Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for April 4, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Wars in general, Star Trek in general, Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, news from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film and Masters of the Universe in general, season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale, season 3 of The Wheel of Time, season 2 of Severance, season 3 of Yellowjackets, Devil May Cry, Lazarus, Death of a Unicorn, The Woman in the Yard, The Bondsman, Freaky Tales, Screamboat, Doctor Who past, present and future, the live action Snow White, A Mincraft Movie, Studio Ghibli versus AI, British authors versus AI, the shut down of NaNoWriMo, the future of James Bond, tributes to Val Kilmer and Richard Chamberlain and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Cheryl Eddy shares sixty-five new science fiction, fantasy and horror books to check out in April  
• The New York Times shares recommendations for various fantasy books.
  
• Shannon Chakraborty explains why people should read historical fantasy. 
• Shalini Abeysekara talks about the subversive potential of fantasy.
• James Davis Nicoll shares five science fiction stories about aliens posing as humans. 
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about unconventional road trips. 
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories driven by complicated sibling relationships 
• Alex Brown shares five underrated recent dystopian novels.
  
• Jesse Hudson takes a look at a recent Library of America collection of classic science fiction novels from the 1950s and suggests possible alternatives.
  
• Valentin D. Ivanov takes a look at recent Bulgarian science fiction. 
• Rachel Ekstrom Courage shares darkly feminist YA books.
• Venkatesh Rao explains why he considers Terry Pratchett's Discworld superior to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
  
• Molly Templeton reports that a previous unknown manuscript of Arthurian legend has been discovered inside another book at Cambridge University Library in Cambridge, UK. 
• Emma Cieslik reports how zine archives preserve queer history and storytelling,
  
• Horror writer Todd Grimson has died aged 72.

 

Comics and Art:

• Alan Brown reviews X-Men Visionaries 2: The Neal Adams Collection,
  
• Brad Hawley reviews Life Drawing by Jaime Hernandez
• James Whitbrook interviews Tom King, Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes, the creative team of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, 
• Charlotte Beach interviews film poster designer Kenny Gravillis
  
• Michael Whelan looks back on the covers he illustrated for the Barsoom novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
• BBC Witness History profiles Jenette Kahn, former president of DC Comics.
  
• Sabina Graves reports that Mary Jane Watson becomes the new host for the Venom symbiont in All-New Venom. 
  

 

Film and TV: 

• Peter Bradshaw calls The End a postapocalyptic La La Land.
• Peter Bradshaw calls the animated film The Most Precious of Cargoes a postmodern Holocaust fairytale 
• Leslie Felperin calls Black Cab a creepy British horror film. 
• Natalie Zutter calls The Assessment a gripping dystopian satire. 
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Hell of a Summer is supposed to spoof the horror movies it resembles, but never settles on a satirical point of view from which to approach them
  
• Isaiah Colbert calls the animated series Common Side Effects as trippy as it is brilliant 
• Cath Clarke calls Sylvanian Families: The Movie a danger-free movie for kids.
• Arturo Serrano shares his throughts on the Japanese paranormal mystery TV show A.A.R.O.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the season 3 premiere of Surrealestate.
  
• John Llewellyn Probert shares his thoughts on the documentary Wonderland: Science Fiction in the Atomic Age  
• Jesse Hassenger notes that video game movies still don't capture the experience of playing the games, but have managed to sell themselves to the young audiences playing the games. 
  
• Nick Romano interviews Ryan Condal, showrunner of House of the Dragon. 
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Stephen Cognetti, director of Hell House LLC and 825 Forest Road
• Cora Buhlert and Fiona Moore revisit the 1969 surreal nuclear war comedy The Bed Sitting Room.
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1973 animated science fiction film Fantastic Planet. 
• Matthew Jackson revisits the 1975 fantasy comedy Monty Python And The Holy Grail 
• Dan Larsen revisits the 1983 cartoon series Inspector Gadget. 
• Tyler Dean revisits the 1988 fantasy movie Willow.
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1995 Babylon 5 episode “A Day in the Strife”
  
• Miguel Echarri revisits the 1997 science fiction film Starship Troopers.
  
• Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 2008 Batman movie The Dark Knight and wonders about a plot hole. 
• Emily Ruth Verona shares her favourite dance scenes in science fiction and horror films and TV shows. 
• Paul Hirons shares his favourite roles played by John Simm 
  
• Etan Vlessing reports that the Coyote vs. Acme movie was purchased by Ketchup Entertainment will actually make it to theaters after Warner Bros shelved it as a tax write-off.
• Sabina Graves wonders why so few older animated series are getting BluRay releases and are often not to be found on streaming either.
  
• Jake Kanter reports that film studios are actually making money of AI-generated fake movie trailers on YouTube. 
• Justin Carter reports that YouTube has suspended the monetarisation of two large fake movie trailer accounts for rules violations.
  

