Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 19, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF of 2025, holiday movies, Masters of the Universe in general, season 2 of Fallout, Avatar: Fire and Ash,  It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Pluribus, Netflix planning to buy Warner Bros, tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer, John Varley, Gil Gerard, Anthony Geary, Peter Greene and Joanna Trollope and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene shares a list of Christmas SFF books.
• Talia Kliot discusses the popularity of cozy fantasy, cozy horror and cozy mysteries particularly during the winter months. 
• Sofia Bianchi discusses how feminist horror novels are redefining fear 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five books about conversing with animals 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite recent dark academia novels  
• Lorna Wallace shares five scary short stories that read like urban legends 
• Emma Loffhagen attempts to explain how books suddenly become massive bestsellers. 
• Molly Templeton talks about the art of buying books for other people 
• Sam Reader shares eight M.R. James stories to make your holidays a little scarier 
• Fan writer and fanzine publisher Arthur D. Hlavaty has died aged 83. 

 

Tributes to John Varley:

• Science fiction writer John Varley has died aged 78.
• James Davis Nicoll remembers John Varley and shares his favourite John Varley books. 
• Michael Swanwick remembers John Varley. 

 

Tributes to Joanna Trollope:

• British romance writer Joanna Trollope has died aged 82. 
• Linda Evans shares an obituary for Joanna Trollope. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Lauren Puckett-Pope shares her favourite science fiction and fantasy books of 2025. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite science fiction books of 2025.  
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite fantasy books of 2025. 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite horror novels of 2025. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite horror books of 2025. 
• Ginger Nuts of Horror share their favourite middle grade horror books of 2025.
• Alex Brown shares their favourite young adult science fiction, fantasy and horror. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite SFF novellas of 2025. 
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favoutite SFF anthologies and short story collections of 2025. 
• io9 share their favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror TV-shows of 2025. 
• io9 share their 42 favourite moments from science-fiction, fantasy and horror TV in 2025 
• The Reactor reviewers share the things that brought them nerdy joy in 2025 
• James Whitbrook and Germain Lussier share their favourite toys of 2025. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Scott Edelman interviews comic writer and editor Jack C. Harris.
• Neil Cole reports that a lawsuit about the rights for Superman by the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster will likely be decided in favour of DC Comics and Warner Bros. 
• Rich Johnston shares an update on the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors. 
• Heidi MacDonald also shares an update on the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Phil Hoad calls The Great Flood an apocalypctic movie from South Korea that swerves into sinister science fiction territory 
• Murtada Elfadi calls Sore: Wife from the Future a fantastical time-travel romance from Indonesia that never achieves lift-off  
• Adrian Collins calls The Rats: a Witcher Tale a little vignette of the world of The Witcher that plays well if you’re already a fan.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on the animated series The Legend of Lara Croft 
• Ann Michelle Harris calls the final season of My Hero Academia the end of an era. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that The Elephant delivers a blissfully playful collaboration of several animation studios. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Omniscient Reader a one-note science fiction film from South Korea. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Dust Bunny will have you demanding that Bryan Fuller make more movies 
• James Bacon shares his thoughts on the documentary Operation Bogeyman: The Folk Horror Landscape of 1970s Northern Ireland
• Richard Edwards ranks the various Doctor Who spin-offs. 
• Vanity Fair interviews Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien movies, Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Galaxy Quest, the Avatar movies and many others. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Graham McTavish, best known for his roles in Outlander and Spartacus: House of Ashur 
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1970 Timeslip serial "The Time Of The Ice Box" 
• John Scalzi revisits the 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “No Surrender, No Retreat” 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2015 Star Wars film The Force Awakens.
• James Hanton revisits the 2021 animated film The Mitchells vs the Machines 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that Zootopia 2 has grossed one billion US-dollar in record-breaking time  
• The Guardian reports that director Carl Rinsch was found guilty of defrauding Netflix out of eleven million US-dollar for a TV-show that never existed. 
• Casting director Susie Figgis has died aged 77. 
• Voice actors Jim Ward, Jeff Garcia and Julie Mayfield have died.   
• Actor and movie memorabilia archivist Bob Burns III has died aged 90. 
• Xan Brooks celebrates the 100th birthday of actor Dick Van Dyke. 

 

Tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer:

