(1) BUSINESS RISK. What’s one drag on a country’s translated book market you may not have predicted? “Young Finns snub their mother tongue by reading in English” reports the Guardian.
Growing numbers of young people in Finland are buying books in English rather than in their mother tongue, raising fears among publishers over the future of translated literature.
One in four titles sold in Finnish bookshops last year were written in a foreign language, according to figures from the country’s association of booksellers. In the vast majority of cases, that language was English.
A major cause of the increased demand for English language works, say publishers, is BookTok – a reading community on TikTok that has a growing influence on the industry. Young readers do not want to wait for a Finnish translation to come out to take part in the BookTok conversation. Instead, they are simply buying the English-language version.
As is the case in neighbouring Sweden, the dominance of English across the internet, social media, film and TV also means it is seen as aspirational for young people to be seen to speak and read in English.
With a population of only 5.6 million, translated fiction has been a vital part of the Finnish publishing industry. Finnish language titles brought in just €26m (£23m) of the €57m generated by all fiction book sales across digital and print last year.
Among the most popular English language titles were works by the US authors Rebecca Yarros and Colleen Hoover.
Leena Balme of WSOY, a Finnish publishing house, said changed buying habits meant they had to think “very carefully whether it is worth the risk to translate a book into Finnish”. It was rare, she added, that a publisher had the rights and the manuscript for a book in time to publish it in Finnish at the same time as the English language version….
(2) LEVAR BURTON NEWS. Publishers Weekly announces, “LeVar Burton Named ABA’s Indie Bookstore Ambassador”.
The American Booksellers Association announced this morning that LeVar Burton is the organization’s Indie Bookstore Ambassador for 2025-2026. As ambassador, Burton will champion indie bookstores, especially on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29, 2025) and Independent Bookstore Day (Apr. 25, 2026).
The ABA stated in a release that Burton “has dedicated decades to encouraging children to read,” including with his debut documentary The Right to Read, which premiered in 2023 and “positions the literacy crisis in America as a civil rights issue.” He is the author of a speculative fiction novel, Aftermath (Aspect, 1997), as well as the children’s books The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm (illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher, Reading Rainbow, 2014) and A Kid’s Book About Imagination (DK, 2023).
In 2021, Burton was named the inaugural PEN/Faulkner literary champion by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for his “literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers.”…
(3) SPACEBALLS 2 CAST. “’Spaceballs 2′ Starts Production, Cast Photo Unveiled”. Deadline makes the introductions.
Amazon MGM Studios has made official what Deadline previously told you: There is a Spaceballs 2 with Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga reprising their respective roles as Dark Helmet, Lone Star and Princess Vespa. There’s also the series additions, which we told you about, including Josh Gad, Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman.
New cast members who were unannounced are Barry and Superman actor Anthony Carrigan and A Serious Man‘s George Wyner, who played Colonel Sandurz in the original 1987 movie which grossed over $38M domestic.
And of course, the sci-fi comedy pic’s architect, Mel Brooks, is back, returning to his roles as Zen Yiddish wise guy Yogurt and President Skroob.
The photo, of course, mirrors the famous table read image featuring the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which itself marked a return to a beloved franchise from a galaxy far, far away. Appropriate, given Spaceballs is a parody of that mythos.
(4) PARTY OF FIVE. “Adventures in Tourism: Five SFF Stories About Travel” – selected by James Davis Nicoll for Reactor.
The world exhibiting as it does a marvellous diversity of cultures, the question arises of how best to appreciate them. Unimpeachable experts1 assure us that the answer is “in person.” Pictures in magazines and dense text in hefty tomes are fine, but neither can replace reality.
Perhaps examples of the wonders awaiting travellers are in order. Here are the first five that came to mind….
(5) ‘TIS THE SEASON. Science’s roundup of “Fall Books 2025” includes a review of Ken Liu’s All That We See or Seem (on page 3).
…Loss and reconnection are prominent themes in this work, which are compellingly explored as Julia attempts to make sense of the digital traces Elli left behind. It is in seemingly mundane scenarios—when Piers prepares food and coffee for Julia while she works, for example—that Liu demonstrates how we can show up for each other through simple acts of care. The absurd and treacherous situations the pair find themselves in do not drive them apart but rather allow Julia, in particular, to find safety in community. Although Julia’s identity as a Chinese American is not central to the plot of this book—the first in a planned series—Liu takes the time to contextualize how xenophobia and anti-Asian bias and discrimination have affected herand her “restless and fearless” mother, a Chinese immigrant. This is the sort of book a reader can get lost in—not to escape the world but rather to meditate on questions of deep moral significance….