 

Comments on Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on “Art for Art’s Sake”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on  “Art for Art’s Sake”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again. 
• Justin Carter shares his thoughts on “Art for Art’s Sake”, the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.  
• Ben Child wonders whether Avengers: Doomsday will be a doomed character pile-up or a masterstroke-in-waiting.

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• For Eternia reports that actress Eire Farrell has been cast to play young Teela in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie.
• For Eternia reports that actor Arun Bassi has been cast as Pig Boy in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie.
  
• Matt Donelly shares some information about the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
• Chris Gardiner shares some information about the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.   
• Matthew Rudoy shares some information about the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.   
• Germain Lussier shares some information about the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.   
  
• The John Campea Show discusses the behind the scenes footage from the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action movie show at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  
• Dad-at-Arms interviews Tiffany Smith who voices Andra in Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution and who will also write a one-shot comic about the character.
• Retro Calvacade revisits the 1985 animated Masters of the Universe movie The Secret of the Sword.
  
• James Eatock takes a look at how the original Filmation design for Panthor varied quite a bit from the final toy.

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Molly Edwards interviews Tony Gilroy, showrunner of Andor.
• Zack Sharf reports that John Boyega, who played Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy has said that too many Star Wars fans reject black heroes. 
• Watch a trailer for Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld.
  

 

Comments on season 6 of The Handmaid's Tale:

• Cheryl Eddy shares her thoughts on the season 6 premiere of The Handmaid's Tale.
• Tara Bennett shares her thoughts on the season 6 premiere of The Handmaid's Tale. 

 

 Comments on season 3 of The Wheel of Time:  

• Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
  
• Melody McCune shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Kate Fleetwood who plays Liandrin in The Wheel of Time.
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Zoe Robins who plays Nynaeve in The Wheel of Time.
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general: 

• Avery Kaplan shares seven non-Star Trek references in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
• Watch a trailer for season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
  

 

 Comments on Lazarus: 

• Isaiah Colbert calls Lazarus an anime classic in the making.
  
• Kambole Campbell shares his thoughts about the anime Lazarus. 
• Elijah Gonzales declares that Lazarus can’t ultimately carry the full weight of Cowboy Bebop, then again, what can? 
  

 

Comments on Devil May Cry: 

• Kambole Campbell declares that Devil May Cry bashes the politics—and embraces the pop culture—of the early aughts 
• Isaiah Colbert shares five things he liked, and two he didn’t about Devil May Cry

 

Comments on The Woman in the Yard:

• Jesse Hassenger calls The Woman in the Yard a shadowy and unnerving horror film.
  
• Germain Lussier calls The Woman in the Yard terrifying in a very uneven, upsetting way 
• Natalia Keogan declares that The Woman In The Yard is more interested in laying out a relatively straightforward scary story than posturing as a thoughtful investigation of human strife. 
  

 

Comments on Death of a Unicorn:

• Erin Underwood calls Death of a Unicorn a wickedly clever monster movie
• Adrian Horton calls Death of a Unicorn a goofy eat-the-rich satire that isn’t funny enough 
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• Amanda-Rae Prescott looks back on the Fifteenth Doctor's first season of Doctor Who.
  
• James Whitbrook interviews Russell T Davies, showrunner of Doctor Who. 
  
• Nadia Khomani interviews Varada Sethu, the newest Doctor Who companion.
• Amber Sandhu and Rebecca Swash interview Varada Sethu.
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Varada Sethu.
  
• James Whitbrook interviews Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who, and Varada Sethu
  
• Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the Fifteenth Doctor, shares his favourite Doctor Who episodes.
• Sabina Graves reports that the Eurovision themed Doctor Who episode may be preempted by the actual Eurovision Sing Contest. 
  

 

Comments on Freaky Tales:

• Cheryl Eddy calls the retro anthology film Freaky Tales a fun but fleeting ride  
• Jim Vorel calls Freaky Tales a gaudy, gory tribute to Oakland and B-Movie aesthetics
  
• Jesse Hassenger declares that Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck return to their indie roots with Freaky Tales.
  

 

Comments on The Bondsman:

• Brian Tallerico calls The Bondsman a horror series that is dead on arrival. 
• Cheryl Eddy declares that The Bondsman has a great time putting Kevin Bacon through hell   
• Lucy Mangan declares that the scariest thing about the horror series The Bondsman is Kevin Bacon's singing.
  
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on episode 1 of The Bondsman. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on episode 2 of The Bondsman.  
• Diana Keng interviews Mike Kaye who plays Tater in The Bondsman.

 

 Comments on season 3 of Yellowjackets:

• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets. 

 

Comments on season 2 of Severance: 

• Elijah Gonzales declares that Severance’s gut punch finale is a cliffhanger done right
• Ethan Shanfeld interviews Severance creators and producers Dan Erikson and Ben Stiller.
  

 

Comments on the live action Snow White:

• Ann Michelle Harris calls the live action Snow White a mix of promising moments and distracting production choices.
  
• Tatiana Siegel reports about some of the behind the scenes issues of the live action Snow White.

