346. Myke Cole (a.k.a. Sergeant Tibbs): The Armored Saint
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode346MykeColeTheArmoredSaint/Sandf–Episode346–MykeColeTheArmoredSaint.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadMecha, the Nascent Church, and invented fears, oh my! Myke Cole, one of our most frequent guests over the years, joins Paul and Shaun to talk about his new fantasy novel, The Armored Saint. Over the course of the interview, Myke discusses what it meant to him to write and publish this book that allowed him, as a military SFF writer, to prove that he’s a “Writer” with a capital “W”, the challenge of writing in a voice that is the exact opposite of his own, and some of the influences on his Mecha. Bonus: We all learn how to properly pronounce Heloise. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Book Review: Three Neo-Lovecraftian novellas from Tor.com Publishing
In the last two years, Tor.Com’s publishing division has been publishing novellas and novels engaging with elements of Lovecraft’s Mythos. With the body of Lovecraft’s work outside of copyright or at least in dispute, the Mythos has proven a fertile ground in recent years for authors who want to explore Lovecraft, react to it, make it their own. In Agents of Dreamland by Caitlin Kiernan, the author ties together elements of Lovecraft along with her own creation of the mysterious Signalman, a government agent of rather unusual provenance. Add in a mysterious contact in the vicinity of Pluto, a distinctive narrative voice, and a narrative told out of sequence. It’s Lovecraft as seen through a strong literary bent, which is perhaps 180 degrees away from Lovecraft’s Pulp homeground. And amazingly, for being everything that Lovecraft is not, it is unquestionably in dialogue and an addition to the Mythos. Kieran manages to bring the Mythos to literary fiction. Kiernan’s skills bring a whole new look at Lovecraft’s work. The Signalman as a character is a real star whose development and direction by the author makes him leap off of the page. It’s perhaps the less accessible of the new crop of Neo-Lovecraftian fiction of what I have read from Tor, meaning that I would not recommend readers from a SFF and Lovecraft bent start here. The unique voice and style are singular and are not really indicative of the form. This is a novella, though, that I would hand someone who was deeply immersed in literary fiction, familiar with its forms, and wanted to try something with a fantastic bent. In some ways, they are an even better audience than someone who has read Lovecraft and SFF. The other two novellas are on far more solid SFF ground, although with their own twist.
Book Review: Three Space Opera Novellas from Tor.com Publishing
In the evolution and growth of the Novella program from Tor.com Publishing, an innovation that they have hit upon, as their lineup has grown and they have expanded their horizons, is the idea of thematic seasons. Instead of a welter of novellas of all kinds as they did in their initial phases, starting with 2017, the publisher has focused on themes. In Summer of 2017, the focus was on Space Opera. I’ve previously discussed All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells, which kicked off the Summer of Space Opera. I’ve since gone on to read three of the four other novellas in the set.
333. Malka Older (a.k.a. The Information Broker) — Null States (An Interview)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode333InterviewWithMalkaOlder/Sandf–Episode333–InterviewWithMalkaOlder.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSInformation, challenging assumptions, and celebrity politicians, oh my! Paul interviews Malka Older, author of Infomocracy, about the second book in her Centenal Cycle, Null States. Malka shares how her experiences as an NGO worker in Darfur helped shape Null States, how having a global perspective is crucial to exploring micro-democracies, and the differences between campaigning and governing. 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):
