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Authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan talk about books, films and all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
Episodes
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Episode 216: Sugar & Spice - Nuance and the Nice-washing of Female Characters in Speculative Fiction
While SFF has gradually been including a broader selection of fully formed female characters - as opposed to the sexy lamps, girls in refrigerators and 2D love interests of earlier speculative fiction decades - there is still one aspect that appears to elude our grasp. The vast majority of female characters have to be mostly 'nice' (unless very obviously the villain.) This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at why this is still prevalent and why it causes problems. On the slab this week - The Witcher, The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Mar 27, 2020
Friday Mar 27, 2020
Episode 215: The Book was Better than the Film, or When it Wasn't - Adaptations, Revamps and Sequels
What's better than a beloved book or film? The same book presented as a film or a series of sequels to a childhood favourite movie? Or maybe even a revamp or reboot of a classic? More of what you already love can only be a good thing, right? Well not always. In some cases not even most of the time. This week* the dragons are looking at books and films and TV series where an adaptation was better than the original; where the adaptation really wasn't better; and when the sequels or reboots surprise you by being better than the source material. Jules and Madeleine look at why a film is sometimes better than the book, and why some books just don't adapt well. On the slab this week - Beautiful Creatures, Star Trek in all its incarnations, The Witcher, Dr Sleep and many more.
(* Jules and Madeleine are well aware of the current pandemic and while they've decided to continue the podcast as entertainment and escapism, they do discuss it at the beginning of the podcast. If you would like to skip this, tune in at the 22min mark - it's a long episode!)
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Mar 20, 2020
Friday Mar 20, 2020
Episode 214: Something Sweet & Deadly - Easter Eggs and the Problems with Fan Service
The dragons are sorry to report that this episode does not contain chocolate of any kind. However they do tackle the other kind of 'Easter egg' - the ones that authors and film makers scatter through their work for fans; little rewards and extras for readers and viewers being fans. Jules and Madeleine are all for Easter eggs (both kinds!) but feel that giving readers what they want is a delicate balancing act. Sure, little rewards are fun and it's a foolish writer who pays zero attention to what their fans want. But can fan service actually be damaging to a book, a film, a franchise? If you try and please everyone, do you end up pleasing no one? (Including the vocal minority of fans demanding changes!) And when should you listen to criticism from your fans? Under the microscope this week: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Trek Discovery, Deep Space Nine and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Mar 13, 2020
Friday Mar 13, 2020
Episode 213: That's Just Not Literature - the Myths of Fantasy Writing
The Dragons have looked at rivalries and snobberies between different genres in previous episodes - it's endemic and baked in to the creation of literature. But they've never fully tackled the 'mythology' that has specifically risen around writing fantasy. This week Jules and Madeleine delve into how these strange and often nonsensical pieces of 'wisdom' came about, and why they stalk the genre to the extent that some fantasy writers deny they write fantasy even now. Does fantasy engage with important themes? Does it have value beyond mere entertainment? Can it cause the reader to lose their ability to tell between reality and fantasy? The dragons tackle all this and more. On the slab this week - Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Thursday Mar 05, 2020
Thursday Mar 05, 2020
Episode 212: I'm the Bad Guy (or am I?) - Morally Grey Characters in Speculative Fiction
Somewhere between anti-heroes and antagonists, and heroes and protagonists, lies the morally ambiguous character. These guys are neither good nor bad, and they are motivated primarily by their own interests even if they ally with the MC. This week Jules and Madeleine delve into what exactly makes a 'morally grey' character. How are they used to drive a narrative? What makes their character arcs so satisfying? And why is it such a delicate balance? Under the microscope this week - The Witcher, Norse Mythology, Robin Hood and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Feb 28, 2020
Friday Feb 28, 2020
Episode 211: Write What You Know & Other Pearls of Wisdom - the Worst Publishing and Writing Advice
As if writing a book wasn't hard enough, writers are regularly peppered with advice - some well intentioned, some just ridiculous - about how to write, market and publish. Not all advice is tried and tested, nor will every piece of advice work for every writer. This week Jules and Madeleine look at some of their personal bugbears as well as a few classic old chestnuts, offering a perspective on just how much attention you should pay to writing wisdom.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic.
Friday Feb 21, 2020
Friday Feb 21, 2020
Episode 210: Toss a Coin to Your Fantasy Author - When Epic Fantasy Hits the Screen
Thanks to the advent of streaming services such as Netflix, television has broken bounds into what was previously considered more niche markets. There's more variation on the default narrative; more diverse representation (although still not enough yet); and more and better quality genre shows. So in this 'golden age' of television, what happens when it's proven that there is an audience for long running fantasy and science fiction? Not just outlier shows, but a hungry audience that will try everything within that genre. At present, huge numbers of fantasy stories are being optioned for possible future production. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at heavy hitter Game of Thrones and compare it to immensely popular newcomer, The Witcher. What did the shows get right? Where could future epic fantasy improve? And what would we like to see made next?
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Feb 14, 2020
Friday Feb 14, 2020
Episode 209: Bring On the Heartbreak - When Romantic Subplots go Wrong in Speculative Fiction
It's the feast day of Lupercalia (or St Valentine's Day if you prefer), and the dragons thought the time was ripe to talk about heartbreak, break ups and couples who just can't get together in speculative fiction. You are welcome! On a more edifying note, break ups and the scuppering of a romantic subplot in fantasy and scifi can be a great way to through up obstacles in a main plot or even nudge it in a new direction. This week the dragons take a look at what works and what doesn't when you're writing heartbreak. Under the microscope this week A Court of Thorns and Roses by S J Maas, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, The Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pearce and many more. Delay your romantic dinner plans and join us for an epic discussion of break up tropes and challenges.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Episode 208: Welcome to the Multiverse - Alternate Realities, Evil Twins and Unmade Choices in Speculative Fiction
Please note: Due to a technical hiccough, if you downloaded this episode before 10.00am GMT, 7th February 2020, then you will not have the correct file. Please re-download for the full Dissecting Dragons experience and in the meantime we tender our apologies. Our tech monkey will do penance laps of a vat of lukewarm custard.
Physics, Fringe Science and thought experiments have always provided rich fodder for Science Fiction writers and one of the most beloved tropes of the genre is an encounter with the multiverse. Any superhero mythology that goes on long enough is almost certain to have a few multiverse episodes. But what is the multiverse? How does it differ in terms of both physics and religion? And what are the benefits to using it in speculative fiction? Join the dragons as they delve into the trope. On the slab this week; Seanan McGuire's Velveteen vs the Junior Superpatriots, the MCU, Star Trek and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jan 31, 2020
Friday Jan 31, 2020
Episode 207: Nervous Timid Goth Boys vs Manic Pixie Dream Girls - How a Single Trope can Shift Narrative Preference
Different tropes are designed to appeal to different readers and viewers, and, as the dragons have said on many occasions, there is nothing inherently wrong with tropes. Why not give your audience more of what it wants? However there are tropes that are packaged in such a way as to close the narrative of a story to perspectives other than the default, and do so under the guise of providing a strong female lead or co-lead. These tropes can be damaging and need some re-engineering. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at one of the most infamous character tropes - the Manic Pixie Dream Girl - and it's possible antithesis - the Nervous Timid Goth Boy. On the slab this episode - Scott Pilgrim, Weird Science, The Belgariad by David Eddings and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic