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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
Saturday Jul 23, 2022
Saturday Jul 23, 2022
On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, first take some time to shamelessly plug Kirstyn's forthcoming collection of short fiction, Hard Places, out soon through Trepidatio Publishing.
The books up for discussion this month are Dance Move by Wendy Erskine [9:55] and Ariadne, I Love You by J. Ashley-Smith [36:05].
Listeners may also want to check out other books by the same authors, including Sweet Home by Erskine and The Attic Tragedy by Ashley-Smith. The two interviews with J. Ashley-Smith mentioned on the podcast can be found at Tomes and Tales and paulsemel.com.
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 102:05 for final remarks, including an unexpected and possibly ill-advised foray into Top Gun.
Next month, the two books on the slab will be:
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!
Saturday Jun 18, 2022
Saturday Jun 18, 2022
On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, quickly dispense with a (mostly) non-political intro and general discussion of post-apocalyptic narratives.
The books up for discussion this month are Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin [5:25] and And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin [44:40].
This excellent review of Manhunt by Lee Mandelo was mentioned in the podcast, and these two by Liam McBain and Christ are also well worth a read.
For listeners who would like to know what Lucy, the High-Flying Cat of Interruption, looks like, here she is in her bed atop the bookcase:
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 108:40 for brief final remarks.
Next month, the two books on the slab will be:
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!
Saturday May 21, 2022
Saturday May 21, 2022
On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, are tired and cranky but still manage to preamble only briefly in the murk of COVID-19 and bad segues before getting to the point of it all. They think.
The books up for discussion this month are two novels: Devotion by Hannah Kent [5:20] and The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan [35:20].
The review of The School for Good Mothers that Kirstyn mentioned was this one by Ilana Masad in The Washington Post.
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 109:30 for brief final remarks.
Next month, the two books on the slab will be:
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, dispense with lengthy preambles and get pretty much straight into it.
The books being discussed this month are two collections of short fiction: I Would Haunt You if I Could by Seán Padraic Birnie [2:10] and Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby [28:50].
For those listeners who enjoyed the Seán Padraic Birnie collection, Kirstyn would also like to draw your attention to a recent short story of his, "Funny Faces" over at The Dark.
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 48:50 for a minor rant about novels vs collection plus brief final remarks.
Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin by discussing the state of the world, farts in jars and a possible niche side project involving uncontrollable sobbing.
The books being flensed this month are The Wych Elm by Tana French [5:10] and My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley [37:15].
Ian would also like to make sure you know about the new short story that Kirstyn has had published in The Dark. You're welcome.
If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:04:25 for brief final remarks.
Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:
Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!