 

Comments on Screamboat:

• Mike McCahill calls Screamboat a bloody Disney pastiche that offers Sharknado-level performances and kill scenes hindered by poor lighting 
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Steven LaMorte, director of Screamboat.

 

Comments on A Minecraft Movie: 

• Catherine Bray calls A Minecraft Movie rollicking if exhausting fun 
• Jacob Oller calls A Minecraft Movie a mix of blatant formula and complete oddity
• Jarrod Jones declares that A Minecraft Movie makes a mushy mess of fan service  
• Stuart Heritage notes that homemade Minecraft movies are the real hits.
  

 

Comments on the future of James Bond: 

• Maddy Mussen interviews Helen Mirren about the profound sexism of James Bond.
• Peter Bradshaw agrees that James Bond is profoundly sexist, but that a female villain could bring the character into the twenty-first century.
  

 

Tributes to Val Kilmer:

• Val Kilmer, best known for his roles in Willow, Top Gun, Batman Forever, The Saint, Real Genius, Tombstone, Heat, Top Secret and many others, has died aged 65.
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Val Kilmer.
  
• Alan Evans remembers Val Kilmer. 
• Justin Carter remembers Val Kilmer.
  
• The Guardian shares photos from Val Kilmer's career.
  

 

Tributes to Richard Chamberlain:

• Richard Chamberlain, best known for his roles in The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, King Solomon's Mines, The Towering Inferno, Shogun, The Thorn Birds, Doctor Kildare and many others, has died aged 90.
• Ronald Bergan shares an obituary for Richard Chamberlain. 
• Mark Lawson calls Richard Chamberlain the original hot priest. 

 

Comments on Studio Ghibli versus AI:

•  Emanuel Maiberg and Matthew Gault note that Hayao Miyazaki, who said that AI Is an ‘insult to life itself,” has been reduced to an AI-generated meme by OpenAI 
• Cheryl Eddy reports that people generating fake AI-generated Studio Ghibli style images are now also faking cease and desist letters they claim to have received.
  
• Charles Pulliam Moore reports that  Studio Ghibli’s archive is the key to its 4K restoration process
• Christina Rees reports about an auction of anime production artwork, which also included several Studio Ghibli items.
  

 

Awards:

• The recipient of the 2025 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master has been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2024 Australian Romance Reader Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2025 Xingyun Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Asimov’s Annual Readers’ Award Poll have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2024 Analog Analytical Laboratory Readers’ Award have been announced. 
• The winners of the BBC Audio Drama Awards have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2025 Michael Collins Trophy have been announced. 
• Chris M. Barkley explains why he decided to sue Dave McCarty over his never delivered Hugo trophy.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• J.R. Dawson explains what Disney's imagineers taught her about worldbuilding.
  
•  Gideon P. Smith shares some tips for successfully talking to the press about the plot of your book.
• SFWA announces their current board of directors.
  
• The UK Society of Authors shares a report about authors' views on using their works for AI training.
• Ella Creamer reports that British authors are calling for the UK government to hold Meta accountable for copyright infringement for AI training. 
• Ella Creamer reports that authors are protesting against illegally using their books for AI training outside Meta's office in London, UK. 
• Eric Berger reports that several rightwing groups in the US are pushing for banning books they consider obscene from libraries.
• National Novel Writing Month is shutting down after a slew of controversies. 
• Ella Creamer reports about the closure of the NaNoWriMo website and the many controversies that preceded it.
• Tim Jonze explains how NaNoWriMo showed him that he could write a book and that he hopes its spirit will live on.
  

 

Interviews:

• Erin Underwood interviews Martha Wells.
  
• Anthony Ha interviews China Miéville. 
• Arley Sorg interviews Ai Jiang
• Arley Sorg interviews Natalia Theodoridou
  
• Kristy Anne Cox and Kate Johnston interview Farah Mendlesohn
• Reactor interviews Cameron Reed.
  
• Scott Edelman interviews Tim Paggi.
• Philip Oltermann interviews Solvej Balle
  

 

Reviews:

• Esmay Rosalyne reviews Cello’s Gate by Maurice Africh  
• Arley Sorg reviews Psychopomp by Maria Dong
  
• Mark Yon reviews When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi. 
• Joe Sherry reviews When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi.  
• Camestros Felapton reviews When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi.   
• Lis Carey reviews When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi.   
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler 
• Abigail Nussbaum reviews Luminous by Silvia Park 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews  Luminous by Silvia Park 
• Sasha Bonkowsky reviews Transmentation | Transience by Darkly Lem.
  
