Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for October 30, 2026

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, VisionQuest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Clayface, Lanterns and the DC Cinematic Universe in general, Wicker, tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart, Walter Koenig, Eric Bauza, Elke Sommer and Matt Howarth and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares ninety new science fiction, fantasy and horror books arriving in November 2026. 
• Stephanie Feldman shares five stories that display the best of what horror can do 
• Lish McBride lists eleven frighteningly funny books and movies that blend humor and horror
• Nick Medina shares five horror novels set in cabins in the woods  
• Matthew J. Cressler, Jack Lee Downey, Kathleen Holscher and Michael Pasquier talk about Catholic horror in the US. 
• Isabel Cañas explains why Latin America is the perfect gothic setting 
• Alix E Harrow, C.L. Clark and Tasha Suri discuss gender in medieval-inspired fantasy 
• Richie Narvaez shares a brief history of occult detectives
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite horror and dark fantasy novels featuring dysfunctional families. 
• James Davis Nicoll explains how science fiction planned to solve the energy crisis in the 1970s. 
• Clara Cohen talks about language and anti-language in The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed.
• Alan Brown shares his appreciation for the YA science fiction series The Adventures of Dig Allen, Space Explorer by Joseph Greene 
• Germain Lussier shares his appreciation with the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.  
• Alexandra Schade talks about her experience living next door to YA horror writer R.L. Stine. 
• Camestros Felapton discusses the far right's sudden obsession with gender-swapped Harry Potter fan-fiction. 
• Samantha Cole reports that the fanfiction site Archive of Our Own will be down for several weeks, following a security breach.  
• Samantha Cole also shares reactions by fanfiction writers and readers to the Archive of Our Own outage. 
• Mike Glyer apologises for publishing an article by Jon Del Arroz 

 

Comics and Art:

• Katsuo Miyagi reports that the daily webcomic Baneusagi to Kamepan by Fumiya Yomigishi has now run for 7350 consecuative days and has become the longest running daily webcomic in the world.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the modern romantasy novel
• Comic writer and artist Matt Howarth has died aged 72. 
• Michael Swanwick remembers Matt Howarth. 
• Locus remembers Matt Howarth. 

  

Film and TV: 

• Petrana Radulovic shares all the genre TV premieres airing in November. 
• Petrana Radulovic shares all the genre movies premiering in November.  
• Monica Castillo declares that Wildwood doesn't shy away from death, which makes it all the better for young audiences
• Tyler Dean declares that the latest adaptation of Carrie demands your empathy
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw declares that Crystal Lake is the horror prequel that Camp Miasma warned us about 
• Isaiah Colbert shares his thoughts on the season 1 finale of Avatar: Seven Havens. 
• Cath Clarke calls City of Masks a theatreland ghost story with a female phantom of the opera out for revenge 
• Leah Schnelbach calls Hokum a perfect fun-but-deep Halloween horror film. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Never After Dark an inventive Japanese horror film.
• Josh Pearce reviews the South Korean science fiction thriller Hope
• Isaiah Colbert calls the anime Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War an elegant, exhausting and fitting finale. 
• Catherine Bray finds that the animated film Arnie and Barney suffers from ugly designs and a lacklustre script 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Elon Musk’s AI Odyssey the dullest, most pointless riposte possible to Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey.
• Scott Heller interviews LeVar Burton, best known for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Roots and also as the host of Reading Rainbow. 
• Geraldo Amartey interviews Denis Villeneuve, director of the Dune movies.  
• Mike Avila interviews Patrick McKay, showrunner of The Rings of Power.  
• Brian Davids interviews Callina Liang, who plays Chun-Li in Street Fighter.
• Monica Castillo declares that Nicolas Cage was made for horror movies 
• Writers of The Guardian share their scariest horror movies.  
• Saloni Gajjar wonders what it takes to make original horror work on TV. 
• Lorna Wallace celebrates the subtle horrors lurking in the background of your favourite scary movies
• Anne Billson ranks her favourite special effects from horror movies. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1960 horror movie The City of the Dead a.k.a. Horror Hotel.  
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1971 horror movie The Devils. 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1984 horror comedy Ghostbusters. 
• Paul Weimer revisits the 1985 fantasy movie Return to Oz. 
• Matt Schimkowitz revisits the 1986 horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin revisits the 1988 horror film Child's Play. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1999 Babylon 5: Crusade episode “Visitors from Down the Street” 
• Jacob Oller revisits the 2001 anime Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust  
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2006 dystopian film Children of Men.  
• Rachel Powers shares her experience living in the house that was the setting of the 1982 horror movie Poltergeist. 
• Deepa Parent reports that Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi has been given new prison sentence 
• Anthony Hayward shares an obituary for Tom Skerritt. 
• Peter Medak, director of The Krays and The Changeling, has died aged 88
• Film editor Hubert de la Bouillerie, who worked on Woodstock, And Justice for All, Rollerball, The Witches of Eastwick, two Police Academy movies, Tango and Cash and many others, has died aged 75.  

 

Tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart:

• Sir Patrick Stewart, best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, has died aged 86. 
• Wil Wheaton who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Melinda M. Snodgrass, who wrote several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• William Hughes shares tributes from friends and co-stars to Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Germain Lussier shares tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart from friends, colleagues, directors and studios. 
• Joe Otterson shares tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart from several Star Trek co-stars. 
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Aaron Couch remembers Sir Patrick Stewart, 
• Adrian Horton and Benjamin Lee remember Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Justin Carter remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Greg Evans remembers Sir Patrick Stewart  
• Will Harris remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Cheryl Eddy remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Cora Buhlert remembers Sir Patrick Stewart, Walter Koenig and Eric Bauza. 
• File 770 remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• The AV-Club share their favourite performances by Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Josy Forsdike shares photos from Sir Patrick Stewart's long life and career. 

 

Tributes to Walter Koenig:

• Actor Walter Koenig, best known for playing Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Bester in Babylon 5, has died aged 90.
• J. Michael Straczynski, creator and showrunner of Babylon 5, remembers Walter Koenig. 
• Adrian Horton remembers Walter Koenig. 
• Cheryl Eddy remembers Walter Koenig. 

