The Skiffy and Fanty Show

Alien secretions, bad poetry, and Jimmy Smits, oh my! Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, and Daniel Haeusser join forces to discuss the 1993 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s The Tommyknockers! Together, they tell some potentially inappropriate jokes (for work), tackle the film’s role as an adaptation, share their love of (or confusion about) Jimmy Smits, and have a grand old time! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Follow us on Twitch! The Tommyknockers (1993) Our Grades: Shaun (F) Jen (D) Daniel (D) Average (D+) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Uplifted otters, competent women, and overconfident aliens, oh my! Shaun Duke, Trish Matson, and Paul Weimer join forces for our first ever Mining the Genre Asteroid subcast. In this special show, we’ll go back in time to lesser known or unfairly forgotten science fiction, fantasy, and horror from before 1980 to explore what wonders are buried in the annuls in time. In this episode, we look at James H. Schmitz’s The Demon Breed. (MGA is the brainchild of Paul Weimer, who, along with Trish, kindly demanded it be turned into a show!) Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Demon Breed by James H. Schmitz If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

The past, the future, and geek plans, oh my! Shaun Duke, Daniel Haeusser, Trish Matson, Paul Weimer, and Brandon O’Brien begin the new 2024 season with some announcements, some jokes, and a whole lotta of their favorite things from 2023 and the thing they’re looking forward to in 2024! The announcements are big ones, too! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Transcript, lightly edited by Trish Matson. Our 2023 Things: Shaun: Book: Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi (our interview here) Media: How I Met Your Mother Other: Torture Cinema live shows in 2023! Brandon: Book: Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele & John Joseph Adams Media: Shin Kamen Rider Other: Trish: Book: Rosalind’s Siblings edited by Bogi Takács Media: Polite Society Other: Blasphemous Tomes and The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Discord Paul: Book: Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes Media: Baldur’s Gate III Other: Paul gets into Mirrorless Photography! Daniel: Book: Recital of the Dark Verses by Luis Felipe Fabre Media: Godzilla Minus One Other: Sabbatical E. coli research! Our 2024 Things: Shaun: Book: Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur Media: Mickey 17 Other: The excitement of new beginnings cause I’m on the job market! Brandon: Book: Space Oddity by Catherynne M. Valente Media: Handling the Undead Other: Jukebox by Lyla McBeath Fujiwara Trish: Book: New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine Media: Nothing…it all looks like sequels, and even worse, prequels… Other: Glasgow Business Meeting, if I get there. How will the WSFS convention be revised to fix the Hugos? Paul: Book: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell Media: Dune Part II Other: Worldcon in Scotland! Daniel: Book: The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri Media: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Other: Mining the Genre Asteroid on S&F If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Doggy criminals, bad adaptations, and questionable loads, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Becca Evans join forces to tackle the VHS release you probably didn’t know you needed of An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998)! Through a long string of hilarious tangents, they tackle the film’s approach to the classic Dickens story, rage about bad dog owners, tell some stories about the composer, and far too many things to list here! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Follow us on Twitch! An All Dogs Christmas Carol (1998) Our Grades: Shaun (A) Alex (C) Becca (C) Average (B- ish) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Bumbles, snowmen, and Santa’s food problem, oh my! Shaun Duke, Paul Weimer, and Trish Matson join forces to talk about the holiday classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Together, they discuss the film’s themes of otherness, unpack the film’s interpretation of reindeer and elves, crack a few jokes, and even get into the broadcast history of the film! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Follow us on Twitch! We record live stuffs! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Monkey bots, revolutionary polities, and robot gladiators, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by the phenomenal Samit Basu for a discussion of his latest novel, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport! Together, they discuss Basu’s approach to worldbuilding and storytelling, the difficulties of writing about revolutionary change, the novel’s unique POV, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport (BUY IT!) Samit’s Things: Website Substack Twitter Instagram If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Writing seminars, strange tangents, and NanoNonsense, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser join forces to discuss online writing seminars, Orbit’s NaNo events, NanoWriMo’s history, and live audience questions! We promise that we stayed on target the entire time *wink*! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Things We Discussed: Orbit’s How To Write Your First SFF Novel NaNoWriMo “I’m just saying, count your blessings“ If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Lost family, fabulous worldbuilding, and salamanders, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by the wondrous P. Djèlí Clark for a fabulous interview about Abeni’s Song! Together, they discuss Clark’s turn to middle grade fantasy, his approach to worldbuilding, the complexities in using historical analogs, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Abeni’s Song by P. Djèlí Clark (Buy It!) Phenderson’s Things: Website Blog Instagram Twitter If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Cults, pontificating academics, and not eidetic memory, oh my! Shaun Duke, Daniel Haeusser, and Julia Rios join forces to take down The Da Vinci Code (2006). Together, they untangle the film’s nonsensical plot, question whether Langdon knows what words mean, get deep into religious folklore, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Follow us on Twitch! The Da Vinci Code (2006) Our Grades: Shaun (D) Daniel (D) Julia (D) Average (D) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Internet shenanigans, bad companies, and library problems, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson join forces to discuss the encroaching influence of private equity on publishing and books, the future of libraries and problems that face them, the state of short fiction in SFF, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Things We Discussed: Simon & Schuster’s sale to KKR (The Guardian) OverDrive’s sale to KKR (MetaFilter) “The Coming Enshittification of Public Libraries” by Karawynn Long Harlan Ellison’s Dead Gopher Story (according to Harlan Ellison) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Pop stars, embargoes, and first contact, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by the wonderful Karen Lord to discuss her latest novel, The Blue, Beautiful World. Together, they explore the novel’s treatment of violence and culture, alien conspiracies and colonialism, Shakespeare and the art of writing, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Karen Lord’s Things: Website Twitter Tumblr The Blue, Beautiful World (BUY IT!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Screaming ants, screaming humans, and swamps, oh my! Shaun Duke, Becca Evans, and Daniel Haeusser join forces to take down Empire of the Ants (1977). Together, they ponder the logistics of managing a human ant colony, why ants scream like that, who deserves to die first, and the intricate world of alcoholic beverages, objectifying Gerard Butler, and more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Follow us on Twitch! Empire of the Ants (1977) Our Grades: Shaun (D) Becca (D-) Daniel (C-) Average (D) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Grief, alligators, and brooms, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink are joined again by the wonderful Eden Royce to discuss her latest novel, Conjure Island! Together, they explore Eden’s approach to writing novels for kids, the task of developing magic and magic schools from a different cultural tradition, themes of grief and discovery, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Eden Royce’s Things: Website Instagram Twitter Conjure Island (buy it!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Award shenanigans, venture capitalists, and bad film execs, oh my! Shaun Duke, Paul Weimer, Daniel Haeusser, and Trish Matson join forces to discuss the Hugo Award nominees, some happenings in Hollywood that you already know about, and even some worrisome activity in the publishing landscape. Plus, we tell some jokes and have a few giggles. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Things We Discussed: Hugo Award Nominations WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes Simon & Schuster’s sale for $1.62bn to private equity firm KKR REMINDER: 2023 Listener / Reader Survey! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Museums, heists, and nightmare gods, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson are joined by the brilliant Wole Talabi to discuss his novel, Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon! Together, they discuss Wole’s approach to storytelling, just what a heist in a famous museum means, the task of writing gods with complex views of the world, influences, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Wole Talabi’s Things: Website Instagram Bluesky Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (BUY IT!) Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology (support the project; there are a few days left, folks!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Weird accents, human ranch dressing, and eyeballs, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Becca Evans join forces to take down Gods of Egypt (2016). Together, they get thirsty over Gerard Butler, discuss Egyptian mythology and bodily fluids, and generally have a merry time trying to make sense of this ridiculous movie. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Gods of Egypt (2016)(IMDb) Our Grades: Shaun (F) Alex (F+) Becca (F) Average (Fish) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Conventions, conventions, conventions, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson join forces to discuss a listener question about the future of conventions. Together, they explore how conventions have changed, how conventions might survive in the future, what troubles conventions now face, and more! Plus, there’s a little bit of love for libraries, books, and more books! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Things We Discussed: Listener Question: “How are Cons doing- Which ones are thriving? Are any ‘better than ever’? What is working (or initially promising) in 2023 and moving forward? Which are failing? Is there any transparent discussion about why, other than the pandemic? And of course, the big elephant in the room that brought me here- will there ever be an open and unfettered discussion/dissection of why the wheels fell off of Wiscon. Or just longtime congoers slinking off further into their various corners mumbling to their friends and wondering what other people think… Why has it had such a quiet unraveling? So many questions…” If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Toadalingus, torture devices, and jerk brothers, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Daniel Haeusser join forces to take down The Brothers Grimm (2005). Together, they try to figure out why there’s so much bestiality in this darn film, how the film’s plot works, what Matt Damon was doing, the film’s Italian stereotypes and torture devices, and so much more! Lots of laughs were had. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Brothers Grimm (2005) Our Grades: Shaun (D) Alex (D) Daniel (C-) Average (Dish) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Movie scores, weird doctors, and Douen, oh my! Shaun Duke is joined the profoundly wonderful Shakirah Bourne to talk about her new middle grade novel, Nightmare Island! Together, they discuss Shakirah’s approach to writing scary stories, incorporating history and folklore in Nightmare Island, and exploring the role of music and sound in our understanding of what makes people, well, people. Plus, there’s much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Shakirah Bourne’s Things: Website Instagram Twitter Linktree Nightmare Island (BUY IT!) Spinach and Codfish Fritters If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Ventilated dates, juiced-up gaming, and Keith David, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces again w/ special guest and Michi Trota for a discussion of the second season of Leverage: Redemption. Together, they tackle the show’s approach to continuing its story, how it imagines problem solving in a complicated world, why Keith David is perfection, and the complex and nuanced character development in S2. Plus, there’s definitely more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Special thanks to Trish for editing this episode. You get 500 points. Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Leverage: Redemption (2022-2023; Season 2)(IMDb) Michi’s Stuff: Website Twitter Newsletter (on her website; get it) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Crispy heroes, violators, and nipple chains, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Becca Evans join forces to take down Spawn (1997), a film that could be charitably called “a movie capable of causing amnesia.” Together, two of them try to make sense of the film’s plot and casting choices, uncover the names of Violator’s brothers and sisters, and make fun of Becca for showing up extremely late. Then Becca says some funny things while half asleep! We had way too much fun on this one, y’all! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Spawn (1997)(IMDb) Our Grades: Shaun (D) Alex (C) Becca (D-) Average (C- ish) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Bizarre aliens, complicated families, and AI therapy, oh my! Shaun Duke is joined by longtime collaborator and repeat interviewee, Stina Leicht. Why? Because Stina has a new book called Loki’s Ring from Saga Press featuring artificial general intelligences, weird alien stuff, delightful familial relationships, and spaceships! Together, Shaun and Stina discuss the book’s hopeful perspective, the politics of future civilizations, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Stina Leicht’s Things: Website Twitter Mastodon Instagram Loki’s Ring (BUY IT) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Needles, choreographed dances, and superhero flies, oh my! Shaun Duke and David Annandale wander to yet another part of the world to talk about S.S. Rajamouli’s 2012 epic, Eega. Together, they examine the film’s premise, Rajamouli’s approach to special effects, what it means to make a superhero movie that defies expectation, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Eega (2012)(IMDb) Our next film: David Has to Choose! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Weird romances, France propaganda, and Gerard Butler’s careless whisper, oh my! Shaun Duke, Paul Weimer, and Trish Matson join forces to tackle a time travel “classic” — Timeline! Together, they try to make sense of its plot, make fun of its treatment of medieval France, fawn over Gerard Butler, and get lost in thought about strange things that will make you giggle. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Special thanks to Trish for editing this beautiful episode! You rock! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Timeline (2003)(IMDb) Our Grades: Shaun (C-) Paul (C-) Trish (C) Average (C- ish) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Dungeons, Worldcon, and Afterlives, Oh My! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, Paul Weimer, and Trish Matson join forces again for our 2nd S&F Clacks show (now fashionably late). In this live show, they discussed the D&D Creators Summit and the future of the game, the Chengdu Worldcon and the Hugo Awards, and some somber news from a little while ago. The show was live on our Twitch channel, so stay tuned for more of that! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Special thanks to Jen Zink for helping us edit this show. You rock, Jen! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Things We Discussed: The D&D Creator Summit controversy Chengdu Worldcon’s continued technical issues with the Hugos (though they’re now irrelevant because voting is closed) Rachel Pollack, RIP If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Mass surveillance, dystopian industries, and music, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by our friend and wicked good author, Iori Kusano, to discuss their new novella, Hybrid Heart! Together, they tackle Japan’s Idol industry, our very real fears (and very current future) of mass surveillance by corporations, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Iori Kusano’s Things: Website Twitter Instagram Hybrid Heart from Neon Hemlock (BUY IT) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator! P.S.: We sadly lost part of the audio for Shaun’s track, which means it’s a shorter episode than normal. We’ve done our best to stitch things together without losing any of Iori’s content. Where necessary, we recorded short bridges to avoid losing content we think matters. Hopefully, this is not too great a distraction!

