News Octavia Butler Octavia Butler’s Survivor Is Getting a Reprint—Something the Author Opposed During Her Lifetime Those involved say the decision isn’t entirely profit-driven By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on April 30, 2026 Photo: Wikimedia Commons via Nikolas Coukouma (CC BY-SA 2.5) Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Wikimedia Commons via Nikolas Coukouma (CC BY-SA 2.5) Grand Central Publishing is releasing a reprint of Octavia Butler’s book, Survivor, something the author vehemently opposed while she was alive, even when, according to Butler’s former agent and current agent of her estate Merrilee Heifetz, “she definitely needed income.” Speaking of income, the move partially came about due to the resurgence of Butler’s writing in recent years, as some of her novels, like the Earthseed series, are eerily similar to our current state of affairs. In an LA Times article, those responsible for the reprint offered varied explanations as to why they feel okay with going against the obvious wishes of Butler. Nana K. Twumasi, a vice president at Grand Central Publishing, said she is aware the decision could be seen as profit-driven, but states that she believes it is “far more about wanting to have a piece of this person that we all respect and want to get her due.” Twumasi added, “We do it with the confidence from those people who knew her and worked with her that it’s something that she could have been made to feel confident about doing.” Jules Jackson, managing director of the Octavia E. Butler Estate and Octavia E. Butler Enterprises, said in a press release that Butler “couldn’t foresee the massive rise in the popularity of her work—or the demand for a novel that had been published, but which she later didn’t think was good enough to meet her own high standards.” Heifetz said something similar to the LA Times: “I don’t know that she ever really said to herself, ‘Well, what if? What if my books really are that popular, and people want to read Survivor, and they can’t?’” Heifetz also said that Earthseed’s message that “God is change,” applies to the decision to reissue the work. “I think [Butler] believed that you have to pay attention to what changes in the world and what changes in yourself.” Butler, however, is sadly no longer with us. Perhaps she would have released Survivor if she were alive today and realized the popularity she deserved. Or, given she refused to do so even when strapped for cash, maybe she would have been even more adamant that Survivor not be reissued, since it was a novel she clearly wasn’t proud of. I can’t help but think that it’s just as likely, maybe even more likely, that she would still nix any reissue, unless perhaps she revised it to meet her standards. [end-mark] The post Octavia Butler’s <i>Survivor</i> Is Getting a Reprint—Something the Author Opposed During Her Lifetime appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Horror Read an Excerpt From Headlights by CJ Leede Every instinct tells him to run. Every memory tells him he can’t. By CJ Leede | Published on April 30, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Headlights by CJ Leede, out from PUBLISHER on DATE. Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it’s his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he’s summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it’s happening again.Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they’ve allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger’s hair is tied around their tongue.Now Daniel is pulled back into the gruesome cycle, and every clue leads him deeper into the shadows of his own past. He will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what’s been hunting him all along— before he and the people he loves become the next victims. 1 Then “Is it the Bad Decision?” I hear Mom’s question, but it takes me a second to tear my eyes away from the screen. She stands in the dressing area. The too-bright mirror bulb light-ing her from the back. She’s brushing her hair. The mirror behind her is clean the way she likes it, and the door to the bathroom is open with the light on and the shower curtain pulled back. It’s the only part of our room that isn’t orange and yellow—white shower, white curtain, white toilet and floor. Mom says the curtain is off-white. I can’t tell the difference. I don’t want to leave, but she says it’s almost time. I nod my head to answer her question. “Are we going now?” I ask. We haven’t packed yet, but she has her makeup on. “Don’t you worry, we’ll have dinner first, then I’ll get us ready.” I’m cross-legged on the orange and yellow carpet, two feet from the television screen, wearing my socks and long johns. My favorite movie is on, Take Me Home, the John Denver story. My mom loves it too. Right now, John Denver—not real John Denver but the ac-tor named Chad Lowe who plays him—goes off with the girl at the party on tour. That’s the Bad Decision. “Why is it bad again?” I ask, even though I know why. She smiles, says for the hundredth time, “A Bad Decision is one that you regret making, and one that takes you away from what really makes you happy. A Bad Decision is when you betray