• Actor and director Rob Reiner, best known for his roles in All in the Family and New Girl and for directing The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me, Misery, This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men and many others, has been found dead at his home aged 78, together with his wife Michele Singer Reiner, aged 68.  
• Andrew Pulver declares that Rob Reiner changed Hollywood for ever  
• Ryan Gilbert declares that Rob Reiner’s golden run of movies from Spinal Tap to A Few Good Men was breathtaking 
• Pete Hammond calls Rob Reiner a really good man and a great director 
• Tim Jonze declares that meeting Rob Reiner was like a visit from Santa  
• Olivia Rutigliano remembers Rob Reiner. 
• Drew Gillis remembers Rob Reiner. 
• Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie in Stand By Me, shares a tribute to Rob Reiner.  
• Benjamin Lee shares the tribute of Meg Ryan, who played Sally in When Harry Met Sally, to Rob Reiner. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro shares Sally Struthers' tribute to Rob Reiner, who played her husband in All in the Family. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro shares the tribute of Christopher Guest, who appeared in This is Spinal Tap, and his real-life wife Jamie Lee Curtis to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer. 
• Jack Dunn shares a statement released by several close friends of Rob Reiner, including Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and others. 
• Stephen King shares a tribute to Rob Reiner. 
• Sian Cain shares tributes to Rob Reiner by fellow actors, directors and politicians.  
• Maya Yang reports that Donald Trump could not keep his thoughts about the late Rob Reiner to himself, but publicly claimed that Reiner was died because of his dislike of Trump.  
• Dominic Patten reports that Donald Trump felt the need to say more terrible things about the late Rob Reiner. 
• Emily Longeretta reports that actor James Woods, though normally a Trump supporter, has criticised Trump's insensitive remarks about the late Rob Reiner. 
• Stuart Heritage shares his five favourite films by Rob Reiner. 
• Writers of the Guardian share their favourite moments from Rob Reiner's career. 
• The Guardian shares photos from Rob Reiner's long career.  
• The Guardian reports that Rob Reiner and Michele Singer's son Nick, who has struggled with drug addiction, has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of his parents. 
• Dani Aguiano reports that Nick Reiner has been charged with murdering his parents. 
• Benjamin Lee profiles Nick Reiner who was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents. 
• Grace Galante talks about the troubled relationship between Rob Reiner and his son Nick. 
• Andrew Pulver shares more details about how Rob Reiner and Michele Singer's bodies were found. 
• Andrew Polver repots that the release of Rob Reiner’s final film, a concert film called Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale, will be delayed for obvious reasons. 

 

Trubutes to Gil Gerard:

• Actor Gil Gerard, best known for playing the titular role in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, has died aged 82.   
• Jonathan Wolfe shares an obituary for Gil Gerard. 

 

Tributes to Anthony Geary:

• Actor Anthony Geary, best known for playing Luke Spencer in the soap opera General Hospital, has died aged 78. 
• Greg Evans shares an obituary for Anthony Geary. 
• Matt Schimkowitz remembers Anthony Geary. 
• Greg Evans shares the tribute by Genie Francis, who played his love interest Laura in General Hospital, as well as other former co-stars to Anthony Geary. 

 

Tributes to Peter Greene:

• Actor Peter Greene, best known for his appearances in Pulp Fiction, The Mask, Under Siege, Training Day, The Usual Suspects and many others, has died aged 60.  
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Peter Greene. 

 

 Discussion of Holiday Movies:

• Sarah Dempster shares her favourite spooky British holiday TV movies of all time. 
• Writers of the Guardian share their favourite underrated holiday movies. 
• Matthew Byrd revisits the 1960 Twilight Zone holiday episode “Night of the Meek” and the 1962 Twilight Zone holiday episode "Changing of the Guard".  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1964 holiday movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1992 holiday movie The Muppet Christmas Carol. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• James Eatock revisits the 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power episode "Flowers for Hordak".
• Jukka Issakainen interviews Reilly Brown, artist of several Masters of the Universe mini-comics as well as the upcoming ongoing Masters of the Universe comic series. 
• James Eatock points out that the toy version of the Attak Trak appeared in the Filmation He-Man episode "Evil Seed". 

 

Comments on season 2 of Fallout:

• Matthew Byrd shares everything you need to know before watching season 2 of Fallout
• James Whitbrook calls season 2 of Fallout a slower, smarter follow-up   
• Graeme Virtue calls season 2 of Fallout an absolutely hilarious postapocalytic thriller. 
• William Hughes calls the season 2 premiere of Fallout fun, but unfocussed. 
• Matthew Byrd explains the meaning of Vault 24 in season 2 of Fallout. 
• Isaiah Colbert reports that Amazon pulled a faulty AI recap video of season 1 of Fallout, following a backlash. 

 

Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• William Hughes shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her eight biggest takeaways from that gruesome, euphoric It: Welcome to Derry finale 
• Cheryl Eddy also shares seven burning questions she has after the It: Welcome to Derry finale  
• Charlotte Garner interviews Taylour Paige, who plays Charlotte in It: Welcome to Derry.

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Jennifer Bryan, costume designer for Pluribus.
• Isaiah Colbert finds some thematic parallels between Pluribus and Sense8. 

 

Comments on Avatar: Fire and Ash: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls Avatar: Fire and Ash a gigantically dull hunk of nonsense 
• Nicholas Barber calls Avatar: Fire and Ash the longest and the worst film in the series yet 
• Jesse Hassenger finds Avatar: Fire And Ash overly long, but claims that James Cameron still delivers.
• Germain Lussier calls Avatar: Fire and Ash completely insane in the best possible way  
• Pete Hammond calls Avatar: Fire And Ash a war epic for the ages 
• Germain Lussier shares everything to remember before Avatar: Fire and Ash 
• James Hibberd profiles James Cameron, director of Terminator and Terminator 2, Aliens, Titanic, The Abyss and the Avatar movies. 

 

Comments on Disney partnering with Open AI:

• Caitlin Huston reports that Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to Google pver AI copyright infringement.
• Isaac Rouse reports that Disney has licenced several of its iconic characters to OpenAI's Sora platform, proving that they have no problem with copyright infringement as long as they are paid. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore reports that Disney wants to drag every Disney+ subscriber into the AI slop era due to licensing their characters to OpenAI's Sora platform. 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have released statements regarding Disney's partnership with Open AI.  

