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Folge Nummer 55 von Burns kleinem GeBlauder Heut hab ich es endlich geschaftt mir den Konni in die Blauderecke zu holen. Wir hatten einige Terminfindungsprobleme. Dabei wollt ich mich schon lange mal mit ihm so ganz klassischen Blauderei-Stil mit ihm austauschen. Also Vorstellung von seinen Lieblingen und Titeln, die ihn bewegt haben. Jetzt hats geklappt, mit Klassikern und Überraschungen...hört selbst Die erwähnten Titel: Der Herr der Ringe Tolkien, J. R. R. ISBN 9783608964295, Klett-Cotta Verlag, € 88,00 The Witch of Whispervale Salvatore, R A ISBN 9781982175511, S&s/Saga Press, € 19,50 Der Wüstenplanet Herbert, Frank ISBN 9783453317178, Heyne Taschenbuch, € 17,00 Wytches 01 Snyder, Scott ISBN 9783958392915, Splitter Verlag, € 24,80 Wytches, Volume 1 Snyder, Scott ISBN 9781632153807, Image Comics, € 10,00 Manifest Destiny Volume 1: Flora & Fauna Dingess, Chris ISBN 9781607069829, Image Comics, € 16,50 H.P. Lovecrafts Berge des Wahnsinns 1 Tanabe, Gou ISBN 9783551724564, Carlsen Verlag GmbH, € 18,00 Berge des Wahnsinns Lovecraft, H. P. ISBN 9783865524225, Festa Verlag, € 16,80 Providence Collection Moore, Alan ISBN 9783741645945, Panini Verlags GmbH, € 89,00 Kill or be Killed Buch 1 Brubaker, Ed ISBN 9783962190330, Splitter Verlag, € 19,80 Kill or Be Killed Compendium Brubaker, Ed ISBN 9781534333949, Image Comics, € 55,50
Bestselling author Mike Chen is on the show to talk about his latest book The Photonic Effect, now available from Saga Press. He talks about the book's popular media influences in Mass Effect and Star Trek, about writing about hope and deliberation, and about the book's broader message about how we make decisions and what it means to live by them.You can find more about Mike Chen at www.mikechenbooks.com and you can get The Photonic Effect now from Saga Press at your local library or your favorite book retailer.Thanks to the Saga Says Crew program for this episode's reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Spooke_, Stormrunner, and Panda discuss Ken Liu's latest release, All That We See or Seem. It is the first book in his new techno thriller series starring Julia Z. This first part of the episode is the spoiler-free . Full-spoilers discussion starts at 30:21.Disclaimer: Green Team received an ARC of All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu courtesy of NetGalley and Saga Press. We thank them for the early copy for review. All opinions are our own. All That We See or Seem released on October 14th, 2025. Hope you enjoy the episode. Music is Galactic Damages by Jingle Punks.Find us on:Discord: https://discord.gg/FNcpuuABlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/greenteampod.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@greenteampodReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thelegendarium/Suggestion Box: https://forms.gle/Nsz6URWeq3JeeZnGA
Spooke_, Stormrunner, and Panda discuss Ken Liu's upcoming release, All That We See or Seem. It is the first book in his new techno thriller series starring Julia Z. This episode is the spoiler-free portion of the discussion. Full spoilers episode forthcoming.Disclaimer: Green Team received an ARC of All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu courtesy of NetGalley and Saga Press. We thank them for the early copy for review. All opinions are our own. All That We See or Seem releases on October 14th, 2025. Hope you enjoy the episode. Music is Galactic Damages by Jingle Punks.Find us on:Discord: https://discord.gg/FNcpuuABlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/greenteampod.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@greenteampodReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thelegendarium/Suggestion Box: https://forms.gle/Nsz6URWeq3JeeZnGA
Cesky and Panda are back again to chat about an upcoming release, The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni De Feo. Spoilers start at 12:20.Disclaimer: Green Team received an ARC of The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni De Feo courtesy of NetGalley and Saga Press. We thank them for the early copy for review. All opinions are our own. The Secret Market of the Dead releases on July 8th, 2025. Music: Galactic Damages by Jingle PunksConsidering supporting The Legendarium on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendariumDiscord: https://discord.gg/FNcpuuABlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/greenteampod.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@greenteampod Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thelegendarium/
Hana Lee, author of the Magebike Courier duology, joins Trevor to talk about the two novels, Road to Ruin and Flight of the Fallen. Together, they talk about her worldbuilding, inspiration from Mad Max: Fury Road, and why fiction is useful in addressing real-world conflicts, plus a whole lot more.You can find Hana Lee online on most social media platforms, and you can get the Magebike Courier duology at your local library or your favorite bookstore, available now from Saga Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
With Peter Beagle's 86th birthday upon us, we thought we'd re-share a discussion we had with him last year about writing and story. We wish Peter a happy birthday and hope you enjoy the discussion! Sunday Apr 14, 2024 This week we are joined by the legendary author of The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle, who discusses his new novel I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons (published next month by Saga Press & Gollancz), as well as his storied career, his pals from childhood, influential writers such as Robert Nathan and Avram Davidson, and last year's important retrospective collection The Essential Peter S. Beagle. As always, our thanks to Peter for making time to talk to us, and we hope you enjoy the podcast.
As we try to return to some sort of regular schedule, we're delighted to welcome back Joe Monti, vice president and editorial director of Saga Press, to discuss the current state of the publishing business, the effects (if any) of the current economic stresses, and what to look forward to in the coming months (Joe is particularly optimistic about SF and space opera). Along the way we touch on the trend toward glitzy “special editions” of new novels, and various corners of the publishing world, from horror to romantasy and cozy fantasy to audiobooks, ebooks, and what makes a book a breakout bestseller.
For this almost-delve into Moorcock's dark and inspired quest fantasy The Warhound and the World's Pain, I'm joined by author, playwright and Games Master David Griffiths. Inevitably, we ended up going down various routes in a wide-ranging conversation including Target Books (again), Moorcock and other inspirations, roleplaying games and, eventually, The Warhound and the World's Pain, which is getting a fresh coat of paint thanks to Joe Monti and Saga Press and their brand-new hardcover Von Bek collection (releasing in December). We will follow up on this in the next few weeks with a deeper delve. We also discuss Dave's latest play, inspired by the events that led an under-sexed weirdo to produce the infamous Malleus Maleficarum, The Hammer and Helena. This is the latest of Dave's plays to be staged by Arts Groupie, a Liverpool-based Community Interest Company. Check out their website for more details, including Dave's take on the Dickens classic ghost story, The Signalman.