(6) OCTOTHORPE. Episode 144 of the Octothorpe podcast, “I Have Opinions on Women”, says —
OCTOTHORPE 144 IS THE LAW. As well as a pleasing rhyme, alert listeners will know this heralds the episode on 2012’s Dredd! We hope you enjoy the episode, and remember: until your assessment is formally over, you’re still entitled to dispense justice.
An uncorrected transcript is at the link.
(7) CONGRATULATIONS. Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki proudly announced on Facebook that he has agents.
I’m now represented for film/TV/media by Vince Gerardis of Starling Inc, the producer of Game of Thrones, House of The Dragon, the forthcoming Elden Ring movie, and others. Also reps GRR Martin, Larry Niven, Joe Haldeman, , Robert Silverberg, Robert J Sawyer, the Heinlein, Asimov, Sturgeon, Pratchet estates, etc.
And my literary agent is @lTrident Media Group’s Vice president, Mark Gottlieb SVP and Literary Agent at Trident Media Group.
TMG has also repped Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Marlon James, Tom Clancy, etc.
(8) THE GODS THEMSELVES. A Polygon reviewer says “Waiting a year to play Hades 2 was absolutely the right call”.
…Hades 2 in its fully realized form is a splendid sight to behold, with developer Supergiant Games flexing its collective artistic talent. In early access? The gods were hot, yes, but everyone’s favorite merchant Charon didn’t have a complete design yet and someone like poor Narcissus was only just fully revealed in June. Other final artwork, like Melinoë’s now-gorgeous Arcana Cards, were also added over time.
Those are just the superficial aspects, though; Melinoë’s arsenal of Nocturnal Arms was consistently tinkered with throughout the early access period, and they weren’t all available until the game’s first major update five months later. That Olympic Update, like the Warsong and Unseen Updates after it, brought major changes to the game. It introduced a whole new area and more story content and dialogue.
That right there is the real crux of why waiting for 1.0 feels like the right decision. So much of the joy in Hades and Hades 2 comes from interacting and bonding with their casts of gods, incarnates, and other characters. To play through the game without the full cast available — someone like Ares, for example, wasn’t added until nine months in — and without their dialogues complete would be to miss out on so much of what makes these games rewarding….
They’ve also dropped a gameplay video: “Hades II – v1.0 Gameplay Showcase”.
(9) MEMORY LANE.
[Written by Cat Eldridge.]
September 25, 1987 — The Princess Bride
Thirty-eight years ago today, what might indeed be the sweetest film ever released premiered: The Princess Bride. Yes, I’m biased. Really biased. And the novel is even better.
Based off the exemplary novel of fourteen years earlier by William Goldman, who adapted it for the screen, I need not detail the story here as I know there’s not a single individual here who’s not familiar with it. If there is anyone here with that hole in their film education, why are you reading this instead of going to watch it? You can watch it on Disney +.
It’s a very sweet love story, it’s a send-up of classic adventure tales, it’s a screwball comedy, it’s a, well, it’s a lot of things done absolutely perfectly. Did I mention sword fights? Well, I should. Great sword fights they are.
I fell in love with The Princess Bride when Grandfather played by Peter Falk repeated these lines from the novel: “That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today, I’m gonna read it to you.” A film about a book. Cool!
Yes, they shortened the title of book which was The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The “Good Parts” Version. Bit unwieldy for a film, I’d say. Though a stellar book title indeed. Though not to put on the cover I suppose.
There are very few films that successfully adapt a book exactly as it written. (Not looking at you the first version of Dune or Starship Troopers.) The only one I’ve seen that did was Like Water for Chocolate off the novel by Laura Esquivel. That Goldman wrote the script obviously was essential and the cast which you know by heart, so I’ll not detail here were stellar in their roles certainly made a pitch perfect difference.
Rob Reiner was without doubt the director for it and the interviews with him have indicated his deeply affectionate love for the novel.
That it won a Hugo at Nolacon II was I think was predestined. I won’t say it is just magical as it was intrinsically magical in the way the best uplifting films always are. And I think that it was by far the best film that year. My opinion, yours of course might well be different.
Only six percent of the audience reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes don’t like it. Were they at the wrong film?
Deluxe one-sixth scale figures of the characters including Westley (Dread Pirate Roberts) are being released. You can stage your own version of the film.
There were film posters, oh there certainly were. I selected the one that was used the most.
(10) COMICS SECTION.
- Bliss knows how to look.
- Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee thought he was writing fiction.
- Loose Parts breaks the whatever-numbered-wall this is.
- Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal depicts an extreme breed.
