Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 6, 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, VisionQuest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Godzilla Minus Zero, Avatar: Seven Havens, The Institute, The Rings of Power, The Cat in the Hat, tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart and Steve Davidson and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in November 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in November 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in November 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in November 2026   
• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in November 2026   
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in November 2026   
• Alex Brown shares their most anticipated young adult speculative fiction for November and December 2026. 
• Publishers Weekly share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror novels of 2026
• Richie Narvaez hosts a roundtable discussion on genre mashups and shared worlds  
• Molly Odintz shares six mysteries set on generation ships.  
• Wole Talabi talks about the intersection of first contact stories and mysteries
• O.O. Songoyomi shares five fantasy books with magic derived from African diasporic folklore  
• Kennedy Cole talks about writing about race through invasion horror and parasitism 
• Sam Reader shares seven fantasy stories told from an animal’s perspective 
• Joanna Cosgrove shares her appreciation for romantasy in general and the books of Sarah J. Maas in particular. 
• Jerome Stueart shares what the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis mean to him. 
• Joel Miller shares his appreciation for the stories of James Tiptree Jr. a.k.a. Alice Sheldon. 
• Matthew Jackson discusses the modern Gothic legacy of Peter Straub 
• Tobias Grey reports that Jan Potocki, author of the eighteenth century novel The Manuscript Found in Saragossa, believed that he was a werewolf. 
• The Organisation for Transformative Works shares an update on the downtime of the Archive of Our Own.  
• Children's book author and illustrator Horst Eckert a.k.a. Janosch has died aged 95. 

 

Tributes to Steve Davidson:

• Steve Davidson, publisher of Amazing Stories, has died aged 68. 
• Frank Wu remembers Steve Davidson.
• Brianna Wu remembers Steve Davidson.   

 

 

Comics and Art:

• Locus interviews SFF artist Tithi Luadthong.

  

Film and TV: 

• Isaiah Colbert calls the animated steampunk western Bass X Machina black historical fiction at its finest 
• Ellery Weil wonders if Wicker has brought a sexy golem to theaters 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Ramayana: Rise of a Legend a spectacular, huge-scale epic and India’s most expensive film ever. 
• Leah Thomas calls the anime Goodbye, Lara a gorgeous, sapphic Little Mermaid retelling 
• Leslie Felperin calls Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant an amusing horror comedy from New Zealand. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Crawlers a witty creature feature. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Yaga an erotic witchy thriller
• Phil Hoad calls Dead Howling a moribund Australian werewolf film, which entirely lacks both bite and bark 
• Ann Michelle Harris shares her thoughts on the anime My Happy Marriage. 
• Ben Child declares that if Dune is this generation’s Star Wars, we are all in big trouble, apparently unaware that the original Star Wars trilogy was strongly influenced by Dune.  
• Emma Brockes interviews Michelle Yeoh, best known for her roles in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Star Trek Discovery, Blade Runner 2099, Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and many others. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Blake Crouch, creator of Dark Matter 
• Marco Errico interviews Drew Goddard, screenwriter of Project Hail Mary 
• Amber Dubin revisits the episodes of season 2 of Night Gallery, which aired in October 1971. 
• Jesse Hassenger revisits the 1976 horror film Carrie. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1997 horror movie Cube. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1999 Babylon 5 Crusade episode “Each Night I Dream of Home” 
• Olivia Rutigliano recounts the varied history of Erenst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond movies and novels.  
• Stuart Heritage reports that according to Dame Judi Dench, it was Daniel Craig's idea to kill off her version of M in the James Bond film Skyfall. 
• Amy Hawkins reports that Sanxingdui, China's first AI generated movie, has flopped badly. 
• Hannah J. Davies reports about Philippe Peythieu and Véronique Augereau, the French voices of Homer and Marge Simpson, who fell in love and got married while working on the series. 
• The Guardian reports that director Michael Mann has accidentally shot himself in the leg at a gun range

 

Tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart:

• Caroline Siede declares that Sir Patrick Stewart made morality seem cool 
• Christopher Lockett shares a tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart.
• Abigail Nussbaum remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Reactor share their favourite Sir Patrick Stewart roles and moments.  

