Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 23, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the 2024 Hugo Awards, the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, season 2 of House of the Dragon, Deadpool and Wolverine, Masters of the Universe in general, Alien Romulus, Doctor Who past, present and future, The Walking Dead and its spin-offs, the director's cut of Rebel Moon, Batman: Caped Crusader, trouble inside SFWA and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares a round-up of the best recent science fiction and fantasy novels.
• Ellen Datlow, Brian Keene, Lisa Wood, Lisa Kröger, Maxwell I. Gold and Angela Yuriko Smith.discuss the state of the horror genre.
• Scott Hocker profiles several black female SFF writers. 
• John Mauro talks about materials science in science fiction
  
• Veronica G. Henry shares five SFF novels set in real or imagined national parks.
• Holly Kybett Smith shares twelve poems that remix and reimagine fairy tales
• James Wallace Harris recounts when and how he first encountered certain science fiction concepts. 
• R.R. Virdi discusses almost invulnerable heroes from various mythologies. 
• Louise Mumford explains how she went from writing dystopian fiction to locked room mysteries
  
• Nick Ripatrazone recalls that poetry used to be an Olympic discipline.
  
• Chris Hughes profiles Gabino Iglesias. 
• Maya St. Clair shares her appreciation for the works and unusual vocabulary of Clark Ashton Smith. 
• Malcolm Edwards and William Gibson look back on the publication of Neuromancer. 
• Daniel Kreps reports about the latest sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman.
  
• SFF poet Deborah P. Kolodji has died aged 64.
  
• SFF writer M.J. Engh has died aged 91. 
• SFWA remembers M.J. Engh. 
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Robin Marx reviews Conan the Barbarian #13 by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite
  
• Robert Mammone reviews The Deviant #6 by James Tynion and Joshua Hixson
• Alex Puncekar reviews When the Blood Has Dried #4 by Gary Moloney and Daniel Romero 
• George Marston reports about a new Marvel Comics for Dummies series that condenses 85 years of Marvel Comics history for new readers. 
  
• Vanessa Thorpe reports about the James Bond newspaper comic strips by John McLusky published from 1958 to 1966, which served a visual precursor to the James Bond movies. 
• Germain Lussier reports that Rob Liefeld's original art for the cover of New Mutants #98, which contains the first appearance of Deadpool, is now for sale for a record-setting price
  
• Heidi MacDonald reports that former American football player and activist Colin Kaepernick has launched a comic publisher using generative AI to predictable outrage.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about choose your own adventure stories for writers.
• Comic writer Joyce Brabner has died aged 72.
• Locus remembers Taral Wayne.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Vance Kotrla calls Scavenger's Reign a fantastic animated series that deserves a wider audience. 
• Aaron Jones calls Godzilla Minus One a budget monster movie with a heart
  
• Joel Golby calls Slip like a TV version of Everything Everywhere All At Once 
• Adrian Horton calls Jackpot! a stunt-heavy dystopian action comedy. 
• Benjamin Lee calls the new The Crow an unfathomably awful goth remake
  
• Wendy Ide calls Tuesday a fatalistic fairytale 
• Wendy Ide calls Borderlands an incoherent science fiction action comedy
• Leslie Felperin calls Hostile Dimensions a goofy no-budget horror about a portal to a parallel world
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Deliverance a movie about a real life exorcism case that succumbs to tired horror tropes 
• Phil Hoad calls Lore a British horror anthology film featuring gruesome stories told around the campfire 
• Benjamin Lee calls Cuckoo a stylish but incoherent horror film. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Harold and the Purple Crayon 
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Snowpiercer.
  
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Orphan Black: Echoes. 
  
• Catherine Bray calls Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie another enjoyably madcap SpongeBob adventure 
• Phil Hoad calls Ozi: Voice of the Forest a film whose excellent animation is let down by underdeveloped characters and blind faith in social media activism 
• Cath Clarke calls Noah’s Ark a biblical animated film for kids full of unoriginal gags.
  
• Alasdair Stuart discusses the character of Brasso in Andor.
  
• Camestros Felapton notes that medical dramas like House M.D. function like portal fantasies. 
• Mark Kermode shares his appreciation for the works of Hayao Miyasaki.
  
• Jonathan Carey shares eleven horror film location you can visit. 
• Ryan Gilbey wonders whether audiences have had enough of movie Easter eggs. 
• David Smith interviews James Cameron, director of Terminator 1 and 2, Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic and the Avatar movies.
• Gabrielle Paiella interviews Michael Keaton, star of Batman, Beetlejuice, Birdman and many others.
  
