The Writer and the Critic

Episode 37: 'Lexicon' and 'Fairytales for Wilde Girls'

This month on The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond spend a few minutes chatting about their recent HUGO AWARD NOMINATION ... ahem ... and awards in general. Just a few minutes, we promise!

Instead of recommending books themselves this episode, Ian and Kirstyn have chosen to critique two novels which were honoured at the recent Aurealis Awards for excellence in Australian speculative fiction. The discussion begins with the winner of Best Science Fiction Novel, Lexicon by Max Barry (at 8:46 minutes), and continues with Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near (49:30) which won Best Horror Novel and tied for Best Young Adult Novel.



If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at the 1:34:25 mark for some final remarks. (And a little bit of sad news.)

Next month, The Writer and the Critic will be recorded live at Continuum 10 -- the Melbourne speculative fiction and pop culture convention -- which this year is doubling as the 53rd National Science Fiction Convention. As has become traditional, their special guests for the podcast will be the convention's Guests of Honour, Jim C. Hines and Ambelin Kwaymullina, who will each be recommending a favourite book to talk about. Jim has picked The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu while Ambelin has chosen The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun! And if you'll be at Continuum X, we'd love to see you in the audience!

Episode 36: 'Love is the Law' and 'The Bloody Chamber'

This month on The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond fritter away a few precious minutes talking about carving out time for reading, vomiting on public transport, and anti-social lunchtime habits, before jumping straight into the books at hand.

The books chosen for discussion this episode are Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas (beginning at 3:50) -- recommended by Ian -- and The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (42:30), which is Kirstyn's homework pick. Ian also manages to squeeze in a small spoiler-free review of The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker by way of comparison, and you can read his further thoughts on that book over on his blog.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:10:25 for Ian's Fun in Fandom Rant as well as some final remarks.

Instead of personal book recommendations, next month's episode will feature two novels which took home gongs at the recent Aurealis Awards which recognise excellence in Australian speculative fiction. Lexicon by Max Barry won Best Science Fiction Novel while Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near won Best Horror Novel and tied for Best Young Adult Novel. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Episode 35: 'Bearded Women' and 'Ancillary Justice'

This month on The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond spend a little time up front talking about political correctness and why the very phrase makes Kirstyn's brain glaze over.

The pair then move on to the books up for discussion this month. Kirstyn has chosen Bearded Women by Teresa Milbrodt. (beginning at 20:20) while Ian is recommending -- and is slightly angry about -- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (51:30). This lengthy review of the latter by Liz Bourke is mentioned during the discussion.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:24:20 for some feedback and final remarks.

Next month, Ian has chosen Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas while Kirstyn is recommending The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Episode 34: 'A Tale for the Time Being' and 'Gone Girl'

This month on The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, throw out a handful of pocket reviews for books which they have recently read but which may not end up being given the full podcast treatment. No spoilers for these right now, though, just some recommendations for your reading pleasure:

• Dare Me by Megan Abbott
• Twelve Conversations and the Teashop by Zoran Zivkovic
• Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
• Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas
• The Secret Lives of Married Women by Elissa Wald
  
• Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet

Up on the slab for the usual lengthy dissection process are A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, chosen by Ian and beginning around 14:32, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (49:30) which was Kirstyn's vexatious pick. 

The reviews and articles mentioned during the discussion can be found via the following links:

• A Tale for the Time Being reviewed by Dan Hartland
• A Tale for the Time Being reviewed by Adam Roberts
• Interview with Gillian Flynn
• Gone Girl reviewed by Mary Gaitskill

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:25:50 for some feedback and final remarks.

Next month, Ian has chosen Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie while Kirstyn is recommending Bearded Women by Teresa Milbrodt. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Episode 33: 'NOS4A2' and 'Sister Mine'

This month on The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, have decided to start with a handful of pocket reviews for books which they have recently read but which may not end up being given the full podcast treatment. Or maybe they will. No spoilers for these right now, though, just some hearty recommendations:

• Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan, (Volume One) by Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean Press)
• The Gist by Michael Marshall Smith (Subterranean Press)
• Trucksong by Andrew Macrae (Twelfth Planet Press)
  
• Five Autobiographies and a Fiction by Lucius Shepard (Subterranean Press)
• Martian Sands by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)

The pair then launch into their critique of the books for this episode, NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (starting at 22:45) which Kirstyn picked, followed by Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson (57:30), chosen by Ian.

Here are the links for reviews and articles mentioned during the discussion:

• NOS4R2 reviewed by Jeff VanderMeer at The Guardian
• Sister Mine reviewed by Na'amen Gobert Tilahun at i09
• Sister Mine reviewed by Jessica Langer at LA Review of Books

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, then it's safe to come back at 1:17:20 for final remarks.

For next month -- and it will be NEXT month! -- Ian has recommended A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, while Kirstyn has chosen to discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!