Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for December 1, 2023

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the sixtieth anniversary of Doctor Who, Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Godzilla Minus One and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, season 2 of Our Flag Means Death, Barbie, It's a Wonderful Knife, the continued casting woes of Scream 7, the debate about AI generated writing, new revelations regarding the origin of Nightcrawler and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Erika Johansen shares horror novels to enjoy this holiday season.
  
• The Library Ladder discusses the identity crisis of Steampunk. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF books reaturing sudden, unexpected calamities that change everything
  
• Rowdy Geirsson shares five Norse fantasy books by indie and small presse writers.
  
• Caroline Hardaker asks why people are still scared of forests.  
• Alex Clark wonders whether we should abolish genres. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five books of prehistoric fantasy.
  
• Kat French attempts to define sword and sorcery.
  
• Adam Roberts compares the original Robert E. Howard Conan stories with Robert Jordan's Conan pastiches and finds the latter lacking.
• Jonathan Thornton shares his appreciation for the works of Kelley Eskridge. 
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro shares his appreciation for the works of Michael Swanwick.
  
• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe talks about reading in prison  
• Molly Templeton wonders how much you should know about a book before reading it.
  
• Andrew Dickson profiles Irish composer Jennifer Walshe whose work often wanders into the SFF realm.
• James Bacon shares his experiences during the recent far right riots in Dublin, Ireland, following the stabbing of a young girl. 
• Steve Holland shares an obituary for Michael Bishop.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Jonathan Jones reviews  X-Men Blue: Origins #1 by Si Spurrier, Wilton Santos, Oren Junior, Marcus To, Ceci De La Cruz, VC’s Joe Caramagna and Sarah Brunstad 
• James Whitbrook reports that X-Men Blue: Origins #1 has retconned Nightcrawler's parentage yet again and that he is now the biological child of Mystique a.k.a. Raven Darkholme and Destiny a.k.a. Irene Adler, who have long been hinted to be in a romantic relationship.
  
• Collier Jennings reviews Spider-Woman #1 by Steve Foxe, Carola Borelli, Arif Prianto and Joe Sabino
• Chris Coplan interviews Declan Shalvey and Drew Moss, the creative team behind a new Thundercats comic.  
  

 

Film and TV:

• Alasdair Stuart shares his thoughts on the science fiction crime drama Bodies. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on the science fiction thrillers Hypnotic and Awareness. 
• Josh Pearce and Arley Sorg share their thoughts on No One Will Save You
• Keith R.A, DeCandido calls R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned a sequel no one asked for.
  
• Cath Clarke calls There's Something in the Barn a horror film about a murderous garden gnome that's neither silly nor scary enough to provide much entertainment 
• Leslie Felperin calls Teddy's Christmas a wholesome holiday movie from Norway. 
• Benjamin Lee calls Candy Cane Lane a convoluted and inconsistent holiday movie that even Eddie Murphy can't save. 
• Lauren Mechling calls Family Switch an overstuffed holiday body switch comedy.
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Beacon 23.
  
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Curse. 
• Sabina Graves shares some early reactions to Wonka.
  
• Germain Lussier lists all the SFF movies coming out this holiday season. 
• Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll rate time travel movies.
• Lorna Wallace shares five amazing lesser known movies about aliens on Earth.
  
• Jesse Hassenger wonders why Disney has had such a terrible year with multiple movies underperforming.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether actor Nicholas Hoult is too fresh-faced to play Lex Luthor. 
• Dan Persons revisits the 1993 dinosaur film Jurassic Park. 
• Adam Fleet revisits the 1997 science fiction action thriller Face/Off. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 2003 holiday movie Elf.
  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2006 fantasy film Aquamarine.
  
• Carly Thomas revisits the 2008 paranormal romance film Twilight. 
• Chris Garcia revisits the 2013 time travel film Sorry About Tomorrow. 
• Charles Bramesco interviews John Woo, director of Silent Night, Face/Off, The Killer, Hardboiled and many others.
• Catherine Bray interviews Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, star of Misfits, Utopia and Femme.
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Ron D. Moore, showrunner of Outlander, the new Battlestar Galactica and For All Mankind. 
• Brian Davids interviews Joe Lynch, director of Suitable Flesh. 
• Linda Marx interviews Keith Nielsen, costume designer for Hallmark holiday movies. 
  
• Vanessa Thorpe profiles Gary Oldman, star of Slow Horses, The Fifth Element, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the Harry Potter movies, the Christopher Nolan Batman movies and many others.  
• Borys Kit profiles Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel, Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League. Rebel Moon and others.
  
• Calum Russel profiles George Reeves and his struggles of being identified solely with playing Superman in the 1950s.
  
• Allegra Rosenberg profiles Dorothy Swanson, co-founder of the organisation Viewers for Quality Television, which organised letter writing campaigns to save TV shows from cancellation in the 1980s and 1990s. 
  
• John Carreyrou chronicles how Netflix gave director Carl Rinsch 55 million US-dollars to make a science fiction series, only for Rinsch to suffer a mental breakdown and gamble away the money.
  