• Scott Simon interviews voice actor Hank Azaria, best known for voicing multiple characters in The Simpsons. 
• Zoe G. Phillips and Borys Kit report that the Star Wars show The Acolyte has been cancelled after one season. 
  
• Yohei Matsuo reports that Japan's anime exports are poised to rival steel and computer chips.
  
• Sian Cain reports that actor Michael Madsen has been arrested on domestic violence charges. 
• Andrew Pulver reports that director Guillermo Del Toro encountered a ghost in a hotel in Aberdeen, Scotland. 
  

  

Comments on Deadpool and Wolverine and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Rebecca Rubin interviews Shawn Levy, director of Deadpool and Wolverine.
  
• Germain Lussier wonders about the background of Chris Hemsworth cameo appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine. 
• Zack Sharf reports that the credits of Deadpool and Wolverine contain a tribute to Henry Delaney, the late son of  Rob Delaney, who plays Peter in Deadpool and Wolverine.
  
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Deadpool and Wolverine continues to do very well at the box office.
• Pamela McClintock reports about the marketing campaign for Deadpool and Wolverine.
  
• Zack Sharf shares the reaction of Jeremy Renner who plays Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Robert Downey Jr.'s return to Marvel.
• Zack Sharf reports that actress Jamie Lee Curtis has announced that she will no longer engage in bashing Marvel movies for clickbait. 
• Germain Lussier takes a look at Marvel's movie release schedule and speculates about movies not yet announced.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of House of the Dragon: 

• Tom Huddleston shares his thoughts on "The Queen Who Ever Was", the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon. 
• Kayleigh Dray shares her thoughts on "The Queen Who Ever Was", the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on "The Queen Who Ever Was", the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon.   
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on "The Queen Who Ever Was", the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon. 
  
• Melody McCune shares her favourite moment from "The Queen Who Ever Was", the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon.  
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Geeta Patel, director of "The Queen Who Ever Was" 
• Cheryl Eddy also interviews Geeta Patel.
  
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on the House of the Dragon episode "Regent". 
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on the House of the Dragon episode "Smallfolk".  
• Haley Zapal shares her thoughts on season 2 of House of the Dragon.
  
• Cheryl Eddy notes that Daemon Targaryen has the strangest arc in season 2 of House of the Dragon.
• Mary Kate Carr reports that House of the Dragon will end, when it runs out of book material to adapt, unlike Game of Thrones.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general: 

• Dad-at-Arms hosts a roundtable discussion with various fans about what they would like to see in season 3 of Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution.
  
• Cora Buhlert reviews the Masters of the Universe Revolution Prequel comic #3 by Ted Biaselli, Rob David, Tim Sheridan and Daniel HDR
• The Battle Ram Blog shares some quick facts about the character of Battle Cat in Masters of the Universe. 
• James Eatock discusses the meaning of some coordinates briefly seen in the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special 
  

 

 Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future:

• Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies reports that Doctor Who will continue to break the fourth wall going forward.
• James Whitbrook reports that the BBC has pulled the 2006 Doctor Who episode "Fear Her" from streaming due to an appearance by former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards following Edward pleasing guilty to child pornography charges. 
• Caroline Frost reports that the BBC has also pulled a Doctor Who charity clip from 2018, when it turned out that the suspect in the fatal stabbings of three young girls in Southport, UK, was featured in the clip as an eleven-year-old. 
  

 

Comments on Alien: Romulus: 

• Peter Bradshaw declares that Alien: Romulus covers the same old ground we've seen covered many times before. 
• Arturo Serrano declares that Alien: Romulus is okay and that's not okay.
  
• Pamela McClintock reports that Alien: Romulus has had a strong opening, dethroning Deadpool and Wolverine from the top spot at the US box office.
  

 

Comments on the director's cut of Rebel Moon: 

• Jesse Hassenger wonders what Zack Snyder's director's cut adds to Rebel Moon. 
• Rory Doherty declares that the Rebel Moon Director’s Cut is not an expanded version of a finished film, it’s the finished version of an incomplete one.
  

 

Comments on Batman: Caped Crusader:

• Arturo Serrano calls Batman: Caped Crusader a clever reinvention of the costumed crimefighter for the Defund the Police era
  
• Diana Keng shares episode by episode reviews of Batman: Caped Crusader.
  

