Book Review: The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan
The Ironship Syndicate has a problem. This Trading Company turned governmental body has lands and operations to run, and the basis of its profitability and its strength is the blood of drakes, or dragons. Certain people can ingest elixirs made from their blood to gain temporary magical abilities. This magical science of plasmology allows for amazing temporary feats by the Blood-blessed. The sale and internal use of these elixirs, more than guns, more than steel, is what makes the power of the Ironship Syndicate possible. And the drakes are being hunted to extinction, and the captive drakes are not breeding. Without drakes, there will be no blood. With no blood, there will be no elixirs. And without elixirs, the power of the Trading Company will be under threat. The neighboring, pugnacious Corvantine Empire might take advantage, to the ruin of the Syndicate and its holdings. And so a cunning plan has been hatched at the highest levels of the Syndicate. Long there have been rumors of a color of Dragon beyond the usual Red, Blue, Black and Green. A White dragon, located in the wilderness, whose blood might … well, what the power of the blood of a white could do isn’t quite known, but it could be the one thing to change the fortunes of the Syndicate, and perhaps the world as well. And even as the Syndicate brings together agents and talented amateurs and more to make an expedition into Terra Incognita in search of the White Drake, others have their own agendas and plans in these turbulent times.
Torture Cinema Poll: March Madness!
We truly do HATE to disappoint you, but this has literally nothing to do with college basketball. We just felt like torturing you. HOW DO YOU LIKE US NOW?! Just kidding. Sort of. Really, it’s just time to pick our next Torture Cinema of 2017! We have a wide variety of total crap for you to choose from. So choose wisely!!
316. Fantastic Four (2005) — A Torture Cinema "Adventure"
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode316TortureCinemaMeetsFantasticFour2005/Sandf–Episode316–TortureCinemaMeetsFantasticFour2005.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSStretchy weirdos, grumpy CEOs, and clobberin’, oh my! Torture Cinema returns with a special Marvel-icious edition, as selected by our listeners and co-starring none other than veteran Torture Goblin, Michael J. Martinez. We turn our sights to the infamous first Fantastic Four (2005) film, tackling its portrayal of the classic characters, its absurd plot, and much more. We also wonder what the deal is with Mr. Fantastic’s weird arms! 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 316 — Download (MP3) Show Notes:
Retro Childhood Review: The Last Unicorn
“I was born mortal, and I have been immortal for a long, foolish time, and one day I will be mortal again; so I know something that a unicorn cannot know. Whatever can die is beautiful — more beautiful than a unicorn, who lives forever, and who is the most beautiful creature in the world. Do you understand me?” “No,” she said. The magician smiled wearily. “You will. You’re in the story with the rest of us now, and you must go with it, whether you will or no.” — The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle I couldn’t have been more than 5 years old when The Last Unicorn came out on VHS and I watched it so often that my video store had to replace it within a year. My sister and I were absolutely enthralled by the delicate artistry of the unicorn, terrified of the Red Bull, and befuddled by some of the trippier moments (boob tree, anyone?). I always imagined the film to be more born of the imaginations of the production and animation studios, than of Peter S. Beagle’s writing. That is where I was woefully incorrect. This is the first time that I have ever read The Last Unicorn and, though the movie will always be my go-to, I am well and truly in love with this heartbreaking fairy tale.
315. Foz Meadows (a.k.a. The Portalist) — An Accident of Stars (An Interview)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode315InterviewWFozMeadows/Sandf–Episode315–InterviewWFozMeadows.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSPortal worlds, schoolyard bullies, and magic, oh my! In our second interview for the year, Shaun and Paul talk to Foz Meadows about their debut novel, An Accident of Stars. We explore the novel’s central premise, its feminist message, and so 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 315 — Download (MP3) Show Notes:
The Word for World is Rainforest: Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer
Unar has always been sure that she will one day be the Goddess Audblayin’s bodyguard. In a world where the thirteen Gods and Goddesses of the rainforest whose treetops she lives in die and are reincarnated in the manner of Tibetan Lamas, Unar is certain in her heart that she was meant not just to be a slave, as her parents intended. She wasn’t even meant just to be a gardener for the Goddess of growth and fertility, as she has managed to become. Unar has striven so hard to get to the garden and her current position; she is convinced that she is meant for much more. With the death of Audblayin, the Goddess’ reincarnation is certain, although the child of course must be found, brought to the Garden and raised properly. Given the nature of deities, though, Audblayin could be reincarnated as a man. As a man, the deity will need a female bodyguard. That’s the rule. Audblayin has to reincarnate as a Man, and the bodyguard he will need has to be Unar. Unar is convinced of this, and it has been her guiding passion for her entire life. But in the uncertain environment of the Garden without its Goddess, Unar is forced out of the garden she has lived years in, and even beyond the barrier that separates the Canopy from the world below it. Unar’s journey is full of dreams of finding the reincarnated Goddess and returning to the Garden in triumph and restored station. However, her trip down into the understory of the rainforest dredges up her past, her future, and reveals a force that might upset the order of the entire rainforest. Crossroads of Canopy is the debut novel from Australian Fantasy author Thoraiya Dyer.
