SFF Addicts

Ep. 85: Ken Liu talks The Dandelion Dynasty, Modernity, Symbolism & More

Jan 2, 2024

01:03:58

Creator website

Episode guests

Ken Liu

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Highlights

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Write what you love and the rest will fall into place.

Photography's impact on portrait painters in the 19th century is often misunderstood; it actually benefited painters and had a greater impact on engravers and printmakers.

Deep dives

Writing Advice: Do the thing that's most exciting to you

The most useful piece of writing advice I can give is to do the thing that's most exciting to you. Chase your passions and explore the ideas that excite you the most. Don't worry about what will sell or what is marketable. Write what you love and the rest will fall into place.

Misconceptions in Teaching Literature

01:22

Insights from a Career in Technology and Litigation

01:15

Impact of colonialism on language and modernity

01:24

Introduction

3min

An Introduction to Ken Liu's Writing and Works

2min

Length of the Books and Genre Blend

21min

Character Progression, World-Building, and Modernity

4min

Translated Modernity and Language

7min

Exploring Alternative Technology Futures

8min

The Potency and Mutability of the Symbol of Frankenstein

6min

The Beauty and Fear of Reader Interpretation

14min

Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they chat with award-winning, bestselling author Ken Liu about his epic fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, the works of Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin, writing and persistence, how technology plays into our lives, writing short stories vs. novels, the relationship between history, modernity and language, how symbolism plays into the creative process, Frankenstein, photography and much more.

NOTE: This is part one of a two-part chat with Ken. Stayed tuned next week for his mini-masterclass on Tech-Fi & Technology As Story.

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ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Ken Liu is the award-winning, bestselling author of The Dandelion Dynasty epic fantasy quartet, along with the short story collections The Paper Menagerie & Other Stories and The Hidden Girl & Other Stories. His latest novel is Speaking Bones, the final book in The Dandelion Dynasty.

Find Ken on Twitter, ⁠⁠Amazon, Substack⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠his personal website⁠⁠.

ABOUT OUR HOSTS:

Adrian M. Gibson is a podcaster, writer and illustrator. His debut novel, Mushroom Blues, is releasing in spring 2024.

Find Adrian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠his personal website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

M.J. Kuhn is the author of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Among Thieves⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, her debut novel, and its sequel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thick as Thieves⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Find M.J. on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠her personal website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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MUSIC:

Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Into The Grid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by MellauSFX