(1) HEATS SHOOTS AND LEAVES. Joel Miller discusses “Brian Aldiss’ Hothouse: The Strangest Apocalypse in Science Fiction” at Transmissions from Tomorrow.

Billions of years from now, the sun is dying. It’s swollen into a red giant, bathing the Earth in heavy radiation, and that radiation has turned the planet into an overheated greenhouse where evolution has run wild. Plants now rule the world: a single tree spans a continent, and vegetation walks, flies, and hunts.

Meanwhile the remnants of humanity have devolved, dethroned from the top of the food chain. Shrunken to six inches and green-skinned, humans scramble through the brush to avoid being eaten.

That’s the unhinged and imaginative world of Hothouse by Brian Aldiss….

..There’s nothing else quite like it in the genre. While most science fiction of the era was busy with rockets and robots, Aldiss deliberately ignored the hard science to create something crazier: an engaging adventure story that, as SF scholar Marshall Tymn described, “pursues the theme of constant change, growth, and decay.”…

…As Hothouse opens, humanity is hunted. A small tribe clings to the branches while the plants close in, picking them off one by one. In an act of desperation, the tribal matriarch Lily-yo makes a brutal call: to split the group in two and hope enough of them survive. The older adults will take the dangerous upper branches while the youngsters stay below where it’s safer.

Lily-yo and the adults climb into seed pods that latch onto giant spider-like plants—creatures large enough to crawl along web-like fibers that stretch all the way to the moon. Because of this bio bridge, the moon now has a breathable atmosphere. Plants have conquered space. The trip inside the pods mutates the adults into bat-like humanoids, allowing them to glide and fly in the low gravity.

Meanwhile in the jungle, the youngsters aren’t fairing any better. Snatched by a bird-like plant and dropped into a “termight castle” at the edge of the sea, the group scrambles to escape. Before they can, a “morel”—a kind of parasitic fungus—clamps onto one of them, Gren, and hooks into his brain, increasing his intelligence in exchange for influencing Gren’s mind. A power struggle follows, and Gren heads off on his own.

From there Hothouse follows Gren’s long odyssey back home, occasionally cutting to Lily-yo on the moon. This book is packed with hallucinogenic ideas: humans tethered together by plant umbilical cords at their spines, a council of disfigured bat-people, gangs of violent baboon-people, and even a hyper-evolved dolphin oracle….

(2) LOST TOLKIEN WORK DISCOVERED IN BODLEIAN. Dimitra Fimi told Facebook readers:

Tolkien’s translation of Sawles Warde, an early Middle English prose homily (an allegory in which the body is represented as a dwelling for the soul, attacked by vices), will be published in full, edited by Andoni, tomorrow – and in an open access journal too! I will link to it as soon as it’s out! Watch this space! (Delighted to have played a minor role in this discovery!)

The below clipping, “Lost Tolkien work discovered in Bodleian archives”, is from the Telegraph, behind a paywall. [Click for larger image.]

(3) SCARY MOVIE SURPASSES HE-MAN. “’Scary Movie’ laughs its way to a first-place finish at the box office” reports the LA Times (behind a paywall.)

With the Wayans brothers firmly back in the driver’s seat, horror parody “Scary Movie” muscled its way past He-Man for the top spot at the box office this weekend.

The reboot of the 2000s-era franchise — or “rebootiquel,” as the movie calls itself — brought in $55 million in the U.S. and Canada for a worldwide total of $105.5 million, according to studio estimates. The movie, which had a production budget of $30 million, beat studio expectations and marked the return of the Wayans brothers to “Scary Movie.”…

…Amazon MGM Studios’ “Masters of the Universe” came in second at the domestic box office with $29.3 million, in Mattel Studios’ first film in theaters since the 2023 smash hit “Barbie.” Globally, the movie made $54 million.

The action-adventure movie had a production budget of about $170 million and aimed to reintroduce the ‘80s-era action hero “He-Man” to a new audience, while also driving the nostalgia of adults who played with the franchise toys or watched the original film and series. The movie is part of Mattel Inc.’s strategy to continue extending its toy brands into the entertainment arena….

(4) NICHELLE NICHOLS FAMILY WINS SUIT. “Family of ‘Star Trek’ star awarded $13M by New Mexico jury over wrongful death” reports Albuquerque, NM station KOB.

The family of ‘Star Trek’ star Nichelle Nichols was awarded $13 million by a jury that found a Silver City hospital negligent for her death.

Nichols died July 30, 2022, in Silver City, at age 89. They determined the cause of death to be heart failure. Nichols’ family filed a lawsuit in September 2025, alleging the Gila Regional Medical Center failed to diagnose and treat her before her death.

Court documents show, Thursday, jurors found Dr. Tsering Sherpa to be 60% negligent and the hospital to be 40% negligent for Nichols’ death. They totaled the damages to be $13 million….

(5) CASTING THE ODYSSEY. Phenderson Djèlí Clark demands to know “Who’s Afraid of a Black Helen of Troy?”

