The story of Daniel Mackmain, son of a Dryad, inspired by Juliet McKenna’s 2012 story “The Roots of Aston Quercus”, is told in her new novel, The Green Man’s Heir. The Green Man’s Heir combines a strong sense of place with a confident use of rural fantasy to create a strong character and excellent worldbuilding.
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/TortureCinema80LostInSpace/TortureCinema80–LostInSpace.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSCyborg spiders, diapers, and boob seams, oh my! Jen, Paul, Alex, and Elizabeth (in her Torture Cinema debut) discuss the utterly disastrous 1998 movie adaptation of Lost in Space. From the terrible costumes to atrocious world-building, they collectively dive into the travesty Stephen Hopkins nostalgic enema while still managing to find a few nuggets of things to not completely despise. Do yourself a favor and go watch the new Netflix version and never, ever, ever waste your time with this one. We hope you enjoy the episode!
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?
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!)
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.
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!)
