Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for February 13, 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 SFF of 2025, the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general, Wonder Man and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, the new Lord of the Flies, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, Cold Storage, Scarlet, Goat, The Strangers, tributes to James Van Der Beek and Bud Cort and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Emily C. Hughes shares horror novels coming out in February 2026. 
• Lish McBride shares her favourite romantic SFF books. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares nine SFF short stories that explore the meaning of love 
• Michelle Maryk shares nine speculative thrillers. 
• Saratoga Schaefer shares six novels that use isolation to create horror 
• Alex Brown shares five underrated works of asexual speculative fiction 
• Jake Casella Brookins discusses speculative anti-imperialism and the myth of internal resistance in James S.A. Corey’s The Mercy of Gods  
• Laura Miller shares her appreciation for the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for January 2026. 
• James Davis Nicoll discusses what lures readers into picking up an unfamiliar book 
• Janie Chang shares her experiences writing a gothic novel   
• Ashley Vega reports that the Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy has become an unlikely good luck symbol for the Chinese New Year thanks to a punny translation  
• The Guardian reports that US judges have dismissed lawsuits accusing Neil Gaiman of sexual assault of his former nanny, declaring that this case falls into the jurisdiction of New Zealand. 
• Meredith G. White shares an obituary for James Sallis.  
• SFF writer and editor M. Christian has died.
• Science fiction writer Jeffrey A. Carver has died aged 76. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Colleen Mondor shares her favourite SFF works of 2025.
• Tim Melody Pratt shares their favourite SFF works of 2025. 
• Arley Sorg shares his favourite SFF works of 2025.  
• Ian Mond shares his favourite SFF works of 2025. 

  

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #26 by Jib Zub and Fernando Dagnino.
• James Whitbrook reviews the Jar Jar Binks one-shot, written by Ahmed Best and Marc Guggenheim with art by Kieran McKeown, Laura Braga and Mike Atiyeh
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about preparing to meet the editor
• Illustrator Hudson Talbott has died aged 76. 
• Science fiction artist Bob Layzell has died aged 85. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Steven Greene discusses Primal and the art of bringing a character back from the dead 
• Isaiah Colbert calls the anime Marriage Toxin an adult cast romance about a poison assassin seeking love 
• Peter Bradshaw calls the animated film Little Amélie a tender and poignant study of the fragility of early childhood 
• Leslie Felperin declares that Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up offers fresh cartoon antics, updated for the modern day.  
• Mike McCahill calls Stitch Head an animated adaptation of a Frankenstinian tale that hangs loosely together 
• Rai Furniss-Greasley calls  28 Years Later: The Bone Temple an intense film that disturbs and, simultaneously, provokes thought on some grand themes.
• Mik McCahill calls Whistle a smart, sympathetic spin on the cursed-artefact horror film.
• Keith Stuart wonders if the surprise box-office hit Iron Lung is the future of video game films 
• Chris Garcia shares his thoughts on the time travel movie Fireflies in the Dusk.
• Cheryl Eddy declares that the documentary The Last Sacrifice explores the (maybe?) occult crime that inspired The Wicker Man.  
• Cheryl Eddy lists everything to remember about the post-apocalypse of Paradise before season 2  
• Leah Thomas explains how setting shapes horror anime 
• Marco Vito Oddo shares his seven favourite science fiction films about artificial intelligence. 
• Matthew Byrd lists every romantasy movie and TV adaptation currently in development 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1971 Timeslip serial “The Year Of The Burn Up”  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1976 science fiction film The Man Who Fell to Earth 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Rising Star” 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2016 superhero film Deadpool
• Erik Adams takes a look at the many attempts to reboot The Muppet Show. 
• Rich Pelley interviews Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Phil Lord and Chris Miller, directors of Project Hail Mary. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Dan Trachtenberg, director of Prey and Predator: Badlands 
• Winston Cho reports about a lawsuit about the rights to Ghostface ahead of the release of Scream 7. 
• Steve Vertlieb celebrates the 94th birthday of legendary film composer John Williams. 

Tributes to James Van Der Beek:

• James Van Der Beek, best known for his roles in Dawson's Creek, Rules of Attraction, Scary Movie, Labor Day, Don't Trust the B-- in Apartment 23, Varsity Blues and many others, has died aged 48.
• Stuart Heritage declares that James Van Der Beek was so much more than just Dawson 
• Michaela Zee shares tributes from several co-stars to James Van Der Beek. 
• Armando Tinoco shares the tribute of Krysten Ritter, who co-starred with James Van Der Beek in Don't Trust the B-- in Apartment 23, to the late actor.  
• The Guardian shares photos from James Van Der Beek's career. 
• Emily Longeretta reports that friends have launched a GoFundMe to support James Van Der Beek's family after his untimely death. 