• Alex Puncekar reviews Waste Flowers by Bryn Hammond and Walls of Shira Yulun by Dariel R.A. Quiogue 
• Anthony Perconti reviews Waste Flowers by Bryn Hammond and Walls of Shira Yulun by Dariel R.A. Quiogue 
  
• Fiona Denton reviews Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher 
  
• She's Reading Now reviews A Sorceress Comes To Call  by T. Kingfisher  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Point of Hearts by Melissa Scott
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen 
• Paul Weimer reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
• Paul Weimer reviews Idolfire by Grace Curtis
  
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews A Pocket of Lies by R.A. Sandpiper
• Rai Furniss-Greasley reviews Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill
  
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang    
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Wolf of Withervale by Joaquín Baldwin
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews A Deliberate Act of Violence by Steve McHugh 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Antidote by Karen Russell
  
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Our Winter Monster by Dennis Mahoney
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Corpse Road by Sean Hogan 
• Gabino Iglesias reviews Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
• Ed Crocker reviews The Sundowner’s Dance by Todd Kiesling 
• Tobias Carroll reviews rekt by Alex Gonzalez
  
• Molly Templeton reviews Elphie by Gregory Maguire. 
• Nina Allan reviews The Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Elemental Forces, edited by Mark Morris  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews  Great Robots of History by Tim Major

 

Classics reviews:

• Dave Hook revisits the 1941 speculative fiction anthology The Other Worlds, edited by Phil Stong
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1946 postapocalyptic science fiction story “The Million Year Picnic” by Ray Bradbury
  
• James Wallace Harris revisits the 1951 science fiction story “The Rocket Man” by Ray Bradbury
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1958 alternate history story “Nightmare with Zeppelins” by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth 
• Gideon Marcus revisits the April 1970 issue of Analog. 
• David Levinson revisits the May/June 1970 issue of If: World of Science Fiction.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1978 autobiography The Way The Future Was by Frederik Pohl  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1980 science fiction novel Serpent’s Reach by C.J. Cherryh 
• Alissa Burger revisits the 1990 YA horror novel April Fools by Richie Tankersley Cusick
  
• Clara Cohen revisits the 1998 epic fantasy novel Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. 
  
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2012 Eli Monpress epic fantasy novel The Spirit War by Rachel Aaron
• Marion Deeds revisits the 2012 horror novel The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle
   
  

 Crowdfunding:

• Volume 9 of the Long List Anthology, edited by Devid Steffen, is looking for funding.
• Volume 3 of The Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction, edited by Stephen Kotowych, is looking for funding.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• George R.R. Martin shares his experiences at the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland.
  
• Brent Lang reports that a Mission: Impossible exhibition is coming to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York.
• Eddy Frankel reports about the science fictional art exhibition Rafał Zajko: The Spin Off in Southend-on-Sea, UK.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Eric Berger reports about China's ambitious plans for planetary exploration. 
• Richard Luscombe reports that NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who spent an unplanned nine months aboard the International Space Station after their spacecraft failed, felt neither stranded nor abandoned.  
• Eric Berger reports about the troubled flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that took Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station.
  
• Brian Koberlein wonders whether we should try to seed the universe with life. 
• Eric Ralls reports that astronauts en route to Mars would likely suffer kidney damage and failure.
  
• Peter Dockrill reports that NASA is watching a huge, growing anomaly in Earth's magnetic field
• Gideon Marcus reports about Richard Nixon reducing funding for the US space program in 1970.
  
• Alexandra Witze reports that 75 percent of US scientists surveyed consider leaving the US in respose to the hostile policies of the Trump government.
• Mindy Weisberger reports that scientists recreated an experiment that showed how life on Earth could have started and found a new possibility
  
• Judith Tarr reports about animals believed to be extinct, until they suddenly reappeared. 
• Rebecca Atkinson reports how interactive TV technology could make television for accessible for disabled people. 
• Angela Giufrida reports that two near lifesize sculptures have been found during excavations of a tomb in Pompeii, Italy.

 

Gaming: 

• Sarah Thwaites reports what happened to the developers of successful indie games afterwards.
• Keith Stewart lists everything he learned from Nintendo’s ‘deep dive’ into the Switch 2

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia King Randor.action figure 
• Toy Habits reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse New Eternia Roboto.action figure   
• Cheryl Eddy reports that Hasbro is offering a Marvel Legends figure of Spider-Man in the black costume from Spider-Man 3.
• Cheryl Eddy shares a look at Nacelle's nxt wave of Star Trek action figures.
• James Whitbrook takes a look at new Lego sets coming out in April.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Life and Times of Alavira the Great as Written by Titos Pavlou and Reviewed by Two Lifelong Friends" by Eugenia Triantafyllou in Uncanny Magazine 
• "Does Harlen Lattner Dream of Infected Sheep?, Part I" by Sarah Langan in Lightspeed  
• "To Navigate the Night" by Rich Larson in Lightspeed. 
• "The Midwife in the Palace of the Forest King" by Jelena Dunato in Beneath Ceaseless Skies
•  "The City of Tears" by Molly Tanzer in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• "The Witch-Doctor’s Revenge" by Nuzo Onoh in Nightmare Magazine.  
• "The Last Time Gladys Howled At the Moon" by Jennifer Hudak in Strange Horizons.
• "Blood for Wind" by Chris Cornetto in Swords and Sorcery Magazine. 
• "Through These Moments, Darkly" by Samantha Murray in Clarkesworld.
• "His Most Feared Constellation" by R.L. Summerling in The Dark.
•  "The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For" by Cameron Reed in Reactor.
• "Coda" by Arula Ratnakar in Future Tense Fiction.
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for series 7 of Black Mirror.
• Watch a sneak peak of Superman.
  
