Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 8, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Masters of the Universe in general, Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, season 2 of Arcane, What We Do in the Shadows, The Penguin, The Franchise, allegations against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, tributes to Greg Hildebrandt and Phil Rickman much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy lists new science fiction, fantasy and horror books coming out in November.
• Natalie Zutter shares new science fiction and fantasy books coming out in November. 
• Publishers Weekly share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror novels of 2024.
• Jo Walton lists SFF books to read when you need an escape. 
  
• Kayla Cottingham shares five SFF books that worldbuild via food and fashion.
  
• Tyler Malone explains why horror needs humor.
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories about mother/daughter relationships.
  
• Olivia Blacke talks about genre-bending books.  
• Kristen Patterson takes a look at the horse girl archetype. 
• Ella Creamer reports that sales of dystopian novels such as 1984 by George Orwell and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood surged after the US presidential election.
  
• Mystery and fantasy author Phil Rickman has died aged 74. 
• Martin Edwards remembers Phil Rickman. 
  

 

Discussion of the allegations against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki:

• Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki responds to the allegations by Erin Cairns.
• Jason Sanford responds to Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki's response and also links to the comments of other writers on the issue.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Publishers Weekly share their favourite comics and graphic novels of 2024.
  
• Alasdair Stuart reviews The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor.
• Jason Sacks looks back on the debut of The Fantastic Four in 1961 and the start of the Marvel Universe as we know it today. 
• Steven Heller interviews Cuban artist Edel Rodriguez.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the plight of the narrator.
  
• Fantasy and science fiction artist Greg Hildebrandt has died aged 85. 
• Gordon Jackson remembers Greg Hildebrandt. 
  

 

Film and TV:

• Phil Hoad calls Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom an  intriguing fantasy anime  
• Arturo Serrano declares that Nautilus does a disservice to its anticolonial message.
  
• Nathan Rabin declares that nobody emerges from Megalopolis unscathed 
• Natalia Keogan calls Bird a flawed fairy tale.
  
• Phil Hoad calls Pedro Páramo a Mexican magical realist drama full of time slippages and perspective shifts 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and calls the second season of the show mediocre. 
• Emma Davis shares her thoughts on  A Quiet Place: Day One
  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Never Let Go. 
• Melody McCune shares her appreciation for the character of Juliette Nichols in Silo.
  
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Lucy Lawless, best known for playing Xena: The Warrior Princess.
• Germain Lussier interviews Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, writers and directors of Heretic. 
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1967 fantasy comedy Bedazzled.
• James Whitbrook revisits the 1989 animated movie Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode “Soul Mates” 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1996 fantasy movie Loch Ness. 
• Fiona Denton revisits the 2005 dystopian film V for Vendetta.
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 2016 dystopian film The Purge: Election Year. 
• Rick Austin lists ten science fiction films that got the future completely wrong. 
  
• Daniel Boyer ranks the ten worst decisions made by characters in horror movies. 
• Ben Child wonders whether potential future instalments of the Alien series will repeat the mistakes of underwhelming past films or learn the right lessons from the success of Alien: Romulus. 
• Jennifer Maas reports that Warner Bros is still not willing to give up on Harry Potter.
  
• Mark Kermode shares his appreciation for the work of film composer John Williams. 
• Emma Keates reports that Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav is thrilled about the election of Donald Trump, proving once again that he is a horrible person.
  
• Animator and illustrator Emma Calder has died aged 65. 
• Actor Jonathan Haze, best known for his appearances in Little Shop of Horror, The Day the World Ended, Not of This Earth, Monster from the Ocean Floor, The Terror, X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, Nobody Smiling, 77 Sunset Strip, Dragnet and many others, has died aged 95.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general: 

• Danielle Directo-Meston interviews Alison Brie who has been cast as Evil-Lyn in the planned Masters of the Universe live action movie.
• James Eatock explains how the dragon Warlock from the Filmation cartoon Blackstar later reappeared in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
  

 

Comments on Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general: 

• Camestros Felapton calls Agatha All Along an enormously entertaining miniseries 
• Asa West declares that Agatha All Along nailed some profound truths about witchcraft
  
• Adam B. Vary interviews Jac Schaeffer, showrunner of Agatha All Along. 
• Brian Davids interviews Jac Schaeffer, showrunner of Agatha All Along. 
  
• Taylor Gates interviews Sasheer Zamata, who plays Jennifer Kale in Agatha All Along.
  
• Alex Brown shares some SFF reading recommendations for the characters of Agatha All Along.
• Chris Snellgrove reports that Kathryn Hahn, who plays Agatha Harkness in Agatha All Along, has received a not entirely serious award for being the first female character to appear nude in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 
• Clayton Davis reports that Disney has submitted Agatha All Along as an ongoing comedy series rather than a mini-series for awards purposes, suggesting that there might be more seasons.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “A Farewell to Farms”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “A Farewell to Farms”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on “A Farewell to Farms”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.   
• Ryan Britt interviews Gabrielle Ruiz who voices T'Lyn in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Arcane: 

• Diana Keng interviews Christian Linke, producer and co-creator of Arcane.   
• Justin Carter interviews Christian Linke.
  
• Isaiah Colbert reports that Arcane is the most expensive animated series ever made. 

 

Comments on What We Do in the Shadows: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.

 

Comments on The Penguin: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.

 

Comments on The Franchise: 

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts about the latest episode of The Franchise.
  

 

Godzilla at seventy:

• Fiona Ng chronicles how the original 1954 Godzilla came to the US with some extra scenes shot in Los Angeles and inserted into the movie.
  
• James Whitbrook and Adriano Contreras interviews Takashi Yamazaki, director of Godzilla Minus One.

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2024 Self Published Fantasy Blogoff have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2024 Prix Julia Verlanger has been announced. 
  
