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A Book By Its Cover: Head On by John Scalzi

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In this light and charming novel, we see a side of author John Scalzi that will surprise his readers — a sense of humor. The writer best known for works like the tragic, grimdark space opera, Old Man O’ War, about an artificially intelligent military starship confronting its own obsolescence, or the biochemistry-driven hard SF thriller Reagent to the Stars, which famously inspired Peter Watts to comment, “I couldn’t finish it. Too intense. And would it kill Scalzi to crack a joke once in a while?” isn’t a name that we usually associate with comedy. But I’m here to tell you, Scalzi can be funny. Who knew?

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Comics Review – a look at this year’s Hugo nominees

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The finalists for this year’s Hugo Awards were announced on March 31, and of course I was particularly interested in the Best Graphic Story category. While none of the works I suggested made it on to the final ballot, I’m very happy with the works that did. There’s a real breadth and diversity of both creators and subject matter that I found deeply heartening to see. So this month, I’m taking a closer look at each of the six nominees: Bitch Planet Volume 2: President Bitch; Black Bolt, Volume 1: Hard Time; Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood; My Favorite Thing is Monsters; Paper Girls, Volume 3; and Saga, Volume 7. (These reviews contain spoilers!)

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Book Review: Born to the Blade by Mike Underwood, Cassandra Khaw, Marie Brennan and Malka Older

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Imagine a place where diverse and very different polities come to meet, to trade, to conduct diplomacy, to intrigue. Amidst large and scheming powers in a world on the edge of conflict and war, this is a shining beacon, all alone in the night. Imagine a group of ambassadors who come to meet at this place. They have agendas, factions, goals, hopes, fears that they bring with them from across known space. And what they do will not only change their lives, but the destinies of worlds far beyond theirs. No, this is not Babylon 5*. For this place is a trio of islands in the sky; the diplomats and ambassadors are skilled with swords and blade-based magic. Welcome to the world of Serial Box’s latest serial, Born to the Blade.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Signal Boost #38 — At ICFA — The Dell Award Finalists

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https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost38DellAwardFinalists/Sandf–SignalBoost38–DellAwardFinalists.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIn today’s episode of Signal Boost, Shaun, Julia and Joyce sit down with the finalists for the Dell Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing at ICFA! They talk to Arthur Davis (the 2018 Dell Award Winner), C.E. McGill, Brittney Hubley, and Alexandra Barr about their experiences at ICFA, their work and influences, and becoming Dell Award Finalists (you, too, can submit to the Dell Award)! We hope you enjoy the episode! (This is a live recording, so please excuse the audio!)

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

At the Movies #68: Annihilation (2018) w/ Zin E. Rocklyn

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https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFAtTheMovies68Annihilation/Sandf–AtTheMovies68–Annihilation.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS A biologist, a geologist, and some other awesome people walk into a podcast… In today’s episode of At the Movies, Alex, Paul, Mike, and Daniel are joined by the lovely Teri (a.k.a. Zin E. Rocklyn) to discuss Alex Garland’s adaptation of the Jeff Vandermeer novel of the same name, Annihilation. They mostly talk about how truly terrifying imagery, but they also try to suss out exactly what Garland was trying to do with a certain biological premise. This is rife with spoilers, so make sure you’re ready for it before diving into the the surreal storytelling of Annihilation. We hope you enjoy the episode!

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Book Review: Song and Key by Alix Bekins and Connie Bailey

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An adventure in the style of The Man From U.N.C.L.E, with a touch of paranormal and a healthy dose of easy sexuality, Song and Key is a fun romp through the countryside of Romania, following two secret agents on their mission to do their boss a favor. Alix Bekins and Connie Bailey partner up to write a classic secret-agents-on-a-mission book, easily read in a single afternoon.

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