Book Review: Death on the Caldera
I liked how grounded this book felt. The details of train service, survivors trying to recover after the wreck, the squabbling among various factions of train passengers, the differences between types of magic — all of these felt thoughtfully explored.
820. The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag — Reading Rangers
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-820-the-deep-dark/SandF_820_TheDeepDark.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSComplicated families, long lost friends, and lizard creatures, oh my! Shaun Duke and Stephen Geigen-Miller join forces to discuss Molly Knox Ostertag’s Hugo Finalist graphic novel, The Deep Dark! Together, they discuss the work’s various metaphors and core themes, examine intergenerational trauma, and deep dive into the visual poetry and structure of this brilliant work! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Short Fiction Review: March–April 2025
My favorite stories from March and April all lift up the importance of human connection in one way or another.
819. Ugetsu monogatari (1953; dir. Kenji Mizoguchi) — At the Movies
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-819-ugetsu/SandF_819_Ugetsu.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSHaunted desires, lakes of death, and agrarian utopias, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Hauesser join forces to discuss Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu monogatari (1953). Together, they discuss the film’s tragic storyline, the nature of desire and its destructive force, Mizoguchi’s women, the film’s production, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Into the Wardrobe: DRAGON OF THE LOST SEA by Laurence Yep
Starting the novel, I was immediately drawn into the world and the folk nature of the story being told. As the human, I expected Thorn to be the center of the novel, but gradually began to appreciate Shimmer as the protagonist and character we would see adapt and grow through the adventure unfolding.
Book Review: The Adventures of Mary Darling, by Pat Murphy
Mary and the other viewpoint characters are a lot of fun to follow through their adventures and evolutions, and Murphy’s insights into storytelling and explorations of the Victorian/Edwardian period are as entertaining as they are enlightening — Murphy examines historical horrors rather than glossing over them, but her characters overcome these challenges with verve.
