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, season 4 of Star Trek Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general, season 3 of House of the Dragon, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat, The Odyssey, the live action Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, Backrooms, President Curtis, the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros, all the new reveals and trailers from the 2026 San Diego Comic Con, tributes to Sam Neill, Kaylee Hottle, Brenda Fricker and Curtis Russell and much
more.
Speculative fiction in general:
- Natalie Zutter shares sixteen romantasies coming out in July and August 2026.
- Alex Brown shares ten great SFF stories from June 2026.
- Lish McBride shares SFF books and one TV show that offer some much needed whimsy.
- Olav Rokne finds some parallels between the fascist backlash against abstract artforms in the early twentieth century and the rightwing backlash against more literary science fiction in the early twenty-first century.
- Aaron Jones notes that in grimdark fiction, progress is often just an illusion.
- Mary Berman talks about women's horror fiction.
- Emma Southon takes a look at romances and other popular fiction of the Roman Empire.
- Claire Biddles talks about the resurgence of paper zines in the UK.
- John Boston, Cora Buhlert and Brian Collins remember John W. Campbell.
- Janet Eastman reports that the home of Ursula K. Le Guin in Portland, Oregon, is now listed as a national historic landmark.
- SFF writer Daffyd ab Hugh died aged 65.
- New Zealand SFF author Russell Krikpatrick has died aged 65.
Film and TV:
- Hannah J. Davies calls Ann Droid a fresh, funny and wonderful robot comedy.
- Ann Michelle Harris declares that the anime Witch Hat Atelier offers children, magic, intrigue and gorgeous animation
- Alex Wallace calls Maul: Shadow Lord a fun space opera crime story that sneaks in a bit of commentary
- Peter Bradshaw calls A Useful Ghost an exhilarating black comedy that summons the ghosts of Thailand's past via a haunted vacuum cleaner.
- Leslie Felperin calls The Fires an impressive and plausible disaster film from Iceland.
- Jacob Oller declares that the Japanese science fiction film Sheep In The Box unsurprisingly copies better movies
- Leah Schnelbach continues to be obsessed with Obsession.
- Germain Lussier is upset that other people don't like Disclosure Day as much as he does.
- Saif Shaikh shares his thoughts on season 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina.
- Ben Francisco shares his thoughts on the latest episodes of X-Men '97.
- Leslie Felperin calls Chickenhare and the Secret of the Groundhog an animated time travel film featuring funny animals.
- Cath Clarke calls Pinocchio: Unstrung yet another public domain slasher film that turns a beloved character into a sick serial killer
- Ben Child notes that The Hunt for Gollum is being criticised for its all-white cast and that blaming J.R.R. Tolkien is the wrong answer
- Tom Philips interviews Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios.
- Steve Rose interviews John Carpenter, director of The Thing, The Fog, Halloween, They Live, Big Trouble in Little China, Dark Star and many others.
- Rebecca Nicholson interviews Hannah Waddingham, best known for her roles in Ride or Die, Game of Thrones, Ted Lasso, Mission Impossible and many others.
- Emma Loffhagen interviews Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of Possession.
- Joe Reid revisits the 1971 dystopian science fiction film THX-1138
- Kali Wallace revisits the 1974 science fiction film Zardoz.
- Tyler Dean revisits the 1982 sword and sorcery film Sorceress.
- Cheryl Morgan revisits the 1986 animated fantasy film The Black Cauldron.
- Jesse Hassenger revisits the 1986 science fiction action film Aliens for its fortieth anniversary.
- Leah Thomas revisits the 1988 fantasy anime My Neighbor Totoro
- Lydia Spencer-Elliott revisits the 1996 children's fantasy film Matilda.
- Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 episode “Objects at Rest”
- Caroline Siede revisits the 2001 action movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
- K.J. Khan notes that HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey is not an evil robot, but an amoral one, which makes him so dangerous.
- Ben Child wonders whether Deadpool will be in Avengers: Doomsday and how he will fit in.
- Rachel Meghan shares her appreciation for the many versions of the Toxic Avenger.