 

Tributes to Eric Bauza:

• Voice actor Eric Bauza, who voiced most of the various Looney Tunes characters in modern cartoons featuring them, has died aged 46. 
• Dennis Perkins remembers Eric Bauza as the voice acting heir to Mel Blanc 
• Kimberly Nordyke remembers Eric Bauza. 
• Justin Carter remembers Eric Bauza.
• Joel Nolfi shares tributes to Eric Bauza from co-stars. 

 

Tributes to Elke Sommer: 

• Actress Elke Sommer, best known for her roles in A Shot in the Dark, The Wrecking Crew, The Prize, And Then There Were None and Lisa and the Devil, has died aged 85. 
• Jordan Moreau remembers Elke Sommer. 
• Andrew Pulver remembers Elke Sommer. 

 

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

• Colt Crane reviews the comic mini-series Masters of the Universe The Wings of Fate by Tim Sheridan and Will Sliney. 
• Watch "Attack on Castle Grayskull, Part 2", the latest episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.  

 

Comments on Clayface, Lanterns and the DC Cinematic Universe in general:

• Jarrod Jones notes that Clayface opens the lid on a near-limitless horror franchise 
• Justin Carter discusses a specific cameo in Clayface. 
• Nick Romano interviews James Watkins, director of Clayface. 
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on Lanterns. 
• Justin Carter reports that Clayface sits at the top of the US box office, even though it didn't do all that well. 

 

 Comments on VisionQuest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on "Firewall" and "Deadlock", the latest two episodes of VisionQuest.  
• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on "Firewall" and "Deadlock", the latest two episodes of VisionQuest.  
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on "Firewall" and "Deadlock", the latest two episodes of VisionQuest.
• Germain Lussier discusses some revelations about Tony Stark from Vision Quest.

 

Comments on Wicker:  

• Alex Brown declares that Wicker is less scandalous than suggested, but full of heart
• Peter Bradshaw calls Wicker an intriguing folk horror romance. 
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Olivia Colman and Alexander Skårsgard, stars of Wicker 
• Chloe Mac Donnell shares reactions by actual basket weavers to Wicker. 
• Monica Castillo discusses the grassroots promotional campaign for Wicker.  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2026 World Fantasy Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Dwarf Stars, Elgin and Rhysling Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2026 Protopian Prize have been announced. 

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Josh Heath talks about work for hire.
• Adam Morgan reports about AI use at the so-called Big 5 publishers, against the will of employees and authors. 
• Emma Loffhagen reports that the release of  A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas has caused a frenzy among fans.

 

Interviews:

• Locus interviews James Islington. 
• Locus interviews Garth Nix. 
• Locus interviews Tananarive Due. 
• Locus interviews Paul Tremblay. 
• Locus interviews Keith Rosson. 
• Locus interviews Ellen Datlow. 
• Aida Edemariam interviews Jeanette Winterson. 
• Charlie Jane Anders interviews Ted Chiang. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Thomas Ha. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews qntm.
• Locus interviews K. Ancrum. 
• Locus interviews Justine Norton-Kertson  
• Locus interviews Dmitri Lincoln Mehlhorn 
• Erik Grove interviews Michael Wehunt. 

 

Reviews:   

• Adrienne Martini reviews As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers  
• Niall Harrison reviews Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel  
• Kat Hooper reviews Testimony of Mute Things by Lois McMaster Bujold 
• Tom Joyce reviews Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis 
• Jen Lucas reviews A Lady’s Guide To Vampire Hunting by Michelle Maxstoke 
• Colleen Mondor reviews Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst 
• Martin Cahill reviews Tempest by Victoria Aveyard 
• Helen Rhee reviews A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young, translated by Sophie Bowman. 
• Bill Capossere reviews The Shadow Before the Dawn by Alma Alexander 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Light From the Nether by Molly Dowd Sullivan  
• Kathryn VanArendonk reviews  A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas. 
• Stuart Cripps-Schnoor reviews Covenant of Steel by Anthony Ryan  
• Paul Weimer reviews Forged for Prophecy by Andrew Knighton  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Black Point by Jacqueline West
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Driven by Mason Coile 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Dead But Dreaming Of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay  
• Fiona Denton reviews The Deep and the Drowned by Ian Green 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
• Martin Cahill reviews The Calamities by Chuck Wendig
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Pictures of You by Josh Malerman 
• Krystle Matar reviews Crone by Keith Rosson 
• Jared Shurin reviews The Rouse by China Miéville 
• Kevin Tipple reviews Truth to Power by S.A. Cosby  
• Grimdark Magazine reviews The Iron Code, edited by Ian Whates
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Book of the Dead, edited by Jonathan Strahan 
• Maya C. James reviews Vaster Than Empires, edited by Jonathan Strahan 
• Joanne Anderton reviews Nostalgic Futures: The Reactionary Fantasies of Speculative Fiction Fandoms by Max Dosser 

 

Classics reviews:

• Kat Hooper revisits the 1964 Warlock planetary romance novel Ordeal in Otherwhere by Andre Norton  
• George Pritchard revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology Orbit 9, edited by Damon Knight. 
• Yoon Ha Lee revisits the 1975 historical YA fantasy novel The Wolf King by Ann Turnbull.  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1976 science fiction collection A Song for Lya by George R R Martin  
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1993 horror novel A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.
• James Latimer revisits the 2001 fantasy novel The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2008 science ficiton novel Anathem by Neal Stephenson 
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2010 science fiction collection The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories by Walter Jon Williams  
• Alex Brown revisits the 2013 Ile-Rien fantasy novel The Ships of Air by Martha Wells. 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2013 Haunted Guest House paranormal mystery Chance of a Ghost by E.J. Copperman 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2013 Haunted Guest House paranormal mystery An Open Spook by E.J. Copperman 

 

Con and event reports:

• Ellen Datlow shares a photo of the latest Fantastic Fiction Reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Suzanne Palmer and Kailee Pedersen 
• Locus shares a photo of the latest Brooklyn Books & Booze reading event in Brooklyn, New York. 
• Scott H. Andrews shares a photo of the Hexagon XVIII writing retreat in Crozet, Virgina. 