 

 

Comments on Netflix buying Warner Bros and HBO Max:

• Erin Underwood explains what the Netflix–Warner Bros merger really means for the future of movies
• Erik Hayden and Alex Weprin report that David Zaslav, current Warner Bros CEO, will get a ton of money, if Warner Bros is sold, regardless of being a terrible person and CEO. 

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2025 Analog AnLab Awards and Asimov’s Readers’ Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards has been announced, 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Molly Templeton reports that Amazon has introduced an AI feature on the Kindle e-reader that answers questions about the book and that authors cannot opt out.
• John Scalzi shares some examples of AI hallucinating dedications that he never wrote. 
• Jim Milliot reports that the mass market paperback is being phased out for good. 

 

Interviews:

• Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Eleanna Castroianni
• Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Natalia Theodoridou  

 

Reviews: 

• Paul Weimer reviews Rumor Has It by Cat Rambo  
• Aaron Jones reviews Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Outlaw Planet by M. R. Carey 
• Alex Brown reviews Network Effect by Martha Wells. 
• Judith Tarr reviews Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard. 
• C.T. Phipps reviews Mind’s Horizon by Eric Malikyte 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Legend Liminal by Ren Hutchings  
• Maya C. James reviews The Legend Liminal by Ren Hutchings   
• Niall Harrison reviews The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews No One To Hold the Distant Dead by K.L. Schroeder    
• Fiona Denton reviews Butter Cookies and Demon Claws by Peter V. Brett 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Christmas Spirits at Honeywell House by Sharon Booth 
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow 
• Rob Bedford reviews The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson  
• Maura Krause reviews The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Saints of Storm and Sorrow – Stormbringer by Gabriella Buba 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Venomborn by Benjamin Aeveryn 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian 
• Arturo Serrano reviews Wrath by Shäron Moalem and Daniel Kraus    
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews ITCH! by Gemma Amor 
• Ian Mond reviews The Wax Child by Olga Ravn 
• Sarah Moss reviews Bog Queen by Anna North 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews We Are Always Tender with Our Dead by Eric LaRocca 
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Sound of the Dark by Daniel Church 
• Molly Templeton reviews Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung. 
• Alex Brown reviews Empty Heaven by Freddie Kölsch 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike  
• Dave Hook reviews Moon Songs: The Selected Stories of Carol Emshwiller, edited by Matthew Cheney 
• Arley Sorg reviews These Bodies Ain’t Broken, edited by Madeline Dyer 
• Blake Morrison reviews William Golding: The Faber Letters, edited by Tim Kendal 
• Jon Repetti reviews Genre Bending: The Plasticity of Form in Contemporary Literary Fiction by Jeremy Rosen. 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Brian Collins revisits the 1947 science fiction novel Fury by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore   
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1947 horror collection Revelations in Black by Carl Jacobi 
• Rohan Maitzen revisits the 1963 postapocalyptic novel The Wall by Marlen Haushofer.
• Moid Moidelhoff revisits the 1967 science fantasy novel Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. 
• Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1970 science fiction novels The Great Brain Robbery by James P. Fisher and Behind the Walls of Terra by Philip Jose Farmer, Jason Sacks revisits the 1970 science fiction novel Once Departed by Mack Reynolds, Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1970 surrealist novel Vector for Seven by Josephine Saxton, Winona Menezes revisits the 1970 sword and sorcery novel Kothar and the Wizard Slayer by Gardner F. Fox and Amber Dubin revisits the 1970 science ficiton novels The Gates of Time: The Last Earthman versis. the Empire that died before Earth was born by Neal Barrett, Jr. and Dwellers of the Deep by K.M. O’Donnell
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction novel Cold War in a Country Garden by Lindsay Gutteridge  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1993 science fiction novel Hard Landing by Algis Budrys 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1994 YA holiday horror novel Cheerleaders: The New Evil by R.L. Stine. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1997 space opera The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman 
• Z.B. Steele revisits the 2006 epic fantasy novel Mistborn: the Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• Science Fiction writer David Gerrold needs some help with healthcare costs. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Arley Sorg reports about the 2025 Can*Con in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
• Arley Sorg reports about the 2025 Muse Writers Con­ference in Norfolk, Virginia. 
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction reading at KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Daniel Braum and Martin Cahill. 
• Melina Spanoudi reports that R.F. Kuang as pulled out of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as part of a boycott against Emirates Airlines over events in Sudan. 
• Tiago Rogero reports that at least three writers have withdrawn from the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, in protest against the invitation of rightwing Venezuelan opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado   
• Aidin Vaziri reports about an uproar that erupted when the "Women of Afrofuturism" exhibition in San Francisco, California, was found to have used AI generated artwork. 

 

Science and technology:

• Hamish Johnston shares the top ten breakthroughs of the year in physics for 2025.
• Katie Kavanagh shares seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 
• The Center for Astrophysics reports that astronomers have found the first direct evidence of “Monster Stars” from the cosmic dawn  
• Ellyn Lapointe reports about a CRASH clock, which warns of likely collisions between satellites and spacecraft in orbit. 
• Jessica Rendall explains how colour-changing, bacteria-infused spacesuits could help keep future astronauts safe from space radiation 
• Bryan Walsh claims that AI can help to generate new ideas and receives a lot of pushback over that. 
• Aimee Levitt reports how cooking blogs are suffering a loss of visitors and revenue due to Google's AI overviews. 
   

