Best Robin Shantz Podcasts (2024)

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Ep 54 - Kelly Robson's Top 10 4:21

3+ y ago4:21

4:21

This is it: the final episode of the special bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3! I hope you've enjoyed hearing these mini interviews with some of our previous guests over the past few months as we've shuffled through the strange days of the pandemic. I'm going to be taking a little break, but stay tuned for a regular season of full-length episo…

1
Ep 53 - Joe Haldeman's Favourites 10:53

3+ y ago10:53

10:53

It's been a while, but now that my B.Ed program has wrapped up, Invaders From Planet 3 is back on the air! (Congratulations to all of my fellow rookie teachers from the UBC B.Ed program of 2020!) We're down the second-last episode of the show's bonus season, and this time, I've unearthed a mini interview I did with author Joe Haldeman a few years a…

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Ep 52 - Sebastien de Castell's Top 5 7:47

4y ago7:47

7:47

We're counting down towards the end of our special bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3 with just three mini episodes to go — this time with the return of author Sebastien de Castell! An extensive search of the archives in the Lair of bloginhood (currently located beneath a concession stand in an abandoned Japanese theme park) has yielded a previ…

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Ep 51 - Kristi Charish's Top 5 8:23

4y ago8:23

8:23

It's been a while, but we're back! The Invaders From Planet 3 bonus season continues with the return of author Kristi Charish! In this previously-unaired mini interview, Kristi shares her list of her Top 5 favourite speculative fiction movies. Keep in mind, it's been a couple of years since we had this conversation, so Kristi's favourites may have …

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Ep 50 - Robert Charles Wilson's Top 5 3:16

4y ago3:16

3:16

Author Robert Charles Wilson returns to the show as our bonus season continues! I've recovered a previously-unaired mini interview with Bob that was lying around in the archives of the Lair of bloginhood (currently located aboard a houseboat adrift on a methane lake on Saturn's moon Titan). In it, he shares his Top 5 list of his favourite speculati…

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Ep 49 - Minister Faust's Top 5 11:35

4y ago11:35

11:35

It's a pretty terrible weekend with all that's going on in the world, but I've given it a lot of thought, and I think it's valid that the bonus season continue. The people who make the speculative fiction stories we love show us new perspectives, through their own work, as well as when they share their recommendations for stories by others. It seem…

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Ep 48 - Alyx Dellamonica's Top 5 6:00

4y ago6:00

6:00

The bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3 continues, this time with the return of author Alyx Dellamonica! My excavations of the archives in the Lair of bloginhood (currently located in a porch swing converted to a blanket fort, somewhere in Waterloo) have uncovered a previously-unaired mini interview with Alyx, where she shares her Top 5 list (an…

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Ep 47 - David Nickle's Top 5 2:34

4y ago2:34

2:34

Author David Nickle returns to Invaders From Planet 3 as our bonus season continues! I've recently returned from an expedition into the vaults beneath the Lair of bloginhood (finally able to cautiously skip across dimensions to its new current location beneath the ruins of an old cannery pier in the Fraser River near Steveston), where I've uncovere…

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Ep 46 - Matt Ruff's Top 5 4:29

4y ago4:29

4:29

Our special bonus season of the show continues! Even though the coronavirus restrictions are slowly starting to ease in some places, life still isn't back to normal, and the lockdown continues for some people, so I'm continuing to post mini episodes. This time, I've combed through the archives in the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a…

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Ep 45 - Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Top 5 2:47

4y ago2:47

2:47

The bonus season of the Invaders From Planet 3 podcast continues with another mini episode. This time, I've returned from the vaults deep beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules preve…

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Ep 44 - John Jantunen's Top 5 2:40

4y ago2:40

2:40

After a two-week hiatus, the bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3 is back! Miss me? Probably not — you were probably too busy 3-D printing your own custom-made set of The Starlost action figures. But we're back anyway! This time, I've returned from the vaults deep beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half…

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Ep 43 - Melinda Snodgrass' Top 5 2:25

4y ago2:25

2:25

Our special bonus season of the Invaders From Planet 3 podcast continues, this time with author Melinda Snodgrass as our guest. I've journeyed deep into the catacombs beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social di…

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Ep 42 - Robert J Sawyer's Top 5 7:09

4y ago7:09

7:09

It's time for another episode of the bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3! This time, I've uncovered an interview with author Robert J. Sawyer in the stockpile of previously-unaired extra audio buried deep in the vaults beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in yo…