• The winner of the 2024 Prix Utopiales BD has been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Philip K. Dick European Science Fiction Film Festival 
  
• The 2024 inductees into the Animation Hall of Fame have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Charlie Jane Anders tells writers not to beat themselves up over arbitrary wordcount goals. 
• Moira Butterfield tells creators that it's okay to have bad ideas.
  
• Sue Burke talks about the problem of AI-generated submissions flooding SFF magazines.
• Ella Creamer reports that the Dutch publisher Veen Bosch & Keuning wants to use AI to translate a limited number of books into English in what is a terrible idea.  
• Ella Creamer reports that a report by the British National Literacy Trust has discovered a shocking drop in the number of children reading for pleasure. 
• Jay Waagmeester reports that Florida has removed more library books in 2023 than any other state.
  
• Andrew Albanese reports that anti-book-ban activists have won a legal victory in Alaska.
  

 

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Nalo Hopkinson.
• Kat Kouberti interviews Arkady Martine. 
  
• Kalyani Saxena interviews Alix E. Harrow, Alexis Henderson and Grady Hendrix 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews A.C. Wise.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews K.V. Johansen.
• Doug Gordon interviews Gabino Iglesias. 
• Nick Kolakowski interviews Rob Hart and Alex Segura. 
  
• Christina Orlando interviews Anne de Marcken 
• Kelly Robson interviews Ted Chiang.
  
• Stewart A. Shearer interviews Matthew John.  
• Nick Kolakowski interviews Rob Hart and Alex Segura. 
  
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Kate Macdonald.
  
• Arley Sorg interviews Eliane Boey.
  

 

Reviews:

• Runalong the Shelves reviews Broken Stars by Jeremy Szal
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Constituent Service by John Scalzi 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Buried Memories by Simon R. Green
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Remember Me Tomorrow by Farah Heron 
• John Mauro reviews The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence 
• Rob Bedford reviews Candle and Crow by Kevin Hearne. 
• Clara Cohen reviews The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry 
  
• Marion Deeds reviews Abeni’s Song by P. Djèlí Clark 
• Rebecca Fisher reviews Ghost Drum by Susan Price 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Speculation by Nisi Shawl 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
  
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Exposure by Ramona Emerson  
• Lis Carey reviews The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune.
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Thunder Kraken by Dyrk Ashton and David Estes 
  
• Adrian Collins reviews The Genesis of Change by Livia J. Elliot 
• Ian Mond reviews State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg
  
• Paraic O'Donnell reviews Gliff by Ali Smith 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Drill by Scott R. Jones
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Ancients by John Larison 
• John Mauro reviews The Narrows by Ronald Malfi
• Colleen Mondor reviews Smothermoss by Alisa Alering 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Way Up is Death by Dan Hanks
  
• Paperback Warrior reviews Killer Delivery by Calum France.
• Mary Picken reviews Night and Day by John Connolly
  
• Sam Tomaino reviews The Last Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison and  J. Michael Straczynski
  
• Niall Harrison reviews Wish I Was Here by M. John Harrison
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Muse from the Orb revisits the 1553 Elizabethan horror novel Beware the Cat by William Baldwin.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1953 science fiction novel Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1964 post-apocalyptic novel Greybeard by Brian W. Aldiss. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 children's fantasy The Secret of the Blue Glass by Tomiko Inui, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
  
• David Levinson revisits the December 1969 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction
• Brian Collins revisits the 1969 science fiction novel Macroscope by Piers Anthony.
  
• Jonathan Rosenbaum revisits the 1973 post-apocalyptic novel Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. 
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1979 fairy tales retelling “Red as Blood” by Tanith Lee 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 science fiction novel Child of Fortune by Norman Spinrad
   
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Steve Rose reports about the Trojan Horse Was a Unicorn digital arts festival in Lisbon, Portugal
• Fandom Pulse reports that rightwing science fiction author Richard Fox has allegedly been banned from programming at the 2024 Author Nation convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, for having a freak-out when asked for his pronouns. 
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Writer and editor Lezli Robyn needs help with medical expenses.

 

Science and technology:

• Elisha Sauers reports that NASA has managed to reestablish contact with the Voyager 1 spaceprobe, using a back-up transmitter. 
• The Guardian reports that LignoSat, the world's first wooden satellite, has been launched into space.
  
• Eric Berger reports about Blue Origins' New Glenn rocket.
  
• Jennifer Graeser Dornbush answers frequently asked questions about forensic science. 
• Carrie Wise attempts to explain what makes some pieces of music scary.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Warner Holme reviews the Swedish RPG Dragonbane
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Modulok. 
• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Evil-Lyn.
  
• FigureFan Zero reviews the Ultimate Creature From The Black Lagoon action figure by NECA  
• Justin Carter shares a look at some upcoming Godzilla toys from Super 7. 
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Lord of the Rings "War of the Rohirrim" line of Funko Pops.
• Becca Down shares a look at a new Lego Captain America: Brave New World set. 
  
• James Whitbrook shares a look at new Lego sets coming out in November.
• Sean Fallon also offers a look at new Lego sets coming out in November.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera" by William Alexander in Uncanny Magazine 
• "Cryptid Car Rental" by Allison Pottern in Trollbreath.
  
• "Margeaux Poppins: Monster Hunter" by L. D. Lewis in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
  
• "The Blood-Beast from Hellmouth" by Andrew Darlington in Swords and Heroes.
• "She Sheds Her Skin" by Raven Jakubowski in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Beyond The Slit Of Eternity" by K. T. Booker in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "On the Existence of Ghosts, As If" by James Van Pelt in The Deadlands.
  
• "Antyesti For a Dead Ganesa, Part 1" by Ashok K. Banker in Lightspeed.
  
• "Babywings" by Isabel Cañas in Lightspeed.
  
• "Lightfingers" by Seán Padraic Birnie in The Dark.
• "Mirror Stages" by Claire Jia-Wen in Clarkesworld. 
• "LuvHome™" by Resa Nelson in Clarkesworld,
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Skeleton Crew.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Scavenger's Reign, which will likely never be made.
  
