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Episodes
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 Aug 11, 2017
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Episode 79: Ouija Boards, Possessed Boards & Bloody Mary - the Fascination with Supernatural Games
In a slight departure from noramal, this week the dragons examine the strange phenomenon of 'supernatural games'. From ouija boards to haunted houses, from one man hide and seek to the midnight game, what is it about games that flirt with the supernatural that appeals or attracts people? Where did this phenomenon originate and what exactly is it about them that inspires speculative fiction? Find out in this weeks episode.
(A list of games can be found here.)
Title Music: Ecstacy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Aug 04, 2017
Friday Aug 04, 2017
Episode 78: Portents, Symbols & Future Knowledge - Precognition & Foreshadowing in Specuative Fiction
Done correctly, foreshadowing in a novel should be almost invisible yet nevertheless prepare the reader for what is going to happen in the story. The week the dragons delve into foreshadowing specifically in speculative fiction where literal 'foreshadowing' or precognition can also be used as a device to shape the narrative to great effect. Why is it that we need to know on some level where a story is going without actually knowing how it ends in advance? SFF authos M.E.Vaughan and J.A.Ironside tackle this and other questions in this week's episode. In the petri dish this week - On the Edge of Tomorrow, Dune by Frank Herbert and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jul 28, 2017
Friday Jul 28, 2017
Episode 77: Man out of Time - Displaced Protagonists in Speculative Fiction
One way of really exploring a character's journey is to 'light fires', that is set up a situation in which a character has to confront who they think they are and whether that is true in order to overcome an obstacle or even just to survive. This is especially apparent when authors take a character and remove them from their own time/ society/ culture/ place. It is also apparent in reverse where a character has never felt like they belonged to their time or their culture's social constructs, always being something of an outsider in their own life. As a recurring theme in speculative fiction what does that say about our own dears of not belonging? Or our own sense of being alienated from our own lives? This week the dragons delve into the phenomenon of 'displaced protagonists'. Simmering over the bunsen burner on a low flame we have The Walking Dead, 28 days Later, The Chronicles of St Mary's by Jody Tailor, Rip Van Winkle and many more. Join us for a discussion in finding the story you belong in.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jul 21, 2017
Friday Jul 21, 2017
Episode 76: From Aslan to Ananda - Religious Allegory in Speculative Fiction
The Bible contains a rich seam of inspiration for SFF writers, particularly the Old Testement. But unlike other pantheons and bodies of myth and legend, it is perhaps drawn on least. Why is this? And how can it be used to enrich speculative fiction, which seeks to address the same age old questions that appear in biblical writings? This week the dragons delve into the bible and the religious allegory it inspires sff books and films. On the slab this week Pixar's The Prince of Egypt, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Angle, and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jul 14, 2017
Friday Jul 14, 2017
Episode 75: Labyrinth - Looking at the Mystery of Mazes
Lots of films and books use mazes - or Labyrinths - as narrative tools both to test a characters fortitude and as a paralel for a character's internal narrative arc. But just where did the idea of mazes come from? The dragons were surprised to find that it dates back far further in history than they thought, turning up some astonishing myths and folktales. On the slab this week Labyrinth (the classic Jim Henson film), Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, Marvel series Legion, Pan's Labyrinth and the Maze Runner. Join us in this 'Fortress of Turns' as we attempt to get to the bottom of this unusual archetype.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jul 07, 2017
Friday Jul 07, 2017
Episode 74: The Sorting Hat and Other Trials - Finding your Tribe in Speculative Fiction
Recently, the book world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Aside from making at least one of the dragons feel really old (1997 was 20 yrs ago for frick's sake!) it got them thinking about the strange turn bramches of speculative fiction took in the wake of the successful franchise. Namely that of a tribal mentality amongst fans which extended beyond the fndom and into everyday life. SFF authors J.A.Ironside and M.E.Vaughan examine this phenomena looking at examples of 'tribes', factions and found family from books such as Harry Potter, Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Tamora Pierce's Circle series. Join us for a fascinating look at how speculative fiction plugs into the deep seated human need for a place to belong.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 30, 2017
Friday Jun 30, 2017
Episode 73: Sand and Sky - Desert Archetypes in Speculative Fiction
The typical golden sanded, meltingly hot and arid desert landscape is used in many forms of Speculative Fiction. Partly as short hand for a hard unforgiving environment, partly as way of displaying internal character journey. This week the Dragons take a look at how 'desert' is used and misused when scene setting in SFF. On the slab - Star Wars, Dune by Frank Herbert, Oasis - an adaptation of Michel Fabers 'The Book of Strange New Things' and many more. Join us in this little oasis of discussion.
Title Music 'Ecstasy' - Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 23, 2017
Friday Jun 23, 2017
Episode 72: Maenads, Black Magic & Demon Drink - Addictions in Speculative Fiction
Speculative Fiction has long been a device for exploring uncomfortable or contentious issues. This week the dragons take a look at how physical and psychological addictions are portrayed in speculative fiction. What causes addiction in the first place? How is this addressed in SFF terms? Why is there a persistant myth that better access to creativity for writers can be acheived through recreational drugs?Join us for an illuminating discussion. On the Slab this week Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Valiant by Holly Black, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, On Writing by Stephen King and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 16, 2017
Friday Jun 16, 2017
Episode 71: The Lazarus Effect - Back from the Dead (Again!)
This week, the dragons look at a trope mostly peculiar to speculative fiction - that of killing a character off, and then bringing them back to life later in the book, the series or the show. Delving deeper into what exactly the value of character death is in spec fic, SFF authors M.E.Vaughan and J.A.Ironside tackle the hiccoughs and advantages of then ressurecting that character. On the slab this week Skuldugger Pleasant, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spernatural, Dr Who and many more. Join us for an episode that takes a tour through the myth of the risen god all the way to modern sci-fi.
Title music: 'Ecstasy' by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 09, 2017
Friday Jun 09, 2017
Episode 70: They Shall take up Serpents - Religious Cults in Speculative Fiction
This week the dragons are pleased to welcome back fellow author, Amelia McKenzie, as they delve into the shadowy and often disturbing world of cults. What exactly is a cult? How do they opperate? And just how is this reflected in speculative fiction? (Hint; it actually comes up in Spec Fic far more than you'd expect!) Fiction usually represents the time it is produced in, so what does current fiction - especially current YA fantasy and sci-fi - say about the cult of self and of today's society? On the slab this week; Samarai Jack, The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid and The Last Battle by C.S.Lewis.
Title music: 'Ecstasy' - Smiling Cynic