A monthly podcast devoted mostly to speculative fiction books, reviews and the odd bit of idle gossip. Hosted by Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 30, 2016
Thursday Jun 30, 2016
On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, spend a mercifully few brief minutes talking about kittens and stolen skeletons before diving straight into the two books which are up for discussion: The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing [9:00] and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler [55:40].
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:36:25 for final remarks, including some corrections regarding the Aurealis Awards as well as information for Patreon supporters about how to vote for the upcoming Patron's Choice episode.
Next month, Kirstyn and Ian will be looking at pair of novels which have spent a loooooong time on the New York Times Bestseller list:
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!
Saturday May 21, 2016
Saturday May 21, 2016
This month on The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, turn their attention to the 2015 Aurealis Awards which were announced in late March 2016. Sadly, there was no shortlist for the Best Horror Novel this year, although the category was won by Trent Jamieson's most excellent Day Boy, a book which was previously discussed on this podcast. There is much lamenting and some gnashing of teeth as Kirstyn and Ian spend a little time talking about Australia horror fiction and the ramifications of juried awards like the Aurealis failing to produce a shortlist. You can read the judges' report for the Best Horror Novel category, along with reports for all the others, in the Aurealis Awards program booklet.
The two books up for discussion this month are both Aurealis Award winners: In the Skin of a Monster by Kathryn Barker which won Best Young Adult Novel [24:50] and A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay [56:00] which took home the award for Best Children's Fiction. 
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:29:20 for final remarks, including information for Patreon supporters about how to nominate and vote for the upcoming Patron's Choice episode.
Next month, Kirstyn and Ian will endeavour to fill a couple of large holes in their literary lives by finally getting around to reading novels by two beloved and critically acclaimed authors who have somehow slipped by them. Don't worry, they are currently hanging their heads in shame.
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!
Wednesday Apr 13, 2016
Wednesday Apr 13, 2016
It's the 50th Episode of The Writer and the Critic and to celebrate, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, have made a list of 50 of their favourite books. This is not a Best Books list or even an Important Books list ... it's simply a bunch of beloved books that have made an impact on them over their lives.
But first ... some feedback. Bouncing off a most excellent email from one of their listeners, Kirstyn and Ian discuss the issue of systemic bias in the publishing industry, of which the last episode of this podcast inadvertently provided a problematic example, and the need for more diversity in all aspects of publishing, including the forms we preference. Novels are not the be all and end all, people, and it's good to be reminded of this.
Discussion of the Writer and Critic Fab 50 begins at 19:20. No spoilers!
Next month Kirstyn and Ian will be chatting about the recently announced Aurealis Awards and discussing two of the winners:
Thursday Mar 10, 2016
Thursday Mar 10, 2016
This month on The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, offer some brief words of gratitude to the lovely and generous folks who have so far supported the podcast on Patreon. Ian and Kirstyn love you all to bits and pieces!
They then dive straight into a meldy - but definitely not moldy! - discussion of both the books at hand Afro SF: Science Fiction by African Writers edited by Ivor W. Hartmann and The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia edited by Jaymee Goh & Joyce Chng [5:20]. Because the books are both anthologies, there are precious few, if any, spoilers of individual stories so you may listen without fear!
(The cat anthology that Kirstyn couldn't remember the name of during the discussion was Twists of the Tale edited by Ellen Datlow. Purry, furry fun!)
If you did skip ahead, please come back at 1:23:50 for final remarks. Next month will be the 50th Epsiode of The Writer and the Critic. Who knew they would make it so far? (Ian. Ian knew.) To celebrate, Kirstyn and Ian have decided to each make a list of 25 of their favourite books which will hopefully combine without overlap to form a Writer and Critic Fab 50. Don't fret, dear listeners, they will only be spending a minute or two on each book. You won't need to set aside a whole weekend to listen. ;-)
Please join us for some 50th Episode spoiler-free shenanigans!
Thursday Feb 18, 2016
Thursday Feb 18, 2016
*** Breaking news! The Writer and the Critic is now on Patreon! There are all sorts of exciting milestone goals and rewards for patrons with pledges starting at just $1.00 per podcast. If you enjoy the podcast and can spare some change, Ian and Kirstyn would be immensely grateful for your support. They might even be able to afford to upgrade the increasingly unreliable equipment which would be lovely. All episodes will continue to be published monthly free of charge to the public ... though there might be some special behind-the-scenes moments made available to patrons only from time to time. Many heartfelt thanks in advance! ***
This month on The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, briefly discuss an article by Damian Walter that served as inspiration for the "literary vs genre" theme of this episode before moving on to the featured books: House of Small Shadows by Adam Nevill [12:10] and Slade House by David Mitchell [44:10].
During the course of the discussion, mention is made of the following reviews:
- Review of House of Small Shadows by Jeff VanderMeer in The Guardian
- Review of House of Small Shadows by Niall Alexander on Tor.com
- Review of Slade House by Sarah Thomas in the New York Times
- Review of Slade House by Liz Jenson in The Guardian
- Review of Slade House by Brian Finney in the LA Review of Books
Next month, there will be two anthologies up for discussion:
- The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia edited by Jaymee Goh & Joyce Chng
- AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers edited by Ivor W. Hartmann