- Judith Tarr takes a look at the horses from various animated Disney movies.
- Ellery Weil notes that horror films seem to have seasonal patterns.
- Jen Julian explains what Twin Peaks taught her about subverting genre.
- Olivia Rutigliano notes that the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind puts in a cameo experience in the James Bond film Moonraker and explains why.
- Olivia Rutigliano notes that Richard Kiel not only played the Bond villain henchman Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, but also played an alien in the 1962 Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man"
- Stuart Heritage declares that he does not want to see Johnny Depp make a comeback in Ebenezer.
- Set decorator Mary Kate Golding, who worked on Gotham, Hawkeye, Goosebumps, Mr and Mrs. Smith, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and many others, had been murdered aged 34.
- Hal Williams, best known for his roles in Sanford and Son, The Waltons, Knots Landing and Private Benjamin, has died aged 91.
- Joe Caldwell, writer and co-creator of the horror soap opera Dark Shadows, has died aged 97.
Tributes to Sam Neill, Brenda Fricker, Kaylee Hottle and Chuck Russell:
- Tara Fitzgerald shares a poem as a tribute to Sam Neill.
- Eva Corlett reports that sales of the wine produced by Sam Neill have soared since his death.
- Irish actress Brenda Fricker, best known for her roles in My Left Foot, Coronation Street, Home Alone 2, Casualty, A Time to Kill and many others, has died aged 81.
- Drew Gillis remembers Brenda Fricker
- Actress Kaylee Hottle, best known for her roles in Magnum PI; Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has died in a car crash aged only 18.
- Benjamin Lee remembers Kaylee Hottles.
- Chuck Russell, director of The Mask, The Blob and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, has died aged 74
- Justin Carter remembers Chuck Russell.
Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:
- The Masters Cast share their thoughts on the Masters of the Universe movie.
- Colt Crane shares a round-up of fan reactions to Masters of the Universe.
- He-Mania discusses a deleted scene from the Masters of the Universe movie, where Pig Boy is ordered to eat the remains of Moss-Man.
- He-Mania reveals that actor John MacDonald was cast as the Evil Warrior Strongarm a.k.a. Strongor in Masters of the Universe, but the character was cut before filming started
- The Masters Cast notes that calling Masters of the Universe a box office flop is too simple.
- Watch "Man-at-Arms' Impossible Maze", the fifth episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.
Comments on season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general:
- Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “Valles Marineris”, the first episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
- Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “Valles Marineris”, the first episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
- Alyse Wax shares her thoughts on “Valles Marineris”, the first episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
- Joe Otterson interviews Star Trek: Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldman and stars Anson Mount, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia and Carol Kane.
- Vanessa Armstronng interviews Carol Kane who plays Pelia in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
- Paul Polsuo shares his five least favourite alien designs in Star Trek.
- Cheryl Eddy reports about the Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
Comments on season 3 of House of the Dragon:
- Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on “Unbowed and Unbent”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon.
- Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “Unbowed and Unbent”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon.
- Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “Unbowed and Unbent”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon.
- The AV Club wonder who the hell Ormund Hightower thinks he is
Comments on Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender:
Comments on The Odyssey:
- Stephanie Zacharek declares that The Odyssey is just another reason for despair
- Classicist Dr. Emily Hauser notes that The Odyssey portrays Odysseus as a much more sensitive and repentant character than Homer does, while downplaying the female characters.
- Helena Hunt is bothered by the fact that Christopher Nolan has removed all gods except for Athena from The Odyssey.
- Leah Schnelbach talks about the eyes of Athena and the disenchanted world of The Odyssey
- Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Odyssey.
- Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on The Odyssey.
- Owen Myers shares his thoughts on The Odyssey.
- The AV Club share their favourite mythological moments from The Odyssey.
- Germain Lussier declares that the ending of The Odyssey lands on every level and feels the need to post a spoiler warning for a 2600 years old story.
- Caroline Siede notes that The Odyssey redefines Christopher Nolan's third-act twist
- Chris Tryhorn lists the changes Christopher Nolan made to The Odyssey compared to the original poem.
