It's
time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting
links
about speculative
fiction from
around the web, this week with the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, Supergirl, season 3 of House of the Dragon, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat, Enola Holmes 3, the live action Moana, Evil Dead Burn, Minions & Monsters, the 2026 Eurocon and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Reactor lists all the new science fiction books arriving in July 2026
- Reactor lists all the new fantasy books arriving in July 2026
- Reactor lists all the new romantasy books arriving in July 2026
- Reactor lists all the new horror books arriving in July 2026
- Reactor lists all the new SFF crossover books arriving in July 2026
- Reactor lists all the new young adult SFF books arriving in July 2026
- Val Nolan shares five science fiction versions of the Odyssey.
- Angela Boord shares her favourite SFF books that celebrate the condition of being human with heart, grace, and depth.
- Mercedes Lackey shares five dark fantasies where the Empire is built on chains or something even worse
- James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF works about trying to escape massive debt
- Barbara Krasnoff shares her appreciation for the works of C.J. Cherryh.
- Mike Glyer remembers Jane Yolen.
- SFF writer James Ray Comer has died aged 59.
- SFF writer and editor Ted White has died aged 88.
Comics and Art:
- Anthony Perconti reviews Uri Tupka and the Gods by Mike Mignola
- Isaiah Colbert reviews Issak, written by Shinji Makari and illustrated by Double-S a.k.a. Ji-Hyung Song.
- Justin Carter reports that all titles in Marvel's new Midnight Universe will be released at the same time.
- Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on heatwave reading dangers
Film and TV:
- Matthew Byrd lists all the SFF movies and TV shows streaming in July.
- Jack Seale calls season 3 of Silo a handsomely produced science fiction drama that grapples with the big questions
- Ben Francisco shares his thoughts on the first three episodes of season 2 of X-Men '97.
- Emmet Asher-Perrin talks about the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender and the state of modern TV
- Isaiah Colbert declares that the latest anime adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell has the juice
- Luke Buckmaster calls Saccharine an intoxicatingly creepy body horror film.
- Steve Vertlieb shares his thoughts on Disclosure Day.
- Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Mother Mary.
- Matthew Byrd shares ten hard science fiction movies not set in space
- Monica Castillo notes that there are several movies about covens of witches coming out this year.
- Phil Hoad ranks his twenty favourite mythological movies.
- Vance Kotrla muses on the inexplicable success of horror movies of extremely variable quality like Backrooms, Obsession and Iron Lung directed by young and inexperienced YouTube directors with inexplicable followings.
- Catherine Shoard shares early reactions to The Odyssey.
- Justin Carter interviews Brendan Clogher and Jake Wyatt, creators of My Adventures with Superman.
- Steve Rose interviews Finn Wolfhard who plays Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things.
- Brian Tallerico revisits the 1967 psychedelic spy series The Prisoner.
- Kali Wallace revisits the 1970 science fiction movie Colossus: The Forbin Project
- Tam Phan revisits the 1971 small torn mystery Brother John and Fiona Moore revisits the 1971 fantasy film Tales of Beatrix Potter
- Don Kaye revisits the 1976 monster movie King Kong.
- Tyler Dean revisits the 1981 Arthurian fantasy film Excalaibur.
- Alex Wallace revisits the 1983 science fiction cartoon series Transformers.
- Zack Handlen revisits the 1989 Quantum Leap episodes "Jimmy" and "So Help Me God"
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “The Wheel of Fire”
- Alex Lei revisits the 2006 animated Philip K. Dick adaptation A Scanner Darkly.
Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:
- Joshua M. Patton claims to know why Masters of the Universe did not perform as well at the box office as expected.
- Matthew Aguilar lists five Masters of the Universe details missing from the movie.
- He-Mania interviews Stephen Adentan who plays Moss-Man in Masters of the Universe
- He-Mania interviews Gary Martin who voices Beast-Man in Masters of the Universe.
- Pixel Dan shares a close-up look at the costumes and props of the Masters of the Universe live action film.
- He-Mania interviews Mackenzi Lee, author of the Masters of the Universe novel Teela, Daughter of Eternos.
- Adam McCombs shares some concept designs for the Snake Men that were intended for an earlier version of the Masters of the Universe movie.
- Watch "Trojan Faker", the third episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.