your-self for what you think will make you happy even if you know deep down it won’t.” Happy. Buy the Book Headlights CJ Leede Buy Book Headlights CJ Leede Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget We’ve lived at the Happy Inn for the last six months. We had to try a couple rooms before we found one that didn’t give me a Bad Feeling, that didn’t have shadows in it. She said that was okay, that my Bad Feelings are important to listen to. She says some people have special antennas that pick up special signals, and she knew since I was little that I’m one of them. At first the clowns on the sign and in the office scared me, and I didn’t like the bright yellow and orange carpet and blankets in our room, but I like the sunrise paintings, and I like the VHS player my mom bought us so I can watch my favorite movies. I like the way she hums and sings along to all the songs in Take Me Home while I watch, and the way she ruffles my hair when she walks by to show me she loves me more than anything. I like that he hasn’t come. “What kind of pizza are we getting?” I ask. “Whatever you want, my Danny boy.” Danny isn’t my real name. My mom wanted to name me that, but my dad said my name was going to be Calvin, just like his. When he comes around, we have to call me Calvin, but he hasn’t come in a long time. Here in the motel, I’m Danny. It’s our secret. A shining name for my shining boy, Mom says. It’s from that book she’s always carrying around, that dirty crinkled old paperback she’s had as long as I can remember, that comes to every new place we live. But she says I’m not allowed to read it, not until I’m older. I check the clock. It’s Friday, which is pizza day, but we can’t order until five. That’s the rule. It’s only 4:56, but it’s been dark outside for a while already. The news says it’ll be a cold winter. Mom keeps talking about it too. She turns back to the mirror and fixes her lipstick. She touches one of the glass root beer bottles on the counter, the ones we always have on special occasions. Mom seems nervous. My heart beats faster. Bad Feeling in my stomach. I want her to talk. Tell me it’s okay. “Mom, what kind of pizza are you—” “Shh,” she says, smoothing down her hair. “You’ll miss your fa-vorite part.” I turn back to the TV. John goes back to Annie and says sorry by playing “Annie’s Song,” which he just wrote for her. My mom and Annie don’t look alike, Annie has brown hair and pale skin, and my mom’s hair is bleached like Dolly’s, and her skin is tan. But they remind me of each other just the same. Safe and warm and smiling. My hair is darker than my mom’s, but it’s not as dark as Dad’s, and I hope it stays that way. I watch the clock. I’m not afraid. I’m not. Wherever we go next, we’ll be together. But… “Mom, I have a Bad Feeling.” She turns, looks at me, and for a second listens to me. Then a funny look comes over her face, and I don’t know what it means. She comes and stands in front of me, bends down and puts her hands on my shoulders. “I… made a Bad Decision. Trying to keep your dad in our lives. I… I’m so sorry, Danny. But you and me, we’re gonna go somewhere he can’t find us, okay? Somewhere safe and happy where he’ll never get us again. It’s all gonna be just fine.” I want to cry, but I nod instead. It’s 4:59. One minute until I can pick up the phone and put in the number for the pizza place. Maybe the Feeling will go away, maybe I’m just being a baby. John sings “Annie’s Song” to Annie, and Mom hums along in the bathroom, swaying back and forth, putting her makeup and jewelry in cases. She moves the root beer bottles over to the side. Outside the closed blinds, the dark. Mom says “Annie’s Song” makes you feel like the whole world will be okay. Normally I agree, I think it sounds like there’s noth-ing to be scared of and no whispers in the night or Bad Feelings or shadows, and there’s only Rocky Mountains and clean air and flying and cowboy dancing and horses. That’s how the movie makes me feel, and every John Denver song. Pine trees and airplanes and John’s leather hat. We live in the part of Colorado with packed dirt and buildings, the mountains far off. But John and Annie in Take Me Home are all the way in the mountains, in the trees, beside big rushing water. “Are we really gonna go to Aspen?” I ask. “Like John and Annie?” She turns and smiles, nods her head, and I almost think I see a tear on her face. The musty mold smell comes up from the carpet like it does every night, there’s the brown spots on the popcorn ceiling and the smoke detector we always take off the wall because it never stops beeping. I love it here. Mom and me, Danny. The Happy Inn. My mom in blue jeans and a jean jacket and a white halter top. Her turquoise jewelry and big belt buckle. I’m sad to leave, even if it is to go to Aspen. I still have the Bad Feeling. Five o’clock. I pause the movie, and I pick up and dial the phone. Someone pounds on the door. The phone slips in my hand. Hello? the person says through the receiver. The pounding comes again. My heart thumps, and I turn to my mom. Mom is frozen, in the dressing area, holding her brush tight in her hand. I know where the Bad Feeling came from now. We both do. She looks at the