Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

It’s that time of year when folk start looking for presents for the science fiction / fantasy / horror / superhero (etc.)-loving fan in their life, so we’ve pulled together a brief list of suggestions that might fit the bill – starting off with some tie-in merchandise you might not have encountered.

Let’s start with the good Doctor, and there’s a lot of choice as ever for Doctor Who fans:

Coming out soon is the new version of the unfinished Tom Baker story Shada with animation from the team behind last year’s The Power of the Daleks.

If you’re after a good read to dip into over the Christmas period, there’s the epic history, Dalek (reviewed here) or The Book of Whoniversal Records (reviewed here) – but if you want something a bit different, why not take a step back in time and revist the Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett comic strips from DWM in It’s Even Bigger on the Inside  (reviewed here).

Fans of Star Trek are hopefully enjoying the new series Discovery, but may not be aware of the tie-in book by David Mack that sees Mr Spock involved with the series’ lead character, Michael Burnham: Desperate Hours  (reviewed here).

For those who’ve enjoyed the trilogy of recent movies, there’s a great new book by Joe Nazzaro that shows off the hours of work that goes into the make-up and creation of the alien characters: Star Trek Beyond – The Makeup Artistry of Joel Harlow

Buffy the Vampire Slayer celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and there’s been some great tie-ins including Willow’s Grimoire, which tells the story of the series in a rather different way. (Read our review here.)

Chris Golden has also updated his Watcher’s Guide, which has always been the essential guide to all things Buffy, to mark the anniversary. There’s also an oral history of the series, with fascinating glimpses behind the scenes of both Buffy and its spin-off show Angel: Slayers and Vampires: The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized, Oral History of Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel

For those who’ve had their love of The X-Files rekindled by the recent miniseries, there are two audio collections that are well worth seeking out. They’re based on the IDW comics by Joe Harris and Chris Carter, and adapted by Dirk Maggs. Cold Cases (reviewed here) and Stolen Lives (reviewed here) between them tell an epic tale.

James Bond fans haven’t had a new movie or novel to get their teeth into this year, but they may not be aware of the very different version of 007 that appeared in the Daily Express newspaper strip in the 1960s, which went far beyond simply adapting Ian Fleming’s stories. Titan have published two volumes in lavish hardbacks: SPECTRE (reviewed here) and Octopussy  

The Folio Society have also been releasing new editions of Ian Fleming’s novels; the most recent – Moonraker – depicting one of the often-overlooked Bond girls: Gala Brand, who assisted 007 in preventing Hugo Drax from destroying London.

Updating this in the week before Christmas:

With Star Wars: The Last Jedi storming the box office, there are lots of goodies for Star Wars fans – including all the tie-in books from DK: The Visual Dictionary and Incredible Cross-Sections will be reviewed here on the site in the next few days (they could only be released once the movie was out!). You can keep warm with the Star Wars Heat Holders snazzy socks (which really do the trick in the below zero temperatures we’ve been having recently), or fill the room with light with a Holopane Light Box featuring Darth Vader!

And HBO fans really do need to head over to the store where there are loads of Game of Thrones and Westworld items available. We’ve covered the board games before but there are mugs (which survive the ravages of the postal system!) and Pops!, as well as tree ornaments and clothing.