Gaming: 

• Justin Carter recounts the troubled history of Cyberpunk 2077 
• Justin Carter discusses how the upcoming Tomb Raider games want to unite Lara Croft’s past and future   
• Gideon Marcus discusses computer game pioneer Chris Gaylo.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the 1970 tabletop wargame The Battle for Moscow. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• James Whitbrook shares a look at an upcoming Hasbro Marvel Legends wave focussed on characters from Deadpool and Wolverine. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at the NECA Ultimate Blood Pennywise action figure,
• Becca Down shares a look at some new Lord of the Rings Funko Pops. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A New Justice In Town" by David K. Mitchell in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "The Hub Living Among the Stars" by Oyedotun Damilola Muees in Lightspeed. 
• "HagioClass" by José Pablo Iriarte in Lightspeed.  
• "Beneath the Duwak Tree" by Jorja Osha in The Dark.
• "The Cold Burns" by Anne Wilkins in Clarkesworld. 
• "Thicker" by Eleanna Castroianni in Uncanny Magazine  
• "The Pretendian" by Jason Pearce in The Deadlands. 
• "Shahmeran" by Leyla Hamedi in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Bonum Certamen” by Andrés Martinez in Future Tense Fiction.

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for the Stranger Things finale. 
• Watch a trailer for Disclosure Day. 
• Watch a clip from episode 7 of The Mighty Nein. 
• Watch a trailer for Hokum. 
• Watch a trailer for Greenland 2: Migration. 
• Watch a trailer for Anaconda. 
• Watch a trailer for Animal Farm.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 12, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF of 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Masters of the Universe in general, the final season of Stranger Things, The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who in general,  It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Pluribus, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Dust Bunny, Netflix planning to buy Warner Bros, tributes to Tom Stoppard and Sophie Kinsella and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in December 2025   
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in December 2025  
• Emily C. Hughes shares horror highlights for December 2025 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five freshly reprinted SFF series to enjoy. 
• Daniel Yadin attempts to explain the romantasy genre.
• Donna Glee Williams shares her issues with the hero's journey. 
• Gautam Bhatia talks about the secret history of Indian science fiction. 
• Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse shares six international folk horror novels.
• Alex Brown shares five underrated suburban horror novels 
• Hayley Dennings talks about using black vampire fiction to explore America's horrific past  
• Kristi DeMeester shares books about gender, domesticity and witchcraft. 
• Marissa Lingen discusses the domestic fantastic in classic Nordic children’s fantasy 
• A.M. Gelberg talks about outgrowing your childhood heroes. 
• Sabina Graves explains how the Grinch became a holiday icon. 
• Gyles Brandreth reminds us that A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, also wrote romance novels 

 

Tributes to Sophie Kinsella:

• Writer Madeleine Wickham a.k.a. Sophie Kinsella, best known for the Shopaholic series, has died aged 55. 
• Joyo Moyes shares an obituary for Sophie Kinsella. 

 

 Best of 2025:

• The Reactor reviewers share their favourite SFF books of 2025. 
• Twenty SFF writers share their favourite SFF books of 2025. 
• Adam Roberts shares his five favourite science fiction books of 2025.
• io9 shares the fictional characters and shows we lost in 2025

 

Comics and Art:

• Stew Hotston reviews The One Hand and The Six Fingers by Ram V., Laurence Campbell, Dan Watters, Sumit Kumar, Lee Loughridge, Adiya Bidikar and Tom Muller   
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the best conspiracy books of 2025.

 

Film and TV: 

• Kali Wallace calls Mars Express a truly rich, compelling science fiction movie that's flown under the radar for too long... 
• Aaron Jones calls Last Samurai Standing an action-packed survival series set during an interesting time in history  
• Ann Michelle Harris calls Zomvivor an entertaining succession of jump scares and survival stress. 
• Leah Thomas calls the anime Hell’s Paradise a brutal quest for immortality that leads to fascinating questions about human nature and connection. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution combines all the worst impulses of the anime compilation film format  
• Cheryl Eddy calls Influencers a killer sequel. 
• Cath Clarke calls Animalia a surreal exploration of class, gender and spiritual transformation  
• Justin Carter shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Mighty Nein. 
• Tom Russell lists five science fiction shows with perfect villains. 
• James Whitbrook shares a history of the many different cuts of Star Wars: A New Hope. 
• Sydney Bucksbaum interviews Aleks Paunovic who plays Polyphemus in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1983 fantasy movie Krull. 
• Dan Larson revisits the 1983 animated series Dungeons & Dragons. 
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 revisits the 1983 animated series Dungeons & Dragons.  
• Dan Larson revisits the 1983 animated series The Littles.  
• Samantha Nelson revisits the 1990 animated film The Rescuers Down Under. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Moments of Transition” 
• Using Avatar: Fire and Ash as an example, Phil Hoad talks about strategies to turn movies into events and blockbusters.  
• Caitlin Huston reports that Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to Google pver AI copyright infringement.
• Isaac Rouse reports that Disney has licenced several of its iconic characters to OpenAI's Sora platform, proving that they have no problem with copyright infringement as long as they are paid. 
• Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, best known for his roles in the Mortal Kombat series, James Bond: Licence to Kill, The Last Emperor and many others, has died aged 75. 

 

Tributes to Tom Stoppard:

• Brian Cox remembers Tom Stoppard.
• Readers of the Guardian remember Tom Stoppard. 