door, then me, then around the room. There are no other doors here, only the one that goes out front. And we both know who’s standing out there. She takes a step. I shake my head, beg her not to open it. He keeps pounding. It doesn’t stop. She takes another step. I shake my head, please, please, no. She stops beside me. “I love you, my shining boy. I’d sing and write and play all the songs for you, you know that, right? You know that you’re my everything?” She’s scared. Mom is scared. I shake my head again, my whole body is shaking. “Don’t open it,” I say. “Please.” But she just whispers, “You’re my Danny boy.” She kisses me on the head. The voice on the phone says Hello? one more time, and then a dial tone comes through. The pounding on the door gets louder, Dad yelling. Mom goes to it, reaches for the chain. John Denver is frozen on the screen, looking into Annie’s eyes, playing his guitar. Mom slides the chain from the lock. 2 Now Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I open my eyes, sit up. Utah sun rising outside the window. Pink, orange through the blinds, glowing lines of light across the sheets, over my legs. My neck is stiff. Pain in my right leg, same as always. Shrapnel from an IED, my first tour. Pain in my chest… Which happens any time I think of her. Today is— John Denver’s voice lingers in my ears, floats around me in the room. Why did I dream of her? I haven’t, in so long. I haven’t thought of that song, any of his songs, in… I don’t know. I’ve pretty fucking stridently avoided John Denver for the whole of my adult life. But… today is the day, so I guess… or… I don’t know. Fuck. I breathe, close my eyes. At least there are no shadows. I get out of bed, turn on the fan for new noise, drown out the mu-sic that isn’t there. In the bathroom, I take a piss, splash cold water on my face. Step back into the bedroom, drop down, and do what I always do. But today it’s different, new almost. Today, my last day. Push-ups. Sit-ups. Diamond push-ups, box jumps on the crate. My body knows. Feet on the floor, back on the floor, forearms on the floor. Feet on the floor, then the crate. Pain in my leg. In my back. Pain in my left Achilles. Box jumps, jump lunges, jump squats. The heat before the sweat breaks through. The split second of relief when it comes. The drip of it down the skin, to the floor. My muscles push and flex. Contract, extend. I catch the pull-up bar, start my count. I look around, breathe through my nose. White walls, white car-pet. Mattress on a box spring. White sheets, workout equipment, bookshelf. Four years here, in Salt Lake City. A feeling grabs my chest. But it’s not a Bad Feeling, and it’s not a buried memory. I think… It’s gratitude. To this place, for giving me a fresh start. Any kind of reason to live. This apartment complex, brand new. No shadows, no past of mine or anyone else’s. I get my twenty, swing, and land on the carpet. See myself, mov-ing through the space, since day one. See myself change. I was thirty when I got here. I’d just lost everything. Those first two years were spent just trying to get past the fail-ure. And by get past, I guess I mean become properly acquainted with it, learn to accept its enduring presence in my life. The unsolv-able case, the divorce. Everything that led to both. My adoptive—but real in every way that counts—parents, gone, taken from me in an instant. That’s of course without touching any of the deep past stuff. Which I don’t think about anymore. Which I never think about. Today is the first— I push harder. I can’t believe I didn’t kill myself. It would’ve solved so much, at least for me. Mostly didn’t do it because of Josie. I knew she’d pic-ture me drinking over the divorce papers, fantasizing about blow-ing my brains out—which I did… drink and fantasize—and then finally going through with it. She’d carry that weight forever. And I’ve put her through enough already. But maybe the real reason, the one that got all the way through to me, was because he hasn’t done it yet. Rotting in his cell in Sterling and pushing through, day after day. And if he hasn’t, then I sure as shit won’t either. Still, the music. There, just at the edges. Hovering, between atoms, between breaths, slipping through the walls and into my skin. It’s not the worst song. The one I won’t even let myself think the name of, the one that played that night. But still, today… Excerpted from Headlights, copyright © 2026 by CJ Leede. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Headlights</i> by CJ Leede appeared first on Reactor.

