For our 350th(!) episode, Jonathan and Gary basically just ramble on. We begin with the question of how long to stick with a novel which seems to be going off the rails, and comment a bit on what different kinds of readers expect from long novels.
Later we move on to questions about anthologies, and what to expect from recent anthologies of Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Israeli science fiction: should they try to represent an entire national tradition, or simply focus on excellent stories? And can readers not from those cultures ever fully appreciate the full nuances of such fiction?
That, in turn, leads us to discuss anthologies that have been historically important, although not always widely recognized, such as Vonda McIntyre and Susan Anderson’s Aurora: Beyond Equality from 1976, and anthologies widely celebrated, like Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions. On a personal note, anthologies that shaped our own reading included (for Gary) Judith Merril’s horribly titled England Swings SF and (for Jonathan) Michael Bishop’s Light Years and Dark. And we end briefly discussing an issue, raised by Fonda Lee, about writers gaining shelf space in bookstores amid all the perennial classics and bestsellers.
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
Episode 630: Kij Johnson and the Nature of Story
Episode 629: Ursula Vernon and A Story with Good Bones
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