The Skiffy and Fanty Show

In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Elizabeth talks to Dr. Tansy Rayner Roberts, writer and editor extraordinaire, about 12th Planet Press’s robot creation anthology, Mother of Invention, which Tansy co-edited with Rivqa Rafael! The two discuss a bit of Tansy’s experience as an editor, how much she enjoyed going through the Kickstarter progress, what the anthology is about and how they gathered the stories (including one by Elizabeth! Yay Elizabeth!), and much more! Elizabeth stays down-under with an interview with Sam Hawke about her debut novel, City of Lies! They discuss how Sam’s love of food inspired a central premise of the story, what made her decide to focus on a sibling relationship and how that relationship was complicated by the physical limitations of one of them, the myth that women don’t write epic fantasy, and more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Dr. Tansy Rayner Roberts (00:53 – 21:34) Twelfth Planet Press’ Website Tansy’s Website Tansy on Twitter Mother of Invention (GO BUY IT!) Sam Hawke (21:48 – 38:24) Sam’s Website Sam on Twitter City of Lies (GO BUY IT!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Hamster balls, giant squid, and Jason Statham’s biceps, oh my! Join Jen, Alex, and David as they discuss the summer blockbuster hit and totally Jason Statham-y film, The Meg! While some people might hate fun, we certainly don’t. With our happy hats on, we explore The Meg‘s fulfilled promises, its subversion of popcorn action film expectations, the way it references Jaws, and so much more! Bring your swimsuits and your shark cage for this dive into the giant jaws of The Meg! We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: The Meg (2018)(IMDb) Feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

This month’s episode is packed with info about the SFT from Algeria, Japan, Serbia, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, Russia, and China. It’s a vibrant mix of new books in a series, anthologies, novels, and stories, which I know you’ll enjoy. Plus, you can check out reviews of these and other stories around the internet. I also tell you about my current reading and translation work (starting a new project translating one of my favorite authors, Clelia Farris!). With new stories and books coming to our attention each week, make sure to check the SFT website for updates. Enjoy, and keep reading! A bientôt! Show notes: Transcript of Episode 8 SFT Out in August “The Loneliest Ward” by Hao Jingfang, translated from the Chinese by Ken Liu (Clarkesworld Magazine, August 1) “The Mauve Planet” by Safia Ketou, translated from the French by Nadia Ghanem (Arablit.org, August 13) Excerpt from The Man at One Kelvin Degrees by Piero Schiavo Campo, translated from the Italian by Sarah Jane Webb (Trafika Europe 14: Italian Piazza, August 1) The Snail on the Slope by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, translated from the Russian by Olena Bormashenko (Chicago Review Press, August 1) Two of Six: A Captain’s Dilemma by Tomohito Moriyama, translated from the Japanese by J. D. Wisgo (independently published, August 1) Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World, edited by Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro, translated from the Portuguese by Fábio Fernandes (World Weaver Press, August 7) Nexhuman by Francesco Verso, translated from the Italian by Sally McCorry (Apex Publications, August 14) Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu, translated from the Chinese by Joel Martinsen (Tor Books, August 14) The Book by Zoran Živković, translated from the Serbian by Tamar Yellin (Cadmus Press, August 20) Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Volume 7: Tempest by Yoshiki Tanaka, translated from the Japanese by Daniel Huddleston (Haikasoru, August 21) Reviews Andrea Johnson reviews Nexhuman on her website Sara Martin reviews The Vestigial Heart in the SFRA Review Erik Henriksen reviews Ball Lightning on Tor.com Daniel Haeusser’s Short SFT Reviews Rachel’s Corner Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergei Dyachenko, translated by Julia Meitov Hersey (Harper Voyager) The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares, translated by Ruth L. C. Simms General Links Speculative Fiction in Translation website Speculative Fiction in Translation facebook page SFT on twitter: @Rcordas If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Lizard tails, Hellraiser, and bad Spanish, oh my! In today’s episode of Torture Cinema, Jen, Paul, and Alex are joined by the wonderful Tonia Thompson, founder of Nightlight Podcast, to talk about a film that should probably be thrown into the nearest hellmouth (except it’s SO PRETTY)! The group covers everything from the terrible script to the terrible plotting to the terrible use of some Western tropes to the… everything is terrible, honestly. If I tell you all of it, this would be a really long post when really you should just get to the episode! And at least some folks got paid for making this movie, so it’s not ALL bad. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Gallowwalkers (2012)(IMDb) Tonia’s Website Tonia’s Twitter Nightlight Podcast Nightlight Podcast on Twitter Feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Belly-dancing wookies, pancakes, and multimedia cooperatives, oh my! The Thomas’ are back on Skiffy and Fanty to share their year five kickstarter with Paul and Trish! They brought with them Matt Peters, who, along with the fabulous Michi Trota, is hoping that you support Uncanny Magazine so that the world can enjoy their new venture, Uncanny TV! These three Uncanny guests share with us all the amazing things that Uncanny is doing now, what they hope to do in year 5, what wrestling has to do with recognizing a great story, and so much more! Plus, they just won a friggin’ Hugo Award (congrats, y’all). For the third time. So you know they’re legit! We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Uncanny Magazine (read it) Uncanny Magazine Year Five Kickstarter! It’s fully funded, but there are so many cool stretch goals! Michael Damian Thomas’ Stuff: Website Twitter Lynne Thomas’ Stuff Website Twitter Matt Peters’ Stuff: Website Twitter Feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