• Nadia Khomani reports that participants in the reality show Squid Game: The Challenge are threatening to sue Netflix over injuries sustained while filming,
• Amanda Lee reports that the drive-in cinema in Cooper Pedy, South Australia, which has appeared in the movies The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome among others, has been fatally damaged by a storm.
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sits at the top of the US box office, beating the Disney animated film Wish and a Napoleon biopic. 
• Marty Krofft, creator of the iconic children's fantasy shows H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and many others, has died aged 86. 
• David Elliott, director of Thunderbirds and other Gerry Anderson shows, has died aged 92.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general (spoilers): 

• Nathan Johnson interviews Emily Swallow who plays The Armorer in The Mandalorian. 
• Russ Milheim interviews Katee Sackhoff, who plays Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Galactic Journey revisit the 1968 Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Bound".
  

 

Comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general:

• Arturo Serrano declares that The Marvels is very confused about what it wants to be about
• James Whitbrook reports that Disney and the media are trying to blame director Nia DaCosta for the perceived failure of The Marvels. 
  
• Germain Lussier shares some background about the making of season 2 of Loki.
  
• Alyssa Shotwell reports that screenwriter and actor Paul Scheer has called out the undue criticism that female-led and directed Marvel movies like The Marvels or Black Widow receive.
  
• Russ Milheim interviews Iman Vellani who plays Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  
• Sabina Graves shares Taika Waititi's comments about his experience directing two Thor movies.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who at sixty: 

• Martin Belam shares his thoughts on "The Star Beast", the first of the Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Specials. 
• Jack Seale shares his thoughts on "The Star Beast"
• Miles Reid-Lobatto shares his thoughts on "The Star Beast". 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "The Star Beast". 
• James Whitbrook shares his thoughts on "The Star Beast". 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on "The Star Beast" and wonders whether it is an example of the dreaded message fiction. 
• Cindy White declares that the three Doctor Who Anniversary Specials are fixing one of the show's greatest missteps, the way Donna Noble was written out.  
• James Whitbrook notes that we know very little about the second Doctor Who Anniversary Special "Wild Blue Yonder".
  
• James Whitbrook reports that Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davis has spoken out on the importance of showing the reality of trans lives with the new character Rose in "The Star Beast".
  
• Clark Collis interviews Doctor Who showrunner Russel T. Davis and David Tennant, who played the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors. 
• James Whitbrook shares some images from the 2023 Doctor Who Holiday Special "The Church on Ruby Road".
  
• Lillian Crawford interviews even more people involved with Doctor Who. 
• Readers of The Guardian share their favourite Doctor Who moments.
  
• Sue Perkins looks back on sixty years of Doctor Who.
  
• Jessica Holmes revisits the 1968 Doctor Who serial "The Invasion". 
• Matthew Sweet talks about the so-called wilderness years between 1989 and 2005, when Doctor Who was off the air. 
• Steven Morris recounts how the 2005 Doctor Who regeneration boosted the Welsh economy, since the current show is filmed in Cardiff, Wales. 
• Max Goldbart reports that the payment structure for Doctor Who writers has been changed now that Disney+ is co-producing the show. 
• The Radio Times reports that "The Star Beast" is the highest rated BBC drama of 2023 to date.
  
• Glyn Morgan discusses the iconic design of the Daleks and why so many fans build their own.
  
• Charlie Jane Anders takes a look at Doctor Who spin-offs she'd like to see.
• Watch a trailer for Doctor Who: The William Hartnell Years in Colour. 
• Watch a teaser for "Wild Blue Yonder", the next Doctor Who Sixtieth Anniversary Special.
  
• Watch a clip of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor appearing in An Adventure in Space and Time.
  

 

Comments on Godzilla Minus One and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters:

• James Whitbook calls Godzilla Minus One a terrifying, hopeful throwback. 
• Matt Schimkovitz calls Godzilla Minus One as thrilling and enthralling as Godzilla movies get. 
• Richard Newbie ranks every Godzilla film.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Chris Black and Matt Fraction, co-creators of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
  
• Sam Barsanti muses about the different portrayal of Godzilla in Japanese films like Godzilla Minus One and American productions like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Our Flag Means Death: 

•  Vanessa Armstrong interviews Ruibo Qian, who plays Zheng Yi Sao in Our Flag Means Death.
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Vico Ortiz, who plays Jim in Our Flag Means Death.
• Chris Winkle explains what Good Omens can learn from Our Flag Means Deaths. 
  

 

Comments on It's a Wonderful Knife: 

• Catherine Bray calls It's a Wonderful Knife a seasonal classic refitted as comedy slasher horror 
• Jules Cabot calls It's a Wonderful Knife derivative, but highly watchable.
  

 

Comments on Barbie: 

•  Elle Hunt interviews Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, producers of the Barbie soundtrack. 
• Trevor Hogg reports that contrary to belief, Barbie actually contains a lot of visual effects. 
  

