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 562: Reading, reviewing, and an old question answered
Episode 561: Science fiction, influence, and more
Episode 560: Arkady Martine and Memories of Empire
Episode 559: Partway through the pandemic, a ramble
Episode 558: M. Rickert and The Shipbuilder of Bellfaerie
Episode 557: All This and Dystopia Too
Episode 556: Lavie Tidhar and a World of Science Fiction
Episode 555: Catherynne M. Valente and Telling Tales
Episode 554: Zen Cho and Finding Black Water Sister
Episode 553: Daryl Gregory and The Album of Doctor Moreau
Episode 552: Nghi Vo and The Chosen and the Beautiful
Episode 551: Sarah Pinsker and We Are Satellites
Episode 550: P. Djèlí Clark and A Master of Djinn
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
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