 

Crowdfunding:

• Apex Magazine is looking for funding for 2027. 

 

Science and technology:

• Aaron Leong reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has found a hellish exo-planet so hot that its clouds are made of rock
• Dr. Brittney Hauke explains how ceramics could build the starships of tomorrow  
• David Adam wonders if scientists can reliably tell if a novel is written using AI. 

 

Gaming: 

• Stew Hotston reviews the video game Control Resonant by Remedy Entertainment 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Germain Lussier shares a look at some upcoming Avengers: Doomsday Sentinel action figures by Hot Toys.  
• Adam McCombs shares some background on the development of Mattel's Princess of Power toyline in 1985
• Germain Lussier remembers the 1998 Movie Maniacs horror action figure line from McFarlane Toys. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Congratulations on your Magic Sword™" by John Wiswell in Lightspeed.  
• "The Raspberry Manifesto of Professor Warana" by Adam-Troy Castro in Lightspeed.  
• "No Requiem Will Be Sung for the White Dahlia Movement" by Claire Jia-Wen in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Aspect of the Moth" by Jonathan Olfert in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 
• "Five Bottles in Memory of the Winemaker Petronius Finch" by Louis Inglis Hall in Clarkesworld.
• "Roams the Planet of Our Grief" by Natalia Theodoridou in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Rice Paper Bleed" by Tia Tashiro in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Night of the Grandmothers" by Malena Salazar Maciá in The Dark. 
• "Falling" by Steve Rasnic Tem in The Dark.
• "Three Prayers for Entry" by Andrew Rodgers in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Hope is what carries a man through" by Joel Glover in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "An Eye for Property" by Tania Fordwalker in Reactor. 
• "An Unavoidable Consequence of ..." by Kurt Fawver in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "Critical Functions" by Troy L. Wiggins in Future Tense Fiction. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Dune: Part 3.
• Watch a trailer for Jumanji: Open World. 
• Watch a trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for October 16, 2026

 

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 4 of Star Trek Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general,  VisionQuest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Lanterns and the DC Cinematic Universe in general, Ray Gunn, Digger, Avatar: Seven Havens, Carrie, Street Fighter, Other Mommy, Crystal Lake, Transformers: The Movie at forty, tributes to Eva Marie and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Reactor shares all the new science fiction books arriving in October 2026
• Reactor shares all the new fantasy books arriving in October 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new horror books arriving in October 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new romantasy books arriving in October 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new young adult SFF books arriving in October 2026 
• Reactor shares all the new SFF crossover books arriving in October 2026 
• Lisa Tuttle shares a round-up of her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books. 
• Wole Talabi shares five stories of first contact in African science fiction. 
• Sarah Clegg discusses the surprisingly long history of romantic fantasy. 
• Adrian Collins lists five lone wolf characters from dark fantasy.
• Fiona Denton lists eight dark YA fantasies that might work for grimdark fans 
• Alex Brown shares five underrated SFF books with monsters in the woods 
• Sam Reader shares six haunting books about sinister houses 
• Kali Wallace shares scary audiobooks for the spooky season  
• Bitter Karella shares five works of folk horror not for the faint-hearted  
• Dr. Philip Chase wonders if Beowulf is grimdark. 
• James Davis Nicoll wonders whether to distinguish between “best” and “favourite” books 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for September 2026. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about picking titles for British cosy crime novels.
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about the extreme reader’s hyper-optimised day 

  

Film and TV:

• Rai Furniss-Greasley shares his thoughts on the animated series Golden Axe.  
• Leah Schnelbach praises the humanity and humor of Widow’s Bay  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Face of Horror a future cult classic that offers playful spin on Hammer horror 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Forgotten Island an over-controlled animated adventure that never takes a breath or a moment to let its characters come to life 
• Catherine Bray calls Hallowarrior an apocalyptic Home Alone-style survival horror film.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on Verity. 
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on the anime Madoka Magica: Walpurgisnacht Rising 
• Cheryl Eddy calls Posthumous a supernatural tale that taps into old-school technology for its tale of modern grief.  
• Jarrod Jones calls V/H/S/Mixtape a dull roar 
• Ben Child declares that making a new Skywalker trilogy for Star Wars would be a waste of time 
• Judith Tarr shares her appreciation for the character Luna in the anime Sailor Moon.   
• Animation Obsessive profiles Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit.  
• Matthew Byrd and Leah Schnelbach list eight horror movie versions of Greek myths 
• Paul Burke shares his favourite spy shows and movies of the 1960s. 
• Don Kaye rewatches the 1963 science fiction anthology series The Outer Limits. 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1971 musical espionage comedy When My Sweetheart Gets Loud.
• Amber Dubin revisits the first three episodes of season 2 of Night Gallery, which debuted in September 1971. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1973 dystopian movie Soylent Green. 
• Arturo Serrano revisits the 1986 fantasy movie Babes in Toyland 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1987 vampire movie The Lost Boys. 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1987 fantasy movie The Witches of Eastwick  
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1987 horror movie The Gate.  
• Haley Zapal revisits the 1988 horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space
• Rachel Meghan revisits the 1992 horror comedy Army of Darkness. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1996 teen horror film The Craft. 
• Dean E.S. Richard revisits the 1997 science fiction horror movie Event Horizon. 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1999 Babylon 5 Crusade episode “The Needs of Earth” 
• Charles Carrall revisits the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2021 science fiction film Neptune Frost. 
• Actor Michael Forest, who appeared in many B-movies as well as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone has died aged 97. 

 

Tributes to Eva Marie Saint:

• Eva Marie Saint, star of North by Northwest, On the Waterfront, Raintree Country, Superman Returns and many others, has died aged 102.
• Anne Billson ranks her favourites of Eva Marie Saint's movies. 
• Greg Whitmore shares photos from Eva Marie Saint's long life and career. 

 

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

• The Witch interviews Travis Knight, director of Masters of the Universe.  
• Digital Charcuterie points out that Masters of the Universe is still in the top ten streaming charts after eight weeks, even though most streaming movies fall out of the charts very quickly. 
• Watch "Side Scroll of Doom", the latest episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.  