 

Comments on the Scream VII casting woes:

• Borys Kit chronicles the troubles of Scream VII.
  
• Britt Hayes finds it worrying that Melissa Barrera was removed from Scream VII over Pro-Palestinian remarks. 
• Emma Keates reports that the true reason why Jenna Ortega left Scream VII as well was a salary dispute rather than a scheduling conflict.
  
• Adam Starkey reports that some fans are now threatening to boycott Scream VII after actress Melissa Barrera was dropped over Pro-Palestinian and Anti-Semitic remarks.
  

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the science fiction category have been announced and voting is open. 
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the fantasy category have been announced and voting is open.  
• The finalists for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the romantasy category have been announced and voting is open.   
• The finalists for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the horror category have been announced and voting is open. 
  
• The finalists for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the young adult science fiction and fantasy category have been announced and voting is open.
  
• The winners of the 2023 Prix ActuSF de l’Uchronie have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2023 HWA Crown Awards have been announced. 
• The winner of the 2023 Booker Prize has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2023 Polari Prize has been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Scott Oden talks about his writing process. 
• Eugenia Triantafyllou talks about her process writing short fiction.
  
• Jane Jesmond explains what she likes best about writing.
  
• Kelly Barnhill talks about trying to write after suffering a traumatic brain injury
• Sarah Pinsker explains why dogs are the perfect pets for writers. 
• Neil Clarke discusses the many issues facing SFF magazines.
  
• Tom Borders chronicles the rise and fall of Borders Books. 
• Ella Creamer reports that the percentage of characters of colour in children's books has risen.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that almost a million children in the UK do not own a single book.
• Locus reports that Peguin Random House has filed a lawsuit against the state of Iowa over book bans.
  
• Charles Lane reports that the New York Public Library in New York City has been defaced by Anti-Semitic graffiti during two Pro-Palestinian protests last week. 
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

• The UK Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society shares a statement regarding the principles of the relationship between authors and AI.
  
• Brian Boucher reports that a prankstar used AI to "improve" on Edward Hopper's classic painting "Nighthawks".
  

 

Interviews:

• Daniel Greene interviews Brandon Sanderson.
• Runalong the Shelves interviews Lili Hayward.
  
• Lisa Allardice interviews Paul Lynch.
  
• Alice Kemp-Habib interviews Katherine Howe.
  

 

Reviews:

• Runalong the Shelves reviews Refractions by M.V. Melcher.
  
• Paul Weimer reviews Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Talonsister by Jen Williams.
  
• Robin Marx reviews Conan: Lord of the Mount by Stephen Graham Jones
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews A Stranger in the Citadel by Tobias S. Buckell 
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
  
• Liz Bourke reviews A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford 
• Natalie Zutter reviews The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon. 
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews The Siren, the Song, and the Spy by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
  
• Fabienne Schwizer reviews Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
  
• The Quick and the Read reviews A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. 
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
  
• Marion Deeds reviews The Truth Against the World by David Corbett
  
• Francis Gooding reviews The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin. 
• Mark Yon reviews The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang 
• Ian Mond reviews Death Valley by Melissa Broder 
• Stephanie Merritt reviews The Future by Naomi Alderman   
• Alex Brown reviews Beholder by Ryan La Sala
  
• Runalong the Shelves revisits The Ghost In The Bone by Mike Carey
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Who Haunts You by Mark Wheaton
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Evergreen Chase by Juneau Black
• Caren Gussoff Sumption reviews Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go by Cleo Qian 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Between Dystopias: The Road to Afropantheology by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Joshua Uchenna Omenga 
• Paul Kincaid reviews The Big Book of Cyberpunk, edited by Jared Shurin
  
• John Mauro reviews The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume 4, edited by Paula Guran
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, edited by Jonathan Maberry
  
• Robin Marx reviews issue 5 of Old Moon Quarterly.
  
• Rebecca Nicholson reviews Pandora’s Box: The Greed, Lust, and Lies That Broke Television by Peter Biskind
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature by Allen Stroud
   
  

Classics reviews:

• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1929 Solomon Kane dark fantasy story "Skulls in the Stars" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1933 science fiction novel Beyond the End of Space by John W. Campbell 
• The Cromcast discusses the 1935 Conan sword and sorcery story "Beyond the Black River" by Robert E. Howard.
  
• Ken Lizzi revisits the 1951 sword and sorcery novel The Tritonian Ring by L. Sprague De Camp. 
• Ben Boulden reviews the 1951 historical adventure novel Fire-Hunter by Jim Kjelgaard
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1957 science fiction novella Cosmic Kill by Robert Silverberg.
  
• James Reasoner revisits the 1957 historical adventure novel Lysander by F. van Wyck Mason
  
• Mark Yon revisits the December 1968 issue of New Worlds.
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1968 issue of Analog.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1971 science fiction novel The Wrong End of Time by John Brunner 
• The Dark Crusade discusses the 1973 Kane sword and sorcery story "Mirage" by Karl Edward Wagner.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisuts the 1976 science fiction novel Star Probe by Josepf Green. 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1989 YA horror novel My Secret Admirer by Carol Ellis and the 1996 YA horror novel Secret Admirer by R.L. Stine.
  
