Screen Scouts #18: Babylon 5 (Season 3; Episodes 5-8)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFScreenScouts18Babylon5S3E58/SandF–ScreenScouts18–Babylon5–S3E5-8.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThe First Ones, dusty telepaths, and G’Quan’s glory, oh my! The Babylon 5 re-watch of Season 3 continues! Shaun, Mike, and Paul tackle episodes 5 through 8. They talk about the introduction of the First Ones, the development of G’Kar and the emotional resonances of the show’s complex colonial morality, the depth of the Shadows’ plot, and so much more! So climb on board the the White Star and join us on our adventures in the B5 universe! We hope you enjoy the episode!
#04. Bloodline – Thrawn and On and On (A Star Wars Literary Podcast)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFThrawnandonandon4Bloodline/SandF–Thrawnandonandon4–Bloodline.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSChill your coaxium and holster your blasters, the team is BACK!! That’s right, Shaun, Alex, and Kate have returned after a too long absence to tackle their first book in the NEW Canon, Bloodline by Claudia Gray. If you haven’t read the book yet, no worries, because the team will give you a giant spoiler wall just in case you think a book that whatever happens before Force Awakens and after Return of the Jedi could actually spoil anything for you. The team discusses how this is primarily a Leia book, what gave rise to the First Order, how and why this is not your mom’s hopeful Star Wars, and so, so much more. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Interview: Gareth L. Powell on Fleet of Knives
Today on Skiffy and Fanty, we have an interview with Fleet of Knives author Gareth Powell. GARETH L. POWELL is a speculative fiction author from the UK. He has won the BSFA Award for Best Novel and been shortlisted for the Seiun Awards in Japan. His novels and novellas have been published in the UK and US by Solaris, Titan Books, and Tor.com Publishing. His latest book, Fleet of Knives, has been shortlisted for the BSFA Award. He kindly answered a few of our questions about the book and his work.
Reading Rangers #9: Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFReadingRangers9MemoryByLoisMcMasterBujold/SandF–Reading_Rangers_9–Memory_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 Memory! Did you miss us? This time Paul, Trish, Kate, and Alex are joined by Trish’s lovely twin, Sarah Elkins! If you’ve been reading along, Miles Vorkosigan has been through quite a few ups and downs over the series, but things finally catch up to him and, after being caught in a big lie, Miles must come to terms with who he wants to be, Lord Vorkosigan or Admiral Naismith. The team discuss Bujold’s masterful differentiation between plot and story and how Memory acts as both a valediction and a bridge between the past and the future of the Vorkosiverse. Next time in our journey through the Vorkosigan Adventures, we’ll discuss Komarr! We hope you enjoy the episode!
Book Review: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Kameron Hurley starts 2019 off with a flash of light and a hell of a story. The Light Brigade, releasing March 19, pulls readers into a future where corporations run the world instead of traditional governments, and Mars is an active warzone. To fight against the Martians, soldiers are broken down into light, scattered into atoms and transported to the battlefield, where their powerful weapons and strict training take over. But when Dietz joins up and starts experiencing back drops that don’t match up with the rest of her field team, she begins to get a different picture of the war. One that doesn’t match what the corporations are telling them. A page-turner if I’ve ever seen one, Hurley strikes gold with this one. With a classic yet stunning take on science, love, and loss, The Light Brigade will follow you across the galaxy, and hit you in the gut as many times as it pulls you back to your feet with a (mostly) friendly hand.
Month of Joy: Werewolves In Space… Why not? by Joyce Chng
This is supposed to be my Month of Joy post. You know, where I post what makes me happy and joyful. To be honest, I am not feeling joyful now because I keep getting reminded that I am not welcome in the science fiction and fantasy community. The gatekeepers, the old guard, want to keep people like me out of the picture because I don’t write hard science fiction. Or legit science fiction, even. Or that I am not white, not USian, not trad. pubbed etc. And besides, you all get my country confused all the time. No, Singapore is not in China. And no, Singapore is not just like the land of Crazy Rich Asians. It’s like so much more. The old guard will probably think werewolves in space is too far-fetched, too preposterous. Oh wait, it’s also space opera — but where’s the hard science? Where are the hard scientific facts? I doubt they will ever read it anyway. And it has slice-of-life and domestic scenes — probably too ‘girl cooties’ for their masculine sensibilities. Already I hear the mutterings of ‘sjw’ and ‘POC’. Whatever.