(11) THE PRINCE GROOM. [Item by Steven French.] Chris Sarandon has been through the mill when it comes to his career but he has good memories of The Princess Bride (in which he played bad Prince Humperdinck) as he says here in an interview in the Guardian (sorry Sheffield – I know you have great food. Now.): “’I lost everything!’ Chris Sarandon on Dog Day Afternoon, ex-wife Susan and the fraud that took his life savings”.
He has particularly fond memories of Bride: improvising puns with Christopher Guest; introducing his young daughters to the legendary André the Giant (they ran away in terror. André said to him: “Either they run towards me or they run away from me”); director Rob Reiner and the cast singing doo-wop tunes on the set. Shooting in Sheffield, “the food was not great, so we did a lot of barbecuing. We would go into Rob’s room and sit around and play games, eat burgers and have a great time.”
(12) BOOK VS. FILM. ScreenRant calls these the “6 Biggest Issues With Hermione’s Portrayal In The Harry Potter Movies”.
…Just four years later, Harry Potter and company made the jump to the big screen. The Harry Potter movie series was also a pop culture phenomenon, launching the careers of its young cast and being well-received by fans of the book series. However, the movies had to make some adjustments to the characters and stories that weren’t always beneficial.
Many characters, like Peeves, were completely left out, many others were changed, and some key moments were omitted. Unfortunately, and despite being a main character, Hermione went through this and more, and she was very different from her portrayal in the books…
One of these differences is —
The Harry Potter Movies Made Hermione Too Compatible With Harry
Everyone who read the Harry Potter books knows that Hermione and Harry are always friends, and her romantic bond with Ron is a slow-burn – however, the movies did this differently. The Harry Potter saga changed some of Hermione’s traits and moments from the books to make her more compatible with Harry.
This was also thanks to changes made to Harry and Ron, with the first being portrayed as the brave one of the group, Ron being the comic relief, and Hermione being the brains. This gave Harry and Hermione more interactions and time together, and the movies even showed them comforting each other and working together to essentially save the world.
(13) TODAY’S THING TO WORRY ABOUT. [Item by Steven French.] Not now, invisible asteroids! “’Invisible’ asteroids near Venus may threaten Earth in the future” according to Phys.org.
An international study led by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil has identified a little-known but potentially significant threat: Asteroids that share Venus’s orbit and may completely escape current observational campaigns because of their position in the sky. These objects have not yet been observed, but they could strike Earth within a few thousand years. Their impacts could devastate large cities.
“Our study shows that there’s a population of potentially dangerous asteroids that we can’t detect with current telescopes. These objects orbit the sun, but aren’t part of the asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter. Instead, they’re much closer, in resonance with Venus. But they’re so difficult to observe that they remain invisible, even though they may pose a real risk of collision with our planet in the distant future,” astronomer Valerio Carruba, a professor at the UNESP School of Engineering at the Guaratinguetá campus (FEG-UNESP) and first author of the study, told Agência FAPESP.
The study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. The work combined analytical modeling and long-term numerical simulations to track the dynamics of these objects and assess their potential to come dangerously close to Earth.
The so-called “Venusian co-orbital asteroids” circle the sun rather than the planet, but they share the same orbital region and similar periods.
“These objects enter into 1:1 resonance with Venus, which means that they complete one revolution around the sun in the same time as the planet,” the researcher explains.
Unlike Jupiter Trojans, which tend to be more stable, the Venusian co-orbitals known to date are highly eccentric and unstable. They alternate between different orbital configurations in cycles that last, on average, about 12,000 years. These transitions mean that the same object can be in a safe configuration close to Venus one moment and pass close to Earth at another.
“During these transition phases, the asteroids can reach extremely small distances from Earth’s orbit, potentially crossing it,” Carruba warns.
(14) CHOW CALL. How It Should Have Ended has composed “’Breakfast For My Food’, the Superman HISHE Song”. Is it actually amusing enough to include in the Scroll? You decide.
(15) VIDEO OF THE DAY. Ryan George has Reasons for asking “What The Hell Is Going On With Disney?”
Disney parks! The happiest places on Earth… with the highest concentration of mobility scooters per square mile. But look, beneath the Mickey-shaped pretzels and overpriced corn dogs, there’s a lot of weird stuff going on. So yeah, it turns out the most magical place on earth is also kinda the weirdest…. Anyway, watch the video, learn some cursed facts, and then try not to think about them next time you’re standing in line for Space Mountain. Leave a comment with your favorite weird Disney fact (or your favorite ash-scattering technique — no actually don’t do that).
[Thanks to Kathy Sullivan, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, N., John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Mark Roth-Whitworth, and Steven French for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jack Lint.]
