BOOK REVIEW: THE UNBALANCING BY R.B. LEMBERG
I felt drawn to the mythology of Lemberg’s Birdverse and was intrigued by the structure of the island society, but most of all, I enjoyed the well-developed characters, their contrasts, and where their interactions led — to a relationship, to magical discoveries, and to a struggle for survival amid upheavals.
Book Review: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The Space Between Worlds brings an unexpected post-apocalyptic setting, and a very personally focused narrative story as developments and extensions on the old SF trope of multiverse travel.
363. Alix E. Harrow (a.k.a. The Door Builder) — The Ten Thousand Doors of January (An Interview)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandfepisode363alixeharrowtenthousanddoorsofjanuary/SandF–Episode363–Alix_E_Harrow_Ten_Thousand_Doors_of_January.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSFootnotes, diaries, and doors, oh my! In today’s episode, Jen Zink and Paul Weimer interview the Hugo Short Story winning writer, Alix E. Harrow, about her debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January! Find out how this book puts Alix’s cheating methods on display, how she worked to subvert the white colonial narrative of classic portal fantasy, what books she used as a model, and so much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Don’t forget, if you sign up for our Patreon, you’ll be able to listen to our Patreon exclusive interview, 5 Questions with Alix E. Harrow!
Torture Cinema #92: Starcrash (1978/79)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandftorturecinema92starcrash/SandF–Torture_Cinema_92–Starcrash.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThe Hass, chauvinist robots, and Italians, oh my! In a Torture Cinema podcast that meanders almost as much as the movie, Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, and Trish Matson get together to discuss this month’s Patreon selection, Starcrash! Not only do the team discuss everything from the truly awful logic to the surprising inclusion of an… uhhh… active female protagonist, we also introduce a new segment to Torture Cinema called, “What is Paul’s Like?” Make sure you listen, because it includes some of the absolute best aspects of this truly terrible film. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Book Reviews: THE CALCULATING STARS and THE FATED SKY by Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series began in 2012 when Audible.com published her novelette “The Lady Astronaut of Mars” within RIP-OFF, an original audiobook anthology. The Hugo-winning story subsequently saw print. Since then, Kowal has revisited the universe of that novelette with additional short stories, including “The Phobos Experience” in an issue of last summer’s The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Additionally, she has also taken the story back to its “origins,” starting a series of Lady Astronaut novels with The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky. The third novel in this series, The Relentless Moon, is due from Tor Books in 2020, meaning that you have plenty of time to catch up if you haven’t yet experienced this series of positivity and hope. Combining alternate history with science fiction, the series tells a story both progressive and uplifting. At the core of the series lies the principle that if space is the future of humanity, then the process of humanity’s movement beyond the confines of Earth should involve all elements of that humanity. The stories are about the societal and technical challenges that face the characters involved in reaching that goal of colonizing alien worlds. Starting chronologically in 1952, Kowal takes elements of history and spins in an imagined catastrophe to set in motion an alternate timeline where the space program could be built differently, perhaps with more diversity. The establishment of that diverse representation proves as great of a challenge for humanity as do the physical threats against extra-planetary survival. The Lady Astronaut series depicts its characters overcoming these challenges, one step at a time.
Book Review: Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
Lady Marian is left heartbroken when her fiance, Robin of Loxley, is killed in the Crusades. Already feeling constrained by society’s expectations of her as a noblewoman, she finds herself also increasingly struggling against the unjust laws and taxes levied against Robin’s people—her people in all but name. When she sneaks out one night to help the fugitive Will Scarlet evade Guy of Gisborne, she is mistaken for Robin and drawn into a double life. This feminist retelling was everything I could have wanted. Marian doesn’t conform to traditional ideas of femininity. She has Opinions about the injustice she sees around her, but is smart enough not to be too vocal about it; she knows well enough that her voice will be ignored and that there is a limit to what talk will accomplish. She’s also uncommonly tall, is terrible at embroidery, has a head for figures and is a brilliant archer (natch). This makes it sound she’s Not Like Other Girls, and I feel she definitely skirts the line. However, the story belies this by showing how she’s supported by other intelligent women. Some of these women are more traditionally feminine, but, like Marian, are smart enough to know that speaking up will get them ignored (at best). Instead, they act strategically in an effort to support a more just world.
