Advertise on podcast: Tales From The Bridge

Welcome, Bridgertons (that's weird, let's workshop it) to this episode of the TFTB Book Club, wherein we discuss Kevin's latest pick: Exhalation by Ted Chiang. This collection of smart, high-concept short stories had something that appealed to each member of the Bridge Crew, with tales that The Guardian described as an "...expert balance of the emotional and the cerebral." But before that, you've likely noticed TFTB's glow-up, and we're happier than a Vulcan calculus class to welcome a special guest to the Bridge, artist/designer Eduardo Valdes!  We nerd-out with Ed about sci-fi art, his process and inspirations including comics legend Bill Sienkiewicz (see one of James' favourite pieces), Ken Kelly's amazing Micronauts package art, and the late movie poster maestro Drew Struzan.  We also take a look back at this cruel summer for a little "In Memoriam" segment as we bid adieu to the genre and entertainment greats that have left us recently: Sam Neill, Peter Cullen, Tim Curry, and Dolly Parton. (Yes, really.)  Stick around to the end of the episode for our next book review pick. Hold on to your butts, it's a good one.  Eduardo Valdes links: https://evaldes.weebly.com/ https://www.instagram.com/edvcreative/ Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! Check out our new and improved website: https://talesfromthebridge.com - and let us know what you think! Reach us on social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

OK Bridge gang... step into your stone circle, heat up your hot tub or rev your big British phone box to 88 mph and take a quantum leap with us as we slingshot around the sun back to season 3, episode 88 (!) for a TFTB Timewarp, originally published Dec. 23, 2023. In this episode we sat down with author Dennis E. Taylor to discuss his hit Bobiverse series, which has spawned sequels almost as fast as his von Neumann Probe of a character(s). Dennis shared his path to writing and publishing, his thoughts on how uploaded human consciousness and self-replication could be used to explore interstellar space - and the risks of cryogenically freezing (and editing) your brain!  It's a fun chat, so stick around until the end to hear Dennis and the Bridge Crew shamelessly try to ingratiate themselves to our imminent A.I. overlords... The Infinite Extent, the sixth installment in the Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor releases on September 10, 2026 — the tenth anniversary of the Bobiverse franchise!  Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! Reach us on social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

On this episode of TFTB Filmclub, our adventurous and possibly misguided film watchers climb into a very small box and take a look at **Oxygen**, the claustrophobic sci-fi thriller starring Mélanie Laurent. Trapped in a cryogenic unit with her oxygen supply rapidly running out, Liz has to figure out who she is, why she's there, and whether the mysterious voice on the other end of the line can actually help her. It's a film about survival, memory, identity, and the increasingly alarming consequences of waking up in the wrong place. Expect spoilers, existential panic, and a surprisingly good time. **Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast!** Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

Ray Nayler is back on the Bridge to talk about his latest novel, Palaces Of The Crow.  A Hugo and Locus Award winning author, Nayler can be reliably counted on to deliver something you haven’t read before. We dive into the novel and in typical fashion, our conversation goes where you least expect it. Kick back and enjoy the listen, you’re in for a treat.  Be sure to check out Ray’s website to preorder Palaces of the Crow, and to see what else he has going on: https://www.raynayler.net/ Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected] Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

Peter Watts is back on The Bridge, and he has a new short story collection coming in September. Check out Tachyon Publications for details on the pre-order.  Visit Peter's website Rifters.com Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

On this episode of TFTB Filmclub, our intrepid film watchers go back to the original Star Wars, A New Hope and see where it all began. Before the prequels, Rogue One, and Andor, and Disney.  If you're Gen X, this is where your childhood began, and you have friends everywhere. Enjoy! Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

In this episode of TFTB Bookclub, we're discussing Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey. It's the second installment in the Captives War series, brought to you by the creators of The Expanse. The world is expanding in this space opera, and we're happy to jump in.  Of course, we've got our Science Fiction-Science Fact segment for you, and we're looking at the latest in gene editing. That's good news for our Game of Thrones fans because they've decided to make Dire Wolves.  We'll also get into what else we're Reading and Watching, and be sure to stay until the end for our next Book of the Month; it's Kevin's pick, and he's a man of taste. Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

As we wrap up our 5th season on Tales From The Bridge we thought we’d share some interview highlights from the past year. We’ve got some fun moments here, and we hope you enjoy. We’ve included excerpts from our conversations with Chris Hadfield, Travis Baldree, Mike Carey, James Rollins, Tade Thompson, Neil Clarke, Hugh Howey, Claire North, Arkady Martine, and the legendary Joe Haldeman. We will have more science fiction (or ‘speculative fiction’ - if you must), authors joining us on the Bridge. We’ve also got more book and film reviews on the way.  Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