• Alan Brown revisits the 1990 science fiction novel In the Country of the Blind by Michael F. Flynn
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• B-Sides Volume 1, a comic by Mike London, Rich Ivens and Hayley Dwan, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• The program for the virtual 2023 City Tech Science Fiction Symposium on Science Fiction, Gender, and Sexuality has been announced.
• Ella Creamer shares some of the guests who will appear at the 2024 Hay Literary Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales.
  
• Ella Creamer reports about a new exhibition dedicated by YA SFF author Malorie Blackman at the British Library in London, UK.
• Alison Stewart and Zach Gottehrer-Cohen report about the exhibition "Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines." in Brooklyn, New York.
• Mark Fisher calls Morna Young's take on The Snow Queen, which is currently playing in Edinburgh, Scotland, a bold and imaginative musical.
  
• Chris Wiegand calls the stage version of Cinderella currently playing in Hammersmith, London, UK a pantomine with fabulous costumes and high-energy songs
• Chris Wiegand calls The Lightbulb Princess, which is currently playing in London, UK, a fairytale play for children about the importance of making – and saving – electricity.
• Pixel Dan shares a video of a giant Masters of the Universe display at Retro Toy Con in Greenville, South Carolina. 
• Sabina Graves reports about the Grinchmas event at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Los Angeles, California. 
• Armando Tinoco reports that a man was arrested after getting out of the moving "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and stirpping off his clothes amidst the moving animatronics.
  

 

Science and technology:

• George Dvorsky reports that NASA, Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency ASI are cooperating on constructing the first permanent outpost on the Moon. 
  
• Hannah Devlin reports that extremely high energry cosmic Amaterasu particles have been detected falling to Earth and scientists have no idea why.
• Ian Sample reports that scientists have started analysing the dust that the Osiris-Rex space probe brought back from the asteroid Bennu. 
• Yiwen Lu reports that driverless taxis are increasing traffic jams, lengthening emergency response times and putting undue stress on city employees in San Francisco, Calufornia, and Austin, Texas.
  
• Lee Weinstein talks about the scientific hoax of the Piltdown man.
  
• Eric Lipton reports about the international debate about AI-controlled killer drones.
• Vladimir Supica reports that the fast food chain Wendy's has introduced a robot to take orders at the drive-through window, which does not quite work as expected. 
• Douglas Rushkoff talks about the follies of today's tech billionaires.
  
• Katie Malone reports that a group of self-proclaimed gay furry hackers hacked the nuclear research hub at the Idaho National Laboratory and demanded that the lab help them to create real life cat girls.

 

Gaming: 

• C.T. Phipps looks back on the history of the Baldur's Gate vidoe game series.
• Joe DelFranco reviews Minesweeper by Kyle Orland

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Toy Habits reviews the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Python Patrol Tele Viper & Flight Pod a.k.a. Trubble Bubble.
• Toy Habits reviews the Hasbro G.I. Joe Classified Python Patrol Copperhead.
  
• Warner Holme reviews the Folkmanis Mini Frog
• James Whitbrook shares a look at Hasbro's latest Clone Trooper figures in the Star Wars Black Series and Vintage Collection lines.  
• James Whitbrook shares a look at Super7's new Godzilla figure, based on Godzilla Minus One.
• Sabina Graves shares a look at the Funko Nightmare Before Christmas Bitty Pops.  
• Pixel Dan interviews Brian Flynn of Super7 about the return of the G.I. Joe O-ring figures.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Isle of the Thousand-Eyed Strangler" by Dariel R.A. Quiogue in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.
• "On the Day When She Can Run No More" by Aimee Ogden in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "What Will Bring You Home" by Jenny Rae Rappaport in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
  
• "All the Things I Know About Ghosts, By Ofelia, Age 10" by Isabel Cañas in The Deadlands.
• "Of Death Deserved We Will Not Die" by Bennett North in Lightspeed.
  
• "Vendetta" by Diego Lama, translated by Rose Facchini, in Wyldblood.
  
• "Never Lie to Me" by Priya Chand in The Dark.
• "To Carry You Inside You" by Tia Tashiro in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Thin Ice" by Kemi Ashing-Giwa in Clarkesworld.
• "The Quiet of Drowning" by Kel Coleman in Uncanny Magazine 
• "Silent Night" by Ogheneyome O in Omenana.
• "Whatever Takes Us" by Aigner Loren Wilson in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Homewrecker" by E. Catherine Tobler in Apex Magazine.
  
• "Fittonia" by Libby Feltis in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Expulsion" by Mary Anne Mohanraj in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "The (Un)Expected Holiday Season" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Furiosa.
  
• Watch a trailer for Night Swim.
  