• Watch a trailer for Sherlock and Daughter. 
  
• Watch a trailer for The Eternaut. 
• Watch a trailer for Fountain of Youth. 
  
• Watch a trailer for Bring Her Back.
• Watch a trailer for M3GAN 2.0 
  
• Watch a trailer for Five Nights at Freddy's 2. 
• Watch a trailer for the new season of Phineas and Ferb.
  

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for March 28, 2025

 

It's time for the latest weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with Star Wars in general, Star Trek in general, Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general, Masters of the Universe in general, season 3 of The Wheel of Time, season 2 of Severance, season 3 of Yellowjackets, Mickey-17, The Electric State, Death of a Unicorn, Doctor Who past, present and future, the live action Snow White, Studio Ghibli versus AI, tributes to L.J. Smith and much more.

Speculative fiction in general:

• Arthur Liu and Feng Zhang share the Chinese Science Fiction Database 2024 recommended reading list  
• Nicholas Binge argues that science fiction and horror are two sides of the same coin. 
• Brian Collins discusses how horror went from a short fiction to a novel genre.
  
• Rebecca Joines Schinsky talks about the current state of romantasy.
  
• James Davis Nicoll shares five SFF stories about underground resistance movements  
• Ratika Deshpande shares five SFF stories about translation and the power of languages
  
• James Davis Nicoll lists five fictional investigators with special abilities.
• Lorna Wallace lists five stories exploring the pitfalls of time travel  
• Johanna Van Veen explains why bogs are a great setting for gothic fiction.
• Kelly Jensen lists the most popular literary genre in every US state.
  
• Clara Cohen shares her appreciation for the Tufa novels by Alex Bledsoe 
  
• Brian Tucker profiles Richard Shaver.
• Michael Capobianco profiles Jerry Pournelle.
  
• Rachel Cordasco takes a look at several stories by Czech SFF writer Josef Nesvadba, which were translated in English in the 1960s.
  
• The Times of Israel reports that the extensive collection of science fiction books owned by Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell, who was killed by Hamas, will be auctioned off the benefit the families of other Israeli hostages. 
  

 

Tributes to L.J. Smith: 

• YA SFF and horror author L.J. Smith has died aged 66.
• Jeré Longman remembers L.J. Smith.
  

 

Comics and Art:

• Rachel Cooke reviews There’s No Time Like the Present by Paul B. Rainey 
• James Davis Nicoll talks about Superman and the question of race 
  
• John Freeman shares the story of comic creator R.E. Burke who was detained by ICE at the US Canadian border and held in a detention facility for nineteen days.  
• Frank Landymore reports that NASA has deleted two comics about women astronauts from its website in response to the Trump government's war on diversity.
  
• Abby Zimmardi reports that the Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation has won a bid to acquire the bankrupt comic distributor Diamond.
  

 

Film and TV:  

• Phil Hoard calls Time Travel is Dangerous a likable mockumentary that is Back to the Future meets Bargain Hunt 
• Leslie Felperin calls Sew Torn an alternate reality thriller. 
• Ann Michelle Harris calls the anime Sakamoto Days a likeable action comedy with lots of found family and redeemed villain vibes  
• Jesse Hassenger calls The Woman in the Yard a shadowy and unnerving horror film.
  
• C.T. Phipps shares his thoughts on Companion
• In Search of the Classic Mystery shares their thoughts on Paradise. 
• J.B. Kish shares his thoughts on the French horror film MadS.
• Leah Schnelbach calls Paddington in Peru a delightful celebration of immigrants (and marmalade)  
• Cheryl Eddy lists everything to remember about The Handmaid's Tale before season 6.
  
• Zing Tsjeng interviews Bella Ramsey, best known for playing Ellie in The Last of Us.
• Chris Broughton interviews Renny Harlin, director of the 1999 shark movie Deep Blue Sea, and star Samuel L. Jackson. 
• Germain Lussier interviews Steven LaMorte, director of Screamboat.
  
• Lee Weinstein revisits the 1940 science fiction serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe and discusses the sun symbolism found therein.
• Brian Collins revisits the 1970 historical fantasy film Fellini Satyricon, Jason Sacks revisits the 1970 science fiction film Skullduggery, Amber Dubin revisits the 1970 animated children's film Horton Hears a Who and George Pritchard reviews the 1970 surrealist fantasy film Necropolis 
  
• Ryan Britt revisits the 1975 science fiction TV show The Bionic Woman. 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien. 
• Megan Garside reports that the ambiguous ending of the 1982 science fiction horror film The Thing had finally been decoded 43 years later.
• Judith Tarr revisits the 1985 dinosaur movie Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend
  
• Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the 1995 Babylon 5 episode “Convictions”
• Hannah Gearan revisits the 2014 science fiction movie Interstellar and notes that it features the most accurate depiction of a black hole according to astronomers.
  
