My Superpower: Peter Newman (The Vagrant)
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 Peter Newman to talk about how the power of escaping reality relates to The Vagrant. As it happens, I have a few superpowers. I instinctively know where to stand in order to get in other people’s way (this is doubly true in Forbidden Planet and other people’s kitchens), I can relate most things to He-Man in three steps or less, and when the universe needs me, I can summon the appetite of ten tigers. However, none of these things were any use in writing The Vagrant.
Around the Podosphere #9: Podcasts of Note for 4/20/15
What fantastic podcast shenanigans have we been enjoying lately? Here are just a few: On Movies: The fine folks at We Hate Movies discuss the classic Travolta/Cage action flick, Face/Off. What do the Incomparable folks think about the new Star Wars VII trailer? Find out here! Also discussing the Star Wars VII trailer: The Fangirl Happy Hour! Cary Elwes discusses his Princess Bride book at Planet Comicon (recorded and presented by Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing). Shaun and David’s new podcast, Totally Pretentious, recently covered It Follows (2014/5). Rachael Acks was a special guest! The Qt3 Movie Podcast discusses Ex Machina, which has been getting a lot of buzz lately. On Literature: The Coode Street Podcast covers awards, sf politics, and other classic Coode Street topics. Sword and Laser discuss the infamous Hugo Awards. On Books: Is the novelization of Superman III better than the movie? The folks at The Book Was Better discuss.
Book Review: The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
“A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals.” My expectations were high after learning about Ken Liu’s debut novel, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Grace of Kings is both spectacular and significant, an approach to epic fantasy that combines some of the best elements of the established genre with Liu’s unique sentiments and voice. I’ve been trying to avoid reviews before writing this up, but judging from the headlines, I’m not alone in excitement and appreciation.
267. Betsy Dornbusch (a.k.a. the God Sword) — Emissary (An Interview)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode267BestyDornbusch/SandF%20–%20Episode%20267%20–%20Besty%20Dornbusch.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDiplomacy, war, and glowing swords, oh my! Betsy Dornbusch joins Shaun and Paul to discuss her newest novel, Emissary. We explore the novel’s treatment of diplomacy, its worldbuilding, war tactics, 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): Episode 267 — Download (MP3) Show Notes:
266. Juliet E. McKenna (a.k.a. the Historian) — An Interview at LonCon3
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode266JulietEMcKenna/SandF%20–%20Episode%20266%20–%20Juliet%20E%20McKenna.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSLondon, airplanes, and history degrees, oh my! Author Juliet E. McKenna joined Shaun, Julia, and Paul at LonCon3 last year to discuss her work, politics and their influence, her experience with historical research, and feminism! 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 266 — Download (MP3) Show Notes:
My Superpower: Ken Liu (Grace of Kings)
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 Ken Liu to talk about how the power of tax enthusiasm relates to Grace of Kings. My superpower is the ability to get readers excited about taxes. Taxes are critical in my silkpunk epic fantasy, The Grace of Kings. This is the story of two unlikely friends, a duke and a bandit, who join together to overthrow tyranny only to find themselves on opposite sides of a deadly rivalry over how to create a more just society. There are all sorts of cool things in it: soaring battle kites and airships based on Chinese prototypes from antiquity; unyielding heroes, kennings, and litotes in the mode of Anglo-Saxon epics; magical books that read minds; jealous gods who are concerned with the value of Pi; a street urchin who becomes the greatest battlefield tactician of her generation and teaches women to fight in the skies; ladies and princesses who plot and fight alongside lords and princes; and giant water beasts who bring storms and tempests to human affairs.
