This week (episode 3 of season 13) we return to our tradition of almost entirely unstructured rambling. Jonathan and Gary consider such questions as to whether a novel can be good SF, but not much good in literary terms, or a good literary novel not much good as SF.
While we recognize that many popular subgenres, from military SF to heroic fantasy, have plenty of readers loyal to the old traditions, we muse about whether many of today’s writers feel some pressure to meet both traditional literary and SF standards, and Jonathan namechecks R.F. Kuang. Some writers we mention, such as Arkady Martine, seem to effortlessly do both. On the other hand, why were several genre mystery readers of the 1930s and 1940s, like Hammett and Chandler, were later recognized as major literary figures, the same didn’t seem to have to SF writers of the same period.
Toward the end, we touch upon Paul Kincaid's provocative new essay, "A Taxonomy of Reviewing" and his book on Brian W. Aldiss, amongst other things.
As always, we hope you enjoy the episode.
Episode 549: Lockdown, science fiction, and more
Episode 548: Kelly Robson and Alias Space
Episode 547: Nominating for the World Fantasy Awards
Episode 546:Veronica Schanoes and Burning Girls and Other Stories
Episode 545: Aliette de Bodard and Fireheart Tiger
Episode 544: Ten Minutes with Max Gladstone
Episode 543: The Year in Review and Other Digressions
Episode 542: Ten Minutes with Jason Sizemore
Episode 541: John Clute and Science Fiction Repeating the Future
Episode 540: The Last Official One for 2020
Episode 539: A Very Coode Street Gift Guide
Episode 538: Sheree Renée Thomas, Charles Coleman Finlay and F&SF
Episode 537: Ten Minutes with Charlie Jane Anders
Episode 536: Time for another list
Episode 535: Ten Minutes with Rebecca Roanhorse
Episode 534: Ten Minutes with Sheila Williams
Episode 533: Ten Minutes with Paul Park
Episode 532: Ten Minutes with S. Qiouyi Lu
Episode 531: On reading and re-reading speculative fiction
Episode 530: Ten Minutes with Julie Phillips
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