 

Comments on The Walking Dead and its various spin-offs: 

• Lucy Mangan calls The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon finally a spinoff you can actually care about 
• Graeme Virtue calls The Walking Dead: Dead City a hugely fun spin-off that rattles along like a disreputable B-movie
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2024 Hugo Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 World Fantasy Awards have been announced.
  
• The shortlist for the 2024 British Fantasy Awards has been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Dragon Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Sidewise Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Mythopoeic Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Aurora Awards have been announced.  
• The winners of the 2024 Nommo Awards have been announced.  
• The winners of the 2024 Alfie Awards have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2024 Munsey Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 ESFS Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Analog AnLab Award and Asimov’s Readers’ Award have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Bulwer-Lytton Contest have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Splatterpunk Awards have been announced
• The winners of the 2024 First Fandom Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Harvey Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 ENnie Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Gamescom Awards have been announced.
  
• The 2024 inductees into the SFF Hall of Fame have been announced
• The 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, has announced a special Hugo Award for Best Poem.
  
• The administrators of the Otherwise Award, formerly the Tiptree Award, have announced how they plan to proceed with the award, which is currently on hiatus. 
• The British Fantasy Society responds to criticisms that members of the committee have made the shortlist for the British Fantasy Awards. 
  

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Priya Chand talks about finding time to write in unexpected places.
• Austin Conrad talks about discovery writing through gaming.
• Mike Glyer discusses the current trouble inside SFWA. 
• Jason Sanford discusses the current trouble inside SFWA.
  
• Jim Milliot reports about a controversial marketing campaign by St. Martin's Press. 
• Locus reports about the group "Authors Against Book Bans".
  
• Ella Creamer reports that the US state of Utah has banned thirteen books, including titles by Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume and Sarah J. Mass, from every public library and school in the state.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that several school librarians in the UK have been asked to remove LGBTQ themed books from school libraries. 
• The American Chemical Society reports about nineteenth and early twentieth century book bindings containing toxic arsenic dyes. 
  

 

Interviews:

• Arturo Serrano interviews John Wiswell.
  
• Locus interviews Sarah Langan.
• Locus interviews Moniquill Blackgoose.
• Paul Weimer interviews David Flin.
  

 

Reviews:

• James Davis Nicoll reviews Countess by Suzan Palumbo. 
• Marlene Harris reviews Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard 
• Mark Yon reviews The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey  
  
• Bill Capossere reviews The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey   
• Clara Cohen reviews The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey
  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews A Dirge for Cascius: Part 1 by Calum Lott 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark 
• Paul Weimer reviews The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon 
• Paul Weimer reviews Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
• Alex Wallace reviews The Infinite Miles by Hannah Fergesen. 
  
• Alex Brown reviews The Dragonfly Gambit by A.D. Sui  
• Mark Yon reviews Deep Black by Miles Cameron.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts  
• Rob Bedford reviews The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky  
• Clara Cohen reviews The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man's Wife by Premee Mohamed 
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman 
• Rob Bedford reviews How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler.
  
• Carrie Chi Lough reviews Times Never Change by John R. Fultz 
  
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Knife and the Serpent by Tim Pratt 
  
• C.T. Phipps reviews Lair of the Crystal Fang by S. A. Sidor 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Nightingale’s Castle by Sonia Velton  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Penric and the Bandit  by Lois McMaster Bujold 
  
• Alex Wallace reviews The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan. 
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher  
• Fiona Denton reviews A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher  
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender
• Colleen Mondor reviews Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill 
• Robin Marx reviews Conan: City of the Dead by John C. Hocking
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Hunters by David Wragg 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews An Exile of Water & Gold by Joshua Walker  
• Alex Puncekar reviews Songlight by Moira Buffini
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry.
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North  
  
• Anthony Cummins reviews The Voyage Home by Pat Barker 
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews The West Passage by Jared Pechaček 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Other Shore by Hoa Pham 
  
• Liz Bourke reviews These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews In the Belly of the Whale by Michael Flynn  
• C.T. Phipps reviews Dragons of Eternity by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
  
• Alexandra Pierce reviews The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Club Ded by Nikhil Singh 
  
• Ian Mond reviews The Ragpicker by Joel Dane 
• Russell Letson reviews Morphotrophic by Greg Egan  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Implanted by Lauren C Teffeau  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Asunder by Kerstin Hall
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews This World Is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa 
  
