LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE - Science Fiction and Fantasy Story Podcast (Sci-Fi | Audiobook | Short Stories) Catherynne M. Valente | A Hole to China
May 8, 2012
Stefan Rudnicki, award-winning audiobook narrator, performs Catherynne M. Valente’s fantastical tale. Tristram digs a hole to China and encounters a crow-headed watcher who gives emerald scissors. She travels a crystalline thoroughfare to fiery Ignis, meets a peacock guide and a weeping Ox, and must trade sorrow to free a paper-bound woman before emerging into misty China.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
The Garden Hatch Discovery
- Tristram digs in her garden at dusk and finds a hidden hatch watched by a crow-woman.
- She accepts emerald scissors as a toll and descends onto a crystalline thoroughfare toward Ignis.
Meeting the Historian Peacock
- Tristram meets Karoscuro, a black peacock historian who guides her through rules and lore of the road.
- Karoscuro offers travel, clothes, and a forged letter to help her reach Ignis and the Ox of Sorrows.
Bring A Convincing Introduction
- Prepare tangible credentials when entering guarded places; Karoscuro writes a persuasive letter of introduction for Tristram.
- Use narrative detail to capture the gatekeeper's obsession and secure passage.