Science Fiction

Righteous Kicks, The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Righteous Kicks #3 – Kamen Rider Drive, Episodes 17-32

/

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFRighteousKicksE3/SandF–Righteous_Kicks–E3.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, Iori and Brandon discuss the latest developments of the middle batch of Kamen Rider Drive. Heroes and villains change allegiances, Shinnosuke learns something curious about his cop father, corruption slithers into the police force, the show’s only OTP reveals itself briefly, and Otta Genpachiro is finally cured of his pesky difficulty pronouncing the word ‘Roidmude’. (Although we don’t blame him.) Next time, we finally close out Drive with its final sixteen episodes. Will the show respond to its latest tragedy by finally making Shijima Kiriko a Rider? We still hold out hope… Be Transformed, and Stay Righteous! Show Notes: Kamen Rider Drive on the Kamen Rider Wiki a very short video of Harley Hendrickson telling Krim Steinbelt to shut up Drive at KRDL.moe If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page or email Righteous Kicks at righteouskickscast @ [gmail.com]. You can also find the hosts on twitter: Brandon O’Brien and Iori Kusano. The intro and outro music for Righteous Kicks comes from “Shinigami” by XTaKeRuX (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Blog Posts

Book Review: A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE by Arkady Martine

/

Yes, Paul Weimer already delivered a ‘squee-tastic’ review of Arkady Martine’s debut novel, A Memory Called Empire, here earlier this week. But this novel is so notably brilliant that it’s worth fueling that hype with even more squee. Martine’s debut includes nearly all of the elements I would potentially look for in a great science fiction novel, balancing each of them to hit so many positive notes that I suspect other readers will find it just as elegantly captivating. Until now, I’ve never gotten to read a new release and think: This deserves to win all of the awards. I cannot fathom anything else coming this year to approach this level of achievement. Compared to Paul, I’m not as broadly read in the genre, and I’m ashamed to say I still haven’t even read Dune! I did, however, grow up adoring the novels of Asimov, and the space opera setting of A Memory Called Empire immediately drew my thoughts to his linked series. Martine takes the philosophical and political-historical intellect underlying the best of Asimov and refreshes the out-of-date social and cultural perspectives of his works. Several others have also drawn comparisons to the more modern Imperial Radch novels by Anne Leckie. While I liked Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, the narrative voice of Martine’s novel and the themes addressed through its plot resonated even stronger with me.

Blog Posts

Book Review: A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE by Arkady Martine

/

Last year, I read a debut author’s space opera that was hyped by many as the Next Big Thing. Comparisons to Dune were explicitly made. The text showed that the author clearly was writing in conversation with Dune, trying to catch that magic about a big broad space opera by focusing on the life and times of a protagonist destined to have an enormous impact on their universe. But for me, that novel fell down on a number of fronts and was an enormous disappointment. This is not that book. This book steps into those shoes, attempting to capture that Dune magic, and walks miles in them. And for me, it succeeds where that other novel failed. This is A Memory Called Empire by debut novelist Arkady Martine. A Memory Called Empire is a dazzling space opera involving a Byzantine plot that immerses the reader in a fully realized world with a cast of interesting characters.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Reading Rangers #10: Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold

/

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFReadingRangers10KomarrByLoisMcMasterBujold/SandF–Reading_Rangers_10–Komarr_by_Lois_McMaster_Bujold.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSHello, Rangers! We’re back with everyone’s favorite Space Nancy Drew in Komarr! This time Stina, Paul, and Trish sit around the campfire to talk about women’s agency, budding relationships, whether or not Miles is “dad” material, how good intentions can go horribly, horribly wrong, the politics of isolationism, and more! Stina gets personal and, as is common when discussing Bujold, the team has lots of praise for her ability to write strong characters. Next time in our journey through the Vorkosigan Adventures, we’ll discuss A Civil Campaign! We hope you enjoy the episode!

SF in Translation, The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Speculative Fiction in Translation #13: Spanish Sherlock Holmes

/

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SFiTEpisode13SpanishSherlockHolmes/SFiT–Episode_13–Spanish_Sherlock_Holmes.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSMarch brings us Indonesian sci-fi about intergalactic love, Portuguese fantasy about a family’s terrible secrets, Italian sci-fi about what it means to be human, a story from the “Lost Files” of Sherlock Holmes, and much more. We also discuss the books we’re looking forward to later in 2019 and what we’d like to see in English in the future. 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!

Blog Posts

Short Fiction Review: March 2019

/

This past month, my three favorite stories all happened to be love stories. None of these stories are exactly typical or traditional love stories, which I think is the reason I liked them so much. “Green Glass: A Love Story” by E. Lily Yu feels like a fun romcom about the super-wealthy. It’s also a sharp critique of the 1%. It appears in If This Goes On, a new anthology edited by Cat Rambo. “Every Song Must End” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, which appears in Uncanny Magazine, is a moving, intelligent meditation on love, which centers around two polyamorous couples. “Octonet” by Keyan Bowes appears in Escape Pod and was part of Artemis Rising 5, an annual event put on by the Escape Artists podcast network featuring authors of marginalized genders and sexes. Although “Octonet” does include a lovely romance between two women, it’s mostly a love story about octopuses. If you agree octopuses are awesome, you’ve got to read this. If you haven’t yet realized how awesome octopuses are, you should also check this out.

Scroll to Top