The famous introduction to Star Trek lays out the mission of the Starship Enterprise: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before! Later on, they changed it to be more inclusive—where no one has gone before. But the fundamental problem remains—if no one has gone there, what exactly are all those new civilizations? Could science fiction and fantasy have a colonialism problem? With us to discuss this thorny issue and the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers challenging Eurocentric assumptions is Suzan Palumbo, author of Countess and co-founder of the Ignyte Awards.

• Show notes:
• Suzan's Bluesky
• Suzan's Instagram
• 2024 Nebula Awards shortlist
• Stelliform Press
• 
  
• Reading list:
• “The Butcher of the Forest” by Premee Mohamed
• “The Tusks of Extinction” by Ray Nayler
• “Lost Ark Dreaming” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
• “Countess” by Suzan Palumbo
• “The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain” by Sofia Samatar
• “The Dragonfly Gambit” by A. D. Sui
• “Green Fuse Burning” by Tiffany Morris
• “We Speak Through the Mountain and “Annual Migration of Clouds” by Premee Mohamed
• “Blackheart Man” by Nalo Hopkinson
• 
  

Anyone who’s ever written fantasy has faced this problem: You have hit the point of conflict in a story where problems can no longer be worked out with witty retorts or a magic spell. The orcs are at the gates, the peace talks have broken down…that’s right—you’re going to have to write a battle scene. In this episode, we talk to Suzannah Rowntree, author of How to Write a Fantasy Battle: Basic Medieval and Modern Military Tactics for Authors, The Watchers of Outremer Series, and other historical fantasies, about how to get a battle right.

Show Notes:

• Suzannah's Bluesky: suzannahrowntree
• Suzannah's Instagram: suzannahsnaps
• Suzannahrowntree.site
• How to Write a Fantasy Battle: Basic Medieval and Modern Military Tactics for Authors
• Western Warfare In The Age Of The Crusades, 1000-1300 by John France
• Byzantine flamethrower
• Battle of Antioch (1098)
• Battle of Hattin (1187)
• Seventh Crusade
• Medicine in the Crusades: Warfare, Wounds and the Medieval Surgeon by Piers D. Mitchell
• Magistra Hersend
• Godfrey of Bouillon
• The Rebellion Of Count Hugh Of Jaffa
• 
  

Happy Halloween! We're talking about WITCHES! A staple of fantasy, horror, and Broadway musicals, witches can be anything from a murderous presence in the woods to the friendly neighbourhood Wiccan who revives your dying African violet. So let's get our witch on!

Show Notes:

• Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
• Spirited Away (2001)
• VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Helpless"
• Barbie-Yaga Dream Hut
• Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, "Baba Yaga: Everyone's Favorite Witch From Folklore" Part 1 and Part 2
• Baba Yaga: The greatest 'wicked witch' of all?
• The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
• Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici
• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
• "Love Potion No. 9" by the Clovers
• The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
• Season of the Witch (2011)
• Bewitched (1964-1972)
• The Good Witch (2008)
• The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)
• Charmed (1998-2006)
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