• Watch a trailer for Heart Eyes.
  

 

 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 1, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Masters of the Universe in general, Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Star Wars in general, What We Do in the Shadows, Venom: The Last Dance, season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina, The Penguin, Generation Z, Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, The Franchise, Teacup, Before, Time Cut, Terrifier 3, allegations against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, tributes to Teri Garr, a whole lot of horror and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares the most iconic speculative fiction books of the 21st century.
  
• Gabino Iglesias shares four new horror novels to enjoy this month.
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares nine SFF stories about living with magical creatures. 
• Yvonne Battle-Felton shares horror novels set in beautiful places.
  
• Delilah S. Dawson shares five horror novels featuring writers, artists and other haunted creatives. 
• J.R. Forasteros shares ten overlooked recent horror novels and movies. 
• Andrew Michael Hurley takes a look at the connection between folk horror and climate change.
  
• Joe George notes that horror has always been political.
  
• Joshua Rothman wonders whether Steampunk can save the world.
  
• Micaiah Johnson talks about feeling discomfort with stories of rebellion against political oppression after the riots on January 6, 2021 in Washington DC. 
  
• Alan Moore declaims that fandom has become toxic.
  
• Alexandra Alter profiles Susannah Clarke.
  
• Dalya Alberge reports that Tove Jansson's notes on the Moomins will be published for the first time.
• Issue 86 of Journey Planet on the subject "Dracula - Friend or Foe" has been published. 
• Weird fiction scholar Scott Connors has died.
  

 

Discussion of the allegations against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki:

• Erin Cairns accuses Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki of unethical conduct. 
• Mike Glyer shares Erin Cairns' report as well as a round-up of responses from the SFF community. 
• Jason Sanford shares responses to the allegations against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
• Camestros Felapton discusses the allegations against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki in the context of various violations of community trust in the SFF community in 2024.
• The African Speculative Fiction Society shares a statement on Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
  
• SFWA reports that Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpekihas been removed as director-at-large in response to the allegations.

 

Comics and Art:

• Charlie Jane Anders explains why she dislikes the Death of Superman storyline.
• Artist Alex Ross shares his history with the Fantastic Four. 
• Leah Thomas talks about the manga series The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren and what it told her about herself.
  
• James Bacon shares his thoughts on the Stop Project 2025 comic project initiated by several comic creators.
• Sam Wolfson interviews Charles Burns.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about relaxing with a book on Halloween. 
• Fan artist Bruce Townley has died aged 70.
• Comic artist Larry Todd has died aged 76. 
  

 

Film and TV:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Heretic a religious horror film starring a suave, dapper and evil Hugh Grant
  
• Phil Hoad calls Slingshot a solid science fiction film and praises the performance of Casey Affleck. 
• Jack Seale calls Nautilus half-baked and badly acted. 
• Luck Buckmaster calls The Moogai a haunting but somewhat underdeveloped horror film from Australia.
  
• Tara Bennett calls Your Monster a mess of conflicting genres. 
• Judith Tarr declares that The Loch Ness Horror is surprisingly not awful
• Stuart Heritage calls Team Jay one of the ugliest, most mindless kids shows ever 
• Lucy Mangan declares that it is impossible not to be horrified by the documentary Eternal You about an attempt to create facsimiles of dead people via AI. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the documentary Doc of Chucky
  
• Ryan Gilbey calls Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story a fascinating tribute undermined by bombast
  
• Imogen Tilden shares her thoughts on the documentary Music by John Williams 
  
• James Melzer reports that the Irish horror movie Oddity has been named one of the scariest movies of all time. 
• Anne Billson traces the evolution of the horror movie from the silent era to today.
  
• Aaron Jones shares his favourite spooky movies and TV shows to enjoy this Halloween. 
• Writers of the Guardian list their scariest horror movie villains.
  
• Olivia Rutigliano wonders which horror movie villains would make the best detectives.
  
• Pamela McClintock explains why Hollywood studios are worried about a looming horror fatigue.
• Katie Rife discusses how horror and crime movies like Longlegs and Red Rooms use the cursed aesthetics of true crime
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror movies with subterranean settings. 
• The AV-Club shares horror movies where sex scenes actually move the plot forward.
  
• Maya Salam shares a compilation of newspaper headlines announcing the impending end of the world from SFF movies and TV shows. 
• Tim Robey lists ten movies which flopped upon release and then went on to become classics.  
  
• Spencer Bolletieri shares seven SFF movies which had tie-in cartoon series.
  
• Ben Child wonders how many more Tolkien inspired movies and TV shows we are going to get. 
• Justin Carter interviews Luci Christian and Leah Clark, two of the voice actors in the English language dub of My Hero Academia.  
• Amelia Tait interviews various former child actors who appeared in horror movies.
  
• Horror director James Wan shares his favourite vampire movies.
  
• Tyler Dean shares his ten favourite filmic Dracula portrayals.
  
• Jesse Hassenger revisits the Universal Frankenstein horror movie series from the 1930s and 1940s. 
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1960 science fiction horror film Village of the Damned. 
• Joe Reid revisits the 1969 science fiction movie Change of Mind.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1973 horror film The Baby and the 2006 horror film The Abandoned. 
• Don Kaye revisits the 1974 horror musical Phantom of Paradise.
  
• Emily Hughes revisits the 1976 horror movie The Omen. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1978 horror movie Halloween.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1978 horror film The Manitou and the 2005 horror film The Descent.
  
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1979 horror movie Dracula. 
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1979 science fiction horror movie Phantasm. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1980 slasher horror movies Friday the 13th and Prom Night.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1980 horror movie The Changeling and the 1990 horror movie The Haunting of Morella.
  
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1982 horror movie Poltergeist.
  
