Science Fiction

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

863. Aerospace Engineering w/ Eric Choi — SF At School

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https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-863-sfat-school-eric-choi/SandF_863_SFAtSchool_EricChoi.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSpace metal, exploration, and mars rovers, oh my! Trish Matson sits down with Eric Choi for an educational conversation about aerospace engineering and science fiction. Together, they explore the value of space exploration, the impact of aerospace engineering of human civilization, editing collections, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Cover of Murder at World's End, by Ross Montgomery, featuring a manor house on a cliff, with stars and Halley's Comet above, and ocean waves below.
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Book Review: Murder at World’s End, by Ross Montgomery

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Murder at World’s End (2025) is a mystery, not speculative fiction, but it involves scientific thinking (and hysteria) of 1910, when Halley’s Comet came relatively near to the Earth, and this novel also strongly reminds me of several works of science fiction; therefore, I think it’s worth reviewing here. There are a few points that annoy me a little, but on the whole, I find it quite enthralling, and I look forward to a planned sequel. (But don’t worry, the plot here resolves without leaving the reader hanging.)

Cover of Shoeshine Boy and Cigarette Girl, by P.A. Cornell (cover art by Kim Herbst), featuring a dark-haired young man in a cap with a shoeshine kit and a smartly dressed blonde with a cigarette tray; they are looking over their shoulders at each other, with a futuristic cityscape behind them.
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Review: Shoeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl, by P.A. Cornell

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If you’re in the mood for a quick, cozy, elegantly crafted story, Shoeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl, by P.A. Cornell, may be right up your alley. It’s highly stylized, so this novelette certainly won’t be to everybody’s taste, and the speculative elements could be removed without altering the retro-futuristic near-noir romance plot much, but it also has a great deal of charm. It also has a female protagonist you can cheer for, a smart one, who knows what she wants and takes action to get it. Additionally, it has a male co-protagonist who is, unfortunately, a sap. He’s a fool for love, but also foolish in other ways, not only trusting the wrong people but taking terrible risks with his own partner’s trust. After I lost most of my patience with him, fortunately, the book focused almost entirely on her.

Cover of And Side by Side They Wander, by Molly Tanzer, featuring a woman's silhouette (with an art-museum filling) superimposed on a male silhouette (with circuitry filling) in front of mushrooms.
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Book Review: And Side by Side They Wander, by Molly Tanzer

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Molly Tanzer, whom I first became aware of through her new Jirel of Joiry story for New Edge Sword & Sorcery magazine, has previously won recognition for her fantasy novels and steampunk historical fiction. Her new novella, And Side by Side They Wander, is her first longform publication in science fiction/space opera, but I certainly hope she continues writing in this genre, too! She explores interesting questions in an open-ended way, but neither the philosophizing nor some interstitial reminiscences slow down the interstellar art-heist plot significantly. This story goes down easily while leaving the reader hungry for more.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

861. S&F Discusses (Impromptu): 2026 Hugo Awards

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https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-861-2026-hugo-awards/SandF_861_2026HugoAwards.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSFan awards, books, and delicious finalists, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson host an impromptu discussion about the 2026 Hugo Awards. Together, they share and talk about the finalists, talk about the exhaustion of fandom drama, explore ballot dynamics, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

860. John Chu (a.k.a. The Dimensional Chef) — The Subtle Art of Folding Space

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https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-860-john-chu/SandF_860_JohnChu.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSkunkworks, broken physics, and family issues, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer are joined by John Chu for a discussion about his new novel, The Subtle Art of Folding Space! Together, they explore John’s treatment of food, the real and fantastical science in the book, weird family dynamics, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!

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