• Ian Mond reviews The Underhistory by Kaaron Warren
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews The Malachi Covenant by Dee Kelly, Jr. 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  
• Abergale Shep reviews A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews A Voice Calling by Christopher Barzak 
• Anneke Schwob reviews Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker 
  
• Jake Casella Brookins reviews Weird Black Girls by Elwin Cotman 
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Collapsing Frontier by Jonathan Lethem  
• Arley Sorg reviews The Crawling Moon: Queer Tales of Inescapable Dread, edited by Dave Ring
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Nova Scotia Vol. 2, edited by Neil Williamson and Andrew J. Wilson 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Gallus: A Glasgow SF Writer’ Circle Anthology, edited by Neil Williamson, Brian M. Milton and E.M. Faulds
     
  

Classics reviews:

• Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 1897 stage play version of Dracula by Bram Stoker.
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1950 science fiction story “Enchanted Village” by A. E. van Vogt 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1957 Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw science fiction mystery The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov. 
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1959 science fiction story “No Life of Their Own” by Clifford D. Simak 
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1959 post-apocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1961 science fiction novel A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 dystopian novel The Eskimo Invasion by Hayden Howard  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1967 tie-in novel Star Trek by James Blish.
  
• David Levinson revisits the September 1969 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction.
  
• Rich Horton revisits the 1979 science fiction collection An Infinite Summer by Christopher Priest 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1983 science fiction collection The Man From Earth by Gordon R. Dickson 
  

 

Reports about the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland:

• The 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, has released its convention guide.
  
• Chris M. Barkley shares photos of the 2024 Hugo Awards ceremony at the 2024 Worldcon.  
• Daniel Roman reports about the 2024 Hugo ceremony at the Glasgow Worldcon.
  
• James Bacon and Team Journey Planet report about their adventures at the 2024 Worldcon.
• Jason Sanford shares his experiences at the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland.
  
• Runalong the Shelves shares his experiences at the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland. 
• Kelly Sue DeConnick shares her experiences at the 2024 Worldcon.
  
• ErsatzCulture shares photos of the Tianwen event created by people involved in the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu, China, which was held adjacent to the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland.
  
• Chris M. Barkley shares photos of the 2024 Nommo Awards ceremony at Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland. 
• Chris M. Barkley reports about the first, second, third and fourth day of the WSFS Business Meeting at the 2024 Worldcon
• Cora Buhlert shares photos of the File 770 meet-up at the 2024 Worldcon.
  
• Mike Glyer shares photos of the Rotsler Award display at the 2024 Worldcon.  
  

 

Other con and event reports: 

• Nicky Woolf shares their experiences at the 2023 Midwest Furfest in Rosemont, Illinois.
  
• Jason Katz shares his experiences at the Great Florida Bigfoot Conference in Ocala, Florida.
• Locus reports about the 2024 Readercon in Quincy, Massachussetts.
  
• Locus reports about the 2024 Academic Conference on Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy in Toronto, Canada.
  
• LACon V, the 2026 Worldcon will take place in Anaheim, California.
  
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2024 Worldcon bid for Kampala, Uganda, has changed its location to Kigali, Rwanda, following criticism of Uganda's harsh anti-LGBTQ laws. 
• Poseidon Entertainment worries about the future of the US Disney Parks following recent announcements.
  
• Jess Weatherbed reports that Disney has stopped trying to use the Disney Plus user agreement to repeal a lawsuit brought against the company by a widower whose wife died after suffering an anaphylactic shock at a restaurant in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Georgina Rannard reports that scientists have discovered a cave on the Moon, which might house a manned moon base one day.
  
• Jacopo Prisco reports that Mercury might contain an underground layer of diamonds.
• Sharon Adario reports that the Boeing Starliner spacecraft seems to have failed completely and that the astronauts it left stranded aboard the International Space Station may have to return aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. 
• Kaye Dee reports about the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing of 1969.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Keza MacDonald shares the latest videogame news from the 2024 Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.
  
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Pentiment by Obsidian Entertainment   
• Aaron Jones reviews the video game  Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga 
  
• Marc Cieslak reports about the SAG-AFTRA of video game voice actors and how AI threatens their livelihood.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan discusses the announcement that Mondo will produce 1:12 scale Masters of the Universe action figures based on the 2002 He-Man cartoon.
• Pixel Dan discusses the proposed crowdfunded Mattel Masters of the Universe Snake Lair playset, which Mattel postponed following fan criticism. 
  
• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse Movie Beast-Man action figure. 
• For Eternia reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Cartoon Collection Spikor and Clawful action figures. 
• Pixel Dan reviews the Mondo Thundercats Lion-O action figure.
  
• Denise Dutton reviews the Folkmanis Jabberwock puppet
  
• James Whitbrook reports about a new toy model of the Starspeeder 3000 from the Star Tours ride at the US Disney parks.

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strain’d" by Archita Mittra in Lightspeed
• "Mud Maidens Rise" by K.A. Wiggins in Lightspeed.
  
• "The Darkness Between the Stars" by Richard Thomas in Lightspeed.  
• "Look at the Moon" by Domique Dickey in Lightspeed.
  
• "Resistance" by Cat Rambo in Lightspeed.
  
• "What’s in a Name" by Matthew Hughes in Lightspeed.
• "Conversation with a Dragon" by Cat Rambo in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "At the Stopping Place" by Grace Seybold in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "Queen of the Rodeo" by Cody Goodfellow in Nightmare Magazine.   
  
• "Once There Was Water" by Katie McIvor in The Dark.
• "Tola’s Waft" by Ranylt Richildis in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge" by Rich Larson in Clarkesworld
  
• "The Sort" by Thomas Ha in Clarkesworld. 
• "Trigger Snowflake and the Con Guests" by Ingvar in File 770.
• "Trigger Snowflake and the Categories" by Ingvar in File 770.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Agatha All Along.
  
• Watch a trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
• Watch a trailer for The Substance.
  

 

 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 26, 2024

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general, Fallout, Masters of the Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Civil War, Dead Boy Detectives, Spy x Family: Code White, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, Humane, Knuckles, Abigail, Bluey, tributes to Terry Carter and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Jennifer Wilson talks about the recent popularity of stories about humans and robots in sexual and romantic relationships. 
• Cole Rush shares five SFF mysteries he couldn't put down.
  
• Ratika Deshpande shares eight fantasy stories with happy endings. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books featuring professional assassins.
  
• Nina Munteanu shares ten works of ecological SFF.
• Keith Roysdon talks about the heyday of pulp fiction. 
• Andrew DeYoung hosts a roundtable with the finalists in the genre fiction section of the 2024 Minnesota Book Awards.
  
• Kim Sherwood shares her appreciation for the many formidable women in the James Bond novels and movies. 
  
• Brian Collins shares his appreciation for the works of M.R. James. 
• Adventures Fantastic shares his appreciation for the works of Henry Kuttner.
  
• Alison Scott shares an overview of Australian SFF fandom in the 1960s. 
• Deuce Richardson shares another health update about Robert E. Howard scholar Rusty Burke. 
• Shealagh Sullivan remembers the late SFF fan, conruunner and scholar Deborah Geisler.
  
• SFF fan and conrunner Leane M. Verhulst has died aged 54. 
• Horror writer Ray Garton has died aged 61.
  
• SFF fan John G. Trimble, who co-founded the Society for Creative Anachronism and initiated the campaign to save the original Star Trek with his wife Bjo Trimble, has died.aged 87.
  

Comics and Art:

• Rachel Cooke reviews the graphic novel Self-Esteem and the End of the World by Luke Healy
• James Whitbrook share some background about the character of Cassandra Nova from the X-Men comics.
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about Bluebeard the writer.
  

 

Film and TV:

• James Whitbrook shates his thoughts on "Bright Eyes", the latest episode of X-Men '97.
  
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on Castlevania: Nocturne. 
• Graeme Virtue calls The Red King a wickedly playful new spin on The Wicker Man
  
• Tom Philip calls season 2 of The Big Door Prize a messy, intriguing improvement
• Phil Hoad calls Malum/Hunt Her, Kill Her a double bill of low-budget, single-location horror films. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Beacon 23. 
• Meredith Hobbs Coons shares her thoughts on the season 1 finale of Shogun.
  
• Anthony Breznican shares a look behind the scenes of Dark Matter.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether Edgar Wright will manage to make a decent remake of The Running Man. 
• Lorelei Marcus revisits the 1969 movie Head starring The Monkees. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1977 science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1987 fantasy film Harry and the Hendersons 
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1994 Babylon 5 episode “Infection” 
• Paul Morton revisits the 1995 Sliders episode "Eggheads".
  
