It's
time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting
links
about speculative
fiction from
around the web, this week with the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, Widow's Bay, Disclosure Day, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat, I Am Frankelda, The Death of Robin Hood, Leviticus, season 2 of Sugar, Toy Story 5 and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
- Alex Brown shares must-read speculative short fiction published in May 2026.
- James Davis Nicoll shares five very different science fictional takes on space habitats
- James Davis Nicoll takes a look at science fiction story that offers solutions to traffic problems
- Lish McBride shares her favourite whimsical LGBTQ+ SFF.
- Aly Noel shares recommendations for children's and YA fantasy series.
- Lindsey Kent shares five great novels that read like bad trips, fever dreams or reality warps
- Lorna Wallace shares five horror stories that offer a twist on the final girl formula
- Matthew Cheney takes a look at the early horror works of Clive Barker and Joel Lane.
- SFF writer Jane Yolen has died aged 87.
Comics and Art:
Film and TV:
- Germain Lussier shares early reactions to Supergirl.
- Monica Castillo calls Rose of Nevada an immersive science fiction mystery with an otherworldly style.
- Leslie Felperin calls The Toymaker's Key an eclectic if overwrought steampunk animated film.
- Isaiah Colbert calls the animated series Among Us a delightful mix of comedy and horror
- Cath Clarke calls Thirst a trashy 1980s style body horror film.
- Alex Brown shares their thought on "Starry Night", the latest episode of The Terror: Devil in Silver.
- Ben Child calls the planned Hunt for Gollum a movie we don't need.
- Vanessa Armstrong interviews Ryan Condal, showrunner for House of the Dragon.
- Jake Pitre looks back at 1990s movies that were concerned with the Internet and virtual reality.
- Leah Thomas shares five anime for fans of John Carpenter
- Phil Hoad revisits the 1985 anime Angel's Egg.
- Isaiah Colbert revisits the 1986 anime Project A-Ko
- Judith Tarr revisits the 1994 animated film The Lion King.
- Kayleigh Donaldsen revisits the 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder”
- Kali Wallace revisits the 2019 science fiction film Cosmos.
- Sam Barsanti wonders whether it's time to let Doctor Who die.
- Former child actress and voice actress Daveigh Chase, best known for her roles in The Ring, Big Love and Donnie Darko and for voicing Lilo in Lilo and Stitch and Chihiro in the English version of Spirited Away, has died aged 35.
Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:
- Cora Buhlert, Juan Sanmiguel and Vicky Jakobowski discuss Masters of the Universe.
- Ann Michelle Harris calls Masters of the Universe a lighthearted nostalgic adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously
- A,J, from He-Mania calls Masters of the Universe his favourite film of all time.
- Alex Wiggan talks about the positive impact of Masters of the Universe and how the movie is bringing joy to audiences.
- Rachel Leishman interviews Travis Knight, director of Masters of the Universe.
- He-Mania interviews Sam C. Wilson who plays Trap-Jaw in Masters of the Universe.
- Colt Crane interviews Jon Xue Zhang who plays Ram-Man in Masters of the Universe.
- Simon Bland interviews Dolph Lundgren and Robert Duncan McNeil who played He-Man and Kevin Corrigan in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie.
- Colt Crane interviews Tim Sheridan, writer of Masters of the Universe: Wings of Fate.
- Alex Wiggan reviews Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate #1, by Tim Sheridan and Will Sliney
- Todd Luck reviews Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate #1, by Tim Sheridan and Will Sliney
- Captain Video explains why He-Man meant everything to 1980s kids.
- Alex Wiggan explains why Masters of the Universe still matters decades later.
- Alex Wiggan laments that Masters of the Universe was called a flop before the movie was even out.
- Cora Buhlert shares her experiences going to see Masters of the Universe in Hamburg, Germany.
- James Eatock shares a proposal for a never produced animated Masters of the Universe movie from 1983.
- Watch "He-Man's Secret Power", the first episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.
Comments on Widow's Bay:
- The AV Club share their thoughts on season 1 of Widow's Bay.
- Leanne Butkovic shares her thoughts on season 1 of Widow's Bay.
- Josef Ardalian discusses the surprising popularity of Widow's Bay.
- Caroline Siede declares that Widow’s Bay reclaims the spinster
- Christina Radish interviews Katie Dippold, showrunner of Widow's Bay
- Emily Zemler interviews Hiro Murai, director of Widow's Bay.
- Destiny Jackson interviews Kingston Rumi Southwick, who plays Evan in Widow's Bay.
- Cheryl Eddy shares eight questions and demands for season 2 of Widow's Bay.
- Matthew Byrd shares recommendations for what to watch after Widow’s Bay
- Molly Templeton reports that Widow's Bay has been renewed for season 2.
Comments on Disclosure Day:
- Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Disclosure Day should have remained undisclosed
- Mike McCahill declares that Disclosure Day appears terribly hazy, if not outright befuddled, on crucial plot points.
- Leah Schnelbach notes that Disclosure Day puts religion and aliens in a blender, with mixed results
- Arturo Serrano notes that Disclosure Day is not about the power of whistleblowing, but about the power of movies
- Rory Doherty declares that Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's riskiest finale yet
- Xan Brooks wonders why movies are suddenly into conspiracy theories again.
Comments on season 2 of Sugar:
Comments on Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat:
Comments on I Am Frankelda:
Comments on The Death of Robin Hood:
Comments on Leviticus:
Comments on Toy Story 5:
- Peter Bradshaw declares that Toy Story 5 shows that the inexplicably popular Pixar franchise is played out.
- Jesse Hassenger finds that the emotional core and big laughs remain in Toy Story 5, even if the plotting gets overbusy
- Germain Lussier claims that Toy Story 5 does Pixar’s signature franchise proud
Awards:
- The winners of the 2026 Lambda Literary Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2026 TCA Awards have been announced.
- With regard to the surprising Clarke Award nomination for Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, Camestros Felapton notes that the increased scrutiny that comes with a major award nomination isn't always good for a work.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Ruthanna Emrys talks about finding inspiration beyond books.
- Holly Beretto profiles the Murder by the Book mystery bookstore in Houston, Texas.
Interviews:
- Fiona Denton interviews Sarah Hinkley.
- Deborah Kalb interviews Claudia Gray.
- Esmay Rosalyne interviews Adrian M. Gibson.
- Esmay Rosalyne interviews Z.B. Steele.
- Harold Schechter and Lauren Oliver interview each other.
- Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee interview David Goodman.
- Locus interviews Sheree Reneé Thomas.
- Locus interviews Nivia Evans.
Reviews:
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer
- Paul Di Filippo reviews Moon Over Brendle by Jeff Noon
- Mark Yon reviews The Captain's Daughter by Peter F. Hamilton.
- Alex Brown reviews Bromantasy by Máire Roche
- Vanessa Armstrong reviews Villain by Natalie Zina Walshots
- Paul Weimer reviews This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
- Runalong the Shelves reviews There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
- Camestros Felapton reviews There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
- Melissa A.Watkins reviews Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb
- Niall Harrison reviews Homebound by Portia Elan
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
- Arturo Serrano reviews The Nightland Express by J. M. Lee
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
- Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews City of Stone by K. T. Holder
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler
- Liz Bourke reviews The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn
- Vanessa Fogg reviews The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews A Murder Most Fungal by Adrian M. Gibson
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan
- Clara Cohen reviews Rainmaker, Rainmaker by Kevin B. Hillstrom
- Alex Puncekar reviews A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Until We Drown by Ava Morwood
- Rob Bedford reviews Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian.
- Z.B. Steele reviews The Ash Remains by C. William Phillips
- Hache Pueyo reviews The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa.
- Bill Capossere reviews The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed
- Sasha Bonkowsky reviews The Franchise by Thomas Elrod.
- Mahvesh Murad reviews Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
- Tobias Carroll reviews The Dorians by Nick Cutter.
- Niall Harrison reviews Glyph by Ali Smith
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Wretch by Eric LaRocca
- Tobias Carroll reviews Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews Decomposition Book by Sara van Os
- Steven Poole reviews The Uses of Utopia by Joad Raymond Wren
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Ada Palmer and Jo Walton
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1957 science fiction collection Tales From the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1961 satirical science fiction novel The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
- John Boston revisits the July 1971 issue of Amazing.
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology New Writings in S-F 19, edited by John Carnell
- Jason Sacks revisits the 1971 science fiction novel The Bite of Monsters by Dennis O’Neil, George Pritchard revisits the 1971 satirical science fiction novel Little Dog's Day by Jack Trevor Story and the 1971 horror novel Hell House by Richard Matheson and David Levinson revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Son of Man by Robert Silverberg
- Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction collection Abyss: Two Novellas by Kate Wilhelm and the 1971 YA time travel novel The Old Powder Line by Richard Parker and Winona Menezes revisits the 1971 planetary romance Exiles of the Stars by Andre Norton
- Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novels The Waitress by Sinclair Smith and The Knife by R.L. Stine.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2014 Stardrifter space opera Street Candles by David Collins-Rivera
Con and event reports:
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
Toys and collectibles:
- Pixel Dan takes a look at more figures from the Mattel Masters of the Universe Core line.
- Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hot Toys Aliens Ellen Ripley and Alien Warrior action figures.
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the KPop Demon Hunters Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird LEGO set.
- Adam Bankhurst reports that the first officially licensed Studio Ghibli store in the US will open in Los Angeles, California.
Free online fiction:
- "I Cut Off a Monster’s Arm. AITA?" by Marie Brennan in Lightspeed.
- "The Overview Initiative" by David Marino in Lightspeed.
- "Huntress of the High Trails" by Robert Rhodes in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly
- "Fletcher’s Flights" by Jonathan Olfert in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "A Candle for Her Tireless Dead" by Louis Inglis Hall in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Tithe of Ulfthern" by Patrick Kanouse in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "The Potential Side Effects of Roleplay Stimulation Therapy" by Claire Jia-Wen in Clarkesworld.
- "Magpie Rhymes" by R.K. Duncan in The Dark.
- "Patterns of Dentition in Transgender Adults" by Izzy Wasserstein in Nightnare Magazine.
Trailers and videos:
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