After reminding listeners that the deadline for Hugo nominations is fast approaching on March 15 (and reminding them once again of the eligibility of this podcast for Best Fancast and of Jonathan for Best Editor, Short Form), we move on to the much-discussed, record-setting Brandon Sanderson Kickstarter, and the question of whether it really matters to anyone other than Sanderson and his readers. Acknowledging that Sanderson readers are fully likely to get exactly what they are expecting, this led us into a brief discussion of reader expectations, also the topic of a recent essay by Molly Templeton on Tor.com. While occasionally we come across a book with almost no prior knowledge or publicity, most books come with expectations based on the author’s previous work, or even the publisher’s reputation.
Some of the authors discussed here, and some that Jonathan and Gary are currently reading or expecting to read, include Guy Gavriel Kay, R.F. Kuang, Kelly Barnhill, Nghi Vo, John Crowley, and Karen Joy Fowler. At the end, we touch briefly upon the question of history in fiction, and the different strategies of using entirely fictional characters, almost entirely historical figures, or a mixture of both.
Episode 649: Nghi Vo and The Brides of High Hill
Episode 648: Genre, marketing, and more
Episode 647: Oh no, not us again...
Episode 646: Peter S. Beagle and a Life Filled With Story
Episode 645: Jack Dann and Fifty Years of Wandering Stars
Episode 644: Cozy books and a prickly writer
Episode 643: All Time Top 5s
Episode 642: Premee Mohamed and The Butcher of the Forest
Episode 641: Kelly Link and the love of books
Eating the Fantastic: Episode 217: Gary K. Wolfe and Jonathan Strahan
Episode 640: A new year begins. Shenanigans ensue?
Episode 639: A Very Coode Street Gift Guide Roundtable 2023
Episode 638: Books that were off our radar
Episode 637: A Quick One, While We Wait
Episode 636: Jeffrey Ford, Kij Johnson and the Art of Narrative
Episode 635: On the nature of purpose in science fiction
Episode 634: Jack Dann and the Fiction Writer’s Guide to Alternate History
Episode 633: A classic ramble
Episode 632: Wole Talabi and Shagidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
Episode 631: Awards, debut novels, and science fiction at the moment
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