Join host Adrian M. Gibson and authors Evan Winter, Ryan Cahill, Quenby Olson, Brian Naslund and Kerstin Espinosa Rosero as they delve into the mysterious and magical world of dragons. During the panel they discuss their personal histories with dragons, fresh and modern representations of the creature, dragon tropes and motifs and much more. There was also a solid twenty minutes or so towards the end where each panelist offers up amazing writing advice for the aspiring and working authors out there. Side note: this panel was beautiful chaos, featuring many mic drops, dick jokes (just the words, not actual jokes), crotch biting references and more.
Author Chat: Megan Van Dyke
Join FanFiAddict’s Tori Gross and author Megan Van Dyke for a chat about Megan’s debut novel Second Star to the Left, romance in fantasy, where she got her start, a deep discussion of craft, what she does in her (limited) free time and much more.
Author Chat: Krystle Matar
Join FanFiAddict’s Adrian M. Gibson and author Krystle Matar for a chat about her writing journey, Legacy of the Brightwash, themes of parenting, identity, corrupt institutions and colonization, the self-published fantasy community, their shared loves of both Anthony Bourdain and Michael Pollan and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 15: Cities as Characters (with Fonda Lee, Gareth Hanrahan, Jadie Jang & Peter Hartog)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and authors Fonda Lee, Gareth Hanrahan, Jadie Jang and Peter Hartog as they explore the urban sprawl of fictional cities. During the panel they discuss the distinctive character of both fictional and real-world cities, how to use a setting to enhance worldbuilding, character and plot, creating fictional cities from scratch compared to representing real cities, city-related tropes, worldbuidling advice for writers and much more.
Review: Age of Ash (Kithamar #1) by Daniel Abraham
As a lover of science fiction, I can appreciate the breaking of the status quo. Every so often, genres like cyberpunk or post-apocalyptic fiction came in to stir shit up and make it messier, so to say. But fantasy, I’ve found, is much more comfortable resting on its laurels—challenges to foundational fantasy conventions have been slower, and few and far between. In the last decade or so, though, the intention from authors to actively challenge fantasy’s history has been growing.
Daniel Abraham’s newest novel Age of Ash, book one in The Kithamar Trilogy, seems to do just that. It tackles the notion of “epic fantasy,” questioning the epic-ness of it all and how big battles and a fast pace have dominated that landscape. But beyond that, Age of Ash is a heartfelt story that grounds itself in genuine characters in grim circumstances. What follows is a novel that is epic in its ideas and execution, but relatable in its perspectives and emotions.
Author Chat: Daniel Abraham
Join FanFiAddict’s Adrian M. Gibson and author Daniel Abraham for a chat about his eleven-year journey co-writing The Expanse books with Ty Franck and working on the TV adaptation, saying goodbye to that series, creating the world of The Kithamar Trilogy and writing the first book, Age of Ash, the theme of grief, characters that come out of nowhere, challenging preconceptions of ‘epic fantasy’ and much more.
SFF Addicts TV Club: The Book of Boba Fett S01 Review
Welcome to another TV Club bonus episode! Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors Gareth L. Powell, J. S. Dewes and J. Dianne Dotson as they discuss and review season one of The Book of Boba Fett, the new Star Wars TV series centered on the infamous bounty hunter. During the panel they discuss their relationships with Boba Fett, first impressions of the show, narrative and pacing, how it ties in with The Mandalorian, Din Djarin and Grogu, Tatooine fatigue, the future of Star Wars on the small screen and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 14: Humor & Satire in SFF (with Nicholas Eames, Josiah Bancroft, Delilah Dawson & Kevin Hearne)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and authors Nicholas Eames, Josiah Bancroft, Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne as they have a good laugh about humor and satire in sci-fi and fantasy. During the panel many jokes are made (of course) as they explore the various ways humor and satire can be utilized in a story, from providing tension relief and dealing with trauma to writing humorous characters and scenes, as well as workshopping jokes, the challenges of written humor and much more. Also, Delilah and Kevin share their experiences co-writing The Tales of Pell series together, and let’s just say a fair bit of alcohol was involved.
Review: Stars and Bones (Stars and Bones #1) by Gareth L. Powell
In the canon of modern space opera, Gareth L. Powell has stood out as one of the genre’s most accessible stalwarts. His work is consistently engaging and continues to improve book after book. With his latest novel, Stars and Bones, Powell kicks off a brand-new space opera series with a bang. Not only was this book a pure joy to read, gripping me from the get-go and never letting up until the final page, it was also full of relatable characters, clever humor and the relentless optimism of the human spirit. This book is unputdownable, popcorn sci-fi that explores big ideas with an equally big heart.
SFF Addicts Ep. 13: Space Ooopera (with Adrian Tchaikovsky, J. S. Dewes & Jonathan Nevair)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and authors Adrian Tchaikovsky, J. S. Dewes and Jonathan Nevair as they explore the wonders of space opera in a galaxy far, far away. During the panel they discuss the (often confusing) fundamentals and origins of space opera, aliens vs. the human experience, the shifting perspectives of the genre, subversion of outdated genre conventions, mythology and history as a framework for modern sci-fi stories and much more.
Review: 36 Streets by T. R. Napper
T. R. Napper’s debut novel 36 Streets is a rich, multi-layered thrill ride. On one hand, it delivers a slick, neon-soaked cyberpunk narrative, with a gruff anti-hero protagonist, tense action and near-future tech. But on the other, it’s a surprisingly thoughtful story, with nuanced explorations of family, identity and memory in the face of immense tragedy. Pair that with the living trauma of its Vietnamese setting (specifically its capital city Hanoi) and the result is a potent mix of futurism and the human condition.
Review: Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer
I’m a massive Jeff VanderMeer fan. His Southern Reach trilogy is one of my all-time favorite series, as are his Ambergris novels. That said, he’s not for everyone. I know that—I accept that. His brand of “new weird” can be pretty far-out a lot of the time, especially when he veers into a more literary writing style. So, when I heard of Hummingbird Salamander, I was surprised that he was leaning more mainstream with this near-future eco-thriller. I couldn’t help but think, how this was going to straddle the line between his longtime fans and those who were new to his work and/or intimidated by it? And the result? VanderMeer does manage to straddle that line effectively, telling an overall great story with a few hiccups and stumbles along the way.