Coming Up
Short Short: How to Run A Con Pt1 by Michael Swanwick 01:36
Fact: Everything by Morgan Saletta 08:21
Main Fiction: Galapagos by CaitlÃn R. Kiernan 35:08
Interview: Terry Martin from Murky Depths 01:42:00
Main Fiction: Dr North’s Wound by John Dodds 01:59:40
Interview: John Dodds
Narrator: Amy H Sturgis
Night Shade Books – Dancing With Bears
Eclipse 3
That cover is truly creepy!
Gonzalo said:
That cover is truly creepy!
Disturbing is the word that leapt to mind for me, but it is a very effective image. I’m looking forward to this one.
Yeah. That poor skeleton is growing skin. And hair! Eeek!!!
Beautiful Gothic imagery – worthy of a graphic novel… Oh and Fredo – you asked -
I think I’ll stick with coming from another planet… Most people Stateside think San Francisco is another planet anyway… Haven’t lived Stateside in almost 15 years though….
Morgan
Although, frankly, a 400 year immortal with seven previous identities sounds good too.
(re post http://www.starshipsofa.com/forum/topic.php?id=1659)….
Unfortunately with the big 40 looming next month, not feeling very immortal ; )
A near perfect episode. Only question is what happened to the interview with John Dodds? The story ends and then Tony’s outro suggests the interview has been heard but it isn’t there.
How to Run a Con – when I saw the title, I thought it stood for convention! This sort of imaginative self-promotion is what stands out in this new media age. I’m already intrigued by the concept and look forward to further instalments as the book’s release approaches.
I have to say that Morgan Saletta’s segment this week was possibly the best yet, and that was quite a tough bar to rise to! I have to admit that I had never made the connection between the original King Kong and US race relations, and although it’s somewhat more obvious (at least to me) in Planet of the Apes, the context of the 1960s civil rights marches hadn’t occurred to me, purely because I watched the film at a much later date.
I’ve just finished listening to the first piece of fiction, which was of a very high standard, even for the Sofa. I’d like to read other people’s opinions on the…
[look away now if you haven't read it]…implication by the narrator at the end that the various agencies
knew what had happened in Mars orbit and were only keeping an eye on her to see if she would spill the beans. Is this a case of unreliable drug-addled narrator, or does she now also need to fear for her life, as they’ev sought to keep what happened a secret?
[you can look back now]
I’ll post again when I’ve had a chance to listen to the second half of the show.
Hi. Forgotten Promises – I am the aforementioned John Dodds. Yes, Tony did interview me yesterday and somehow omitted to include the interview. He assures me it will run in next week’s episode, however. Thanks, John
OK, here’s part 2 of my feedback. I liked Dr North’s wound for its sense of time and place. The narrator’s voice was very well realised and I was moved as we approached the denouement of the story. I did not spot any SFnal elements, but I don’t think that detracted from my enjoyment. I look forward to the interview next week!
Fair comment, Gonzalo. I never actually conceived of it as an SF story. Except it has a “mad scientist” and experiments of a scientific nature which are purely speculative (bodily fluids and their relationship or otherwise to emotions). A doctor trying to find a way of creating the emotion of love, though is, in my view, pure SF, if you look at it in that light. And elsewhere, the story is listed on a steampunk website. Down to how you define SF, I suppose. Someone else called it “Lovecraftian”.
I like the idea that people can’t quite pin the story down. I am particularly pleased that you were moved, though. That’s a huge compliment.
How to Run a Con…so how many weeks of these commercials do we get? Hope SSS got paid.
Sometimes, when I’m listening to some stories, I think of how much better our narrators are than some castoff story that a writer couldn’t sell so let SSS have it for free.
Hi, Allie,
Did you mean that How to Run a Con was like an advertisement for the book? Or was it something about narration generally being of better quality than some of the stories? Not quite sure if I caught your meaning.
How to run a con did seem like a commercial to me.
How to run a con was promotional, yes, but I wouldn’t call it a commercial – in any case, I don’t think there was any intent to deceive; it was pretty clear from the set-up that this was for an upcoming book.
I for one welcome creative attempts to promote your own stuff, especially where it’s appropriate to the audience. I am intrigued enough that I will listen to the next few instalments and may even look at the book once it’s out. I think the SF community needs to support its authors. We, after all, are reaping the benefits of authors giving Tony stories for free for our enjoyment. I have no problem with those authors trying to make a living from their work.
John, regarding the SFnal aspects of your story; the experiments were purely speculative as you say, but that’s no different from the practice of alchemy in the Middle Ages trying to turn base metal onto Gold, or the theory of ‘humours‘ in medicine that was prevalent in Greek and Roman times. I can quite conceive of someone like Dr North in the 19th Century (I wasn’t sure exactly when your story was set, but this is the feel I got from the way the first person narration expressed himself) setting out to find the source of emotions.
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