• Watch a sizzle reel for the planned Shadow and Bone spin-off Six of Crows that died along with the cancellation of the main show.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for November 24, 2023

 

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 works of 2023, Star Trek in general, Star Wars in general, The Marvels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Doctor Who past, present and future, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Beacon 23, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Wish, the series finale of Fear the Walking Dead, season 4 of For All Mankind, Aardman Animation's clay shortage, the casting woes of Scream 7, trouble at OpenAI and the debate about AI generated writing and art in general and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories featuring space travel using constant acceleration
  
• Dani Finn hosts a roundtable of trans feminine SFF authors. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for October 2023. 
• Cole Rush shares five SFF tales about embracing found family. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction story featuring cryonics and suspended animation
  
• Tim Maleeny talks about the importance of villains. 
• Christina Henry shares her favourite novels about brave women finding themselves in mysterious and dangerous situations. 
  
• Nicole Rudick talks about the feminist awakening of Joanna Russ. 
• Marion Deeds shares her appreciation for the Alyx stories by Joanna Russ. 
  
• Sophie Kemp talks about visiting Kurt Vonnegut's former home in Schenectady, New York. 
• Michael Curtis profiles William Hope Hodgson. 
• Bridget McGovern declares that audio books have taken over her life and that she loves it. 
• Grace Benfell reports that the man who was arrested for attacking Paul Pelosi, husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claims he was radicalised by Gamergate.
• SFF fan Patricia Diggs died aged 82.
  
• British writer and critic A.S. Bryatt has died aged 87. 
• Horror and military science fiction writer Weston Ochse has died aged 58.
  

 

Best of 2023:

•  She Reads shares their favourite science fiction novels of 2023.
• She Reads shares their favourite fantasy novels of 2023.
• The New York Public Library shares its favourite science fiction novels of 2023. 
• NPR share their favourite science fiction and fantasy novels of 2023.
  
• NPR share their favourite comics and graphic novels of 2023. 
• io9 list their favourite pop culture works of 2023. 
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Lukas Shayo reviews Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey.
• Lukas Shayo reviews Alpha Flight #4 by Ed Brisson and Scott Godlewski
• Robert Mammone reviews Deviant #1 by James Tynion and Joshua Hixson
  
• Brad Hawley calls Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt a work of genius, a masterpiece
  
• Justin Carter reports that Amazon is shutting down the Comixology app in December. 
• Read the Spider-Man themed issue of The Drink Tank.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Paul Levinson declares that season 1 of The Lazarus Project is time travel done right. 
  
• Olivia Rutigliano calls  Leave the World Behind a tense, uneasy apocalyptic thriller 
• Arturo Serrano declares that in the animated TV series Pluto, the quest for humanlike AI reveals our worst side 
• Manuel Betancourt declares that The Curse is unlike anything else on TV right now. 
  
• Rachel Aroesti calls the latest adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit irresistably tearjerking.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Genie a bafflingly bland holiday comedy that wastes the talents of Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu
  
• Germain Lussier calls Thanksgiving a dumb, disgusting delight
• Mikkel Snyder talks about the difficulty of legally watching the animated science fiction show Pantheon. 
• Daniel Dern shares his thoughts on the final season of Doom Patrol. 
• Matt Schimkovitz shares his thoughts on the latest episode of  A Murder At The End Of The World
  
• Benjamin Lee calls Leo a charming if disjointed animated comedy about a wise lizard.
  
• Jack Seale calls David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived a the touching documentary about a Harry Potter stuntman who broke his neck
• Samuel Stone lists science fiction TV shows that were cancelled on a cliffhanger.
• Cheryl Eddy shares ten Chrismas horror movies to stream. 
  
• Matt Baume interviews animation and comics writer Tim Sheridan.
• Sabina Graves interviews  Rob Letterman, Nick Stoller and Hilary Winston, showrunners of Goosebumps.
• Stuart Heritage notes that durector Ridley Scott is one of the best people to interview. 
• Leah Schnelbach explains how Mystery Science Theater 3000 making fun of educational short films from the 1950s helped her understand her parents better. 
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1972 horror movie Who Slew Auntie Roo? 
  
• Germain Lussier revisits the 1973 Disney animated film Robin Hood.  
• Tom Nichols revisits the 1983 nuclear war movie The Day After. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1985 holiday movie Santa Claus: The Movie.
  
• Kabir Chibber revisits the 1993 science fiction movie Demolition Man and finds it unexpectedly predictive.
• The AV-Club revisits the 2008 paranormal romance movie Twilight.
  
• Jacob Stolworthy reports about a backlash against Netflix cancelling several shows, including the popular fantasy show Shadow and Bone. 
• Justin Carter reports that the ainme studio MAPPA, creators of Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga and Jujutsu Kaisen, are being criticised by its staff for overtaxing themselves and a high workload. 
• Zach Schonfeld talks about the conflict between Nicholas Cage and his uncle Francis Ford Coppola. 
• Nadia Khomani reports that according to a recent survey, most members of TV and film crews feel that their safety has been put at risk on some occasions.
  
