Avsnitt
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Certain authors gain respect and become immediate commitments from me. As in I am reading whatever the heck they put out. I have not read everything by Philip Fracassi yet, but he won me over with a short story (Fail-safe), and last year Boys in Valley did an amazing job grabbing me with one of the subgenres I am not a huge fan of - the possession novel. When I interviewed him for that book he was talking about working on this one, and I was excited that he was doing Science Fiction.
The Third Rule of Time Travel is hard SF, as in the science is taken seriously. It has horror elements but is a character-driven emotional roller coaster of a novel that gave Richard Matheson vibes. The first half of the interview is spoiler-free and a warning we get into the nuts and bolts of writing this amazing novel.
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Despite being marketed on the cover as a thriller, Cynthia Pelayo’s Wheelhouse is a horror novel about haunted Chicago, a city that is haunted not just by ghosts but by the long specter of this strange history that has swirled around the Windy City. No surprise as she has Bram Stoker and Latino book awards on her shelf.
Vanishing Daughters has all the elements that she is known for while adding some subtle but meaningful Sci-fi elements. In this conversation, we go deep into the inspirations of the novel, Pelayo’s process, and the power of meditation.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book.
In this episode, I am joined by Patrick B. Sharp Professor of Liberal Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. He is the Faculty Director of EagleCon, SFAM conference Cal State LA's convention devoted to exploring and advocating for diversity in SF across media. He is the author of Darwinian Feminism and Early Science Fiction: Angels, Amazons, and Women (New Dimensions in Science Fiction) and co-editor of Sisters of Tomorrow (with Lisa Yaszek) and Audrey Taylor is an Assistant Professor of English at Colorado State-Pueblo. She received her PhD from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England. Her specialty is genre fiction, particularly fantasy, and science fiction. Her first book, Patricia A. McKillip and the Art of Fantasy World-Building, came out in 2017 and she is at work on a second monograph on SF author Anne McCaffrey.
We talk about Judith Merrill and her 1948 classic “Only a Mother.” We go deep into the author’s history, the origin and the meaning of the story, Did Merrill intentionally write this story to needle John W. Campbell, and more.
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In 2023 my top read of the year was Ray Nayler’s debut novel The Mountain of the Sea. Not only that it is one of my favorite novels of the 21st century so far. Last year Nayler followed up that novel with the amazing novella Tusks of Extinction. Ray came on the podcast to talk about both of those books. I recommend reading both and listening to both interviews.
Ray Nayler is a great guest, his combination of SF fandom, knowledge of science, and intergovernmental experience created a literary unicorn. One unbelievable alchemy of thought and talent spit out a sophomore masterpiece Where the Axe is Buried. In this conversation, we mostly focus on Where the Axe is Buried. We get into a little PKD, Putin, and oligarchy.
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In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book.
In this episode, I am joined by retired professors Brian Attebery and Steven Shaviro. Brian Attebery writer and emeritus professor of English and philosophy at Idaho State University and The author of The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Steven Shaviro is a retired Wayne State professor, philosopher, and cultural critic whose areas of interest include film theory and Science Fiction He is the author of Fluid Futures.
We talk about Murray Leinster and his 1945 classic First Contact. We go deep into the aythor’s history, some of his other classic stories, the issue of Astounding that came out the month of Nazi surrender. Also I get into his major impact on one of the most popular authors of all time.
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Welcome to a long overdue episode of postcards. Kyle Winkler, say much in common. Hoosiers, dickheads and we could’ve talked about those things but this episode is Kyle’s amazing self-published novel Boris Says the Words. The best self-published novel I have ever read.
What genre are we talking about? That is the first problem that shouldn’t be a problem this novel has. Boris Says the Words is many genres. Science Fiction, yes, but also Horror, but also Bizarro and surreal. All those labels are fair but also on their own would sell this novel short. Don’t think for one second that the literary or artistic merit is lacking because Winkler didn’t want to wait for the right publisher to figure it out. To me this book has merit of high literature, and I can’t wait any longer for you to hear this conversation.
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Stephen Graham Jones should need little introduction. He was the guest on the 13th episode of this podcast, talking about his horror masterpiece The Only Good Indian. He was also on a panel episode with Paul Tremblay and Josh Malerman talking about one of our favorite topics Basketball.
Very excited to point out that I got to be Stpehen’s first interview on this incredible vampire novel Buffalo Hunter Hunter. In this conversation we talk about Stpehen’s Vampire class that inspired this book, his process on it, some of our favorite vampire classics and of course the forthcoming novel (out 3/18/25). We stay mostly spoiler free, but I give a warning before we go deeper into the themes and the final act.
Buffalo Hunter Hunter was one of the best reads I had last year. One of the new releases I consider a masterpiece. Very excited to offer this episode.
•You can find my books here:Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW•And me here:Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_AgranoffTwitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
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In this episode, I am joined by Author, Editor, publisher, showman, and Bizarro Writers Association Pres Michael Allen Rose. We are gathered here today to talk about his amazing new anthology Fragile. A collection of stories by various authors all starting with the same prompt.
Fragile features lots of authors I love from Laura Lee Bahr, Garrett Cook, Brian Keene, Mykle Hansen, and Emma Johnson to name a few. Michael Allen Rose had a fun concept, but what is cool is how hard he is working to boost up all the authors involved. We talk about Michael’s background, his personal books, and how Fragile came together.
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The 3rd annual favorite reads of the year podcast with my oldest book nerd friend Judge Marc Rothenberg. We go through our favorite Retro Reads, Non-fiction, and new releases. Featuring books from Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Sarah Langan, and many more.
Two hours of book nerding.
•You can find my books here:
Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW
•And me here:
Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff
Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor
Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
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In 2024 I read 107 books and in this episode, I give a thumbnail review of each one. No guest, one take 48 minutes. I will go into more detail on my favorites during the Best Reads of the Year podcast coming out this Friday with Marc Rothenberg. Complete reviews can be found on my blog www.davidagranoff.blogspot.com
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Returning after 67 episodes one of my favorite writers in the field James Reich returns to Postcards from a Dying World to talk about his new Science Fiction novel that I described as Silent Running directed by a young David Cronenberg with an unlimited budget. Reich’s novel Song My Enemies Sing was one of my top reads of 2018, and this new novel is even better. Skinship is a fantastic entry in the tradition of Generation ship novels.
In this discussion, we talk about the passing of Barry Malzberg, how James got into the genre, the tradition of Generation ship novels, and the origin of this novel. We go a good 45 minutes without spoilers and then go deep on the ending. After talking about this novel with James at PKD festival it was the book I was most excited about reading this year.
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In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book.
In this episode, I am joined by my Star Trek roundtable bridge crew vocal Star Trek fan Sara Lynn Michener, and Musician/ filmmaker Issa Diao. Why the Star Trek crew because we are covering the classic Fredic Brown short story Arena, originally published (same month as D-day) the June 1944 issue of Astounding. Twenty-two years later it was adapted into an episode of Star Trek. You know the one with the Gorn! I also did into my Star Trek papers that includes inner office memos and notes on the screenplay.
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Welcome to a new sub-series of the podcast devoted to screenplays for movies that never got made. There are tons of famous screenplays from Oliver Stone’s first draft of Conan to Del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness. For each episode in this series, we will read and review a script that never got made.
In this episode, I am joined by author Anthony Trevino and Musician/Filmmaker Issa Diao to discuss The unproduced TV movie sequel to Big Trouble in Little China written by Innerspace screenwriter Charles “Chip” Proser. What did a Jack Burton-less direct-to-TV sequel to the 80s classic look like. At least it was focused on Egg Shen.
Note: This episode had tons of technical difficulties, starting with Issa’s video, which is why there is no video, then my microphone came unplugged and I never noticed. So sorry for the quality.