• Scott Tobias revisits the 1984 science fiction film The Terminator. 
• Ann Michelle Harris revisits the 1986 horror musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors.
  
• Ann Michell Harris revisits the 1994 vampire movie Interview With the Vampire. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode “A Spider in the Web”
• Kenneth Lowe revisits the 1995 horror crime series American Gothic.
  
• Dan Persons revisits the 2014 horror movie The Babadook. 
  
• Adam Chitwood and Sharon Waxman report that Disney is about to launch a massive AI initiative focussing on post-production and visual effects.
  
• Brent Lang reports that according to a recent study, teenagers would prefer to see less sex in movies and TV shows.  
• Kim Willsher reports that the sexual assault trial of actor Gerard Depardieu in Paris, France, has been postponed, because Depardieu is allegedly too ill to attend. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general: 

• For Eternia reports that according to showrunner Kevin Smith, the possibility of the third season of Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution is up to Mattel and Dreamworks making a deal about the She-Ra rights.
  
• Isaiah Colbert interviews David Howe, Samuel Deats and Adam Deats of Powehouse Animation, the studio behind Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution, Castlevania, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Blood of Zeus and many others.
  
• For Eternia has a page dedicated to the alphabet, grammar and lexicon of Kudu-Kesh, the conlang used in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Revolution.
  
• James Eatock reports that the "Spirit of Evil" from the Filmation He-Man episode "The Wizard of Stone Mountain" was censored to make him less devilish to appease enraged parent groups.
  

 

Comments on Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general: 

• Katie Campione shares her thoughts on the penultimate episode of Agatha All Along. 
• Dessi Gomez shares her thoughts on the finale of Agatha All Along.
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on the finale of Agatha All Along.
• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on the finale of Agatha All Along. 
• Gordon Jackson shares his thoughts on the finale of Agatha All Along.  
• Avery Kaplan shares five things she loved about the Agatha All Along finale.
  
• Adam B. Vary interviews Jac Schaeffer, creator and showrunner of Agatha All Along. 
• Emiliana Betancourt interviews Daniel Selon, costume designer of Agatha All Along.
  
• Gordon Jackson takes a look at the comic book origins of the character Rio Vidal from Agatha All Along.
• Matt Schimkowitz declares that Marvel should lean into horror tropes more often.
  
• Watch a teaser for various upcoming Marvel projects. 
• Germain Lussier lists 21 cool things he spotted in the Marvel overview trailer.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”, the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.   
• Avery Kaplan shares eight excellent ensemble episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  
• Jeri Taylor, producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation and co-creator of Star Trek Voyager, has died aged 86.
• Natalie Oganesyan shares an obituary for Jeri Taylor 
• Matt Schimkowitz remembers Jeri Taylor.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Ramin Setoodeh interviews Jude Law, star of the upcoming Star Wars series Skeleton Crew.
• Germain Lussier notes that a potential season 2 of Skeleton Crew could be facing the same issue facing Stranger Things and other shows with an overwhelmingly young cast, namely that child and teen actors grow up faster than movies and TV shows can be made. 
• Lucas Seastrom interviews Iain McCraig, concept and storyboard artist for The Phantom Menace.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina: 

• Kathryn Porter declares that The Legend of Vox Machina will never let us down
• Cassie Holguin shares her thoughts on the season 3 premiere of The Legend of Vox Machina. 
• Cassie Holguin shares her thoughts on the second episode of season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina.  
• Anna Govert interviews the voice cast of The Legend of Vox Machina. 

 

Comments on Teacup: 

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the penultimate episode of Teacup.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the season finale of Teacup.
  

 

Comments on What We Do in the Shadows: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of What We Do In the Shadows.
  

 

Comments on Venom: The Last Dance: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin hopes that Venom: The Last Dance won't be the final cinematic outing for Eddie Brock and Venom.
• Jesse Hassenger wonders what, if anything, the Venom: The Last Dance post-credits scenes mean?
• Brian Davids interviews Juno Temple who plays Teddy Paine in Venom: The Last Dance. 
• Gordon Jackson interviews Peggy Lu who plays Mrs. Chen in Venom: The Last Dance.
  
• Pamela McClintock reports that Venom: The Last Dance did decently at the box office, mostly due to international moviegoers.
  

 

Comments on Generation Z:  

• Lucy Mangan calls Generation Z a fun zombie Brexit satire that feels like The Walking Dead’s oddest spin-off yet
  
• Joel Golby declares that zombies are back with Generation Z. 

 

Comments on Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl: 

• Pete Hammond calls Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl a cause for celebration 
• James Whitbrook declares that Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a greatest hits movie, for better and worse
  

 

Comments on The Penguin: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Ben Child explains why The Penguin is TV’s biggest surprise of the year
  
• Drew Taylor interviews Matt Reeves, executive producer of The Penguin.
  

 

Comments on The Franchise: 

• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise.
  

 

Comments on Before: 

• Joel Golby calls Before a creepy drama that is perfect for Halloween. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Before a brilliant horror film. 
• Saloni Gajjar calls Before a glacially paced psychological thriller and another prestige misfire led by a big Hollywood name 
• Cheryl Eddy calls Before a chilling drama.
  

 

Comments on Time Cut: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Time Cut a time-travel slasher film with too much deja vu
• Jim Vorel calls Time Cut a limp time travel slasher.
  
• Matt Donato declares that Time Cut is not even the best "time-travel back to save your relative" slasher of the last few years.

 

Comments on Terrifier 3:  

• Germain Lussier wonders about the origin of Art the killer clown from the Terrifier movies. 
• Germain Lussier and Cheryl Eddy share their favourite horrifying kills in the Terrifier movies.
  

 

Tributes to Teri Garr:

• Actress Teri Garr, best known for her roles in Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Sting II, The Conversation and After Hours, has died aged 79. 
• Emma Keates remembers Teri Garr.
  

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2024 Kitschies have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2024 Geffen Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2024 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Pegasus Awards have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Mike Glyer shares the results of the SFWA special elections.
  
• Scott H. Amdrews points out that the practice of not paying editors is limiting the range of editorial voices in SFF.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that Booker Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo has set up a writer's retreat in her cottage in Ramsgate, UK.
• A group of hundreds of authors including Irish writer Sally Rooney has called for a boycott of Israeli publishers and cultural institutions because of the war in Gaza.
• Another group of 1200 authors and other creatives, including thriller author Lee Child and Nobel Prize winners Herta Müller and Elfriede Jelinek resoundedly renounces the boycott of Israeli publishers and cultural institutions, pointing out that artists and writers are often opposed to the policies of their government.
  

 

Interviews:

• Scott Edelman interviews Wole Talabi.
• Imaginize World interviews Wole Talabi. 
• Any Brady interviews Jeff VanderMeer. 
• Shane Whaley interviews Nick Harkaway. 
• Lincoln Michel interviews David Small.
  

 

Reviews:

• Niall Harrison reviews Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Tongue Trade by Michael J. Martineck
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Nether Station by Kevin J. Anderson
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Great When by Alan Moore  
• Sam Thielman reviews The Great When by Alan Moore  
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Vengeance by Emma Newman  
• Liz Bourke reviews Oath of Fire by K. Arsenault Rivera
  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Mountain Crown by Karin Lowachee 
• Grimdark Magazine reviews A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon
• Alex Brown reviews Metal From Heaven by August Clarke
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The City in Glass by Nghi Vo 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Bloodless Princes by Charlotte Bond  
  
• Jen Lucas reviews The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman 
• Rob Bedford reviews Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh.
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Candle and Crow by Kevin Hearne 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Magic by Sarah Pinborough  
  
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry. 
• Clara Cohen reviews He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan 
  
• Leah Ning reviews Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives by Tim Major
• Aunt Agatha's reviews A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke.  
• Alexis Ong reviews Napalm in the Heart by Pol Guasch
  
• Chris Power reviews The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk 
• Tobias Carroll reviews The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball.
  
• Ian Mond reviews Ultra 85 by Logic a.k.a. Sir Robert Bryson Hall II
  
• Paperback Warrior reviews Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Shetland Witch: Or, Atropos Wants Her Shears Back by Kate Macdonald
  
• Fiona Denton reviews The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister 
• Alex Puncekar reviews The Nightmarchers by J. Lincoln Fenn
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Hushed by K. R. Blair
  
• Randy Money reviews Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones. 
• Randy Money reviews The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones. 
• Rob Bedford reviews A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton.
  
• Paperback Warrior reviews Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies by John Langan.
  
• Niall Harrison reviews A Jura for Julia by Ken MacLeod 
• Alex Preston reviews The Hotel by Daisy Johnson
• Sarah Crown reviews The Hotel by Daisy Johnson 
• John Mauro reviews The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror Volume 5, edited by Paula Guran 
• Mark Yon reviews Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Fight Like A Girl - Volume 2, edited by Roz Clarke and Joanne Hall
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Randy Money revisits the 1897 horror novel The Beetle by Richard Marsh.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1923 horror novella Ooze by Anthony M. Rud.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1955 science fiction horror novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1967 collection Best Science Fiction Stories of Clifford D. Simak by Clifford D. Simak
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the November 1969 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• Fiona Moore revisits the November 1969 issue of New Worlds. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the November 1969 issue of Analog.
  
• Randy Money revisits the 1971 horror novel The Other by Thomas Tryon. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1975 anthology The Best of Planet Stories, edited by Leigh Brackett
• Brian Collins revisits the 1976 speculative fiction story “My Boat” by Joanna Russ
• Brian Collins revisits the 1977 science fiction story “Manatee Gal Ain’t You Coming Out Tonight” by Avram Davidson
• Brian Collins reviews the 1978 horror story “Hear Me Now, My Sweet Abbey Rose” by Charles L. Grant
• Sarah McCarry revisits the 1979 fantasy novel The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.
  
• Randy Money revisits the 1981 occult detective collection Lonely Vigils by Manly Wade Wellman.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1986 horror novel Chopping Mall by Brian G. Berry.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1988 horror novel Blood Farm by Sam Siciliano.
  
• Octothorpe revisit the 1989 science fiction novel Grass by Sheri S. Tepper. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1990 horror novel Thrill by Patricia Wallace. 
• Warner Holme revisits the 1993 historical fantasy novel A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer reports that Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, is bidding for the 2030 Worldcon.
  
• Mike Glyer reports about the 2024 Trieste Science+Fiction Festival in Trieste, Italy, which is also the 2024 Italcon.
  
• James Folta reports that Bob Dylan, singer/songwriter and Nobel Prize winner for Literature, accidentally found himself at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, and went looking for Crystal Lake Publishing. 
• Locus shares a photo of the Brooklyn Books and Booze event in Brooklyn, New York.
  
• Mitch Speed reports about the H.R. Giger and Mire Lee exhibition at the Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin, Germany.
• Hannah Frishberg reports that showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with full audience participation are on the rise in New York City with more than forty happening in October alone.
  
• Elizabeth McCafferty talks about a haunted house in San Diego, California, that became steadily more extreme over the years until abuse and injuries were common  
• Vivian Wang and Muyi Xiao report that authorities in Shanghai, China are increasingly cracking down on Halloween celebrations in the city.
  
• Tobias Carroll reports that literary publishers are increasingly embracing the type of midnight release party once pioneered by highly anticipated YA and SFF books.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• The 2024 WMG Publishing Holiday Spectacular is looking for funding.

