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!
Book Review: VELOCITY WEAPON by Megan E. O’Keefe
Over the last few months, I’ve rediscovered just how spectacularly fun a good space opera can be. Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire had me hooked from its start, and reading Laurence Suhner’s captivating Vestiges has me baffled that no publishers have picked up her Quantika series for translation from the French to English. In addition to those, space opera fans can now add Megan E. O’Keefe’s Velocity Weapon to the to-read list. You may already recognize O’Keefe’s name from her successful steampunk fantasy, the “Scorched Continent” series, or you may have already caught the interview with her by Paul and I for the Skiffy & Fanty podcast. Her first book in The Protectorate series, Velocity Weapon is a well-crafted interplanetary adventure full of twists and turns, compelling characters, and irresistible teases of an expanded terrain for the chapters to come.
COMICS REVIEW: Looking at the 2019 Best Graphic Story Hugo Finalists
Welcome to the latest installment of my comics review column here at Skiffy & Fanty! Every month, I use this space to shine a spotlight on SF&F comics (print comics, graphic novels, and webcomics) that I believe deserve more attention from SF&F readers. This month, I’m going to take a look at the nominees for this year’s Best Graphic Story Hugo Award. Warning: these reviews contains spoilers! As regular readers will know, I’ve been in the habit of using this space to both recommend works that might otherwise be overlooked by Hugo voters during nomination season and taking a look at the short list in advance of the deadline for voting. If you aren’t already familiar with this year’s ballot, you can read the complete list here, but if you don’t want to click away, here are the finalists for this year’s Best Graphic Story Hugo:
Screen Scouts #19: Babylon 5 (Season 3; Episodes 9-12)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFScreenScouts19Babylon5S3E912/SandF–ScreenScouts19–Babylon5–S3E9-12.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDystopian shenanigans, busted councils, and Centauri rivalries, oh my! The Babylon 5 re-watch of Season 3 continues! Shaun, Mike, and Paul tackle episodes 9 through 12. This podcast is packed with big reveals, terrifying prospects, and disturbing ideas. We tackle the collapse of Earth Federation, the echos of the Nightwatch, the development of our favorite characters, and the show’s approach to imperialism and racism. And that’s just scratching the surface! So climb aboard the the White Star and join us on our adventures in the B5 universe! We hope you enjoy the episode!
361. Megan E. O’Keefe (a.k.a. Lady Soapminster) — Velocity Weapon (An Interview)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode361MeganOKeefeVelocityWeapon/SandF–Episode361–Megan_OKeefe_VelocityWeapon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSurvival, corporations, and stolen tech, oh my! In today’s episode, Paul Weimer and Daniel Haeusser interview Megan O’Keefe about her new Space Opera novel, Velocity Weapon! But is it a Space Opera? Or is it a heist novel? Perhaps a thriller? No, wait! It’s a time-travel story about the unbreakable bond between siblings! Find out what compelled Megan to tackle Space Opera, how the story evolved into it’s present form, the importance of showing a functioning family unit, why she showed the dark side of a highly advanced society, and so much more! There are some spoilers in the latter half, so watch yourself if you haven’t read the book yet! We hope you enjoy the episode!
#05. Crosscurrent – Thrawn and On and On (A Star Wars Literary Podcast)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFThrawnandOnandOn5Crosscurrent/SandF–ThrawnandOnandOn5–Crosscurrent.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSJack up your hyperspace engines and get your Sith bath salts ready! Shaun, Alex, and Kate bounce back in time to the OLD Canon (Legends) for an in-depth discussion of Paul S. Kemp’s Crosscurrent. And “time” really is the word of the day. The crew of this absurdly comical starfreighter take a look at how Kemp’s novel deals with Force users in two drastically different time periods, the role of vengeance and doubt in the battle between the Dark and Light, and even the eccentricities of the Unknown Regions. Plus, this is the first book they’ve read that is downright creepy, so you better believe they’ve got a few things to say about getting the willies while reading a Star Wars novel. We hope you enjoy the episode!
