News What to Watch What to Watch and Read This Weekend: The Air Is Smoke, the Lettuce Is Bad, but the Vampire Is Lestat Plus: Major outlets are apparently still shocked that women read fantasy By Molly Templeton | Published on July 17, 2026 Image Credit: Image: Sophie Giraud/AMC Comment 0 Share New Share Image Credit: Image: Sophie Giraud/AMC Friends on the other side of the country, I am so sorry. I know exactly what it’s like to try to go outside and be stymied by unbearably smoky air. Wear your masks, run your air purifiers, and maybe, you know, stay indoors as much as you can? It’s vile out there. As if this year has not been difficult enough, this summer has taken a hard turn into bonus-level terrible, what with the exploding diarrhea virus and the unbreathable air, and the knowledge that some of these things could be stopped—or at least ameliorated—if, as a nation, our priorities were different. (That’s about as diplomatic as I can be on that front.) While you’re avoiding the outside this weekend, perhaps you want to hang out with some vampires, or go to space, or think about hungry stars? As always, hug your friends, call your reps, and—given that it’s summer—stay hydrated, okay? Seven Episodes Is Not Enough: The Vampire Lestat In this house it is The Vampire Lestat Finale Week which means I am tearing my way through The Queen of the Damned—which had better be this show’s fourth season, goddammit! I need renewal news!—and buying Calvino novels (those two Calvino references have to mean something, right?) and also considering spending much of my Saturday rewatching the first six episodes of this all-too-short season. It’s like watching two long Marvel movies! I can do it! And I guess what I’m saying here is that you could, in theory, make time to do the same. The finale arrives Sunday on AMC/AMC+ and given the tumultuous events of last week’s episode, I am ever so slightly frothing at the mouth to see where this wild series goes, and how they wind it all up, and did I mention I need renewal news like, yesterday? I have a feeling they’ll make any big announcements next weekend at San Diego Comic Con. But I am impatient. “This Star Just Ate a Planet” This one both is and isn’t the plot of a novel: “This Star Just Ate a Planet, and It’s Not Done Yet” is the headline of a fascinating New York Times article about … well, it does what it says on the tin. “For many planets, it is their cosmic fate to one day become engulfed within their own stars, then slowly melted down into their constituent elements,” writes Becky Ferreira. Isn’t this what happens (in part) in Slow Gods? I admit I was so invested in the characters of that book that I may have glossed over the planetary mechanics. Anyway! It’s always kind of neat—and maybe a little terrifying—when these things happen close enough (relatively speaking) that our little (in the grand scheme of things) human tools and minds can witness them.  Speaking of Stars, Planets, and Drama… … Strange New World returns to our happy little screens next Thursday! While the show’s last season was frustrating, I remain eternally enthusiastic about hanging out with this cast, and eternally hopeful that maybe, just maybe, Paul Wesley will still get a show starring his version of Captain James T. Kirk. Given all the changes at Paramount, that might not be likely—but one can still hope. My specific hope for this season is that it does not spend a lot more time shoving various interesting characters at Spock in the hope that some love interest sticks. And also that La’an gets a lot of screen time. And also Pelia. And also … you know, honestly, it doesn’t matter; I’m going to watch it regardless. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back on Paramount Plus on July 23rd.  Apparently Women Just Discovered Fantasy This week, the usually quite good Guardian newsletter tackled romantasy, which was totally fine and good except when they wrote of the genre: “It also gives women an access point to fantasy, a traditionally male-heavy genre, both in authorship and fandom.” With all due respect to romantasy—which I do think has brought new readers into SFF!—I don’t think I have to tell Reactor readers that women have been writing and reading fantasy for as long as there has been fantasy. A statement like this erases a ton of work from a laundry list of incredible writers. So here’s my weekend suggestion for you: read a fantasy novel by a woman published at least 30 years ago. And for bonus points, look past the biggest names! I grew up almost exclusively reading fantasy by women, obsessed with authors like Jo Clayton, Melanie Rawn, Barbara Hambly, Diane Duane, Patricia Kennealy, Jennifer Roberson, Pamela F. Service, and Patricia McKillip. (I will note that in the mall bookstore in the ’80s and ’90s, one mostly found fantasy novels by white women. The diversity was not great.) There are so many more names; if you need a list to pore over, you might investigate James Davis Nicoll’s “Fighting Erasure” posts.  Honestly, twenty years ago I thought we were maybe finally through with the “Ooh, women have discovered genre!” conversation. But apparently not.[end-mark] The post What to Watch and Read This Weekend: The Air Is Smoke, the Lettuce Is Bad, but the Vampire Is Lestat appeared first on Reactor.