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the horror movies of 1999. 
• Germain Lussie revisits the 2001 fantasy romance Amélie.
  
• Germain Lussier revisits the 2011 science fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
• io9 interviews Marlo Kelly who plays Tatiana in 3 Body Problem. 
• Rich Pelley interviews actress and director Bryce Dallas Howard, who starred in Argylle and Jurassic World and directed multiple episode of The Mandalorian. 
• Lindsey Bahr interviews Shawn Levy, director of Deadpool and Wolverine. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Don Coscarelli, director of Phantasm I-IV, Bubba Ho-Tep, The Beastmaster, and John Dies at the End
  
• Germain Lussier remembers that Disney declared the Star Wars expanded universe non-canon exactly ten years ago.
  
• Craig Wexler and Darci Heikkinen share their ten favourite engineers in filmic science fiction. 
• Charlie Jane Anders shares gender-flipping comedies.
  
• Olivia Rutigliano shares the ten best sunglass wearers in films and TV shows. 
• Daniel Bessner talks about the threats facing film and TV writers. 
• Amelia Tait reports how tax breaks and grants have fuelled a boom of international film and TV productions in rural parts of the UK. 
• Chike Nwaenie reports that animation work on the upcoming anime Dahlia in Bloom may have been outsourced to North Korea in spite of economic sanctions against that country.
  
• Michael Sun reports that actors  Rei Hance, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams, the original cast of The Blair Witch Project, have demanded retroactive residuals, since they did not have proper union representation, when making the film.
• The Guardian reports that multiple crewmembers were injured and hospitalised after an accident on the set of the film The Pickup.
  
• Dalya Alberge reports that The Magic Eye: The Cinema of Stanley Kubrick by Neil Hornick, a non-fiction book whose publication Kubrick blocked for decades, will finally be published.
• Dani Anguino reports that actor Chris Pratt, best known for playing Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Arnold, have demolished a historic mid century house in Los Angeles, California, to build yet another McMansion.  
• Gloria Oladipo reports that the rape conviction of film producer Harvey Weinstein has been overturned by a court in New York, though his rape conviction in Los Angeles still stands. 
• Benjamin Lee shares responses from various of Weinstein's accusers to the overturning of his rape conviction.
  

 

Tributes to Terry Carter:

• Actor Terry Carter, who played Colonel Tigh in the original Battlestar Galactica and also appeared in McCloud, Foxy Brown, Sergeant Bilko and many others, has died aged 95.
• Mike Barnes remembers Terry Carter.

 

Comments on Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek in general:

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Mirrors", the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery.
• Avery Kaplan shares her thoughts on "Mirrors" 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "Mirrors".
  
• TrekCore interviews Sonequa Martin-Green who plays Michael Burnham in Star Trek Discovery.
  
• James Whitbrook looks on the impact that the Dominion War from Deep Space Nine had on the usually utopian Star Trek universe.
  

Comments on Fallout: 

• Joe DelFranco shares his thoughts on season 1 of Fallout.
  
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Fallout.
  
• Cassie Holguin shares her appreciation for the character of Lucy MacLean in Fallout. 
• Jack King interviews Ella Purnell who plays Lucy MacLean in Fallout.
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Ramin Djawadi, who composed the score for Fallout.
  
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten post-apocalyptic movies to watch after finishing Fallout,. 
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

•  Cliff Joannou interviews Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.
• James Whitbrook reports that showrunner Russel T. Davis has defended Doctor Who's new controversial midnight release schedule.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Kate Bove lists the classic Masters of the Universe characters killed off in Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution.
• Alexander Valentino lists ten classic Masters of the Universe characters who have yet to put in an appearance in Masters of the Unvierse Revelation/Revolution. 
• Mega Jay Retro discusses history of Keldor from Masters of the Universe.
  
• Dad-at-Arms interviews Stage McNulty, production manager at Powerhouse Animation who worked on Masters of the Unvierse Revelation and Revolution.
  

 

Comments on Dead Boy Detectives: 

• Joel Golby calls Dead Boy Detectives silly, spooky and wicked fun
• Lucy Mangan calls Dead Boy Detectives a fun paranormal romp that will make you feel young again
• Saloni Gajjar calls Dead Boy Detectives a sweet and silly supernatural drama
  
• Melody McCune shares episode by episode reviews of Dead Boy Detectives.