Quirky westerns, earthquake dads, and airplane shenanigans, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces w/ special guest and world-renowned Quantum Leap expert Marshall Ryan Maresca for an in-depth discussion of the first season of the NEW Quantum Leap (2022-2023). Together, they discuss how the show approaches the story left by its predecessor, how it addresses contemporary politics, whether Scott Bakula will come back, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Quantum Leap (2022-2023; Season 1)(IMDb) Marshall’s Stuff: Website Twitter The Maradaine Saga <– buy the books! Worldbuilding for Masochists If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Terrible teeth, terrible nature, and very large birds, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by the incredible Fonda Lee for a discussion about her new book, Untethered Sky! Together, they discuss Lee’s approach to writing fantasy, what it’s like to try to be friends with a bird that can bite off your hand, the complexities of nature and myth, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Fonda Lee’s Things: Website Twitter Untethered Sky from Tordotcom (buy the book!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Government experimentation, political death-cults, and 80s fashion, oh my! Brandon O’Brien and Iori Kusano are joined by cult expert Sarah Hightower to discuss Kamen Rider Black Sun, and its touchstones to both the history of Japanese politics and modern-day marginalizations! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Kamen Rider: Black Sun (2022-)(IMDb) Sarah’s Stuff: Twitter Patreon If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Border trouble, editing bad stuff out of books, and AI fiction run amok, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, Paul Weimer, and Trish Matson join forces for the 1st ever S&F Clacks, our brand new SF/F/H current events and listener questions live show! Together before a live audience on our Twitch channel, they discuss Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s recent visa struggles, the recent discussion about editing older works to remove offensive content, the wild world of AI-produced fiction, and much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! The Things We Discussed: Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s visa troubles: https://twitter.com/WoodyDismukes/status/1629615347954520064 https://twitter.com/tinytempest/status/1629894093164937216 https://twitter.com/KejeraL/status/1629961261105463300 https://twitter.com/Penprince_/status/1630232473035747329 Publishers altering older works: https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ian-fleming-estate-issues-response-to-james-bond-books-being-edited-to-cut-offensive-language https://www.npr.org/2023/02/21/1158347261/roald-dahl-books-changed-offensive-words AI and its impact on SFF: https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/25/23613752/ai-generated-short-stories-literary-magazines-clarkesworld-science-fiction https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/23621216/paizo-bans-ai-art-pathfinder-starfinder https://futurism.com/cnet-layoffs-gutted-news-video Announcements: https://en.chengduworldcon.com/hugo-awards/#/index https://locusmag.com/2023/03/2022-bsfa-shortlist/ If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Banger songs, imagining better futures, and Saul Williams, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien listen to the folks at the Hugo Book Club Blog and discuss Neptune Frost! Together, they discuss the film’s creation, how it approaches the musical genre, what its story tells us about our world, and, frankly, so much more in much more specific terms. You really just need to listen to this. Watch the movie, too. Do those things in any order you like! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! P.S.: Thanks so much to Trish Matson for editing this episode! We appreciate you so VERY much! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Neptune Frost (IMDb) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Hadrosaur urine, tricksy aliens, and horny monkey men, oh my! Shaun Duke, Becca Evans, and Alex Acks join forces to tackle Land of the Lost (2009)! They talk through what it’s like to watch a 1.5 hour series of vaguely connected skits, try to understand what Will Ferrell was doing, get lost in thought about Becca’s graduate studies, and so much more. And all of that in front of a live audience on our brand new Twitch channel! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Land of the Lost (IMDb) Our Grades: Shaun (F) Becca (F+) Alex (D) Average (F+) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Hotel polar plunges, deadly panels, and four nerds in a hotel room, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, Paul Weimer, and Trish Matson join forces LIVE at Capricon 43 in Chicago! That’s right: four of our number conspired to meet at a convention to record a podcast about said convention…and talk about very nerdy things like the afterlife, convention politics, what we loved about Cap, and more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Capricon 43! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

The past, the future, and geek plans, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien open up the 2023 season with another annual “Looking Back, Moving Forward” episode! Together, they announce some of the changes coming to the show in the new season, what things they loved in 2022, and what things they’re looking forward to in 2023! Plus, there might be a few jokes! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Our 2022 Things: Shaun: Book: The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings (Redhook) Media: Leverage: Redemption Other: Running Chicon’s Academic Program! Brandon: Book: Grayshade by Gregory A. Wilson Media: Kamen Rider Black Sun Other: Being a Special Guest at World Fantasy Con! Our 2023 Things: Shaun: Book: Translation State by Ann Leckie (Orbit) Media: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix) Other: The Actual Play TTRPG thing we’re going to do! Brandon: Book: Hybrid Heart by Iori Kusano (Neon Hemlock) Media: Shin Kamen Rider Other: All the Actual Play TTRPG things we’re going to do! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Psychic vampires, military problems, and musical space chairs, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, and Iori Kusano join forces again for the continuation of our Macross 7 series for The Eyecatch! In this episode, our intrepid crew of anime misfits the show’s thematic development, Basara’s continued musical problems, what it’s like to be a psychic vampire, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! P.S.: Thanks to Trish Matson for helping edit this episode. You rock! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Macross 7 (IMDb)(good luck finding it legally…wee!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Baby magic, trauma onions, and snow problems, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces with the one and only John Wiswell for a delightful discussion about Tokyo Godfathers! This is our first ever Holiday Special for The Eyecatch, our anime-focused subcast. Together, our crew talk about the film’s treatment of homelessness, trauma, and gender identity, Satoshi Kon and Keiko Nobumoto’s approach to comedy, subtle magic and the “holiday spirit,” and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! P.S.: Thanks so much to Trish Matson for editing this episode! We appreciate you so VERY much! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Tokyo Godfathers (2003)(IMDb) John Wiswell’s Stuffy: Substack Twitter Announcement for Someone You Can Build a Nest In! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Grumpy wizards, Reindeer steroids, and snowman murder, oh my! Shaun Duke, Paul Weimer, and Alex Acks join forces to tackle Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979) for our annual Holiday Special. Together, they try to make sense of its bonkers plot, why retcons are ridiculous, just what makes Christmas in July a thing, circus weirdness, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979)(IMDb) Our Grades: Shaun (D) Paul (D-) Alex (D) Average (D) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Mega Karens, nail guns, and ovipositors, oh my! Shaun Duke, Tonia Ransom, and Jen Zink join forces to tackle Black Friday (2021) for our (now late) Thanksgiving Special. Together, they discuss the film’s hilarious treatment of the infamous Black Friday sale, the biology of Mega Karens, what it means to get run over by the police, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Black Friday (2021)(IMDb) Our Grades: Shaun (A-) Tonia (B+) Jen (A) Average (A-) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Nonsensical class politics, machine gun bows, and plot contrivances, oh my! Shaun Duke, Becca Evans, and Alex Acks join forces to tackle Robin Hood (2018). This particular film is all Becca’s fault. She chose it. She made us and some of our Patreon supporters watch it (possibly against their will). And now here we are discussing it. Together, we tackle the film’s weird anachronisms, what it’s like for a horse to get shot in the butt, bad geography, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Robin Hood (2018)(IMDb) Our GradesShaun (F-)Becca (F-)Alex (F-) Average (F-) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Swiss cheese brain, questionable histories, and Al’s escapades, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, and Iori Kusano join forces for the first ever episode of the newly named subshow, The Eyecatch! In this episode, our intrepid crew of anime misfits explores the first 12 episodes of Macross 7. Together, they discuss the show’s cast, its weird treatment of female bodies, why Basara may or may not be a jerk, what it’s like to be a giant in a band, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions! Macross 7 (IMDb)(good luck finding it legally…wee!