Comments on season 3 of House of the Dragon:
- Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on “Rhaenyra Triumphant”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon.
- Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “Rhaenyra Triumphant”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon.
- Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “Rhaenyra Triumphant”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon.
- Saloni Gajjar interviews Clare Kilner, director of "Rhaenyra Triumphant".
- Jennifer Maas interviews Emma D'Arcy who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.
- Ben Rosenstock notes that House of the Dragon tries to make up for Game of Thrones botching Daenerys' story with their portrayal of Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Comments on Supergirl:
- Arturo Serrano declares that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow deserved better than this lackluster adaptation
- Brian Hiatt interviews Craig Gillespie and Ana Nogueira, director and writer of Supergirl.
- Nick Romano interviews Ana Nogueira.
- Inspired by the alleged failure of Supergirl, Ben Child wonders how Marvel and DC can save the superhero movie.
- Craig D. Lindsey remembers how the 1987 Supergirl had a sponsoring deal with the fast food chain Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits.
Comments on Enola Holmes 3:
- Benjamin Lee calls Enola Holmes 3 an often thoughtful yet ultimately lesser threequel
- Caroline Siede notes that Enola grows up—and confronts colonialism—in Enola Holmes 3
- Kayleigh Donaldsen recounts how Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Enola Holmes as well as Eleven in Stranger Things, became Netflix's first homegrown star.
Comments on Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat:
Comments on Evil Dead Burn:
- Jesse Hassenger calls Evil Dead Burn a wildly gory horror film.
- Monica Castillo declares that Evil Dead Burn unleashes a family of monsters-in-law with a too-serious edge
- Germain Lussier calls Evil Dead Burn so brutal you’ll almost feel it in the theater
- Monica Castillo notes that Evil Dead is the rare film franchise that truly belongs to the new voices behind it
Comments on the new Moana:
- Jacob Oller calls the new Moana a soulless by the numbers remake.
- Germain Lussier calls the live action Moana an exercise in how not to remake an animated classic
- Peter Bradshaw calls the new Moana a dull live action remake.
- Jesse Hassenger declares that Moana is the apex Disney princess, and live-action could never do her justice
Comments on Minions & Monsters:
- Jesse Hassenger declares that Minions & Monsters imagines a cinema-history fantasy where Minions movies don't suck
- Rafaela Bassili calls Minions & Monsters a smart premise that descends into more of the same
- Catherine Shoard interviews Pierre Coffin, director of Minions & Monsters as well as the voice of one of the Minions.
Awards:
- The finalists for the 2026 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2026 Sunburst Awards has been announced.
- The finalists for the 2026 Emmy Awards have been announced with a lot of love for SFF TV.
- The finalists for the 2026 Harvey Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2026 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics Award have been announced.
- The 2026 inductees in the SFF Hall of Fame have been announced.
- Tammy Coxen laments that Hugo finalists particularly in the semiprozine category have started to list more and more members of their teams.
- Kat Kouberti responds to calls to limit the number of listed staff members fir Hugo finalists.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Laura Sims talks about how to stay creative while living in the suburbs
- Susanna Clarke talks about writing while being chronically ill.
- Marie Vibbert explains how she got her agent.
- David Shariatmadari discusses how AI is changing language
- Emma Loffhagen reports about Bad Girl Books in Oxford, UK, the UK's first Romantasy bookstore.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Russell Letson reviews The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey
- Marlene Harris reviews Beyond Galaxy’s Edge by Anna Hackett
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Boy, With Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald
- Colleen Mondor reviews And Side By Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer
- Marion Deeds reviews And Side By Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Next Enemy Shall Be The Last by Stewart Hotston
- Adrian Collins reviews The Infinite State by Richard Swan
- C.T, Phipps reviews The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Marlene Harris reviews Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older
- Ian Mond reviews Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh
- Krystle Matar reviews Killswitch Protocol by M.J. Kuhn
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Grist to the Cannon by Aria Bell
- Liz Bourke reviews The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell
- Arturo Serrano reviews The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell
- Paul Weimer reviews Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by K.J. Parker.
- Maya C. James reviews Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Knight Watch by Thomas D. Lee
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Broken Sword by L.L. MacRae
- Mark Yon reviews The Tinder Box by M.R. Carey.
