37K
Downloads
443
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 Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Special Guest Episode!
This week the dragons are thrilled to welcome C. N. Rowan to the show. As the author of the imPerfect Cathar urban fantasy series, which follows Paul, an 800 yr old immortal who was once a 'perfect' of the group we came to call the Cathars, but is now a magic wielding, monster hunting emotional train wreck with a smart mouth and a nose for trouble. The series is darkly comedic and a lot of fun, which make Chris the perfect person to join the episode's discussion.
Urban fantasy is spawning sub genres at speed and there are target audiences who are just ravenous for these new twists on a well established genre. But how do you make your UF books stand out? Well, one way is to add a strong historical component. How? Tune into to find out.
On the slab this week: Indiana Jones, imPerfect Cathar, The Parasol Protectorate and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
It's been a while since the dragons have done a 'fairy tales in focus' episode so this week Jules and Madeleine take a dive into the origins, inspiration and socio-political interpretations of 'The Little Mermaid'. Written in the early nineteenth century by Danish author Hans Christian Anderson, the story cannot boast the long history of other popular fairy stories. It's also devoid of the usual happy ending and the substitute for happily ever after is oddly unsatisfying and eerie. However, it still became one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time. Why is that and what was Anderson really saying? What folktales influenced his work? And are any of the literary interpretations close to the mark? Find out in this week's episode.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Hard science fiction has been a recognised term since the 1950s. Hard fantasy is comparatively more recent as a definition but is certainly something which is being applied now to fantasy with a highly logical world, heavy political threads or more challenging storylines. However, there are cons as well as pros to narrowing the field genre wise, and a certain amount of intellectual or literary snobbery creeps in. So what does the qualifier 'hard' mean in reference to sff? What qualities qualify a book for the term? And what are the drawbacks? This week Jules and Madeleine dive into the subject with examples such as The Masquerade series by Seth Dickenson, Dune by Frank Herbert and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
There are few things more annoying to a reader than being cheated by the author - whether intentionally or not. One of the most annoying forms of this is the cliffhanger. Originally a device which accidentally emerged from serialised Victorian fiction, it turned into a way of manipulating the audience into buying the next book or watching the next episode. This week, Jules and Madeleine discuss the various types of cliffhangers used in speculative fiction and address why most of the time, using any sort of cliffhanger is a bad choice. On the slab this week: The Eternals, Crescent City - S.J.Maas, The Empire Strikes Back and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Creating an actual villain, rather than just an antagonist, is a tricky business. It's easy to go too far and fall into the realms of cartoonish unbelievability. On the other hand, your villain needs to feel like a clear and present danger otherwise what are they doing in your MC's story? This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at the main pitfalls on the road to making your villain genuinely menacing, as well as offering tips for how to make them villainous and still believable. Under the microscope this week: Lord of the Rings, The Terminator, Harker & Blackthorn and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Special guest episode!
The dragons are delighted to welcome urban fantasy author, Heather G Harris, to the show this week. Heather is the author of the wildly popular Other Realm and Other Wolf series, and her British set UF is packed with humour, unusual creatures and great characters, which makes her the perfect person to join this week's discussion. (As well as a chat about her books and hints about forthcoming projects.)
Urban fantasy is something of an umbrella term and can include different micro genres depending on who's doing the categorising. For the purposes of this episode, UF is fantasy set against the backdrop of the mundane modern world as we know it. One of the interesting aspects of the genre is the slightly different flavour UK and Irish UF has in comparison to US UF. Considering the similarities between the UK and her cousins across the pond, what's at the root of this? Is there a real difference? And if so, what differences have we noticed? (Hint: yes there is the tea aspect. But it's not just the tea...) Join Jules, Madeleine and their guest as they tackle this topic and discuss some of their favourite Indie UF writers.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
There are many ways to end a story but one of the most popular is triumph against a seemingly insurmountable foe. While there is something very satisfying about bringing your heroes to a point where it seems all is lost before they snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, there are definitely ways to do it wrong. This week Jules and Madeleine take a look a different ways of achieving this kind of ending in a believable way. On the slab this week: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things and Many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 19, 2023
Friday May 19, 2023
Most writers at some point become familiar with the idea of the monomyth and the work of Joseph Campbell. However, despite the misleading name, the monomyth is not the only blueprint for all storytelling. While it's very prevalent in almost ever story in the Western world, there are several other storytelling modes which privilege different aspects of a story for a variety of different reasons. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at other kinds of story templates, travelling through the monomyth to the Heroine's Journey and then onto modes used in other parts of the world.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 12, 2023
Friday May 12, 2023
Every so often the dragons like to break away from writing technique and storytelling analysis and do something light and fun. This week they have a list of contenders for the hand of an imaginary batchelorette. Our would be suitors are drawn from the most highly sought after romantic male leads of fiction - from Mr Darcy to Edward Cullen. But just what is it that makes any of our romantic hopefuls appealing? Find out as Jules and Madeleine gently poke fun at them and weigh their finer qualities.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 05, 2023
Friday May 05, 2023
Welcome to another 'fairytales in focus' episode. This week the dragons are tackling one of the most gruesome popular folk stories. The story of well known wife murderer 'Bluebeard' has inspired a lot of Gothic and horror fiction, but its own origins - while comparatively recent - are somewhat unusual. In addition, while it's often slammed for being a truly sexist story, digging into the folklore suggests that its 'moral' was probably lost in translation. Jules and Madeleine track the story's grisly journey through history and folk tradition in this episode.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic