I have joyous news. One of my favorite podcasts is back in action. Yes, there is a new episode of SF Crossing the Gulf. And in this Karen Burnham and Karen Lord talk about Gene Wolfe.

Well, to be precise, they talk about The Shadow of the Torturer, which is merely the first volume in the first series of Wolfe’s magnus opus. And they only have an hour or so of podcast in which to talk. All of which means that they hardly scratch the surface of the complex edifice that Wolfe is building. This does not detract from the interest of the episode. Indeed, it is a positive delight to hear someone as smart as Karen L. discovering Wolfe for the first time (because, you know, no one can have read everything).

I note also that the next episode will be devoted to Derryl Murphy’s novel, Napier’s Bones (which Karen L. describes as “math-fi”). This is a book that I have been wanting to read for some time, but have never found the time for. I look forward to hearing what Karen and Karen make of it. Should you want to read along with them, ebook copies are available in the bookstore.