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Ep 41 - Alex Renwick's Top 5 2:38

4y ago2:38

2:38

Another deep dive into the vaults beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) has yielded more buried treasure for our bon…

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Ep 40 - Claude Lalumiere's Top 5 4:18

4y ago4:18

4:18

Once again I've been digging through the Invaders From Planet 3 archives deep beneath the lowest cellars of the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space…

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Ep 39 - Bonus Season - The Top 5 of Kit Reed 5:49

4y ago5:49

5:49

It's the springtime of coronavirus and everyone's got the quarantine doldrums. What to do? I recently recalled that I've got a bunch of unused interview material that I've been sitting on for a couple of years, buried deep in the archives here in the Lair of bloginhood (currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping …

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Ep 38 - Naomi Novik 42:04

4y ago42:04

42:04

Author Naomi Novik joins us for the season 4 finale of Invaders From Planet 3! Naomi tells us how her love of fantasy and science fiction was born when her mother read Polish fairy tales to her, such as Agnieszka "Piece of the Sky". At the same time, her parents were reading the Disney picture book version of Peter Pan to her, along with Tolkien's …

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Ep 37 - Dublin Worldcon Voice of the Fans 3 45:41

4y ago45:41

45:41

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, it's this season's third and final Voice of the Fans episode, recorded at the 2019 Worldcon in Dublin, Ireland! The quartet of commentators in this episode includes: Author Daniel Bensen www.thekingdomsofevil.com Reviewer Carien Ubink www.mcpigpearls.blogspot.com Academic and author Dr. Tiffani Angus www.tiffani-…

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Ep 36 - Walter Jon Williams 46:51

4y ago46:51

46:51

By Robin Shantz - www.bloginhood.com

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Ep 35 - Diane Walton 41:43

4+ y ago41:43

41:43

By Robin Shantz - www.bloginhood.com

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Ep 34 - Dublin Worldcon Voice of the Fans 2 32:25

4+ y ago32:25

32:25

By Robin Shantz - www.bloginhood.com

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Ep 33 - Cory Doctorow 57:48

4+ y ago57:48

57:48

Author, editor, blogger and activist Cory Doctor joins us for this episode. Cory shares his thoughts on speculative fiction that made an impression on him at an early age, including Doctor Who — and specifically, TV Ontario's presentation of Doctor Who episodes along with introductions by sf legend Judith Merril (who, along with Tanya Huff, would l…

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Ep 32 - War of the Worlds - Reports from the Frontlines 9:46

4+ y ago9:46

9:46

I'm doing something a bit different in this episode: instead of the usual interviews with authors, editors, performers, artists, fans and others, I'm posting a short radio play I've put together with some friends. Why? As some of you know, I'm currently taking a Bachelor of Education degree, and one of my course assignments is to write something an…

1
Ep 31 - Dublin Worldcon Voice of the Fans 1 32:50

4+ y ago32:50

32:50

Season 4 of Invaders From Planet 3 launches with an all-new "Voice of the Fans" episode, recorded at the Dublin Worldcon this summer. In fact, there were so many fans who came out to share their stories about their first loves in science fiction, fantasy, comics and all points in between, that I had to expand it to three "Voice of the Fans" episode…

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Ep 30 - Minister Faust Returns 1:34:35

5y ago1:34:35

1:34:35

Author and podcaster Minister Faust returns to lead the Invasion once again in the season 3 finale of Invaders From Planet 3! We talk about The Coyote Kings vs. the Myconauts of Plutonium City — his new, serialized novel — and his plans to unite all of his stories within the single, overarching MFU (the Minister Faust Universe). As part of this, we…

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Ep 29 - Dan Schoening 22:49

5y ago22:49

22:49

Comic book artist Dan Schoening joins us for this episode of the Invasion. Dan talks about some of his genre first loves that influenced his decision to become an artist, including the 1980s video game Dragon's Lair, Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and various Saturday morning cartoons. He discusses how he initially studied animation before turning t…

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Ep 28 - Farewell to the Herald of the Invasion, Mike Cleaver 5:53

5y ago5:53

5:53

Sad news: Mike Cleaver, a veteran broadcaster and the man who provided the opening voiceover for the Invaders From Planet 3 podcast — becoming the herald for our Invasion — died on Sunday, February 10, 2019. In this episode, we pay tribute to a good friend.By Robin Shantz - www.bloginhood.com

