Three Hoarsemen

Staggering like a phoenix that has consumed too much coffee and cigarette butts, The Three Hoarsemen come at you with our first episode since the sad demise of our former home, the much-loved SF Signal. We discuss SF Signal, how we met in cyberspace and meatspace, our lives since the site closed. Hard to believe that we have collectively spent one year on a project, gotten a job, moved, and started a business! Fred Kiesche, Jeff Patterson and John E.O. Stevens are pleased to make your acquaintance. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson.

As the cruelest month crawls to a close, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson ponder the works of upcoming Damon Knight Grand Master C. J. Cherryh. For this task they have engineered the return of their first guest Hoarseman, the illustrious Paul Weimer. The discussion includes their first exposures to the Mri, Morgaine, and the Chanur, the deep history of the Alliance/Union universe, the portrayal of the outsider’s perspective, and how they are all woefully behind on the Foreigner books. As always, there is an accounting of culture consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Paul Weimer.

As March winds down and Spring arrives, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson gather for a guestless episode to catch up on assorted pursuits and distractions. John talks about participating in the Grumptroll annual March Madness Flash Fiction contest. Jeff wades into he Up & Coming anthology and finds it a great utility. Fred and family endure the X-Files reboot. As always the conversation turns to culture consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson.

In Part Two, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson continue their talk with Joelle Presby and David Weber about The Road to Hell. The discussion covers killing characters, the cost of war, and wrapping up franchises. The Hoarsemen also talk about culture consumed, the state of Marvel, revisiting Watership Down, and their reading plans for the rest of 2016. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Joelle Presby and David Weber.

As February wraps up, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson convene with Joelle Presby and David Weber to talk about the collaboration process on their new book The Road to Hell. The talk was substantive enough to necessitate splitting it across two episodes. Part one of the discussion includes the challenges of stepping into an existing franchise, playing in another author’s sandbox, the difference between art vs. craft, editorial hindsight, working with Jim Baen, and meeting Andre Norton. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Joelle Presby and David Weber.

As snow and ice bury the east coast, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson turn their thoughts to the cold, merciless abyss that engulfs us all. That’s right, SPACE is the place, and they’ve invited Leah Petersen along to talk about the stories set there, and the role it plays. Science Fiction’s early depictions of space cast it as a medium to be crossed, or an analog for the sea, facilitating trade, exploration, and empire-building. Frank Herbert made it a commodity, accessible only to those who gave up their humanity. Stephen Baxter filled it with incomprehensible machinations. Star Trek used it as a divide between cultures. Kristine Katherine Rusch riddled it with lethal anomalies. Vernor Vinge gave it dominion over the rise of intelligence. C. J. Cherryh, Samuel Delany, Karen Lord, Alastair Reynolds, Lois McMaster Bujold, and many others shaped the infinite void into a narrative tool. Now, with Star Wars,The Expanse, and a possible new ninth planet, space is once again imposing itself on po

The year’s end looms, so John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson elect to be merciful and convene to put it out of its misery. They’ve invited Andrea Phillips and Jonah Sutton-Morse along to list their favorite books, comics, TV shows, movies, and games of 2015. The discussion, of course, goes completely off-topic, veering into such subjects as nihilistic narratives, revisiting old favorites, the pitfalls of being a new release junkie, “Batgirling,” and the storytelling idiosyncrasies of various media. Get comfy. This one’s over two hours. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Andrea Phillips and Jonah Sutton-Morse.

It is November, time for John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson to saddle up for a guestless catch-up episode. John recounts his attending the World Fantasy Convention, and tells of the booty he procured. Fred lists his culture consumed. Jeff thinks aloud of the many factors that both influenced and tainted his recent readings. Subjects discussed include the personalities of book merchants and buyers, how the physical layout of a con impacts its enjoyment, the pitfalls of retro trade-dress, comic book adolescents, The optimal length of Sherlock Holmes stories, and some observations about dealers rooms. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson.

October is here, so John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson decide to go west to the magic-infused realm of California for a chat with Greg van Eekhout. Greg educates the Hoarsemen on the importance of tacos, things that are terrible but wonderful but terrible, the discipline of outlining, the pitfalls with the “urban fantasy” label, writing for kids and adults, and why it isn’t cool to eat a wizard in Northern California. In this month’s culture consumed, Fred went to The Martian, Jeff went to Capclave, and John went to a big-ass book sale. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Greg van Eekhout.

As harvest-time descends and pumpkin-spice stormclouds gather on the horizon, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson wrap up their Summer sojourn through the labyrinthine innards of the publishing industry with Joe Monti of Saga Press. Joe educates the Hoarsemen on the pitfalls of book buying-and-selling, forecasts the future of space opera, and ponders if Grimdark is really a thing. After a chat on trends and tribulations, the discussion turns to culture consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Joe Monti.

John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson decided to get away from the Dog Days of August in the northeast United States and amble down to Australia* for some winter weather. While there they met up with Alisa Krasnostein, wearer of many hats (Ph.D. candidate, publisher with Twelfth Planet Press, podcaster with Galactic Suburbia). They discuss education, the doctoral process, publishing, podcasting, and (through a lucky coincidence) get into an extended discussion of James Tiptree, Jr. and the upcoming 100th birthday tribute book. By the end of the episode everybody has spent money and changed their reading plans going forward. More Tiptree! Why aren’t we celebrating the anniversary with more events? *No Hoarsemen actually went to Australia. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Alisa Krasnostein.

