12-11-09: A Conversation with Lou Anders : New Fantasy Triangle, Steampunk and Illuxcon II
It's been too long since I spoke with Lou Anders of Pyr SF — I really had to dial back in my emails to find his phone number. But that's all for the good, because it just gave us a lot more to talk about. In an email he exchanged, I suggested that we talk about Adrian Tchaikovsky, Joel Shepherd and James Enge, and Andres repolied that he thought they formed a sort of triangle, a notion I found intriguing.
That was, of course, my first question when we started talking. And indeed, I'd tend to agree that the three writers do sort of triangulate on the new aesthetic for fantasy fiction, the post-Perdido world of gritty and weird fiction. But that was only the starting point for our conversation.
We jumped next to a discussion of a barrel-full of Steampunk novels that are forthcoming from Pyr, including a French novel, the first in a series that is described as "Dumas with dragons." And we talked about Lou's experience at Illuxon II , an intriguing invite-only meeting of artists and art directors. You can hear a fascinating look at contemporary science fiction from a variety of angles by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
Mark Richardson
12-10-09: Mark Richardson's 'Zen and Now' : The Making of a First Book
Since we're talking about first-book stories today, let's bring back Mark Richardson, author of 'Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.' I talked to Richardson when he came through Capitola Book Café, and he had his own version of the first book disaster, one that is perhaps more common. That would be you write it — and it's boring.
There are really two first books in 'Zen and Now — Mark Richardson's and Robert Pirsig's ' Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.' The latter is one of those mythic books, submitted hundreds of times and rejected, only to go on to become a perennial best-seller. The author was changed forever, not just by the motorcycle journey he took, but by the publication of his first book. Richardson's story and Pirsig's intertwine, and Richardson has a great sense of humor, as well as excellent advice for writers, which you can hear by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
12-09-09: Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Michael Crichton Retrospective
It is true; I remember walking up to the desk at the Covina Public Library when I was 12 years old and checking out 'The Andromeda Strain.' Those were heady days for 12 year-old boys. 2001: A Space Odyssey and "One small step for mankind." But who might have guessed that Crichton would come closest to describing the future in his science-fiction novel that somehow managed to avoid being labeled science fiction. In so doing, the publishers and Crichton himself showed a genius that would play out over the next 40 years.
Michael Crichton has a new novel out, 'Pirate Latitudes,' and while some reviewers will tell you that it's thankfully not about technology, it is indeed about technology — just a tech we've had for hundreds of years. You also get sea monsters and cannibals, so what more can you ask? Well, here's what you can ask for; NPR's Alan Cheuse, in conversation about the greatest genre writer ever to avoid being called a genre writer, just by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
James Minz, Steven Erikson, Jeremy Lassen, Jeff VanderMeer, David Drake
12-08-09: World Fantasy Convention Panel Podcast : Non-Conciliatory Fantasy
I'm going to jump right in and say that the Hyddenworld novels would quite likely fit in well with the current non-conciliatory fantasy trend. To a certain extent the premise of non-conciliatory fantasy is disputable in that it presumes that a lot of fantasy offers consolation in the form of problems solved via magic. To those of us raised on Conan and Karl Edward Wager, the only conciliations fantasy offers are those of vengeance.
But now a lot of writers are tapping into their inner Robert E. Howard (hopefully not too much), and we've got a crop of fantasy that offers the conciliation of misery. Well, if misery loves company then it's in luck on the fantasy shelves. This panel was really quite wonderful. I had a blast listening to it and it inspired me to talk to the authors as well. Here's the blurb, from the WFC website:
"2:00 PM Gold Room Non-Conciliatory Fantasy
There has been a recent rise in the popularity of gritty and dark fantasy novels in which morality is drawn in shades of gray and the protagonist is perhaps even more violent and ruthless than the villain. What are some great early examples of this sort of work and why is it becoming more popular now?"
12-07-09: A 2009 Interview with Jeff Herzberg and Zoe Francois : The Kitchen Sink
I interviewed Jeff Herzberg and Zoe Francois in Jeff's hotel room at the Top of the Mark (an the top of the world) in San Francisco. As we sat overlooking a city renowned for restaurant cuisine, we talked about the best bread you can possibly get — the stuff you make at home. And have no doubt, you can make it at home.
One of the reasons that I like to interview cookbook authors is that I can prep for the interview by making the recipes. When I go in to talk to the writers, I've not just read the words, I'd done the deeds. Having gone into these books very skeptical and having come out not a believer, but an actual user of the technique, I was well-primed to engage the writers and frankly just wanted to pick their brains about some of the experiments I had planned.
We had a great time, especially when I told them that I do my rolling and flouring in the kitchen sink, because that way clean-up is a lot easier. We have very old cabinet tops with huge grout seams that attract the flour and make it almost impossible to clean out. Jeff does this as well, even though Zoe feels that is should be verboten because in a restaurant, you couldn't do that legally; sinks are not sanitary. She was preconditioned then, to not do that, while Jeff and I both found it to be a great expediency. It was fun to listen to this interview again, because at the time, I had not yet made up my orange rolls recipe, though I told them what I had planned. I've since made that recipe and it is to-die-for good. And super easy. To hear my first intimation of the recipe, follow this link to the MP3 audio file.
New to the Agony Column
07-30-10: Commentary : Subterranean Press and Robert R. McCammon Wake at 'The Wolf's Hour' : The Time Before Cheese
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books with Alan Cheus : Allegra Goodman, 'The Cookbook Collector,' Noam Shpancer's 'The Good Psychologist' and Elie Wiesel 'The Sonderberg Case'
07-28-10: Commentary : Rule Britannia, In Space 2 : En Route, RJ Frith and Peter F. Hamilton
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010: Q & A : "The people you deal with at the publishers ... if they last the end of the week, you're lucky."
07-27-10: Commentary : Rule Britannia, In Space : UK Space Opera Demonstrates Excess is Not Enough (Part one, the Arrived)
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Brian and Wendy Froud at SF in SF on Monday, July 19, 2010 : "Well, I thought if I do faeries then nobody's going to say that I've got it wrong."
07-26-10: Commentary : Brian and Wendy Froud Seek 'The Heart of Faerie Oracle' : Cards, Books and a New Perspective
07-20-10: Commentary : Adam Elenbaas is Caught by 'Fishers of Men' : The Gospel of an Ayahuasca Vision Quest
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, July 10, 2010 : Alan Cheuse and Peter S. Beagle : "There are certain phrases I'm leery of using; one's "the creative process" and the other is "inspiration." ” Peter S. Beagle "Habit is the best thing for you if you're trying to write prose." ” Alan Cheuse
07-19-10: Commentary : Phil Cousineau is the 'Wordcatcher' : A Selectionary for Curious Mind
07-09-10: Commentary : Harlan Ellison's 'Deathbird Stories' : Back from the Dead and Ready to Party
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Everything by Kevin Canty, The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson by Kim Stanley Robinson, and Glorious by Bernice McFadden
07-07-10: Commentary : Kitchen Testing 'The New Vegetarian Epicure' and 'Get Cooking' : Lentil Power
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, June 26, 2010 : Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, Part Two : "'You should really write a cookbook,' and I thought, 'Yeah, that's a good idea...'"
07-06-10: Commentary : Anna Thomas Cooks Up 'Love Soup' : Recipes, Menus and Meals
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live, June 26, 2010 : Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, Part One : Time to Get Cooking Because You Love Soup : "It makes a huge difference really, really, it does, to completely clean up when you're done."
07-05-10: Commentary : Abraham Verghese Will Not Be 'Cutting for Stone' : Stories of Spirit and Words of Comfort
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Abraham Verghese : "Literature has a wonderful ability to restore your imagination for the suffering of others."
07-02-10: Commentary : Sloane Crosley Asks 'How Did Get This Number' : Excellent Essays for the Short of Temper
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Live Interview With Sloane Crosley : We Did Not Mention the Title of Her Essay 'Fuck You, Columbus'
06-30-10: Commentary : Mark Charan Newton Enters 'City of Ruin' : Inspector Jeryd Rides Again
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Panel Discussion at SF in SF on June 12, 2010, with Seanan McGuire, Deborah Grabien and Terry Bisson : "Coke Black was just a horrible thing unleashed on an unsuspecting world."
06-29-10: Commentary : 'Twelve,' 'Thirteen,' Tongues of Serpents,' and 'The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack' : Historical SF & Horror Makes Rousing Summer Reading
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Seanan McGuire Interviewed at SF in SF, June 12, 2010 : "If I have my unbreakables, I can set my conditionals."
06-28-10: Commentary : Jennifer Egan Gets 'A Visit from the Goon Squad' : Revisiting the Novel Genre
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Conversation with Jennifer Egan : "The characters and the action led the way... I was led into the future not so much because I was thinking, 'I want to write about the future,' but more because I wanted to re-visit this particular person."
06-23-10: Commentary : Adam Langer Corrals 'The Thieves of Manhattan' : Lies, Balderdash and the Absolute, Unvarnished Truth
06-21-10: Commentary : Linda Greenlaw is 'Seaworthy' : Back to the Grand Banks in Not-So-Grand Style
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Linda Greenlaw : "Well, I call him up and tell him I'm going to the Grand Banks and he pretty much signs himself right up."
06-17-10: Commentary : Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud Lives 'A Life on Paper' : Translating the Ineffable
06-15-10: Commentary : Donald R. Burleson Whispers 'Wait for the Thunder' : Stories for a Stormy Night
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : Lucyby Laurence Gonzalez, Spies of the Balkansby Alan Furst, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
06-14-10: Commentary : James P. Othmer Drinks the 'Holy Water' : Backing Into the Future
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with Juliet Schor : "...We need to move to much more open, collaborative, sharing knowledge systems."
06-10-10: Commentary : Brett Easton Ellis Peers Inside 'Imperial Bedrooms' : Panic After the Year Zero
06-09-10: Commentary : Dan Dion and Paul Provenza Free the '!Satiristas!' : Bleeding the Comedians
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Conversation with Paul Provenza and Dan Dion : "I was raised to respect the printed word so much, when I was in school, I couldn't highlight books..."
06-08-10: Commentary : China Miéville Unleashes 'Kraken' : Comedy of Tentacles
06-03-10: Commentary : Justin Cronin Enters 'The Passage' : A girl who saves the world
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books With Alan Cheuse : The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer, The Passage by Justin Cronin
06-02-10: Commentary : 'Animythical Tales' by Sarah Totton and 'Metrophilias' by Brendan Connell : Better Seeds
06-01-10: Commentary : The Return of The Agony Column : Logic, License and Habit
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Karl Marlantes : "..these are common human foibles and failings, it's just that they get magnified in a combat, war situation..."
