Signal Boost #34 — Rati Mehrotra (Markswoman) and Marlee Jane Ward (Orphancorp Series)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost34MehrotraWard/Sandf–SignalBoost34–MehrotraWard.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIn today’s episode of Signal Boost, Jen talks to Rati Mehrotra about her debut novel, Markswoman. They explore how Mehrotra’s own background inspired the world, why she decided to write it as a post-apocalyptic novel, what inspires her writing, and a few hints about what is coming next in the Asiana duology. Then Elizabeth is joined by Marlee Jane Ward, award winning author of Welcome to Orphancore and its sequel, Psynode, and current candidate of the Down Under Fan Fund! They discuss Marlee Jane’s breakout hit, Welcome to Orphancore, what she’s working on now, her experience attending Kij Johnson’s writing workshop, and why she’s excited to be the DUFF candidate. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Book Review: THE ART OF STARVING by Sam J. Miller
A few years back I quickly fell in love with the short fiction of Sam J. Miller. Published across a spectrum of electronic genre venues (Shimmer, Apex, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Clarkesworld, Uncanny), Miller also gained recognition in print with “Calved”, originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction and reprinted in multiple ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies. I’m drawn to Miller’s fiction for several reasons that tie together. Foremost are his characters: strong and unique voices that reflect points of views not frequently explored in genre fiction. Even though these characters may often be very different from myself – with conditions or experiences I’ve never faced – Miller excels at making them universally relatable. His themes focus on the strengths and weaknesses of their basic humanity. Beautiful mixtures of fragility and fortitude, Miller’s characters compel reader empathy and emotion, even if the character’s specific situation is personally unfamiliar to the reader. This character-driven realism gives Miller’s insightful explorations a mainstream, literary tone. Yet, Miller’s stories are firmly in the genre camp. It is this deft balance between literary realism and the uncanny or speculation of SciFi/Fantasy/Horror that I enjoy so much.
Comics Review: For Your Consideration — Best Graphic Story Hugo Recommendations
Welcome to the latest installment of my comics review column here at Skiffy & Fanty! Every month, I use this space to shine a spotlight on SF&F comics (print comics, graphic novels, and webcomics) that I believe deserve more attention from SF&F readers. This month, the SF&F awards season is upon us, and I’m going to take the opportunity to reach out to those of you nominating for the Hugo Awards to recommend five works that I believe are deserving of your consideration in the Best Graphic Story category. (These reviews may contain spoilers!)
Book Review: The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
Suffer no wizard to live” Myke Cole is known for his service in the military, being the endless butt of jokes from Sam Sykes on twitter, Trigger Discipline, being a breakout star of the CBS TV show Hunted and writing modern fantasy about how the military would deal with the Return of Magic to the world (The Shadow Ops series). With The Armored Saint, Cole expands his oeuvre in the writing sphere to secondary world fantasy.
347. Black Southern SpecFic – A Discussion w/ Eden Royce and Troy L. Wiggins
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode347BlackSouthernSpecFic/Sandf–Episode347–BlackSouthernSpecfic.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSConjure, dialect, and gatekeepers, oh my! Jen and Trish are joined by Eden Royce and Troy L. Wiggins to discuss the current field of Black Southern Speculative Fiction, including how the speculative is part of the Black Southern experience, whether or not standard genre labels fail speculative fiction written by black people from the South, what gatekeepers can do to promote Black Southern voices, and so much more. Make sure you stay through the very end to hear some recommendations on where to start your journey into Black Southern Speculative Fiction! We hope you enjoy the episode!
Book Review: Creatures of Light by Emily B. Martin
Emily B. Martin’s trilogy of queens comes to an end with Creatures of Light, a breathtaking finale that ties up loose ends and left me aching for more even as I celebrated such a glorious end. I call this series a trilogy of queens because each book is written from the perspective of a different, strong woman. In Woodwalker, we followed ranger Mae on her journey to reclaim her place in her home country. In Ashes to Fire, we watched Mona fight to keep her country free from their former conquerors. And in Creatures of Light, Gemma risks everything to preserve her dreams for her own country even as her country condemns her actions.
