364. Valerie Valdes (a.k.a The Cuban Shepard) — Chilling Effect
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandfepisode364valerievaldeschillingeffect/SandF–Episode364–Valerie_Valdes_Chilling_Effect.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSShenanigans, pastelitos, and tele novelas, oh my! Jen Zink and Paul Weimer are joined by Valerie Valdes, author of the banging new space adventure, Chilling Effect. Together, they discuss Valerie’s approach to precursor aliens, building multicultural space systems, and the found family vs. bio family trope. They also take a dive into the influence of video games on Valerie’s work! We hope you enjoy the episode! Don’t forget, if you sign up for our Patreon, where you can get access to other nifty podcast features!
Torture Cinema #94: Stan Helsing (2009)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandftorturecinema94stanhelsing/SandF–Torture_Cinema_94–Stan_Helsing.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDirty mice, invisible plots, and Leslie Nielsen, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Paul Weimer throw themselves on Freddy’s clawed hand to discuss Stan Helsing, a movie made by drunk people to torture the dead. Together, they discuss the film’s approach to humor, its nonsensical plot, why Leslie Nielsen is in this movie, and all the ways that this film is both offensive and hopelessly lazy. You picked it, so we watched it. Thanks a lot, y’all. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Righteous Kicks #5: Kamen Rider Fourze, Episodes 1-16
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandfrighteouskickse5/SandF–Righteous_Kicks–E5.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWelcome to Righteous Kicks — the podcast where two science fiction writers geek out about men in spandex bodysuits who kick evildoers to death in abandoned quarries until they explode! This month, because you all voted for it, Iori and Brandon begin Kamen Rider Fourze! Deep space and high school drama collide! We note that this is essentially every American teen movie if they were all partially set on the moon, we have intense feelings about all of these silly teenagers, and we realize that the monster metaphors here are actually pretty dark for a show about a boy who just wants to be friends. Plus, we briefly discuss the upcoming Reiwa Era series, Kamen Rider Zero-One — the first series to have a female Rider in the main roster?! Next time: we continue with episodes 17 to 32 of Fourze! Who is that man with a meteor for a head doing kung fu? What are the villains’ master plans? And will Gentarou actually befriend everyone at school? Be Transformed, and Stay Righteous!
Book Review: The Year of the Fruitcake by Gillian Polack
Could chocolate somehow bring about the apocalypse? Does a group of middle-aged women hold the fate of humanity in their hands? These are some of the many questions tackled in Gillian Polack’s new science fiction novel, The Year of the Fruitcake: or Aliens with Irony. It’s a complex, fiercely feminist narrative that tackles issues of colonialism, cultural appropriation, and the marginalisation of women.
Reading Rangers #11: A Civil Campaign
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sandfreadingrangers11civilcampaignbyloismcmasterbujold/SandF–Reading_Rangers_11–Civil_Campaign_by_Lois_McMaster_Bujold.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSHello, Rangers! In today’s exploration of Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga, Trish Matson, Kate Sherrod, Alex Acks, Stina Leicht, and Paul Weimer take a stab at A Civil Campaign. Together, they talk about the novel’s exploration of gender roles, the wild world of regency romances, how the book feels like an endpoint for certain narrative threads, and butterbugs! Next time in our journey through the Vorkosigan Adventures, we’ll discuss Winterfair Gift! We hope you enjoy the episode!
Speculative Fiction in Translation #16: Looking Back on the Summer’s SFT
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sfitepisode16lookingbackonsummersftl/SFiT–Episode_16–Looking_Back_On_Summer_SFTl.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSRachel and Daniel return this month with a wide-ranging conversation about the SFT they’ve been reading/hearing about/wanting to read from the summer. While Rachel was reading Liu Cixin’s Supernova Era (tr. by Joel Martinsen), The Aayakudi Murders by Indra Soundar Rajan (tr. Nirmal Rajagopalan), and The Dreamed Part by Rodrigo Fresan (tr. Will Vanderhyden), Daniel was finishing Laurence Suhner’s Vestiges in the original French, starting Jean Ray’s Whiskey Tales (tr. Scott Nicolay), and reading Francesco Verso’s Nexhuman (tr. Sally McCorry). Then they talk about some of their favorite short fiction from the summer, what they’re looking forward to in the fall, and the very sad closing of Haikasoru, Rachel’s favorite SFT imprint. Remember: with new stories and books coming to their attention each week, make sure to check the SFT website for updates. Enjoy, and keep reading! A bientôt!
