Sweeping pandemics turn up often in fantasy and sci-fi, whether they form part of the back drop or the main thrust of the plot. There is something about a plague that captures the imagination and short cuts our survival circuits in a way that other natural disasters - Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanic eruptions - just doesn't touch. So what is it about a good pandemic that grips us? From post apocalyptic fiction discussing the dual nature of morality, such as Stephen King's The Stand or Kirkman, Moore and Adlard's The Walking Dead, to epic fantasy looking at the creation of anti heroes, such as Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series or Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis, a deadly plague hits our deepest fears where other acts of god just don't reach. This week the dragons take a tour through pandemics in speculative fiction, starting with the history and epidemiology of The Black Death and The Great Plague in Europe, following the scars that exist on our racial memories even today and following the trail to its conclusion in SFF. A wild ride and not for the squeamish!
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 313: The Economy of Boots - Wealth and Poverty in Speculative Fiction
Episode 312: All the Feels - Widening the Appeal of Your Writing with Feel Good Moments
Episode 311: Run Away! Run Away! - the enduring Charm of Cowardly Characters
Episode 310: Villainesses and Dense Heroines - the Reverse Harem Trope in Speculative Fiction
Episode 309: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction part 2
Episode 308: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction Part 1
Episode 307: Good News Everyone! - 2021 the Best Bits
Episode 306: Japes and Tricks and Festive Diversions - Traditional Games Played at Yule and Christmas
Episode 305: Skulls and Sheets and Winter Puzzles - The Origins of the Riddle
Episode 304: What If Examining Storytelling by Changing the Pivot Points in Speculative Fiction
Episode 303: Wicked Queens and Nefarious Princes - The Evolution of the Disney Villain
Episode 302: My Only Love Sprung from My Only Hate - the Enemies to Lovers Trope in Speculative Fiction
DD Episode 301: Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting - Martial Arts as a Storytelling Tool in Speculative Fiction
Episode 300: How Not to be a Bad Art Friend - Professionalism and Empathy in Writing
Episode: 299: Who Watches the Watchmen - Gatekeeping in Speculative Fiction
Episode 298: Long Pig & a Nice Chianti - Cannibalism in Fact and Fiction
Episode 297: Of Human Evil - Serial Killers in Fact and Fiction
Episode 296: A Young Priest and An Old Priest - Exorcism in Fact and Fiction
Episode 295: White Ladies and Ghostly Cavaliers - A Selection of Britain‘s Most Haunted Buildings
Episode 294: Crying Boys and Unhappy Mummies - More Cursed Objects in Fact and Fiction
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