 

Discussion of Holiday Horror Movies:

• Jordan Shiveley talks about the changes in Christmas horror films from slasher films to dark fantasy. 
• Lorna Wallace shares five lesser-known horror movies set at Christmas 
• Germain Lussier ranks his sixteen favourite holiday movies. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Colt Crane reviews issue 2 of Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Flaws by Tim Seeley and Freddie Williams II. 
• Aaron Sagers and Anthony Lund interview Morena Baccarin, who will play the Sorceress in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film.
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 discusses the rise and fall of She-Ra: Princess of Power. 
• James Eatock takes a look at the origin of the Masters of the Universe character Man-e-Faces.

 

Comments on The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who in general: 

• Lucy Mangan declares that The War Between the Land and the Sea is entertaining, but feels like a wasted opportunity to make genuinely great TV  
• James Whitbrook declares that The War Between the Land and the Sea is off to a soggy start  
• Martin Belam wonders whether The War Between the Land and the Sea can save Doctor Who. 
• James Whitbrook chronicles how Doctor Who completely disintegrated in 2025. 

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Justin Carter wonders if 2025 was Marvel's comeback year. 
• Watch a clip from Wonder Man. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things:

• Haley Zapal declares that the first part of the final season of Stranger Things did a good job of setting up what's promising to be an epic conclusion. 
• Sabina Graves shares thirteen burning questions she has for the second part of the final season of Stranger Things. 
• Maya Hunter and Chloe Melas pay a visit to Jackson, Georgia, where Stranger Things was filmed.
• The New York Times reports that the phone number seen on a Missing poster in Stranger Things actually works. 

 

Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• William Hughes shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Cheryl Eddy wonders who is the worst villain on It: Welcome to Derry.   

 

Comments on Dust Bunny: 

• Natalia Keogan calls Dust Bunny a macabre yet whimsical tale of kids and killers.   
• Trace Sauveur calls Dust Bunny the sort of gateway horror film for young audiences that Hollywood rarely makes anymore.  

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Vanessa Armstrong discusses a specific cameo in Pluribus.
• Vanessa Armstrong discusses another cameo in Pluribus. 
• Dessi Gomez interviews Rhea Seehorn who plays Carol in Pluribus. 

 

Comments on Five Nights at Freddy's 2:

• Sabina Graves declares that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is at its best when it’s not bogged down by video game lore 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is currently sitting at number 1 of the US box office charts. 

 

Comments on Netflix buying Warner Bros and HBO Max:

• Todd Spangler reports that Netflix will buy Warner Bros and HBO Max in a multi-billion dollar deal. 
• Benjamin Lee reports that the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros is facing backlash from various Hollywood guilds and unions as well as US politicians. 
• Matt Schimkowitz reports that the Writers Guild Of America West and East released a joint statement denouncing Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. 
• Vance Kotrla wonders whether Netflix puchasing Warner Bros will mean the end of Hollywood as we know it. 
• Justin Carter declares that no one is happy about Netflix buying Warner Bros. 
• Benjamin Mullins and Lauren Hrisch report that Paramount, recently taken over by Skydance Media, is planning a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. 
• Isaiah Colbert reports that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has promised that Warner Bros films will still receive theatrical releases, though the windows will be shorter. 
• Andrew Pulver wonders what precisely Netflix is hoping to achieve by buying Warner Bros.  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2025 Nommo Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Golden Globes have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Critics Choice Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 Game Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Prometheus Hall of Fame Awards have been announced. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Chris M. Barkley has finally received his Hugo Award, which he won in 2023. 
• Stuart Heritage reports that actor Marlon Wayans mispronounced several names during the announcement of the 2025 Golden Globe finalists. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• John Ryan talks about skill tests for video game writers
• Brieanna J. Frank reports that the US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal against the Texas book banning law, which means that several books remain banned in Texas.

 

Interviews:

• Ann Leckie and Arkady Martine interview each other.
• Grimdark Magazine interviews Marie Lu. 
• Locus interviews Bethany Jacobs 
• Martin Cahill interviews Victor Manibo. 

 

Reviews: 

• Lesa Holstine reviews The Tale of the Wicked by John Scalzi
• Mark Yon reviews Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
• Z.B. Steele reviews Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews All That We See Or Seem by Ken Liu 
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews There Is No Anti-Memetics Division by QNTM. 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Polyphonic Seduction by Kit Englard 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Psychopomp and Circumstance by Eden Royce 
• Molly Templeton reviews Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Retrovival by Douglas Thompson 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna 
• Fiona Denton reviews Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson 
• Chris Kluwe reviews The Trident and The Pearl by Sarah K.L. Wilson 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews To The Warm Horizon by Choi Jin-Young, translated by Soje.
• Tobias Carroll reviews Tom's Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski 
• Paul Weimer reviews  Babylonia by Constanza Casati 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks  
• Ed Crocker reviews Play Nice by Rachel Harrison 
• Ian Mond reviews The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Murder in Absentia by Assaph Mehr  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Shattering of Glass by Deck Matthews 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo 
• Fiona Sturges reviews The Dead of Winter by Sarah Clegg  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Utopias of the Third Kind by Vandana Singh 
• Niall Harrison reviews Between Worlds, edited by Gautam Bhatia 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Gary Warner revisits the 1952 time travel story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. 
• Alan Brown revisits the 1963 science fiction novel Way Station by Clifford D. Simak  
• John Boston revisits the January 1971 issue of Amazing. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the January 1971 issue of Galaxy. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1972 space opera Space Skimmer by David Gerrold  
• Kristen Patterson revisits the 1994 Hainish science fiction novella "Solitude" by Ursula K. Le Guin. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1994 Zhu Wong time travel novel Summer of Love by Lisa Mason  
• Brian Collins revisits the 2003 science fiction story “Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst” by Kage Baker 
• Brian Collins revisits the 2005 science fiction story “I Live with You” by Carol Emshwiller
• Esmay Rosalyne revisits the 2016 fantasy romance Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat
  