• Experimental film maker Paul Busch has died aged 67.
  
• Joss Ackland, star of The House That Dripped Blood, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, Lethal Weapon 2, The Hunt for Red October, Villain and many others, has died aged 95.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general (spoilers): 

•  nerds of a feather host a roundtable discussion on the Disney era of Star Wars.
• Anthony Breznican interviews Dave Filoni, the new chief creative officer of Lucasfilm.
• James Whitbrook notes that Dave Filoni is right where Star Wars needs him to be. 
  
• Brian Davids interviews Daisy Ridley who plays Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. 
• Sabina Graves interviews Tatiana Salaverria, who designs Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Marvel themed clothing sold at Disney parks.
  
• Ben Child wonders how the notoriously terrible 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special was allowed to happen at all.  
• Pablo Hidalgo talks about the origins of Life Day in the Star Wars universe.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general:

• Galactic Journey revisits the 1968 Star Trek episode "The Tholian Web".
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the Star Trek Enterprise episode "Divergence".
• Chana Porter talks about the portrayal of food in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 
• Avery Kaplan lists ten Star Trek names with real world inspirations.
  

 

Comments on The Marvels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers):

• Camestros Felapton calls The Marvels a solidly entertaining film.
  
• Avery Kaplan shares her appreciation for The Marvels.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Andrew Gladman explains why the second season of the original Doctor Who changed the show for the better. 
  
• Current showrunner Russell T. Davies talks about what Doctor Who means to him.
• Lillian Crawford interviews various people who have worked on Doctor Who over the years. 
• Lillian Crawford interviews even more people who have been involved with Doctor Who over the years.  
• Lillian Crawford interviews yet more people who have been involved with Doctor Who over the years.  
• Lillian Crawford interviews still more people who have been involved with Doctor Who over the years.   
• Dominic Cavendish interviews Bonnie Langford who played Mel Bush in Doctor Who. 
• Morgan Cormack interviews Jodie Whittaker, who played the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who.
  
• Christina Orlando revisits the 2008 Doctor Who episode "Partners in Crime". 
• James Whitbrook revisits the 2013 Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special "Day of the Doctor". 
  
• James Whitbrook reports that Davros, creator of the Daleks, will no longer be portrayed as disabled in future episodes of Doctor Who in order to counter the association between disability and evil.
  
• Patrick Mulkern looks back at previous Doctor Who anniversary specials and Radio Times photo shoots.
  
• Watch the 2023 Children in Need Doctor Who Special,.
  

 

Comments on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: 

• Lucy Mangan praises the performance of Kurt Russell in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
• William Goodman interviews Matt Fraction, one of the writers of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
• Vanessa Armstrong also interviews Matt Fraction.
  

 

Comments on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: 

• Graeme Virtue calls Scott Pilgrim Takes Off an animated series as intense as falling in love in your teens 
  
• William Hughes calls Scott Pilgrim Takes Off much, much weirder than a mere nostalgia trip . 
• Molly Tmepleton declares that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off sends a familiar story into the stratosphere
  
• James Whitbrook shares seven things he liked and three he didn't about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off 
• Alan Sepinwall interviews Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, creators of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
  

 

Comments on Beacon 23: 

• Angie Han calls Beacon 23 a heady science fiction saga. 
• Manuel Betancourt calls Beacon 23 an enjoyable, if wildly uneven, science fiction series
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the first three episodes of Beacon 23.
  

 

Comments on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: 

• Emmet Asher Perrin calls The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes yet another unnecessary prequel.
• Germain Lussier declares that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes worked for him until it didn't.
  
• io9 interviews Francis Lawrence, director of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• Brian Davids interviews Francis Lawrence.
  

 

Comments on Wish: 

• Sabina Graves declares that Wish illuminates a century of Disney animated history  
• Benjamin Lee declares that Wish is missing the magic, 
• Ray Greene declares that Wish feels more like a corporate anxiety attack than a 100th-anniversary celebration
• Sabina Graves interviews Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, director of Wish. 
  

 

Comments on the series finale of Fear the Walking Dead: 

• Noetta Harjo shares her thoughts on the series finale of Fear the Walking Dead.
• Noetta Harjo also shares her appreciation for the character of Madison Clark from Fear the Walking Dead.
  

 

Comments on season 4 of For All Mankind: 

•  Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of For All Mankind.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the second episode of season 4 of For All Mankind. 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the third episode of season 4 of For All Mankind.
  

 

Comments on Aardman Animation's impending lack of clay: 

• Robbie Collin reports that Aardman Animation, creators of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and many others, are about to run out of clay and the company that was supplying them has shut down. 
• Justin Carter also reports about Aardman Animation's clay shortage. 
• James Whitbrook reports that Aardman Animation has responded to reports about its clay shortage and assure everybody that they have enough clay left and are actively looking for a replacement.

