The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Reading Rangers #4: The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ReadingRangers4VorGameByLoisMcMasterBujold/ReadingRangers4–VorGameByLoisMcmasterBujold.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSHello, Rangers! In this installment of Reading Rangers, Paul, Trish, Kate and special guest, Anne Lyle, tackle the fourth book (internal chronology) of the Vorkosigan Saga — The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold. Kate’s the only new one this time, so the old hats do their best not to spoil anything for her! They discuss Gregor’s responsibilities and the concept of noblesse oblige, the disappointment of the two dimensional femme fatale character, and why the original novella, Weatherman (otherwise known as the first six chapters of The Vor Game), is so good compared to the novel as a whole. They also ponder the very real possibility that George R.R. Martin found quite a bit of inspiration in Miles. Next time, we’ll be discussing Cetaganda. Miles has defeated them once, but will he be able to navigate their world? Find out next time! We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

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Book review: The Levee by Damon Norko

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Everybody from J.G. Ballard to Paolo Bacigalupi to George Miller has tackled the “extreme drought” future, but few have taken it quite as far as Damon Norko has done in his latest novella, The Levee. The world of The Levee is one in which not only have the rivers and lakes dried up, but so have the oceans. Barsoom-like*, humanity now dwells on the dead sea bottoms, and water, pumped from deep under those bottoms, has become so scarce and precious that it is used as currency, making for a weird and cumbersome economic system that I’ll expand upon later in this review.

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My Superpower: Aidan Doyle

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My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome Aidan Doyle. My superpower is reading the air. I taught English in Japan for 4 years and I once heard my students referring to someone who was KY. I learned this meant kuuki yomenai — literally unable to read the air. Unable to read the unspoken messages others are trying to convey. Unable to grasp the context of the situation.

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Book Review: City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is as elusive and complicated as its main character, Nahiri. When we meet Nahiri, it is 18th century Cairo under tenuous French control. She lives in a poor section of the city, not far from the Necropolis. She’s a healer, a con artist, and a thief who is willing to rob places while the owners are away. And yet she has power and ability she herself does not quite understand, a nature that is fragile as is her position. This sets up the novel starting off, anyway, as a historical fantasy, a historical urban fantasy at that. The novel switches gears, however, when Nahiri accidentally summons a djinn. Soon on the run, Nahiri and the djinn, Dara, are traveling across the Middle East to a hidden city of the djinn, Daevabad. There, they encounter Prince Ali, already chafing under the reign of his father and the future reign of his brother, and a city on the edge of change, or destruction. We get intrigue, political agitation, ancient secrets and much more within the bounds of the city.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Signal Boost #27: K. Arsenault Rivera (The Tiger's Daughter) and Stacey Berg (Echo Hunter 367 Duology)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost27K.ArsenaultRiveraStaceyBerg/Sandf–SignalBoost27–K.ArsenaultRiveraStaceyBerg.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIn today’s episode of Signal Boost, Jen talks K. Arsenault Rivera about her debut novel, The Tiger’s Daughter. K talks about the narrative structure of the novel, the importance of queer representation, how her Kung Fu film obsession helped her write the action sequences, and gives us a great break down of the important characters. Then Stacey Berg, author of Dissension and Regeneration, joins Paul to tell us about her character driven, post-apocalyptic Echo Hunter 367 Duology, how they were shaped by a very specific scene and what inspired the post-apocalyptic secular society she created. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

341. NaNoWriMo — A Discussion w/ Cat Rambo, Nicky Drayden, and C.B. Lee

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https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode341NaNoWriMo/Sandf–Episode341–Nanowrimo.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSChaos, crap, and community, oh my! Paul is joined by Elizabeth Fitzgerald, the newest member of the Skiffy and Fanty Team, to talk to the wonderful Cat Rambo, Nicky Drayden, and C.B. Lee about National Novel Writing Month! The group discuss their experiences with NaNoWriMo, including how they first got involved, what processes they use to stay focused on the goal, and how accessible NaNoWriMo is for diverse communities. Make sure you stay to the end for their pep talks! You can do this! We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

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