Comments on season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek at 60 and Star Trek in general:     

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.   
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “Tomorrow’s Enterprise”, the season 4 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.    

 

Comments on Lanterns and the DC Cinematic Universe in general:

• Arturo Serrano calls Lanterns the type of science fiction that considers the inner space of the human mind as vast and fascinating as outer space.  
• Emmet Asher-Perrin shares their thoughts on "Dirt and Stars”, the season 1 finale of Lanterns. 
• Dennis Perkins shares his thoughts on "Dirt and Stars”, the season 1 finale of Lanterns. 

 

Comments on Transformers: The Movie at forty: 

• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1986 animated science fiction film Transformers: The Movie and the new short film Optimus Prime: Awakening. 
• Chris McFeely revisits Transformers: The Movie. 
• Empire Wreckers explains why the Decepticons in Transformers are such memorable and occasionally sympathetic villains.  
• Germain Lussier reports that Michael Bay will return for another Transformers live action movie.  

 

 Comments on VisionQuest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• William Hughes calls VisionQuest a worthy successor to WandaVision 
• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on the first two episodes of VisionQuest.  
• Sam Barsanti shares his thoughts on the first two episodes of VisionQuest.  
• Lily Brown interviews James Spader who plays Ultron in VisionQuest. 
• Tom Power interviews James Spader who plays Ultron in VisionQuest. 
• Germain Lussier declares that Avengers Endgame: Encore  is so much more than a Doomsday advertisement  
• Watch a trailer for VisionQuest.

 

Comments on Ray Gunn: 

• Germain Lussier calls Ray Gunn a fun science fiction detective story and little more  
• Siddhant Adlakha declares that Ray Gunn gives Zootopia a run for its money in the weird metaphor department 
• Germain Lussier interviews Brad Bird, director of Ray Gunn. 

 

Comments on the latest adaptation of Carrie:  

• Lucy Mangan declares that the glorious return of Carrie couldn’t come at a better time
• Saloni Gajjar calls Carrie a darker, riskier adaptation that takes a few too many detours 
• Saloni Gajjar calls Carrie's finale a bloody mess in more ways than one 
• Matthew Byrd lists the biggest changes the latest Carrie series makes to the novel.   

 

Comments on Digger:

• Sian Cain declares that Digger may have flopped spectacularly, but that it is a misunderstood masterpiece
• Germain Lussier wants to talk about Digger.  
• Andrew Pulver reports that Digger is set to lose 245 million USD at the box office.  

  

Comments on Avatar: Seven Havens: 

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Avatar: Seven Havens a triumphant return for the animated Last Airbender franchise 
• Joshua Rivera calls Avatar: Seven Havens a splendid sequel series.  
• Isaiah Colbert declares that the series premiere of Avatar: Seven Havens is a little rocky, but it’s got potential  
• Matthew Byrd discusses the controversy surrounding the portrayal of the character of Korra in Avatar: Seven Havens. 
• Isaiah Colbert notes that Avatar: Seven Havens finally lets the characters of Korra and Asami kiss, though in an unusual way.  

 

Comments on Street Fighter:  

• Jen Lennon declares that Street Fighter is exactly what you hoped and feared it would be  
• Jacob Oller calls Street Fighter a punishing, fetishistic mess—and that's when it's at its best. 
• Radheyan Simonpillai calls Street Fighter a largely incoherent mess 
• Anthony d'Alessandro reports that Street Fighter had a lower opening than expected, mostly driven by long-time fans.  

 

Comments on Crystal Lake:  

• Cheryl Eddy declares that Crystal Lake rewrites Friday the 13th lore with gory, campy glee 
• Saloni Gajjar calls Crystal Lake grisly, but overlong.  
• Glenn Garner interviews Brad Caleb Kane, creator of Crystal Lake.

 

Comments on Other Mommy: 

• Benjamin Lee calls Other Mommy a demonic double horror film that isn’t nightmarish enough 
• Natalie Zutter declares that Other Mommy possesses the imagination but not the daring 
• Justin Carter calls Other Mommy a bad movie already making big bucks 

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2026 British Fantasy Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2026 Aldiss Award has been announced. 
• The winner of the 2025 Endeavour Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Harvey Awards have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards has been announced. 

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Mike Glyer reports that there are once again issues with the contracts of Must-Read Magazines, this time regarding cover art.
• Jason Sanford declares that Must Read Magazines must change or they will destroy Asimov's Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine 
• Mike Glyer reports that it appears that Must Read Magazine has caved in regarding cover art, following blowback from artists.  
• Adam Morgan reports that book publishers are quietly using more and more AI and that their staff is revolting. 
• Emma Loffhagen reports that thriller writer Lee Child is supporting a scheme to send half a million books to British prisons. 

 

Interviews:

• Tad Williams and George R.R. Martin interview each other. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Martha Wells. 
• S.E. Berrow interviews T. Kingfisher. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Yoon Ha Lee. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Wole Talabi. 
• Cora Buhlert interviews Fiona Moore.
• Sophie McBain interviews Audrey Niffenegger. 
• Elizabeth Tabler interviews Peter Orullian. 
• Will McClelland interviews Francesco Dimitri and Sophia McDougall 

 

Reviews:   

• Camestros Felapton reviews The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey
• Kevin Tipple reviews Fury in Death by J.D. Robb 
• Charlie Jane Anders reviews Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger 
• Eddie Clark reviews The Only Way Out Is Up by Django Wexler  
• Alex Wallace reviews They Called Her Rebel by Jacob Dallas-Main  
• Robert Guffey reviews The Silver Revolver by John Shirley. 
• Vick Weisfeld reviews Shifta by Miles Joyner  
• Lesa Holstine reviews  The Winter Solstice Gift by Jenn McKinlay
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Any More Questions for the Corpse? by J.J. Unthank 
• Will McClelland reviews Pan by Francesco Dimitri
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews The Thrice Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Ashes of the Past by D.W. Ross 
• Saif Shaikh reviews The Worth of Scars by Gabriel Farrell 
• Fiona Denton reviews The Exorcism of Faeries by J.L. Vampa 
• Stew Hotston reviews The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Fallen Faithful by R.A. Sandpiper 
• Alex Brown reviews The Sunken, the Adored by Donyae Coles. 
• Tobias Carroll reviews In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts by Gwendolyn Kiste 
• S.E. Berrow reviews Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson  
• Mahvesh Murad reviews Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove 
• Ed Crocker reviews Incarnate by Alma Katsu 
• Krystle Matar reviews The Slantwise Histories by Alix E. Harrow
• Jenny Hamilton reviews The Tongue I Dream In by Sheree Renée Thomas 
• Arley Sorg reviews Lo que nos siguió a casa; Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror, edited by Cynthia Pelayo