- Blue Book Balloon reviews The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
- Niall Harrison reviews The Curve of the World by Vonda N. McIntyre
- Joe Sherry reviews Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuire and Sub-Majer’s Challenge by L.E. Modesitt Jr
- Fiona Denton reviews A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner
- Colleen Mondor reviews Rialto by Kate Milford
- Tom Joyce reviews The Fall by Ryan Cahill
- Stew Hotston reviews Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
- Jen Lucas reviews The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly
- Fiona Denton reviews The Red Sacrament by Sara Hinkley
- Lesa Holstine reviews Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves
- Ella Risberger reviews Service by Lauren Mooney
- Ian Mond reviews My Dear You by Rachel Khong
- Hache Pueyo reviews No Edges: Swahili Stories, edited by Sarah Coolidge
- Randy Money reviews Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, edited by Becky Siegel Spratford
- Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews The Illuminated Man: Life, Death and the Worlds of J. G. Ballard by Christopher Priest and Nina Allan
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1897 horror novel The Beetle by Richard Marsh
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1957 science fiction novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
- Alan Brown revisits the 1965 YA science fiction novel The Mad Scientists’ Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
- Cora Buhlert revisits the 1971 Conan sword and sorcery novel Conan the Buccaneer by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.
- Jason Sacks revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Destiny Doll by Clifford D. Simak.
- Fiona Moore revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology New Worlds Quarterly #1, edited by Michael Moorcock.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the July 1971 issue of Analog.
- Joel Miller revisits the 1973 science fiction novella “The Girl Who Was Plugged In” by James Tiptree Jr.
- Kat Hooper revisits the 1973 Pip and Flinx space opera Bloodhype by Alan Dean Foster
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 portal fantasy The Beginning Place by Ursula K. Le Guin
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1992 Devil to the Belt military science fiction novel Hellburner by C.J. Cherryh
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2003 Dread Empires Fall space opera The Sundering by Walter Jon Williams
Con and event reports:
- James Bacon reports about the first day of Metropolcon in Berlin, Germany.
- James Bacon reports about the second day of Metropolcon in Berlin, Germany.
- James Bacon reports about the third day of Metropolcon in Berlin, Germany.
- James Bacon reports about a virtual tour of the polar research vessel Polarstern conducted by chief scientist Dr. Autun Purser at Metropolcon in Berlin, Germany
- Olivia Rutigliano talks about the Disney World animatronics heist of 2018 and the documentary that solved it.
Science and technology:
Toys and collectibles:
- Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe 200X Cartoon Collection Keldor, Buzz-Off, Webstor and Whiplash action figures.
- Adam McCombs reviews the Frazetta Universe Conan, Death Dealer and John Carter action figures.
- Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hasbro Transformers and Scooby Doo crossover toy Mysterious Prime and Automutt.
- Justin Carter shares a look at the upcoming Lego E.T. the Extraterrestrial set.
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at a Funko Pop version of Nikki from Obsession.
- Germain Lussier reports that a mint on card 1982 "Eight Back" Mattel Masters of the Universe He-Man action figure and a mint in box Snake Mountain playsrt sold for record-breaking amounts at action.
- Germain Lussier shares a look at new Lego releases coming out in July
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at some new animatronic Halloween decorations sold by US retailer Spirit Halloween.
Free online fiction:
- "In the Hours Preceding the Fall of Tau-Sants" by Rich Larson in Reactor.
- "The Plague Comes from Chinatown" by Claire Jia-Wen in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Gas Leak at St. Gentian" by Sara Omer in The Dark.
- "The Teahouse" by Prashanth Srivatsa in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "They Rob the Hybla Bees" by Louis Morris in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "The Life and Times of the Extraterrestrial Potoo" by K. J. Khan in Clarkesworld.
- "Focus" by Carlos Hernandez in Clarkesworld.
- "Of Brackens and Cowries" by Jana Bianchi in Apex Magazine.
- "You, Me, Us" by Oyedotun Damilola Muees in Lightspeed.
- "Waru Waru" by Ruth Joffre in Lightspeed.
Trailers and videos:
- Watch a trailer for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
- Watch a teaser for Godzilla Minus Zero.
- Watch a trailer for Dune: Part 3.
- Watch a trailer for Star Wars Visions: The Ninth Jedi.
- Watch a trailer for Hope.
- Watch a trailer for The Ribbon Hero.
- Watch a trailer for The Wrong Girls.
- Watch a trailer for Buddy.
