Monthly Archives: March 2020

Ep035 Tiger’s Daughter

Uncategorized, ,

The Tiger’s Daughter by K Arsenault Rivera

Rivera’s love story is told in an epic letter from one lover to another, a bold framing device that allows the reader to get into the logic, feelings, and actions of the main character. Isaac and Reid discuss the pros and cons of a story told from one character’s perspective, and the results come down to the pros that come with any story being told from a first person perspective: limited perspective, close characterization.

The Tiger’s Daughter takes place in a world were monsters are constrained away beyond a wall, but that does not mean they stay there happily. Monsters scale the wall and invade the kingdom. In this love story the monsters play a role of madness trying to keep these two lovers apart, in addition to the regular world of the kingdom they live within.

Join us as we discuss this epic love story set in an Asian-inspired fantasy empire.

Other works mentioned

  • Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
  • Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • Dracula by Bram Stocker

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Ep034 Black Tides of Heaven

Uncategorized, ,

The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang

Magic, machines, and two twins trying to understand their place in the world. The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang is a modern story that feels like an old myth. Set in the Tensorate world, where a magic of slackcraft taps into the energy that surrounds us all, the story follows twins Mokoya and Akeha as they deal with the machinist rebellion and the mighty force that is their mother. The book taps into many modern themes including gender and equality all within the narrow scope the length of a novella.

Speaking of novella, the story is a tight collection of key moments in the lives of these two twins. Every scene is a densely packed collection of actions that drive the story towards it inevitable showdown of child vs parent. Join in as we discuss The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang.

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

Ep033 Repent Harlequin Said the Tick Tock Man

Uncategorized, ,

Repent Harlequin Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison

Winner of the first ever Nebula Award for a Short Story, Repent Harlequin Said the Ticktockman is the story of the titular Harlequin as he wreaks havoc on the schedule-obsessed future world dictated by the Ticktockman. In this future world, time is a currency, and if you are even a minute late, then your life is shortened by that missing minutes.

In a short amount of words Harlan Ellison builds a world extending from the frustration of a fellow human being late to this act being punishable my shortening a life. Similarly, Ellison creates an exaggerated Harlequin who stands fully against the social and political system dictated by the timekeeper.

Join us as we speak about the beats of this short story and how the Harlequin may have found a slight victory after all.

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More