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Eugenicist werewolves, ridiculous Americans, and wolf nips, oh my! Shaun Duke, Becca Evans, and Julia Rios join forces to tackle An American Werewolf in Paris (1999). Together, they discuss why the film seems to hate Americans and the French so much, whether werewolves should have nipples, how best to get out of a cage, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!An American Werewolf in Paris (1999)(IMDb)Don’t forget to watch the alternate ending…Our GradesShaun (F)Becca (D-)Julia (F-)Average (F) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Jazzmatazz, New Orleans, and haints, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by the incredible Alex Jennings to discuss his new book, The Ballad of Perilous Graves, out now from Redhook. Together, they discuss the book’s origins, the wondrous power of New Orleans, handling writing when you have lived in many places, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!The Ballad of Perilous Graves (BUY IT!)Alex’s Things:WebsiteTwitterInstagram If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Space vacuums, mega grief, and pheromones, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join voices to discuss the 4th season of Star Trek: Discovery. Together, they tackle the show’s Big Plot, what we think of its treatment of an ensemble cast, the meanings of grief and love, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!Star Trek: Discovery (Season 4)(IMDb) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Razor teeth, strange babies, and arks, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, and Trish E. Matson join forces to discuss Zin E. Rocklyn’s Flowers for the Sea. Together, they discuss the book’s approach to the horrific, pregnancy, and prejudice, what we should make of its central themes, and why babies are sometimes a little creepy…and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn (buy the book!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Armor, uniforms, and superheroes, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by cosplay enthusiast and historian Andrew Liptak to discuss his new book, Cosplay: A History (out now). Together, they talk about the task of putting together a history spanning over a century, the value and wonder of cosplay, some strange facts we didn’t know, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Special thanks to Trish Matson for her help editing this episode. You rock, Trisk! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!Cosplay: A History (buy the book!)Andrew Liptak’s Things:WebsiteTwitterTransfer Orbit (newsletter) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Faustian bargains, broken families, and murder mysteries, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces to discuss The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, adapted from a book by Walter Mosley. Together, they explore the film’s treatment of family and crime, the racial dynamics of medicine, what money means, the world’s view of the elderly, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022)(IMDb) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Shag carpet, population control, and shrew lactation, oh my! Shaun Duke, Alex Acks, and Becca Evans join forces to tackle The Killer Shrews (1959). Together, they discuss the anatomy of shrews, explore the film’s understanding of boats, determine who was the biggest dick, and examine the structure of a charming bad movie — plus much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!The Killer Shrews (1959)(IMDb)Our GradesShaun (C-)Alex (B-)Becca (C-)Average (C) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Computer buddies, bad nukes, and scientist espionage, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, and Paul Weimer join forces to discuss Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970). Together, they explore the film’s interpretation of AI gone bad, its treatment of the cold war, whether Colossus is in love with Forbin, the bizarre politics of 1970s science fiction, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)(IMDb) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Slices of life, tamarind, and unexpected familiar guests, oh my! Shaun Duke and David Annandale wander to another part of the world to talk about Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010; Loong Boonmee raleuk chat). Together, they explore the film’s themes of death and life, what it’s like to be a water buffalo getting its freedom, the director’s appreciation of classic cinema and its influences in this film, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!Further Reading:Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (1969)(IMDb)WikipediaInterview w/ Weerasethakul at The GuardianOur next film: Eega (2021)(IMDb) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!

Swiss cheese brain, questionable histories, and Al’s escapades, oh my! Shaun Duke, Brandon O’Brien, and Paul Weimer join forces w/ special guest Marshall Ryan Maresca for an in-depth discussion of the first season of Quantum Leap, a true classic of science fiction television. Together, they explore Scott Bakula’s star power, the show’s approach to history and relationships, why time travel doesn’t need answers, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions!Quantum Leap (Season 1)(IMDb)Marshall’s Stuff:WebsiteTwitterThe Assassins of Consequence (buy it!) If you have a question you’d like us to answer, feel free to shoot us a message on our contact page. Our new intro and outro music comes from Holy Mole. You can support his work at patreon.com/holymole. See you later, navigator!