Should we have picked Mac & Me, or Mad Max for the letter M? Well, we didn't choose either. We chose Minority Report, the fast paced Spielberg thriller from 2002. We talk about how the film has aged, and how well Spielberg put this tiny masterpiece together. Be sure to stick around to find out Ryan's pick for the letter N! Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

On the latest Episode of TFTB Book Club we discuss Tade Thompson’s Rosewater. Our regular listeners will be up to date on his work as he joined us on the Bridge just last episode. In that interview we discussed his work and his process for getting words on paper. Aspiring authors take note! As always, Kevin has some cool Science Fiction – Science Fact for us, and we’re talking tractor beams. Well, it’s tractor beam adjacent, but still fascinating stuff. We also catch you up on what else we’re Reading and Watching, and we have plenty of cool recommendations for you, including an article about Andor's Tony Gilroy  being asked to avoid an "F" word. It's OK, he has friends everywhere.  We announce our next Book of the Month at the end of the episode. It’s Sam’s pick this month (you’re welcome), and he’s going with a new release that is getting plenty of hype. Any guesses? There are plenty of new books in the Science Fiction space right now, so there is plenty to choose from…  Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

You’re in for a treat as Tade Thompson joins us on the Bridge. Our regular listeners know that his novel Rosewater, part one of the Wormwood Trilogy, is our current book of the month. We touch on this series, accidental apocalypse (apologies!), his thoughts on A.I., lore-keepers (Who?), and... we learn Tade's earliest, amazing career ambition and the limits of responsibility, despite great power, in the face of an empty bank account. There was so much to discuss that we’re hoping to have him back for more. Tade is also the author of the Molly Southbourne series and Far From The Light of Heaven. His work has earned him the Arthur C Clarke Award, the Nommo Award, and the Prix Julia-Verlange.  Find out more here: https://rsliterature.org/fellows/tade-thompson/ Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

Tales From The Bridge is now 150 episodes old! From humble beginnings at the start of the pandemic when a local bookclub was forced to go online, to a titan of the Science Fiction literature world! Boldly going where no other sci-fi podcast has gone before… okay, maybe that’s a bridge too far, but it’s been a fun journey nonetheless. It’s been stellar for us (see what I did there?) and we want to thank all of our listeners for coming along for the ride.  Since our first episode, we’ve interviewed the some of the most popular authors in Sci-fi. We expanded into film and television, and chatted with stars and directors. We even had a real alien as a guest (you’ll never guess who. Okay, it’s Kevin). We’ve also covered some wild stories on our Science Fiction/Science Fact segment. From all of us at TFTB we are so grateful for your support, and as always, we love to hear from you. Here’s to another 150 and beyond!  Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

On the latest episode of TFTB, our film club hosts time travel way back to 2012 to rewatch Looper. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Looper brought an all star cast together that included Emily Blunt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Bruce Willis.  The concept was that contract Killers or “Loopers” could travel back in time and carry out hits for organized crime bosses in the future. Find out what our film clubbers had to say about it, and let us know what you think on our socials. Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

Every so often we’re able to bring an up-and-coming author on the show. P.A. Cornell is an award-winning speculative fiction author. In 2024, she became the first ever Chilean writer to be nominated for the Nebula Award for her story, Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont. Cornell joins us on the Bridge to chat about her latest book, Shoeshine Boy and Cigarette Girl. We also chat about what else she has in the pipeline, so be sure to keep an eye out. Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge

On this episode of TFTB we dive into a science fiction (science fantasy?) classic; A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Featured in the final season of Stranger Things, this beloved YA novel won the Newbery Medal, and was adapted into a 2018 feature film with a mega-cast. The book remains persistently relevant, with it's themes of good vs. evil, individualism vs. conformity, and innocence to experience.   On Science Fiction-Science Fact we look into the autonomous robots that are being developed for moon exploration. A research team from KAIST, the Unmanned Exploration Research Institute, KASI, KARI, and Hanyang University are up to some interesting things. Hopefully we won't make the same mistakes as Starfleet. Of course we’ll take a look at some of the other media we’re reading and watching. We’ve also got a very cool new book that we’re reading this month, so make sure to hang out until the end to find out. Check out the new TFTB website here: talesfromthebridge.com Let us know if there's a book or film that you want us to review on the podcast! You can always reach us on our social media or email us at [email protected]  Link tree https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebridge