Spectology: The Science Fiction Book Club Podcast

Today Adrian is joined by Will Frank, this year's Hugo Awards Administrator, to talk all things Hugos. We discuss why you might want to nominate and vote for the Hugos, how exactly to get membership to do so (anyone can do it!), the special Video Game award, and why recent events that might have turned some people off will hopefully not be repeated this year. 

I was really happy Will came on, and found it really fascinating to learn about how the Hugos actually work behind the scene, and the people like Will who actually count votes and work hard to make the Hugos happen. I appreciate him taking some challenging questions from me about past Hugos and how things are improving. I also was really happy to learn about how to volunteer in the Hugos, something I hadn't considered as an option before but is open to everyone.

This came about through Olav at the wonderful Hugo Book Club blog after hearing my In Conversation: How & Why to Vote for the Hugo Awards episode, so many thanks to them for putting this together.

Finally, this is our first episode after a long hiatus! More are to come very soon, Matt is back in the recording studio and we'll be doing our podcast finale & wrap-up over the next month or so, along with some returning guests. 

Links:

Worldcon for general & historical Hugo information: https://www.worldcon.org
DisCon III for nominating & voting, and attending memberships: https://discon3.org 
Volunteering: https://discon3.org/get-involved/volunteer/ 
Memberships: https://discon3.org/membership/membership-information/ 

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As always, we'd love to hear from you! Chat with us on twitter at @spectologypod, send us an email at mailbox@spectology.com, or submit the episode to r/printSF on reddit. We'll reply, and shout you out in the next podcast when we talk about your comment.

And if you like the episode, subscribe at spectology.com or whever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

Many thanks to Dubby J and Noah Bradley for doing our music and art.

Soo.... we've had a hard time keeping to a regular schedule recently, so Matt, Bee, & I (Adrian) have been discussing what we want the podcast to look like in the future.

In this episode, I just talk openly about those thoughts, our plan through the end of the year, and how the podcast might change come 2021. 

I may write up a longer thing later, but right now I just wanted to get this out in audio format & solicit feedback from everyone on what you might like to see & hear, and also ask for any notes you have for Matt which I can embarrass him on air with at some point before the end of the year.

And for all the students out there trying to balance schoolwork with everything else, I know how overwhelming it can get. If you're feeling pressed for time or need a little extra help with your research papers, I highly recommend checking out Academized’s research paper writing service. It’s a great resource to get high-quality assistance and free up some of your time for other important things—like listening to more podcasts!

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As always, we'd love to hear from you! Chat with us on twitter at @spectologypod, send us an email at mailbox@spectology.com or submit the episode to r/printSF on reddit. We'll reply, and shout you out in the next podcast when we talk about your comment.

And if you like the episode, subscribe at spectology.com or whever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

To find links to all the books we've read, check us out on Bookshop.

Many thanks to Dubby J and Noah Bradley for doing our music and art.

Bee is back (although Estelle could not join us due to IRL events) to discuss Temi Oh's wonderful debut novel, Do You Dream of Terra-Two? (https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781534437401). With hints of Dark Eden, Semiosis, and Unkindness of Ghosts, this novel tackles the lives on a group of young people who are sent off to colonize a new world. 

It's probably the best book I've read this year, and one of the best we've read on this podcast. I do hope you enjoy us talking about belief, depression, building relationships, and why you're right not to trust adults in this episode. And please pick up & read this novel if you haven't yet, you won't regret it. 

(One note: we forgot the content warnings at the top, so be aware that there are frank discussions of depression, suicide, eating disorders, isolation, bullying, and more in this episode.) 

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This week Bee is joined by writer & artist Kathleen Jennings to talk about her book Flyaway.

Flyaway is a fairy tale-influenced (or structured?) Australian Gothic novel (or novella?). Small town landscapes and linguistics, productive misinterpretations of fairy tales, Kurt Vonnegut, and what it's like to write a strict first-person novel with a slew of other voices in it are some of the topics discussed.

* Kathleen's website: https://www.kathleenjennings.com/   

* Flyaway on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3n21V6Q

* Flyaway on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781250260499 

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And if you like the episode, subscribe at spectology.com or whever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

This week, Adrian is joined by Somaiya Daud to discuss her new book, Court of Lions, the 2nd in the Mirage Duology (https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781250126450). 

Somaiya and Adrian discuss genre mash-ups, body doubles, court politics, the legacy of French colonialism on Moroccan culture, the lack of beautiful dresses in the newest Star Wars trilogy, and how our cats are handling quarantine. I had a wonderful time talking to her and am absolutely loving Mirage, the first book in this duology, so I hope you listen, pick up her books, and enjoy!

