Around the Podosphere #1: Podcasts of Note for 12/8/2014
All the genre-friendly podcasts recommended by your Skiffy and Fanty robogoblins in one convenient place! Interviews: The Agony Column interviews Anne Rice about her upcoming vampire novel, Prince Lestat. On Books: The Book Was Better takes a stab at the movie tie-in novel for Batman Returns. Galactic Suburbia has a recommendations for the year episode. Midnight in Karachi has its debut episode as Mahvesh Murad talks to The Time Traveler’s Wife author Audrey Niffenegger On Movies: Last Month, We Hate Movies covered Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves. The Incomparable crew dedicate an episode to Mystery Science Theater 3000, which will certainly make folks who were around in the old days very happy. They also spend over an hour talking about the recent Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens trailer, which is moderately insane, to say the least. The folks at Read It and Weep discuss the film adaptation of Mockingjay (part one). On Podcasting: The recent episode of Speculate! features Patrick Hester and Anton Strout on the subject of podcasting (dos, don’ts, etc.). Obviously, the entire S&F crew should have been there, but it’s still worth listening to (:P). On Conspiracies: Taking a cue from our Torture Cinema review of Omega Man, Kevin Lux dedicates an entire episode to the CDU. There’s also an episode on the history of cannabis, which is totally full of truth. On Conventions: The Three Hoarsemen discuss World Fantasy Convention in Arlington/D.C.; apparently, Shaun is mentioned more times than Paul in this one, which means something to someone somewhere…They also talk about some of the media they’ve been consuming, which should give you lots of ideas for things to buy. On History: Stuff You Missing in History Class discusses Henry Hudson in a two-part history adventure! This might be of interest to anyone writing fantasy with seafaring peoples.
Ursula K. Le Guin: A Wellspring of Hope and Joy by John E. O. Stevens #monthofjoy
The literature of imagination, even when tragic, is reassuring, not necessarily in the sense of offering nostalgic comfort, but because it offers a world large enough to contain alternatives and therefore offers hope.” – Ursula K. Le Guin Joy is not something we feel in a vacuum; joy relates us to things, anchors us, unmoors us and sends us off on long voyages. Joy connects and energizes, ensorcels and inspires. It is the result of a powerful instance of interaction; a moment of encounter kindles a feeling of happiness, wonderment, and rejoicing. I can think of many joys I’ve encountered in reading fantastic literature: authors who have invigorated me; ideas that have provoked me; and works that have shattered me. But for persistent joy, for great moments of ecstasy and small moments of guidance, and for a deep feeling of satisfaction, Ursula K. Le Guin remains a primary source. And what makes that joy so special, what often makes the joy I find in fantastika so dynamic, is that it gives me hope.
235. Irish SF w/ Maura McHugh, Gareth Kavanagh, Michael Carroll, & Ruth Frances Long (The World SF Tour)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode235IrishSFPanel/SandF%20–%20Episode%20235%20–%20Irish%20SF%20Panel.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSGhosts, fairies, and the Emerald Isles, oh my! Gareth Kavanagh, Ruth Frances Long, Maura McHugh, and Michael Carroll join us to discuss Irish SF. We tackle Ireland’s relationship to expatriate literature, the character of Irish writing, favorite reads, 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 235 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: The Panelists Gareth Kavanagh’s Twitter Octocon Maura McHugh’s Website Maura’s Twitter Maura’s Work: Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland (w/ Kim Newman) Twisted Fairy Tales Twisted Myths Laydeez Do Comics Michael Carroll’s Website Michael’s Twitter Michael’s Work: Judge Dredd Year One Omnibus Hunter (book seven) Ruth Frances Long’s Website Ruth’s Twitter Ruth’s Work: A Crack in Everything (O’Brien Press) The Big Fat List of Stuff (note: some of these are not of Irish origin; I’ve included everything the panelists mentioned): ArcadeCon Dublin International Comics Expo Eirtakon (anime convention) MCM Expo (London Comic Con) GaelCon British Comic Awards Irish Science Fiction Association Film: Song of the Sea (Will Collins; Tomm Moore)(Cartoon Saloon) The Secret of Kells Showrunners (Des Doyle) Irish 19th Century Gothic Tradition Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu James Joyce Flann O’Brien Anne McCaffrey Harry Harrison Diane Duane Morgan Llewellyn Michael Scott — Nicholas Flamel Eoin Colfer — Artemis Fowl Ian McDonald James White C.E. Murphy Sarah Rees Brennan Lynda E. Rucker Celine Kiernan Derek Landees — Skulduggery Pleasant series Kate Thompson Oisin McGann Lord Dunsany Garth Ennis Steve Dylan Will Simpson (Game of Thrones storyboard artist) Will Sliney Leeann Hamilton Anthea West Darrin O’Toole Maeve Clancy John Connolly Len O’Grady Meeting the Other Crowd Stephen Mooney Steve Walsh Susan Connolly Paul Anthony Short Peter O’Fallon Jordie Bellaire 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: The Blood of Angels by Johanna Sinisalo
Most readers could fly through Lola Rogers’ translation of The Blood of Angels by Finnish author Johanna Sinisalo in a handful of hours. Yet, as the relatively brief enjoyment of a spoonful of honey belies the phenomenal labor of countless bees, so too does consumption of this novel’s simple, flowing prose hide the rich, complex depth of its construction and significance. Sinisalo’s novel captures an apocalyptic, large-scale focus on humanity that is typical of speculative fiction, yet keeps a keenly literary focus on the psychological trials of an individual and family. In a near future of worldwide catastrophic ecologic change and economic crisis, apiarist Orvo finds his life personally shaken when his long-absent, inattentive father, Ari, returns from the devastated United States and when his activist son, Eero, tragically dies. Ari had taken over Hopevale Meats slaughterhouse, putting him in opposition to Eero’s dedication to animal rights and leadership in organized disruption of industries that utilize – and in Eero’s mind exploit – animals. Eero’s activities and passionate beliefs are only fully revealed to Orvo after his son’s death and discovering Eero’s posts in a personal blog and on the extremist Animalist Revolutionary Army website Eero ran.
234. Ann Leckie (a.k.a. Singularitrix) — Ancillary Sword (An Interview)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode234AnInterviewWAnnLeckie/SandF%20–%20Episode%20234%20–%20An%20Interview%20w%20Ann%20Leckie.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSpace voyeurs, interstellar empire shenanigans, and tea, oh my! The always incredible Ann Leckie takes over the show once more to discuss Ancillary Sword, the much anticipated sequel to the multi-award winning Ancillary Justice. We discuss writing sequels and handling audience expectations, the changes in the Ancillary “universe,” gender and sexuality, empire (duh), and, well, a little bit of cannibalism. What more could you ask for during Thanksgiving? 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 234 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Ann’s Website Ann’s Books Ann’s Twitter Ancillary Sword (Orbit Books) Imperial Radch Tea Line (Adagio Teas) 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.
233. Alma Alexander (a.k.a. The Tree Shifter) — Random (An Interview)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode233AnInterviewWAlmaAlexander/SandF%20–%20Episode%20233%20–%20An%20Interview%20w%20Alma%20Alexander.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWerecritter mistakes, immigration, and magic trees, oh my! The glorious Alma Alexander joins Shaun and Julia to discuss her newest novel, Random (Dark Quest Books). We talk about her werecritter culture, the immigrant experience, language, 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 233 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Alma’s Website Alma’s Books Alma’s Twitter Alma’s Facebook Random (Dark Quest 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.