- Catherine Shoard notes that Christopher Nolan's movies mostly appeal to and are reviewed by male critics and that female critics who dare to dislike them are often inundated with hateful messages.
- Mary Helen Specht explains why we need more woman-centric retellings of The Odyssey
- Jesse Hassenger claims that the success of The Odyssey means that rightwing hate campaigns don't affect box office performance, ignoring all the movies whose box office performance was affected by rightwing hate campaigns.
- Monica Castillo finds the politics of The Odyssey remarkably current.
- Tom Shone interviews Christopher Nolan, director of The Odyssey.
- David Canfield interviews Samantha Morton who plays Circe in The Odyssey
- Miranda Bryant reports that the owners of a replica Viking ship that was used in The Odyssey have still not been paid for damages the filming caused to the ship.
- Andrew Pulver reports that Elon Musk has threatened to make a "historically accurate" AI adaptation of The Odyssey.
Comments on Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Lestat:
- Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat.
- Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat.
- Saloni Gajjar interviews Rolin Jones, creator and showrunner of The Vampire Lestat.
- Nicole Fell reports that Interview with the Vampire has been renewed for season 4 and will become Queen of the Damned.
Comments on Backrooms:
- Lewis Parker reports that film studio A24 is issuing copyright takedown notices against various indie artists offering merchandise inspired by Backrooms, even if it predates the movie and was inspired by the internet phenomenon.
- Justin Carter also reports about A24 and Backrooms director Kane Parsons issuing copyright takedown notices against fans.
Comments on President Curtis:
Comments on the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros:
Awards:
- The winner of the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award has been announced.
- The winners of the 2026 Imadjinn Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2026 Premio Vegetti have been announced.
- The winners of the 2026 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced.
- The shortlist for the 2026 Prix Utopiales has been announced.
- The finalists for the 2026 Munsey Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2026 Scribe Awards have been announced.
- The winners of the 2026 N3F Laureate Awards have been announced.
- The winner of the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award has been announced and it's a science fiction mystery.
- The winners of the 2026 Eisner Awards have been announced.
- The finalists for the 2026 ENnie Awards have been announced.
- David Colman laments that the Emmys keep snubbing The Boys.
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- April Dávila talks about the neuroscience behind writer’s block and what we can do to conquer it
- Rowan Beaird explains what romance novels taught her about writing literary fiction
- Christopher Golden shares tips for writing great horror novels.
- Max Doty explains how he became a horror writer and what he learned along the way.
- Z.B. Steele talks about the art of the framed narrative
- Ada Palmer talks about the history of censorship.
- Dean Wesley Smith explains why he is so negative about traditional book publishing.
- John Van Stry reports that he received a scam e-mail claiming to be from Baen Books offering to buy his novel - which Baen already published.
- Apex Magazine reports that they have removed a story for suspicion of AI use.
- Alexandra Alter reports that Hachette Book Group employees have voted to unionize
- The settlement in the Anthropic AI class action lawsuit has received its final approval.
- James Bartlett reports about a visit to the art deco Central Library in Los Angeles, California.
- Ella Creamer reports that writer Matt Haig is opening a bookshop in Brighton, UK.
- Ella Creamer reports that every child in year 6 in the UK will receive a copy of Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell as part of an initiative by Queen Carmilla to promote reading.
- The Guardian reports that Chinese authorities have raided two independent bookstore in Hong Kong and arrested five employees in a crackdown on allegedly seditious material.
- Katherine T. Carroll, publicity director of Titan Books, has died aged 68.
Interviews:
Reviews:
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O’Keefe
- Cheryl Morgan reviews Radiant Star by Ann Leckie.
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Radiant Star by Ann Leckie.
- Pete Barnable reviews The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
- Ian Mond reviews The Franchise by Thomas Elrod
- Leah Schnelbach reviews Canon by Paige Lewis.
- Niall Harrison reviews Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
- Marlene Harris reviews Null Entity by Seth Haddon
- Abigail Nussbaum reviews Plastic, Prism, Void by Violet Allen
- Alexandra Pierce reviews Massif by Garth Nix
- Gabino Iglesias reviews Anti-State by Allen Stroud
- Mahvesh Murad reviews Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer
- Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Traveler by Joseph Eckert
- Paul Di Filippo reviews The Ishtar Deception by James L. Cambias
- Aly Noel reviews Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
- Ed Crocker reviews The Harpy Knight by Sara Omer
- Melissa A. Watkins reviews The Winter Folk by Jen Julian
- James Davis Nicoll reviews The Feywild Job by C. L. Polk
- Eddie Clark reviews The Feywild Job by C. L. Polk
- Niall Harrison reviews Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry
- Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Investigation, Mediation, Vindication by Chris Tullbane
- Lesa Holstine reviews The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
- Alexis Ong reviews The Door in Penrose Forest by Sean David Robinson
- Runalong the Shelves reviews The Summer War by Naomi Novik
- Clara Cohen reviews The Amberlough Dossier by Lara Elena Donnelly
- Runalong the Shelves reviews Cinder House by Freya Marske
- Paul Weimer reviews A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
- Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Eye of Leviathan by M.A. Carrick
- James Davis Nicoll reviews For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga
- Rob Bedford reviews Carry Me To My Grave by Christopher Golden.
- C.T. Phipps reviews Penitent by Dan Abnett
- C.T. Phipps reviews Vainglorious by Sandy Mitchell
- Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews The Fall by Ryan Cahill
- Abigail Nussbaum reviews Absence by Andrew Dana Hudson
- Colleen Mondor reviews Holloway by Elana K. Arnold
- Hache Pueyo reviews The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
- Alex Brown reviews Muñeca by Cynthia Gómez
- James Davis Nicoll reviews Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun, translated by Sung Ryu
- Wole Talabi reviews Ring Shout on Saturn by Sheree Renée Thomas
Classics reviews:
- Sandy Ferber revisits the 1942 horror novel The Lake of the Dead by Andre Bjerke
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1958 political science fiction story "The Last of the Deliverers" by Poul Anderson
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1959 humorous science fiction novel The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1959 science fiction novel Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick
- Alan Brown revisits the 1963 science fiction novel Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
- Joel Miller revisits the 1969 post-apocalyptic novel Nightwings by Robert Silverberg.
- Gideon Marcus revisits the 1971 science fiction collection All the Myriad Ways by Larry Niven
- Janice Newman revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Transmigration by J.T. McIntosh, Amber Dubin revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Flight from Rebirth by J.T. McIntosh and S.J. Groenewegen revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Half Past Human by T. J. Bass
- Gideon Marcus revisits the August 1971 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 fantasy novel The Sword Smith by Eleanor Arnason
Con and event reports:
- Mike Glyer shares a summary of the preliminary 2026 WSFS virtual Business Meeting
- Matthew Byrd lists panels at San Diego Comic Con that interest him.
- Germain Lussier shares the coolest things he saw on display at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
- Watch the Spaceballs 2 panel at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
- Germain Lussier reports about the Spaceballs 2 panel at San Diego Comic Con.
- Watch the Lanterns panel at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
- Germain Lussier reports about the Lanterns panel at San Diego Comic Con.
- Germain Lussier reports about the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary Celebration of Life Concert.at San Diego Comic Con.
- Locus reports about the Charm City Spec reading event in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Locus reports that the long-running Westercon convenion on the US West Coast will retire after 2028.
- Liv Facey reports that the Children's Literature Festival in Bath, UK, has come under fire after the festival director e-mailed participants asking them to take down social media posts criticising the lack of diversity in the festival's line.up.
- Paul O'Hare reports that King Charles and Queen Camilla have emerged from the TARDIS to open the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
- John Freeman reports that the Crystal Palace dinosaurs in London, UK, have been restored to their former glory.
Crowdfunding:
Science and technology:
- Zack Kotzer reports that Eric Trump is planning to build an army of humanoid robot soldiers.
- James Davis Nicoll talks about the Fermi paradox, percolation and inbreeding
- Space Daily talks about what astronauts returning to Earth after a long stay aboard the International Space Station experience.
