Book Review: Everfair by Nisi Shawl
Approximately nine years ago, while browsing a local library’s new release section, I came across Filter House. A short story collection by Nisi Shawl, its description and critical blurbs promised rich literary fantasy from a talented and distinctive voice that was new to me. Reading it, I realized that promise was no exaggeration. Filter House is significant in both its quality and its revelation of a culturally non-dominant perspective (particularly within the SFF community). Nominated for a World Fantasy Award and winning the James Tiptree Jr. Award, Shawl’s collection did not go unnoticed within the critical community. Yet, I somehow felt unfulfilled after completing the collection. I had no regrets reading it; I appreciated it. But it still baffled me in its unfamiliarity and its thematic focus. Its Otherness required contemplation, attentive to the subtle graces of Shawl’s writing and listening to her viewpoint. For me, one read-through wasn’t sufficient to fully experience it.
280. The Wonders and Politics of Steampunk w/ Cherie Priest, Beth Cato, and Jaymee Goh
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode280TheWondersOfSteampunk/Sandf–Episode280–TheWondersOfSteampunk.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSMachines, empire, and whitewashing, oh my! In this special edition of our discussion feature, Shaun and Rachael talk to authors Cherie Priest, Beth Cato, and Jaymee Goh about the wonders and politics of steampunk. We cover whitewashing on covers, the subversive qualities of steampunk, and the trials and tribulations of writing the genre in a world heavily influenced by empire. In our last moments, we have some fun by talking about steampunk films and video games. In the end, we only scratched the surface! 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 280 — Download (MP3) Show Notes:
179. Ann Leckie (a.k.a. Singularitrix) — Ancillary Justice (An Interview + Giveaway)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode179AnInterviewWAnnLeckie/SandF%20–%20Episode%20179%20–%20An%20Interview%20w%20Ann%20Leckie.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSEmpires, spaceships, and corruption, oh my! Author Ann Leckie joins us to discuss her much-discussed novel, Ancillary Justice. We talk about gender paradigms (in her work and elsewhere), research, colonial empires, science fiction as a genre, and much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Giveaway Rules: Answer the following question: What is your favorite science fiction novel? Submit your answer as a comment below, an email message to skiffyandfanty[at]gmail[dot]com, or as a Tweet to @skiffyandfanty We’ll get in contact when we pick a winner on the 13th of December! 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 179 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Ann’s Website Orbit Books John Harris’ Website 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.
Episode 42 — An Interview w/ Tobias Buckell
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow3.0–AnInterviewWTobiasBuckell/Sandf–Episode3.0–InterviewWTobiasBuckell.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWe’re excited to have Tobias Buckell on the show! The interview springs off our last episode on colonialism and science fiction, and, as you all may know, Shaun is writing his M.A. thesis on Buckell’s work, so this is a very special interview for him. Buckell is also awesome. We hope you enjoy the interview! Quick note: Please donate to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan. They could really use our help, folks. $1. $20. Whatever you can manage. Just help. Feel free to shoot us an email at skiffyandfanty [at] gmail [dot] com, leave a comment, or follow us on Twitter. 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 42 — Download (MP3) Intro and Interview w/ Tobias Buckell (0:00 – 56:34): Tobias Buckell’s Website (Check out his books, short stories, blog, and so on. Seriously. Do it. Or we’ll cry.) 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.
Episode 41 — Colonialism and Science Fiction
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow2.9–ColonialismAndScienceFiction/Sandf–Episode2.9–ColonialismAndScienceFiction.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThere has been some interesting discussion lately about the intersection of colonialism and science fiction. We thought it would be a good topic to take on this month and spend a good amount of time talking about how the two intersect, what’s wrong with phrases like “colonizing space,” and examples of colonialism in science fiction (largely in the form of critique). It’s an interesting topic and we hope you enjoy it. Feel free to shoot us an email at skiffyandfanty [at] gmail [dot] com, leave a comment, or follow us on Twitter. 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 41 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 40:22): “‘Colonizing Space’ is a Dirty Phrase: Stop Using It” (Shaun’s original post) “Interesting Article on ‘Colonization’” (Larry’s Response) “An Addendum: ‘Colonizing Space’ — It Really is That Bad” (Shaun’s Response) “A Brief Bit More on That Colonization Discussion” (Larry’s Response x2) io9’s Facebook Question (Clearly plagiarized :P) Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction by John Rieder (Read it!) The End: Reading and Writing (40:23 – 45:48) 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.