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Ep 27 - Nalo Hopkinson 1:01:22

5+ y ago1:01:22

1:01:22

Author, editor and professor Nalo Hopkinson joins us for our first episode of 2019. Nalo talks about her first loves in speculative fiction, including Harlan Ellison's "Shattered Like a Glass Goblin", Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain, and Kurt Vonnegut's "Welcome to the Monkey House". And she shares what it was like having the freedom to rea…

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Ep 26 - Charles Stross 28:17

5+ y ago28:17

28:17

In this episode, we're joined by author Charles Stross who talks about discovering his love of sf when he was 5 and started reading Andre Norton's books at his local library. By the time he was 15, he'd read everything in the genre. Charlie also reflects on how growing up in Britain of the 1970s — a place he describes as a "malfunctioning society" …

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Ep 25 - Matthew Hughes 1:09:23

5+ y ago1:09:23

1:09:23

We're joined by author and editor Matthew Hughes in this episode. Matt talks about his first love in sf: Jack Vance's "The Dragon Masters", as well as Galactic Derelict by Andre Norton, along with his discovery of Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury and AE van Vogt. He also discusses some of the historical fiction novelists who influenced him, such as Geoff…

1
Ep 24 - James Alan Gardner 59:24

5+ y ago59:24

59:24

Author, editor and kung-fu mathematician James Alan Gardner joins us in the latest episode of the podcast! Jim starts off by talking about how comics were his first speculative fictional love, especially Marvel's The Avengers and DC's Crisis on Earth One! and Crisis on Earth Two!, leading eventually to science fiction like Heinlein's juveniles, and…

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Ep 23 - Mark Barrowcliffe 1:30:08

5+ y ago1:30:08

1:30:08

Author Mark Barrowcliffe (also known under his pen names MD Lachlan and Mark Alder) joins us in this episode. Mark tells us about his first loves in sf, including Alan Garner, Ursula K Le Guin's Earthsea series, Tolkien, Moorcock, and Andre Norton. He talks about his enjoyment of Tolkien and Garner injecting mythology into their fantasy, and Moorco…

1
Ep 22 - Sean Cullen 58:28

5+ y ago58:28

58:28

Comedian, author, podcaster and performer Sean Cullen joins the Invasion for this episode. Sean talks about how his love for speculative fiction started with works such as Tolkien's The Hobbit, Mr Bass's Planetoid by Eleanor Cameron, Stephen R Donaldson's Lord Foul's Bane, and Asimov's Foundation and Robot stories. We discuss the ups and downs of f…

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Ep 21 - Chris Beckett 41:48

5+ y ago41:48

41:48

Author Chris Beckett joins us in this episode, where he talks about his first loves in sf, including Heinlein's Starman Jones, CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and CM Kornbluth. He describes the importance of being able to explore his father's book collection and coming from a family with a scientific bac…

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Ep 20 - Voice of the Fans 2 17:31

5+ y ago17:31

17:31

The Invasion has resumed! Season three of the Invaders From Planet 3 podcast kicks off with a new Voice of the Fans episode, where I interview a group of fans about their first loves in science fiction, fantasy, video games, comics, movies, TV — whatever! My guests include Ryneld Starr, Sarah Corbeil, Jose Palacios, and Sam McCreath. Our interviews…

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Ep 19 - Spider Robinson 27:07

6+ y ago27:07

27:07

For the final episode of season 2 of Invaders From Planet 3 (posted on the final day of 2017) we're joined by author, editor, columnist, podcaster and musician Spider Robinson. As we jump into our conversation, already in progress, Spider shares his thoughts about the loss of his wife and sometime collaborator, Jean; the passing of his daughter; an…

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Ep 18 - John Jantunen 1:06:12

6+ y ago1:06:12

1:06:12

We're joined by author John Jantunen in this episode. John starts off by telling us about his early influences, including David Gerrold's War Against the Chtorr series, Stephen King, old Hammer horror vampire films starring Peter Cushing, and post-apocalyptic movies like The Road Warrior, Escape from New York, A Boy and His Dog, The Quiet Earth, an…

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Ep 17 - Alyx Dellamonica 37:20

6+ y ago37:20

37:20

Author Alyx Dellamonica joins us in this episode of the podcast. She tells us about her first loves in the genre, including Spider-Man comics, Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man. We'll also talk about how she grew up in a home where, from a very young age, she was free to read anything, from children's boo…