 

Comments on Civil War: 

• Haley Zapal calls Civil War an absolutely brutal depiction of photojournalism in the midst of an underexplored conflict
  
•  io9 interviews Wagner Moura, one of the stars of Civil War.
  

 

Comments on Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver: 

• Jesse Hassenger calls Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver a bombastically fun sequel
• Jarrod Jones calls Rebel Moon—Part Two: The Scargiver an improved follow up and a messy but daring star war
• Germain Lussier calls Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver, without a doubt, better than its predecessor, yet still slow, unbalanced and emotionally vapid.  
• Arturo Serrano calls Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver a forgettable boogaloo.
  
• Germain Lussier reports that Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver is currently topping the Netflix charts, but still had fewer views than Part One,
  

 

Comments on Spy x Family: Code White:

• Phuong Le declares that the anime Spy x Family Code: White features ingenious espionage antics with a super-powered family 
• Ann Michelle Harris declares that Spy x Family: Code White is lighter in tone than the regular anime.
  

 

Comments on Humane: 

• Brent Simon calls Humane a dystopian film that mostly hits the right social satire notes
  
• Brent Simon interviews Caitlin Cronenberg and Jay Baruchel, director and star of Humane.

 

Comments on Abigail:

• Luke Y. Thompson calls Abigail a frequently funny dance of death
• Sabina Graves interviews Melissa Barrera and Alisha Weir, two of the stars of Abigail.
• Sabina Graves interviews Kathryn Newton, one of the stars of Abigail.
  

 

Comments on Knuckles: 

• Meredith Hobbs Coons shares her thoughts on the Sonic the Hedghog spin-off Knuckles. 
• Kenneth Shephard notes that Knuckles is barely in his own show.
  

 

Comments on Bluey:

• Sian Cain reports that a secret, previously unannounced secret episode of Bluey entitled "The Surprise" just dropped.
• Stuart Heritage explains how an experience he had playing with his kids inspired an episode of Bluey. 
• Sabina Graves reports that Bluey will be taking a break after the surprise secret episode.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2024 Australasian Shadows Awards has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Zsoldos Péter Award have been announced.
• The shortlist for the 2023 Coyotl Awards has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Ursa Major Awards have been announced.
  
• George R.R. Martin has received the 2024 Courageous Communicator Award from the New Mexico Press Women.
  
• The Society of Illustrators has announced its 2024 Hall of Fame inductees.
  
• Tom Hunter shares a list of all the books submitted for the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award.
  
• Submissions are open for the 2024 Faber/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Sasha Vasilyuk talks about writing in English as a second language.
  
• Charlie Jane Anders explains how to build your online brand without burning out. 
• Ellen Datlow, Joe Monti and Deanna Hoak discuss the role of editors in publishing in a two-part post.
  
• Elle Griffin claims that no one buys books. 
• Lincoln Michel counters Elle Griffin and points out that yes, people do buy books.
  
• Claire Kirch and Nathalie op de Beeck report about a new generation of independent bookstores.
  
• Constance Grady chronicles how Amazon became flooded with scammy trash e-books.
• Charlie Jane Anders, Annalee Newitz and Maggie Tokuda-Hall discuss book bans and fascism.
  
• Jonathan Hamilt, organiser of the controversial Drag Queen Story Hours in libraries, talks about receiving threats and shares safety tips.
  

 

Interviews:

• AudioFile Magazine interviews Martha Wells.
  
• Paul Weimer interviews Eliza Chan. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Oliver K. Langmead. 
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Shona Kinsella. 
• John Mauro interviews Lavanya Lakshminarayan
• Fabienne Schwizer interviews Taran Matharu.
  
• Arturo Serrano interviews Cheryl Ntumy.

 

Reviews:

• Runalong the Shelves reviews Light of Impossible Stars by Gareth L Powell
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar 
• Alexandra Pierce reviews Triangulum: An Epic of the Nine Worlds of Surya by Subodhana Wijeyeratne 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton
• Niall Harrison reviews The Mars House by Natasha Pulley
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Liz Bourke reviews Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
  
• Marion Deeds reviews Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell 
• Matthew Keeley reviews Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder by K.J. Parker. 
• Aaron Cummings reviews The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden. 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Thorns of War by João F. Silva
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The House On The Old Cliffs by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Crimson Court by Brendan Noble
• Liz Bourke reviews Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner. 
• Chris Kluwe reviews Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
  
• Fantasy Faction reviews The Last Ranger by J.D.L. Rosell
• Fantasy Faction reviews The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk
  