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We have many great writers in San Diego, perhaps one of the most respected is Jim Ruland. While he has made a name for himself writing books about punk rock, co-authoring Damaged the autobiography of Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris, telling the story of Bad Religion, and writing Corporate Rock Sucks THE BOOK on SST Records the pioneering punk record label. In town, we know Jim from his classic reading series Vermin on the Mount, which gathered authors, poets, and performance artists. Jim is visible at book events around town, where he often writes culture articles for the LA Times.
Returning to Postcards from a Dying World Jim is here to talk about his Sci-fi political thriller Make it Stop. In this conversation, we talk about the idea behind the book, the construction of the narrative, and much more. As always after a spoiler warning we go deep. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
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I was selling books at the San Diego Book Festival and my fellow tabling authors were Chad Stroup (Secrets of the Weird) and Brian Asman (Good Dogs). They talked about Mave Fly for a solid twenty minutes singing its praises. They hyped it so much, and I respect their opinions that I think the novel could not possibly meet the hype. For many readers, CJ Leede’s first novel Mave Fly more than met the hype. It was a massive success, and I was excited to read her follow-up American Rapture.
In this episode CJ and I talk about her excellent weird apocalypse novel American Rapture. Inspired by the sexual repression of Catholicism and making a bold statement about rape culture this novel is incredible. This is a wide raging discussion and after a spoiler warning, we get under the hood and talk about the writing process.
•You can find my books here:
Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW
•And me here:
Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff
Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor
Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
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SAN DIEGO HORROR REPRESENT!
On this episode I welcome Brian Asman author of Man, Fuck That House and his debut novel Good Dogs. It is hard for me to think of this as being the first novel for Brian Asman. I suppose you could say this is the first proper novel, published with an established publisher, but Asman has been publishing for a few years, but those have been novellas published in a DIY punk style have even produced a viral book release. I mean with a title like “Man, Fuck this House.” Asman already has a signature release. The novellas range from funny to weird and the last Our Black Hearts Beat as One could be argued is a short novel, or would have been considered a novel in the past.
We talk about Brian's career path and Good Dogs without spoilers for about 40 minutes before a spoiler Warning and then we go under the hood.
•You can find my books here:
Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW
•And me here:
Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff
Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor
Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
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Hey listeners I was on this panel “Must-Read Tales of Horror” at a new horror convention called Scream Diego. The audio is not the best but it was the best I could do.
Dive into the chilling world of horror literature with local authors of the San Diego Horror Writers Association. Learn about the voices who shaped the genre, the rich variety within the indie horror community, and hidden gem recommendations. You’ll hear why horror is having a comeback and dive into its diverse subgenres, from psychological terror to supernatural dread. Whether you’re a seasoned horror fan or new to the genre, this session will leave you with a reading list guaranteed to haunt your dreams. Presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) San Diego chapter: E.S. Magill, Chad Stroup, David Agranoff, and David Neuhausel,
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Two years ago we almost lost author Laird Barron to illness. Not only is he one of the best cosmic horror authors back, but he has returned with his strongest collection yet. In this episode we talk about Laird’s illness, the support of the horror community, and of course we get under the hood of Laird’s new collection “Not a Speck of Light.”
Tricky titles, the power of influences, narrative tricks, and how Laird constructs stories.
•You can find my books here:
Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW
•And me here:
Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff
Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor
Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
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I am very excited about this episode, author Johnny Compton joins me to talk about his Sophomore novel Devil Kills Devils from Tor Nightfire. I enjoyed coming into this novel cold, not knowing anything about the plot, but it is a supernatural horror novel that knocked my socks off.
We talk about Compton’s influences, his background, and how he got into writing and start with a non-spoiler conversation about Devils Kill Devils. After a spoiler warning, we get full under the hood with this powerful novel. Plus we geek out about McCammon’s Swan Song.
•You can find my books here:
Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW
•And me here:
Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff
Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor
Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/
- Visa fler