Books Young Adult Spotlight Most Anticipated Young Adult SFF/H for May & June 2026 Romantasy dominates the summer schedule, but there’s a lot of variety in these 21 upcoming titles. By Alex Brown | Published on April 30, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share And we’re back with a new batch of upcoming science fiction, fantasy, and horror young adult novels. I feel like I’ve been repeating myself the last year or so, but guess what, this summer there’s a lot of romantasy coming up. Much to my pleasant surprise, we also have a few science fantasy genre blends too. Horror is on a downswing, and science fiction remains tantalizingly rare. Nevertheless, queer authors are doing some really interesting things with identity. I have 21 new books to add to your TBR. Thrills & Chills That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall (Random House Books for Young Readers; May 5, 2026) Kōpaʻa Island Resort is an exclusive wellness getaway for the rich and idle, but for Lehua it’s the place where her twin sister Ohia vanished without a trace. The girls didn’t have a strong relationship, but that doesn’t mean Lehua isn’t going to go looking for her. After a storm strands her on the island, she’s at the mercy of the horrifying colonial history of the land stolen from her ancestors. There is very little in the way of ownvoices Native Hawaiian speculative fiction, so this is a welcome addition.  The Saw Mouth by Cale Plett (Delacorte Press; May 12, 2026) A decade ago, advanced technology became sentient and lashed out in agony and torment. They destroyed themselves in a cataclysmic event known as Autumn. Now, genderqueer teen Cedar has arrived at the hometown of their missing father, Sawblade Lake searching for their last known relative. Something monstrous harasses them on the outskirts of town, something that is connected to Cedar in ways they don’t yet understand.  The Monsters We Made by Peyton June (Norton Young Readers; June 23, 2026) Every town has a legend about a local cryptid, and in Scarberry, Nebraska, it’s an alien called Old Lucky. Lenny and her boyfriend Evan run a YouTube channel where they investigate paranormal activity. They’re drawn to Claire’s hometown with her claim that aliens landed on her family farm. What they don’t know is Claire faked it to try and attract new customers to the ailing business. But when strange and terrifying things start happening, well, that hoax may not be a hoax after all.  Magic with a Twist The Electric Life of Lavender Lewis by Kara Storti (Union Square & Co.; May 5, 2026) Epilepsy has always been something Lavender has just had to deal with. She’s had every kind of symptom and seizure, but after her mom’s death, her seizures change. Now she’s seeing—hallucinating?—a boy named Eli who also has epilepsy. She could get surgery to resolve the worst of her medical issues, but she fears not only that she won’t wake up the same person she was when she went in but also that she’ll lose her connection to Eli.  Folklore & Mythology The Hanging Bones by Elle Tesch (Feiwel & Friends; May 12, 2026) The legendary Breimar Stag appears only every few years when the Scavenge Moon rises. If it is caught before the moon sets, the victor can wish for the death of anyone in the world, but if it escapes then the stag will take the life of one of its hunters. Katrín knows exactly who she wants dead: her employer, a wealthy baron, who has set his abusive sights on her cousin Alma. Her hunt is hampered by unexpected violence and more corpses than she knows what to do with. German folklore isn’t something we have too much of in YA fantasy, so I am very intrigued by this. Also! Katrín is asexual and aromantic! The Lustrous Dark by Loretta Chefchaouni (Peachtree Teen; May 19, 2026) Shay is an apprentice midwife in the city of Nezjar. Her mother’s addiction to the drug Snow not only caused her death, but passed her forbidden magic to her daughter. Or so Shay thought. Turns out her mother is still alive, but their reunion is a tragic one. Now abandoned and far from home, she seeks safety from the dangers in Ard Al-Ghul with activists working to restore women’s magic to its rightful place. Inspired by “Snow White” and the Moroccan folktale “The Jealous Mother.” Anthologies Everything Under the Moon: Fairy Tales in a Queerer Light edited by Michael Earp (Affirm Kids; May 12, 2026) This anthology does a queer remix on twelve classic fairy tales. The stories cover a wide range of speculative topics and YA themes, but the connective tissue here is queer joy and being your true self. Given that the government is currently trying to pass a national book ban that targets stories just like these, this collection couldn’t be more timely. Authors: Michael Earp, Alison Evans, Helena Fox, Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner, Will Kostakis, Jes Layton, Gary Lonesborough, Amber McBride, Abdi Nazemian, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Alexandra Villasante and Lili Wilkinson. Interior and cover art by Kit Fox. These Kindred Hearts: A YA Romantasy Anthology edited by Shari B. Pennant (Sweet July Books; June 30, 2026) Romantasy, like the rest of publishing, tends to involve mostly white people (and mostly cis, allo, and het people). This anthology centers on BIPOC characters with different intersectional identities, including class and queerness, to explore fantasy and romance from the YA perspective. Within these seventeen stories is a solid mix of fantasy subgenres. Authors: Alexene Farol Follmuth, Angela Montoya, Brent Lambert, Chelsea Padilla, Cheryl Isaacs, Jamar J. Perry, Jennifer Helen, Jill Tew, Kalynn Bayron, Kwame Mbalia, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Nia Davenport, Nikki T. Grant, Shari B. Pennant, Sophie Li, Vanessa Montalban, and Zoraida Córdova.  