• Maya Gittelman reviews Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo.
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Gates of Sorrow by J. E. Hannaford 
• Marion Deeds reviews Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews The Fair Folk by Su Bristow and The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert 
• Alex Brown reviews Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun, translated by Jung Yewon
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Simul by Andrew Caldecott 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Clever Creatures of the Night by Samantha Mabry
  
• John Mauro reviews Night’s Reign by Daan Katz
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Hunting By The River by Daniel Carpenter 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi
     
  

Classics reviews:

• John O'Neill revisits the 1947 horror collection Night’s Black Agents by Fritz Leiber
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1950 time travel story “Flight to Forever” by Poul Anderson
• Sam Reader revisits the 1955 horror story “Bright Segment” by Theodore Sturgeon
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1957 science fiction story “Small World” by William F. Nolan 
• Mark Yon revisits the May 1969 issue of New Worlds.
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1976 Kane sword and sorcery story “Two Suns Setting” by Karl Edward Wagner 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 YA science fiction novel The Tomorrow City by Monica Hughes 
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1979 time travel novella “Palely Loitering” by Christopher Priest
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1985 cyberpunk novel Eclipse by John Shirley. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1990 science fiction novel The Race For God by Brian Herbert 
   
  

Con and event reports:

• Octothorpe discusses the Levitation, the 2024 Eastercon in Telford, UK.
  
• John Maher reports that PEN America has cancelled its 2024 Literary Awards ceremony due to yet more uproar about the war in Gaza.
• Coral Murphy Marcos also reports about the cancellation of the 2024 PEN America Literary Awards. 
• Sabina Graves reports about Pixar Fest at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Harry Baker reports that NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has sent its final message to Earth, but will continue collecting data.  
• NASA reports that the Voyager 1 space probe has resumed sending updates to Earth.
  
• Rafael Henrique reports that the AI company Stable Diffusion is facing mass lay-offs. 
• Peter O'Dowd, Chris Bentley and Catherine Welch report that Detroit, Michigan, has introduced a road which allows for wirelessly charging electrical vehicles while driving.
  
• Emma Beddington and Sarah Gilbert share eleven vintage transport concepts that never came to be.
• Rahul Jandial wonders whether dreaming is actually the point of sleep.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Nathan Rott reports about the Catan: New Energies boardgame, a spin-off of the popular Settlers of Catan series of boardgames.
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• For Eternia reviews the Masterverse Princess of Power Leech action figure by Mattel. 
• Ethan Wilson reviews the Marvel Legends Angel figure by Hasbro.
  
• Cat Eldridge reviews the Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Body Knocker Groot by Neca. 
  
• Still a Big Kid reviews the Ultra Street Fighter II Ken action figure from Jada Toys.
• Sir Dork reviews the Casket of Cruelty and Ultimate Weapons Rack action figure accessories from Super Action Stuff. 
• Sir Dork reviews the Boss Fight Studios skeleton action figures.
  
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Voltron 40th Anniversary Set by Playmates Toys.
• James Whitbrook shares some new space-themed Lego sets. 
  
• Dad-at-Arms interviews Ethan Wilson about his ongoing copyright battle with Scott Neitlich of Spector Creative.
• Scott Neitlich shares his side of the story.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Lesser Demons of the North Shore" by Juan Martinez in The Sunday Morning Transport. 
• "The Little Monster" by Léopold Chauveau, translated by Nat Paterson, in Samovar. 
• "Travelers’ Tales from the Ends of the World" by Vandana Singh in Lightspeed.
• "Limping Toward Sunrise" by Rich Larson in Lightspeed.
  
• "Occurrence at O1339" by Kelly Jennings in Clarkesworld.
• "The Rambler" by Shen Dacheng, translated by Cara Healey, in Clarkesworld.
• "The Slave Boy" by Denzel Xavier Scott in The Deadlands.
• "Sleeping Arrangements" by R.T. Ester in Interzone Digital. 
  
• "Dead But Dreaming Still" by Michael Kelly in The Dark.
• "Reading Lies" by Gabby Gilliam in Wyldblood.
  
• "The Injustice Collector" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine.
• Watch a trailer for Robot Dreams
• Watch a trailer for The Watchers.
  
• Watch a trailer for Blink Twice. 
• Watch a trailer for Atlas. 
• Watch a trailer for The Exorcism.
  
• Watch a trailer for Jim Henson Idea Man