Book Review: Brother’s Ruin by Emma Newman
In an alternate 1850s era, the British Empire is flourishing as vitally as it did in our timeline, but from different base causes. Instead of the power of the Industrial Revolution providing the motive power for Monarch and country, the Royal Society of Esoteric Arts provides the competitive advantage for Great Britain to stand astride the world. But this society of magicians is a merciless one, taking every person with magical talent, whether they like it or not. Charlotte Gunn seeks to aid her family from financial disaster that her father is in by making sure that her brother’s talents are seen and compensated for. Oh, and in so doing, hiding her own deep, dark secret from the Royal Society: Charlotte, you see, is a mage too. Charlotte, and her world, come to life in the Tor.com novella Brother’s Ruin by Emma Newman.
#54. Babylon 5 (Season 2; Episodes 13-18) — A Shoot the WISB Subcast
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB54Babylon5S2Episodes1318/ShootTheWisb54–Babylon5S2Episodes13-18.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSVorlons, Minbari deceptions, and space plagues, oh my! Our re-watch of Babylon 5 continues wit episodes 13 through 18 from Season 2! Things are starting to get properly heated up, which means more political intrigue, new character details, and just a little bit of humor to keep things interesting. 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):
#49. Babylon 5 (Season 2; Disc 3) — A Shoot the WISB Subcast
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB49Babylon5S2D3/ShootTheWisb49–Babylon5S2d3.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSStubborn military dads, dying emperors, and galactic mistakes, oh my! The Babylon 5 (Season 2) re-watch sessions really heat up with episodes 9 through 12. Mike, Paul, and Shaun discuss Centauri politics, Babylon 5 worldbuilding, the secrets of the coming shadows (thus far), SINCLAIR, and much more! As always, feel free to email us or leave a comment if you want to contribute to the conversation! 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):
Book Review: Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan
My love and abiding interest of things revolving around Ancient Rome are absolutely no secret to anyone who knows me even to a slight degree. I’m that kind of person who took a long bus ride while in Rome just so I could get to a point on the Via Appia, the highway that connected Rome to points south in Italy, so I could stand on it, walk on it for a short bit, and imagine the history I had experienced, on top of all of the other ancient ruins I had already explored. I’ve been reading space opera since the earliest days of my genre reading, devouring the likes of DUNE and Cherryh’s Chanur novels through today’s space opera writers ranging from Alastair Reynolds to Rhonda Mason. This “peanut butter and chocolate” of my interests comes together in WOLF’S EMPIRE: GLADIATOR, the first novel in collaboration between Claudia Christian (who many readers may recognize as being a star of Babylon 5) and Morgan Grant Buchanan. As I mentioned in last week’s interview, both have collaborated before, notably on Ms. Christian’s memoir, but this marks a significant change in their literary ambitions.
#46. Babylon 5 (Season 2; Disc 2) — A Shoot the WISB Subcast
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB46Babylon5Season2Disc2/ShootTheWisb46–Babylon5Season2Disc2.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSShadow beasts, Free Mars, and a giddy Londo, oh my! In our second Babylon 5 re-watch episode of the year, Shaun, Paul, and Mike tackle the second disc of Season 2. We discuss the show’s approach to comedy, the development of the relationship between Delenn and Sheridan, the increasing immorality of the Psi-Corp, and much 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):
Interview with Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan about WOLF’S EMPIRE
I had the wonderful opportunity to read a review copy of WOLF’S EMPIRE: GLADIATOR, and to put questions to the authors, Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan, about their collaboration. Given the premise of the novel, mixing space opera with the Roman Empire, and my fandom for Ms. Christian going back to the days of Babylon-5, I was delighted to have a chance to do both.