Long time friend of the podcast Joe Monti, who was recently promoted to Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Editorial Director at Saga Press, and is now officially a "Big Cheese', stops by for a wide-ranging chat about the impact of the pandemic and other events on the affordability of books; trends in recent science fiction, fantasy and horror and why science fiction may be set for something of a comeback; the influence (or lack thereof) of awards on book sales; and touches on authors ranging from Cixin Liu and N.K. Jemisin to William Gibson and Ursula K. Le Guin. As always, Joe's broad experience as publisher, agent, and bookseller provides some unique insights as to what's going on and we think makes for fascinating listening as we move towards the end of the year.
This week, prominent writers and game designers discuss crafting game narrative and representation within gaming communities. Featured panelists are Keith Ammann, Derek Tyler Attico, Keisha Howard, and Samantha Ortiz. Moderated by Carly A. Kocurek. Learn more about them below.This episode is presented in conjunction with our special exhibit Level Up: Writers & Gamers, on display now through May 2025 at the American Writers Museum. Level Up explores the role of narrative and storytelling in gaming, from the 1970s to today. Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, Level Up enriches visitors' understanding of writing through fun and interactive formats, inspires young people to try a new form of writing, and encourages exploration of the worlds created through games. Join the adventure today!This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival.AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOMEAbout the panelists:KEITH AMMANN is an ENNIE Award–winning writer based in Chicago. He's the author of several books of advice for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons players, including The Monsters Know What They're Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters, MOAR! Monsters Know What They're Doing, and most recently How to Defend Your Lair, all published by Saga Press, and has written the blog The Monsters Know What They're Doing since 2016. He's been a role-playing gamer and game master for more than thirty years. He likes to play outwardly abrasive helpers, out-of-their-element helpers, and genuinely nice, helpful helpers. Mostly, though, he plays non-player characters. And monsters.DEREK TYLER ATTICO is a science fiction author, essayist, and photographer. He won the Excellence in Playwriting Award from the Dramatist Guild of America. Derek is also a two-time winner of the Star Trek Strange New Worlds short story contest, published by Simon and Schuster. He is the author of the bestselling, critically acclaimed Star Trek Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko from Titan Books. With a degree in English and History, Derek is an advocate of the arts, human rights, and inclusion. He can be found at DerekAttico.com and on social media platforms under the handle @Dattico.KEISHA HOWARD is best known as the creator of Sugar Gamers, the world's longest-running gaming & tech community geared toward inclusivity. What began as a multicultural gamer group is now an award-winning organization that supports it's inclusive membership in finding their place in the rapidly growing industry, facilitating Sugar Gamers' evolution from video game enthusiasts to game developers, writers, testers, voice and mo-cap actors, artists and designers. A consummate futurist, Keisha recognizes the potential for video games to transcend their role as entertainment and become a mechanism for inspiration and social change. As a true “geek of all trades” and first-wave gaming and esports influencer, Keisha's experience spans from introducing game design/media literacy to underprivileged youth, such as her partnership with Adidas and the NBA on tech advocacy activations, to consulting Microsoft's XBOX division as well as Logitech, Google, and Meta on Inclusive Game Strategy. A two-time TEDx Speaker, she is infectiously passionate and authentically plugged-in to the worlds of video games, AI, VR and geek culture. Keisha Howard identifies compelling ways for games & tech to intersect with any industry and inspires others around the infinite possibilities.CARLY A. KOCUREK is a cultural historian specializing in the study of new media technologies and video gaming. She is the author of two books, Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade, which covers the early rise of video game arcades in the U.S., and Brenda Laurel: Pioneering Games for Girls, a consideration of Laurel's career as researcher and game designer. With Jennifer deWinter, she co-founded and co-edits the Influential Game Designers book series for Bloomsbury. She is also a game designer specializing in experimental and serious games. Paste Magazine called her game Choice: Texas “one of the best games of 2014.” She served as lead writer and producer for The Spider's Web, an alternate reality game embedded in a peer-reviewed journal article. In 2020, her print-and-play card game, Happy Ecosystems, was awarded the positive impact award for the Indiecade Climate Jam. At Illinois Tech, she teaches courses on digital culture, interactive storytelling, game design, and media history at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She also works with both undergraduate and graduate students on collaborative research and design projects.SAMANTHA ORTIZ is a writer and Narrative Designer at Bad Robot Games. Over her five year career in the independent games space, she has worked on award-winning titles including Neon White, Tamales: Con Familia, and the 2021 Latinx in Gaming Unidos Jam winner, Comunicacion. She has also appeared on NPR and exhibited at ICIDS Hops Ahead. In her spare time, she volunteers as a program coordinator and mentor for the IGDA Foundation.
"Traditional" fantasy novels often hold themselves to a pre-gunpowder/pre-steampower level of tech. So, what's fun about setting a fantasy world in an era that has anything from the printing press to cell phones? Guest Hana Lee joins us to explore incorporating the technological into the magical world! How can the harnessing of magic be similar to or dissimilar from channeling other kinds of power, like electricity? What story-driving tensions and conflicts can arise from eras of rapid change? And what sort of unholy terror might you create if you introduce magitech-bros into a world? As a sidebar: It's Hugo voting season! And the voting packet is absolutely stuffed with amazing reading, listening, and viewing material. All ballots must be received by Saturday, 20th July 2024, 20:17 GMT -- and you can vote as long as you become a Glasgow 2024 member by then! We are again on the ballot for Best Fancast, and we would love your consideration! [Transcript TK] Our Guest: Hana Lee is a biracial Korean American fantasy author. By day, she makes her living as a software engineer. She's always loved the dark, the gothic, and the occult, so there's usually a picturesque ruin of some kind lurking in the background of her novels. Her childhood was spent trekking across the United States, from Southern California to the Midwest and back to the West Coast again. She generally considers her hometown to be Portland, OR, mostly because it's home to her favorite bookstore (Powell's Books). She graduated from Stanford University with her B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science in 2018. Her family includes a partner and two ridiculously fluffy cats. They live in sunny Mountain View, CA, a stone's throw from Google HQ. Hana's debut novel, ROAD TO RUIN, will be published by Saga Press in spring 2024.
This week we are joined by the legendary author of The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle, who discusses his new novel I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons (published next month by Saga Press & Gollancz), as well as his storied career, his pals from childhood, influential writers such as Robert Nathan and Avram Davidson, and last year's important retrospective collection The Essential Peter S. Beagle. As always, our thanks to Peter for making time to talk to us, and we hope you enjoy the podcast.
Alas, we come to the end! Stephen Graham Jones's The Angel of Indian Lake brings the most important horror trilogy of the century to its conclusion. For one last time we return to Proofrock, Idaho – to watch Jade Daniels do battle with monsters in the wood and the demons in her head. SGJ also comes back to Talking Scared to finish our adjacent trilogy of conversations about these books. We talk about slashers and final girls for sure, but as ever with Stephen, these are windows onto something more profound – and he gives us his insight into how horror, justice, violence and luck operate in fiction. This all sounds very profound. It is. But in the coolest way possible. The man is a rock star…. … but I STILL manage to freak him out with a ghost story. Enjoy – it's been a ride! The Angel of Indian Lake was published on March 26thth by Saga Press and Titan Books Other books mentioned: Where the Red Fern Grows (1961), by Wilson RawlsMarvel Superheroes Secret Wars #10 (1984), by Jim ShooterIn Cold Blood (1965), by Truman CapoteMorphology of the Folktale (1928), by Vladimir ProppThe Red Badge of Courage (1895), by Stephen CraneThe Gulf War Did Not Take Place (1991), by Jean BaudrillardThe Name of the Rose (1980), by Umberto EcoThe Hollow Kind (2022), by Andy DavidsonPiranesi (2021), by Susannah ClarkeA Tale of Two Cities (1859), by Charles DickensThe Art of the Ridiculous Sublime: On David Lynch's ‘Lost Highway' (2000), by Slavoj ŽižekThe Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024), by Katherine ArdenThe Bear and the Nightingale (2017), by Katherine ArdenThe Others of Edenwell (2023), by Verity Holloway“A Fish Story” (2002), by Gene Wolfe Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show
Scotty talks to author Gwendolyn Kiste about her recent short stories "The Hungry Wives of Bleak Street" and "Hear, Hearth, Heartbeat," as well as her upcoming novel "The Haunting of Velkwood" (coming March 5 from Saga Press). They talk about the role of hope in the modern horror story, how the Gothic manifests in the American Rust Belt, and more. They also discuss Peter Weir's classic Australian New Wave film, "Picnic at Hanging Rock" – how it works as a horror movie, and how it has influenced Gwendolyn's own work. WARNING: There are some spoilers for "The Haunting of Velkwood." They occur between minute 40:05 and minute 47:50. You can find Gwendolyn online at https://www.gwendolynkiste.com Listen to Scotty's original interview with Gwendolyn on "The Weirdest Thing" podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weirdest-thing/id1534847356?i=1000576573882 Pre-order "The Haunting of Velkwood" at https://shop.riverstonebookstore.com/book/9781982172374 To read "The Hungry Wives of Bleak Street," buy the "American Cannibal" anthology, edited by friend-of-the-pod Rebecca Rowland, here: https://rowlandbooks.com/american-cannibal To read "Hear, Hearth, Heartbeat," buy "The Cellar Door Issue #2: Forbidden Magic," edited by Aric Sundquist (and, y'know, also featuring a story by Scotty, just in case y'all are interested): https://www.darkpeninsulapress.com/forbidden-magic.html Check out the next episode of friend-of-the-pod Daniel Braum's YouTube show "Night Time Logic." The series focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and dicussions with a diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's YouTube channel. The next episode will be on February 27, and features author Dan Franklin. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In this Birthday Special double-bill of salutations, Joe Monti (editorial Director at SAGA Press) drops by D&Ts to engage in day-drinking, Moorcock talk and chew the fat about editing amazing fantasy and various other bits n' bobs. Also, Joe gets Crabs. Then Phil and Loz join me for a serious* roundtable. Whilst we drink mucky booze and engage in a hastily and lazily bashed together but closely contested Moorcock-related quiz, Phil disses my gourd, Loz dumps on steampunk and a particularly challenging beer punches us in the temple (thanks Ash). *not that serious Quiz Beer slate: · Gravity Well – Photonic Molecules Pale Ale 4.6% · Overtone Brewing Co King of Feasts Pale Ale 4% · Twilight Pilgrim Pumpkin Spice Latte Stout 5.0% · Emperor's Brewery Kessel Run Peanut Butter Jelly Imperial Stout/Porter 13.1% · Brasserie de Noir Bere Speciale cuvee exceptionale Rhum finish 5.5% · Snake Bite in a can from Aldi the name of which I think I may have suppressed because it was just that ‘orrible Michael Moorcock chorus/refrain is from The Dewey Decibel System by BlöödHag
Tonight we're chatting with Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan, authors of The Handyman Method, new from Saga Press. In the book, a stay-at-home father– whether he wants to be or not– becomes obsessed with repairing what he perceives are problems with his new house, but there are supernatural forces out to destroy his sanity and his family. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4268760/advertisement
Matt Wallace talks about his epic fantasy trilogy, THE SAVAGE REBELLION — which includes SAVAGE NATION, SAVAGE BOUNTY, and SAVAGE CROWNS, all available now from Saga Press. We discuss the series's examination of empire, historical influences, impact of sensitivity readers, and challenging editorial process. Savage Legion Amazon » Savage Bounty Amazon » Bookshop » Savage Crowns Amazon » Bookshop » » Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Matt Wallace Matt Wallace is a retired professional wrestler and the author of the Sin du Jour novella series (Tor.com Publishing), the Savage Rebellion Trilogy (Saga Press/Gallery Books), and the middle grade novels BUMP, THE SUPERVILLAIN'S GUIDE TO BEING A FAT KID, and NOWHERE SPECIAL (Katherine Tegen Books). In 2018, alongside co-host Mur Lafferty, he took home the Hugo Award for their podcast, Ditch Diggers. In addition to writing for several television series, Matt has also done extensive narrative work on video game titles for publishers such as inXile Entertainment. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Nikki. Follow Matt Wallace Website Twitter Instagram Goodreads Amazon Profile » About SAVAGE NATION They call them Savages. Brutal. Efficient. Expendable. The empire relies on them. The Savages are the greatest weapon they ever developed. Culled from the streets of their cities, they take the ones no one will miss and throw them, by the thousands, at the empire's enemies. If they live, they fight again. If they die, there are always more to take their place. Evie is not a Savage. She's a warrior with a mission: to find the man she once loved, the man who holds the key to exposing the secret of the Savage Legion and ending the mass conscription of the empire's poor and wretched. But to find him, she must become one of them, to be marked in her blood, to fight in their wars, and to find her purpose. Evie will die a Savage if she has to, but not before showing the world who she really is and what the Savage Legion can really do. About SAVAGE BOUNTY A war has begun. Savages, the empire's most valuable resource, have been thrown at their captors' enemies long enough. If their rebellion succeeds, it will undo a nation. At the helm of this Savage uprising is Evie, the Sparrow General. It isn't a title she asked for or particularly wants, but she is the last hope for several peoples at the edge of extinction. Back in the empire's city seat, Dyeawan, a brilliant young strategist plucked from the streets, must risk her life to maintain her newfound authority. And Lexi has finally taken control of the guild built by her family, but she finds herself at the heart of a sinister power play that could tear apart society as she knows it. Meanwhile, Lexi's loyal retainer, Taru, has been conscripted into the legion of Savages still under the empire's control. These four individuals hold the fate of the world in their hands. But even if they survive their missions, they may find themselves at odds with one another. About SAVAGE CROWNS The final war for the nation of Crache has begun. At the helm of the people's rebellion is Evie, the Sparrow General. She has been captured by the Skrian, Crache's vicious army, and is being brought back to the Capitol for punishment. But reinforcements are coming for her. Dyeawan, who has climbed from street urchin to Crache's highest seat of power through clever schemes and ruthless bloodshed, finds trouble on every front once she arrives. The rebellion approaches, and there are whispers of a martyr within the city who holds enough sway to stage a coup. If she doesn't act quickly, her rule will be short-lived. As the women who hold the nation's future meet each other from different sides of the battlefield, will they be able to find a shared vision of Crache, or will they destroy each other first?
Bizarre aliens, complicated families, and AI therapy, oh my! Shaun Duke is joined by longtime collaborator and repeat interviewee, Stina Leicht. Why? Because Stina has a new book called Loki's Ring from Saga Press featuring artificial general intelligences, weird alien stuff, delightful familial relationships, and spaceships! Together, Shaun and Stina discuss the book's hopeful perspective, […]
Episode Details & LinksToday we discuss dragons! Their life cycle, how to incubate dragon eggs, and what their hoard means to them.Tricks of the Trade Information & LinksIn Tricks today I give you three ideas for how to incorporate dragons into your party.Knowledge Check References and LinksAmmann, K. (2020). The monsters know what they're doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon masters. Saga Press. The Monsters KnowMy Linktreehttps://linktr.ee/dungeonsdragonspsychologyKeywords: dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game master, dnd ideas, Podcast Art by Kyle BaerlocherIntro music by 33nano from
On this new edition of the Rough Cut, we're doing something a little different: a book review! In this episode, we analyze The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar (Gallery Books, Saga Press) written by Horror Noire's Dr. Robin Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris. The Black Guy Dies First traces Black horror history from its modern breakthrough with 1968's Spider Baby and Night of the Living Dead, through Blaxploitation to Jordan Peele's cultural upheaval and everything in between. Thank you to Simon and Schuster, Gallery Books, Saga Press for sending us this book to review! As a bonus we do a light reading of zombie rom-com Boy Eats Girl (2005), directed by Stephen Bradley and starring Samantha Mumba and David Leon. This movie does have a suicide scene, please skip if needed (our discussion of Boy Eats Girl starts at 50:00). Our recommendations this week: Warm Bodies (2013) and My Boyfriend's Back (1993) Thank you again to Apple Podcasts for including Black Girl Film Club in it's Black History Collection: apple.co/-InEverything Support your girls with a ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials (including our BRAND NEW WEBSITE!!!) at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub
In this episode, I chat with author Michael Moorcock about growing up in London during WW II, his life as a journalist, writing Gloriana, Or The Unfulfill'd Queen, and his latest music. Michael Moorcock is one of the most important and influential figures in speculative fiction and fantasy literature. Listed recently by The Times (London) as among the fifty greatest British writers since 1945, he is the author of 100 books and more than 150 shorter stories in practically every genre. He has been the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards, including the Prix Utopiales, the SFWA Grand Master, the Stoker, and the World Fantasy, and has been inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He has been awarded the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Guardian Fiction Prize, and has been shortlisted for the Whitbread Award. He has been compared to Balzac, Dickens, Dumas, Ian Fleming, Joyce, and Robert E. Howard, to name a few.Michael Moorcock's MiscellanyThe Faery Queene, Edmund Spenser Gloriana: Or, the Unfulfill'd Queen, Michael Moorcock Gormenghast, Mervyn PeakeSexual Politics, Kate MillettHonoré de BalzacLive At The Terminal Café, Michael Moorcock & The Deep FixByzantium Endures: The First Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet, Michael MoorcockLaughter of Carthage: The Second Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet, Michael MoorcockJerusalem Commands: The Third Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet, Michael MoorcockVengeance of Rome: The Fourth Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet, Michael MoorcockThe Citadel of Forgotten Myths, Michael Moorcock Support the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links
Episode Details & LinksToday we are joined by the illustrious and brilliant author, Keith Ammann to discus monster psychology. What are the monsters in our game thinking, and how should they behave in order to be believable? Tricks of the Trade Information & LinksKeith shares with us a few simple steps to make your monsters or villains more believable.Guest Bio & LinksKeith Ammann has been a Dungeons & Dragons player and DM for more than thirty years. He has been writing his fifth edition D&D–focused blog The Monsters Know What They're Doing since 2016. He lives in Chicago.Spy & OwlSocial MediaKnowledge Check References and LinksAmmann, K. (2019). Monsters know what they're doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon masters. Saga Press. Buy Keith's Books on AmazonMy Linktreehttps://linktr.ee/dungeonsdragonspsychology Keywords: dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game master, dnd ideas, Podcast Art by Kyle BaerlocherIntro music by 33nano from
This week, Lauren chats with Stephen Graham Jones, author of My Heart Is a Chainsaw (Gallery Books, Saga Press). My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a meta-narrative homage to classic slasher films like Scream and Friday the 13th. Indeed, there are nearly 200 film references in this novel, hiding in plain sight, and they are a joy to encounter for horror film aficionados and novices alike.
This week, Lauren chats with Stephen Graham Jones, author of My Heart Is a Chainsaw (Gallery Books, Saga Press). My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a meta-narrative homage to classic slasher films like Scream and Friday the 13th. Indeed, there are nearly 200 film references in this novel, hiding in plain sight, and they are a joy to encounter for horror film aficionados and novices alike.
The Deep is about mermaids, basically, that are descendants of pregnant African slave women that were tossed overboard during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The pregnant women were thrown overboard because they were in labor, and I guess that wasn't worth the effort for the slave traders. Somehow, maybe it was magic or maybe it was the ocean, the babies that were born could breathe underwater. Once they found more of one another, they coalesced into a group of people called the wajinru. At one point, the first “strange fish” decides that there is too much trauma in their history for everyone to remember and takes on the entirety of the wajinru's memories, becoming their first historian. From their death, one individual is chosen to be the historian at a time. This story picks up with the current historian, Yetu, who is particularly affected by the rememberings. Unable to accept it, she unleashes the memories on her people and swims away from home, toward the surface. This book is a journey of self-acceptance that gives a lot of The Giver vibes, while maintaining a unique, creative, and moving narrative.What do you think about the role of Historian in the wajinru society? Why is it critical that everyone but the Historian forget the history? Did the original Historian's decision help or hinder the growth of their community? Join us as we discuss these questions and more in episode 16 of our spoiler-filled podcast.Questions: The questions discussed in this episode are a part of the Reader's Guide in the back of the book, which was written by the publisher (Saga Press). You can also find them on the Brooklyn Public Library website. → https://www.bklynlibrary.org/sites/default/files/documents/BOOK CLUB KITS/THE DEEP_BKLYN BOOK CLUB KIT_FINAL.pdfGreat music huh?! The music for the intro and outro are segments from a song titled "Busy City" by TrackTribe, which was accessed through the YouTube audio library.Coming up next: All the Missing Girls by Megan MirandaInterested in starting your own podcast? Sign up with Buzzsprout using our referral code and we'll both get a $20 amazon gift card! https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1894341
Tonight we're chatting with three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author Gwendolyn Kiste, author of RELUCTANT IMMORTALS (On sale August 23; Saga Press; Trade Paperback Original), which the publisher calls a centuries-overdue literary rescue mission of two of gothic literature's most unjustly scourged female characters; Bertha Mason and Lucy Westenra of respectively Jane Eyre and Dracula.But what if Bertha and Lucy's stories didn't end with these gruesome exploitations? What if they had a chance to take back the pages to confront their abusers and claim a new ending for themselves?In RELUCTANT IMMORTALS It's 1967 and Bertha (Bee) Mason and Lucy Westenra are now undead immortals residing in Los Angeles when Dracula and Rochester make a shocking return in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. A tale of love, betrayal, and coercion brings them face-to-face with the toxic men bent on destroying their (undead) lives, not to mention Bee's former lover Jane Eyre herself, to put an end to Rochester and Dracula's abuse once and for all.
Author : Leah Cypess Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Samuel Poots Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Across the River was originally published in the Saga Press anthology “The Mythic Dream” (September 2019) Across the River by Leah Cypess When the sorcerer walked through the town gates, I was standing with my friends Reuven and Yitzchak […] The post Cast of Wonders 501: Across the River appeared first on Cast of Wonders.
Storycomic Presents: Interviews with Amazing Storytellers and Artists
We are excited to have with us the internationally respected historian and writer, Andrew Liptak He is here to chat about his latest book ‘COSPLAY: A HISTORY - The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life' (On sale June 28, 2022; Saga Press) with a foreword by former MythBusters co-host Adam Savage. You can learn more about his book at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cosplay-A-History/Andrew-Liptak/9781534455825 You can see all of Andrew's work at: https://www.andrewliptak.com You can see all of Andrew's newsletters at: https://transfer-orbit.ghost.io/ Follow us: Curious to see the video version of this interview? it's on our website too! www.storycomic.com www.patreon.com/storycomic www.facebook.com/storycomic1 https://www.instagram.com/storycomic/ https://twitter.com/storycomic1 For information on being a guest or curious to learn more about Storycomic? Contact us at info@storycomic.com Thank you to our Founders Club Patrons, Marek Bennett and Matt & Therese Check out their amazing work at: https://marekbennett.com/ https://www.hexapus-ink.com/
Grab your bookmarks, it's time to take cover as we unleash the Canon Fodder over the Star Wars galaxy of literature. This episode we welcome journalist, historian and 501st Legion member Andrew Liptak to the show. In his forthcoming book 'COSPLAY: A HISTORY - The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life'- on sale 28th June 2022 from Saga Press - he explores the history of cosplay in a photo-filled historical and cultural exploration of costumes and fandoms. It's packed with original photography and looks at this ever-growing fandom and conventions, its roots in 15th-century costuming, the relationship between franchises and the cosplayers they inspire, and the technology and skill that brings even the most intricate details in these costumes to life. Mark Newbold and Mark Mulcaster caught up with Andrew to discuss the book, costuming and much more. Remember to tune in to Good Morning Tatooine, LIVE Sunday evenings at 9.00pm UK, 4.00pm Eastern and 1.00pm Pacific on Facebook and YouTube and check out Fantha Tracks Radio on Fridays at 7.00pm UK for new episodes of The Fantha From Down Under, Planet Leia, Desert Planet Discs, Start Your Engines and Canon Fodder. You can contact any of our shows and send in your listeners questions by emailing radio@fanthatracks.com or comment on our social media feeds: www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ7LZotr3rQhVJwpO3b2ELw www.instagram.com/fanthatracks www.facebook.com/FanthaTracks www.twitter.com/FanthaTracks www.pinterest.co.uk/fanthatracks/ www.fanthatracks.tumblr.com/ www.tiktok.com/@fanthatracks
A new immersive remix of a season one classic. An immigrant mother tries to bond with her American-born son by creating a magical paper menagerie. This story appears in Ken Liu's collection THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES, available now from Saga Press.Content advisory: Hospitals, death of a parent
Today I talked to G. R. Macallister about her book Scorpica (Gallery / Saga Press, 2022). A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that's perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe. Five hundred years of peace between queendoms shatters when girls inexplicably stop being born. As the Drought of Girls stretches across a generation, it sets off a cascade of political and personal consequences across all five queendoms of the known world, throwing long-standing alliances into disarray as each queendom begins to turn on each other--and new threats to each nation rise from within. Uniting the stories of women from across the queendoms, this propulsive, gripping epic fantasy follows a warrior queen who must rise from childbirth bed to fight for her life and her throne, a healer in hiding desperate to protect the secret of her daughter's explosive power, a queen whose desperation to retain control leads her to risk using the darkest magic, a near-immortal sorcerer demigod powerful enough to remake the world for her own ends--and the generation of lastborn girls, the ones born just before the Drought, who must bear the hopes and traditions of their nations if the queendoms are to survive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Today I talked to G. R. Macallister about her book Scorpica (Gallery / Saga Press, 2022). A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that's perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe. Five hundred years of peace between queendoms shatters when girls inexplicably stop being born. As the Drought of Girls stretches across a generation, it sets off a cascade of political and personal consequences across all five queendoms of the known world, throwing long-standing alliances into disarray as each queendom begins to turn on each other--and new threats to each nation rise from within. Uniting the stories of women from across the queendoms, this propulsive, gripping epic fantasy follows a warrior queen who must rise from childbirth bed to fight for her life and her throne, a healer in hiding desperate to protect the secret of her daughter's explosive power, a queen whose desperation to retain control leads her to risk using the darkest magic, a near-immortal sorcerer demigod powerful enough to remake the world for her own ends--and the generation of lastborn girls, the ones born just before the Drought, who must bear the hopes and traditions of their nations if the queendoms are to survive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy
A spy narrates his thoughts as he jumps from an airplane and freefalls toward his government target.If you enjoyed this story, check out Stephen Graham Jones' novel, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, published by Saga Press.Content advisory: death
One of the best books I read this year is a new science fiction novel by debut novelist S.B. Diviya. This novel Machinehood is a smart and effective novel. The grandest of science fiction are the tales you can hold up like a mirror to the issues of today. Even more grand are novels that decades like still feel like they are that mirror. I suspect it will be in conversation during award season. Diviya has spent 20 years as an electrical engineer in various fields including pattern recognition, machine intelligence, high-speed communications, digital music, and medical devices. Machinehood, is published by Saga Press, and her short story collection, Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse and Other Possible Situations, is published by Hachette India. Her Novella Runtime was nominated for the 2016 Nebula Award for Best Novella. She is still a working engineer and the Co-Editor for Escape Pod, along with Mur Lafferty. In this conversation, we talk about her science fiction roots, her science training, and the writing of Machinehood. It is mostly spoiler-free but I do give a warning when I dive into the story stuff deeper. https://sbdivya.com/ •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
This week, Lauren chats with Stephen Graham Jones, author of My Heart Is a Chainsaw (Gallery Books, Saga Press). My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a meta-narrative homage to classic slasher films like Scream and Friday the 13th. Indeed, there are nearly 200 film references in this novel, hiding in plain sight, and they are a joy to encounter for horror film aficionados and novices alike.
This week, Lauren chats with Stephen Graham Jones, author of My Heart Is a Chainsaw (Gallery Books, Saga Press). My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a meta-narrative homage to classic slasher films like Scream and Friday the 13th. Indeed, there are nearly 200 film references in this novel, hiding in plain sight, and they are a joy to encounter for horror film aficionados and novices alike.
This episode is brought to you by the Ladies of the Fright Patreon! We are only FIVE patrons to go to hit our goal of 30 patrons—at which time we'll begin paying authors $25 for short story reprints! We've got tons of exclusive content for patrons at every tier. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright and join our community today! A Note on the Term “BIPOC” In this episode, Joe uses the term “BIPOC” and at the top of the show, I read a quote from Rachel Ricketts' powerful book Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy, in which she beautifully clarifies the term, why it's used, and the nuance of experience it contains (in her book, Rachel modifies the term to BI&PoC, to help us remember what the phrase is intended to represent: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.) I hope this clarification supports our listeners who maybe weren't previously aware, and I highly recommend Rachel Ricketts' book (and her work!) to anyone interested in dismantling the internalized, harmful system of white supremacy from within themselves first. Show Notes Well, this episode was a TREAT to record, and Joe Monti is a delight to talk to. He is the award-nominated editorial director of Saga Press, working with bestselling and esteemed authors Charlaine Harris, Stephen Graham Jones, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Ken Liu, to name a few. He fell in love with the literature of fantasy and science fiction at an early age and never let go. This is the first time we've ever had a book (novel) editor on the show, and not only was it awesome to hear about Joe's journey to Saga, it was also really cool to hear how he approached editing one of the horror world most beloved horror books of 2020: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Joe also talks about what he looks for when selecting books for his list—aka how he just KNOWS when a book is for him. Joe also declares he has a knack for predicting book trends, so it was really fun to hear his predictions for the future of horror! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Find Joe: Website | Twitter
An immigrant mother tries to bond with her American-born son by creating a magical paper menagerie. This story appears in Ken Liu's collection THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES, available now from Saga Press. Ken Liu's forthcoming novel, THE VEILED THRONE, is the third installment of THE DANDELION DYNASTY and will be available November 2nd from Saga Press. Content advisory: Hospitals, death of a parent See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Cześć po wakacyjnej przerwie! W tym odcinku omawiamy książki wybrane przez Payę. To powrót do jej ulubionych książek, do takich, które zrobiły ogromne wrażenie w przeszłości i dobrze byłoby przeczytać je raz jeszcze, do takich, które pozwoliły ukształtować poglądy i które niedawno trafiły do serca. Będą eseje, powieść i opowiadania, coś po polsku, coś po angielsku. Książki, o których rozmawiamy w podkaście, to: Toni Morrison, „Mouth Full of Blood”, Vintage; Ken Liu, „Paper Menagerie”, Saga Press; Dariusz Gzyra, „Dziękuję za świńskie oczy”, wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej; Dodie Smith, „Zdobywam zamek”, tłum. Magdalena Mierowska, Świat Książki. Zachęcamy do odwiedzin na naszym profilu na Instagramie: https://www.instagram.com/juz_tlumacze i na Facebooku https://www.facebook.com/juz.tlumacze Intro: http://bit.ly/jennush
Nathan Ballingrud is the author of the collections North American Lake Monsters, Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell, and the novella The Visible Filth. His novella was made into a film called Wounds, directed Babak Anavari in 2019, and North American Lake Monsters was filmed as the basis of the Hulu series Monsterland in 2020. He has won two Shirley Jackson Awards, and his work has been nominated for several other awards including the Bram Stoker, Locus, British Fantasy, World Fantasy, and SLF Fountain. His first novel, The Strange will be coming soon from Saga Press. Links Website: https://nathanballingrud.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathan.ballingrud Twitter: https://twitter.com/NBallingrud
