Earthsea, and Other Realms: Ursula Le Guin as Social Inactivist (EF, JP, [UKL])

Eliza Chan’s debut novel Fathomfolk (Orbit, 2024) takes place in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, where humans and fathomfolk - a collection of peoples including sirens, seawitches, kelpies, and kappas - navigate an increasingly tense political situation. The novel follows half-siren Mira, the recently promoted captain of the border guard and Nami, a young exiled royal from a neighboring city as they push for political change and grapple with the city’s growing violence and social unrest. In this interview, Chan discusses setting-as-character and the depiction of pollution and climate catastrophe in fantasy. She describes her love of folklore, the importance of depicting supportive male partners, and the role of class and poverty in the book. We also chat about creating fictional diseases and the role of motherhood in the novel. Fathomfolk is a unique and imaginative story and it was a joy to discuss it with the author. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Rachel Greenlaw's debut young adult romantasy, Compass and Blade (Inkyard Press, 2024) is filled with sirens and mysterious magic, swoony romance and cutthroat betrayal. This world of sea and storm runs deep with bargains and blood. On the remote isle of Rosevear, Mira, like her mother before her, is a wrecker, one of the seven on the rope who swim out to shipwrecks to plunder them. Mira's job is to rescue survivors, if there are any. After all, she never feels the cold of the frigid ocean waters and the waves seem to sing to her soul. But the people of Rosevear never admit the truth: that they set the beacons themselves to lure ships into the rocks. When the Council watch lays a trap to put an end to the wrecking, they arrest Mira's father. Desperate to save him from the noose, Mira strikes a deal with an enigmatic wreck survivor guarding layers of secrets behind his captivating eyes, and sets off to find something her mother has left her, a family secret buried deep in the sea. With just nine days to find what she needs to rescue her father, all Mira knows for certain is this: The sea gives. The sea takes. And it's up to her to do what she must to save the ones she loves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Alix E. Harrow’s new novel Starling House (Tor Books, 2023) is named for the infamous old mansion in the otherwise unremarkable town of Eden, Kentucky. For years the house has haunted the dreams of our protagonist, Opal, a reluctant resident of Eden who is focused on building a better life for her younger brother–one that would get him both out of the motel room where they live and out of Eden entirely. When the elusive Arthur Starling offers Opal a job caring for the manor, she decides the money is worth the risk. In this interview, Harrow explores the role of the gothic in fantasy and writing at the intersection of genres. We discuss the portrayal of sibling relationships in fiction, writing about contemporary Kentucky, and the legacy of coal companies. We chat about the way rumors around powerful women in small towns develop, the differences between libraries in stories and in real life, and the role of cleaning in fantasy novels Starling House is a thoroughly good time and it was so fun getting to talk about it with the author. A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (Daw Books, 2023) is an immersive fantasy which takes you deep into a world of duality. There are two suns, one light and one dark; and two types of dragons, one yielding a substance called umbra and one a substance called aura. There are two peoples, one subjugated by the other. The people of the woods, mostly the dark-skinned Kin, have been conquered by the people of the mountains, who are organized into an empire with five capitals and five rulers, as well as an Imperator who is elected to rule over the Holt, the subjugated wooded territory that still retains some rights. But the Empire is not as united as it seems. A secret faction of the church, called the Chosen, hopes to free the dark Lord Faedryn from his imprisonment by the Goddess Alra and depose the ruling families. To that end, they enter into alliance with the Red Knives, a group of rebels who hide out in the Holt. Three young people try to navigate this complex world—Lorelie, an investigator for the Empire; Rylan, the illegitimate son of the Imperator; and Rhiannon, a young orphan with magical powers, who lives in an abbey in the Holt. With the complexity and political intrigue worthy of The Game of Thrones, but thankfully none of the sadism or sexual violence, Bradley Beaulieu has crafted a gripping and quick moving tale with likeable protagonists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Wole Talabi’s debut novel Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon (Daw Books, 2023) follows Shigidi–a former nightmare god–and his partner, the succubus Nneoma as they attempt to carve a life independent from the control of Spirit Corporations. The story spans continents and decades but centers on a heist to steal an artifact back from the British Museum. In this interview, Talabi describes using the Yoruba pantheon of gods while also drawing on other global mythologies. We discuss the process of writing a novel with a fragmented timeline with scenes spanning millennia and the power of speculative fiction to tackle complex issues in a thoughtful and engaging way. We talk heist stories, subverting misogynistic succubus tropes, and cinematic action in novels. Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon is an energetic, fast paced read with great depth and it was so much fun discussing it with the author. A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Hannah Kaner’s debut novel Godkiller (Harper Voyager, 2023) takes place in Middren, a country where gods have been banned as the result of a brutal civil war. The novel follows Kissen–a woman whose family were killed by zealots of a fire god and who now makes a living killing gods herself. In this interview, Kaner describes her interest in examining the aftermath of war and violence and the value of angry, ordinary female protagonists. She discusses the variety of gods in her novel and the way that characters’ shifting relationships with the natural world and divinity shape the politics and magic of Middren. We also chat about the role of food in fantasy novels, writing quest stories, and the ways that younger point of view characters shape stories written for adults. Godkiller is a thoughtful, empathetic book and it was a joy to discuss it with the author. A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that donates more than 80% of its profits to independent bookstores. Launched in 2020, Bookshop.org has already raised more than $27,000,000. In this interview, Andy Hunter, founder and CEO discusses his journey to creating one of the most revolutionary new organizations in the book world. Bookshop has found a way to retain the convenience of online book shopping while also supporting independent bookstores that are the backbones of many local communities.  Andy Hunter is CEO and Founder of Bookshop.org. He also co-created Literary Hub. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

To mark the publication of John's book Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea (My Reading), with Oxford University Press (2023), John and Elizabeth take to the airways to share their love of Le Guin's "speculative anthropology," gender politics, and goats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Aparna Verma’s debut novel The Phoenix King (Orbit, 2023) takes place in the desert kingdom of Ravence as war brews on its borders and the king is set to step down. The story follows an assassin exiled but struggling to return home as well as both the king and the heir to the throne. In this interview, Verma describes the way her love of the desert shaped Ravence and how the duality of fire shaped its culture. She discusses Indian influences in science fiction, the many ways people are connected to faith, and the ways her work reimagines monarchy. The Phoenix King is so clearly a labor of love and it was so much fun to discuss with the author. A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Garth Nix’s new collection Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Pupper Sorcerer (Harper Voyager, 2023) gathers together stories written over more than fifteen years for a variety of publications and follows the artillerist knight and his sorcerous, paper mâché companion as they pursue their duties as god-slayers. In this interview, Nix describes the myriad influences shaping his work, the balance of the melancholy and humor in the collection, and what makes the medium of short fiction compelling. As with so much of Nix’s work, Sir Herewood draws on many of the archetypes of fantasy and reimagines them, imbuing them with new life. It was a joy to speak with him. A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy