Podcasts about Embassytown

Siamo giunti alla penultima tappa del nostro viaggio attraverso le frontiere del linguaggio nel fantasy e nella fantascienza. In questo episodio conclusivo, esploriamo due opere monumentali che hanno ridefinito il nostro modo di concepire la comunicazione con l'Altro.Embassytown di China Miéville ci catapulta in un mondo dove il linguaggio è un'arma, una forza viva che plasma la realtà stessa. Analizzeremo come Miéville decostruisce le nostre certezze linguistiche, portandoci a interrogarci sulla natura del significato e della comprensione.Contact di Carl Sagan ci conduce in un'odissea cosmica alla ricerca di un messaggio alieno. Attraverso la lente della scienza e della filosofia, esploreremo le sfide e le meraviglie del contatto con un'intelligenza extraterrestre, e come questo incontro possa trasformare la nostra visione dell'universo e di noi stessi.Unitevi a noi in questo viaggio, dove le parole si trasformano in ponti tra mondi, e il linguaggio diventa la chiave per svelare i misteri dell'esistenza."Discord: https://discord.gg/zPH6EeEgfXCanale Telegram: https://t.me/blablafantasPagina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bla.blafantasy/

It's a fun science fiction trope: learn a mysterious alien language and acquire superpowers, just like if you'd been zapped by a cosmic ray or bitten by a radioactive spider. But what's the linguistics behind this idea found in books like Babel-17, Embassytown, or the movie Arrival? In this episode, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic about the science and fiction of linguistic relativity, popularly known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. We talk about a range of different things that people mean when they refer to this hypothesis: a sciencey-sounding way to introduce obviously fictional concepts like time travel or mind control, a reflection that we add new words all the time as convenient handles to talk about new concepts, a note that grammatical categories can encourage us to pay attention to specific areas in the world (but aren't the only way of doing so), a social reflection that we feel like different people in different environments (which can sometimes align with different languages, though not always). We also talk about several genuine areas of human difference that linguistic relativity misses: different perceptive experiences like synesthesia and aphantasia, as well as how we lump sounds into categories based on what's relevant to a given language. Finally, we talk about the history of where the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis comes from, why Benjamin Lee Whorf would have been great on TikTok, and why versions of this idea keep bouncing back in different guises as a form of curiosity about the human condition no matter how many specific instances get disproven. Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice here: https://episodes.fm/1186056137/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvMjA1OTQ5MDMwOA Read the transcript here: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/778588696756846592/transcript-episode-102-the-science-and-fiction-of Announcements: In this month's bonus episode we get enthusiastic about two sets of updates! We talk about the results from the 2024 listener survey (we learned which one of us you think is more kiki and more bouba!), and our years in review (book related news for both Lauren and Gretchen), plus exciting news for the coming year. Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 90+ other bonus episodes. You'll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds. https://patreon.com/posts/123498164 For links to things mentioned in this episode: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/778588215614603264/lingthusiasm-episode-102-the-science-and-fiction

There is only one human settlement on the planet of Arieka. There, in Embassytown, a young woman named Avice grows up in a strange world between worlds, where all that is human and all that is alien collide without ever really coming together. That's not much of a summary, but this is a book that really benefits from going in mostly blind, so we made sure to keep things really clean in the pre-spoilers section too.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend:Babel-17 by Samuel DelanyCity and the City or anything else by China Miéville A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

Introducing Digressions, a virtual reading group organized by the Dig and Haymarket Books. This first session took place on August 3, 2023. Every session of Digressions will take place three to four weeks after its guest appears on the Dig, and will be broadcast live. A list of suggested readings—including a discount code for any recommended book(s)— will be made available by both Haymarket and the Dig, and participants will also be given a chance to ask their own questions of Digression guests. Click here to learn more about Digressions. Our first session will be on The Communist Manifesto and its enduring relevance, featuring China Miéville, author of A Spectre Haunting: On The Communist Manifesto. •Read along by ordering a copy of A Spectre Haunting from Haymarket Books for 40% off the cover price: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/... •If you have questions you'd like to ask China, or Dan, about The Communist Manifesto , A Spectre, Haunting, or their conversation on the Dig, you can submit them in advance using the following form: https://forms.gle/rwQHxyhyrjy7ttdu8 ———————————— More about A Spectre, Haunting: Few written works can so confidently claim to have shaped the course of history as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's Manifesto of the Communist Party. Since first rattling the gates of the ruling order in 1848, this incendiary pamphlet has never ceased providing fuel for the fire in the hearts of those who dream of a better world. Nor has it stopped haunting the nightmares of those who sit atop the vastly unequal social system it condemns. In A Spectre, Haunting, award-winning author China Miéville provides readers with a guide to understanding the Manifesto and the many specters it has conjured. Through his unique and unorthodox reading, Miéville offers a critical appraisal and a spirited defense of the modern world's most influential political document. ———————————— China Miéville is the multi-award-winning author of many works of fiction and non-fiction. His fiction includes The City and the City, Embassytown and This Census-Taker. He has won the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Arthur C. Clarke awards. His non-fiction includes the photo-illustrated essay London's Overthrow. He has written for various publications, including the New York Times, the Guardian, Conjunctions and Granta, and he is a founding editor of the quarterly Salvage. Daniel Denvir is the author of All-American Nativism and the host of The Dig on Jacobin Radio. ———————————— Digressions is sponsored by Haymarket Books and The Dig. While all of our events are freely available, we ask that those who are able make a solidarity donation in support of our important publishing and programming work. Watch the live event recording: https://youtube.com/live/CN9JJmO2mYY Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

I udkanten af galaksen ligger Embassytown. Her taler genmodificerede tvillinger med de mærkeligste aliens, der er hooked på sprog! Embassytown udforsker, hvordan sproget skaber rammerne for vores opfattelse af verden. Embassytown udkom i 2011. Den foregår i en verden, hvor en god portion af galaksen er koloniseret. Man kan rejse mellem stjernerne i en slags […] Indlægget Ep. 111: China Miévile, Embassytown blev først udgivet på SCIFI SNAK.

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned futurist Tom Lombardo, Director at the Center for Future Consciousness, Exec Board Member of the World Futures Studies Federation, and Editor at the Journal of Futures Studies. He returns to the series to give an overview of his choices of the top futures books in science fiction (author/topic clustered) which are roughly chronologically sequenced as follows: Late Nineteenth Century Classics (Future of Human Society): Albert Robida: The Twentieth Century, Jules Verne: Paris in the Twentieth Century, & John Jacob Astor: A Journey in Other Worlds...Systematic/Philosophical Futures - SF/FS Synthesis: H.G. Wells: The Time Machine, The Sleeper Awakes, Men Like Gods, & The Shape of Things to Come...Cosmic Futures: Olaf Stapledon: Last and First Men & Star Maker... Early Twentieth Century Classics: Aldous Huxley: Brave New World, Yevgeny Zamyatin: We, Laurence Manning: The Man Who Awoke, & William Hope Hodgson The Night Land...Heinlein & Asimov Futures: Beyond this Horizon, Waldo, & The Past through Tomorrow Series & The Foundation Series...Robot Futures: Isaac Asimov: The Caves of Steel and Jack Williamson The Humanoids...Alien Futures: Adrian Tchaikovsky: Children of Time, Abraham Merritt The Metal Monster, Sheri Tepper Grass, China Miéville Embassytown & Jeff Vandermeer Annihilation...Transcendent Poignant Futures: Clifford Simak: City & Walter Miller A Canticle for Leibowitz...New Wave Futures: John Brunner (Future of Everything): Stand on Zanzibar & Robert Silverberg (Psychedelic Future) Son of Man...Cyberpunk Futures: Bruce Sterling: Schismatrix & Rudy Rucker The Ware Tetralogy...Human Futures: Greg Bear: Queen of Angels & Darwin's Radio, Stapledon's Odd John, & Alfred Bester The Demolished Man... Outer Space Futures: Doc Smith: The Skylark and Chronicles of the Lensmen Series, Larry Niven: Ringworld, Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep, Alastair Reynolds: Revelation Space , S. A. Corey Leviathan Wakes & Iain Banks Matter...Future of Everything: Dan Simmons: The Hyperion Cantos (Others See Below)...Cosmic/Scientific Futures: Stephen Baxter: Vacuum Diagrams (The Xeelee Saga) & The Time Ships...Philosophical/Scientific/Technological High Powered Futures: Greg Egan: Permutation City, Diaspora, & Schild's Ladder...Cultural Futures/Future of Everything: Ian McDonald: River of Gods, Brasyl, and The Dervish House & Cixin Liu The Three-Body Problem Trilogy...Singularity Hi-Tech Future: Charles Stross: Accelerando & Ernest Cline Ready Player One...David Brin Futures: Earth, The Uplift War, and Existence... Ecological/Comprehensive/Utopian Constructive Future: Kim Stanley Robinson: Mars Trilogy/2312 & The Ministry of the Future...Neal Stephenson Futures: Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Seveneves...So…we hope you enjoy the podcast!

El último viernes de cada mes nos dedicamos a la ciencia ficción con Miguel Ángel Delgado y esta vez toca conocer el 'Embassytown' de China Miéville. Escuchar audio

El último viernes del mes lo dedicamos a hablar de ciencia ficción con Miguel Ángel Delgado. Hoy viajamos al universo de China Miéville y su 'Embassytown. La ciudad embajada' para seguir con el paseo, ahora en la tierra, junto a Jesús Marchamalo e Ignacio Elguero. Terminamos con una visita a la Seminci, Cristina García Rodero incluida, y nos vamos al BIME de Bilbao de la mano de Leyre Guerrero para conocer a los nuevos artistas. Escuchar audio

Join award-winning author China Miéville and New Yorker contributing writer E. Tammy Kim, for a discussion of Miéville's latest book, "A Spectre, Haunting" Few written works can so confidently claim to have shaped the course of history as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's Manifesto of the Communist Party. Since first rattling the gates of the ruling order in 1848, this incendiary pamphlet has never ceased providing fuel for the fire in the hearts of those who dream of a better world. Nor has it stopped haunting the nightmares of those who sit atop the vastly unequal social system it condemns. In A Spectre, Haunting, award-winning author China Miéville provides readers with a guide to understanding the Manifesto and the many specters it has conjured. Through his unique and unorthodox reading, Miéville offers a critical appraisal and a spirited defense of the modern world's most influential political document. For this launch event, Miéville will be joined by E. Tammy Kim for a conversation about contemporary capitalism's rapidly multiplying crises and the Manifesto's enduring relevance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Get A Spectre, Haunting from Haymarket Books: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1990-a-spectre-haunting ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Speakers: China Miéville is the multi-award-winning author of many works of fiction and non-fiction. His fiction includes The City and the City, Embassytown and This Census-Taker. He has won the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Arthur C. Clarke awards. His non-fiction includes the photo-illustrated essay London's Overthrow. He has written for various publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, Conjunctions and Granta, and he is a founding editor of the quarterly Salvage. E. Tammy Kim is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and the co-host of the Time to Say Goodbye podcast. She's also the writer-in-residence at the A/P/A Institute at NYU, a contributing editor at Lux magazine, and a fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation and Type Media Center. Watch the live event recording: https://youtube.com/live/PKwxKR5-QKU Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

David and Perry spend a while discussing the problems with "generative A.I." and then go on to talk about their recent reading. Perry interviews W.H.Chong about his best reading and watching of 2022. Introduction (03:50) General News (02:23) Chengdu World SF Convention (02:19) Discussion on Generative AI (21:32) Ezra Klein podcast on AI What we've been reading lately (54:38) Monash's Masterpiece by Peter Fitzsimons (11:35) Joan by Katherine J. Chen (08:15) Hex by Jenni Fagan (03:21) Rizzio by Denise Mina (02:38) Her by Garry Disher (04:20) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (05:29) Embassytown by China Miéville (05:57) The Employees by Olga Ravn (04:22) Babel by R. F. Kuang (08:21) Discussion with W. H. Chong about his 2022 reading and watching (29:13) The Mountain Under the Sea by Ray Naylor (04:01) Babel by R. F. Kuang (01:37) The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox (01:33) The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox (01:15) Everything Everywhere All at Once (01:46) Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (02:42) Drive My Car (00:43) Pinnoccio (03:17) Three Plus One (02:57) Ted Lasso (01:12) My Brilliant Friend and The Lying Life of Adults (00:50) Prey (03:09) The Last of Us (03:30) Windup (01:41) Image generated by Stable Diffusion

David and Perry spend a while discussing the problems with "generative A.I." and then go on to talk about their recent reading. Perry interviews W.H.Chong about his best reading and watching of 2022. Introduction (03:50) General News (02:23) Chengdu World SF Convention (02:19) Discussion on Generative AI (21:32) Ezra Klein podcast on AI What we've been reading lately (54:38) Monash's Masterpiece by Peter Fitzsimons (11:35) Joan by Katherine J. Chen (08:15) Hex by Jenni Fagan (03:21) Rizzio by Denise Mina (02:38) Her by Garry Disher (04:20) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (05:29) Embassytown by China Miéville (05:57) The Employees by Olga Ravn (04:22) Babel by R. F. Kuang (08:21) Discussion with W. H. Chong about his 2022 reading and watching (29:13) The Mountain Under the Sea by Ray Naylor (04:01) Babel by R. F. Kuang (01:37) The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox (01:33) The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox (01:15) Everything Everywhere All at Once (01:46) Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (02:42) Drive My Car (00:43) Pinnoccio (03:17) Three Plus One (02:57) Ted Lasso (01:12) My Brilliant Friend & The Lying Life of Adults (00:50) Prey (03:09) The Last of Us (03:30) Windup (01:41) Click here for more info and indexes Image generated by Stable Diffusion

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://darsword.wordpress.com/2023/01/17/review-embassytown-by-china-mieville/

In this episode we interview China Miéville.  China Miéville is the multi-award-winning author of many works of fiction and non-fiction. His fiction includes The City and the City, Embassytown and This Census-Taker. He has won the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Arthur C. Clarke awards. His non-fiction includes the photo-illustrated essay London's Overthrow. He is also the author of October: The Story of the Russian Revolution. He has written for various publications, and is a founding editor of the journal Salvage. He is also a former member of multiple socialist party formations and organizations. In this conversation China joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto. The book provides an introduction to The Communist Manifesto which provides readers with a guide to understanding the Manifesto and the many specters it has conjured. Through his unique and unorthodox reading, Miéville offers a spirited defense of the enduring relevance of Marx and Engels' ideas. The book also contains the full text of the Manifesto and multiple prefaces penned by Marx & Engels.  You can pick the book up directly from Haymarket Books at 40% off currently. We really want to thank Haymarket and China Miéville for donating 40 copies of the book (!!) and also for making a donation to help cover the cost of postage to our incarcerated book club through our partnership with Massive Bookshop and Prisons Kill. We do still need to raise about $150 more dollars to cover the cost of postage to get this book inside, and we'll include a link to contribute to that effort in the show notes. Last month we were able, along with some donations from Massive Bookshop and our patrons to provide 40 copies of Saidiya Hartman's Scenes of Subjection to those incarcerated readers. As for the show itself, It is December, currently for the month we've had more nonrenewals than we have new patrons, which is not unexpected this time of year as people try to balance holiday expenses. However if you have the capacity to become a patron of the show, you can do so for as little as $1 a month or $10.80 per year, at patreon.com/millennialsarekilingcapitalism. We really want to thank all of the folks who support the show, or have supported it when they've been able to, as it is only through your support that conversations like this are possible.  Links: To purchase A Spectre, Haunting (currently 40% off): https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1990-a-spectre-haunting To donate to the Prisons Kill book club (to help with postage for the donated copies): https://massivebookshop.com/products/prisonskill-book-club-donation To check out the Salvage journal that Miéville talked about in the episode: https://salvage.zone To support the show: patreon.com/millennialsarekilingcapitalism

(From May 2017)China Miéville reads from October: The Story of the Russian Revolution, published by Verso Books. On the centenary of the Russian Revolution, China Miéville tells the extraordinary story of this pivotal moment in history. China Miéville is the multi-award-winning author of many works of fiction and non-fiction. His fiction includes The City and the City, Embassytown and This Census-Taker. He has won the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Arthur C. Clarke awards. His non-fiction includes the photo-illustrated essay London’s Overthrow and Between Equal Rights, a study of international law. He has written for various publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, Conjunctions and Granta, and he is a founding editor of the quarterly Salvage.

Welcome back to History in Reverse, a father/daughter science fiction podcast. Today we compare the aliens that were present in the 5 books we read in our first five podcasts. We mentioned "The Great Moon Hoax" of 1935 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Moon_Hoax) and also couple of other books: "Fire Upon the Deep" - by Vernor Vinge and "Embassytown" by China Mielville. As always you can write to us: history.in.reverse.podcast@gmail.com

If you like stories about Alaska, then this is the episode for you! Author, game developer, and Adrian's childhood friend Nate Spence is this month's guest, discussing the ecological survival SF novel Semiosis by Sue Burke (https://amzn.to/2TceBgh). In the novel, a small group of humans tries to colonize what seems like a wilderness planet. The novel follows their survival & evolution of their society over generations. In this episode, we talk a lot about growing up in wilderness areas and what it's like. What's a pushki? What did Nate's dad teach him in lieu of tying his shoes? Where did Matt bleed from on his Alaska hiking trip and why? How can Adrian possibly defend hitting an owl with his car? What search terms about Alaska do we not suggest you image search? We can't promise we answer these questions, but we'll sure talk about them.  We'll also go over the usual book facts, while trying hard not to spoil what is an interesting, different, and so far very fun to read book!Also, thanks to Amanda Hart, Nate's wife, for supplying our cover artwork this month! Check out her instagram, @amandalamandala. Resources mentioned (go to spectology.com if the links don't show up in your podcatcher): * Nate's most recent game, Ectolibrium, on Steam Early Access * Ectolibrium discounted in the IndieGala Bundle (not pay what you want tho)* Dark Eden Trilogy by Chris Beckett * Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer* The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K Le Guin * Embassytown by China Miéville* Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel * Article about the Russian Orthodox Old Believers in Alaska * Correction: Alaska is the 8th least white state, but has the highest percentage of indigenous people of any state --- We'd love to hear from you, either by chatting with us on twitter at @spectologypod, sending us an email at spectologypod@gmail.com, or submitting the episode to r/printSF on reddit. We'll reply, and shout you out in the next podcast when we talk about your comment. And if you like the episode, subscribe at spectology.com or whever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends! Many thanks to Dubby J and Noah Bradley for doing our music and art.

“Word spread because word will spread. Stories and secrets fight, stories win, shed new secrets, which new stories fight, and on.”   This month we discuss Embassytown, by China Miéville. […]

Today Michael Thomas talks with Bryan camp about speculative fiction, its relationship to its pulp origins, its distinction from contemporary realism, and it’s possibilities for prompting new understanding. See the show notes for works cited in the episode. Bryan is a graduate of the Clarion West writing workshop, holds and MFA from the University of New Orleans and currently writes and teaches in New Orleans. Works Cited: - Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. 1st Tor Teen, ed, 2010. - Doctorow, Cory. Homeland. Tor Teen, 2013. - Heinlein, Robert A. I Will Fear No Evil. Ace, 1987. - Heinlein, Robert A. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. 1st Orb Books ed, 1997. - Heinlein, Robert A. Stranger in a Strange Land. Berkley, 1972. - Mieville, China. The City and the City. Del Rey Reprint ed, 2010. - Mieville, China. Embassytown. Del Rey, 2012. - Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. MIT, 1993.

Each week on 15 Minutes of Fiction...with Fictional Frontiers, Host Sohaib Awan will highlight the best in genre entertainment. Dedicated to a serious discussion on pop culture, industry leaders will provide their unique takes on science fiction and fantasy. This week...enjoy our extended chat with the 2010 Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award-winning author, China Miéville. One of the most critically-acclaimed efforts in 2011, China discusses his latest foray into 'fantastic fiction': Del Rey's Embassytown. Suvudu: Fictional Frontiers on Suvudu: http://suvudu.com/tag/fictional-frontiers

Rip off your hearing limbs and join us for the first anniversary edition of The Incomparable. As with the first podcast, the Book Club discusses a China Mieville novel: in this case, “Embassytown.” Also: What are we reading? Glenn is reading a comic book. We are disappointed. Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty.

