Book Review: The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2014 edited by Rich Horton
My diverse reading (which extends well beyond SF/F) makes it unfeasible for me to catch everything of interest or of merit. I, thus, appreciate the multiple anthologies each year that offer their unique selections of noteworthy short stories. This marks the sixth year of Horton’s relatively young Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy series, but it happens to be the first one that I’ve read. It will be hard to fit in past years to catch up, but I’m going to strive to make it part of the future annual reading queue. The extensive breadth and diversity of this collection strikes me foremost. The sources for the stories include a balance of major print and online magazines to smaller outlets and stand-alone publications, and the stories themselves extend through the many forms and combinations of science fiction and fantasy. A part of me wishes that literary outlets were also included in this mix, as genre elements are increasingly found within their pages. Yet another part of me recognizes that the literary world often ignores the genre, so the reverse is just as appropriate.
225. Godzilla vs. Kaiju Panel at CONvergence 2014
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode225GodzillaVsKaijuAtCONvergence/SandF%20–%20Episode%20225%20–%20Godzilla%20vs%20Kaiju%20at%20CONvergence.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSCritters, giant lizards, and monster movies, oh my! Earlier this year, David and Shaun were part of the “Godzilla vs. Kaiju” panel with Dave Margosian and Melissa Kaercher. We began with the following questions: Is the new Godzilla movie a true Godzilla movie? How does it relate to the past movies and to the genre as a whole? From there, things took on a life of their own! 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): Episode 225 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Dave Margosian’s Facebook Melissa Kaercher’s Twitter Tin Lizard Productions Xanadu Cinema Reel Edu 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.
Top 10 Episodes and Blog Posts for August 2014
In case you missed a few things, here’s what was popular last month! Episodes: 215. Kim Stanley Robinson (a.k.a. The Ethnographer) — Shaman (An Interview) 214. Dutch SF Roundtable w/ Tiemen Zwaan, Marieke Nijkamp, Martijn Lindeboom, and Thomas Olde Heuvelt 219. Kameron Hurley (a.k.a. The Patriarchy Smarsher) — The Mirror Empire (An Interview at CONvergence) 213. Corinne Duyvis (a.k.a. Mindsweeper) — Otherbound (An Interview) 218. Live at CONvergence w/ Martha Wells and Carrie Patel Episode 4.2 — Torture Cinema Meets The Wicker Man 216. Max Gladstone (a.k.a. the Soul Merchant) — The Craft Sequence (An Interview at ICFA) 212. Lynne and Michael Damian Thomas (a.k.a. Ood-les of Fun) at CONvergence 220. Wesley Chu (a.k.a. Spymaster 1000) — The Rebirths of Tao (An Interview at CONvergence) 211. Yor, the Hunter from the Future (1983) — A Torture Cinema “Adventure” Blog Posts: Announcement: Our 2015 Theme “Hard and Soft Alternate Histories: The Time Roads by Beth Bernobich, The Shadow Master by Craig Cormick and Rod Duncan’s The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter” by Paul Weimer “When Calls for Diversity Are Not Enough” by Charles Tan “A (World) SFF Film Odyssey: Mutant Girls Squad (2010) and Anime’s Excesses” by Shaun Duke My Superpower: LJ Cohen “English as the Center and Its Privileges” by Charles Tan “The Disquieting Guest — Bava’s Centenary” by David Annandale My Superpower: Tim Lees “Book Review: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll” by Paul Weimer “Book Review: Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron” by Paul Weimer Enjoy!
218. Live at CONvergence w/ Martha Wells and Carrie Patel
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode218LiveAtCONvergence/SandF%20–%20Episode%20218%20–%20Live%20at%20CONvergence.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWorld SF, the secret history of genre, and live audiences, oh my! In this special episode, Paul, Mike, David, and Shaun are joined by Martha Wells and Carrie Patel for a live recording of show! Shenanigans may ensue… 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): Episode 218 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Martha’s Website Martha’s Books (one of many pages) Martha’s Twitter Carrie’s Website Carrie’s Fiction Carrie’s Twitter Angry Robot Books 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.
214. Dutch SF Roundtable w/ Tiemen Zwaan, Marieke Nijkamp, Martijn Lindeboom, and Thomas Olde Heuvelt
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode214DutchSFRoundtable/SandF%20–%20Episode%20214%20–%20Dutch%20SF%20Roundtable.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSLiterary festivities, multicultural wonders, and invading Dutch peeps, oh my! We’ve got a special World SF-themed episode for you all. Tiemen Zwaan, Marieke Nijkamp, Martijn Lindeboom, and Thomas Olde Heuvelt (a Hugo Nominee!) join us to talk about Dutch SF. We tackle the publishing world, literary conventions and festivals, fandom, the pressures of the market, and the Dutch “character” in SF — and more! 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): Episode 214 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: The Scripturist by Paul Evan Bound in Darkness Kim ten Tusscher http://kimtentusscher.com/duisteren.html Zero Kelvin Johann Marieke: http://www.mariekenijkamp.com/musings/ Diversify YA: http://www.diversifya.com/ Tiemen: http://www.abc.nl/ Tweet with picture of Dutch castle where the convention is: https://twitter.com/TiemenZwaan/status/495923145682190337 Castlefest: http://www.castlefest.com/ Martijn: http://www.qu-mar.nl/english/ (about my battlemaster Qu’Mar, the rest of the site is in Dutch I’m afraid) Hebban http://www.hebban.nl/fantasy 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.
Book Review: Reach for Infinity edited by Jonathan Strahan
Jonathan Strahan’s third “Infinities” anthology, Reach for Infinity, changes focus yet again for the series. While Engineering Infinity and Edge of Infinity explored solid Solar System-set science fiction, Reach for Infinity’s stories and mission concern the attempts of man to get into the solar system, pulling back even further from the more grandiose hard science fiction in the first Infinities volume, Engineering Infinity. However, even given the more narrowed and tight focus, the stories are no less full of wonder, characters, science and excellent writing. The previous volume, Edge of Infinity, felt in some ways like a manifesto from the editor, as if it had been curated and created to advance an argument. Reach for Infinity eschews that sort of editorial point of view and instead presents a set of excellent stories.