• Keith Roysdon shares a brief history of 1970s disaster movies.  
• Pat Cassels looks back on the heyday of movie-related horror hotlines. 
  
• Mark Fisher shares the coolest, craziest, scariest takes on the Loch Ness monster ever 
• Cheryl Eddy shares her ten favourite horror and science fiction roles by Kevin Bacon.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong shares three things she learned about season 2 of The Last of Us at a press conference with the cast and crew.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether the proposed new adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers will completely ditch the satire of Paul Verhoeven's 1997 adaptation. 
• Camestros Felapton discusses the different between rag tag crew and regular crews in science fiction TV series.
  
• Olivia Rutigliano and John Buffalo Mailer pair James Bond actors with Martinis.  
• Andrew Pulver reports that Amazon has hired Harry Potter producer David Heyman and Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal to oversee the James Bond franchise.
• Stuart Heritage reports that in spite of critically acclaimed shows, very few people are watching Apple+ TV.
  
• Todd Spangler reports that Disney shareholders overwhelming rejected a proposal that Disney cease to participate an LGBTQ equality rating program.  
• Lynette Rice reports that Warner Bros is continuing its war on cartoons by tearing down Building 131 on the Warner Bros backlot, where the Looney Tunes cartoons were once made to make room for more HBO shows,
  

 

Comments on Daredevil: Born Again and the Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe in general:

• Leah Schnelbach shares her thoughts on “With Interest” and “Excessive Force”, the latest episodes of Daredevil: Born Again. 
• Jarrod Jones shares his thoughts on  “With Interest” and “Excessive Force”, the latest episodes of Daredevil: Born Again. 
• Justin Carter shares his thoughts on “With Interest” and “Excessive Force”, the latest episodes of Daredevil: Born Again.  
• Gavia Baker-Whitellaw discusses how Daredevil: Born Again tackles the problematic real world legacy of the Punisher.
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Daredevil: Born Again. 
• Benjamin Lee reports that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will reprise their roles as Professor Xavier and Magneto in Avengers: Doomsday.
  

 

Comments on Masters of the Universe in general:

• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1985 animated movie The Secret of the Sword, which introduced She-Ra: Princess of Power to the world. 
• Jeffrey Harris worries that the upcoming live action Masters of the Universe film will repeat the mistake of the 1987 live action Masters of the Universe film by setting much of the action on Earth rather than Eternia.
  
• Peri Nemiroff interviews Camila Mendes who will play Teela in the upcoming live action Masters of the Universe movie. 
• For Eternia reports that Artie Wilkinson-Hunt has been cast as nine-year-old Prince Adam in the upcoming Masters of the Universe live action film. 
  
• James Eatock explains Shadow Weaver's origin as Light Spinner and where it was first mentioned.
• Allison Troy takes a look at the obscure She-Ra villain Vultak.
  

 

Comments on Star Wars in general: 

• Matt Schimkowitz shares his thoughts about the documentary Halcyon Daze about the defunct  Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser.hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
• James Whitbrook explains why General Grievous coughs in Revenge of the Sith, but not in the Clone Wars cartoon. 
• Actor Clive Revill who voices Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back has died aged 94.
  
• Watch a trailer for season 2 of Andor.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of The Wheel of Time:  

• Sylas K. Barrett shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
  
• Melody McCune shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Wheel of Time.
• Sylas K. Barrett notes that The Wheel of Time invites us to ask what is the deal with the Aiel  
• Cheryl Eddy interviews Rafe Judkins, showrunner of The Wheel of Time.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Madeleine Madden who Egwene in The Wheel of Time.
  
• Vanessa Armstrong interviews Shohreh Aghdashloo who plays Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan in The Wheel of Time.  
  

 

Comments on Star Trek in general: 

• Jenna Busch interviews Wil Wheaton, best known for playing Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Avery Kaplan explains how the race of cat people known as the Kzinti became part of the Star Trek universe.
  

 

 Comments on Mickey-17: 

• Camestros Felapton calls Mickey 17 a fun, weird, camp movie which is also a surprisingly solid science fiction film.
• Josh Pearce and Arley Sorg discuss Mickey 17

 

Comments on The Electric State:

• Joe George notes that even though it's not a Marvel movie, the failure of The Electric State illustrates why the Marvel movies were so successful and what the root of Marvel's current problem is.
  
• Nicole Sperling reports that the failure of The Electric State has elicited little more than a shrug from Netflix, demonstrating how different they are from traditional film studios.

 

Comments on Death of a Unicorn:

• Sabina Graves calls Death of a Unicorn a gloriously gory class commentary.
  
