Books

Question of the Week

? of the Week: What do you think of the Nebula Awards finalists?

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If you don’t know already, the Nebula Awards finalists were announced a little while ago.  It’s an interesting list, to say the least, and it has sparked some interesting responses across the blogosphere.  But what do you all think about the list?  Feel free to leave a comment. Here are our brief responses: Shaun Overall, I’m happy with the list, though there are certainly some anomalies there.  A lot of repeat names, some works that I didn’t think would make it to such a list anyway and a few things I saw coming from a mile away.  As others here will mention, there are an extraordinary amount of women and a fair shake of POCs here — something I can’t help appreciating because such things tend to drive certain people in this community up the wall. The only glaring omission is in a category that nobody really cares about anyway:  dramatic presentation.  For all its criticism of vision over substance, I find it difficult to understand why the genre community has completely neglected to include Cloud Atlas on the list.  If any film deserves genre’s recognition, it’s that one.  Such is life… Julia I’m quite excited about this year’s list. I think there is a wealth of strong work on the ballot. I look forward to seeing the winners, and I think that this year, no matter who wins, I’ll probably be really happy with the outcome. I would like to add that the fact that some people are being ridiculous and getting upset because non-white and non-male people are nominated makes me like this ballot even more. Paul I will be terse. I am very pleased by the Novel ballot. 4 out of the 6 are by women. An epic fantasy written by a woman, too. Interestingly, five of the six novel nominees are Fantasy, too. Only 2312 sits there defending SF. Adam I think it is one of the stronger lists of the past few years, especially in the short fiction categories. I would like to see more diversity in the short story category though, as far as the publications represented. Five out of the six stories come from either Lightspeed or Clarkesworld. Jen I’m *really* happy about this list of nominees – over half are women!! Yay women in SF&F! That’s about all I can reliably comment on though as I’ve only either read or watched 4 of the nominations. Now it’s your turn!

Question of the Week

? of the Week: What was your favorite novel in 2012 and why?

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No need for introductions.  You’ve got the question and fingers for typing.  So do some thinking and offer your responses in the comments below. To get things started, here are our answers: Shaun Who would have thought that I’d pick another “literary” SF novel, replete with intense character development, an extraordinarily rich near future world with a slice of the weird, and an unconventional narrative style?  Oh, right.  That’s normal for me.  And that’s why I’ve picked Lost Everything.  Brian Francis Slattery’s novel blew me away last year.  You could call it a “river novel” set in a near-apocalyptic future and get away with loose comparisons to Mark Twain and Cormac McCarthy — comparisons even I’ve made.  But I think there’s something more to Lost Everything.  The characters are complex and beautiful, the world terrifying and yet strangely enticing, and the narrative just slightly off kilter enough to make this more than just another “dystopia.”  The deeper I got into the book, the more intrigued I was by the characters and their way of viewing the world.  From houseboat scenes, savage war with no apparent end goal, and a mysterious super storm set on destroying everything, Lost Everything never ceased to amaze me.   It’s the kind of book only Slattery can write, but also the kind of book that SF desperately needs because it has a depth of “reality” that so many SF novels lack (perhaps because they are too focused on plot and action).  We’ll see if it makes any awards lists this year…

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

132. Evie Manieri (a.k.a. The Prospera) — Blood’s Pride (An Interview)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode132InterviewWEvieManieri/Sandf–Episode132–InterviewWEvieManieri.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSEmpires, epic fantasy, and cultures, oh my!  Evie Manieri joins us to discuss her debut novel, Blood’s Pride.  We discuss what it’s like to be a debut author, epic fantasy and fantasy cultures, conquered peoples, book stores, 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 132 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 1:12:25) Evie’s Website Evie’s Twitter Buy Evie’s book!  It’s good stuff. You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible.  Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. 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.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

131. Karen Lord (a.k.a. Captain Civilization) — The Best of All Possible Worlds (An Interview)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode131InterviewWKarenLord/Sandf–Episode131–InterviewWKarenLord.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSScience fiction, dying peoples, and sociology, oh my!  Karen Lord joins Paul and I to discuss her latest novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds.  We tackle the many “ologies” of science fiction, trauma, genetic variation, 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 131 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 1:13:39) Karen’s Website Karen’s Twitter Buy Karen’s book!  It’s good stuff. You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible.  Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. 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.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

129. Dystopia, Why So Prevalent? — w/ Andrew Liptak and James Decker (A Discussion)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShowseasonFourEpisode129–DystopiaWhySo/Sandf–Episode129–DystopiaWhySoSeriousWAndrewLiptakAndJamesDecker.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDystopia, dystopia, dystopia!  Noted critic Andrew Liptak and author James Decker join Paul and I to discuss why we think dystopian narratives are so prevalent in the 20th and 21st centuries.  We talk definitions (the problems and practicalities), a little history, and more.  Plus, we also take a moment to talk about our favorite aliens (what are yours?) and James’ new book, The Burn Zone. 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 129 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 48:26) Andrew’s Website James’ Website Shaun’s New Post on Dystopia Buy James’ book!  It’s good stuff. You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible.  Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. 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.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

128. Nir Yaniv (a.k.a. The Pacifier) — The Love Machine and Other Contraptions (An Interview)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShowseasonFourEpisode128–AnInterviewWNir/Sandf–Episode128–InterviewWNirYaniv.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSTechnology, time travel, and religion, oh my!  Nir Yaniv joins me for to talk about his new collection, The Love Machine and Other Contraptions, out now from infinity plus.  We cover everything from his interest in technologies to fundamentalist religion to time travel, music, 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 128 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 1:12:08) Nir’s Website Buy Nir’s book!  It’s good stuff. And here’s the little video Nir told me about in the interview: You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible.  Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. 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.

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