 

Comments on the Scream VII casting woes:

• Aaron Couch reports that actress Melissa Barrera has been removed from Scream VII after posting Pro-Palestinian and Anti-Semitic remarks on social media. 
• Armando Tinoco reports that actress Melissa Barrera has responded to being fired from Scream VII by declaring that she condemns both Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. 
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that Scream VII director Christopher Landon has said that firing Melissa Barrera was not his decision. 
  
• Anthony D'Alessandro reports that actress Jenna Ortega has also left Scream VII over a scheduling conflict with her show Wednesday. 
• Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly report about plans to retool Scream VII now two of its proposed stars are no longer available.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2023 Wonderland Book Awards have been announced.   
• The winners of the 2023 Goldener Stephan have been announced.
  
• Brian Collins addresses the persistent issues with the Best Related Work Hugo.
• Camestros Felapton responds to Brian Collins and finds the Best Related Work work category not broken. 
• Christopher Ruz announces the creation of the Rando Awards.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tim Maleeny asks writers to let dialogue drive their story. 
• Steven Radecki wonders how indie authors can measure their success.
  
• Camestros Felapton asks if outrage marketing works.
  
• Scott Edelman talks about the effect leaving Twitter has had on his podcast Eating the Fantastic.
  
• Jim Milliot shares the results of the 2023 Publishers Weekly publishing industry salary survey.
  
• Gina Cherelus asks if reading makes it easier for people to find romantic partners. 
• Brian Keene and Mary SanGovanni explain why they are opening a bookstore.
  
• Patt Morrison notes that Los Angeles, California, has always been a bookstore boom town.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

• Blake Montgomery and Dani Anguiano reports that OpenAI has fired co-founder and CEO Sam Altman for allegedly lying to the company board
• Dan Milmo and Blake Montgomery report that OpenAI employees are threatening to quit en masse unless Sam Altman is reinstated.
• Maxwell Zeff reports that Sam Altman was reinstated as CEO after a few days.
  
• Joe Blistein wonders what the hell is happening at OpenAI. 
• Winston Cho reports that a US Federal judge has thrown out much of Sarah Silverman's lawsuit against Meta's AI.
  

 

Interviews:

• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Jim Butcher. 
  
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Patrick Rothfuss in two parts.
  
• The Guardian interviews Joanne Harris. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Alex Shvartsman, 
• Locus hosts a roundtable discussion with Ted Chiang, Kelly Link and Usman T. Malik   
• Marissa Van Uden interviews  J.S. Breukelaar
  
• Jeff LaSala interviews Shawn Marchese.
  

 

Reviews:

• Liz Bourke reviews Where Peace Is Lost by Valerie Valdes 
  
• Paul Weimer reviews The Ghosts of Trappist by K.B. Wagers  
• Marlene Harris reviews System Collapse by Martha Wells
• Marlene Harris reviews Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Calamity by Constance Fay 
• RacheLeanne reviews Hyvilma by Gideon Marcus. 
• Adrienne Martini reviews The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei, Starter Villain by John Scalzi and Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch 
• Maya Gittelman reviews Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
  
• Alex Wallace reviews Threading the Needle by Monalisa Foster. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Inheritance by Nora Roberts.
  
• Gayle Surrette reviews Payback in Death by J.D. Robb 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu 
• Paul Weimer reviews Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Future by Naomi Alderman
  
• John Mauro reviews The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss
  
• Judith Tarr reviews In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens.
  
• John Mauro reviews The Blood Stones by Tori Tecken
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers
• Archita Mittra reviews Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine and Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
• Warner Holme reviews The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Menewood by Nicola Griffith 
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate by Adam Roberts   
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Winter Harvest by Ioanna Papadopoulou
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews A Midwinter's Tail by Lili Hayward
• Marion Deeds reviews Fenris and Mott by Greg Van Eekhout
  
• Mark Yon reviews Weyward by Emilia Hart. 
• Ian Mond reviews Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
  
• John Mauro reviews Until the Last by Mike Shackle
• Adrian Collins reviews Aliens: Bishop by T.R. Napper
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews The Whole Mess and Other Stories by Jack Skillingstead
  
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Privilege of the Happy Ending by Kij Johnson 
• Arley Sorg reviews McSweeney’s 71: The Monstrous and the Terrible, edited by Brian Evenson.
  
• Paul Di Filippo reviews Being Michael Swanwick by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Writing The Uncanny - Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V. Hirst
   
  

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1891 ghost story "John Charrington’s Wedding” by E. Nesbit
  
• Cthulery revisits the 1936 cosmic horror story "At the Mountains of Madness" by H.P. Lovecraft.
  
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1939 horror novel The Hand of Kornelius Voyt by Oliver Onions
• Brian Collins revisits the 1943 military science fiction story "Clash by Night" by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore.  
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1946 science fiction stories “The Nightmare” and “To Still the Drums” and  the 1949 science fiction story “The Aristocrat” by Chan Davies.
  
