Blog Posts

Top 10 Posts and Episodes for June 2017

/

June was an interesting month for us. Our Twitter account was abuzz with activity, we released some awesome podcasts, and the world survived one more month of…well, never mind that. Now that we’re firmly ensconced in July, it’s time for another statistics post! Here’s what readers and listeners loved on our blog or podcast throughout June 2017: Top Posts: Movie Review: “Wonder Woman” (See it!) by Trish Matson Breaking News: Peter Jackson to turn The Silmarillion into a 14-movie epic by Michael J. Martinez Guest Post: Growing up in Fandom in the 1970s by LJ Cohen Guest Post: Religions on Mars, According to Me by Mary Turzillo Guest Post: Writing the Monster by Scott Oden Metropolis (1927), Feminism, and Influence by Stina Leicht Star Trek: Discovery and the Clueless by Stina Leicht Retro Childhood Review: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (reviewed by Jen Zink) Book Review: Wothwood by Natania Barron (reviewed by Paul Weimer) Okay, the princess rescued herself. Now What?! by Stephen Geigen-Miller Top Episodes: Signal Boost #4: Gideon Marcus (GalacticJourney.org) and Andrew Barton (Tailings of the Golden Age) 153. Birdemic (2010) — A Torture Cinema “Adventure” 326. Joyce Chng (a.k.a. — Starfang: Rise of the Clan (An Interview) 304. Scott Lynch and Elizabeth Bear (a.k.a. The Rakish Rogue and the Sky Marshall) — An Interview #59. Alien: Covenant (2017) w/ Jeannette Ng — A Shoot the WISB Subcast Signal Boost #8: A Conversation about the Importance of Wonder Woman Signal Boost #7: Ashlee Blackwell (Graveyard Shift Sisters) and Carrie Patel (Pillars of Eternity/Recolleta Series) 327. Fiend Without a Face (1958) — A Torture Cinema “Adventure” 198. Brazilian SF w/ Fabio Fernandes, Cesar Alcázar, Libby Ginway, and Jacques Barcia #WorldSFTour 325. Queen of the Damned (2002) — A Torture Cinema “Adventure” w/ Megan O’Keefe What did you enjoy the most? Let us know in the comments!

Blog Posts

Book Review: An Alchemy of Masks and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock

/

In this first novel in his Risen Kingdoms series, Curtis Craddock is coming at us like the love child of Alexandre Dumas and Frank Herbert, possibly as fostered in his youth by Scott Lynch. It’s a helluva combination, and I don’t make a comparison like this lightly. If you’re a fan of any of those authors, or of intricately plotted fantasy that’s full of surprises, well, grab onto a restraining rope and climb aboard my airship. That’s right, I said airship. The fantasy world of the Risen Kingdoms is one of floating continents*, some thickly settled, some just discovered. Travel between them is by airship — but don’t think this is steampunk. I said Alexandre Dumas, not Jules Verne! Our heroes are a Princess and her faithful King’s Own Musketeer (see?), who quickly learn that, while neither has been of much value in their native land or to the local ruling family, both now have grand destinies, because the Princess has to go marry the Prince of a rival nation and might become that nation’s queen one day, and her musketeer must go with her to continue his life-long charge of Keeping Her Safe.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

328. Stina Leicht (a.k.a. Mrs. Irish Cream) — Blackthorne (An Interview)

/

http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode328InterviewWStinaLeicht/Sandf–Episode328–InterviewWStinaLeicht.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSerial killers, writing in reverse order, and blind spymasters, oh my! Our very own Stina Leicht joins Jen and Paul to discuss Blackthorne, the second book of her flintlock fantasy series, The Malorum Gates. We get heavy into the world building of a nation based on the free market gone wild, cultural concerns of a post-war refugee kingdom, and the reasons for an intimate focus in an epic fantasy. Listen and then go buy the book! 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

#60. Wonder Woman (2017) w/ Michi Trota — A Shoot the WISB Subcast

/

http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB60WonderWoman/ShootTheWisb60–WonderWoman.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIntersectionality issues, forced romances, and origin stories, oh my! Julia, Trish, and Stina discuss the DCEUs only decent movie so far, Wonder Woman, with special guest, Michi Trota! This is an all woman review because we really wanted to get into what this film means to women. The team dives right into all of their problems with the movie, especially how lacking in women a film about Wonder Woman actually is (particularly women of color). But they also share their love for the movie and the character! Make sure you don’t miss a poem from Julia and the Wonder Woman comic run recommendations from Michi! 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):

Blog Posts

Book Review: Substrate Phantoms by Jessica Reisman

/

Mysterious doings on Termagenti station, and the story of a tortured survivor of an exploration gone wrong, both external and internal, are at the heart of Substrate Phantoms, a debut space opera novel from Jessica Reisman. Substrate Phantoms features a strong character-based focus for the novel, playing firmly in the more literary side of the genre as it explores a story of what only slowly and painstakingly is revealed to be one of a first contact with the Other. The novel primarily follows a pair of characters whose stories touch and eventually converge. Jhinsei was part of a tube team, one of the groups on Termangenti Station sent as troubleshooters for various systems on the complex and sometimes badly functioning orbital habitat. In the prologue of the novel, he and his team check out a problem in the station in an area near where a mysterious derelict spacecraft has long been stashed. Things went…bad on that mission, to the point where Jhinsei, the most junior member of the team, was the only survivor. Eighteen months later, now in a safer dead end job, the consequences of that expedition and what really happened to Jhinsei start to emerge. Jhinsei has started to hear and see things, including the voices of the dead members of his team. And other things have started to happen in his presence as well.  These strange events around him bring Jhinsei and what happened to the attention of some very powerful people on the station. This will put Jhinsei on the run from those he cares about, and ultimately the station itself.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Signal Boost #10: Alien Nation, Supergirl, and Flash!

/

http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost10AlienNationEtc./Sandf–SignalBoost10–AlienNationEtc..mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSOn today’s Signal Boost, Shaun and Jen COMPLETELY lose track of what they were supposed to be talking about, end up pitching an Alien Nation reboot (after discussing what made it so 90s), and discuss Supergirl and positive relationships between men in Flash. Honestly, we don’t even know what we’re talking about, but for American Independence day, we’re challenging toxic masculinity and racism. Boom. Plus, we lay down the awesome with our miniboosts! 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):

Scroll to Top