Ep 117 "You’ve Loved Sci-Fi ALL ALONG!" Intro to Science Fiction and Red Rising Deep Dive Series!

Send us Fan MailWhat the heck is science fiction and how is it different (or suspiciously similar 🤔) to fantasy? We’re here to tell you! On today’s episode we’ll be setting the scene for our newest bonus series covering Red Rising by Pierce Brown, starting this Friday with our deep dive into book one! We’ve covered dystopian themes with our exploration of The Hunger Games universe by Suzanne Collins, then moved on to ask the question: “Are books political?” with our deep dive coverage of everything Wicked by Gregory Maguire. So now, building from those two very important contributions to the canon, we decided to take the plunge into this world of science fiction with the series you’ve all been begging us to cover since the beginning: Red Rising. But, we were apprehensive. The story begins centered around a sixteen year old boy, which as women nearing forty we were skeptical of. The books are written by a man and presumably through and for the male gaze. And… do we even like sci-fi? As lovers of all things magical and fantastical, is fiction based in science actually something we’ll enjoy, or even understand? We’re here to debunk everything you thought you knew about sci-fi from the perspective of two millennial women who were told our entire young lives (and sometimes still!) that math and science were just too hard for our lady brains. And here’s the thing… we think that because of societal conditioning and the prevalence of men within the genre (and systematically gatekeeping it for others throughout history) we’ve been taught to gravitate toward fantasy instead, avoid science fiction for the wrong reasons, or convince ourselves we “don’t like it” even though the objective evidence proves otherwise. So, let us guide you! We’ll explain what science fiction is, who got to decide that, and how the genre has evolved to produce amazing works with feminist themes, characters, and messaging. But just like the Romantasy debate has us pondering questions about categorization, so does Feminist Sci-Fi, because shouldn’t both of those genres be for everyone? Why are we always so quick to label things differently when they’re “for women?” What are the pros and cons of doing this? We hope this sets you up for success moving into Red Rising, and encourages you to dive into the genre if before you were afraid. Because at the end of the day, it’s all just made up anyway. 😉We bring you all of this plus our fave and fail and smash or pass sci fi edition! Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.comCheck out these narrator interviews? ⬇️Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJCheck out these author interviews? ⬇️Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKbWe interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNENikki St. Crowe, the queen of spicy fairy tale retellings chats with us about diving into the land of Oz with West of Wicked! https://youtu.be/wwFYSDKcbtE?si=X6iNmUVAE6Xhmv7B____Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:Ashley is wearing our Sword of the Ugly Truth Cropped Tee Merch | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.comLiz is wearing: A discontinued REYLO tee.Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!Liz: Mention Sources:-Brittanica.com-panmacmillan.com -fantasybookcafe.com-awriterofhistory.com-theguardian.com-booksofbrilliance.com-digi-con.org-medium.comSupport the showYouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix