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Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic by Alex Bledsoe and SkyBoat Media This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Alex Bledsoe, author of Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic. About Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit,…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Kevin Hearne, author of A CURSE OF KRAKENS. About A CURSE OF KRAKENS: Seeker and Sower Pen Yas ben Min’s cousin was one of the legendary heroes of the wars against the giants until her untimely death. Pen has grown up in her famous cousin’s shadow, but when she’s given a quest to plant the seed of the magical Fo…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Stephen Aryan, author of THE JUDAS BLOSSOM. About THE JUDAS BLOSSOM: 1260, Persia: Due to the efforts of the great Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire covers a vast portion of the known world. In the shadow of his grandfather, Hulagu Khan, ruler of the Ilkhanate, is determined to create a single empire that covers t…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Alice Bell, author of GRAVE EXPECTATIONS. About GRAVE EXPECTATIONS: Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch’s 80th birthday. The pair have been friends sin…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Max Bennett, author of A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains. About A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains: In the last decade, capabilities of artificial intelligence that had long been the realm o…

This week, Patrick and Tracy are talking about many things, including but not limited to: the rise of AI, students believing AI helps them, protecting creators, elastic principles, the excuses we make to support the bad thing that makes our lives easier, the convenience of the big box seller versus the mom and pop shop, moral justifications, game a…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Dan Moren, author of ALL SOULS LOST. About ALL SOULS LOST: After two years trying to run away from his past, Mike Lucifer’s back in his office less than ten minutes when a persistent young woman shows up asking for help: her boyfriend’s been possessed by a demon. That’s exactly the kind of mess that drove him fr…

On a very special Just Us episode, we’re talking about all sorts of things, including Catholic guilt, Santiago’s breakfast burritos, television, Star Wars, video games, Ahsoka, teenagers and wet towels, the care and maintenance of still gestating microhumans, old school network tv, episodic vs serial television, streaming, connective tissue between…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Howard Andrew Jones, author of Lord of a Shattered Land. About Lord of a Shattered Land: The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its …

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Jacqueline Carey, author of CASSIEL’S SERVANT. About CASSIEL’S SERVANT: Cassiel’s Servant is a retelling of cult favorite Kushiel’s Dart from the point of view of Joscelin, Cassiline warrior-priest and protector of Phèdre nó Delaunay. He’s sworn to celibacy and the blade as surely as she’s pledged to pleasure, b…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome James L. Sutter, author of DARKHEARTS. About DARKHEARTS: When David quit his band, he missed his shot at fame, trapped in an ordinary high school life while his ex–best friend, Chance, became the hottest teen pop star in America. Then tragedy throws David and Chance back into contact. As old wounds break open, t…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Isabel Cañas, author of Vampires of El Norte. About Vampires of El Norte: As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something t…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome John Wiswell, author of BAD DOORS and the upcoming, SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN (DAW, 2024). About BAD DOORS: Kosmo is a simple English teacher with no interest in evil magic doors. However one day they take an interest in him. A burgundy door with a shiny black knob appears in his hallway, where no door has…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Temi Oh, author of MORE PERFECT. About MORE PERFECT: When Moremi connects her brain to the Panopticon, a network which allows you to see inside the minds and dreams of others, she believes that it will save her from depression, loneliness and, eventually, death. That is until she meets Orpheus. Orpheus was broug…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Genevieve Gornichec, author of THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN. About THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN: Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a vi…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome L.R. Lam, author of DRAGONFALL. About DRAGONFALL: Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the “gods” remember, and they do not forgive. Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Despe…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Rebecca Fraimow, author of THE IRON CHILDREN. About THE IRON CHILDREN: Asher has been training her entire life to become a Sor-Commander. One day, she’ll give her soul to the gilded, mechanical body of the Sor and become a commander to a battalion of Dedicates. These soldiers, encased in exoskeletons, with extra…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Fonda Lee, author of UNTETHERED SKY. About UNTETHERED SKY: Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family. Ester’s path leads her to the King’s R…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome K.B. Wagers, author of THE GHOSTS OF TRAPPIST. About THE GHOSTS OF TRAPPIST: NeoG—the Near-Earth Orbital Guard, a diverse military force that patrols and protects the solar system, inspired by the real-life mission of the Coast Guard—and the crew of Zuma’s Ghost are under attack, and shocking truths are about to…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Emma Mieko Candon, author of THE ARCHIVE UNDYING. About THE ARCHIVE UNDYING: When the robotic god of Khuon Mo went mad, it destroyed everything it touched. It killed its priests, its city, and all its wondrous works. But in its final death throes, the god brought one thing back to life: its favorite child, Sunai…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Nathan Ballingrud, author of THE STRANGE. About THE STRANGE: Since Anabelle’s mother left for Earth to care for her own ailing mother, her days in New Galveston have been spent at school and her nights at her laconic father’s diner with Watson, the family Kitchen Engine and dishwasher as her only companion. When…

This week, it’s a very special Just Us clip episode from Patrick and Tracy! What’s a Just Us episode? Well, I’m glad you asked. As you know Bob, we have a Patreon over at patreon.com/functionalnerds. And one of the reward tiers is a special, patrons-only episode of the show each month. When something comes up and we don’t have a regular episode to …

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Beth Cato, author of A Thousand Recipes for Revenge. About A Thousand Recipes for Revenge: Adamantine “Ada” Garland has an empathic connection to food and wine, a magical perception of aromas, flavors, and ingredients. Invaluable property of the royal court, Ada was in service to the Five Gods and to the Gods-or…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Gail Carriger, author of DIVINITY 36. About DIVINITY 36: Phex is a barista on a forgotten moon. Which is fine – he likes being ignored and he’s good at making drinks. Until one day an alien hears him singing and recruits him to become a god. Now Phex is thrust headfirst into the galaxy’s most cutthroat entertain…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Kat Howard, author of A SLEIGHT OF SHADOWS. About A SLEIGHT OF SHADOWS: After taking down the source of the corruption of the Unseen World, Sydney is left with almost no magical ability. Feeling estranged from herself, she is determined to find a way back to her status as one of the world’s most dangerous magici…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Daniel M. Ford, author of THE WARDEN. About THE WARDEN: There was a plan. She had the money, the connections, even the brains. It was simple: become one of the only female necromancers, earn as many degrees as possible, get a post in one of the grand cities, then prove she’s capable of greatness. The funny thing…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Emily Tesh, author of SOME DESPERATE GLORY. About SOME DESPERATE GLORY: Since she was born, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the powerful, reality-shaping weap…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Julie Novakova and Susan Forest, two of the driving forces behind Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays. About Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays: How would first contact—on earth, in space, on another planet—transform our understandings of tec…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome S.B. Divya, author of MERU. About MERU: For five centuries, human life has been restricted to Earth, while posthuman descendants called alloys freely explore the galaxy. But when the Earthlike planet of Meru is discovered, two unlikely companions venture forth to test the habitability of this unoccupied new worl…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Steve Scearce and Bear Weiter from the Station 151 Podcast. About Station 151: Located on Alexander Island, Antarctica, Station 151 is the southernmost continent’s first and only astronomical radio observatory. Built by the Telders Corporation at an estimated cost of $200M USD, Station 151 is comprised of 50 rad…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Moses Ose Utomi, author of THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO. About THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO: They say there is no water in the City of Lies. They say there are no heroes in the City of Lies. They say there are no friends beyond the City of Lies. But would you believe what they say in the City of Lies? In the City of Lies, t…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Aliette de Bodard, author of The Red Scholar’s Wake. About The Red Scholar’s Wake: Xích Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xích Si expects to be tortured to death-…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome David R. Slayton, author of White Trash Warlock, Trailer Park Trickster and available for pre-order now, Deadbeat Druid. About White Trash Warlock: Not all magicians go to schools of magic. Adam Binder has the Sight. It’s a power that runs in his bloodline: the ability to see beyond this world and into another, …

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Seanan McGuire, author of Lost in the Moment and Found. About Lost in the Moment and Found: Welcome to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go. If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here. If you ever wondered about a favorite toy from childhood… it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back. And the headphones that y…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Brandon Crilly, author of Catalyst and Bestiarium Vocabulum. About Catalyst: Street magician Mavrin Leed doesn’t believe in what he can’t see or prove. His performances are mere tricks; the only true magic in Aelda comes from the benevolent, god-like Aspects circling it. As long as They keep the Lifesphere intac…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome long-time friend of the podcast and attendee of WorldCon, The World Science Fiction Convention, Cannoli Joe Karpierz. What are we talking with goof ol’ Cannoli Joe about? Why, WorldCon, of course – and the Hugo Awards, the nomination and voting process, his opinions on the Chicago Style Hot Dog, poodles, and mor…

This week, Patrick and Tracy ring in the new year by welcoming Keith Ammann, author of HOW TO DEFEND YOUR LAIR. About HOW TO DEFEND YOUR LAIR: The world is a dangerous place—especially when you’re up to no good. Whether you’re a rampaging monster, a calculating mastermind, or the current possessor of the Golden MacGuffin, someone’s going to come at…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Kate Elliott, author of The Keeper’s Six. About The Keeper’s Six: It’s been a year since Esther set foot in the Beyond, the alien landscape stretching between worlds, crossing boundaries of space and time. She and her magical traveling party?her Hex?haven’t spoken since the Concilium banned them from the Beyond …

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Annalee Newitz, author of THE TERRAFORMERS. About THE TERRAFORMERS: Destry’s life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her. But the bright, clean future they’re building c…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Freya Marske, author of A RESTLESS TRUTH. About A RESTLESS TRUTH: Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She expected plenty of it when she volunteered to serve as an old lady’s companion on an ocean liner, in order to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy that began generations ago. W…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Michelle Barry, author of MOONGARDEN. About MOONGARDEN: Centuries ago, Earth’s plants turned deadly, and humanity took to space to cultivate new homes. Myra Hodger is in her first year at an elite school on the Moon, and she’s crumbling under the pressure. She doesn’t fit in and, worse, the tattoos that signal h…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome back Andrea Hairston, author of WILL DO MAGIC FOR SMALL CHANGE. About WILL DO MAGIC FOR SMALL CHANGE: Cinnamon Jones dreams of stepping on stage and acting her heart out like her famous grandparents, Redwood and Wildfire. But she’s always been theatrically challenged. That won’t necessarily stop her! But her fam…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Chuck Wendig, author of WAYWARD. About WAYWARD: Five years ago, ordinary Americans fell under the grip of a strange new malady that caused them to sleepwalk across the country to a destination only they knew. They were followed on their quest by the shepherds: friends and family who gave up everything to protect…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Clay Harmon, author of FLAMES OF MIRA. About FLAMES OF MIRA: Among boiling volcanoes under Mira’s frozen lands, people like Ig are forced to undergo life-threatening trials that bind chemical elements to the human body. One of Mira’s most powerful elementals, Ig serves as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann,…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Wendy and Richard Pini, co-creators of ElfQuest. About The ElfQuest Audio Movie: When a fierce tribe of woodland elves – the Wolfriders – are burned from their homes by hostile humans, their chief, Cutter, must tap every reserve of strength and will to lead his people to safety. Barely surviving brutal setbacks,…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Veronica Roth, author of POSTER GIRL. About POSTER GIRL: WHAT’S RIGHT IS RIGHT. Sonya Kantor knows this slogan—she lived by it for most of her life. For decades, everyone in the Seattle-Portland megalopolis lived under it, as well as constant surveillance in the form of the Insight, an ocular implant that tracke…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, author of Glorious Fiends and Where You Linger. About Glorious Fiends: When infamous hot mess vampire Roxanne resurrects her deceased best friends, she’s confronted by a dream-dwelling Guardian of the Underworld, who demands that she replace them in his afterlife with three equally nefario…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Erin M. Evans, author of EMPIRE OF EXILES. About EMPIRE OF EXILES: Twenty-seven years ago, a Duke with a grudge led a ruthless coup against the empire of Semilla, killing thousands. He failed. The Duke was executed, a terrifyingly powerful sorcerer was imprisoned, and an unwilling princess disappeared. The empir…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome GennaRose Nethercott, author of Thistlefoot. About Thistlefoot: The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to rec…

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Mur Lafferty, author of STATION ETERNITY. About STATION ETERNITY: Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove her to live on an alien space station, but her problems still follow her in this witty, self-aware novel that puts a speculative spin on murder myst…