BookBanter Episode 22 with Jeff VanderMeer
In Episode 22 of BookBanter you will hear my third interview live from the World Fantasy Convention with author Jeff VanderMeer. VanderMeer writes his own books, edits anthologies, and even does writer workshops. His books include City of Saints and Madmen and Shriek: An Afterword, while some of the anthologies he has edited include Fast Ships Black Sails and The New Weird. He has two new books out: Finch, a work of fiction, and Booklife, a fantastic book on writing and how to become a successful writer no matter what level you are.
Featured in the episode are my reviews for Booklife, Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins; to purchase any of these books, click on the covers below :
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I would once again like to thank Cheryl Morgan for getting me all set up at the World Fantasy Convention.
After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out about everything related to BookBanter, books, writing, and whatever else I feel like writing about .
I’ll see you next time, on January 1st, 2010, where I’ll be interviewing author Guy Gavriel Kay, who’s new book Under Heaven, is due out April 27th.
Until then, keep reading!
Alex C. Telander.
“Breathers” by S. G. Browne
Just confirmed the interview with S. G. Browne, author of Breathers, for this coming Saturday. So the episode with that interview is planned to go up January 15th.
Breathers is an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek, funny novel about what if you discovered that you were a zombie and didn’t die as you’d expected to. How would your life change with your family and friends, how would people view you, and what would your social life be like?
12/14/09 On the Bookshelf . . .
Was delighted to receive a copy of the next in the October Daye series on my doorstep this morning: A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire. Will look forward to reading this, after enjoying Rosemary and Rue so much. And for anyone who missed the interview with Seanan McGuire, check it out here.
Also have a copy of Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson on the way, which may turn into an eventual interview with Robinson for BookBanter.
Wreath Making 101
This year after trimming away the bottom branches of our Christmas tree so it would fit properly in the base, I discovered I had enough branches left over to make a holiday wreath. I’d never made one before and thought it an interesting challenge.
After doing a little research online, I got my supplies of a wreath base, a string of decorative cherries, cinnamon-scented pine cones, and a spool of green wire. I could have found some sites and gone through a step by step process of making the perfect wreath, but while I’m not one for doing lots of different crafts, I know I’m pretty talented with my hands having done a number of different crafts as a kid (as well as being a Lego master!).
So I sat myself down with my supplies and began to create the wreath from scratch using techniques I made up on the spot and shaping the wreath as I wanted to do.
I was pleasantly delighted with the result of a really beautiful wreath; too bad it won’t last!
Upcoming Book Reviews for Episode 22
Here’s a friendly update to let you know that reviews for the following books will be featured on the upcoming Episode 22 of BookBanter, as well as featuring the exclusive interview with Jeff VanderMeer, going up December 15th:
12/08 On the Bookshelf . . .
Received the following two books for review: The Vikings by Robert Ferguson, which looks to be a compelling and long history of the Vikings originally published in Britain with a better title of The Hammer and the Cross (which is interestingly what the second volume of Brian Wood’s Northlanders is essentially called, The Cross + The Hammer), but I look forward to reading it. Also received The Customer is Not Always Right: Hilarious and Horrific Tales of Customers Gone Wrong by A. J. Adams, which is a book collecting 100 stories from the popular Notalwaysright.com site. I have in face already read it over last night and today, having spent the last six years working in retail, to say I found it cathartic and enjoyable would be saying . . . well, let’s leave that for the review.
The Return of the Podbean
So the BookBanter Podbean site is now fully back and running just fine and you should have access to all the episodes of BookBanter from the first to the latest, number 21 with Ken Scholes. While I hope this doesn’t happen again and I’m still very unhappy with how Podbean didn’t apologize or keep me updated (as a paying customer) on what was going on, it has put a nugget of thought in my mind about eventually changing the setup of BookBanter to be all in one place.
But for now, you can get all your BookBanter news and episodes and updates at the BookBanter site, along with direct access to all episodes at the BookBanter Podbean site.
If anyone has finds any issues or has any problems, be sure to shoot me an email at alex@bookbanter.net.
“Under St. Peter’s” by Harry Turtledove
I’ve begun reading By Blood We Live, edited by John Joseph Adams [who also did The Living Dead and Wastelands (both of which I've reviewed)] which kicks off with a wonderfully dark, sexual, and twisted story by Neil Gaiman about Snow White, called “Snow Glass Apples” followed by a boring story from Anne Rice (the only short story she’s ever published apparently) called “The Master of Rampling Gate.”
The third story in the collection — “Under St. Peter’s” by Harry Turtledove — kind of blew my mind, as all good stories should. When I’m done with the book and eventually review it, I will certainly mention the story, but won’t be able to reveal the big twist of a tale behind the story, because you can’t do that in book reviews. The point of a book review is to entice the reader to get the book, and not spoil the ending and surprise.
So instead I’m going to reveal the ending for this story in this particular blog post. Since it’s just one story in the collection, it’s not that big of a deal to reveal it as there are plenty more enjoyable tales in the rest of the collection.
And if you don’t want to find out how this story ends, stop reading now and you’ll be just fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Under St. Peter’s” begins with the induction of a new pope deep within the heart of the Vatican. The former cardinal is now very happy to have been promoted to such a high position, knowing he will now be remembered forever. He then is informed of a secret order that has existed since the beginning of the papacy that very few know about. The pope is to perform an induction ritual with this order, as has been done with every pope since the very beginning. He is led through a hidden door in the floor down deep beneath the Vatican. He is led down many steps, going deeper into the dark underground, being led by a member of the clandestine order.
When they reach their destination, they find an old, emaciated form that shocks the pope to his very soul when he sees who the man truly is. This person bears wounds upon his palms and feet, by his side; familiar wounds that have become synonymous with his depictions on a crucifix. He also bears a pair of small wounds on the side of his neck, which are never shown in any of his images or carvings.
It is Jesus, who has remained beneath the Vatican for a very long time. And each time a new pope is elected, he is brought down to this hidden chamber where this man drinks of the new pope, for he is a vampire who can never die of hunger, satiating himself with each new pope. Once he even drank too much of one pope, killing him, and a new one was immediately needed.
It puts that whole story about being raised from the dead by Lazarus in a much clearer perspective.
12/2 On the Bookshelf . . .
After an interested listener and author contacted me, receive review copy of A. Christopher Drown’s book A Mage of None Magic. Will be an interesting read and may turn into a possible interview, we shall see . . .
Podbean Update
Finally heard back from Podbean, and it seems that one of their servers is down which is why you can’t get access to the BookBanter Podbean site. Would’ve been nice if they’d sent out an announcement or something to paying customers, instead of having me find out and then have to get in touch with them and wait to hear from them.
But it should be all fixed soon (within 24 hours they said) and then I’ll update the link and everything should be back to normal with BookBanter.
Thanks for your patience.
