Episode 8: ’Full Dark, No Stars’ and ’Among Others’ (plus ’Embassytown’)

This month The Writer and the Critic comes to you as a LIVE record from Continuum 7 -- Melbourne's own speculative fiction and pop culture convention -- with the incomparable Catherynne M. Valente as special guest podcaster. Ian, Kirstyn and Cat discuss the problems and politics involved when writers review the work of friends and the need for honesty in online opinion. Cat talks about the popular and critical response to her own work, why sad pandas make everyone else sad as well, and why she is currently taking a break from writing negative reviews on her blog. Rose Fox's recent article about the necessity for candour in reviews is also briefly mentioned. (photo: Art Bébé Promotions) The first two books up for discussion are Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King (recommended by Kirstyn) and Among Others by Jo Walton (Ian's pick). This review of Among Others is pointed as being one Jo Walton herself particularly likes, whereas these two became the subject of reader vitriol over at her LiveJournal -- an incident which Cat, Ian and Kirstyn talk about at length in regards to the writing of memoir and authorial responses to critics. For those wishing to avoid spoilers and skip ahead, discussion of Full Dark, No Stars begins at 19:00, while Among Others starts around 40:50. The trio then turn their attention to the newly released Embassytown by China Mieville -- selected by Cat -- which Ian and Kirstyn possibly manage to make sound a little more boring than it actually is. You don't need a degree in linguistic theory, honest! (China himself has provided a far better summary of the book.) The discussion of Embassytown, including a rather heated debate between Ian and Kirstyn about post-colonialism, begins at 1:07:40. Check back in at the 1:35:00 mark for some (very brief) final remarks. Next month The Writer and the Critic will feature Melbourne author Cameron Rogers, who has chosen World War Z by Max Brooks for Ian and Kirstyn to read. Ian's recommended book will be a short story collection, Eclipse 4 edited by Jonathan Strahan, while Kirstyn's pick is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!