 

Classics reviews:

• Alan Brown revisits the 1953 science fiction novel More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1971 sword and sorcery anthology Warlocks and Warriors, edited by L. Sprague De Camp 
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1971 sword and sorcery anthology Warlocks and Warriors, edited by Douglas Hill  
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 science fiction anthology Protostars, edited by David Gerrold. 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the October 1971 issue of Analog 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the November 1971 issue of Galaxy
• John Boston revisits the November 1971 issue of Amazing.  
• David Levinson revisits the November-December 1971 issue of IF - Worlds of Science Fiction.
• Kris Vyas-Myall revisits the 1971 experimental novel Les Guérillères, by Monique Wittig, translated by David Le Vay and the 1971 science fiction novel Gray Matters by William Hjortsberg, S.J. Groenewegen revisits the 1971 science fiction novels The Molecule Men and The Monster of Loch Ness by Fred Hoyle and Geoffrey Hoyle and Jason Sacks revisits the 1971 science fiction novel The Double Man by Eando Binder

 

Crowdfunding:

• E. Catherine Tobler, editor in chief of The Deadlands, needs help with medical expenses. 
• The documentary Tezuka! God of Manga is looking for funding. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Daniel Dern reports about the 2026 Readercon in Burlington, Massachusetts. 
• Mike Glyer reports that Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions of New Zealand have distanced themselves from a proposed CoNZealand 2 Worldcon bid for Wellington, New Zealand.
• Jen Lennon shares her favourite cosplay from the 2026 New York Comic Con in New York City. 
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest edition of the Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Carrie Edmund Laben and John Langan 

 

Science and technology:

• Robert Lea reports that Mercury is shrinking faster previously thought 
• Madeleine Rubin reports that food delivery robots are increasingly being attacked. 
• The Guardian reports that hackers have launched an unprecendented cyberattack on refrigeration units in French supermarkets. 
• Mathematician Mary Tsingou Menzel has died aged 98. 
• NASA software engineer Margaret Hamilton, who wrote the software for the Apollo missions, has died aged 90.

 

Gaming: 

• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Wolverine by Insomniac Games  
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Tacoma by Fullbright 
• Keza MacDonald discusses what the 350 GBP Grand Theft Auto collector’s box says about the escalating cost of gaming 
• Gideon Marcus shares his thoughts on the SPI tabletop wargame Korea, which came out in 1971.

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Prime versus Prime reviews the Hasbro Transformers Icons Megatron transforming action figure.   
• Dork Lair reviews the Figura Obscura Medusa action figure from Four Horsemen Studios. 
• Toy Habits reports that Mattel claims that with the re-release of the vintage Masters of the Universe toyline in the Masters of the Universe Origins line is now complete, except that several figures from the vintage line are still missing.
• Pixel Dan responds to Mattel's announcement that the vintage Masters of the Universe toyline has now been completely re-released in Masters of the Universe Origins.  
• He-Mania reports that Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz is leaving the company after eight years to join Skydance Media. 
• Germain Lussier shares a look at the Hasbro Street Fighter Blanka action figure.  
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at some upcoming LEGO Batman sets.  
• Justin Carter shares a look at the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday Doctor Doom and Steve Rogers action figures from Hot Toys.   
• Germain Lussier shares a look at LEGO sets coming out in October.  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Master/Slave Couple Seeking Physicist to Feed to a Black Hole" by Arden Powell in Lightspeed. 
• "Uncanny Jack" by Susan Palwick in Lightspeed.  
• "The Mari Lwyd" by Fiona Moore in Clarkesworld.
• "A Vintage Kind of Death" by Alex T. Singer in Clarkesworld.
• "The Three Paths You Take Upon the Death of Your Beloved Sister" by Emma Osborne in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "The Heart of the Undying" by Asser Mälkki in Swords and Sorcery Magazine,
• "Tomas the Castaway" by Michael Swanwick in Reactor.  
• "The Monster Hunter’s Bargain" by Genoveva Dimova in Reactor. 
• "The Re-Rememberings of Bee Bishop" by AriDy Nox in Imagine 2200 
• "The Taker" by Mari Ness in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Tarantula" by Seán Padraic Birnie in The Dark. 

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero. 
• Watch a trailer for Blade Runner 2099. 
• Watch a trailer for Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2.  
• Watch a trailer for Narnia: The Magician's Nephew. 
• Watch a trailer for season 4 of Yellowjackets. 

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for August 14, 2026

 

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with the Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 4 of Star Trek Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general, season 3 of House of the Dragon, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, X-Men '97, Coyote vs. Acme, Lanterns, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, The Last House, The End of Oak Street, One Night Only, tributes to John Crowley, Jon Cypher, Dave Nee and Larry Brill and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Lisa Tuttle shares her favourite recent science fiction, fantasy and horror books.
• Joel Miller explains the history of Cyberpunk from counterculture to marketing category. 
• Ellery Lloyd share their five favourite time travel stories. 
• Wole Talabi shares five science fiction novels that flirt with the supernatural. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories featuring highly intelligent animals 
• Lorna Wallace shares five horror novels about making (fictional) horror movies. 
• Jo Walton shares her reading list for July 2026. 
• Molly Templeton is a bit tired thast literary debates always seem to focus on the same few topics.  
• Laura Miller shares her appreciation for the Ana and Din Mysteries by Robert Jackson Bennett. 
• Benjamin Svetskey and Julian Sancton explain what Ian Fleming wanted James Bond to look like.  
• Helena Horton reports that fans of Harry Potter have forced the relocation of a 430 million pound undersea cable between Ireland and Wales because it would pass through the ficitonal grave of the fictional house elf Dobby, whereas the new route of the cable passes close to actual bronze age tombs of actual archaeological value with actual humans buried in them.  
• Rusty Foster reports that neither the actual beach in Wales nor the fictional tomb of fictional house elf Dobby were ever at any risk from the undersea cable and that Harry Potter fans were being overly dramatic. 
• Brigid Alverson remembers Ted White. 