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Ep 16 - Kelly Robson 48:47

6+ y ago48:47

48:47

In this episode, we're joined by author Kelly Robson. We talk about her first love in the genre, Star Wars — how it was big, exciting and sexy, but also an escape from family drama at home; and what it's like to look back on the movie now as an adult and a professional speculative fiction writer. We talk about other early sf pleasures, like the ori…

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Ep 15 - David Nickle 31:40

6+ y ago31:40

31:40

Author and editor David Nickle joins us for this episode. He tells us about works of speculative fiction that influenced him early on, including the TV series Lost in Space (and what it has in common with Larry Niven's Ringworld), Lester del Rey's novel The Runaway Robot, and the stories of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Richard Math…

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Ep 14 - Silvia Moreno-Garcia 32:59

7y ago32:59

32:59

In this episode, we're joined by author and editor Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She tells us how HP Lovecraft and Peter S Beagle were among the English language authors who made an early impression on her. Silvia then goes on to discuss what it was like coming back to Lovecraft while doing thesis work, analyzing the attitudes towards race and sex in his s…

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Ep 13 - Matt Ruff 39:50

7y ago39:50

39:50

Author Matt Ruff joins us in this episode, where he talks about how books like Bertrand R. Brinley's The Mad Scientists' Club made him fall in love with scientific thinking and science fictional ideas. He also tells us how being given a box of Robert A. Heinlein's adult books at the age of 9 got him thinking critically about stories, and how they c…

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Ep 12 - Robert Charles Wilson 39:16

7y ago39:16

39:16

In this episode, we're joined by author Robert Charles Wilson, who tells us about how he fell in love with speculative fiction — including stories such as Louis Slobodkin's The Space Ship Under the Apple Tree, the Mushroom Planet books by Eleanor Cameron, and Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time — as soon as he learned to read. We'll learn how sf'…

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Ep 11 - Sebastien de Castell 1:30:23

7y ago1:30:23

1:30:23

Sebastien de Castell, author of the Greatcoats fantasy series, joins us in this episode. We talk about how his love of fantasy started with CS Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the importance of the story to him at a time when he was dealing with one of the toughest experiences a child can face. As well, he shares his thoughts about …

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Ep 10 - Voice of the Fans 19:43

7y ago19:43

19:43

The invasion resumes! In this episode, bridging season 1 and 2, we hear from a group of fans about their first loves in science fiction and fantasy. Our guests include the owners of Vancouver's White Dwarf science fiction bookstore, Jill Sanagan and Walter Sinclair; Vancouver film critic Thor Diakow; and fans-about-town Geordie Howe and Brandon Won…

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Ep 09 - Minister Faust 1:02:45

8y ago1:02:45

1:02:45

In this episode, we're joined by author, podcaster, and video game dialogue & plot writer Minister Faust. Minister tells us how his love of speculative fiction started with the original Star Trek series and Robert A. Heinlein's Red Planet. We also talk about Frank Herbert's Dune as one of his early influences, along with the merits and faults of th…

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Ep 08 - Kit Reed 47:18

8y ago47:18

47:18

In this episode, we're joined by author Kit Reed, who tells us how the Oz books — the ones penned by Ruth Plumly Thompson, rather than the originals by L. Frank Baum — were her gateway to speculative fiction. She'll talk about other early influences, like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ray Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, and John Collier, and how her reading co…

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Ep 07 - Joe Haldeman 36:55

8y ago36:55

36:55

In this episode, we'll chat with author Joe Haldeman. We're also joined by Joe's wife, Gay — and the resident murder of crows at the hotel hosting the convention. Joe shares some of his early sf favourites with us, including Lester del Rey's Rocket Jockey, Robert A Heinlein's Red Planet, and the TV series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. He talks about me…

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Ep 06 - Kristi Charish 39:47

8y ago39:47

39:47

In this episode, we're joined by author, podcaster and scientist Kristi Charish, who tells us about how important the Indiana Jones movies were to her as a young fan — especially The Temple of Doom — and why they still resonate so powerfully in pop culture and sf. She'll talk about reading Heinlein and Asimov, and some of her favourite Marvel Comic…

1
Ep 05 - Melinda Snodgrass 30:05

8y ago30:05

30:05

Author and editor Melinda Snodgrass joins us in this episode, telling us how she began her journey into speculative fiction with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. She'll talk about how Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom books, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Heinlein's juveniles were important to her as a smart kid who wanted adventure and escapism, why she…

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