 

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

• Die Wilden Hörer offer a scene by scene review of the live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• Adam Arndt interviews Kevin Smith, showrunner of Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution about the chances for a third season.  
• Near Mint Condition reviews the Masters of the Universe Revolution Library Edition collection from Dark Horse Comics. 
• He-Mania reports that the Masters of the Universe movie is sitting at the tops of the sales charts for DVDs, BluRays and $K discs. 

  

Comments on VisionQuest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Immolation", the latest episode of VisionQuest.  
• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on "Immolation", the latest episode of VisionQuest.  
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Immolation", the latest episode of VisionQuest.
• Nick Romano interviews Terry Matalas, showrunner of VisionQuest. 

 

Comments on The Institute:  

• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on season 2 of The Institute. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Ben Barnes, star of The Institute. 

 

Comments on Avatar: Seven Havens: 

• Jordan Farley shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Avatar: Seven Havens. 
• Alex Zalben shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Avatar: Seven Havens.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Avatar: Seven Havens  
• Morgan Pryor interviews Avatar co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino and Seven Havens executive producers Sehaj Sethi and Ethan Spaulding.
• Alex Zalben also interviews Michael Dante DiMartino, Sehaj Sethi and Ethan Spaulding

 

Comments on Godzilla Minus Zero:

• Leah Schnelbach calls Godzilla Minus Zero a dark, loud, and emotionally gutting Kaiju opera 
• Germain Lussier calls Godzilla Minus Zero the perfect sequel   
• Matt Schimkowitz calls Godzilla Minus Zero an ambitious sequel. 
• Takeshi Ishii interviews Takashi Yamazaki, director of Godzilla Minus Zero. 

 

Comments on The Rings of Power: 

• Cheryl Eddy interviews Patrick McKay, showrunner of The Rings of Power. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Daniel Weyman who plays Gandalf in The Rings of Power. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Robert Aramoyo who plays Elrond and Elros in The Rings of Power. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Jamie Campbell Bower who plays Celeborn in The Rings of Power. 

 

Comments on The Cat in the Hat:  

• Jacob Oller declares that the latest adaptation of The Cat In The Hat robs Dr. Seuss of his juice 
• Jesse Hassenger calls The Cat in the Hat a mess. 

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2026 Prix Utopiales have been announced.
• The winner of the 2026 Goldsmiths Prize has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize has been announced. 
• Emma Loffhagen reports that Philippe Jaenada, winner of the 2026 Prix Goncourt, has admitted that he used AI after another finalists was disqualified over AI use.   

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Several Booker Prize finalists share their writing process.  
• Adam Plantinga talks about writing gritty, tough-guy protagonists in modern fiction
• Emma Burnett recounts how her novel Ex Partum got caught up in the drama surrounding the small press Atthis Arts. 
• Joe Dunthorne takes a look at the background of the AI book club scam industry.
• Victoria Strauss shares some information on the Anthropic AI settlement that writers should know.  
• Emma Loffhagen reports that A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas has become the fastest selling adult fantasy novel ever in the UK 

 

Interviews:

• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Ken Liu and Caroline M. Yoachim
• Locus interviews Christopher Golden. 
• Locus interviews Lisa Wood. 
• John Valeri interviews Richard Chizmar. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Xueting C. Ni. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Diane L. Walton and Edward Willett 

 

Reviews:   

