Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 7, 2026

 

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, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Pluribus, the 2026 Dragon Award finalists and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in August 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in August 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in August 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in August 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in August 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in August 2026 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction works about building a new nation 
• Briana N. Cox talks about black and Asian characters in speculative fiction.  
• Alex Brown shares five underrated SFF books with disabled protagonists. 
• Sam Reader shares six recent books with unique takes on vampires 
• Lorna Wallace shares five SFF books about deadly insects. 
• Naomi Alderman shares a program for getting back into the reading habit.

   

Comics and Art:

• Will McClelland interviews artist Jeff Brown.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on being a top reader. 

  

Film and TV:

• Emmet Asher-Perrin calls Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma joy incarnate  
• Chase Hutchinson declares that the force remains strong with Star Wars animation in The Ninth Jedi  
• Phil Hoad calls The Ribbon Hero a conservative (if impressively animated) manga adaptation. 
• Benjamin Lee calls The Last House a solid apocalyptic horror thriller. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Possession a nightmarish plantation drama with a divisive paranormal twist  
• Jacob Oller calls Soulm8te a fuckbot thriller not even deep enough to be a deepfake.
• Jarrod Jones calls Ice Cream Man Eli Roth's silliest and bleakest horror film to date. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on season 2 of Batman: Caped Crusader. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on season 14 of Futurama. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on episodes 3 and 4 of The Rapture. 
• Gavia Baker Whitelaw interviews Andres Cubillan, production designer of The Vampire Lestat. 
• Michael Hogan interviews several composers of music for children's TV shows. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1925 science fiction film The Lost World. 
• George Pritchard revisits the 1971 horror movie The Devils. 
• Isaiah Colbert revisits the 1973 animated fantasy film Belladonna of Sadness 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1980 science fiction musical The Apple. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1994 horror romance Nadja. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits season 5 of Babylon 5, which aired in 1998. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1998 supernatural romantic comedy Practical Magic. 
• William Bibbiani revisits the 2016 horror film Lights Out!, a precursor of the hype for cheap horror films directed by YouTubers. 
• Ben Child reports that James Cameron has hinted that he may be stepping away from Avatar and declares that this is a good thing.  
• Justin Hardy, director of Wrath of the Gods and son of Robin Hardy, director of The Wicker Man, has died aged 61. 

 

Comments on the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general:

• Pixel Dan shares a look at some of the concept art for Masters of the Universe. 
• Pixel Dan shares some footage from a visit to the set of Masters of the Universe.  
• Colt Crane reports that the Masters of the Universe movie is number 1 on Amazon Prime and that the sales of the toys have tripled due to the movie.   
• Watch "A More Perfect Orko", the seventh 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 “Human Best Friend”, the third episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.   
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “Human Best Friend”, the third episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.    
• Alyse Wax shares her thoughts on “Human Best Friend”, the third episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.     

 

Comments on season 3 of House of the Dragon:  

• Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on “The Dragon in Winter”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “The Dragon in Winter”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “The Dragon in Winter”, the latest episode of season 3 of House of the Dragon. 
• The AV-Club wonders who the worst parent in House of the Dragon is. 
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Gayle Rankin who plays Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Gayle Rankin. 

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Antonia Blyth interviews Rhea Seehorn, star of Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong intervews Marshall Adams, director of photography for Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Dave Porter, who composed the score for Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Ashley Michelle Marsh, set director of Pluribus. 

 

Comments on The Odyssey:

• Classicist and Odyssey translator Emily Wilson is still very annoyed with Christopher Nolan's Odyssey movie.  
• Classicist Raimund Schulz isn't bothere by Christopher Nolan's Odyssey movie, but notes that it has nothing whatsoever to do with Homer. 
• Inspired by the debates about The Odyssey, Richard Brody asks what makes an adaptation good. 
• Josh Pearce shares his thoughts on The Odyssey. 
• Sarah Dempster calls Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey far more thrilling than the Christopher Nolan borefest 
• Alisha Haridassani Gupta interviews Devyn Dalton, the stuntwoman who doubled Matt Damon in The Odyssey. 
• Olivia Bowden also interviews Devyn Dalton. 
• Mya Copeland reports that Christopher Nolan has expressed his displeasure with amateur film critics, most likely because some of them dared not to like his movie. 
• Emma Loffhagen reports that sales of poetry are about to reach a record high in the UK, driven almost entirely by people buying copies of The Odyssey and The Iliad.   

 

 Comments on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Ann Michelle Harrs declares that Spider-Man: Brand New Day offers adventure, plot twists and emotional depth in a much needed reminder of why we love superhero stories. 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day.  
• Ben Child shares a spoilerish review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. 
• Germain Lussier shares all the burning questions he has after Spider-Man: Brand New Day. 
• Jesse Hassenger discusses how Spider-Man became the most popular superhero in Hollywood. 
• Ben Francisco shares his thoughts on the latest episode of X-Men '97. 
• Nichola Rutherford reports that parts of Spider-Man: Brand New Day were filmed in Glasgow, Scotland. 
• Rebecca Rubin interviews Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios. 
• Drew Taylor interviews Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Wonder Man and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  
• Justin Carter shares showrunner Andrew Guest's comment on the sudden cancellation of Wonder Man, after the show had already been renewed for a second season and gained an Emmy nomination for its star. 
• Trey Alston reports that Marvel is facing criticism after abruptly cancelling two black-led projects, Blade and Wonder Man, in the span of a week.  
• Ben Child discusses the announcement that Ryan Gosling will play Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2026 World Fantasy Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Dragon Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2026 Munsey Award has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2026 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics have been announced. 
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on the 2026 Dragon Award finalists.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on the 2026 Dragon Award finalists. 