Past Is Present We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore (Feiwel & Friends; May 26, 2026) Mexican siblings Lola and Lisandro are conning their way through Hollywood’s Golden Age, with Lola pretending to be a ghost and Lisandro pretending to be a spiritualist who can banish her. Their latest mark is Rockafeller-esque Bixby Fairfax and his glamorous actress girlfriend Blythe Belle. At his extravagant hilltop estate, the teens’ grift takes off. Lisandro catches feelings for Bixby’s son and Lola for a member of the staff, but at the same time the mystery of what really happened to Bixby’s dead daughter is a truth someone will do anything to keep from being revealed. Where You’ll Find Us by Jen St. Jude (Bloomsbury YA; June 2, 2026) Calla is having a rough go. Kicked out by her parents. Can’t afford to go to college. Confessing she might be trans to her girlfriend, Ramona. Said girlfriend expressing reluctance to date a trans person. The two end up at a magical house called Amaranth, an oasis out of time whose occupants are queer kids from all across history. But when their refuge is threatened, the teens face the real and terrifying possibility that they will have to return to the real world.  The Game of Oaths by S. C. Bandreddi (Candlewick; June 2, 2026) Paris, 1896. To avenge her sister’s death, Falan, a trapeze artist from India, joins the same competition that killed Lavanya: the Game of Oaths. Every year, 12 teens sign magical contracts binding them to the Enchanteur Jean-Pierre and compete at the pleasure of the wealthy. One wins, the rest die awful deaths. With the help of new allies, Falan will take on Jean-Pierre’s powerful connections and racist intentions. Now, all she has to do is survive. Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens (Margaret K. McElderry Books; May 26, 2026) Ellinore is famous throughout the land for never having lost a quest. No one knows that she won them not through violence and bravery but conversation and basic problem-solving. And with the help of a chipper dragon. Now she has to do one last quest before she can retire at the ripe old age of seventeen: find the Elder Beast to save her brother from a deadly curse. She’s joined by her brother, a reckless noblewoman, a bard-in-training, and Princet Aven, Ellinoe’s competition and secret crush. A cozy fantasy with a heart of gold. Their Will Undone by R.J. Valldeperas (Their Will Undone #1 — HarperCollins; June 2, 2026) In the acllahuasi, Nina awaits her future. Her ill younger sister was initially chosen for the annual harvest, but Nina volunteered as tribute. She expects to train to become a servant to a wealthy family, but is instead chosen to become the new bride of the emperor of Amaru. Lieutenant Kasik is sent to collect her, and their journey is beset by dangers. As her hidden magic reveals itself, sinister motives as to why the emperor is interested in a commoner girl come to light. Kasik and Nina may despise each other, but they’re all they have left. A Great and Powerful Tyranny by Victoria Carbol (Song of the Ghost Queen #1 — Page Street YA; June 23, 2026) The Wizard of Oz gets reimagined as a queer portal fantasy. Thia tumbles from her oppressive home in Kansas into a strange new world. After killing a witch, she is joined by three traveling companions to find the Mage King. Only he can send her home, but he is no great and powerful leader. Along the way, Thia learns about her late mother’s rebellious past and falls for the girl without a heart.  Cursed Ever After by Andy C. Naranjo (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); June 30, 2026) Risa is cursed. Born on a Bad Day, bad luck follows her around and plaguing her hometown of Barrow in a series of unfortunate events. On her seventeenth birthday, Brunhilda the witch sends Risa on a quest to transport Prince Javi, the least important prince in a long line of princes, to his betrothed. Bad Things follow Risa on her journey and things quickly spiral out of control. Much to her surprise, she also starts to fall for Prince Javi, even if he is a bit of a cad. The River She Became by Emily Varga (The River She Became #1 — Wednesday Books; June 30, 2026) By day Yaseema is a scholar of ancient artifacts for the Empire. By night she uses magic to find artifacts from her conquered people with the goal of eventually restoring them to their former glory. One of those relics grants her entry to the Fae land across the River where a dangerous item waits. She’s not the only one with eyes on recovering it. Captain Kiyan also wants the artifact for his own purposes, and the two forge a tenuous alliance. Who will betray who first? The cover copy comps this to The Cruel Prince meets The Mummy, and you know what? Sold. Genre blends Between Sun and Shadow by Laura Genn (Peachtree Teen; May 5, 2026) In this reimagining of “Beauty and the Beast,” two teen girls from opposing forces try to stop a war. Adria is from the Shadowlands where humans evolved into supernatural monsters after their planet was struck by a radioactive asteroid. Kori is from the Daylands, humans who fled underground after the cataclysm and who keep their memories of the Before Times stored in microchip implants. When Kori inadvertently becomes Adria’s prisoner, they uncover a conspiracy that will either unite their people or destroy them. You Pierce My Soul by Jessica Mary Best (Quirk Books; May 5, 2026) In New Ionia, a faux Regency utopia with Big Brother technology, Zada is about to meet her soulmate. An algorithm called Heartsong determines everyone’s soulmate for them, and when Zada is introduced to hers, she feels…nothing. At all. He’s fine but he’s not Daphne, her ex-bestie she can’t stop thinking about. The two young women dive into the history of the surveillance tech that runs their lives and try to forge a path all their own. Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb (Goldenborn #1 — Scholastic Press; June 2, 2026) With her father in a magically-induced coma, Akoma makes money investigating magic crimes with the San Francisco Police Department. During one such investigation, she discovers a body surrounded by molten gold and ash. A series of crimes in AfricaTown seem to be connected, and Akoma is the key to solving them. The trickster god Anansi offers to heal her father and stop the killer in exchange for her tapping into her ancestral magic. A near-future urban fantasy inspired by Ghanaian folklore.  Novels-in-verse Under a Carnivore Sky by Brianna Jett (Page Street YA; May 12, 2026) The small town of Saltview is surrounded by a swamp where a monster roams. For generations, the adults of Saltview are cursed by this monster and one-by-one they succumb to it. Lili, a loner, joins forces with Caleb, a boy on the verge of turning eighteen and contracting the curse like everyone else. He wants out of town and she wants to kill the monster. Maybe the two of them can finally do what no one else has been able to.  Doe by Rebecca Barrow (Nancy Paulsen Books; June 23, 2026) Maris’ life is miserable and empty. School sucks, her homelife is lonely, and her girlfriend is probably going to dump her soon. All she has is the cheer team, and she relishes her role as captain. New student Genevieve is her only competition, and Maris will do anything to remove the threat. Up to and including making a deal with an ancient creature that comes to her in her dreams in the form of a decomposing deer.[end-mark] The post Most Anticipated Young Adult SFF/H for May & June 2026 appeared first on Reactor.

Featured Essays The Mummy The Many Evolutions of the Cinematic Mummy Mummies have graced films for over a century — but their history is a bit wilder than other movie “monsters.” By Jake Pitre | Published on April 30, 2026 Credit: Universal Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Universal Pictures What is the “mummy movie”? If you consider the characteristics of other monster films, their essence easily comes to mind—a vampire movie is about a bloodsucker intent on seducing victims to join the undead; a werewolf movie is about a troubled shapeshifter preying on a rural community; a zombie movie features unnamed hordes ravaging the living. There are fewer mummy movies, which is part of why it’s more difficult to conjure what exactly they are, but they are also, arguably, the least cinematic of the major monsters. They moan, they shuffle, they’re wrapped up in rags. Oooh, I’m so scared?  Through the history of the mummy movie, patterns do emerge, always drawn back to the figure’s Egyptian origins, often exoticized accordingly. With the recent release of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which traffics in some of these tropes while ultimately barely registering as a proper mummy movie, and the announcement of Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz returning for The Mummy 4, it seems time to reflect back on the meanings of the mummy across time, and perhaps more interestingly, across regional interpretation. After all, as André Bazin argued in his legendary essay about the ontology of the photographic image, the cinema itself is akin to mummification, as it carries with it the knowledge of death, and the instinct to ward it off: “the preservation of life by a representation of life.”  The earliest examples of mummy movies, arriving early in the twentieth century, are instructive. It’s at this time that a cultural frenzy was occurring over Egyptology in North America and Europe, as major tombs, particularly that of King Tut (finally discovered in 1922), were being sought, found, excavated, and marketed on a global scale. These early shorts, including two both titled The Egyptian Mummy (one a lost film from 1913, the other a Vitagraph Studios short from 1914), told simple comedic tales of corpses run amok, though these were fakes, played by characters trying to get one over on a mad scientist.  Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918) was inspired by these shorts, but further complicated them. Made by an all-Black cast and crew, in this version, the scientist, searching for a mummy to experiment on, tells his daughter’s suitor that he can marry her if his reanimation experiment works (sure, why not). The suitor decides to fake it, acquires a sarcophagus, and hires a shoe shiner to be the mummy. Meanwhile, “Egyptian Emissaries who are searching for the mummy of the Royal Rambunctions stolen years previous by American souvenir hunters” also see the scientist’s ad, and are likewise after the supposed mummy for repatriation. This early inclusion of characters (albeit dressed in era-inappropriate attire) searching for their national heritage, adds a fascinating wrinkle, even if it’s played for humor. The film, it should be noted, was produced by a white-owned company, was largely aimed at white audiences, and other films by the company feature far more racist caricatures than this one. It also may be the first example of a mummy movie with an unravelling gag.  Credit: Universal Studios The next logical point in the mummy film’s trajectory would be, of course, Boris Karloff’s portrayal in Universal’s The Mummy (1932), which would set the tone for the subgenre to come—curses, archeological expeditions, ancient scrolls, elaborate makeup. Indeed, for most of the film, Karloff is heavily made up as an Egyptian man, only briefly appearing in the mummified rags you might imagine (indeed, Lee Cronin’s new mummy film is only the latest in a long tradition of ostensible “mummy movies” that barely seem interested in mummies at all; more on that in a moment).  Of course, evidence remains scarce that Egyptians ever believed at all in mummification having any connection to reanimation, as it was a sacred practice for protecting souls into the afterlife. Nevertheless, Universal Studios’ now-iconic version, kicked off here with Karloff before following up in The Mummy’s Hand (1940), The Mummy’s Tomb (1942),The Mummy’s Ghost and Curse (both 1944), and, later, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955), would come to define the West’s public imagining of mummies and, to an extent, Egyptian history and culture. While entertaining, these films contributed to an Orientalist and colonialist lens on the region—all of which, again, rest largely on the hoopla around the supposed “curse” on King Tut’s tomb.  At this point, though, things get more interesting, not only through new interpretations in Hollywood and in Europe, but particularly as other global cultures made use of the mummy figure and, oftentimes, how it fit into their regional myths and histories. Mexican cinema is a primary example: Many luchador films, including those featuring folk hero El Santo, would feature mummies, often alongside other monster characters. Mummies here tend to have some connection to demonic power, and are generally foils for the wrestling star to easily dispatch (Santo and Blue Demon Against the Monsters, from 1970, is one to seek out). Other films, perhaps most notably the Aztec Mummy trilogy (1957-8), more directly tie mummy tropes to Aztec aesthetics and history, in part, reportedly, to avoid copyright infringement considering how heavily screenwriter Alfredo Salazar pulled from Universal’s version. These mummies, though, more closely resembled the Mummies of Guanajuato, naturally mummified bodies that were a popular tourist attraction.  The best of the trilogy is the third entry, The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy, which, as it happens, is less interested in either robots or mummies than it is in telling a Frankenstein’s monster-like story of “reanimating” a human-robot. In any case, the mummy does show up, looking uncomfortably like Leatherface. The Aztec-Egyptian assemblage does result in inaccurate portrayals of hieroglyphics (Aztecs used pictographs), and Incas actually practiced mummification, not the Aztecs. Even so, the madcap nonsense is ideal viewing while under certain medicinal influences.  Credit: Cinematografica Calderon Brazil also distributed a number of unique mummy films, including O Segredo da Múmia (The Secret of the Mummy, 1982). The story is similar to the original mummy shorts, as a scientist seeking the elixir of life uncovers an ancient tomb in Egypt, awakening a mummy who happens to be a love-spurned killer. It is, well, rather campy, a practically-softcore, erotically-charged take of anarchic comedy—in Brazil, a subgenre called pornochanchada—that barely holds together. Here, there is less attention paid to localisation, and more to the absurd pastiche of genres, styles, and iconography.  The UK reimagined the mummy through Hammer Films’ less “romantic” interpretation, first in The Mummy (1959), as Christopher Lee played the bandaged monster as a more action-oriented rampager, ultimately offering a more exciting and imposing version, even if it somehow has a more uncomfortable colonial sheen to it than the 1932 version. The next two Hammer mummy films are barely worth mentioning, but their final effort, Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971), is a somewhat intriguing take, even as the mummy as such is sidelined in favor of dark occult happenings and outrageous vulgarisms.  Egypt itself, one of the most successful film industries in the Arab world, has almost entirely ignored the mummy in its cinema. A slight exception would be The Night of Counting the Years (1969), also released as The Mummy, a neo-realist masterpiece which explicitly deals with the moment right before British colonial rule in the country. Taking place in 1881, and based on a true story about the sacking of ancient tombs and the selling of mummies and other relics on the black market, it confronts the value of heritage and tradition, and the threat of the past from outside and from within. As it becomes increasingly mythical, the stolen mummies come to reflect a much broader and thornier meaning of history itself being robbed of its reality.  