• Jacob Oller calls Death Of A Unicorn a boneheaded yet enjoyable creature feature
• Inspired by Death of a Unicorn, James Geabey recounts how Dungeons & Dragons set the rules for killer unicorns 
• Sabina Graves interviews Alex Scharfman, director of Death of a Unicorn.
  

 

Comments on Doctor Who past, present and future: 

• James Whitbrook rememebers the moment he fell in love with Doctor Who.
• Watch a trailer for the next season of Doctor Who. 
  

 

 Comments on season 3 of Yellowjackets:

• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets. 

 

Comments on season 2 of Severance: 

• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance. 
• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Severance. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Severance.  
• Arturo Serrano shares his thoughts on season 2 of Severance.
  
• Diana Keng lists three questions left unanswered by season 2 of Severance. 
• Cheryl Eddy and Germain Lussier share twenty questions they have after season 2 of Severance 
  
• Leah Blaine talks about Severance and the overlooked women of STEM 
• Angelina Mazza finds unexpected parallels between Severance and Miraculous Ladybug
  
• Germain Lussier interviews Dan Erickson, showrunner of Severance. 
  
• Ethan Shanfeld reports that Severance has been renewed for season 3.
• Germain Lussier speculates about season 3 of Severance.
  

 

Comments on the live action Snow White:

• Wendy Ide calls Snow White a toe-curlingly terrible live-action remake 
• Kimberly Pierce shares her thoughts on the live action Snow White.
  
• Caroline Siede discusses the warped politics of the live action Snow White  
  
• Adrian Horton explains how the live action Snow White became the year's most cursed movie. 
• Andrew Pulver reports that in spite of the many controversies, the live action Snow White is more successful with Republican than Democrat voters in the US.
  
• Scott Neitlich notes that the fact that there is no toyline to tie in with the live action Snow White movie and no promotion in the Disney Parks suggests that Disney has expected the movie to fail for a long time.
• Sabina Graves also wonders why merchandise related to the live action Snow White is so hard to find.
  

 

Comments on Studio Ghibli versus AI:

• Jacob Oller reports that Studio Ghibli has to deal with having their iconic style copies by generative AI programs. 
• Isaiah Colbert declares that ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli AI art trend is an insult to life itself  
• Isaiah Colbert interviews Atsushi Okui, vice president of Studio Ghibli. 
  

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2024 Crawford Award has been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2024 Ursa Major Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2025 Lord Ruthven Assembly Awards have been announced.
• The winner of the 2025 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award has been announced. 
  
• The shortlist for the 2025 Dublin Literary Award has been announced.  
• The winner of the 2025 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize has been announced. 
• The nominations for the 2025 Bafta TV Awards have been announced,
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Ron Currie talks about writing through dark times.
  
• The UK Society of Authors shares advice what authors can do, if their books were illegally used by Meta to train their AI large language model. 
• The US Authors Guild also shares advice what authors can do, if their books were illegally used by Meta to train their AI large language model. 
• Richard Osman responds to Meta illegally using millions of pirated books to train their AI large language model.
  
• Victoria Strauss reports that several authors have complaint about the publisher Clear Fork Press.
• Lanre Bakare reports that publishing in the UK is now less accessible for black authors than in 2020.
• Angelique Chrisafis reports that French booksellers and writers are concerned about the publisher and distributor Hachette Livre and its conservative Catholic owner.
• Ella Creamer reports that a US federal judge has blocked a book ban law in Iowa.
  
• Ed Nawotka reports that Canadian booksellers have joined forces to ask Prime Minister Mark Carney exempt books from the 25% counter-tariffs scheduled to take effect on April 2 on goods imported from the U.S.
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia explains how the trade war between the US and Canada could impact the book business.
  
• The Guardian reports that the US has closed Canadian access to a library straddling the border between Vermont and Quebec and requires Canadian patrons to go through a border crossing supposedly to combat drug trafficking. 
  
• Philip Oltermann reports that French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal has been sentenced to five years in prison in Algeria.

 

Interviews:

• Mobeen Azhar interviews Nnedi Okorafor.
• Beyond Solitaire interviews Ada Palmer.
  
• Brandon O'Brien interviews David C. Kopaska-Merkel 
• Fiona Denton interviews Maithree Wijesekara

 

Reviews:

• Mark Yon reviews Future's Edge by Gareth K. Powell.
• Lesa Holstine reviews When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
  
• Marlene Harris reviews When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews By A Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron 
• Jenny Hamilton reviews Rose/House by Arkady Martine.
  
• Haley Zapal reviews Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.
  
• Roseanna Pendlebury reviews The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison 
  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Once Was Willem by M.R. Carey
• Marlene Harris reviews The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow  
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Echoes of the Imperium by Nicholas and Olivia Atwater 
  
• James Davis Nicoll reviews A Palace Near The Wind by Ai Jiang 
• Esmay Rosalyne reviews The Sorceress in Exile by D.H. Hoskins
• Marion Deeds reviews The Salt-Black Tree by Lilith Saintcrow 
  
• SFF Book Reviews reviews The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar. 
• Liz Bourke reviews The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau
  
• Kat Hooper reviews Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Twice as Dead by Harry Turtledove 
• Alex Brown reviews But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo. 
  
