Announcements and Errata

Call for Guest Posters: Authors, Bloggers, Fans!

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That’s right!  We’re looking for guest posters for our show.  Here’s what we’re looking for: About genre — rants, history, observations, questions, etc. Discussions of craft — if you’re an author, we’d love to have your guest posts on all things related to your writing. What inspired you to write X? What are you favorite books?  Etc.! Interviews Book reviews Movie reviews Basically, we’re looking for anything and everything to fill up our week with interesting content.  And you never know:  we might bring you onto the show to rant with us (this is more a probably than a might, if we’re being honest). Send an email to skiffyandfanty[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know what you’d like to contribute.  If you have an idea for something that doesn’t fit into any of these categories, let us know!  We’ll probably be interested.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Episode 50 — NebulaFail 2010

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow3.8–NebulaAwardsFail2011/Sandf–Episode3.8–NebulaFail2011.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThe Nebulas have been announced, and we’re not very happy.  For this episode, Adam returns for a testosterone-filled rant about the nominees and the winners, our preferred candidates, and the things we actually enjoyed this time around.  Our episode might be a tad on the controversial side, but that’s the way (uh huh, uh huh) we like it. (Episode 3.8 was originally schedules to be an episode of Torture Cinema, but we forgot about the Nebulas and decided we needed to talk about them.  Torture Cinema will be next week.) 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): Episode 50 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion:  NebulaFail 2010 (0:00 – 34:51) Publisher’s Weekly Coverage of the Nebulas Adam’s Editorial on the Nebulas Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Question of the Week

Question of the Week: How can Space Opera keep itself relevant?

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Shaun asked me to do the question of the week a few hours ago, and I accepted, even though he forgot my birthday. So the question I pose this week is: how can space opera stay relevant? Space opera, in many ways, is the heart of SF. A decent space opera extrapolates current technologies and theories past their breaking points, muse on alien culture and philosophy, contrasts the everyman with the extraordinary, and heaps on that good ol’ sensawunda until it topples over and spills some into other subgenres. That’s what a decent space opera should do, in my opinion, but they’ve been doing it for decades. In this time of the naysayer slandering SF, saying it’s a “dying medium” because of some garbage about “SF catching up with reality,” what can space opera do to say, “Au contraire Monsieur (or Madame) Naysayer,” and proclaim its relevance? How can a subgenre over 100 years old reinvent itself for our increasingly cynical and overly fantastic world? Respond please. P.S.:  I didn’t forget his birthday.  He never told me that his birthday was this weekend.  Totally Adam’s fault.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Episode 49 — Interview w/ Alex Bledsoe

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow3.7–InterviewWAlexBledsoe/Sandf–Episode3.7–InterviewWithAlexBledsoe.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSAlex Bledsoe joins us on the show to talk about his latest Eddie LaCrosse novel (Dark Jenny), the fantasy genre, movies, the writing process, and much more.  Tune in and enjoy! 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): Episode 49 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 39:03) Alex Bledsoe’s Website (For his books, ramblings, and specially tailored hamster mittens!) Shaun’s review of Dark Jenny (Look!  It’s Baltar!) Oh, and don’t forget to vote on our next Torture Cinema flick!   The vote is almost done, and we need to know what you want to torture us with next! Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Question of the Week

Question of the Week: Favorite science fiction or fantasy stories about real wars?

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Those of you who read my personal blog will know that I’m working on a syllabus for a Survey in American Literature course.  Science fiction, as you might guess, appears prominently in the reading list, which has inspired me to post this question: What are your favorite science fiction or fantasy novels, stories, dramas, or movies which are about real world wars (allegorically or otherwise)? For me, the list is pretty clear: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Haldeman’s military SF classic is, in my opinion, one of the most important works of literature in the last 100 years.  As an allegory about the Vietnam War (or Conflict, if you want to be correct about such things), it is a stunning foray into the operative function of SF as a genre:  estrangement.  If you’ve never read it, you should.  Right now.  Hurry… Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Vonnegut’s fiction has always intrigued me.  Slaughterhouse-Five is one of those books that is at once supremely weird and cleverly autobiographical (Vonnegut served in WW2 and the title of the book comes from the place where he was imprisoned, which protected him during the firebombing of Dresden by Allied forces).  Vonnegut’s experiences fill every page, which help cover the unreality of the alien visitors narrative that make the novel a piece of science fiction. “Faith of Our Fathers” by Philip K. Dick (in Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison) PKD is known for his dystopian futures and alternate histories.  “Faith of Our Fathers” is one of the second variety, telling the story of a world where communism won and is run by an amoral, all-consuming godlike Party leader.  The Cold War may not have been a proper war, but it’s hard to ignore its impact on fiction in general, and science fiction in particular.  Dystopian fiction after WW2, as far as I can tell, saw a massive increase, with numerous stories by PKD alone dedicated to nuclear holocaust or variations thereof. Star Wars IV – VI by George Lucas A lot of folks have suggested the obvious parallels between the Empire and Nazi Germany (if I recall correctly, even Lucas has made this connection).  Star Wars is so saturated with WW2 imagery that even its action sequences are obvious throwbacks to pre-jet-engine dogfights.  Whether the allegories had an influence on the film’s impact is up to speculation, but one certainly can’t ignore that Star Wars has changed everything we know about science fiction today. Aliens by James Cameron I enjoyed the first Alien movie, but it pales in comparison to Cameron’s Vietnam-influenced sequel.  The film mimics everything from the overbearing macho-ism of anti-communist (and anti-“other”) America and military right down to the bureaucratic amorality which started the Vietnam War.  It’s hard not to include it on this list.  Plus:  the movie is freaking awesome! And if you don’t believe me, then this should change your mind: The big question is whether there are fantasy titles out there that deal with similar issues.  If you know of some, let us know in the comments. So:  which science fiction and fantasy stories about real world wars are you favorites?

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