 

Science and technology:

• Elizabeth Howell reports that an astronaut aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule was inujured during splashdown.
• Chandelis Duster reports that witch and curse marks have been discovered on the walls of a manor house in Gainsborough, UK.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Omar Gallaga reviews the Rocky Horror Picture Show Video Game.
• Justin Carter calls Dragon Age: The Veilguard solid, familiar and well overdue
  
• Garrett Martin interviews John Epler, creative director of  Dragon Age: The Veilguard 
  
• BBC Witness History interviews Luke Gygax, son of Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons. 
• Stewart A. Shearer shares a Little D&D adventure called "Night of the Dragon-Sitters"
  
• Tim Clare talks about the benefit of games or whether it even matters if games have any benefit at all.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection She-Ra, Mantenna and Ram-Man.
  
• Gordon Jackson shares a look at an upcoming wave of Hasbro Marvel Legends action figures that ties in to Captain America: New World Order.
• Cat Eldridge shares a photo of their collection of Baby Groot figures.
• Adam McComb takes a look at the 1986 Mattel Masters of the Universe Stilt Stalkers accessory set. 
• Watch "The Collector", a stop motion animated film featuring the Mattel Masters of the Universe Cartoon Collection action figures.
  
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Halloween Special toy photo story called “The Tomb of Sibor”
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Sully the God" by Philip Gelatt and J.T. Petty in Lightspeed. 
• "Things Lost Forever" by Auston Habershaw in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Where They Sleep" by Heather Clitheroe in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackened Husk of a Planet" by Adeline Wong in Strange Horizons. 
  
• "All the Rainbows We Shed" by Jennifer Lesh Fleck in Trollbreath.
• "Tell Me The Count" by Jonathan Olfert in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Just a Little Chat" by Steven French in Wyldblood. 
• "The Empty Ones" by Vivian Shaw in The Deadlands.
  
• "After Stasis" by R.T. Ester in Interzone Digital.
• “Patrons” by Cassidy McFadzean in Future Tense Fiction.
  
• "Die Ravanche" by Leanna Renee Hieber by The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "NotRob" by Isabel Cañas in Nightmare Magazine.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for That Christmas. 
• Watch a trailer for Paddington in Peru. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Squid Game. 
• Watch a trailer for Presence.
  
• Watch a trailer for Frank Miller: American Genius.
  

 

 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for October 25 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Masters of the Universe in general, Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Star Trek Lower Decks and Star Trek in general, What We Do in the Shadows, Venom: The Last Dance, Hysteria!, The Penguin, Joker: Folie a Deux, The Franchise, Teacup, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, all the news from New York Comic Con and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll lists five formidable female characters from classic SFF. 
• Sarah Reese Brennan shares five SFF books featuring villainous team-ups.
  
• Leah Schnelbach shares spooky stories recommended by Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Creature and other classic monsters  
  
• C.J. Cooke shares her favourite witchy books. 
• Alena Bruzas shares her favourite literary horror novels. 
• Lorna Wallace shares seven spooky stories set on Halloween. 
  
• C.J. Leede talks about sexual repression and horror fiction.
• Jeff VanderMeer shares his six favourite books that delve into the unknown. 
• Lily Anderson shares her favourite haunted houses in fiction and reality. 
• Holly Kybett-Smith shares thirteen poems for Halloween.
  
• Elisa Shoenberg shares five SFF books about elections and technology. 
• Molly Templeton wishes for more genre mashups.
  
• Rachel Cordasco takes a look at Stanislaw Lem's work from the early 1960s. 
• Daily Kos shares their appreciation for the works of John M. Ford. 
• Bill Ryan shares his appreciation for the horror short fiction of Ramsey Campbell.
  
• Jackson Sawa shares some facts about Edgar Allan Poe. 
• Bobby Derie finds some connections between H.P. Lovecraft and the Shaver mysteries.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that a reader has stumbled upon a forgotten 1891 horror story by Bram Stoker in a library in Dublin, Ireland.
• ErsatzCulture reports that Yao Haijun, editor of the Chinese magazine Science Fiction World, two-time Hugo finalist and co-chair of the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, is under investigation in China for alleged "serious violations of discipline and law".
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #15 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux 
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about Batman keeping his priorities straight.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Arturo Serrano declares that The Wild Robot gives off a warm aura that soothes and uplifts the weary soul. 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that Rumours responds to the absurdity of modern life with absurdity of its own 
• Phil Hoad calls Family Pack review a card-game-based time-travelling caper
  
• Fiona Denton calls The Radleys less horror and more dark comedy with some blood spatter. 
• James Whitbrook calls Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance a miserable show that has no idea what it wants to say.
  
• Jacob Oller calls Memoir Of A Snail a claymation weepie that crawls through a gauntlet of misery
  
• Cath Clarke calls Rebellious a convulted animated fairy tale full of outdated stereotypes that barely scrapes past the Bechdel test 
• Luke Buckmaster calls My Freaky Family an overly quirky and unforgivably mawkish animated film.
  
• Joel Golby calls Before a creepy drama that is perfect for Halloween. 
• Jesse Hassenger shares a spoilerish review of Smile 2.
  
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Terminator Zero.
  
• Louise Griffin interviews Peter Capaldi who played the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who.
• Germain Lussier interviews Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann, director and producer of The Wild Robot.
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Leigh Whannell, writer and director of Wolf Man. 
• Isaiah Colbert interviews Kamome Shirahama, creator of Witch Hat Atelier. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Brad Miska, excutive producer of Terrifier 3.
  
• Stuart Heritage praises Andrew Garfield's appearance on Sesame Street where he opens up about his late mother and his grief towards Elmo. 
• Tyler Dean shares his nine least favourite on-screen Draculas. 
• Marya E. Gates revisits the 1924 Soviet science fiction film Aelita: Queen of Mars
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1931 horror film Dracula.
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1958 horror film Dracula.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 horror thriller Circus of Horror and the 1967 horror thriller She-Freak. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 horror sexploitation film The Playgirls and the Vampire and the 1965 horror sexploitation film The Beach Girls and the Monster  
• Don Kaye revisits the 1964 Outer Limits episode “Demon with a Glass Hand”.
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1965 horror movie Devils of Darkness and the 1973 horror movie Ganja & Hess
  
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1966 horror movie Kill, Baby, Kill.
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the 1969 science fiction film Moon Zero Two and the 1969 surreal anti-war comedy Oh, What a Lovely War! 
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1974 horror movie Dracula.
  
