Even though we know that some past episodes have probably spent too much time talking about awards, our latest chat begins with some thoughts on—well, awards. With Nebulas, Hugos, Shirley Jackson, Ignyte, World Fantasy, etc., there are just too many to ignore.

We soon drift off into other topics. Gary is looking forward to hosting a panel discussion at the Locus Awards, and is fascinated by Kemi Ashing-Giwa’s 2023 novel The Splinter in the Sky, which leads into a discussion of how space opera-like stories have evolved over generations, what else we’ve read lately, how short story contracts have changed lately, whether there is a dearth of core SF or just an explosion of fantasy, and why Murderbot feels more like classic SF than many franchise properties.

As usual, a laser-like focus on nothing in particular.

This week we are joined by an old friend of the podcast, the distinguished Canadian novelist Guy Gavriel Kay, whose wonderful new novel Written on the Dark is out this month.

As always, we not only touch upon some details of the novel— which takes place in Kay’s own version of an alternate 15th century France, featuring a Parisian tavern poet loosely based on the historical François Villon—but on the perennial question of Kay’s unique mix of history, fiction, and the fantastic.

This leads to a broader discussion of his fiction, the role of art and artists in his work, how fictional events from centuries ago can still resonate with events today, and even a bit on what it means to be a Canadian writer. Guy is as wise and articulate as always, and we never fail to learn valuable insights that leave us with much to ponder.

Previously on Coode Street…

• Episode 600: The Coode Street Advent Calendar: Guy Gavriel Kay (2022)
• Coode Street Roundtable 5: Guy Gavriel Kay’s Children of Earth and Sky (2016)
• Episode 216: Guy Gavriel Kay and the Legend of the Lost Podcast (2015)

This week it’s just Jonathan and Gary again, in what some listeners might view as an either a classic ramble or a series of rabbit holes from which we never fully escape. We start with a discussion of some current trends such as cozy fantasy and SF, romantasy, and dark academia, noting that these had all been around for decades before getting their present labels, and briefly consider Paul Kincaid’s contention that “coziness” seems antithetical to what SF really does.

We later touch upon what we’re reading, mentioning some forthcoming books by Nicola Griffith, Alix E. Harrow, and R.F. Kuang and the spectacular success of the latest novel by Coode Street goest Joe Abercrombie. Somewhere in there we start chatting about collectible editions, how many copies of a book do you really need,  historical fantasy, and even a bit on Robert Holdstock.

Most important, though, is Coode Street’s first commercial. Jonathan and Gary’s common home in SF has long been Locus magazine, and we want to encourage our listeners to take a look at some of the neat perks being offered by this year’s IndieGoGo fundraiser and to make a contribution if you can.

This week Jonathan and Gary are joined by Silvia Park to discuss her exciting debut novel, Luminous, which started life as a children’s novel and connects to the Reactor/Tordotcom novelette “More Real Than Him“.

We chat about artificial intellligence, writing about robots and how we use them as surrogates in fiction, different perspectives on fiction and how Luminous  might be read by US and Korean audiences.

As always, we’d like to thank Silvia for making time to talk to us and hope you enjoy the episode.

In celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Tachyon Publications, we invited publisher Jacob Weisman to join us in a fascinating exploration of the independent publisher whose list of authors includes classic tales from Stanley Weinbaum, A.E. Van Vogt, and even Mary Shelley, as well as major work from contemporary writers like Peter S. Beagle, Patricia McKillip, Michael Swanwick, Terry Bisson, Jane Yolen, Ellen Klages, Eileen Gunn, Joe Lansdale, Nalo Hopkinson, James Morrow, Lavie Tidhar, and Daniel Pinkwater, and newer writers such as Mary Thompson, Austin Habersahw, Martin Cahill, and Josh Rountree.

We touch upon the challenges of building an independent press in a rapidly changing marketplace, the importance of anthologies in identifying and preserving trends in the field, and what to expect next from Tachyon.