In recent decades, then, the mummy film has taken on a decidedly populist and, in some cases, postmodern status. There is the franchise with Brendan Fraser (1999, 2001, 2008), massively popular films, simultaneously irresistible as popcorn entertainment and troubling in their obvious and ill-considered Orientalism. That the franchise is making a comeback now, perhaps spurred  by the ongoing Fraser renaissance, suggests that its continued relevance goes beyond nostalgia, that there’s something about its swashbuckling, adventurous formula that audiences are again demanding. Then, there was Tom Cruise’s attempt to reboot The Mummy (2017) and kickstart the Universal “Dark Universe,” which was canceled following the film’s failure. If anything, it’s probably best remembered by many today because of the trailer released for the film with the wrong audio track, a video which routinely gets re-shared on social media.  Credit: Vitagraph Films The best (post)modern take may just be Bubba Ho-tep, Don Coscarelli’s (of Phantasm fame) ridiculous story of a still-alive Elvis Presley teaming up with a dyed-black JFK to battle an ancient, cowboy boot-wearing mummy terrorizing their nursing home by feeding on the souls of its residents through their anuses. It’s both puerile and juvenile, but very funny, and it somehow manages to appropriate the mummy for a moving treatment of aging and what it means to be facing death and confronting your “legacy,” or what you might leave behind. As Elvis asks at one point, “In the end… does anything really matter?”  Perhaps here is the core of the mummy film, whether in 1918 or today: Death is always coming for you, and there’s nothing you can do about it—but maybe being preserved on film is one way to overcome it. That feeling will never go out of style.[end-mark] The post The Many Evolutions of the Cinematic Mummy appeared first on Reactor.

News Resident Evil Resident Evil Teaser Trailer “Kind Of” Takes Place in Resident Evil 2‘s World, Says Zach Cregger Trash Panda City is no place to be alone at night. Or ever By Molly Templeton | Published on April 30, 2026 Image: Sony Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Sony Pictures There are definitely better places to be a courier having some mysterious sort of trouble. The first teaser for the new Resident Evil movie—which comes to us courtesy of Weapons director Zach Cregger—isn’t very long, and it doesn’t say very much, but it doesn’t need to. A young fellow named Bryan (Austin Abrams) breaks into an empty house in search of help. Something has happened to him on the road, and things don’t exactly look good. We hear him leaving a message, but it becomes a bit difficult to pay attention to what he’s saying once the zombies—or, you know, just their limbs—start showing up. Speaking to the PlayStation Blog, Cregger’s enthusiasm for the Resident Evil game series is clear. As is his approach to this world and the way a person is forced to move through it. Cregger said that what he loved about the games is “this new mechanic of resource conservation. You had to be completely aware of how many bullets you had, and how many healing items you had. You’d make these tough decisions about – what am I going to carry with me? What am I going to leave behind? It was such a unique mechanic. And it felt for me, with all the Resident Evil games, or with most of them, some of them get a little too arcade-y for my taste, but I really like the survival horror mechanics of moving slow and with deliberation. That was something that was really important to me to bring into the movie.” The trailer puts this mechanic front and center as Bryan digs through the empty house, looking for anything that’ll help him. Enter: a conveniently placed shotgun! Probably with very few shells. Cregger also said that the movie “kind of” takes place in the world of Resident Evil 2, though he notes he made “a couple of little shifts for dramatic license.” He describes the character of Bryan—notably the only human we see in this teaser—as “just a good-natured, hapless dude who gets sucked into a nightmare.” He is not Leon, the well-trained game character who knows how to handle himself. He’s clear about why this movie isn’t retelling the story of a specific Resident Evil game: “To me, I would feel like there’s kind of no winning there if I were to tell Leon’s story, because the games do such a great job. It would just be kind of redundant, and ultimately, I think, disappointing. So I would rather just kind of celebrate everything I love about the games by telling the story that could exist on the sidelines of one of the games.” Cregger’s Resident Evil—which the director co-wrote with Shay Hatten—is in theaters September 18.[end-mark] The post <i>Resident Evil</i> Teaser Trailer “Kind Of” Takes Place in <i>Resident Evil 2</i>‘s World, Says Zach Cregger appeared first on Reactor.