• Gideon Marcus revisits the December 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
  
• Robin Rose Graves revisits the 1968 fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Victoria Silverwolf revisits the 1968 science fiction novel The Man Who Saw Tomorrow by Jeff Sutton and the 1968 science fiction collection So Bright the Vision by Clifford D. Simak, Gideon Marcus revisits the 1968 Star Trek novel Mission to Horatius by Mack Reynolds, Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1968 science fiction anthology Orbit 4, edited by Damon Knight, and the 1968 science fictiion novel The Hole in the Zero by M. K. Joseph, Tonya R. Moore revisits the 1968 historical fantasy novel Moondust by Thomas Burnett Swann and Jason Sacks revisits the 1968 satirical novel One Before Bedtime by Richard Linkroum 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 YA science fiction novel Watchstar by Pamela Sargent. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1986 Conan Little Golden Book The Thing in the Cave by Jack C. Harris and Dan Adkins.
  
• Desiree Burch revisits the 1993 dystopian novel The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1996 anthology The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirteenth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1992 alternate history novel A Spell of Empire: The Horns of Tartarus by Michael Scott Rohan and Allan J. Scott
  
  

Crowdfunding:

• The non-fiction book The Philip Hinchcliffe Years - The DNA of Doctor Who, edited by Gary Russell, is looking for funding.
• The animated science fiction series Thémis - The Next Frontier is looking for funding.
• Escape Artists are running their end of the year fundraiser.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Cat Rambo shares tips for making the most of your con budget.
  
• Locus shares photos of the latest SF in SF reading in San Francisco, California.
• Ryan Dinsdale reports about an interview with Andrzej Sapkowski at Comic Con Vienna in Vienna, Austria. 
• James Hibberd also reports about Andrzej Sapkowski's remarks at Comic Con Vienna. 
• Mike Glyer reports that the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland, has added T.L. Huchu as a special guest.
  
• Dalya Alberge reports that a newly rediscovered string quartet by Anthony Burgess will be performed in Manchester, UK: 
• Arifa Akbar calls The Mongol Khan a spectacular, swashbuckling stage play that is currently being performed in London, UK.
• Arifa Akbar calls The Witches a rollcking musical based on Roald Dahl's famous book, which is currently playing in London, UK.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Stephen Clark reports that SpaceX has delayed the launch of its Starship rocket for technical reasons.
• Lauren Aratani reports that SpaceX's Starship actually managed to reach space during its latest launch, but then exploded. 
• George Dvorsky shares sixteen takeaways from the explosion of SpaceX's Starship rocket. 
• Passant Rabie reports that an issue with the heat shield of the Orion capsule threatens to delay NASA's planned crewed moon mission.
  
• Charlotte Beach celebrates Richard Danne, designer of the NASA logo.
  
• Jon Mooallem interviews people who want to be buried in space. 
• Gideon Marcus shares space news from 1968. 
• Michael Marshall asks if time travel is possible.
  

 

Gaming: 

• Marcus De Sautoy explains how Dungeons & Dragons helps build empathy  
• Sally Berrow reviews Baldur's Gate III.
  
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order  
• Joe DelFranco also reviews the video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1994 Star Wars TIE Fighter video game. 
  
• Stephen Totilo reports about a class action lawsuit about an update to the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. 
• Aidan Moher shares a holiday gift guide for geeks and gamers.
  
• Ashley Bardhan shares the best holiday gifts for gamers under 50 US-dollars.   

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Pixel Dan reviews the new Sectaurs line by Nacelle.
  
• Iain Delaney reviews the Thunderbirds 2086 Moderoid Thunderbird model kit
• Sabina Graves offers a look at the Hot Toys Star Wars Ahsoka figure, 
• Lauren Mechling reviews the documentary Million Dollar Babies about the Cabbage Patch Kid doll craze of the 1980s.
  
• Watch a stop-motion video featuring the new Turtles of Grayskull crossover toyline between Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Mattel. 
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Captain Courageous in Venice" by Janna Layton in Luna Station Quarterly.
• "Dr. Seattle Opens His Heart" by Winston Turnage in Lightspeed. 
• "A Record of Lost Time" by Regina Kanyu Wang, translated by Rebecca F. Kuang in Lightspeed.
  
• "Brexit 409 AD" ​by George S. Walker in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
• "In the Forest of Talking Animals" by Makena Onjerika in The Deadlands.
• "Patsy Cline Sings Sweet Dreams to the Universe" by Beston Barnett in Strange Horizons.
  
• "Eight or Die (Part 1)" by Thoraiya Dyer in Clarkesworld.
  
• "The Mub" by Thomas Ha in Clarkesworld.
• "Any Percent" by Andrew Dana Hudson in GigaNotoSaurus.
• "The Curse of the Boto Boy" by Woody Dismukes in Nightmare Magazine.
  
• "Youngblood" by Aidan Moher in Astrolabe.
  
• "Auscultation" by J.S. Breukelaar in The Dark.
• "Esqueleto" by Ana Hurtado in Uncanny Magazine
  
• "Barands" by Tunmise Onifade in Omenana.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Merry Little Batman.
• Watch a trailer for Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths.
  
• Watch a trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.