• Ian Mond reviews The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter
  
• Fiona Sturges reviews The Voyage Home by Pat Barker 
• Mahvesh Murad reviews The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
  
• John Mauro reviews The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
• James Davis Nicoll reviews One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed 
• Warner Holme reviews The Corset and the Jellyfish by Nick Bantock 
• Arley Sorg reviews Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity, edited by Lee Mandelo
    
  

Classics reviews:

• Sam Reader revisits the 1922 horror story “Seaton’s Aunt” by Walter de la Mare
  
• B.D. McClay revisits the 1933 Northwest Smith sword and planet adventure "Shambleau" by C.L. Moore.
• Joachim Boaz revisits the 1934 science fiction story “Famine on Mars” by Frank K. Kelly.
• Brian Collins revisits the 1957 science fiction story “Prime Difference” by Alan E. Nourse
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1965 nuclear war novel Commander‑1 by Peter George 
• Sandy Ferber revisits the 1968 space opera novel World of the Starwolves by Edmond Hamilton
  
• Fiona Moore revisits the April 1970 issue of New Worlds. 
• Alex Brown revisits the 2014 fantasy collection Stories of the Raksura by Martha Wells.
   
  

 Crowdfunding:

• Comic writer Mike W. Barr needs help with medical expenses.

 

Con and event reports:

• Frank Catalano weighs in on potential risks facing international attendants of the 2025 Worldcon in Seattle, Washington, at the US border.
  
• MSSV reports about the 2025 Knutepunkt Nordic LARP convention in Oslo, Norway.
• Dale Mazzola reports that the Marcon SFF convention in Columbus, Ohio, is ending. 
• The Wild West Steampunk Convention in Tuscon, Arizona, had to be shut down after several attendants reported health issues.
  
• Robert Lang reports about an exhibition of Syd Mead's science fictional artwork in New York City. 
• Evan Jacoby reports that the Altadena Library in Altadena, California, has reopend after the devastating wildfires with a reading from LeVar Burton, best known for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reading Rainbow and Roots. 
• John Scalzi shares a photo from an author event he did with Mary Robinette Kowal in Columbus, Ohio.
  
• Sabina Graves looks back at the Snow White’s Scary Adventures ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which used to be remarkably terrifying for a Snow White ride.
  

 

Science and technology:

• Mike Wall reports that a pod of dolphins welcome the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule upon its return from the International Space Station.
• Richard Luscombe reports that NASA has dropped plans to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon in response to the Trump governments anti-diversity initiatives.
  
• Ryan Johnston shares the morning routine of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams during her unexpected nine months stay aboard the International Space Station. 
• Jennifer Ross-Nazzal talks about the fallout of astronaut John W, Young smuggling a sandwich aboard the Gemini III capsule in 1966.
• Lonnie Shekhtman reports that NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected the largest organic molecules found on Mars
  
• Sarah Kuta reports that recent research suggests that ancient Greek and Roman sculptures were perfumed with sweet-smelling fragrances such as rose and beeswax

 

Gaming: 

• MSSV reports about the science fiction LARP Odysseus.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1982 tabletop roleplaying game Privateers and Gentlemen 
• Luke Kemp reviews the video game Atomfall. 
• Joe DelFranco reviews the video game Hollow Knight Voidheart Edition by Team Cherry  
  

 

Toys and collectibles:

• Germain Lussier shares a look at some Hasbro Black Series Star Wars Celebration exclusive figures.  
  
• James Whitbrook shares a look at the Bilbo's 111th birthday Lord of the Rings themed Lego set.
• Abe Apfel shares photos of the Wall from Game of Thrones recreated in Lego by Anuradha Pehrson

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Red, Scuttle When the Ships Come Down" by Wen-yi Lee in Uncanny Magazine  
• "Instructions for Good Boys on the Interplanetary Expedition" by Rachael K. Jones in Lightspeed.  
• "The Lexicon of Lethe" by Sunwoo Jeong in Lightspeed. 
  
• "Funerary Habits of Low Entropy Entities" by Damián Neri in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Sound of the Star" by Ren Zeyu, translated by Jay Zhang in Clarkesworld. 
• "The Scythe and Other Simple Mechanisms by T.E.Z. Moore in The Deadlands. 
• "Machine Hearts" by Jeff Dingler in Strange Horizons.
  
• "The Quiet Sisters" by Matthew Castleman in Swords and Sorcery Magazine.
  
• "Familiar Things" by Gio Clairval in The Dark.
• "Waiting to Happen" by Leah Cypess in The Sunday Morning Transport.
• "Touch This Cancer, It Probably Won’t Bite" by Josh Pearce in Nightmare Magazine.
  

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Final Destination: Bloodlines.
  
• Watch a trailer for Steamboat.
• Watch a trailer for The Ritual.