Sharing Goodies from My Inbox

The finale of the first season of The Minister of Chance, my favorite audiphonic sci-fi series, will be available for public consumption in a week.

For now, here's a message from Clare Eden which includes cast and crew profiles and interview snippets with Julian Wadham and The Hobbit's Jed Brophy.

*****

I have to admit I had to agree with the angle posed to me in this review request - where's the sci-fi with black female protags? Indeed! The digital series, Jayde, looks promising, though not as sci-fi for my tastes - unless they're leaving the more sci-fi bits out of the trailer. The About page speaks more to a tale of a woman with supernatural visions who uses them to help others. Can you say Medium? But they do hint at her discovering answers to her past, though it's not clear whether that will be more sci-fi or just more supernatural. But give the trailer a look and decide if it's worth throwing some money at to see more. 

***** 

Here's a sci-fi entertainment podcast from Down Under.

Hosted by Sophie Lapin and Topher Willis, Go Pop provides a unique take on the latest sci-fi and pop culture topics that the SF audience and broader sci-fi fans are talking about. The show will go live every Friday afternoon. SF has commissioned ten shows.

“Go Pop is an evolution of the content available on the SF website and social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” said Peter Hudson, CEO of SF.

“Go Pop will promote discussion, interaction and connection for our SF audience online as Sophie and Topher present a fresh take on science fiction and the latest television, film, gaming and comics”, said Mr Hudson.

Go Pop can be viewed at www.sftv.com.au/GoPop [if you're in Australia] and www.youtube.com/sftvau [if you're not].

Or right here...

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Phoenix Picks is featuring a Nancy Kress book this month! I might just have to get that one myself! Nancy Kress’ AI Unbound: Two Stories of Artificial Intelligence can be had for the coupon code
9991976 through May 31st. Pop the code into Phoenix Picks' online catalog.

“Nancy Kress is the author of twenty-two novels and numerous short
stories. She is perhaps best known for the Sleepless trilogy that began
with Beggars in Spain. Her fiction has won four Nebulas, two Hugos, a
Sturgeon, and the 2003 John W. Campbell Award (for Probability Space)."

The second issue of Galaxy's Edge is out and includes Gregory Benford as a new regular columnist!

*****

Finally, who's the bigger sell-out? Zachary and Leonard for jumping in bed with Audi or me for posting it? But it IS amusing.

Sci-fi and fantasy plays, games, interviews and animation

I'm seeing more and more sci-fi plays. I think it's great. What follows is all over the map, but there should be something for everyone.

Live in or near Toronto? Here's another sci-fi play. It's running through June 2nd. Here's the synopsis I was given:

The show is called "Islands" and it is set in the year 2512. Humanity was almost wiped out by nuclear war a few hundred years earlier, but the civilization on this Island managed to survive. Over time they reached out and re-colonized and brought civilization back to the rest of the world. However, the Islanders have an oligarchy built on science and logic. So eventually they come into political and religious conflict with some of the people whom they've "reclaimed." This play examines the conflict between the two dueling factions, and the dynamic between the governed and the rulers.

Read character bios, expanded synopsis and a video about the concept of the show at www.draft89.com A little late, but here's a trailer for the Game of Thrones RPG.

And there's a fantasy play based on Ursula K Le Guin's Lathe of Heaven. You'll have to click on it to actually read it. If you don't have to, I wish I had your vision!

I'm sending a reviewer, so there's more to come. This is just your chance to save the date.

And swinging back to technology and special effects, here's a video with a producer of a stop-action film with lots of cool special effects where he says how he achieves the effects on the cheap. His last film won an award. Check it out.

And this just in from the Minister of Chance gang. Don't know about Minister of Chance? Then you haven't been a faithful SFOO reader. Pop Minister of Chance in the Google box to the right and you'll find tons of information about this fabulous sci-fi audio play.

We're delighted to say that thanks to your generosity in funding The Minister of Chance Episode 3 that we start recording on Monday at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. We're even more delighted to say that the fantastic Tamsin Greig will be joining the cast as the mysterious Sage of The Waves (yes, that's also Dan's Twitter name!). For more details please check out the new "News" page on the website. Oh and remember to buy loads of merchandise :)

And here's a little something for Leonard Nimoy fans. The Nerdist channel has a two part interview by Hero Complex.