- Michael Sainato reports that teachers are protesting the deployment of a humanoid robot teacher based on a sexbot at a school in Salamanca, New York.
- Space Daily explains how the first ever photographs of the Earth seen from space came to be.
Gaming:
- Nicole Carpenter calls Bub an autobiographic game about living an artist’s dreams and dreads in New York
- Nicole Carpenter reports that players of the Chinese game Love and Deepspace are upset that the character Valko was cut from the game following demands by the Chinese government to remove him.
- Matthew Byrd reports that Jimothy, a malformed racoon spotted in Seattle, Washington, has been added as a cryptid to Dungeons and Dragons.
Toys and collectibles:
- Michael Breitmeir reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Chronicles Gym Bro Skeletor action figure.
- Super Dave reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Chronicles Teela action figure.
- Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Deluxe Movie Trap-Jaw, Roboto and Skel-Knight action figure.
- Toy Bro reviews the Mythic Legions Iosef of the Golden Spear action figure by Four Horseman Studios.
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the Hasbro Marvel Legends Vision and Scarlet Witch Two-Pack.
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at a new X-Files Lego set.
- Watch Gillian Anderson opening an X-Files themed Lego set.
- Cheryl Eddy shares a look at a new Star Trek Lego set.
- Jen Lennon shares her favourite San Diego Comic Con exclusive toys and collectibles.
- Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hasbro Street Fighter movie action figures on display at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
- Pixel Dan shares a walkthrough of the Factory Entertainment booth at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California, and an interview with some representatives of the company.
- Pixel Dan shares a walkthrough of the Mondo booth at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California, and an interview with some representatives of the company.
- Pixel Dan shares a walkthrough of the Super 7 booth at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California, and an interview with some representatives of the company.
- Pixel Dan shares a walkthrough of the Nacelle booth at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California, and an interview with some representatives of the company.
- Watch the Mattel Masters of the Universe toy panel at San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
- Pixel Dan shares a video walkthrough of the Mattel Masters of the Universe booth at San Diego Comic Con and an interview with a Mattel designer.
- Mega Jay Retro shares a video walkthrough of the Mattel Masters of the Universe booth at San Diego Comic Con.
Free online fiction:
- "Into You Sun-Blessed Life" by Isabel Yap in Reactor.
- "Dreams in Burnished Silver" by Christine Hanolsy in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "We Are All Strange Ones Here" by Sally Sultzman in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
- "Justice Comes Round" by Josh Howard in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
- "Please Turn on Your Magic Beam" by Orrin Grey in The Dark.
- "Annette Funicello Is My Dream Mouse" by S. L. Coney in Nightmare Magazine.
- "Cliff's Girl" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld.
- "The Animator and the Glazer" by Ju Chu, translated by S. Qiouyi Lu in Clarkesworld.
- "White Lines on a Green Field" by Catherynne M. Valente in Uncanny Magazine
- "The Punishing Animal" by B. Pladek in Lightspeed.
- "FETSPACE" by Rhiannon Rasmussen in Lightspeed.
Trailers and videos:
- Watch a trailer for Avengers: Doomsday.
- Watch a trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
- Watch a trailer for Lanterns.
- Watch a trailer for Batman: Knightfall, Part 1.
- Watch a trailer for Clayface.
- Watch a trailer for Avatar: Seven Havens.
- Watch a trailer for Coyote vs. Acme.
- Watch a trailer for the fortieth anniversary re-release of Transformers: The Movie.
- Watch a trailer for Blade Runner 2099.
- Watch a trailer for Neuromancer.
- Watch a trailer for season 14 of Futurama.
- Watch a trailer for season 3 of The Rings of Power.
- Watch a trailer for The End of Oak Street.
- Watch a trailer for season 2 of Dark Matter.
- Watch a trailer for Matchbox - The Movie.
- Watch a trailer for Ebenezer.
- Watch a trailer for The Decicsive Moment.
- Watch a trailer for It Ends.
- Watch a trailer for Resident Evil.
- Watch a trailer for Other Mommy.

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