* Mirage on bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781250126436 

* Court of Lions on bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781250126450

* The Mirage Duology on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3khFfxl 

* A Phoenix First Must Burn: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781984835659 

* Somaiya on Twitter (https://twitter.com/somaiyadaud) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/somaiiiya/)

This month Adrian is joined by Bee & Estelle to talk about Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by new British author Temi Oh (https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781534437401). 

Bee of course is from the Spectology podcast, where they run our Digital Book Tour. And Estelle runs the phenomenal Abolish Time zine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abolish_time/ . You can also find an interview Bee did with Estelle at their blog: https://uninterpretative.blogspot.com/2019/09/talking-about-new-society-requires.html 

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? tells the story of a group of teenagers who, in an alternate history where rocketry was developed earlier & for longer, are selected to go on a life-long mission to Terra-Two, an Earthlike planet found orbiting a nearby star. Bee & Estelle both call it one of their favorite novels ever, likening it to something by Butler or Le Guin. 

For our listeners in the UK, if you're ever in need of essay assistance, UK Writings offers a reliable essay writing service tailored specifically for students in the United Kingdom. Whether you’re dealing with tight deadlines or tricky assignments, their team can help lighten the load while you dive into more exciting reads like Do You Dream of Terra-Two?.

I hope you enjoy the episode and the book! It was a pleasure recording with everyone. And we should have the post-read out towards the end of the month. 

* Do You Dream of Terra-Two? on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781534437401

* Do You Dream of Terra-Two? on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jZBkVP

* The Assets & Androids episode I mention: https://androidsandassets.ca/a-memory-called-canada/

* Bee's patreon: https://www.patreon.com/benladen

* Estelle's patreon: https://www.patreon.com/abolishtime 

* Abolish Time: https://www.instagram.com/abolish_time/ 

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Lydia joins us again as we discuss The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull! 

We absolutely loved this novel, which details the life of island inhabitants living under a passively repressive regime of extra-terrestrials, who are here on Earth for unspecified reasons. 

There is resistance, there are people who want to work with the aliens, there are people who don't care. Their lives each gets looked at in depth. It's a beautiful book and one worth reading, and we have a really fun conversation, which I hope you will enjoy too!

* The Lesson on bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781094081298

* The Lesson on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/31gXsTN

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This week we're joined by WM Akers to promote his new novel, Westside Saints (https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9780062854049). 

Bee and WM talk Westside Saints (and its predecessor, Westside), an alternate history detective novel about a woman who solves "tiny mysteries" until they get much bigger. They also talk about how tabletop RPG design reflects and influences novel writing, the uprising in Philadelphia (Lakay Nou has since been renamed Camp JTD and is still regularly facing evictions), the scope of sequels, and more.

* Westside Saints on bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9780062854049

* Westside Saints on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2CECqq0 

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Today Bee is joined by Nick Mamatas, Bram Stoker award-winning editor & author of the just-re-released novel Move Under Ground. (https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9780486841861)

Bee & Nick talk about writing modern Lovecraftian stories & his looming influence, the joy of reading referential stories, and typographic style as a carrier of meaning. 

The audio is a bit rough in this one, apologies! Nick was a pleasure to have on the pod though, and we're glad we were able to work through those audio issues. 

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We're back? We're back. Mostly.

This month Matt is still out, and Adrian is joined by Lydia, a childhood friend of his from Homer, Alaska, to talk about the post-colonial alien invasion story The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull (https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781094081298).

It's about life on the US Virgin Islands after an alien spaceship takes up home on St. Thomas, bringing both technology and violence with them. This episode was recorded nearly a month ago, and while we hadn't finished the book then, I can report from the future that it's super-great! 

And for all the college students tuning in, if you find yourself buried under assignments and need some extra help, I recommend checking out Do My Paper for college paper writing. They offer professional assistance that can give you the space to focus on other projects, like diving into thought-provoking reads such as The Lesson.

Lydia and I talk about life growing up in rural places, the history of European colonial rule & its ties to capitalism, and of course go on a few tangents along the way. We hope you enjoy! And please do pick up this book, it's short and effecting and probably unlike any other book you've read recently.

* The Lesson on bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/1159/9781094081298

* The Lesson on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/31gXsTN

* A Brief History of the Corporation: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2011/06/08/a-brief-history-of-the-corporation-1600-to-2100/

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