As the New Horizons probe hurtles past Pluto in the dark beyond, a con-crud-stricken John E. O. Stevens regales Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson with his adventures at Readercon. Then attentions turn to special guest Hoarsewoman Stina Leicht (on book release day, no less) to talk about her new novel Cold Iron. The discussion includes forty years of Dhalgren, writing protocols, book budgets, historical baggage, the bookstore landscape, eels, and our relationship with violence. As always, The Hoarsemen recount the books, comics, podcasts, and television that have occupied their free time. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Stina Leicht.

It’s hard to believe it has been nearly a year since The Three Hoarsemen met in meatspace in a hidden sanitarium in upstate New York shortly after John Stevens received his cybernetic upgrades. For this episode, your hosts battle the gremlins of scheduling and meet in cyberspace along the same line of longitude but at differing latitudes. With Jeff Patterson melting from the insides in the south, Fred Kiesche battling conga line dancing viruses in the middle and John Stevens working his way through the stacks in the north we take pause… …and bring you our nearly most epic episode to date (at least in terms of sheer running time or time that it took John to pause to take a breath). You want rambling? You got rambling! From a breakdown of the works nominated in nearly all the categories of this year’s Hugo’s covered by John Stevens we segue to a discussion about reading and self-education by Fred Kiesche. Jeff Patterson attempts to unravel the tangled mysteries of Marvel’s Secret Wars. We conclude with our usu

As the heat builds, and clouds of pollen choke the skies, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson find themselves of a mood to stare at the pretty pictures gracing the jackets and e-files of books and ponder how they came to be. To that end they have hobbled across the simmering landscape to seek out Irene Gallo, art director at Tor Books and Tor.com, to enlighten them on the process. The discussion encompasses the relationship between book and cover, deadlines, fan feedback, and the aesthetics of different decades. Will we ever see embossed covers come back? And what does it take for a cover to impress John? Irene also talks about her participation in the Illustration Master Class, and everyone recounts the culture they have recently consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Irene Gallo.

As the cruelest month of April toys with us, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson huddle in their fortress made of long boxes to talk about COMICS! With Summer approaching, superhero movies are ramping up, DC and Marvel roll out their massive crossovers, and the wind smells of reboots. The Hoarsemen discuss their experiences with reading comics digitally, the rise of SF/F indie books, and the titles currently delivering the goods. Fred continues his deep dive into generations-worth of continuity and encounters the conundrum of Jean Grey! Duplicitous rogue women appear in long-lived SF properties! And will there ever be a DRM-free collection in our lifetime? As always, there is an accounting of Culture Consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson.

As spring emerges, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson shed their well-worn thermals and discuss the vast and treacherous landscape of anthologies. It is a subject that encompasses themed volumes, shared worlds, and literary approaches, from the experimental volumes of the 1970s, through the subject-specific collections of Ace and Daw, to the copious riches that have become available readers in the past decade. What makes an anthology work? Which ones hold special places? And have they stood the test of time? The discussion then turns, as always, to culture consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson.

As the bleak winter pummels us with ice and illness, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson muster the strength and lucidity to write February off as a loss and trudge forward in search of the mythical Springtime. First, they discuss the death of Leonard Nimoy, and his impact on SF and Fandom. Then they turn to the subject of Thomas M. Disch, whose works broke genre conventions on an almost industrial scale. The gentlemen recall their introductions to the author’s work (including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), and his legacy in SF. There follows a litany of culture consumed, and some talk about whooshing doors, online shrieking, and myopic definitions of “fan.” Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson.

As January’s icy grip tightens, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson find sanctuary in the thrilling days of yesteryear. This time out they have procured the services of Jamie Todd Rubin to act as their guide for their voyage back in time to the Golden Age! Generally defined as the period between 1939 and 1950, the Golden Age was dominated by John W. Campbell’s editorship at Astounding. It was when Science Fiction acquired a degree of depth and characterization through the works of Isaac Asimov, Lester Del Rey, C.L. Moore, L. Sprague De Camp, Leigh Brackett, A. E. Van Vogt, Robert Heinlein, Jack Vance, and Clifford Simak. Jamie talks about reading those issues of Astounding and what he learned about SF and fandom, then and now. Also discussed are Jamie’s latest Analog column, plotting-vs-pantsing, and pre-internet flame wars. And the Hoarsemen start the year with a MASSIVE list of books, comics, and TV consumed. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Jamie Todd Rubin.

As the year’s end approaches, John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson tempt the fates by doing a THIRD episode for the month. Joining them is the man who was the unintentional catalyst for this podcast, Patrick Hester. They pause in their assorted biscotti, chili, and laundry activities to take on the topic of wish lists, their usefulness, and what is currently on them. Then the discussion turns to all things comics. It’s really nerdy. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Patrick Hester.

John E. O. Stevens, Fred Kiesche and Jeff Patterson gather for the SECOND episode of December! This time out they are joined by Karen Burnham to talk about William Hope Hodgson’s classic The House on the Borderland. Topics include the novel’s unique storytelling, possible interpretations, and where it falls in the spectrum of SF/F. Fred has posted a companion piece to this episode on his blog as an introduction to both Hodgson and the book. And even though we discussed our recent genre culture consumed in last week’s episode, we still manage to have more to talk about. Host Fred Kiesche, John E.O. Stevens and Jeff Patterson with Karen Burnham.