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
“There are no correct alternate histories, there are only plausible alternate histories.” – Will Shetterly Will Shetterly’s statement above hinges on the word plausible. Shetterly’s statement is facile, but it hinges on the unspoken assumption that everyone can agree on what a ‘plausible’ alternate history is and is not. For example, to a first approximation and for a lot of casual readers, George Washington taking the monarchial crown that was offered to him might seem like a rich and interesting alternate history. King George of America! Those more versed in the biography of Washington, however, would reject such an alternate history as being flatly impossible, given his attitudes and basic nature. The reverse is true for small, seemingly innocuous changes that casual readers might consider not large enough of a hook to change the world, but experts in the subfield might consider crucial to the flow of history.
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.
213. Corinne Duyvis (a.k.a. Mindsweeper) — Otherbound (An Interview)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode213InterviewWCorinneDuyvis/SandF%20–%20Episode%20213%20–%20Interview%20w%20Corinne%20Duyvis.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSPortal minds, splinters, and mirror worlds, oh my! Author Corinne Duyvis joins us from the far off land of the Netherlands to talk about her new book, Otherbound. We tackle the dualities in her novel, the importance of diversity in YA fiction, the YA market, 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 213 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Corinne’s Website Corinne’s Twitter Corinne’s Books Disability in Kidlit 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.
My Superpower: Nick Cole
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 Nick Cole to talk about how the power of Superhuman Food Consumption relates to Soda Pop Soldier. ————————————————- You know, I have quite a few superpowers. I have the ability to make money disappear almost instantly. The ability to drive people away whether drunk or sober. I have accomplished this in both states of mind but with a much higher rate of success while under the influence of booze. I also have the ability to work out in the gym ceaselessly, six days a week, and still look the same. That’s probably because of my other superpower, the one that plays a big part in my next novel, Soda Pop Soldier. I’m a heroic, almost Batman level, eater. Why Batman? Well first off, I tend to have more of a Bruce Wayne approach toward food. I like high end food, craft menu items, and dining is sort of an adventure for me. Ordinary eating power superheroes, The Hulk and Wolverine types, would probably devastate In-N-Out Burger with twenty 4X4 Quads (the famous Double Double but four times bigger). But the Bruce Wayne eater is going to travel, just like young Bruce Wayne, in search of hidden mysteries and forbidden delicacies like Chef Rob Choi’s Ooey Gooey Fries or wait in line for four hours for a handcrafted pizza at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix (I live in LA). Or, yes, us Batmans will even travel north into the dark hinterlands of Other California just to wander the gardens of Chef Thomas Keller’s French Laundry. Note: Chef Thomas Keller is the obvious Ra’s al Ghul of any foodie-powered Batman type.
My Superpower: Tansy Rayner Roberts
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 Tansy Rayner Roberts to talk about how the power of Feminist Snark relates to Kaleidoscope. ————————————– My name is Tansy Rayner Roberts, and my superpower is Feminist Snark. Being a feminist with everyday access to the internet and a deep interest in superhero comics is pretty hard work at times. If it wasn’t for snark, I’d have set fire to my web browser long ago. But a sense of humour, sarcasm and an ability to communicate righteous fury through blogging can save the day. Luckily, I’m not the only one who harnesses my feminist snark for good rather than evil. When Starfire was turned into a personality-free sexbot in the New 52, David Willis of Shortpacked was there to make a point with a well-timed comic strip. When the idea of a female Thor rocketed through fandom (causing misogynist waves of disapproval in amongst the ‘hell yeahs’) Joss Whedon used the snarky hammer of sarcasm to cut through the nonsense. Gail Simone’s tweet stream, DC Women Kicking Ass on Tumblr, and the Mary Sue are all part of my support network. They are, in the words of Gail Simone, my She-vengers. The thing they all have in common? Feminist Snark as a superpower.
212. Lynne and Michael Damian Thomas (a.k.a. Ood-les of Fun) at CONvergence
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode212LynneAndMichaelThomas/SandF%20–%20Episode%20212%20–%20Lynne%20and%20Michael%20Thomas.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSmooching time travelers, editorial ninjas, and the feels, oh my! Lynne Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas join Paul and Shaun at CONvergence to talk about Hugo nominations, Queers Dig Time Lords, Apex Magazine, editing, and their super special new project, Uncanny Magazine. There’s so much to love here! 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 212 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Michael’s Website Michael’s Twitter Michael’s Work Lynne’s Website Lynne’s Twitter Lynne’s Work Uncanny Magazine (Kickstarter) DONATE (only $7K to go as of 8/5/2014) Uncanny Magazine (official webpage) Apex Magazine Also: please consider supporting the Aicardi Syndrome Foundation to help spread awareness. 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.