   

 Tributes to John Crowley, Dave Nee and Larry Brill:

• Speculative fiction writer John Crowley has died aged 83. 
• Clay Risen remembers John Crowley. 
• Eric Alper remembers John Crowley 
• Fanzine publisher Larry Brill has died aged 94. 
• Nana Muazin remembers Larry Brill.  
• SFF fan and bookseller Dave Nee has died aged 73. 
• Tom Whitmore remembers Dave Nee.  
• Kalimac's Corner remembers Dave Nee. 

 

Comics and Art:

• Isaiah Colbert reviews Lynx by Samuel Sattin and tokitokoro
• Charlie Jane Anders interviews  Preeti Chhibber and Jodi Nishijima, writer and artist of House of Harkness 
• Stew Hotston reviews w0rldtr33 Volume 1 by Fernando Blanco and James Tynion IV  
• James Bacon talks about comic censorship in Ireland. 
• John Dodge reports that the Marvel and Star Wars universes will have their first ever crossover in the limited comic series Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles by Kevin Smith and David Marquez  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon on the military history dad’s holiday reading 

  

Film and TV:

• Dyah Aru Larasati shares her ten favourite science fiction TV shows of the past thirty years. 
• Isaiah Colbert calls the anime The Ribbon Hero an infectiously hopeful magical girl take on a classic  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Out There a likeable teen comedy about a boy who thinks is father was abducted by aliens. 
• Leslie Felperin calls Chum a deeply silly shark attack movie.  
• Catherine Bray calls Hellcat a nasty survival horror film.
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the season 2 finale of Sugar. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the final episode of The Rapture. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files.  
• Rebecca Nicholson interviews Bella Ramsey who plays Ellie in The Last of Us. 
• Katie Rife shares a brief history of unauthorised movie sequels. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1955 Czech time travel film Journey to the Beginning of Time 
• Jason Sacks revisits the 1971 postapocalyptic horror film The Omega Man.  
• The Phantom Fan revisits the 1986 animated superhero series Defenders of the Earth. 
• Elizabeth Little revisits the 1991 time travel film Terminator 2.
• Isaiah Colbert revisits the 1997 Japanese horror movie Cure.  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1998 Babylon 5 TV-movie "In the Beginning". 
• Matthew Jackson revisits the 2001 gothic horror film The Others. 
• Simon Abrams revisits the 2004 slasher comedy Club Dread. 
• Justin Carter revisits the 2011 cartoon Green Lantern: The Animated Series 
• Judith Tarr revisits the 2016 animated film Zootopia. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 2022 folk horror movie Men. 
• Rebecca Ford reports about the troubled production of Children of Blood and Bone. 
• Leo Baraclough that directors Ally Pankiw and Kate Herron refused to work on the new Harry Potter TV series due to J.K. Rowling's transphobia.  
• Eric Francisco reports about the post-apocalyptic action thriller One Second After, starring Josh Holloway, which will come to theaters in 2027.   
• Animation Obsessive explains how Ray Harryhausen created the skeleton warriors from the 1963 mythological fantasy film Jason and the Argonauts.  
• Steven Morris reports that Star Wars has been dubbed into Welsh for the first time ever. 
• British actor Tony Chadbon, best known for playing Duggan in the Doctor Who serial "City of Death" as well as for his roles in The Liver Birds, Casualty and Wire in the Blood, has died aged 80. 

 

Tributes to Jon Cypher:

• Actor Jon Cypher, best known for playing Duncan a.k.a. Man-at-Arms in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie as well as Fletcher Daniels in Hill Street Blues as well as many others, has died aged 94. 
• Mike Barnes remembers Jon Cypher. 
• He-Mania remembers Jon Cypher. 

 

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

• The Official Spirit of Grayskull Podcast discusses the Masters of the Universe live aciton film and the Masters of the Universe toy reveals at San Diego Comic Con. 
• He-Mania.com reports that Masters of the Universe is still the number one movie worldwide on Amazon Prime for the third week in a row. 
• Colt Crane reports that billboards advertising the Amazon Prime release of Masters of the Universe have been spotted in Los Angeles, California.  
• Adam McCombs reports that an extended edition of the Masters of the Universe soundtrack by Daniel Pemberton is about to be released. 
• Voice actor Michael Donovan, who voiced Roboto, King Randor and Hordak in the 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon and General Nifel in The New Adventures of He-Man, has died aged 73. 
• Watch "A Power Storm Disrupts Eternia's Magic", the eighth episode of the Masters of the Universe: Tales from Eternia animated series.  

Comments on season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek in general:  

• Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on “A Case of Chiaroscuro”, the latest episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.   
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on “A Case of Chiaroscuro”, the latest episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.    
• Alyse Wax shares her thoughts on “A Case of Chiaroscuro”, the latest episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.    
• Emmet Asher-Perrin points out that after the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, James Kirk does know Spock's greatest secret after all. 
• Jorge Luis ranks Star Trek's five most iconic gadgets. 
• Ryan Schwartz reports that the cast of the medical drama The Pitt will take part in a live reading of the script of the Star Trek episode "The Man Trap" to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Star Trek. 

 

Comments on Coyote vs. Acme: 

• Kate Erbland calls Coyote vs. Acme a clever comedy about the evils of corporate greed that was thankfully rescued from corporate hell 
• Jacob Oller declares that Coyote vs. Acme was worth the wait. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that Coyote vs. Acme proves that the movie *they* didn’t want you to see was always worth the fight  
• Nick Duerden chronicles how Coyote vs. Acme came back from the dead.  