Science fiction and fantasy writer China Miéville has won nearly every award in the genre and has caught the attention of mainstream publications from the New York Times to the Guardian with the depth of his imagination and the height of his erudition. David Naimon interviews him about his new, much anticipated book, Embassytown. “Embassytown is a […] The post China Miéville : Embassytown appeared first on Tin House.

This month The Writer and the Critic comes to you as a LIVE record from Continuum 7 -- Melbourne's own speculative fiction and pop culture convention -- with the incomparable Catherynne M. Valente as special guest podcaster. Ian, Kirstyn and Cat discuss the problems and politics involved when writers review the work of friends and the need for honesty in online opinion. Cat talks about the popular and critical response to her own work, why sad pandas make everyone else sad as well, and why she is currently taking a break from writing negative reviews on her blog. Rose Fox's recent article about the necessity for candour in reviews is also briefly mentioned. (photo: Art Bébé Promotions) The first two books up for discussion are Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King (recommended by Kirstyn) and Among Others by Jo Walton (Ian's pick). This review of Among Others is pointed as being one Jo Walton herself particularly likes, whereas these two became the subject of reader vitriol over at her LiveJournal -- an incident which Cat, Ian and Kirstyn talk about at length in regards to the writing of memoir and authorial responses to critics. For those wishing to avoid spoilers and skip ahead, discussion of Full Dark, No Stars begins at 19:00, while Among Others starts around 40:50. The trio then turn their attention to the newly released Embassytown by China Mieville -- selected by Cat -- which Ian and Kirstyn possibly manage to make sound a little more boring than it actually is. You don't need a degree in linguistic theory, honest! (China himself has provided a far better summary of the book.) The discussion of Embassytown, including a rather heated debate between Ian and Kirstyn about post-colonialism, begins at 1:07:40. Check back in at the 1:35:00 mark for some (very brief) final remarks. Next month The Writer and the Critic will feature Melbourne author Cameron Rogers, who has chosen World War Z by Max Brooks for Ian and Kirstyn to read. Ian's recommended book will be a short story collection, Eclipse 4 edited by Jonathan Strahan, while Kirstyn's pick is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

With birthday celebrations now receding into the past (no baked goods were harmed in the recording of this podcast), Gary  and I turn our attention once more to matters at hand. The Locus Awards nominees have been announced, so we discuss the usefulness of awards, how 2010 looks in retrospect, and how 2011 looks from here (with specific mention of China Mieville's Embassytown, Greg Egan's Clockwork Rocket, Michael Swanwick's Dancing with Bears, Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch, and Jo Walton's Among Others), and I set Gary a reviewing challenge. We hope you enjoy it, as always!

This month's episode of The Writer and the Critic sees your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, discuss the results of the recently announced Ditmar and Tin Duck Awards and dissect the almost inevitable Great Ditmar Controversy of 2011 that exploded onto the interwebs soon afterwards. For those interested in reading further, Kirstyn has blogged about the issue here and here. The books up for discussion on the podcast this month are The Resurrectionst by Jack O'Connell (chosen by Ian ) and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (recommended by Kirstyn ). Ian mentions a review by Andrew Wheeler when speaking about the O'Connell novel and Kirstyn vaguely remembers this online argument while arguing an Atwood tangent of her own. For those wishing to avoid spoilers and skip ahead, discussion of The Resurrectionist begins at 30:00, while Oryx and Crake starts around 47:00. They then turn their attention to a book which was recommended by one of their lovely listeners -- Tansy Rayner Roberts. Or maybe two books. Or possibly one book which has had a run-in with a guillotine: Black Out and All Clear by Connie Willis. Ian steals his best lines quotes extensively from this review by his new Bestest Twitter Friend, Jonathan McCalmont. Ian also gets very, very frustrated and swears quite a bit. The discussion of Blackout / All Clear begins at 1:09:09 Check back in at the 1:27:15 mark for some listener feedback and final remarks. Next month The Writer and the Critic will hit the road once again to record their first episode live in front of an actual audience at Continuum 7 in Melbourne! Their very special guest will be the brilliant and awe-inspiring, Catherynne M. Valente, who has picked Embassytown by China Mieville for Ian and Kirstyn to read. Ian's recommended book for June will be Among Others by Jo Walton, while Kirstyn has chosen Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!