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Justine Larbalastier and Scott Westerfeld talk about co-writing.
• Chris Bohjalian talks about writing his latest thriller. 
• Hugh Howey talks about writing and publishing in the age of AI. 
• Children's book writer Katherine Rundell delcares that she hates what AI is doing to the minds of the young. 

 

Interviews:

• Martin Cahill interviews Meg Elison. 
• Locus interviews Chloe Gong. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Daniel Abraham. 
• Ed Crocker interviews Sara Omer. 
• Mark Yon interviews Richard Swan. 
• Brooke Gladstone interviews Cory Doctorow.

 

Reviews:   

• Mark Yon reviews The Infinite State by Richard Swan. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffmann 
• Ali Karim reviews Murder at the End of the World by Akane Araki  
• Adrienne Martini reviews Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Luminous by Silvia Park. 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Time to Burn by Ellery Lloyd 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Tell Me My Future by Eileen M. Ruvane  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Maggie and Arthur’s Magic Moment by Leslie Rene 
• Paul Weimer reviews Kill all Wizards by Jedidiah Berry 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Merchant Magician by John Champaign
• Fiona Denton reviews Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Atlanta’s Guide to Cryptids by Kevin A. Davis 
• Christine D. Baker reviews Wickhills by Premee Mohamed 
• Marlene Harris reviews Cinder House by Freya Marske 
• Rob Bedford reviews A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. 
• Alex Puncekar reviews A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Toothsucker by Kaden Love 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Nothing Tastes As Good by Luke Dumas 
• Ian Mond reviews The Coffin of Honey by Geoffrey D. Morrison 
• Niall Harrison reviews The White Desert by Luis López Carrasco, translated by Rosalind Harvey 
• Nate Aubin reviews West of the World by Mike Shel 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Sauúti Terrors, edited by Eugen Bacon, Cheryl Ntumy and Stephen Embleton 

 

Classics reviews:

• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisit the 1896 science fiction novel The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 horror novel Eltonsbrody by Edgar Mittelholzer 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1968 space opera trilogy Starwolf by Edmond Hamilton 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the August 1971 issue of Analog. 
• Davis Levinson revisits the September/October 1971 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction.   
• Gideon Marcus revisits the September 1971 issue of Galaxy,  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the summer 1980 issue of Destinies. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1983 contemporary fantasy novel On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 Chanur science fiction novel The Kif Strike Back by C.J. Cherryh 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1986 children's fantasy Redwall by Brian Jacques.  
• Stuart Cripps-Schnoor revisits the 2003 new weird novel Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer 

 

Con and event reports:

• Neil Clarke shares his experiences at Metropolcon, the 2026 Eurocon in Berlin, Germany. 
• Kalimac's Corner reports about the 2026 Mythcon in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
• Locus reports about the 2026 BayCon/Westercon in Santa Clara, California. 
• Locus reports about the virtual 2026 WisCon. 
• Locus shares photos of the May and June 2026 editions of the Brooklyn Books anbd Booze Readings in Brooklyn, New York. 
• Locus shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction at the KGB readings in New York City. 

 

Science and technology:

• The Guardian reports that a piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will crash onto the Moon.  
• Selam Gebriekidan reports that a ton of space junk falls unpredictably to Earth every week and sometimes causes damage.
• Mindy Weisberger reports that footprints of the extinct human ancestor nicknamed nutcracker man have been found in Kenya and shed more light on this mysterious humanoid. 
• Emile Perreira reports that a hydroelectric dam on the St. Croix River in Maine received a new fishway and elevator to help eel and other fish continue their journey upstream, only for the elevator to also attract whales. 

 

Gaming: 

• Sarah Thwaites calls Penguin Colony a psychological horror game set at the world’s end
• Maddy Myers celebrates the fortieth anniversary of the video game Metroid and the final reveal that the protagonist is a woman. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Kyle Peterson reviews the Masters of the Unvierse Chronicles Dream Date Skeletor. 
• Toy Bro reviews the Mythic Legions Cursed Templar action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• The Toy Book reports that Mattel has seen significant growth in the second quarter of 2026, largely driven by the popularity of Masters of the Universe and KPop Demon Hunters. 
• Germain Lussier looks at new Lego sets coming out in August. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Road to Alkantarah" by Constance Brewer in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Passenger Pigeons, Dodos, Neanderthals" by Jordan Alexander in Clarkesworld 
• "As the Tide Loves the Diver, As the Diver Loves the Tide" by Ravn J. Silver in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Heart of the Fox Spirit" by Chezza Lee in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  
• "My Blue Silk Fan" by Richard Parks in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  
• "Infinite Wishes" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch in Lightspeed.   
• "Legs" by A.M. Maris in Lightspeed.  
• "Baby Blue" by Seán Padraic Birnie in The Dark.
• "Not Like Other Girls" by A.L. Goldfuss in Reactor. 
• "Cervidae, New and Sharp" by Anj Baker in Apex Magazine.
• "The Dark Follows Me" by Quincy Lee in Nightmare Magazine.  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn  
• Watch a trailer for The Ninth Jedi. 
• Watch a trailer for Violent Night 2.  
• Watch a trailer for The Ribbon Hero.
• Watch a trailer for April X.