 

Comments on Lanterns:

• Ben Travers calls Lanterns a superhero series as indebted to odd-couple police procedurals as it is determined to see them through the eyes of its systemically slighted protagonist, rather than the long-established perspective of the powerful. 
• Daniel Fienberg calls Lanterns a clever action comedy and praises the chemistry between the stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre. 
• Dennis Perkins calls Lanterns a compelling earthbound superhero drama. 
• Germain Lussier declares that Lanterns is really, really good—for the most part  
• Matt Stevens interviews Chris Mundy, showrunner of Lanterns. 

 

Comments on season 3 of House of the Dragon:  

• Tyler Dean shares his thoughts on “The Treasons at Tumbleton”, the season 3 finale of House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on “The Treasons at Tumbleton”, the season 3 finale of House of the Dragon. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on “The Treasons at Tumbleton”, the season 3 finale of House of the Dragon. 
• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on season 3 of House of the Dragon.
• Callie Ahlgrim interviews Ryan Condal, showrunner of House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Emma D'Arcy who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon. 
• Saloni Gajjar interviews James Norton who plays Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon. 
• Josh Wigler interviews James Norton, Freddie Fox and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who play Ormund Hightower, Gwayne Hightower and Aeron Targaryen respectively in House of the Dragon.  
• Nick Romano interviews James Norton. 
• Jennifer Maas interviews Phia Saban who plays Helaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon. 
• Josh Wigler interviews Phia Saban 
• Josh Wigler interview Steve Toussaint who plays Corlys Velaryon a.k.a. the Sea Snake in House of the Dragon. 
• Michael Billington reports about the production of the Game of Thrones inspired stage play The Mad King in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, but seems mostly bewildered by the whole thing. 

 

Comments on Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: 

• Cheryl Eddy calls Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma a gory, horny love letter to slasher flicks  
• Luke Hicks declares that even the meta-movie inside Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma pushes boundaries 
• Monica Castillo interviews Jane Schoenbrun and Hannah Einbinder, director and star of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.  
• Monica Castillo takes a look at the works of filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, director of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

 

Comments on The Odyssey:

• Flint de Sol claims that The Odyssey is making a point about trans people. 
• Elle Risbridger reports that the success of The Odyssey has increased the sales of all poetry in the UK, so it has at least one positive effect. 
• Alfie Rackham and Jane Clinton interview readers of The Guardian who report feeling inspired to read classical epics after watching The Odyssey.  

 

 Comments on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, X-Men '97 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general: 

• Drew Taylor interviews Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, writers of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. 
• Brian Davids interviews Michael Mando who plays Scorpion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.  
• Angelique Jackson interviews Sadie Sink, one of the stars of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.  
• Caroline Siede declares that the big twist in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is not the character Sadie Sink plays, but the role and arc she is given.   
• Molly Templeton reports that Rosario Dawson who plays Claire Temple a.k.a. Night Nurse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day that was cut. 
• Roy Schwartz and Sean Carlson discuss why Spider-Man's story still resonates after more than sixty years and nine movies.  
• McKinley Franklin reports that a movie theater in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, did not receive official Spider-Man: Brand New Day posters in time, so theater employee Drake Landon drew a substitute poster by hand. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on Spider-Noir. 
• Watch a trailer for VisionQuest. 
• Watch a trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. 

 

Comments on X-Men '97:

• Ben Francisco shares his thoughts on "Survival of the Fittest", the season 2 finale of X-Man '97. 
• Matthew Byrd talks about an Easter egg in the post-credits sequence of season 2 of X-Men '97. 
• Justin Carter interviews Carolina Ravassa who voices Lorna Dane a.k.a. Polaris in X-Men '97. 

 

Comments on The End of Oak Street:

• Jacob Oller calls The End of Oak Street a pulpy dinsaur survival thriller. 
• David Ehrlich calls The End of Oak Street the biggest surprise of the summer and the best dinosaur movie since 1993 
• Germain Lussier calls The End of Oak Street the family versus dinosaur adventure you didn’t know you needed  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The End of Oak Street more turkey than T-rex  
• Germain Lussier discusses the end of The End of Oak Street. 

  

Comments on The Last House: 

• Monica Castillo calls The Last House a goofy horror thriller. 
• Leah Schnelbach declares that The Last House wastes its premise, its actors and the end of the world as we know it
• Arturo Serrano declares that covid allegories in film are important, but The Last House is not the allegory we need.  
• Summer Lin reports that a man is living inside a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, as part of a publicity stunt for The Last House.  

  

Comments on One Night Only: 

• Tobias Carroll calls One Night Only worldbuilding gone wrong. 
• Monica Castillo calls One Night Only infuriatingly conservative given its premise. 
• Monica Castillo wonders how the premise of One Night Only, a dystopian world where unmarried people are only allowed to have sex once a year, even works in practice.  
• Jake Kleinman interviews Will Gluck, director of One Night Only.  
• Rebecca Rubin interviews Will Gluck.  

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2026 Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Aurora Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2026 Endeavour Award have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2026 Premio Italia has been announced. 
• The finalists of the 2026 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 SFRA Awards have been announced.
• The recipients of the 2026 World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Animation Emmy Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 Reuben Awards have been announced. 

 Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Mike Glyer reports that the Horror Writers Association has removed Sèphera Girón from her position as a trustee, following a pro-AI article written by Girón in the HWA member newsletter.
• Ben Sigurdson interviews Didi Chanoch, owner of the science fiction bookstore Other Places Books in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  
• Teah Dowling reports about the Dragon Press bookstore in Westport, New York, whose stock consists of the extensive SFF book collection of the late David Hartwell. 
• Lana Lam reports that a library book borrowed 150 years ago in Kiama, Australia, has been found hidden in a fireplace and was returned to the library. 
• Olena Harmash reports that a warehouse of the Ukrainian children's book publisher Ranok in Kharkiv was struck by a Russian drone, causing the warehouse to burn down with millions of books inside.  

