The Functional Nerds Podcast

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Nick Martell – author of The Kingdom of Liars.

About The Kingdom of Liars: Michael is branded a traitor as a child because of the murder of the king’s nine-year-old son, by his father David Kingman. Ten years later on Michael lives a hardscrabble life, with his sister Gwen, performing crimes with his friends against minor royals in a weak attempt at striking back at the world that rejects him and his family.

In a world where memory is the coin that pays for magic, Michael knows something is there in the hot white emptiness of his mind. So when the opportunity arrives to get folded back into court, via the most politically dangerous member of the kingdom’s royal council, Michael takes it, desperate to find a way back to his past. He discovers a royal family that is spiraling into a self-serving dictatorship as gun-wielding rebels clash against magically trained militia.

What the truth holds is a set of shocking revelations that will completely change the Hollows, if Michael and his friends and family can survive long enough to see it.

About Nick Martell: Nick Martell was born in Ontario, Canada before moving to the United States at age 7. After graduating high school on Long Island, he majored in Creative Writing at Pennysylvania’s Susquehanna University. He started writing novels regularly in fifth grade, and his debut novel, The Kingdom of Liars, sold when he was 23 years old. Currently, he lives outside Allentown.

This week’s picks:

* Nick: Treasure island (Board Game)

* Tracy: Nature Anywhere Window Bird House Feeder

* Patrick: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Season 5 & 6 (Netflix)

Links:

* Nick Martell on Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Derek Kunsken – author of THE HOUSE OF STYX.

About THE HOUSE OF STYX: Life can exist anywhere. And anywhere there is life, there is home.

In the swirling clouds of Venus, the families of la colonie live on floating plant-like trawlers, salvaging what they can in the fierce acid rain and crackling storms. Outside is dangerous, but humankind’s hold on the planet is fragile and they spend most of their days simply surviving.

But Venus carries its own secrets, too. In the depths, there is a wind that shouldn’t exist.

And the House of Styx wants to harness it.

About Derek Kunsken: Derek is a science fiction, fantasy, and sometimes accidentally, horror writer. He writes and reads both novel-length and short fiction, with a preference for works that explore really strange places and people.

This week’s picks:

* Derek: Westworld Season 2 & 3 (HBO)

* Tracy: The Alphasmart

* Patrick: Bill & Ted Face The Music (Trailer)

Links:

* Derek Kunsken on Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Michael R. Underwood – author of ANNIHILATION ARIA.

About ANNIHILATION ARIA: A woman who can wield a weapon like a song and her voice like a weapon. A man who can out-think any problem. A pilot who can outmaneuver the best of them. Lahra, Max, and Wheel live and work aboard the Kettle, salvaging artifacts from dangerous galactic ruins to keep scraping by.

But those artifacts can unlock an ancient power which threatens the iron-fisted rule of the galaxy’s imperialist overlords, the Vsenk. To protect their dominion, the Vsenk have humbled entire civilizations. They eat ships like the Kettle and her found family for breakfast.

Lahra, Max, and Wheel are each just trying to get home to the lives they lost, but they’ll have to evade space fascists, kick-start a rebellion, and save the galaxy first to do it.

Board the Kettle for a space opera like none you’ve ever read before; an adventure of galactic subterfuge, ancient alien lore, a secret resistance force, lost civilizations, and giant space turtles.

About Michael R. Underwood: Michael R. Underwood is an author, podcaster, and publishing professional. His series include the Ree Reyes Geekomancy books, the Stabby Award finalist Genrenauts series, and Born to the Blade. He’s been a bookseller, sales representative, and the North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books. He is also a co-host Speculate and a guest host on the Hugo Award-finalist The Skiffy and Fanty Show

Mike lives in Baltimore with his wife, their dog, and an ever-growing library. He also loves geeking out with games and making pizzas from scratch.

This week’s picks:

* Michael: The Sojourn Game

* Tracy: The Hoopla App from your local Library and The Libby App from your local Library

* Patrick: George Foreman Grill with removable plates

Links:

* Michael R. Underwood on Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Emily B Martin – author of SUNSHIELD – available from HarperVoyager.

About SUNSHIELD: A lawless wilderness. A polished court. Individual fates, each on a quest to expose a system of corruption.

The desolate canyons of Alcoro—and the people desperate enough to hide there—couldn’t be more different from the opulent glass palace and lush forests of Moquoia. But the harsh desert and gleaming court are linked through their past, present, and future: a history of abductions in the desert to power Moquoia’s quarries and factories, and a bleak, inhumane future built on the sweat and sacrifice of these bond laborers.

But events unfolding in the present could change everything. In the desert, outlaw Lark—known to most as the Sunshield Bandit—has built a name for herself attacking slavers’ wagons and freeing the captives inside. But while she shakes the foundation of Moquoia’s stratified society, she also has to fight to protect her rescuees—and herself—from the unforgiving world around them.

In the Moquoian court, young ambassador Veran hopes to finally make his mark by dismantling the unjust labor system, if he can navigate the strict hierarchy and inexplicable hostility of the prince.

And caught in the middle of it all, Tamsin is trapped within four walls, the epicenter of a secret political coup to overthrow the Moquoian monarchy and perpetuate the age-old system of injustice.

Separated by seas of trees and sand, the outlaw, the diplomat, and the prisoner are more connected than anyone realizes. Their personal fates might just tip the balance of power in the Eastern World—if that very power doesn’t destroy them first.

About Emily B Martin: EMILY B. MARTIN splits her time between working as a park ranger and an author/illustrator, resulting in her characteristic eco-fantasy adventures. An avid hiker and explorer, her experiences as a ranger help inform the characters and worlds she creates on paper.

When not patrolling places like Yellowstone, the Great Smoky Mountains, or Philmont Scout Ranch, she lives in South Carolina with her husband, Will, and two daughters, Lucy and Amelia.

Check out Emily’s Guest Post here on Functional Nerds: Magic and Melting Glaciers: Climate Change in SFF.

This week’s picks:

* Emily: The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham

* Tracy: The MayaFlya Disc by Buena Onda Games

* Patrick: Bosch Season 6 (Prime)

Links:

* Emily B martin on Instagram

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Pa...

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Drew Murray – author of BROKEN GENIUS: A Will Parker Thriller – out today, June 2nd!

About BROKEN GENIUS: A Will Parker Thriller: For Will Parker, it’s about personal redemption after a disastrous mistake

In 2011, Will Parker, the young prodigy CEO of a big tech company makes a coding mistake that costs a college student her life. To assuage his guilt, Will pursues a career in the FBI Cyber Division.

Now, Special Agent Will Parker is called to investigate a murder scene at a Comic Con event in the Midwest, where the victim has ties to a radioactive quantum computer that Will was working on before he left his gig as CEO.

Working with smart local homicide detective Dana Lopez and FBI stuffed-shirt Thomas Decker, Will discovers the victim was holding an auction for the computer on the Dark Web—and the bidding is still live.

With bidders including a legendary Chinese hacker, Russian criminals sent by the Kremlin, and a corporate executive desperate to escape a scandal, Will once again finds a life in his hands when the victim’s daughter is taken hostage. A trail of blood and high-tech breadcrumbs leads Will deeper into mystery, danger, and a race against time to keep unlimited power out of the wrong hands.

About Drew Murray: Drew grew up in Southwestern Ontario, obtained an MBA from the Ivey Business School, and had a successful career in corporate technology before transitioning into investing and education. Drew has travelled throughout Europe, North America, South America and the South Pacific on business and pleasure. An avid story teller since he was a child, Drew has been an actor, an educator and now an author.

Always a dreamer, Drew is a fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy, a pro at escape rooms, and an avid role-playing gamer. You may run into him at a Comic Con celebrating all things fan related, as well as teaching at Western University or Fanshawe College.

This week’s picks:

* Drew: Locke and Key (Netflix)

* Tracy: From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen (Snoop Dogg Cookbook, Celebrity Cookbook with Soul Food Recipes)

* Patrick: Bob <3’s Abishola (CBS)

Links:

* Drew Murray on Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Michael Mammay – retired army officer and author of PLANETSIDE AND SPACESIDE.

About Michael Mammay: Michael Mammay is a science fiction writer. He is a retired army officer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a master’s degree in military history, and he currently teaches American literature. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His debut novel, Planetside came out in July, 2018, and was selected as a Library Journal best book of 2018. The audio book, narrated by RC Bray, was nominated for an Audie award. The sequel, Spaceside, hit the shelves on August 27th, 2019. Michael lives with his wife in Georgia.

This week’s picks:

* Michael: Wingspan (Board Game)

* Tracy: Serial Box

* Patrick: DC’s Harley Quinn (DCUniverse/Prime)

Links:

* Michael Mammay on Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Stephen Blackmore – author of GHOST MONEY, book five in a dark urban fantasy series that follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

About Stephen Blackmore: Stephen Blackmoore is the Los Angeles based author of the noir / urban fantasy Eric Carter series, including DEAD THINGS, BROKEN SOULS, HUNGRY GHOSTS, FIRE SEASON, GHOST MONEY and the stand-alone CITY OF THE LOST. He has written tie-in novels for the role-playing game Spirit of The Century (KHAN OF MARS), the video-game Wasteland 2 (ALL BAD THINGS) and the television series Heroes Reborn (DIRTY DEEDS), as well as part of the Gods & Monster series (MYTHBREAKER). His short stories can be found at FIRESIDE FICTION, PLOTS WITH GUNS, and in anthologies such as URBAN ALLIES, DEADLY TREATS, DON’T READ THIS BOOK, UNCAGE ME and many others.

This week’s picks:

* Stephen: Madam Clara 5-Cent Tarot (2nd Edition)

* Tracy: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

* Patrick: Watchmen (HBO/Prime)

Links:

* Stephen Blackmore on Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome geek journalist extraordinaire. podcaster, D&D historian, Gadfly, nerd, writer, educator, friend to humanity, animal, and werewolf alike – Ben Riggs to talk about the history of D&D and the fall of TSR!

Links:

* Ben Riggs on Twitter

* Ben Riggs on the Plotpoint Podcast

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

Having survived April, Patrick and Tracy are talking about food and fandom this week. Both enjoy cooking for themselves and others, and in this episode explore the links between food and the genre’s we love. Plus – they play the inaugural game of THUNDERDOME…

Links:

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome New York Times bestselling author Steven Barnes!

About Steven Barnes: STEVEN BARNES is a New York Times bestselling author, screenwriter and educator who has written more than thirty science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels. Octavia E. Butler called Barnes’s Endeavor-Award winning novel Lion’s Blood “imaginative, well researched, well written, and devastating.” The NAACP Image Award winner is also a pioneering television writer who has written for The Outer Limits (Showtime), The New Twilight Zone (Showtime), Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, and Ben 10: Alien Force. He has been nominated for Hugo, Nebula and Cable Ace Awards. Barnes has lectured at UCLA, Mensa, Pasadena JPL, taught at Seattle University, hosted the “Hour 25” radio show on KPFK, been Kung Fu columnist for Black Belt Magazine, and been a “Starred Speaker” at the L.A. Screenwriting Expo. An avid yogi and martial artist with three black belts, Steven is also a pioneer in the human potential movement, creating the groundbreaking “Lifewriting” creativity system, making writers the heroes of their own stories.

Links:

* Steven Barnes on Facebook

* Tracy Townsend on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

© 2020 Patrick Hester