• Mark Yon reviews Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi
• Lesa Holstine reviews Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi
• Christine D. Baker reviews The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews A Wall Is Also a Road by Annalee Newitz 
• Alexis Ong reviews The End of Everything by M. John Harrison  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Gates of Midnight by Helene Wecker 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Angel at the Gates by Karen Lord 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Tarot Trials by Katee Robert  
• Saif Shaikh reviews The Bookshop Book by Mark Lawrence 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Rottenheart by Kat Dunn 
• Charlie Weir reviews The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace.
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Door in Penrose Forest by Sean David Robinson 
• Alex Brown reviews To Our Untamed Core by Sonido Reyes
• Adrienne Martini reviews Mad Eden by Morgan Thomas 
• Niall Harrison reviews Alston Moor by Anne Charnock 
• Pete Barnable reviews The Wolves of War by John Gwynne 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Wolves of War by John Gwynne 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews To Touch a Silent Fury by R. A. Sandpiper  
• Krystle Matar reviews Thoughts be Bloody by Auden Patrick 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Her Bloody Vengeance by N.C. Scrimgeour
• Saif Shaikh reviews Herald by Rob J. Hayes 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Reliquary by Hannah Whitten 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Where The Roaches Are by C.C. Adams
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Visions and Hauntings - Tales of Women Wanting More by Karin J Robinson 
• Ian Mond reviews The Language of Knives by Haralambi Markov 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Hand-Me-Downs by Neil Williamson 
• Hache Pueyo reviews Palestine +100, edited by Basma Ghalayini  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction 10, edited by Allan Kaster 
• Mak Yon reviews The Art and Craft of Stephen King by Guy Astic and Frank Lafond 
• The Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog reviews Sawyer on Science Fiction by Robert J. Sawyer. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Collective - The Collaborative Art of The Anthology, edited by Dan Coxon and Pete W Sutton 

 

Classics reviews:

• Gideon Marcus shares his thoughts on the November 1971 issue of Analog 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1971 historical YA fantasy Krabat by Otfried Preußler.  
• Mark Yon revisits the 1971 horror novel The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 1973 Forerunner YA science fiction novel Forerunner Foray by Andre Norton 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1980 horror novel The Reaping by Bernard Taylor
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1998 urban fantasy novel Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff. 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2013 Haunted Guesthouse paranormal mystery The Thrill of the Haunt by E.J. Copperman 

 

Con and event reports:

• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares her experiences at the 2026 BristolCon in Bristol, UK 
• Pixel Dan shares his experiences at the Los Amigos Masters of the Universe convention in Heidelberg, Germany.
• Eleanor Tromla reports about the Litquake Literary Festival in San Francisco, California, and shares some photos of the event.  
• The GUFF fan fund is looking for candidates.  
• James Barron reports that the original Winnie the Pooh and his friends will remain at the New York Public Library in New York City. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• The reissues of the sword and sorcery classics Dossouye and Dossouye: The Dancers of Mulukau by Charles R. Saunders are looking for funding.

 

Science and technology:

• W.L. Bolm explains how participatory science can make the world better. 
• Anna Rasche talks about the Hope diamond and the trope of cursed jewels in literature 

 

Gaming: 

• Joe DelFranco calls the video game Prey by Arkane Studios an overlooked gem 
• Sean Cole interviews Tomb Raider co-creator Paul Douglas and level designer Heather Stevens. 
• Catherynne M. Valente reveals that she was contracted to write the next Mass Effect game, at least until game studio BioWare was shut down by Electronic Arts. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1971 Origins of World War II wargame by Avalon Hill. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Kyle Peterson reviews the Masters of the Universe Origins Laser Light Skeletor action figure from Mattel. 
• Pixel Dan wonders about the future of Mattel's various Masters of the Universe toylines. 
• Pime versus Pime reviews and compares the Hasbro Transformers Studio Series Energon Universe Optimus Prime and the Threezero MDLX Comic Edition Skybound Optimus Prime 
• Prime versus Prime reviews the Hasbro Transformers Age of the Primes Commander Class Armada Jetfire. 
• DorkLair reviews the Mythic Legions Legacies of Mythoss Sir Galeron 2 action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at LEGO sets coming out in November.
• Germain Lussier shares a look at a new Godzilla LEGO set. 
• Germain Lussier shares his fifteen favourite new SFF Christmas tree ornaments of 2026 
• The 2026 inductees into the US National Toy Hall of Fame have been announced. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Selected Case Notes from the Judicial Oversight Council of the Gatarn Empire" by Ian Li in Lightspeed. 
• "The Oracle at Ikeja" by Tobi Ogundiran in Lightspeed. 
• "The ​Best of all Possible Solar Systems" by Dominica Phetteplace in Reactor. 
• "The Tower of Nightmares" by Mac Fenwick in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Twenty-Two Steps to Become Us" by Hannah Yang in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Meat Market" by Isabel J. Kim in Clarkesworld 
• "Last Season" by R.L. Summerling in The Dark.
• "Horse Girls" by Lyndsie Manusos in Nightmare Magazine. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Blue Eye Samurai. 
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.