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1977 Japanese horror movie House.
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1978 dark fantasy movie Watership Down.
  
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1984 horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street.
• Dan Larson revisits the 1986 cartoon series Filmation Ghostbusters, not to be confused with The Real Ghostbusters.
  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1988 science fiction movie They Live. 
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Bablyon 5 episode "The Long Dark". 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1995 crime comedy To Die For and the 2001 ghost story movie The Others. 
• David Masciotra revisits the 1997 post-apocalyptic movie The Postman. 
• Joe Otterson reports that instead of a full third season, Good Omens will conclude with the 90 minute movie and that Neil Gaiman is not involved in the production,
  
• Christi Carras reports that the producers of Blade Runner 2049 are sueing Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery over the Tesla Cybercab launch
  
• Mary Kate Carr reports that the lawsuit by actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting about allegedly being forced to perform nude while underage in the 1968 movie Romeo and Juliet has been dismissed again. 
• Actor Ron Ely, star of Tarzan, Doc Savage, The Aquanauts and many others, has died aged 86.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general: 

• For Eternia shares a video about Kudu-Kesh, the conlang created for Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution.
  
• James Eatock shares how an obscure one-of She-Ra villain named Acrobad was actually based on a concept for a never-produced action figure from the Masters of the Universe line.
  

 

Comments on Agatha All Along and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general: 

• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on “Death’s Hand in Mine”, the latest episode of Agatha All Along. 
• Jen Lennon  shares her thoughts on “Death’s Hand in Mine”, the latest episode of Agatha All Along.  
• Gordon Jackson shares his thoughts on “Death’s Hand in Mine”, the latest episode of Agatha All Along.   
• Andi Ortiz interviews Joe Locke who plays Billy Maximoff in Agatha All Along.
• Ben Child tackles the nonsensical claim that Marvel movies killed off the movie star.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek in general: 

• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the first half of season 5 of Star Trek Lower Decks.
• Elijah Gonzalez shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Dos Cerritos" and "Shades of Green, the first two episode of season 5 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her favourite Star Trek: Lower Decks episodes featuring Beckett Mariner.
  
• Melody McCune shares all the reveals from the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con in New York City. 
  
• Watch a clip from season 5 of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
  
• Watch a clip from season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  

 

Comments on Teacup: 

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Teacup.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on episode 6 of Teacup.

 

Comments on What We Do in the Shadows: 

• Tara Bennett shares her thoughts on the season six premiere of What We Do In the Shadows.
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season six premiere of What We Do In the Shadows.
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of season 6 of What We Do In the Shadows.
  
• Saloni Gajjar takes a look behind the scenes of season six of What We Do In the Shadows. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Kayvan Novak who plays Nandor in What We Do In the Shadows. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Harvey Guillén who plays Guillermo in What We Do In the Shadows.
  

 

Comments on Venom: The Last Dance: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Venom: The Last Dance a messy sequel that ends the series with a shrug
• Jesse Hassenger calls Venom: The Last Dance a hit or miss sequel. 
• Germain Lussier declares that Venom: The Last Dance doesn’t quite stick the landing 
  
• Jarrod Jones declares that Venom: The Last Dance is at odds with its acknowledgment of the void and a driven need to party 
• Germain Lussier discusses the ending of Venom: The Last Dance.
  

 

Comments on Hysteria!:  

• Saloni Gajjar declares that Hysteria! mines the Satanic panic for a devil of a good time 
• Cassie Holguin interviews Chiara Aurelia, Kesii Curtis and Emjay Anthony, three of the stars of Hysteria!  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Matthew Scott Kane, creator of Hysteria! 
  

 

Comments on Joker: Folie à Deux: 

• Erin Underwood declares that Joker: Folie à Deux could have been brilliant as a film, if it weren’t tied to Joker
  
• Readers of The Guardian share their thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux.
  

 

Comments on The Penguin: 

• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Penguin.
• Brent Lang explains why John Turturro who played Carmine Falcone in The Batman did not return for The Penguin.
  

 

Comments on The Franchise: 

• Lucy Mangan calls The Franchise a bit of a mess – largely due to the lack of great jokes. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Franchise.  
• Marina Hyde, one of the masterminds behind The Franchise, promises that the series' view of superhero movies and how they are made is completely realistic.
• Tim Lowery declares that Richard E. Grant’s career comes full circle in The Franchise
  

 

Comments on The Remarkable Life of Ibelin: 

• Leslie Felperin calls The Remarkable Life of Ibelin a moving tale of a disabled gamer’s digital double life
• Jacob Oller calls The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin a documentary that will make you cry.
  
• Cath Clarke interviews the parents of Mats Steen, the subject of The Remarkable Life of Ibelin.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2024 World Fantasy Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been announced. 
  
• The winner of the 2023 Endeavour Award has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis have been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Tianwen Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Harvey Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival Awards have been announced.
  
• Lanre Bakare reports that the top prize at the London Film Festival has been won by the animated film Memoir of a Snail
  

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have uncovered a slew of AI written books with AI narrated audiobooks credited to authors who don't exist.
  
• Ella Creamer and Lucy Knight report that children's book authors are frustrated by the rise of children's books (ghost)written by celebrities.
  

 

Interviews:

• Alexandra Alter interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
  
• Chris Vognar interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
• Lincoln Michel interviews Jeff VanderMeer.
  
• Alex Clarke interviews Nick Harkaway. 
• Kevin Canfield interviews Nick Harkaway. 
  