 

Interviews:

• Arley Sorg interviews Carolyn Ives Gilman. 
• James Crawford interview M. John Harrison. 
• Arley Sorg interviews James Patrick Kelly. 
• Locus interviews James Patrick Kelly. 
• Scott Edelman interviews Jamal Hodge. 
• Asimov's interviews Robert Reed.
• Marissa van Uden interviews Anj Baker. 
• James Machell interviews S.T. Joshi. 
• Locus interviews Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon 

 

Reviews:   

• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Fractured Dark by Megan E. O’Keefe 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Luminous by Silvia Park 
• Molly Templeton reviews Heaven’s Graveyard by Grace Curtis 
• Summer Hanford reviews The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths  
• Martin Cahill reviews The Sixth Nik by Daniel Kraus  
• Marlene Harris reviews Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree   
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews The Three Coffin Problem by Lavie Tidhar 
• Marion Deeds reviews Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry 
• Alex Puncekar reviews Merynthia’s Master by Luana Saitta 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Weaver’s Tapestry by Jessi St. John 
• Melissa A. Watkins reviews The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass by Leslye Penelope 
• Arturo Serrano reviews Victory City by Salman Rushdie 
• Christopher Keene reviews The Will of the Many amd The Strength of a Few by James Islington. 
• Ian Mond reviews Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Dawn of Silence by Heiner de Wendt 
• John Valeri reviews The Beginning of Everything by Charles Salzberg  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Mulai by Munir Hachemi, translated by Julia Sanches
• Ed Crocker reviews The Other by Annie Neugebauer 
• Alex Brown reviews Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
• Gabino Iglesias reviews I Was Alive Here Once: Ghost Stories, edited by Sarah Coolidge 
• Alvaro Zinos-Amaro reviews Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Jo Walton and Ada Palmer

 

Classics reviews:

• Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth revisits the 1910 weird fiction story "The Hungry Stones" by Rabindranath Tagore. 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1964 folk horror novel Day of the Arrow by Philip Loraine and its 1967 film adaptation Eye of the Devil. 
• John Boston revisits the September 1971 issue of Amazing.  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 sword and sorcery novel Swordsmistress of Chaos by Richard Kirk a.k.a. Robert Holdstock and Angus Wells 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1995 YA horror novels The Biker and Revenge by Diane Hoh. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Mike Glyer shares a summary of the second main virtual 2026 WSFS Business Meeting
• Germain Lussier shares live updates from the film and TV panel at Disney's D23 event in Anaheim, California. 
• Locus shares a photo of the previous Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Victor Manibo and Sam Rebelein. 
• Ellen Datlow shares photos of the latest Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar in New York City, featuring Kailee Pedersen and Suzanne Palmer
• Marigold Warner reports about a stage adaptation of the science fiction novel End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland by Haruki Murakami at the Barbican Theatre in London, UK. 
• Nana Siegel reports about the exhibition  “Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions” at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. 
• Audrey Tomlin reports that cosplayers dressed as superheroes have visited young patients at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. 
• Annie Moore reports that several companies have been fined by the City of San Diego, California, for illegally attaching advertisements to buildings and signs during the 2026 Sam Diego Comic Con.  

 

Crowdfunding:

•  Sheila Williams, editor of Asimov's Science Fiction, and her husband David need help with medical and care expenses.

 

Science and technology:

• Michelle Starr reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has examined two stars suspected of harbouring Dyson spheres, only to find that the initial suspicion was due to a trick of the light. 
• Will Dunham reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has found signs of an ancient disaster involving Neptune's moons 
• Leonard David reports that the impact site where a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed onto the Moon has been survyed by the South Korean lunar orbiter Danuri.  
• Jessica Lyons reports that according to former US National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, Isaac Asimov was right about the Three Laws of Robotics..  
• Alan Finkel wonders what a modern day equivalent of Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics might look like.  
• Kohaya Mendelsohn reports about a robot recycler that salvages parts from broken machines
• Sydney Butler reports that people are 3D printing life-sized dinosaur skeletons with free Smithsonian models 
• Space Daily reports about the Carrington Event, a massive solar storm that hit the Earth in 1859. 
• Stewart Whittingham reports that more than 150 public figures have signed an open letter urging the UK government to save the iconic Jodrell Bank Telescope. 
• Rob Schmitz reports about Switzerland's extensive network of nuclear bunkers.  
• Lachlan Brown reports that wildlife is flourishing in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine. 
• Pejman Faratin shares photos of the 2026 solar eclipse from throughout Europe. 
• Cora Buhlert talks about watching the 2026 solar eclipse on Hoher Berg in Syke, Germany. 
• Andrew Bartlett and Jamie Lewis discusse the surprisingly scientific methods employed by Big Foot hunters. 
• John McWhorter shares three myths people like to believe about the English language. 
• Olesya Lyuzua talks about various positive thinking cults and scams that flourished in the 1920s.

 

Gaming: 

• Keith Stuart declares that the ​games industry’s obsession with ​visual fidelity is costing them money and talent
• Erik Soderstrom explains how Magic the Gathering cards are brought to life. 
• Laura Cress reports that video game company Electronic Arts has been sold to a Saudi consortium. 
• Chris Person reports that fan translations of video games are still being made by hand by enthusiastic fans and not with AI. 
• Mike Didymus-True reports that the warehouse of Ukrainian boardgame publisher Rozum and their entire inventory was destroyed by a Russian missile strike 

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Kyle Peterson reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Powers of Grayskull Undead Lady Slither action figure.
• Toy Bro reviews the Mondo Masters of the Universe 200X Skeletor action figure. 
• D Amazing reviews the Mondo Masters of the Universe 200X Skeletor action figure. 
• Graphic Policy reviews the Frazetta Girls Icon Collectibles John  Carter action figure. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "When You Give a Dokkaebi Taco Tuesday" by H.H. Pak in Clarkesworld. 
• "Feed Them on Your Dreams" by E.N. Auslender in Clarkesworld. 
• "Jubee’s First Hunt" by Jeff Reynolds in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.  
• "Jackrabbit Crunch" by E.C. Dorgan in The Dark.
• "The Fastest Martian Mile" by Thoraiya Dyer in Reactor. 
• "Vessel, Skin, Daughter, Stranger" by Claire Jia-Wen in The Deadlands. 
• "My Parts, Collected" by Melissa A Watkins in Nightmare Magazine. 
• "Fragments of the Whole" by Brooke Bolander in Lightspeed. 
• "And the Award Goes to . . ." by Curtis C. Chen in The Sunday Morning Transport.

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Ahsoka. 
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 
• Watch a trailer for Verity.