   

Gaming: 

• Kali Wallace explains what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has to say about storytelling and life.  
• Justin Carter notes that 2025 was the year ninja games made a comeback  
• Stew Hotston reviews the video game Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

 

Toys and collectibles:

• The DorkLair shares his ten favourite action figures from Four Horsemen Studios of 2025.
• Scott Neitlich explains why no toy company kept the Stranger Things licence for more than a year in spite of the show's huge popularity. 
• James Whitbrook shares new LEGO sets coming out in January. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Blood for a Stone" by Deirdre Walker in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "This Sepulchral Aegis" by Rob Gillham in Clarkesworld.
• "Home Grown" by Madeleine Vigneron in Clarkesworld. 
• "Morning Shed" by Namita Krishnamurthy in Strange Horizons.  
• "The Pretendian" by Jason Pearce in The Deadlands.  
• "The Patron" by Thomas Ha in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "Blacula" by P.C. Verrone in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Circus Skills" by Seán Padraic Birnie in Interzone Digital. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Wonder Man. 
• Watch a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday.