Happy holidays, friends and fiends! To celebrate, we're turning back the clock to Halloween, when we spoke to Chris Panatier on his debut, THE PHLEBOTOMIST! Willa Wallace, a government phlebotomist in a dystopian future where blood donation is mandatory, discovers a shocking secret that will change the world as she knows it forever! Also featuring: Lawyer Tasks, [redacted], and much more!

Litcast Of Doom

A Flock of [REDACTED] (ft. Chris Panatier)

Forget the holidays, join us for a giggle-filled interview with Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, the brain and brawn behind M.A. Carrick and a deliciously delightful debut, THE MASK OF MIRRORS. Ren, a con-artist, tricks her way into a noble family only to find that it's more of an adventure than she's bargained for. Also featured: not a clown but the whole circus, the sound of one interview cry-laughing, Wonder-Twin powers, and much more!

A Circus of Masks (ft. M.A. Carrick)

It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's a young boy's trauma tearing through the cosmos!This week we've got Essa Hansen as a special guest to talk about her debut, NOPHEK GLOSS!  When everything Caiden is brutally ripped from him, he sets out on a journey filled with discovery and vengeance on a galaxy-wide scale. What could go wrong? Also featured: the best (and worst) versions of Fuck/Marry/Kill, avoiding the word "alien," and much more!

Trauma Speedrun and NOPHEK GLOSS (ft. Essa Hansen)

We're back, baybey! This week, we're talking NIGHT TERRORS by Tim Waggoner, graciously gifted to us by the folks at Angry Robot!  Welcome to the Night Watch, an organization built to keep the balance between humanity and the physical manifestation of their nightmares. Audra and her partner Mr. Jinx (the clown that haunted her nightmares as a child) are on. the hunt for a mysterious killer and uncover a mystery bigger than either of them could imagine.  Also featured: two dollars in the swear jar for monster-f*cking, empathy as a narrative arc, the lady doth protesting too much, and much more!

Killer Clown But Make It Campy: NIGHT TERRORS by Tim Waggoner

We're back in super-powered waters with this week's episode, HENCH by Natalie Zina Walschots!  When Anna, a temp who specializes in working for villains, gets badly hurt in an altercation with a hero, she turns to the one thing that makes sense: running the numbers.  Who knew superheroes caused so much damage?  Her findings lead to her next job with the most powerful supervillain in the world, and it only gets more wild from there.  Also featured: villain arcs, my bones (or lack thereof), what superheroes look like on the inside, and much more!And as promised, the links to Lindsey Ellis's videos on the wolf erotica lawsuit! 

Halloween Extravaganza: HENCH

Happy Halloween, guys and ghouls!  Who's ready for some Halloween horror goodness?  We're starting the week off with NIGHT OF THE MANNEQUINS by Stephen Graham Jones!  Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  Is it a monstrous mannequin come to life in search of revenge? Check out the episode to find out!  Also featured: the horror of IT FOLLOWS, unreliable narrators with their urges for murder, the makings of horror, and much more!

Halloween Extravaganza: NIGHT OF THE MANNEQUINS

Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Rik Hoskin flying by the sheer joy I had reading BYSTANDER 27!  BYSTANDER 27, a tale of grief and vengeance compounded with the high-impact trope of superheroes and villains, is one for the ages. Join us as we talk about John Hayes (our main protag), the fuck/marry/kill question that haunts my dreams, and what is easily the most laugh-filled episode yet!

Heroes, Villains, and BYSTANDER 27 (ft. Rik Hoskin)

We've got a special treat this week, friends and fiends - the glorious Andrea Stewart has popped by to talk about her debut, THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER! In a society built around constructs powered by pieces of bone, we follow a daughter trying to claim her place as heir, a smuggler discovering his true motivations, a couple clashing over their class differences, and a stranger trying to escape a mysterious island. Also featured: another rousing game of Fuck/Marry/Kill, way too many hands, some well-earned praise, a peek at the timeline of publishing a book, and much more!

Boning Up on THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER (ft. Andrea Stewart)

Color us clueless, because we thought y'all already had your hands on this bad boy, but this week we're covering ARCHITECTS OF MEMORY by Karen Osborne!  When Ash, a salvage pilot trying to hide the extent of her illness from her team and the megacompany that holds her life in its hand, she encounters something dangerous that changes the scope of their alien enemy forever.  Also featured: the lack of surprise that I love the aliens the most, dying bookstores, Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, and much more!-Our featured Kickstarters:Monster Skulls: Premium Enamel PinsSpace: Let's Go!Locus: A Mystery-Horror TTRPG

Making Memories with ARCHITECTS OF MEMORY

Who's ready for a classic cowboy adventure, BUT IN SPACE?  This week we're rocking with RED NOISE by John P. Murphy, following the marvelous misadventures of a woman known as The Miner, as she faces down dirty cops, petty gang warfare, and - on god - a dude who strapped a nuke to his chest.  What a crowd, what a crowd.  Also featured: take a shot each time I say "Fantastic!", going full-on John Wick over an orchid, fair Verona, and much more!Once again, we're also highlighting the Wyrmwood Kickstarter and the Unseen Kickstarter - check them out now!

Make Some Noise for RED NOISE

This week we're here to talk about the marvelous misadventures of Simon Kovalic in THE ALEPH EXTRACTION by Dan Moren.  Can his team retrieve this mysterious alien artifact, or will they be beaten to the punch by Illyrican forces?  Read on to find out!  Also featured: listing The Umbrella Academy and Indiana Jones as comp titles, THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE, Kickstarter coverage, and more!Yes, we're covering some Kickstarters this week! Most notably, the ones from Wyrmwood Gaming and the crew behind Wolf 359!  Check them out now!

THE ALEPH EXTRACTION

We're back and better than ever with a brand new debut, THE HEREAFTER BYTES by Vincent Scott!  Is there anything better than a thought-provoking sci-fi murder mystery?  (Yes, actually - a FUNNY thought-provoking sci-fi murder mystery!)  Also featured: murder puppies, arrow aces (wink wink nudge nudge), and a couple callbacks to my years in grad school writing a master's thesis!

Afterlife Blues in THE HEREAFTER BYTES

We had the distinct honor of having Melissa Caruso over for a chat over her latest book, THE OBSIDIAN TOWER!  You want some magic demons?  You want some murder mystery?  You want some crazy architecture that plays into said murder mystery?  Boy howdy, you're gonna have a blast with this one!  Also featured: the lack of our swear jar, questions about our crow beau Kathe, reasons to go visit the Winchester Mansion, and more!

Breakin' The Law ft. Melissa Caruso

Sometimes . . . we build endless cities . . . to cope?  Welcome to HEARTS OF OAK by Eddie Robson, where a wooden city is ever-expanding, ever growing, for reasons you'll never guess.  And yes, we can confirm that the cat is involved.  Also featured: we question Robson's deal with cats, quarantine hobbies, explaining a love for a mystery without spoiling it, impending t-shirts, and much more!

Oak Town

We're back and better than ever! When a small-town librarian witnesses a murder, he reacts in the oddest possible way: an out-of-body experience. We're talking OUT OF BODY by Jeffrey Ford, set for publication on May 26th! Also featured: throwing down some money for the swear jar, exposition on feelings for The Hunger Games, the ever-pressing question of how you want to be mourned, and much more!OUT THIS WEEK:RULE by Rowenna MillerThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

To The Ether

Your weekly dose of sci-fi and fantasy novel gushing

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Litcast Of Doom

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