Spec Fic Crossing the Gulf

1.6, Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow

We loved the book, we were in awe of the author, and we spoke with fluid eloquence (relative to previous podcasts!) about our love and awe. There’s so much here: characterization, colonialism, theology, and even a good sense of humor. With all the rich detail contained in this novel it took our longest podcast yet to even begin to wrap our arms around it. Many thanks to Cheryl Morgan for helping to clean up the audio!

3.5, In Conversation with Ted Chiang: "The Great Silence"

Most people may know about Ted from “The Story of Your Life” which was filmed as Arrival, but his reputation with readers and writers as a top tier craftsman of the short form was well established before then. We had the pleasure of asking Ted some questions about a short (very short!) piece of his from 2015, part of an art installation and as a result quite different from his usual style though certainly sharing the same DNA.

 

Coincidentally, it continues the Anthropocene theme from our last set of podcasts. It is also an excellent example of art in conversation with art — text and visual art co-created and responding to each other to produce a larger work.

 

Advance warning: we don’t summarise the story in this podcast. You can read it, along with a lovely introduction by Karen Joy Fowler, at this link:

 

https://electricliterature.com/the-great-silence-by-ted-chiang-e72e05eb8a0e

1.5, Discussion of Greg Egan's "The Planck Dive" and Others

Lord urged Burnham not to be modest about the fact that she has spent over three years researching Egan’s fiction. With her knowledge of Egan’s entire fictional universe(s), she prevented Lord from making assumptions based on the snapshot of a single short story. They acknowledge that they omitted some of Egan’s best work because they chose stories available for free on the internet:

“The Planck Dive”
“Closer“
“Yeyuka“
“Oceanic“
“Oracle“
“Singleton“
“Glory”

3.4b. In Conversation with Kij Johnson

“The Privilege of the Happy Ending”

Rounding off our triad of podcasts about the end of the world as we know it, we are honoured to welcome Kij Johnson to discuss her apocalypse-themed fantasy story (with strong hints of science fiction!) “The Privilege of the Happy Ending”. The research, the worldbuilding, and the structural and narrative choices that went into this story make this a genius class in writing craft from one of the genre’s best. (But first listen to Episode 3.4 of the podcast for our summary and discussion of this story.)

3.4a In Conversation with Daryl Gregory

“Nine Last Days on Planet Earth”

Even better than reading an excellent story is discussing with the author how and why they wrote it! We are so pleased to have Daryl Gregory with us to discuss the nuances, secrets and personal touches in his apocalypse-themed science fiction story “Nine Last Days on Planet Earth”. (But first listen to Episode 3.4 of the podcast for our summary and discussion of this story.) 

3.4, The Everyday Apocalypse

“Nine Last Days on Planet Earth” by Daryl Gregory and “The Privilege of the Happy Ending” by Kij Johnson

Apocalypse now, or some day soon when we least expect it? Karen and Karen compare and contrast two very different stories with a common theme – the end of the world as we know it. But apocalypse can mean many things when we consider the privileged or the vulnerable; the distant past or the near future; the observer or the affected; the slow, creeping horror or fleet-footed death. Award winning authors Gregory and Johnson more than deliver on the philosophical promise of this topic.

1.4 Broadber, The Rainmaker's Mistake

Lord feared this unapologetically Caribbean book would be too challenging for readers lacking the historical and cultural context, but Burnham took to it like a duck to water and offered some important insights from the point of view of a non-West Indian and a genre reader.

Click here for a reading and interview with Erna Brodber, and links to other interviews, reviews and resources. Dr Brodber won the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize in 2017 and has received several awards for her work throughout her career.

3.3, Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience (TM)

Welcome to your authentic Crossing the Gulf experience! In one of our favourite discussions to date, Karen and Karen summarise, assess, dissect and digest the multiple-award-winning short story “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™” by Rebecca Roanhorse. This richly layered and nuanced story rewards on so many levels. We provide perspectives from our own experiences, alternating roles as insider and outsider.

Reference is made to the film The Thirteenth Floor (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirteenth_Floor)

1.3, Ted Chiang and Greg Egan's Crystal Nights

Running out of time for Ted Chiang during Episode 1 proved an advantage as Lord and Burnham spent Episode 3 comparing and contrasting his work with Greg Egan’s “Crystal Nights”.

1.2, Edgar Mittelholzer’s My Bones and My Flute

Lord first encountered this Mittelholzer ghost story in secondary school English Literature. Published in 1955, it is one of the classics of the Caribbean literary canon and a perfect start to any discussion of Caribbean speculative fiction. A ghost/thriller novel, it sparks discussions ranging from the craft of writing to expressions of racism and misogyny. A new reprint is now available from Peepal Tree Press.