After a long break, we’re back with not two but THREE WHOLE INTERVIEWS! Because you deserve it (and also we need to catch up). In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Paul talks to Claire O’Dell (the pen name of Beth Bernobich) about the first book in her new science fiction mystery series inspired by Sherlock Homes, A Study in Honor. They discuss why Claire chose both the specific new voices for Watson and Sherlock, how the setting came about, the intersections of race, class, and power that she explores, and more! Then Becca is joined by Daniel Hansen, author of The Trickster’s War Series, the short story collection, This Coyote’s Life as Told by an Old NDN, and so much more. They discuss the influence that the stories of his childhood have had on his work, why his work might be identified as magical realism, the differences between writing novels and short stories, and, as always, more! Last, but certainly not least, Paul is joined by Ilana C. Myer about the sequel to Last Song Before Night, Fire Dance! They discuss how Fire Dance builds upon the first book but still remains accessible to new readers, the real world models that influenced the world-building, the consequences of bringing magic into a world that hadn’t had any, and the power of Ursula K. LeGuin. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Claire O’Dell (00:53 – 16:10) Claire’s Website Claire on Twitter A Study in Honor (GO BUY IT!) Daniel Hansen (16:24 – 28:03) Daniel’s Website Daniel on Twitter Daniel’s Books (GO BUY BOOKS!) Ilana C. Myer (28:18 – 43:03) Ilana’s Website Ilana on Twitter Fire Dance (GO BUY IT!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

July brought us speculative stories, books, and collections translated from the Chinese, Spanish, Croatian, French, Finnish, Portuguese, and Swedish. So much great stuff! From post-apocalyptic science fiction to Swedish horror to magical realism from Quebec, you’ll have no problem finding excellent reading material. Plus, you can check out reviews of these and other stories around the internet. I also tell you about my current reading and translation work (still working on that Italian surrealist noir!) With new stories and books coming to our attention each week, make sure to check the SFT website for updates. Enjoy, and keep reading! A bientôt! Show notes: Transcript of Episode 7 SFT Out in July “To Fly Like a Fallen Angel” by Qi Yue, translated from the Chinese by Elizabeth Hanlon (Clarkesworld Magazine, July 1) “Render Unto Caesar” by Eduardo Vaquerizo, translated from the Spanish by Rich Larson (Analog SF, July/August) “All Clear” by Hao He, translated from the Chinese by R. Orion Martin (Apex Magazine, July) The Great Escape From Fairyland or The Witch, the Prince, the Girl and the Dragon by Viktoria Faust, translated from the Croatian by the author (The Fantasist, July) Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric Dupont, translated from the French by Peter McCambridge (QC Fiction, July 1) Condomnauts by Yoss, translated from the Spanish by David Frye (Restless Books, July 10) Steampunk International, ed. Ian Whates, various translators (Newcon Press, July 17) Alphaland by Cristina Jurado, translated from the Spanish by James Womack (Nevsky Books, July 18) Blood Cruise by Mats Strandberg, translated from the Swedish by Agnes Broome (Jo Fletcher, July 12) Reviews Rachel Cordasco reviews Vestiges (QuanTika Book I) on Strange Horizons James Nicoll reviews Vestiges on his site Sean Guynes-Vishniac reviews Condomnauts in World Literature Today John Self reviews The Last Children of Tokyo (The Emissary in the US) in the Guardian Tony Malone reviews Songs for the Cold of Heart on Tony’s Reading List Amy Goldschlager reviews The Coincidence Makers in Locus General Links Speculative Fiction in Translation website Speculative Fiction in Translation facebook page SFT on twitter: @Rcordas If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Toads, Sam Elliot’s missing mustache, and weaponized Spanish moss, oh my! In today’s hoptastic episode, Alex, Paul, David, and special guest Michael J. Martinez try to drain the swamp of the southern patriarchy as they discuss the 1972 “killer” amphibian classic, Frogs. From leapless pacing, stagnant antagonists, and horribbitless story (all the terror of fluffy bunnies… less, really, at least fluffy bunnies have teeth), this is one worth throwing back to the lilypads. Come for the man pelts, stay for the fantastic lesson on early killer wildlife horror films (David has a ton of suggestions for further/better viewing)! We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Frogs (1972)(IMDb) Mike’s Website Mike’s Twitter Mike’s Books Feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Hello, Rangers! We’re back to dig into the uhhh… I would say 6th book, but this is where things get a little complicated. We skipped Ethan of Athos, because the collective decision by the veterans is that it should be burned in the depths of hell, and went straight to Borders of Infinity, which includes the novellas Borders of Infinity, Labyrinth, and The Mountains of Mourning. In this novel, McMaster Bujold included a framing story in order to tie the trio of short stories together. Paul, Trish, Kate, and Stina (straight off a drop-ship) discuss the stories and why they’re an important addition to the Vorkosiverse, including rich world-building, excellent secondary characters, and some important character building motivations for Miles Vorkosigan himself. Have a listen! Next time in our journey through the Vorkosigan Adventures, we’ll be discussing Brothers in Arms, a favorite of the vetarans! Will the newbies agree? 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): Show Notes: Borders of Infinity Chronological Reading Order of The Vorkosigan Saga (though we’re not totally using this) Brothers in Arms Feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

Sheep, orca, and polar bears, oh my! Sorry about the huge delay on this exciting episode with the Shirley Jackson Award winning Author, Sam J. Miller! In this episode, Julia and Daniel discuss Sam’s newest novel, Blackfish City, including the ways in which Sam’s community activism inspired the worldbuilding, how a little bit of theft is a good thing, and how the HIV/AIDS epidemic ties into the novel (but only a little – spoilers, sweetie!), plus so much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Sam’s Stuff: Sam’s Website Sam’s Twitter Blackfish City (BUY IT!) Feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from “Dimension” by Creo (CC BY 4.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.