Did you hear that Lupita Nyong’o has been cast as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Odyssey flick? Of course you have. Because the usual chorus of salty folk won’t let you not know. The face that launched a thousand ships, has launched a thousand takes. So I figure, why can’t I have one? Let’s go!…

… Yet, when rumors began bubbling up that Lupita Nyong’o might possibly be cast as Helen of Troy (and her sister Clymtemnestra) in Nolan’s cinematic 2026 take on the Odyssey, a mass of people who have never seemed to given much thought on the ethnic “accuracy” of casting for Hollywood Greek mythology epics–suddenly had thoughts. In a full blown bout of saltiness not seen since the dark days of Black Dwarves and Mermaids, they took to social media to howl their disgust at this clear travesty of justice!

“But Helen of Troy is supposed to white! Her arm is described as white! She’s supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world! What if white actors played Harriet Tubman or MLK? This is just woke and anti-white!”

Even their Great Exalted Grand Puba of White Grievance got involved, charging that Christopher Nolan had “desecrated” the Odyssey to push DEI in order to be eligible for an Oscar! They wasn’t just mad–they was BIG mad….

… None of this was surprising. We’ve seen and heard this sentiment before. The casting of Black actors in roles where some deem they don’t belong, results in outbursts of grown human beings tantruming over Black people as mythological figures, superheroes, Star Wars characters, aliens, you name it. Whether its Black Targayrens, a lone Black Stormtrooper, or even pure speculation of a Black James Bond, these salty hoes STAY MAD. It’s their default setting. Even when the character is described as having dark brown skin, as in the case of Rue in the film adaptation of Susan Collins’s Hunger Games, the usual suspects are apoplectic. “What the f*ck are BLACK people doing here?” It appears that for some, it’s easier to suspend disbelief for fire breathing dragons, planet destroying weapons, or futurist dystopias–than Black people. Their imaginations just don’t have the range…

… The last refuge of the perpetually aggrieved is to level threats. Their favorite one goes something along the lines of: “Well what if Sydney Sweeney played Harriet Tubman! Maybe we’ll have Ryan Gosling play MLK! What if white actors were cast in Twelve Years a Slave?” Of course, the easy rebuttal here is that Helen of Troy is again–a lady born of a swan and hatched by an egg in a mythical story. Just like the Little Mermaid was a lady who was also half-fish whose best friend was a talking flounder. Harriet Tubman, MLK, and Solomon Northrup, on the other hand, were actually real human beings. We have books and pictures and stuff to prove it. The inability of certain people to discern the difference between fictional characters and historical ones is troubling. And I have to believe that racism just makes you dumber. But the most galling part of that argument is… wait, is is ya’ll?…

(6) OWN ‘THE ACOLYTE’. The Complete Acolyte: A Historic 1940s Fanzine Reprint is now available to order from the First Fandom Experience website.

The Acolyte ran for fourteen issues from Fall 1942 through Winter 1946. This exceptional amateur publication provided an essential bridge in the history of fantasy publishing.

 “For decades, devotees of H. P. Lovecraft and weird fiction have been hoping for a facsimile reprint of THE ACOLYTE, the legendary fanzine founded by Francis T. Laney and containing contributions by Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, Robert Bloch, and many other luminaries. Now, First Fandom Experience has accomplished the feat—and in the process provided a wealth of information about the magazine and its contributors, in a lavish production that is actually superior to the originals in the quality of its reproduction. Fans and scholars can now assess the importance of THE ACOLYTE in fostering the study of weird fiction, to say nothing of enjoying a fascinating array of fiction, poetry, articles, and other matter.”
— S. T. Joshi, Author of I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H. P. Lovecraft

This 540-page softbound volume includes:

• The full contents of all fourteen issues of The Acolyte, presented in their original form, digitally restored for readability
• A full table of contents spanning all fourteen issues

 This is a limited print run. Copies are on hold for those who have requested same.

(7) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

June 7, 1962 — Lance Reddick. (Died 2023.)

The series where I first saw Lance Reddick was decidedly non-genre. He played Cedric Daniels, lieutenant in the Baltimore Police Department’s Narcotics Unit on The Wire series, undoubtedly one of best such series ever done. 

Now his best performance in a genre role I believe was on Fringe, another stellar series, where as Phillip Broyles, the Homeland Security Special Agent who is head of the Fringe division which was established to investigate a series of terrorist incidents which may or may be not just be unexplained phenomena. 

Lance Reddick. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

When the 2022 Netflix Resident Evil series was done, Lance Reddick was chosen to be the character, the first person of color to do so. The showrunners did not want to limit themselves to actors who resembled Wesker’s in-game appearance. Lance in Syfy Wire noted, “This Wesker, although very very much based on the Wesker in the games, isn’t exactly him.”

He showed in a brief recurring role on Lost as Matthew Abaddon, where he “was an agent of Charles Widmore whose job was to get people to “where they needed to be”. His name, Abaddon, comes from the Bible’s reference to the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, whose job it is to take souls to their destination in the Last Judgement, corresponding to his role in the series.” That description is courtesy of Lostpedia, the Lost Encyclopaedia.