  

Con and event reports:

• Alice Strangman reports about the 2025 World Fantasy Convetion in Brighton, UK.
• Mike Glyer shares a summary of future Worldcon bids presented at SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• Octothorpe report about the 2026 SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• The schedule for the 2026 virtual WSFS Business Meeting has been announced.  
• Germain Lussier lists all the SFF films that will be shown at the Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah. 
• Matthew Byrd reports about the Robocop statue set up in Detroit, Michigan. 
• Deena Prichep reports about a Krampuslauf in Portland, Oregon. 

 

Science and technology:

• Sarah Knapton reports that according to Steven Pinker, the current situation is not like George Orwell's 1984. 
• Janna Brancolini reports that McDonald's was forced to pull an AI-generated holiday commercial after a massive backlash.  
• P.J. Nelson recounts how the ghost of Margaret Mitchell is allegedly haunting the theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, outside of which she was hit by a car and killed.
• Maxie Dara shares three stories about haunted places.  
• Nadia Davids talks about hauntings in South Africa. 
• Famous architect Frank Gehry has died aged 96.
• Science reporter John Noble Wilford, who covered the Moon landings among other things, has died aged 92. 
   

Gaming: 

• The Guardian shares the thirty best board games for Christmas 2025
• Kate Jackson reviews the video game Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping
• C.T. Phipps reviews the video game Alone in the Dark
• Naomi Alderman explains why she bought a video game studio.  
• Daniella Lucas reports that newly released Pokémon cards have become so expensive that children can't buy them. 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe and Stranger Things crossover figures. 
• Nostalgia 4-1-1 talks about the rise and fall of the 1985 M.A.S.K. toyline from Kenner.

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Us, in Another Universe" by A.C. Wise in Lightspeed.  
• "Crickets in Lost Light" by Jonathan Olfert in Lightspeed. 
• "The Teleporting Disaster Fairy" by Rati Mehrotra in Uncanny Magazine 
• "The Ghost of Cerrera Orbital Station Makes Herself Known" by Laila Amado in The Deadlands.
• "We Have to Go Back" by Nathan Long in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Lustre Mining" by Eliza Chan in The Dark. 
• "A Good Brother" by Anne Wilkins in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "Vanya and the Dog Witch" by Walter J. Wiese in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Cassandra and the Changeling" by R.J. Sterling in Apex Magazine. 
• "Imperfect Simulations" by Michelle Z. Jin in Clarkesworld. 
• "Listener Supported" by Juan Martinez in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Review: When the Baby Sleeps" by Lyndsie Manusos in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Proof that the Universe Is Still Good or, The Warm Equations" by Haley Zapal. 
• Reactor lists all the short fiction they published in 2025. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Supergirl. 
• Watch a clip from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. 
• Watch a trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
• Watch a clip from season 2 of Fallout. 
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender. 
• Watch a trailer for season 5 of The Boys. 
• Watch a trailer for Street Fighter. 
• Watch a trailer for Trigun Stargaze.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 5, 2025

 

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the best SFF of 2025, Star Trek in general, Masters of the Universe in general, the final season of Stranger Things, Wicked for Good,  It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general, Pluribus, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Zootopia 2, an uproar about Amazon Prime Video adding AI-generated dubs to anime series, tributes to Tom Stoppard and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares thirty-one new science fiction, fantasy and horror books arriving in December  
• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in December 2025  
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in December 2025 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in December 2025  
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in December 2025  
• Lorna Wallace shares five SFF stories that start with characters waking up with amnesia 
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF short stories told through articles and reviews 
• Bethany Jacobs shares her appreciation for the work of Iain M. Banks.
• Camestros Felapton shares his appreciation for the Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw science fiction mysteries by Isaac Asimov. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares things he wishes he had known when starting a book collection 
• Molly Templeton wonders what keeps people reading. 

 

Best of 2025:

• Matt Donato shares his twenty favourite horror movies of 2025.
• James Smart shares his favourite graphic novels of 2025. 
• io9 share their favourite SFF characters of 2025. 
• Vote in the Reactor Best of the Year Readers' Poll. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Rich Johnston reports that comic writer Tim Seeley has been receiving death threats over his depiction of Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik a.k.a. Darkchild in  X-Men Age Of Revelation 
• Paul Morton takes a look at the work of golden age comic artist and writer Fletcher Hanks. 

