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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, 2023
Friday Aug 11, 2023
Advancements in Artificial Intelligence are now creeping into how art is shaped and produced. It's no exaggeration to say that this will change the face of the book industry. Understandably, many creatives are very concerned about what this means for them and their livelihoods as the genie is well out of the bottle and unlikely to ever be put back. While the dragons are not experts on the subject, they are here to have an open discussion about matters as they stand. It isn't the end of the creative process and there are ways to use the technology in an ethical manner. So don't panic - the dragons may not have all the answers but they can probably point you in the right direction.
Friday Aug 04, 2023
Friday Aug 04, 2023
This week the dragons are delighted to welcome Olivia Atwater - author of Half a Soul and Small Miracles - to the show. Olivia's fantasy novels cross several genre lines and magic systems play a strong role in the stories, which makes her the perfect person to join this episode's discussion.
Magic systems in fantasy have evolved a long way since the advent of recording traditional folk tales in writing and the dawn of modern epic fantasy. There are now a variety of different types of systems which broadly fall within the hard (defined) and soft (nebulous) categories. In fact many fantasy novels employ a combination or even both at once, so does it matter which you use? What does the magic system add to the story and how do you shape it for best effect?
Under the microscope this week: The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien, The Old Kingdom series - Garth Nix, Small Miracles - Olivia Atwater and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
The topic of the 'not like the other girls' trope is a potentially fraught one. For starters, it's not always clear where a piece of fiction falls into this trope with opinions varying greatly. This week Jules and Madeleine revisit this thorny issue, taking a look at how things have progressed over the last few years and whether it might not be time to examine whether the calling out of the trope is not in fact as potentially harmful as the trope itself. And what exactly does all that have to do with underwear?
On the slab this week: Anne with an E, Little Women, The Hunger Games and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
It will come as no surprise to regular listeners that the dragons are passionate about good diverse representation in speculative fiction, and they've certainly discussed segments of that huge topic before. This time, Jules and Madeleine are focusing on how bisexuality is depicted in SFF, both for good and ill, and in ways that are frankly misunderstood. So just how important are labels? Can you have good representation without them? And what are some of the real bugbears about how bisexuality is displayed and how people misinterpret it that really annoy both dragons?
On the slab this week: The Witcher, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Boys and many more.
Friday Jul 14, 2023
Friday Jul 14, 2023
Despite discussing folktales and fairy stories regularly and at length, the dragons haven't really touched on 'modern' original fairy tales. That is books or stories written using fairy tale story modes but often set in contemporary or even futuristic settings. Contrasting the contemporary with the traditional fairy tale really highlights how steeped the both are in the politics and morality of the time, whilst still capturing that timelessness of themes. This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at a selection of case studies including Elizabeth von Arnem's The Enchanted April, Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse and George Orwell's Animal Farm.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
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