  

Tributes to Bud Cort: 

•  Actor Bud Cort, best known for his appearances in Harold and Maude, Brewster McCloud, Heat Dogma, The Life Aquatic as well as the voice of Toyman in several animated DC series, has died aged 77. 
• William Hughes remembers Bud Cort. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Ben Travis interviews Travis Knight, director of the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film, about the character of Skeletor. 
• Ben Travis interviews Idris Elba who plays Duncan a.k.a. Man-at-Arms in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie. 
• Jukka Issakainen takes a look at the many disguises Evil-Lyn has used over the years. 
• James Eatock takes a look at the unusual transformation sequence in the Filmation Masters of the Universe episode "Keeper of the Ancient Ruins".

 

Comments on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Come, Let's Away”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Come, Let's Away”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• Scott Collura shares his thoughts on "Come, Let's Away”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.   
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "Series Acclimation Mil”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.   
• James Whitbrook declares that the latest episode of Starfleet Academy eulogised what mattered most about Captain Sisko 
• Marisa Williams explains how a third Deep Space 9 character appeared in "Series Acclimation Mil”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.   
• Anthony Pascale interviews Tawny Newsome, who voiced Beckett Marriner in Star Trek: Lower Decks and co-wrote "Series Acclimation Mil”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  
• Camestros Felapton talks about the androids of Star Trek. 
• Judth Tarr shares her appreciation for Spot, Data's cat from Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

 

Comments on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: 

• Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on “Seven”, the latest episode of  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “Seven”, the latest episode of  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “Seven”, the latest episode of  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.   
• Louise Griffin interviews Henry Ashton who plays Daeron Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
• James Whitbrook shares the history behind the Trial of Seven in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 
• James Whitbrook explains why a specific line from the novella The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin is missing from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. 
• James Whitbrook declares that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is using the Game of Thrones theme better than House of the Dragon ever did 

 

Comments on Wonder Man and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Wonder Man was great, but Disney corporate synergy still messed it up 
• Saloni Gajjar notes that Wonder Man offers nods to the wider Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe without feeling like homework.  
• Ben Child shares the most far-out fan theories about Avengers: Doomsday
• Tom Phillips interviews Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of  Avengers Doomsday.
• Anthony Breznican looks ahead at the Spider-Noir TV-series.  
• J.N. Benjamin interviews Simone Ledward Boseman, widow of Chadwick Boseman who is best known for playing T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
• Watch a trailer for Spider-Noir. 

 

Comments on the new Lord of the Flies: 

• Rhik Samadder calls the latest adaptation of Lord of the Flies such excellent, surreal horror that you will feel sick throughout  
• Lucy Mangan declares that the new adaptation of Lord of the Flies comes nowhere near the original’s power
• Martin Edwards shares his thoughts on the latest adaptation of Lord of the Flies. 

 

Comments on Scarlet: 

• Leah Schnelbach declares that the anime Scarlet gives us a gender-swapped, purgatorial Hamlet retelling
• Isaiah Colbert calls Scarlet a ravishing vision undercut by a glib Hamlet reimagining 

 

Comments on Cold Storage:

• Arturo Serrano calls the zombie film Cold Storage the kind of supremely silly flick that demands out loud that you switch off your brain
• Andy Crump calls Cold Storage a silly splatter fest. 

  

Comments on Good Luck. Have Fun. Don't Die: 

• Luke Hicks calls Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die a science fiction film as annoyingly quirky as its title. 
• Benjamin Lee calls Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die review a lively yet overstuffed caper

 

Comments on The Strangers: 

• Mike McCahill declares with regard to The Strangers: Chapter 3 that this pointless remake trilogy ends with a sputter 
• Jesse Hassenger calls The Strangers a slasher anti-franchise that remains unknowable five films later

 

Comments on Goat:  

• Jesse Hassenger calls Goat a sweet-natured and fun-enough kids' movie. 
• Cath Clarke calls Goat a noisy, lightning-speed basketball animated film.  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 Libby Book Awards have been announced.
• Nominations for the 2026 Hugo Awards are open. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Max Gladstone points out that writing doesn't always look the way you think 
• Walt Boyes talks about worldbuilding. 
• Jennifer van der Kleut talks about finding inspiration in Reddit's "Am I The Asshole" forum 
• Adele Parks talks about the intellectual challenge of revisiting her first characters 
• Elizabeth A. Harris bids good-bye to the mass market paperback.
• Matthew Byrd reports that Harlequin are ending their historical romance line after almost forty years. 
• Lisa Varga reports that federal funding for US libraries prevails 
• Susan Swavely reports that The Grim Reader bookstore in Atlanta, Georgia, which originally operated out of a hearse, is now getting a regular brick and mortar location.  
• Imran Qureshi profiles Anke Gowda, a retired factory worker who built a library of two million books in Pandavapura, Karnataka, India. 

 

Interviews:

• 60 Minutes interviews Margaret Atwood. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Rich Larson and Izzy Wasserstein

 

Reviews: 

• Marlene Harris reviews Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Sunset at Zero Point by Simon Stålenhag 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Scarlet Morning by N.D. Stevenson 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Daughter Who Remains by Nnedi Okorafor 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Death Show Colossus by Bill Adams
• Alex Wallace reviews These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein  
• Raven Crime Reads reviews The Hope by Paul E. Hardisty. 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Hope by Paul E. Hardisty.  
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Glass Slide World by Carrie Vaughn 
• Bill Capossere reviews Bridge of Storms by Philip Reeve 
• Alex Brown reviews The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Village at the Edge of Noon by Darya Bobyleva  
• Paul Weimer reviews Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders. 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Price of Fear by Miles Lyon 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Apple and The Pearl by Rym Kechacha 
• Marlene Harris reviews Nightshade and Oak by Molly O’Neill 
• Graham Sleight reviews The Rose Field by Philip Pullman
• Alex Brown reviews Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi. 
• John Mauro reviews Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence 
• Jen Lucas reviews Catherine by Essie Fox  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Grace by A.M. Shine  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Demon by Rob J. Hayes 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Hammerfall by Rob J. Hayes 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Matilda’s Retreat by Catherine Cavendish 
• Fiona Denton reviews A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories: Sixth Annual Collection, edited by Allan Kaster
• Arley Sorg reviews The Best Weird Fiction of the Year Volume One, edited by Michael Kelly  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews issue 3 of New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine 
• Steven Poole reviews Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1959 science fiction collection Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov. 
• Jaclyn Adomeit revisits the 1968 fantasy novel The Last Unicorn by Peter S- Beagle. 
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology Quark/2, edited by Samuel R. Delany and Marilyn Hacker 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the March 1971 issue of Galaxy.
• John Boston revisits the March 1971 issue of Amazing. 
   
  
  

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that the 2028 Worldcon bid for Kigali, Rwanda, is been withdrawn.
• Travis Creason shares photos of the 2026 Capricon in Chicago, Illinois. 
• The candidates for the 2026 Transatlantic Fan Fund have been announced. 
• Molly Templeton reports that several authors have signed an open letter expressing their concern about the ties of RELX, parent company of ReedPop, organiser of BookCon in New York City, as well as other conventions, to ICE. 
• Amrit Dhillon wonders why India has more than 100 literary festivals, when most Indians don't read for pleasure. 
• Locus shares a photo of the latest Brooklyn Books & Booze event in Brooklyn, New York. 
• Catherine Shoard reports about the exhibition "Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends" at the Young V&A Museum in London, UK. 
• Mercedes Milligan also reports about the exhibition "Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends" at the Young V&A Museum in London, UK.  

 

Crowdfunding:

• New Eddge Sword and Sorcery Magazine is looking for funding for its next three issues.

 

Science and technology:

• Richard Hollingham discusses what it takes to be an astronaut on a Moon mission.
• David Nutt reports about microbes that harvest metals from meteorites aboard the International Space Station 
• Passant Rabie reports that NASA has suspended most of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s science operations in an effort to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft and slow down its orbital decay
• Ruthanna Emrys talks about Project Orion, the late 1950s plan to power spacecraft via nuclear bombs. 
• Ari Daniel reports about a scientist who is searching for dinosaur secrets in crocodile bones 
• Marcus Harldson explains how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong 
• Margherita Bassi reports that scientists have decyphered an early astronomy text that was erased by medieval monks to reuse the parchment  
• Kevin Davis reports that a frustrated judge in New York tossed out a case after a lawyer kept submitting documents containing fake AI citations and a lengthy quote from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. 

Gaming: 

• Tom Regan calls the video game Romeo Is a Dead Man a misfire from a storied gaming provocateur 
• Nic Reuben calls the video game Reanimal as beautifully macabre as it is hard to put down 
• Kyle Orland reports about SpaceMolt, an MMO designed exclusively for AI agents to play.

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe 200X Cartoon Collection Samurai He-Man action figure. 
• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Keldor action figure. 
• James Whitbrook reports that Nacelle's upcoming wave of Star Trek action figures also allows you to build a playset of the bridge of the USS Enterprise. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Mandalorian and Grogu action figures.  
• Justin Carter takes a look at the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Lord Starkiller action figure.  
• Juliana LaBianca shares a look at a new LEGO Winnie the Pooh set. 
• io9 lists nerdy Valentine's Day gifts. 
• Pixel Dan reports that Mattel has acquired the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles master licence. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A Dirge for the Mirrorbirds" by Emily C. Skaftun in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Like Thorns on Her Tongue" by R.Z. Held in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" by Robert Lewis Thornton in Antipodean SF. 
• "Dream Destinations (From the Lost Traveler’s Tour Guide)" by Alexander Weinstein in Lightspeed.  
• "The Worldbuilder" by Phoenix Alexander in Lightspeed. 
• " A Beautiful World" by David J. Lynch in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld. 
• "Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall in Clarkesworld. 
• "Realm of the Shorn" by David Bowles in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Rest Stop" by Pedro Iniguez in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Agency" by George Sandison in Reactor. 
• "Nā Heʻe" by Wailana Kalama in The Dark. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu. 
• Watch a trailer for Supergirl. 
• Watch a trailer for Project Hail Mary. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of One Piece. 
• Watch a trailer for Disclosure Day.
• Watch a trailer for Obsession. 
• Watch a clip from Cold Storage. 
• Watch a trailer for Minions and Monsters. 
• Watch a trailer for The Dinosaurs. 
• Watch a trailer for Hoppers. 
• Watch a trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.