The stools are up and the floors are being cleaned in the Gershwin Room. The Motel Six is empty and your hosts are taking a week-long hiatus for personal reasons. We hope to be back with a new episode by 17 January, but apologise for the unexpected interruption to service. More soon.
All posts by Jonathan Strahan
Eclipse Online : “The Advocate”, Genevieve Valentine
The first Eclipse Online story for 2013, “The Advocate” by Genevieve Valentine, has just been published. The touching story of the first Martian ambassador to Earth, it’s once again wonderfully illustrated by Kathleen Jennings. Valentine is one of our best writers and I’m delighted to be able to feature her on Eclipse Online this month.
Episode 130: Contemporary fantasy, lists and other things
The quiet days after the New Year, when Coode Street scribes spend their days slowly summarising the moments of the year just gone and contemplating what the year ahead might bring, pass slowly in the chill of Chicago and the sweltering heat of the Antipodes. With little specific to discuss, we nonetheless headed to the Waldorf Room high atop the Coode St Motel Six, with no clear intention of what would unfold.
Moments before podcasting began, though, a query came through from James Bradley, asking our thoughts on excellent contemporary fantasy. Interest piqued, we discussed, we listed and we chatted. While we would love to hear listeners recommendations, these are the books we discussed (and recommended) during the podcast:
Contemporary Fantasy Novels (in the order mentioned on the podcast)
- Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock
- The Drowning Girl, Caitlin R. Kiernan
- Last Call, Tim Powers
- Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay
- The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
- The Wizard Knight, Gene Wolfe
- The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
- Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke
- Perfect Circle, Sean Stewart
- Waking the Moon, Elizabeth Hand
- Wizard of Pigeons, Megan Lindholm
- The Scar, China Mieville
- The Prestige, Christopher Priest
- Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor
- The Brides of Roll-Rock Island, Margo Lanagan
- Was, Geoff Ryman
The list has its flaws and omissions (one we reason we’d love your recommendations), but it’s a starting point for discussing an interesting subject. Our thanks to James for his question. At podcast’s end we briefly also discuss some points of comparison with the Locus All-Time Poll recently released, and encourage others to run their own similar polls.
As always, we hope you enjoy the podcast!
2012 is almost done
I’m delighted 2012 is over. The past month has made the year feel like a real ordeal, and I confess that I’m looking forward to 2013 with some fear and trepidation.
That said, looking back at 2012 I had a lovely time with family relaxing in the south west back in April, a fantastic trip to Melbourne in June (the sojourn in Foster was a highlight I’ll always treasure), and a good trip to Toronto (Alisa was a great travel buddy and I had a good time).
Health-wise, while my hearing/balance issues are a concern, I actually started to get fit. After a wake-up call from my doctor in September, I lost 15kgs pretty quickly and have plans to lose a lot more over the coming year. Hopefully, when it’s time to write the next of these brief updates, all of my health issues will be either gone or understood and under control.
Career-wise, I edited what I think are two of my best books, Edge of Infinity and Under My Hat, which was enormously satisfying. I also started work on Eclipse Online, my online magazine, which is being well received, and made what I hope is a solid contribution to Locus as Reviews Editor. I co-hosted and produced fifty-plus episodes of The Coode Street Podcast with Gary K Wolfe and did a smattering of other podcast appearances. I was also nominated for Best Editor for the Hugo again, which was an enormous honour and feels like a nod from the community that the work I’m doing is worthwhile. While there remains lots to do, I’m content.
Day job-wise things were a bit more mixed. A lot of stress and concern over the uncertainty there, but I completed a year acting as the manager of a team of really dedicated people. We had about seven months of real productivity, before losing a staff member and dropping back into getting by mode. The year will start with significant challenges, including shifting two long delayed major projects, and probably applying for the job I’ve been acting in for two years. That won’t be fun, but it has to be done. Hopefully it will all work out.
What am I looking forward to in 2013? Well, there’s a trip to Sydney in March to see Bruce Springsteen with Stephen. Some “Bro bonding time” and hopefully a great show. There’s a trip to the UK with my eleven year old daughter in October that should be fantastic, and there should be lots of time with family, loved ones, and colleagues to make the year worthwhile. Along the way, I hope there’ll be a glass or two of something special, some wonderful conversations, a memorable story or two, and all of those moments that make life worth living.
May your year be filled with all that and more.
Episode 129: In which the year ends….
This week we headed up to the Gershwin Room to discuss the recently announced Locus All Time Poll results, writing for the end of the year and other similarly pre-New Year’s Eve kinds of things. As always, we hope you enjoy the podcast!