The Functional Nerds Podcast The Functional Nerds

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Tim Akers, author of The Eccentrics.

About The Eccentrics: Led by the eighth incarnation of Nikola Tesla, the Society of Eccentric Geniuses protects the Mundane world from the horrors of the Gestalt, a timeline of the future that never was. Powered by SCIENCE and steam, the Eccentrics travel the world in their airship, righting wrongs and rescuing troubled suitors, mad scientists, and optimistic engineers, often from monsters of their own creation. But now something new threatens the Gestalt, and they need help from John Rast and the heroes of Knight Watch. Will John be able to navigate a world of clockwork and science to save the day? Or will he fall into the clutches of a madman bent on remaking both the Gestalt and the Unreal in his own image?

About Tim Akers: Tim Akers was born in deeply rural North Carolina, the only son of a theologian, and the last in a long line of telephony princes, tourist attraction barons, and gruff Scottish bankers. He moved to Chicago for college, and stayed to pursue his lifelong obsession with apocalyptic winters. He lives (nay, flourishes) with his brilliant, tolerant, loving wife. He splits his time between pewter miniatures and fountain pens.

This week’s picks:



* Tim: FREEBLADES (Game)

* Tracy: Butter Docs

* Patrick: Files of the Unexplained (Netflix)



Links:



* Tim Akers on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Patrick Hester on the network formerly known as Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page



© 2024 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Charlie Huston, author of CATCHPENNY.

About CATCHPENNY: Sidney Catchpenny has had a bad run. Laid low by a years-long bout of debilitating depression, he’s all but squandered his reputation as one of the most uniquely talented thieves in LA. There aren’t many who can do what Sid does. He’s a sly, a special kind of crook with the uncanny ability to move through mirrors. And the spoils he’s after are equally unusual. Forget jewels and cold cash—Sid steals curiosities—items imbued with powerful mojo, a magical essence gleaned from the accumulated emotion that seeps into interesting, though often banal objects. That spot on the carpet where your old dog used to lay at your feet? The passed-down family heirloom nobody wants but everybody refuses to throw away? These curiosities are full of mojo, which is both the currency of the criminal underground and the secret source of magic in the world.

When a friend from Sid’s past comes looking for his help with an important client, and the chance to pay off old debts presents itself, Sid seizes the opportunity … as best he can. But the case he stumbles into is more complicated than it seems, and it portends a seismic shift in the world, one that will leave no one untouched. As the fog of his depression begins to lift, Sid sees connections everywhere he looks, and the once disparate threads of the case—a missing teenage girl, an entire bedroom saturated with mojo, and Sid’s own long-dead wife—begin to coalesce.

About Charlie Huston: Charlie Huston writes novels, movies and TV, sometimes comic books and recently a scripted original podcast. 12 of his novels have been published and a new one called CATCHPENNY will be out on April 9. He’s currently writing a screenplay adaptation of his first book, CAUGHT STEALING, for an upcoming movie directed by Darren Aronofsy and starring Austin Butler. He’s recently completed a spec TV pilot called ARCADIA for Tomorrow Studios. His daughter calls it HOT CRIMINAL ISLAND, which is super on the nose. His original scripted podcast about haunted cassette tapes is being developed with Atomic Monster for Audible.

This week’s picks:



* Charlie: Liquid Sky

* Tracy: Dune Part 2

* Patrick: Star Trek:Discovery S5 (Paramount+)



Links:



* Charlie Huston’s Website

* Tracy Townsend on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Patrick Hester on the network formerly known as Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page



© 2024 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Madeleine Roux, author of What If…Loki Was Worthy?.

About What If…Loki Was Worthy?: Thor—Son of Odin, God of Thunder, Wielder of Mjolnir—is dead. And Loki is responsible.

It was meant to be only a joke—tampering with the Destroyer, changing Thor’s course to Midgard—a bit of mischief with a chance of maiming. But Loki’s harmless prank spiraled out of control, unleashing death and destruction on New York City and the heroes sworn to protect it. The city was saved, at the cost of Thor’s life.

Furious and heartbroken, the All-Father banishes Loki to Earth for his crime. Loki finds himself in a realm of boxed wine, instant noodles, and some sort of regional performance troupe known as the “Buffalo Bills.” It’s a meager existence, far from Asgard’s grand courts, but he finds his new friend, Brian the Gecko, a much more engaging companion than the sycophants back home. It’s a true meeting of the minds.

Loki is the God of Mischief—but he knows, deep down, that he never truly deserved to stand next to their father’s golden child, Thor, as two true sons of Odin. Yet he cannot endure his exile in peaceful isolation. A Valkyrie—Hel-bent on carrying out her oath to Thor—barges into Loki’s trailer home with his brother’s final words from the beyond: a plea to find a certain Dr. Jane Foster and pass the hammer Mjolnir on to its rightful heir.

While Loki struggles to fulfil his brother’s last request, the far-reaching consequences of his fatal prank return to haunt him. Blinded by grief over those he lost in the chaos wrought by Asgard, Iron Man vows revenge on those who consider themselves gods. Determined to protect Earth from the might of this unpredictable alien power, Stark forges Asgard’s own weaponry into a lethal suit of armor, set on eradicating any tether between their worlds—consequences be damned. When Asgard looks to Loki for salvation, he must answer the question: Am I truly worthy?

About Madeleine Roux: MADELEINE ROUX is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Asylum series, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. She is also the author of the House of Furies series, and several titles for adults, including Salvaged and Reclaimed. She has made contributions to Star Wars, World of Warcraft, and Dungeons & Dragons. Madeleine lives in Seattle, Washington with her partner and beloved pups.

This week’s picks:



* Madeleine: Shogun (FX)

* Tracy: Cadbury Reese’s Egg

* Patrick: Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War (Netflix)



SPECIAL NOTE AND LINK:

Locus – The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field – is holding their annual fundraising drive to keep their doors open, lights on, and future bright. Please consider supporting Locus through their annual fundraiser. It runs March 5th through April 5th. Explore the campaign and wonderful reward tiers at: ...

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Chris Radcliff, who backed the Uncanny Magazine Year 10: A Decade of Delightful Defiance Kickstarter at the THIRD NERD level!

About Chris Radcliff: Software engineer, space nerd, citizen scientist, geek dad, weird kid, and Uncanny Magazine Kickstarter backer!

Mentioned in this episode:



* Upstart Crow

* SpaceUp

* Unconference



About Uncanny Magazine Year 10: A Decade of Delightful Defiance Kickstarter: Funding to support Year 10 of Hugo Award winning Uncanny Magazine!

This week’s picks:



* Chris: Tantie Merle and the Farmbot 4200 in Uncanny

* Tracy: AEW

* Patrick: Shogun (Hulu)



SPECIAL NOTE AND LINK:

Locus – The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field – is holding their annual fundraising drive to keep their doors open, lights on, and future bright. Please consider supporting Locus through their annual fundraiser. It runs March 5th through April 5th. Explore the campaign and wonderful reward tiers at: igg.me/at/locusmag2024

Links:



* Chris Radcliff on Mastodon

* Tracy Townsend on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Patrick Hester on the network formerly known as Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page



© 2024 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy are chatting about a Publisher’s Weekly article on Brandon Sanderson’s Audible announcement. This leads us down the path of talking royalty splits, agents and the publishing ecosystem, as well as the difference between a guild and a union, SFWA, RWA and more.

This week’s picks:



* Tracy: GreenLight: Debit Card for Kids and Teens (App)

* Patrick: The Greatest Night In Pop (Netflix)



SPECIAL NOTE AND LINK:

Locus – The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field – is holding their annual fundraising drive to keep their doors open, lights on, and future bright. Please consider supporting Locus through their annual fundraiser. It runs March 5th through April 5th. Explore the campaign and wonderful reward tiers at: igg.me/at/locusmag2024

Links:



* Tracy Townsend on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Patrick Hester on the network formerly known as Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page



© 2024 Patrick Hester

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome James Goodhand, author of The Day Tripper.

About The Day Tripper: The right guy, the right place, the wrong time.

It’s 1995, and Alex Dean has it all: a spot at Cambridge University next year, the love of an amazing woman named Holly and all the time in the world ahead of him. That is until a brutal encounter with a ghost from his past sees him beaten, battered and almost drowning in the Thames.

He wakes the next day to find he’s in a messy, derelict room he’s never seen before, in grimy clothes he doesn’t recognize, with no idea of how he got there. A glimpse in the mirror tells him he’s older—much older—and has been living a hard life, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it’s 2010—fifteen years since the fight.

After finally drifting off to sleep, Alex wakes the following morning to find it’s now 2019, another nine years later. But the next day, it’s 1999. Never knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after that fateful night by the river.

But what exactly is going on? Why does his life look nothing like he thought it would? What about Cambridge, and Holly? In this page-turning adventure, Alex must navigate his way through the years to learn that small actions have untold impact. And that might be all he needs to save the people he loves and, equally importantly, himself.

About James Goodhand: James Goodhand has written two YA novels. His YA debut, Last Lesson, was called “a powerfully charged study in empathy,” by the Financial Times. The Day Tripper is his adult debut. He lives in Englad with his wife and young son.

This week’s picks:



* James #1: Time Shelter: A Novel by Georgi Gospodinov

* James #2: One Day (Netflix)

* Tracy: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

* Patrick: In Search Of… With Leonard Nimoy (The Complete Series)



SPECIAL NOTE AND LINK:

Locus – The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field – is holding their annual fundraising drive to keep their doors open, lights on, and future bright. Please consider supporting Locus through their annual fundraiser. It runs March 5th through April 5th. Explore the campaign and wonderful reward tiers at: igg.me/at/locusmag2024

Links:



* James Goodhand on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Tracy Townsend on the network formerly known as Twitter

* Patrick Hester on the network formerly known as Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Pagebr /...