 

Film and TV: 

• Ajay Aravind ranks their ten favourite science fiction movies of the last hundred years.  
• Rai Furniss-Greasley declares that the latest iteration of the Frankenstein story, as percolated through Guillermo del Toro’s darkly wonderful mind, is not a ‘monster movie’ and that’s a good thing.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido calls Thunderbolts* an absolute delight — while also dealing with some serious themes  
• Natalia Keogan calls 100 Nights Of Hero an entrancing feminist fairy tale 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Eternity tries to break the mold, but only bends it slightly 
• Dan Persons calls Common Side Effects a surprisingly great animated science fiction series 
• Adrian Collins declares that Kill Lupercal showcases how good Warhammer 40000 can look on screen.  
• Ramon Antonio Vargas reports about the upcoming documentary Anne Rice: An All Saints’ Day Celebration  
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discusses the recent popularity of horror movies focussing on old women.
• Ben Child wonders why Marvel won't let Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine retire in peace? 
• Oli Welsh lists six things that David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Dune did better than Denis Villeneuve's recent adaptation. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1950 science fiction film Rocketship X-M. 
• Josh Weiss revisits the 1971 Night Gallery episode "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture."
• Elijah Gonzales revisits the 1985 anime Angel's Egg  
• Asa West revisits the 1988 fantasy movie The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey.
• Simon Bland revisits the 1990 fantasy film Gremlins 2: The New Batch 
• Collier Jennings revisits the 1995 military science fiction TV show Space: Above and Beyond 
• Geoffrey Bunting revisits the 1995 horror film Castle Freak.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1997 Babylon 5 episode “Rumors, Bargains, and Lies”
• Musicians Huey Lewis and Chris Hayes remember how their song "The Power of Love" ended up on the Back tp the Future soundtrack. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Sigourney Weaver, who played Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 about the fate of her on screen son Oscar from Ghostbusters 2.
• Sabina Graves interviews Bryan Fuller, creator of Hannibal, Pushing Daisies and Dust Bunny
• Rich Pelley interviews Tom Felton who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. 
• Callum Parke shares an update about a lawsuit over Lucasfilm digitally resurrecting Peter Cushing for Rogue One.  

 

Tributes to Tom Stoppard:

• Playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard has died aged 88. 
• Locus remembers Tom Stoppard 
• Eric Grode points out that the late Tom Stoppard worked as a script doctor on the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies among others. 
• Olivia Rutigliano also takes a look at Tom Stoppard's uncredited rewrites of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 
• Joe Wright remembers Tom Stoppard. 

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Hannah Gearan and Tatiana Hullender interview Nicholas Galitzine who plays Prince Adam/He-Man in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film. 
• Colt Crane reviews Masters of the Universe #2: The Sword of Flaws Part 1 by Tim Seeley and Freddie Willims II. 
• Mike Eakins reviews Masters of the Universe #2: The Sword of Flaws Part 2 by Tim Seeley and Freddie Willims II.
• Mike Eakins reviews the Masters of the Universe Andra one-shot by Tiffany Smith and Adriana Melo. 

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:  

• Camestros Felapton revisits the 1966 Star Trek episode "Miri".
• James Whitbrook shares how William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek, feels about the prime directive. 
• Laurie Ulster explains why the practice of the actors having table reads of the scripts stopped on Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

 

Comments on the final season of Stranger Things:

• Eric Deggans shares his thoughts on the first four episodes of the final season of Stranger Things.
• Nick Romano interviews Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of Stranger Things. 
• Josh Wigler interviews Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna in Stranger Things. 
• Mikey O'Connell interviews Cara Buono who plays Karen Wheeler in Stranger Things. 
• Adrian Horton reports that season 5 of Stranger Things has broken a Netflix viewership record. 
• Sabina Graves reports that in spited of breaking some Netflix records, season 5 of Stranger Things has not had as many views of Squid Game.  

 

Comments on It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King adaptations in general: 

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• William Hughes shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the latest episode of It: Welcome to Derry.   
• Eric Vespe discusses the glut of Stephen King adaptations in 2025.

 

Comments on Wicked For Good: 

• Jason P. Frank wonders about a knit cardigan Elphaba is wearing during a romantic scene in Wicked for Good.
• Molly Templeton also wonders about Elphaba's cardigan. 
• Soraya Nadia McDonald interview Paul Tazewell, costume designer for Wicked and Wicked for Good. 
• Chelsea Sanchez also interviews Paul Tazewell. 

 

Comments on Pluribus: 

• Noel Murray shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on episode 5 of Pluribus. 
• Kelly Connolly interviews Rhea Seehorn who plays Carol in Pluribus.

 

Comments on Five Nights at Freddy's 2:

• Tyler Taing calls Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 a cynical horror sequel that runs on cheap fan service 
•  Jacob Oller calls Five Nights At Freddy's 2 an inane, sprawling sequel 

 

Comments on Zootopia 2: 

• Arturo Serrano declares that Zootopia 2 shows us a more complex side of its society, a deeper manifestation of the disguised prejudices that were already evident in the first movie.  
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Zootopia 2 is sitting at the top of the US box office and broke several opening weekend records.

