Blog Posts

Short Fiction Review: July 2018 – Dinosaurs!

/

Rejoice! It is a summer for dinosaurs! In July, Uncanny Magazine published Issue 23, a special shared-universe dinosaur issue! The stories revolve around abandoned islands, portals, dinosaurs, and the mysterious Owen Corporation. Yes, there’s a certain Jurassic Park-like flair to this prompt, and that’s totally fine by me. I especially enjoyed “Red Lizard Brigade” by Sam J. Miller, an enjoyable yet heart-breaking tale of betrayal, loyalty, love, and (of course) dinosaurs. And I’m absolutely enamored with K.M. Szpara’s “You Can Make a Dinosaur, but You Can’t Help Me,” a challenging but rewarding story about family and found family. And if that’s not enough dinosaurs for you, A. Merc Rustad is currently editing an anthology of original flash fiction stories about robot dinosaurs. I’d also be remiss not to mention that the folks behind Uncanny are currently Kickstarting Uncanny Magazine Year Five, so be sure to check that out as well.

Blog Posts

Book Review: A Demon in Silver by R. S. Ford

/

A Demon in Silver by R. S. Ford starts off the War of Archon series. The novel chronicles the return of magic to a medieval world where, a century ago, both the Gods and their magic disappeared, suddenly, without warning. Locking away the Gods, and Magic, for a century has not done the world that many favors. Things have progressed on, petty nobles squabble, raiders raid, violent sects in the desert fight against each other. The world has not truly changed in their absence, not at the fundamental level.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Signal Boost #40 — Claire O’Dell, Daniel Hansen, and Ilana C. Myer

/

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost40ODellHansenMyer/Sandf–SignalBoost40–OdellHansenMyer.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSAfter a long break, we’re back with not two but THREE WHOLE INTERVIEWS! Because you deserve it (and also we need to catch up). In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Paul talks to Claire O’Dell (the pen name of Beth Bernobich) about the first book in her new science fiction mystery series inspired by Sherlock Homes, A Study in Honor. They discuss why Claire chose both the specific new voices for Watson and Sherlock, how the setting came about, the intersections of race, class, and power that she explores, and more! Then Becca is joined by Daniel Hansen, author of The Trickster’s War Series, the short story collection, This Coyote’s Life as Told by an Old NDN, and so much more. They discuss the influence that the stories of his childhood have had on his work, why his work might be identified as magical realism, the differences between writing novels and short stories, and, as always, more! Last, but certainly not least, Paul is joined by Ilana C. Myer about the sequel to Last Song Before Night, Fire Dance! They discuss how Fire Dance builds upon the first book but still remains accessible to new readers, the real world models that influenced the world-building, the consequences of bringing magic into a world that hadn’t had any, and the power of Ursula K. LeGuin. We hope you enjoy the episode!

SF in Translation, The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Speculative Fiction in Translation #7: Croatia, Quebec, and Condomnauts

/

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SFiTEpisode7CroatiaQuebecAndCondomnauts/Sfit-Episode7-CroatiaQuebecAndCondomnauts.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSJuly brought us speculative stories, books, and collections translated from the Chinese, Spanish, Croatian, French, Finnish, Portuguese, and Swedish. So much great stuff! From post-apocalyptic science fiction to Swedish horror to magical realism from Quebec, you’ll have no problem finding excellent reading material. Plus, you can check out reviews of these and other stories around the internet. I also tell you about my current reading and translation work (still working on that Italian surrealist noir!) With new stories and books coming to our attention each week, make sure to check the SFT website for updates. Enjoy, and keep reading! A bientôt! Show notes:

Blog Posts

Book Review: Red Waters Rising by Laura Anne Gilman

/

The Devil’s West trilogy comes to its concluding volume in Laura Anne Gilman’s Red Waters Rising, sequel to Silver on the Road and The Cold Eye. The novel finishes, at least in this trilogy the stories of Izzy and Gabriel, bringing their adventures to the furthermost southeastern portion of the Devil’s Territory, and a glimpse at the limits of the future of the entirety of the Territory, as well. The plotting of the novel follows a similar pattern to the first two volumes in this concluding volume, in the broadest of senses. Izzy and Gabriel head toward the town of Red Branch (in our world’s position and location of Baton Rouge), along the way getting intimations that this region of the  boundary of the the Territory is under some sort of unknown, vague threat. Izzy and Gabriel have been on the Road for a while now, Izzy growing into her role as the Devil’s Hand. They come to the Red Branch area to find that the local Native residents and the town’s residents alike are uneasy, tensions are high, and the Americans on the other side of the river loom as a threat.  The Americans have threatened the Territory before, and perhaps they are game for another try. The Red Waters may indeed, rise, whether Izzy and Gabriel will or no.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Torture Cinema #81: Frogs (1972)

/

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFTortureCinema81Frogs/Sandf-TortureCinema81-Frogs.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS Toads, Sam Elliot’s missing mustache, and weaponized Spanish moss, oh my! In today’s hoptastic episode, Alex, Paul, David, and special guest Michael J. Martinez try to drain the swamp of the southern patriarchy as they discuss the 1972 “killer” amphibian classic, Frogs. From leapless pacing, stagnant antagonists, and horribbitless story (all the terror of fluffy bunnies… less, really, at least fluffy bunnies have teeth), this is one worth throwing back to the lilypads. Come for the man pelts, stay for the fantastic lesson on early killer wildlife horror films (David has a ton of suggestions for further/better viewing)! We hope you enjoy the episode!

Scroll to Top