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
02-01-12: Commentary : Stan Lee Splashes 'Stan Lee's How to Write Comics' and 'Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics' : Lessons in the Form, From the Master
01-23-12: Commentary : Sara Paretsky Nails 'Breakdown' : The Machine Stops
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2012 Interview with Sara Paretsky : "Everything in a courtroom is a story; it's not justice, it's combating narratives."
01-18-12: Commentary : Téa Obreht Conjures 'The Tiger's Wife' : The Grammar of Vision
01-13-12: Commentary : Hard Case Subterranean Block : Not from Bob's Basement Tapes
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2012 Phone Interview with Lisa Randall : "...there seems to be some evidence, especially from one of the experiments."
01-10-12: Commentary : Archive Review: Terry D'Auray Catches Lawrence Block and 'The Burglar on the Prowl' : "A show well worth the price of a ticket."
12-29-11: Commentary : My Life in the Bush of Books : Island of Vice by Richard Zacks, Iago by David Snodin, The Coincidence Engine by Sam Leith and The Dipatcher by Ryan David Jahn
12-21-11: Commentary : Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman : From the Seedy to the Sublime
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books with Alan Cheuse : 'Kill Bin Laden' ; Ryu Mitsuse, '10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights' ; Michael Crichton and Richard Preston, 'Micro'
12-20-11: Commentary : David Blackbourn Visits 'Marpingen: Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in a Nineteenth-Century German Village' : Externalizing a Culture Clash
12-15-11: Commentary : Ayize Jama-Everett Reveals 'The Liminal People' : The Powers That Be
Agony Column Podcast News Report : The Agony Column Live with Lisa Goldstein and Ayize Jama-Everett, and music by Fenyang Smith, December 10, 2011 : "... let's look at what happens if people have abilities that other people don't have ..."
11-28-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Scott Wallace : "Within months of first contact, these groups experience a huge die-off."
11-22-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Charles Frazier, Part Two : "It's not me telling you, there's this storyteller voice."
11-21-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Charles Frazier : "If we're going in the wrong direction, we could turn around and go back."
11-17-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Gianni Mola : "The only way you can learn, I told them, is to watch me cook it."
11-11-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Karl Marlantes : "...the way I "think" about things, with quotes around think, is I tend to write them down..."
10-31-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Colson Whitehead : "In the Apocalypse, somebody's gonna have to do the grunt work..."
10-17-11: Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2011 Interview with Russell Banks : "They are in a sense, permanently marked and thrown into this darkness..."