Remember the terribly good Jonah Hex film? He’s is an acquaintance of Hex, where he’s a blacksmith and inventor who equips Jonah with his one-of-a-kind specialized weaponry essentially a sort of Q though I might be stretching that comparison. 

The last role of his I want note is as Charon in the John Wick films.  He’s the concierge of the Continental Hotel in New York City. He often interacted with John Wick in his position as the concierge of the hotel, offering John various services.  He will appear in the fifth film, John Wick Presents: Ballerina, and the last film before his death. 

(8) COMICS SECTION.

• Arctic Circle has thoughts on the future of Winter Olympics.
• Foxtrot mixes cosplay.
• Free Range finds the new weapon.
• Pluggers see themselves.
• Reality Check will be disappointed.
• The Argyle Sweater lists Seventies groups that aren’t remembered.
• Wumo found an obstacle.
• xkcd cheats.
• Tom Gauld knows book owners lie!

• And that not all famous last words are well chosen.

(9) THE HELLMOUTH OPENS: Buffy legends and fans take over the real Sunnydale High for an explosive 2026 return: “HellmouthCon on the Hellmouth”. This is a yearly event by Fandom Charities and benefits pancreatic cancer research, now in its 10th year.

This June, the global Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom is bypassing traditional convention centers for a highly anticipated, on-location return. From June 13-14, 2026, Torrance High School—the historic real-world filming location of Sunnydale High—will be taken over by fans and series legends for the three-day immersive fandom convention, HellmouthCon 2026. Hosted by Fandom Charities Inc., a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the event challenges the increasingly expensive comic-con industry model. While offering an exclusive, limited VIP tier, HellmouthCon ensures every attendee with a general wristband has access to robust celebrity panel programming and an elite cast roster, featuring Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Amber Benson (Tara), Amy Acker (Fred/Illyria), J. August Richards (Gunn), Doug Jones (The Gentlemen), and more.

HellmouthCon replaces exhausting, high-volume autograph lines with a curated, immersive festival atmosphere. The historic campus will come alive with deep-dive panels, hands-on workshops, and academic lectures running throughout the grounds. Between sessions, attendees can grab a bite from local food trucks, interact with roaming cosplay guests in character, enjoy live musical performances, or compete in a highly anticipated cosplay contest. Fans can also shop the Sunnydale Mall for unique, fandom-inspired artisan goods, join limited-capacity themed breakfasts with the cast, or take guided historical walking tours of the iconic filming locations. 

Beyond the immersive entertainment, the convention serves as a massive philanthropic engine. Inspired by the series’ core message of protecting the vulnerable and fighting for the greater good, event proceeds directly fund LGBTQ+ youth support networks (Rainbow Spaces), pancreatic cancer research (PanCAN, in memory of late Buffyverse actor Camden Toy), and youth education (Ron Glass Memorial Scholarship).

 “We are bringing the magic back to the very halls where it all started,” states Marsia Powers, President and Founder of Fandom Charities. “This isn’t just a convention; it’s a fan-powered reunion. We’re harnessing decades of passion to create an unforgettable weekend that saves lives in the real world.” 

• Dates: June 13-14, 2026
• Location: Torrance High School, 2200 W. Carson St, Torrance, CA
• Tickets & Information: www.fandomcharities.org/hellmouthcon

(10) AGNORS BLISS. The last NCIS episode of the season includes a made-up sff novel and convention: “NCIS Finale Recap 05/12/26: Season 23 Episode 20 ‘Sons and Daughters’” at Celeb Dirty Laundry.

…They secretly used Kayla’s findings to determine who was the puppeteer in these bombings. The sayings were all coming from a book to radicalize people online. The book was called “Agnors Bliss” by Isaac Wren. Wren was radicalizing young angry men furious with capitalism. It’s what his book was about it in spite taking place in space….

(11) LEST AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT. [Item by Steve Tymon.] So, once upon a time, there was a huge science fiction writers colony in Long Beach, California — The Anarchovillage — the largest science fiction writers colony in the history of the entire world and the history of fandom, where the writers who lived there produced stacks and stacks and stacks of professionally published short stories (hundreds!) and endlessly published science fiction novels (dozens and dozens!) plus at least one of those writers became one of Hollywood’s most prolific screenwriters with nearly 100 feature screenplays sold and about 50-60 of those actually produced into films . . .

A group shot of the writers (from Loscon 2003) going from left to right: Brad Linaweaver, John de Chancie, Steve (your humble web designer and resident screen-writer/producer), Victor Koman, J. Neil Schulman and Heinlein Journal editor (and official Heinlein biographer) Bill Patterson*.

(12) TRAILER PARK. The third season of My Adventures with Superman starts June 13 at midnight Eastern on Adult Swim.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steve Tymon, Chris Barkley, Mark Roth-Whitworth, Kathy Sullivan, Steven French, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jon Meltzer.]