• Hannah Grieco interviews Tara Campbell. 
• Adam McPhee interviews Graham Thomas Wilcox.
  
• Steven Heller interviews Arlen Schumer.
  

 

Reviews:

• Russell Letson The Mercy of God by James S.A. Corey 
  
• Kate Gardner reviews Orbital by Samantha Harvey 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Fangs So Bright and Deadly by Piper J. Drake
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage by Hiyodori 
• Alex Brown reviews The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The Wishing Stone by Adam Holcombe 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Warlords of Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker
• Paul Weimer reviews  The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews The First Scars by Ivor K. Hill 
• Alex Brown reviews Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim, translated by Anton Hur.
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The City in Glass by Nghi Vo 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Beyond The Burning Sea by T.B. Schmid and R. Wade Hodges
• Nedine Moonsamy reviews Dakini Atoll by Nikhil Singh
  
• Alex Preston reviews Gliff by Ali Smith 
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball  
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Sleepwalking by Daniel Barnett 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather   
• Rob Bedford reviews This Cursed House by Del Sandeen.
  
• Mark Yon reviews The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay 
• Arley Sorg reviews Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror, edited and translated by Xueting Christine Ni
  
• Camestros Felapton reviews Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Bobby Derie revisits the 1948 cosmic horror poem “The Eldritch One” by Pauline Booker
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison 
• David Levinson revisits the November 1969 of Venture Science Fiction. 
• Muse from the Orb revisits the 1971 science fiction story “Good News from the Vatican” by Robert Silverberg.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1974 horror story“The Same Dog” by Robert Aickman
• Brian Collins revisits the 1975 horror story “The Ghastly Priest Doth Reign” by Manly Wade Wellman
• Bogi Takács revisits the 1978 feminist science fiction novel Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre
  
• Sam Reader revisits the 1984 gothic horror story “Three Days” by Tanith Lee 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1985 horror novel Song of Kali by Dan Simmons 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1991 YA horror novels The Cheerleader and The Return of the Vampire and the 1993 YA horror novel The Vampire's Promise by Caroline B. Cooney.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Melody McCune shares a round-up of news from day one of New York Comic Con in New York City. 
• Melody McCune shares a round-up of news from day two of New York Comic Con in New York City.
• Emma Keates shares all the announcements from the Blumhouse panel at New York Comic Con in New York City.
• William Hughes shares everything James Gunn said at the DC Studios panel at New York Comic Con.
• Justin Carter reports about the DC Comics panel at New York Comic Con.
  
• Emma Keates shares some statements horror director Mike Flanagan made at a New York Comic Con panel. 
  
• James Whitbrook reports about the Lucasfilm publishing panel at New York Comic Con.
• Saloni Gajjar reports about The Walking Dead panel at New York Comic Con.
  
• Kyle Barr reports about the Red Dead Redemption II panel at New York Comic Con.
• George Gene Gustines reports about emergency repair services for cosplayers at New York Comic Con.
  
• Dean Moses shares cosplay photos from New York Comic Con.
• Laura Barton talks about the issues facing British literary festivals after sponsor Baillie-Gifford pulled out of several festivals, following protests by actvist groups.
  
• Jim Broadbent remember his experiences starrring in the science fiction play Illuminatus! by Ken Campbell in 1976.
  
• Locus reports that a museum dedicated to Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin has opened in Yangquan, China.

 

Science and technology:

• Alan Boyle reports that Blue Origin will donate the New Shepard booster and space capsule to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.
• Gideon Marcus remembers the Soyuz 6, 7 and 8 space missions in 1969.
  
• Pieter Arntz reports that several robotic vacuum cleaners in the US have been hacked to spy on and insult their owners.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the video game Thank Goodness You're Here
• Matt Cox reports how difficult it was to translate the very British and specifically very Northern game Thank Goodness You're Here in different languages. 
• Keza MacDonald asks if there is even any point in making more powerful games consoles.
  
• Jonathan Cowie wonders whether physical exercise or video games are better for your health., 
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Germain Lussier shares a look at the upcoming Hasbro HasLab crowdfunded Ghostbusters Ecto-1 vehicle
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the upcoming Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Skeleton Crew figures.
  
• For Eternia shares a look at the Mondo Masters of the Universe Buzz-Off figure revealed at New York Comic Con. 
• Cora Buhlert shares a Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre toy photo story called “Puzzle Expanded” 
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Who Walks With You" by Premee Mohamed in Imagine 2200. 
• "Ingénue, Once" by Aimee Ogden in Trollbreath Magazine.
  
• "Numbers Matter" by Teel James Glenn in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "Dragons of Paris" by Michael Swanwick in Reactor. 
• "The V*mpire" by P.H. Lee in Reactor. 
  
• "Midnight Patron" by Mike Robinson in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Face of God: A Documentary" by Damián Neri in Clarkesworld. 
• "Hot Hearts" by Lyndsie Manusos in Lightspeed. 
  
• "Perfect Water" by Simon Gilbert in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Bunting" by Neil Williamson in The Dark.
• "A Very Short History of the Discovery and Origin of Homo Sapiens Microplasticus in Three Parts" by Joshua Ginsberg in Apex Magazine.
  
• "I’m an Undecided Hobbit, Torn Between a Dark Lord Who Promises an Age of Chaos and an Elf Queen Whom I Just Wish I Knew More About" by Sam Woods in McSweeney's Internet Tendency.
• "SeniorSource" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 7 of Outlander. 
• Watch a trailer for Interior Chinatown.
  
• Watch a trailer for Nautilus.
• Watch a traialer forr Wolf Man. 
• Watch a trailer for Black Cab. 
• Watch a trailer for Creature Commandos.
  
• Watch a trailer for Batman versus Yakuza League. 
• Watch a clip from Lazarus. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Severance.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Stranger: Chapter 2. 
  
• Watch a teaser for The Walking Dead: Dead City.