ahahahahahahahahahhahahahhhahahhaha (this is an Australian cricket post)

Omg buuuuuuuy iiiiiiiit

This one is extremely American Hippo coded. cc @sarahgailey.bsky.social

Want to read about one of the earliest Japanese SF novels? In which a Japanese fleet heads to Britain, to be the saviours of Asia? Subscribe now (AUD30/year, about GBP15 or USD19) to read the essay, AND get the 6-monthly ebook (which includes bonus essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

You can still buy the ebook of our July-Dec 2025 collection in time for Christmas (especially if you're not in Australia!) - or a delayed physical book is better than no book... or if you want to gift a subscription, get in touch! www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

You can still buy the ebook of our July-Dec 2025 collection in time for Christmas (especially if you're not in Australia!) - or a delayed physical book is better than no book... or if you want to gift a subscription, get in touch! www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

How one Japanese Confucian scholar confronted the arrival of American ships in the 19th century: write the first Japanese SF novel (probably). Subscribe now to read this essay - AUD30/year (about GBP15 or USD19), and get the 6-monthly ebook (inc. two exclusive essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

I cannot say I enjoyed this movie. profadamroberts.substack.com/p/avatar-fir...

Here you go: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaIg...

How one Japanese Confucian scholar confronted the arrival of American ships in the 19th century: write the first Japanese SF novel (probably). Subscribe now to read this essay - AUD30/year (about GBP15 or USD19), and get the 6-monthly ebook (inc. two exclusive essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

How one Japanese Confucian scholar confronted the arrival of American ships in the 19th century: write the first Japanese SF novel (probably). Subscribe now to read this essay - AUD30/year (about GBP15 or USD19), and get the 6-monthly ebook (inc. two exclusive essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

I'm honored to have won the 2025 Sushila Devi Award for LOKA! 🙏 Very grateful to the Bhopal Literature & Art Festival and Shri Ratanlal Foundation for the award, and to the jurors for their kind words. 💙 to the team at Hachette India and to Cameron McClure for supporting the book! #sciencefiction

Maybe one for @alasdairstuart.bsky.social ? Not sure, just got that vibe!

It’s the last issue of 2025 at @strangehorizons.bsky.social (I know, what even is time etc). What do we have for you in Reviews? Monday is the always incisive @octavia-cade.bsky.social on Syr Hayati Beker’s What A Fish Looks Like (@stelliform.press). “Is there one right way to navigate apocalypse?”

Tansy Rayner Roberts writes about her favorite books, films, television, and theatre performances of 2025. aqueductpress.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...

How one Japanese Confucian scholar confronted the arrival of American ships in the 19th century: write the first Japanese SF novel (probably). Subscribe now to read this essay - AUD30/year (about GBP15 or USD19), and get the 6-monthly ebook (inc. two exclusive essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

Speaking of great essays, The Full Lid ends the year on top form. I've been thinking a lot this year about how we romanticise pain to make it more bearable, how that's a trap that becomes a justification for hurt. Al uses three contrasting examples to skillfully pick that bullshit apart. Go read.

A fascinating article about a story I wish I'd heard of years ago. And fifteen quid a year for all the articles in Speculative Insight is great value for money.

Want to read about one of the earliest Japanese SF novels? In which a Japanese fleet heads to Britain, to be the saviours of Asia? Subscribe now (AUD30/year, about GBP15 or USD19) to read the essay, AND get the 6-monthly ebook (which includes bonus essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

Want to read about one of the earliest Japanese SF novels? In which a Japanese fleet heads to Britain, to be the saviours of Asia? Subscribe now (AUD30/year, about GBP15 or USD19) to read the essay, AND get the 6-monthly ebook (which includes bonus essays!). www.speculativeinsight.com

In which Eli K.P Williams discusses a very early Japanese SF novel - Japan invades Britain to save Asia! - and how it was influenced by the author's Confucian beliefs. Subscribe now to read (AUD30/year, about GBP15 or USD19): www.speculativeinsight.com You'll also get the 6-monthly ebook!

Did you miss this? Don't miss the book! It's got great essays across a range of SFF topics! Subscribing is AUD30/yr and it gets you two 6-monthly ebooks (like this), or you can buy the ebook (AUD20) or paperback (AUD35, inc shipping). www.speculativeinsight.com

Did you miss this? Don't miss the book! It's got great essays across a range of SFF topics! Subscribing is AUD30/yr and it gets you two 6-monthly ebooks (like this), or you can buy the ebook (AUD20) or paperback (AUD35, inc shipping). www.speculativeinsight.com

Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer: Review by Ian Mond locusmag.com/review/...

The perfect book for Christmas.

Oh wow, can’t believe this has popped up a decade after publication. So very proud of this book - my first editing experience.

And please also, AGAIN, never forget that they are inherently unethical to use because no one gave permission for their research or writing to be used in it. It is all stolen, and if you're using the plagiarism machine, please keep that in mind.

In which Eli K.P Williams discusses a very early Japanese SF novel - Japan invades Britain to save Asia! - and how it was influenced by the author's Confucian beliefs. Subscribe now to read (AUD30/year, about GBP15 or USD19): www.speculativeinsight.com You'll also get the 6-monthly ebook!

Maybe the earliest Japanese SF story is about Japan invading Britain, as Eli KP William explains in this new essay . Subscribe now (AUD30) to read - and get the July-Dec ebook with TWO exclusive essays! www.speculativeinsight.com/subs (~GBP15 or USD19. Ish.)

The July-Dec 2025 book collects the essays from those 6 months plus two excellent (and queer) exclusives: one about Southeast Asian SFF authors, another about villains who are kinda heroes (Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man...) Subscribe for free ebook, or: www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

We'll be reading stories for ✨ What Elegant Stars: Queer Tales of Impossible Style ✨ from January 15th to April 15th. Give us stories of satellites and sewists, terminals and tailors, dandies and dying stars. <6k words. 8¢/word. simsub ☑️. multiple submissions 🚫. www.neonhemlock.com/submissions

Safia H. Senhaji here, on Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto, with a really interesting self-reflection on how to be open to a new book: “I consider myself someone who can be comfortable in the not knowing.”

The July-Dec 2025 book collects the essays from those 6 months plus two excellent (and queer) exclusives: one about Southeast Asian SFF authors, another about villains who are kinda heroes (Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man...) Subscribe for free ebook, or: www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

Maybe the earliest Japanese SF story is about Japan invading Britain, as Eli KP William explains in this new essay . Subscribe now (AUD30) to read - and get the July-Dec ebook with TWO exclusive essays! www.speculativeinsight.com/subs (~GBP15 or USD19. Ish.)

ICYMI!

Anyway! This seems like a good time to re-up my book that came out in February -- ONE MESSAGE REMAINS is a mini-collection with a brand-new novella and two new novelettes, plus one reprint, set in the same world! bookshop.org/p/books/one-...

The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa: Review by Niall Harrison locusmag.com/review/...

ICYMI!

Did you miss this exuberant video from Ng Y-Sheng? Does that mean you don't know that you can read his essay by subscribing to Speculative Insight (& get the ebook free - AUD30/yr), OR by buying an e- or paper copy of the Dec 2025 book? www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

Did you miss this exuberant video from Ng Y-Sheng? Does that mean you don't know that you can read his essay by subscribing to Speculative Insight (& get the ebook free - AUD30/yr), OR by buying an e- or paper copy of the Dec 2025 book? www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

This is familiar territory, and it's good to see it so clearly articulated.

Very well worth the read.

ICYMI

Talking of Tolkien's LOTR as we were yesterday, reminds me that those of you who are BSFA members might care to nominate my Speculative Insight essay 'Should Galadriel have taken the Ring?' for the Best Short Non-Fiction category, in which I explain how Galadriel is a complex, powerful figure.

Ng Yi-Sheng discusses his new essay, "Dragonfruit Jungle," about the queer authors and themes of modern Southeast Asian SFFH. You can read the essay in the December 2025 SI book - buy it now, or subscribe (AUD30/year) and get the ebook free! www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

Basically an old-fashioned military-ish science fiction explosion-heavy novel. It's a bit silly and I read it really fast. randomalex.net/2025/12/17/a...

Ng Yi-Sheng discusses his new essay, "Dragonfruit Jungle," about the queer authors and themes of modern Southeast Asian SFFH. You can read the essay in the December 2025 SI book - buy it now, or subscribe (AUD30/year) and get the ebook free! www.speculativeinsight.com/buy-collections

If you want to read this book RIGHT NOW, you can buy the ebook (AUD20). Or you can subscribe for AUD30, get the ebook for free, and get the June 2026 book for free as well! www.speculativeinsight.com

Finally got around to reading this, and it's amazing. References ancient mythology, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the current poly crisis. Great stuff

Reading something set in “the 28th century” and wondering how long it will be feasible to keep this Christian - even common-era - dating. I know other dating systems exist now, but they're not globally dominant; what about if humanity were multi-planet?