Welcome to the third episode of The Coode Street Roundtable. The Roundtable is a monthly podcast from Coode Street Productions where panelists James Bradley, Ian Mond, and Jonathan Strahan, joined by occasional special guests, discuss a new or recently released science fiction or fantasy novel.
Patricia A. McKillip’s KingfisherThis month Tiptree Award winning writer Nike Sulway and Coode Street co-host Gary K. Wolfe join Jonathan and Ian to discuss Kingfisher, the latest novel from World Fantasy Award and Mythopoeic Award winner Patricia A. McKillip. It’s a lyrical, funny, and sometimes challenging novel about family and destiny described by its publisher as follows:
In the new fantasy from the award-winning author of the Riddle-Master Trilogy, a young man comes of age amid family secrets and revelations, and transformative magic.
Hidden away from the world by his mother, the powerful sorceress Heloise Oliver, Pierce has grown up working in her restaurant in Desolation Point. One day, unexpectedly, strangers pass through town on the way to the legendary capital city. “Look for us,” they tell Pierce, “if you come to Severluna. You might find a place for yourself in King Arden’s court.”
Lured by a future far away from the bleak northern coast, Pierce makes his choice. Heloise, bereft and furious, tells her son the truth: about his father, a knight in King Arden’s court; about an older brother he never knew existed; about his father’s destructive love for King Arden’s queen, and Heloise’s decision to raise her younger son alone.
As Pierce journeys to Severluna, his path twists and turns through other lives and mysteries: an inn where ancient rites are celebrated, though no one will speak of them; a legendary local chef whose delicacies leave diners slowly withering from hunger; his mysterious wife, who steals Pierce’s heart; a young woman whose need to escape is even greater than Pierce’s; and finally, in Severluna, King Arden's youngest son, who is urged by strange and lovely forces to sacrifice his father’s kingdom.
Things are changing in that kingdom. Oldmagic is on the rise. The immensely powerful artifact of an ancient god has come to light, and the king is gathering his knights to quest for this profound mystery, which may restore the kingdom to its former glory—or destroy it...
If you're keen to avoid spoilers, we recommend reading the book before listening to the episode. If you don't already have a copy, Kingfisher can be ordered from:
We encourage all of our listeners to leave comments here and we will do our best to respond as soon as possible.
Next monthThe Coode Street Roundtable will return at the end of April with a discussion of Paul McAuley's Into Everywhere (his second Jackaroo novel).
Episode 456: Ten Minutes with Isobelle Carmody
Episode 455: Almost Outta Gas, But We Can See The Golden Age...
Episode 454: Ten Minutes with Adam Roberts
Episode 453: Ten Minutes with Gregory Norman Bossert
Episode 452: Ten Minutes with Usman T. Malik
Episode 451: Ten Minutes with Aliette de Bodard
Episode 450: Ten Minutes with Zen Cho
Episode 449: Ten Minutes with Tobias S. Buckell
Episode 448: Ten Minutes with Dave Hutchinson
Episode 447: Ten Minutes with Kathleen Jennings
Episode 446: Ten Minutes with Ellen Datlow
Episode 445: Ten Minutes with Saad Z. Hossain
Episode 444: Ten Minutes with DongWon Song
Episode 443: Ten Minutes with Indrapramit Das
Episode 442: Ten Minutes with Nicola Griffith
Episode 441: Ten Minutes with Lisa L. Hannett
Episode 440: Ten Minutes with Terry Bisson
Episode 439: Ten Minutes with Daryl Gregory
Episode 438: Ten Minutes with Adrienne Martini
Episode 437: Ten Minutes with Karen Lord
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
50 Tastes Of Gray
Dear Alice | Interior Design
Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast
The War of the Worlds
Anne of Green Gables
The Magnus Archives
War Nerd Radio — Subscriber Feed