In this episode, we chat with Adrianne Montoya. Adrianne writes literary horror with a folkloric and historical flavor. She has studied and worked in fields as varied as anthropology, archaeology, literature, languages, linguistics, and education. She specializes in developing long-form literary fiction, thrillers, horror, and historical fiction, but also enjoys taking on non-fiction projects. She is the curator of the paused Southwest Gothic podcast. We cover tropes and ghost stories of the Southwest, the function of oral tradition in the West, and how to make these timeless stories accessible to readers. We ask Adrianne about her opinion of women horror writers taking back tropes and using horror as a platform for catharsis. She was also kind enough to read from one of her works in progress inspired by the tale of La Llorona.Books Noted: * Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in Bedouin Society. By Lila Abu-Lughod. 1986/2016,University of California Press. * Mexican Gothic-Silvia Moreno-Garcia.June 30,2020, Penguin Random House *The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones. July 14, 2020 through Saga Press and Titan Books. https://www.adrianne-montoya.com/ https://southwestgothic.com/ Brenda Tolian https://brendatolian.com/ Joy Yehle https://www.joyyehle.com/ Works mentioned/discussed**: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones https://amzn.to/3ulkhTB Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mjia https://amzn.to/3nRkE5V Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia https://amzn.to/3aYe743 Tin Foil Butterfly by Rachel Eve https://amzn.to/3vyquMi Frankenstein by Mary Shelley https://amzn.to/3ekDBLo Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi https://amzn.to/2Si4HKi **When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission that will be used to continue to bring our audience great horror content. *Disclaimer: Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Podcasters. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the Podcasters.**When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.*Disclaimer: Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Podcasters. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the podcasters.
Enjoy our presentation of This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, published by Saga Press. Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them.This is How You Lose the Time War won the BSFA Award for Best Shorter Fiction, the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 2019 and the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella.Please be advised, This is How You Lose the Time War contains depictions or discussions of war, violence, self harm and suicide.This title is available as an ebook on Libby by Overdrive: http://bit.ly/ThisIsHowYouLoseTheTimeWar Please visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.Music: Beach Bum Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The title of S. B. Divya’s debut novel, Machinehood (Gallery/Saga Press, 2021), refers to an underground band of rebels (or terrorists, depending on your view) who threaten to unplug the world from the tech essential to modern life unless all intelligences—human and man-made—are given equal rights. The book opens with Welga, the story’s hero, ordering black coffee from a bot in Chennai, India; the bot puts milk in the coffee while insisting that the drink is still “black.” A human vendor across the street fills Welga’s order properly, without milk, and then summarizes her experiences with the two vendors in a tidy lesson: “Bots work faster, but human mind is smarter.” The vendor’s words foreshadow the fault line that runs through the book. On the one hand, humans rely on bots to run their homes and economy, on the other, humans compete with bots, constantly afraid of falling physically and mentally behind. “Once upon a time, we harnessed animals to help us,” Divya says. “Now we've turned to machines and, as those machines get increasingly intelligent, the competition in certain sectors is going to also ramp up. There's an existential fear right now for a lot of people that AIs are going to replace them and then they're not going to have work. So in part, this novel is exploring that particular concern, but not so much as a dystopia, more as a realistic vision … of what the future could look like when we have to coexist with these very, very capable machines.” Set 75 years in the future, the AIs in Welga’s world have not yet achieved sentience (hence they’re referred to as “weak” AIs.) Still, they are stronger and process information faster than humans. To keep up, humans use mechanized exoskeletons to make themselves stronger and pills to speed their thinking and reflexes, greying the distinction between humans and bots. “How much of a difference is there really between human beings, cyborgs and AI-based robots? And should we be making as much distinction between those categories as we do today, especially going forward as all of these things get more sophisticated? I was really interested in looking at the blurring of those lines and interrogating at what point we decide to give machines rights, especially when they provide us with so much free labor.” S.B. Divya was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for her novella Runtime. She is co-editor of Escape Pod, with Mur Lafferty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
The title of S. B. Divya’s debut novel, Machinehood (Gallery/Saga Press, 2021), refers to an underground band of rebels (or terrorists, depending on your view) who threaten to unplug the world from the tech essential to modern life unless all intelligences—human and man-made—are given equal rights. The book opens with Welga, the story’s hero, ordering black coffee from a bot in Chennai, India; the bot puts milk in the coffee while insisting that the drink is still “black.” A human vendor across the street fills Welga’s order properly, without milk, and then summarizes her experiences with the two vendors in a tidy lesson: “Bots work faster, but human mind is smarter.” The vendor’s words foreshadow the fault line that runs through the book. On the one hand, humans rely on bots to run their homes and economy, on the other, humans compete with bots, constantly afraid of falling physically and mentally behind. “Once upon a time, we harnessed animals to help us,” Divya says. “Now we've turned to machines and, as those machines get increasingly intelligent, the competition in certain sectors is going to also ramp up. There's an existential fear right now for a lot of people that AIs are going to replace them and then they're not going to have work. So in part, this novel is exploring that particular concern, but not so much as a dystopia, more as a realistic vision … of what the future could look like when we have to coexist with these very, very capable machines.” Set 75 years in the future, the AIs in Welga’s world have not yet achieved sentience (hence they’re referred to as “weak” AIs.) Still, they are stronger and process information faster than humans. To keep up, humans use mechanized exoskeletons to make themselves stronger and pills to speed their thinking and reflexes, greying the distinction between humans and bots. “How much of a difference is there really between human beings, cyborgs and AI-based robots? And should we be making as much distinction between those categories as we do today, especially going forward as all of these things get more sophisticated? I was really interested in looking at the blurring of those lines and interrogating at what point we decide to give machines rights, especially when they provide us with so much free labor.” S.B. Divya was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for her novella Runtime. She is co-editor of Escape Pod, with Mur Lafferty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
The title of S. B. Divya’s debut novel, Machinehood (Gallery/Saga Press, 2021), refers to an underground band of rebels (or terrorists, depending on your view) who threaten to unplug the world from the tech essential to modern life unless all intelligences—human and man-made—are given equal rights. The book opens with Welga, the story’s hero, ordering black coffee from a bot in Chennai, India; the bot puts milk in the coffee while insisting that the drink is still “black.” A human vendor across the street fills Welga’s order properly, without milk, and then summarizes her experiences with the two vendors in a tidy lesson: “Bots work faster, but human mind is smarter.” The vendor’s words foreshadow the fault line that runs through the book. On the one hand, humans rely on bots to run their homes and economy, on the other, humans compete with bots, constantly afraid of falling physically and mentally behind. “Once upon a time, we harnessed animals to help us,” Divya says. “Now we've turned to machines and, as those machines get increasingly intelligent, the competition in certain sectors is going to also ramp up. There's an existential fear right now for a lot of people that AIs are going to replace them and then they're not going to have work. So in part, this novel is exploring that particular concern, but not so much as a dystopia, more as a realistic vision … of what the future could look like when we have to coexist with these very, very capable machines.” Set 75 years in the future, the AIs in Welga’s world have not yet achieved sentience (hence they’re referred to as “weak” AIs.) Still, they are stronger and process information faster than humans. To keep up, humans use mechanized exoskeletons to make themselves stronger and pills to speed their thinking and reflexes, greying the distinction between humans and bots. “How much of a difference is there really between human beings, cyborgs and AI-based robots? And should we be making as much distinction between those categories as we do today, especially going forward as all of these things get more sophisticated? I was really interested in looking at the blurring of those lines and interrogating at what point we decide to give machines rights, especially when they provide us with so much free labor.” S.B. Divya was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for her novella Runtime. She is co-editor of Escape Pod, with Mur Lafferty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-fiction
This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by S.B. Divya, author of Machinehood, which is published by our friends at Saga Press. Topics of discussion include equality between humans and sentient machines, life as performance, performance enhancing drugs, the current state of the dystopian novel, and much more. Copies of Machinehood can be ordered here with FREE SHIPPING.
Machinehood by S.B. Divya Interview From the Hugo Award nominee S.B. Divya, Zero Dark Thirty meets The Social Network in this science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy. Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client is killed in front of her. It’s 2095 and people don’t usually die from violence. Humanity is entirely dependent on pills that not only help them stay alive, but allow them to compete with artificial intelligence in an increasingly competitive gig economy. Daily doses protect against designer diseases, flow enhances focus, zips and buffs enhance physical strength and speed, and juvers speed the healing process. All that changes when Welga’s client is killed by The Machinehood, a new and mysterious terrorist group that has simultaneously attacked several major pill funders. The Machinehood operatives seem to be part human, part machine, something the world has never seen. They issue an ultimatum: stop all pill production in one week. Global panic ensues as pill production slows and many become ill. Thousands destroy their bots in fear of a strong AI takeover. But the US government believes the Machinehood is a cover for an old enemy. One that Welga is uniquely qualified to fight. Welga, determined to take down the Machinehood, is pulled back into intelligence work by the government that betrayed her. But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want? A thrilling and thought-provoking novel that asks: if we won’t see machines as human, will we instead see humans as machines?About S.B. Divya S.B. Divya is a lover of science, math, fiction, and the Oxford comma. She enjoys subverting expectations and breaking stereotypes whenever she can. Divya is the Hugo and Nebula nominated author of RUNTIME and co-editor of Escape Pod, with Mur Lafferty. Her short stories have been published at various magazines including Analog, Uncanny, and tor.com. Her collection, Contingency Plans For the Apocalypse and Other Situations, is out now from Hachette India, and her debut novel MACHINEHOOD is forthcoming from Saga Press in March, 2021. She holds degrees in Computational Neuroscience and Signal Processing, and she worked for twenty years as an electrical engineer before becoming an author. Find out more about her at www.sbdivya.com or on Twitter as @divyastweets.
The first chapter of Rebecca Roanhorse’s new novel, Black Sun (Gallery/Saga Press, 2020), features a mother and child sharing a tender moment that takes an unexpected turn, ending in violence. It’s a powerful beginning to a story whose characters struggle with the legacies of family expectations, historical trauma, and myth. These three strands are most powerfully manifest in Serapio, the child in the opening scene, who is raised to fulfill a legacy on the day of the convergence, a solar eclipse on the winter solstice. His sole purpose is to avenge a massacre of his mother’s clan, drawing upon magic to carry out the mission. And yet he has never lived among his mother’s clan, nor was he alive when the massacre occurred, raising complex questions about duty, history, and how individuals find meaning in their lives. “Serapio has always been on the outside,” Roanhorse says. “He feels like he has a purpose, a destiny tied up with something pretty dark, that he's doing on behalf of people that don't even know he exists.” Roanhorse explores “what that feels like and what your obligations are even to the point of putting aside your own needs to try to fulfill something that in the long run may not be the best thing for you, but you’ve been set on that path by others. How do you break free of that, if you can, and if you should? I think those are the sort of questions I'm trying to raise that I hope readers struggle with and think about.” Set in a fictional Mesoamerica and inspired by American indigenous and Polynesian cultures, Black Sun is the first book in a planned trilogy. Roanhorse appeared on New Books in Science Fiction in 2018 to talk about Trail of Lightning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Navah Wolfe, an editor at Saga Press, joined us to talk about the manuscripts she would really like to see. Ordinarily we don't encourage people to write to the market, but Navah asked specifically for the opportunity to tell our listeners what she's looking for. As it happens, tracking Navah's wish list as you write is unlikely to send you haring after the latest trend—you're far more likely to develop some new writing skills that will make your work more enjoyable, more fulfilling, and ultimately easier to sell. Spoiler Warning: In three weeks we'll be doing a Project in Depth on Ghost Talkers, by Mary Robinette Kowal. If you want to get the most out of that episode, you have three weeks to acquire and read the book. Credits: This episode was recorded aboard Oasis of the Seas by Bert Grimm, and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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