Book Review: Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Everyone knows and loves Miles Vorkosigan. The “little admiral”, who thanks to a chemical attack on his mother while she was pregnant suffers from a shortness of build, brittle bones, and an drive to prove himself against all comers. He is the heart and center of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan universe. But what about Ivan? “Ivan, you Idiot”? The breezing through life cousin of Miles, who seems mostly engaged in trying to avoid the wrath of his mother, and any responsibility whatsoever? Wine, women, and having a good time as much as he can, without a care in the world or a thought in his brain. Is he really as stupid and shallow as Miles makes him out to be? Aral Vorkosigan, father of Miles, once mused that Ivan couldn’t possibly be faking his stupidity — or is Ivan better at this than even Aral realized? Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance gives us an entire novel to explore a story about Ivan and of Ivan, and a reconsideration of who and what he is, what he thinks he is, and what he wants to be.
271. On Science Fiction and Romance w/ Andrea Phillips
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode271RomanceWAndreaPhillips/SandF%20–%20Episode%20271%20–%20Romance%20w%20Andrea%20Phillips.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSubplots, comedies, and scifi relationships, oh my! Andrea Phillips joins us for a discussion about science fiction, romance, and her new novel, Revision. We talk about why romance gets a bad rap, some excellent starting points for the interested reader, and 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 271 — Download (MP3) Show Notes:
Indy Genre: Spring
Bearing the subtitle “Love is a monster,” the movie poster for Spring boasts a color scheme like a sunset, and an overlay of the faces of two lovers. If you ignore the tentacles and claws rising up against the silhouette of the woman central to the poster, this could almost stand in for another goddamn Nicholas Sparks movie. Thankfully, there’s far more complexity, meat, and… tentacles to it than that.
Episode 87 — Genre Rambles w/ Liz Bourke
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow87seasonThree–GenreRamblesWLizBourke/Sandf–Episode87–GenreRamblesWLizBourke.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWho’s up for another hard-hitting discussion episode? You are? Great! Liz Bourke joins us for episode 87 to talk about LGBT discrimination in publishing, SF/F books for the ladyfolk (whatever that means), history from the classical period (with a little medieval history for good measure), and SF/F in the global sphere (and the women on the margins therein). Our conversation wanders to all kinds of interesting side topics — in true discussion fashion. We had a blast, and we hope you will too! Listen away! 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 87 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 1:17:50) RWA Chapter Contest Bans Same-sex Novel Entries (or, How to Start a Shitstorm on the Internet) Flavorwire’s list of 10 Great Science Fiction Books for Girls (Because the best way to a girl’s heart is with a book involving children getting kicked in the junk…) (Global) Women in Science Fiction Roundtable (World SF Blog) (I have nothing funny to say about this…) Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
