Books

Review – Un Lun Dun – China Miéville

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Caleb Woodbridge reviews China Miéville‘s novel ‘Un Lun Dun’, winner of the 2008 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book:

The idea that the magical or fantastic may be lurking just around the corner is very appealing, and one that science fiction and fantasy uses frequently. A 1960s police telephone box is revealed as a time machine; the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 of King’s Cross Station turns out to be a gateway to a world of wizardry. The fantastic is all around us. In Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, there are two Londons: London Above, which we are familiar with, and the magical London Below. Un Lun Dun revisits the concept for a younger audience, with Zanna and Deeba finding their way into the abcity of UnLondon.
The story gets off to quite a slow start, and seems to follow some fairly well-worn fantasy tropes. As Zanna and Deeba enter UnLondon, they discover that Zanna is the “Shwazzy” (from the French “choisi”, chosen). She is the Chosen One prophesied to save London from the Smog. However, all does not go to plan, and the reliability of the prophecies quickly goes out the window. This leaves the characters free to go trampling over the clichés and conventions of the fantasy genre. Deeba refuses to stick to her role of “comedy sidekick” to Zanna, and determinedly breaks the rules of the quest in a desperate attempt to save London and UnLondon alike.
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YA Books Discussion: ‘Chaos Walking’ and ‘Mortal Engines’

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The Knife of Never Letting Go coverThe Ask and the Answer coverMonsters of Men book coverA Web of Air book cover

The podcast takes a literary turn as we discuss the latest in young adult literature, in particular Patrick Ness‘s award winning Chaos Walking trilogy, and A Web of Air, Philip Reeve‘s second prequel to Mortal Engines. For the first time, we’re joined by our friend Claire Fayers, writer and children’s literature aficionado extraordinaire!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:37 — 12.2MB)

Note: Apologies for the sound quality – we recorded this podcast over lunch in a café, and there was a fair bit of background noise, which we’ve done our best to remove in editing!

Big Finish Special – Doctor Who Short Trips – ‘Indefinable Magic’

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From the Fifth Crusade to the new Star Trek movie, our new podcast is every bit as varied as its subject matter – the new Short Trips collection from Big Finish, featuring a story by our very own Caleb Woodbridge!

We discuss the pros and cons of short fiction, the relationship between the spin-off material and the parent show and, best of all, launch a new competition, giving you the chance to win a copy of the book.

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question: In which Century is Caleb’s story, ‘Blessed Are The Peacemakers’, set? E-mail your answer to impossiblepodcast@googlemail.com by Tuesday 14th July.

You can buy the whole catalogue of Short Trips collections, along with a host of other great fiction, at the official Big Finish website.

This edition’s podcasters: Caleb, James and Swithun

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:58 — 15.1MB)

Big Finish Special – ‘How The Doctor Changed My Life’

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Join us for a very special edition of A Podcast Of Impossible Things, as we celebrate the latest short story anthology from Big Finish – Short Trips: How The Doctor Changed My Life, featuring our very own Caleb Woodbridge!

We have lots of interviews, including Michael Coen, overall winner of the competition, the full text of which can be read here, along with contributions from many of the other writers. We also speak to editor Simon Guerrier about the unique way in which the anthology was created, as well as his own ascent from the slush pile to publication. Plus, Doctor Who writer Robert Shearman chats to us about his own new short story collection, Tiny Deaths.

And as if that wasn’t enough, we launch our very first competition, with three copies of How The Doctor Changed My Life up for grabs. All you need to do is answer the following question: Where was Caleb working when he got the idea for The Shopping Trolleys of Doom?, the answer to which is in the podcast! The closing date is 25th October, after which we’ll pick the three winners at random. To enter, email your answer to impossiblepodcast@gmail.com. The competition is now closed.

We’ve also made the local press! The South Wales Echo ran a story on How The Doctor Changed My Life, including a mention of the podcast, though it must be pointed out that contrary to the description given, it’s not just Caleb’s podcast!

This edition’s commentators: Caleb, James, Peter and Swithun

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:25 — 8.8MB)

Big Finish: [Click Here]
Buy How The Doctor Changed My Life: [Big Finish] [Amazon]
Buy Tiny Deaths: [Click Here]