 

Comments on Amazon Prime Video adding AI generated dubs to anime series:

• James Whitbrook reports that Amazon Prime Video rolled out AI-generated dubs for some anime series to much backlash. 
• Matthew Byrd reports that the studios which produced the anime in question claim that Amazon Prime Video never asked their permission before adding the AI dubs. 
• James Whitbrook reports that Amazon Prime Video has quietly rolled back their AI anime dubs after a massive backlash 
• Frank Landymore also reports that Amazon Prime Video has quietly pulled the disastrous anime AI dubs after a public outcry

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2025 Rotsler Award has been announced.
• The 2026 Worldcon in Los Angeles, California, has announced that they will hand out a special Hugo Award for Poetry again. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Tod Goldberg explains how to create a fictional crime scene out of familiar places

 

Interviews:

• Lisa Allardice and various famous and not so famous readers of The Guardian interview Margaret Atwood. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Naomi Kritzer.
• Locus interviews Dave Hutchinson. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Simon Stålenhag 
• C.T. Phipps interviews Matthew Dawkins. 
• Arley Sorg interviews  Ed Finn and Joey Eschrich

 

Reviews: 

• Marlene Harris reviews 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence 
• Mark Yon reviews Whalesong by Miles Cameron. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Hole in the Sky by Daniel H. Wilson 
• Paul Weimer reviews Bloodtide by Sophie Burnham  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews I Bring The Fire by C. Gockel 
• Niall Harrison reviews The Wolf of Whindale by Jacob Kerr 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Mirror Marked by Vida Cruz-Borja 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Reign and Ruin by J.D. Evans 
• James David Nicoll reviews The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews What Stalks The Deep by T. Kingfisher 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Rainforest by Michelle Paver
• Colleen Mondor reviews Saving Thornwood by David Surface and Julia Rust
• Rob Bedford reviews The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry.
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Map of Lost Places, edited by Sheree Renée Thomas and Lesley Conner 
• Melissa A. Watkins reviews Sinister Societies: Six Novellas of Secrets and Horrors, edited by Linda Hartley 
• Alex Puncekar reviews issue 5 to 7 of New Edge Sword and Sorcery  
• Ruthanna Emrys reviews Inventing the Renaissance: The Myth of a Golden Age by Ada Palmer. 
  
  

 Classics reviews:

• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1945 SFF collection The Opener of the Way by Robert Bloch 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1970 issue of Analog. 
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1970 non-fiction book Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. 
• David Levinson revisits the January/February 1971 issue of If - Worlds of Science Fiction, 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1979 humorous fantasy novel The Incredible Umbrella by Marvin Kaye 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1984 Chanur science fiction novel Chanur’s Venture by C.J. Cherryh
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1992 YA horror novel Fatal Secrets by Richie Tankersley Cusick
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1992 science fiction novel Aristoi by Walter Jon Williams 
• Clara Cohen revisits the 2012 The Rain Wild Chronicles epic fantasy novel City of Dragons by Robin Hobb. 
• Esmay Rosalyne revisits the 2014 fantasy romance Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat
  
  

Con and event reports:

• Chris M. Barkley reports about Starbase Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana. 
• Chris M. Barkley shares more of his adventures at Starbase Indy in Indianapolis, Indiana.  
• Mike Glyer reports that a team from Nuremberg, Germany, is bidding for the 2028 Worldcon. 
• Daniel Cooper calls The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live, which is currently playing in London, UK, an enjoyable mess 
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2026 Worldcon in Los Angeles, California, has added SFF writer, editor and poet Terese Mason Pierre as a special guest. 
• Dean Simons reports that the 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival has been cancelled over a funding dispute. 
• France 24 reports explains why the 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival has been cancelled 
• The 2026 Trans Atlantic Fan Fund is looking for candidates to sent to MetropolCon, the 2026 Eurocon in Berlin. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Micheal Kabunga, the chair of the 2028 Worldcon bid for Kigali, Rwanda, has been refused a visum to attend SMOFCon in Stockholm, Sweden. 
• Germain Lussier reports that a statue of Robocop has been set up in Detroit, Michigan. 

 

Science and technology:

• Nell Greenfieldboyce reports that the Mars rover Perseverance has detected lightning on Mars.
• Chris Simms reports that the asteroid Bennu carries all the ingredients for life as we know it 
• Eric Berger reports that a launch pad in Baikonur, Kasakhstan, was severely damaged during a launch of a Soyuz spacecraft.  
• Tereza Pultarova reports that German, French and Italian astronauts will be joining NASA's planned Artemis mission to the Moon. 
   

Gaming: 

• Matt Larkin reviews the video game Lords of the Fallen by Hexworks.
• Keith Stuart interviews Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games and lead writer on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• io9 share their favourite nerdy holiday gifts. 
• Rob Keyes shares a look at the LEGO Icons Stranger Things: The Creel House set. 
• Colt Crane corrects some inaccurate reports about the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie tie-in toylines. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Short History of a Long-Forgotten, Ill-Fated Telenovela" by Dante Luiz in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "A Reckoning of Queens" by Dave Ring in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "You Always Told Her You’d Give Her the World" by Aimee Ogden in Lightspeed.  
• "Reality Check" by Nancy Kress in Lightspeed.  
• "Most Likely To . . . (Class of 1997)" by A.C. Wise in The Dark. 
• "Tomorrow. Today." by R.T. Ester in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Horrible Conceit of Death and Night" by J.A. Prentice in Apex Magazine.
• "All That Means or Mourns" by Ruthanna Emrys in Reactor. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch "Destination Daleks", a Doctor Who short starring the Fifth Doctor and Tegan Jovanka. 
• Watch a trailer for The War Between the Land and the Sea 
• Watch a trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 Lost in New Jersey.| 
• Watch a trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. 
• Watch a trailer for The Magic Faraway Tree. 
• Watch a trailer for Mother Mary. 
• Watch a trailer for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.  
• Watch a trailer for The Eagle Obsession.