The Functional Nerds Podcast

In episode 363 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with prolific author George Beahm about his new book – The Military Science of Star Wars. About The Military Science of Star Wars: George Beahm, a former U.S. Army major, draws on his experience to discuss the military science of the sprawling Star Wars universe: its personnel, weapons, technology, tactics and strategy, including an analysis of its key battles to explain how the outmanned and outgunned rebels ultimately prevailed against overwhelming forces. Contrasting the military doctrine of the real world with the fictional world of Star Wars, the author constructively criticizes the military strengths and weaknesses of Darth Vader’s Galactic Empire and Kylo Ren’s First Order… From Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) to Rogue One (2016), this timely book demystifies the operational arts in an accessible and entertaining way for military personnel and civilians. Replete with a glossary of military terms, this book is supplemented with an annotated bibliography. About George Beahm: GEORGE BEAHM is a New York Times bestselling author. He has written more literary companions than any other writer, and has published more than thirty books on pop culture icons, such as Michael Jordan, J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Indiana Jones, Anne Rice, Patricia Cornwell, The Big Bang Theory T.V. show, Caribbean Pirates, censorship, and several books on Stephen King. A former U.S. Army officer, he served on active duty and in the National Guard and Army Reserve. This week’s picks: * George: Harry Potter series by JK Rowling * John: Last.fm * Patrick: Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

Episode 362 wherein Patrick and John are back to talk new houses and cars, playing music live, Sirius XM Radio, getting into ‘the zone’, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Netflix, Luke Cage Season 2, Jessica Jones Season 2, The Avengers, Wild, Wild Country, The Punisher, PG13 ratings on movies, Knights of the Old Republic (Dark Horse), Runaways (Marvel), Preacher (AMC), Into the Badlands (AMC), and Netflix’ new Lost in Space… Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 361 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back Ilana C. Myer, author of the new book FIRE DANCE. About FIRE DANCE: Espionage, diplomacy, conspiracy, passion, and power are the sensuously choreographed steps of the soaring new high fantasy novel by Ilana C. Myer, one woman’s epic mission to stop a magical conflagration. Lin, newly initiated in the art of otherwordly enchantments, is sent to aid her homeland’s allies against vicious attacks from the Fire Dancers: mysterious practitioners of strange and deadly magic. Forced to step into a dangerous waltz of tradition, treachery, and palace secrets, Lin must also race the ticking clock of her own rapidly dwindling life to learn the truth of the Fire Dancers’ war, and how she might prevent death on a scale too terrifying to contemplate. Myer’s novel is a symphony of secret towers, desert winds, burning sands, blood and dust. Her prose soars, and fluid movements of the politically charged plot carry the reader toward a shocking crescendo. About Ilana C. Myer: Ilana C. Myer has written for the Globe and Mail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and the Huffington Post. Previously she was a freelance journalist in Jerusalem for the Jerusalem Post, The Forward, Time Out Israel and other publications. She lives in New York City. Ilana was born in New York but grew up in Jerusalem, Israel, where she spent her teen years haunting secondhand bookstores in search of books written in English—especially fantasy. It was in one of these shops that she discovered David Eddings and realized that epic fantasy continued after Tolkien, and from there went on to make such marvelous discoveries as Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, and Guy Gavriel Kay. Since learning to read, Ilana had decided she would write books, but during college in New York City was confronted with the reality of making rent, and worked as a receptionist, administrative assistant, and executive assistant where she on occasion picked up dry cleaning. She afterwards found more fulfillment as a journalist in Jerusalem where she covered social issues, the arts, and innovations in technology, and co-founded the Middle East environment blog, Green Prophet. It was during these years in Jerusalem, on stolen time, that Last Song Before Night took shape. She writes as Ilana Teitelbaum for various outlets, but decided early on—since the days of haunting bookstores, in fact—that “Teitelbaum” was too long for a book cover. “Myer” is a variation on the maiden name of her grandmother, whose family was exterminated in Germany. It is a family with a long history of writers, so it seems appropriate to give credit—or blame—where it’s due. This week’s picks: * Ilana: The Midnight Front by David Mack * John: OathBringer by Brandon Sanderson * Patrick: Avengers: Infinity War Links: * Ilana on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functiona...

In episode 360 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Nancy Kress, author of the new book – If Tomorrow Comes. About If Tomorrow Comes: Ten years after the Aliens left Earth, humanity succeeds in building a ship, Friendship, to follow them home to Kindred. Aboard are a crew of scientists, diplomats, and a squad of Rangers to protect them. But when the Friendship arrives, they find nothing they expected. No interplanetary culture, no industrial base?and no cure for the spore disease. A timeslip in the apparently instantaneous travel between worlds has occurred and far more than ten years have passed. Once again scientists find themselves in a race against time to save humanity and their kind from a deadly virus while a clock of a different sort runs down on a military solution no less deadly to all. Amid devastation and plague come stories of heroism and sacrifice and of genetic destiny and free choice, with its implicit promise of conscious change. About Nancy Kress: Although she began by writing fantasy, Nancy currently writes science fiction, often about genetic engineering. She teaches regularly at summer conferences such as Clarion West and Taos Toolbox. For sixteen years, she was the “Fiction” columnist for WRITER’S DIGEST magazine, and has written three books about writing (see bibliography). She is the author of twenty-seven novels, three books on writing, four short story collections, and over a hundred works of short fiction. Her fiction has won six Nebulas (for “Out of All Them Bright Stars,” “Beggars in Spain,” “The Flowers of Aulit Prison,” “Fountain of Age,” “After the Fall, Before the Fall, and During the Fall,” and “Yesterday’s Kin”), two Hugos (for “Beggars in Spain” and “The Erdmann Nexus”), a Sturgeon (for “The Flowers of Aulit Prison”), and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for PROBABILITY SPACE). cosette-smallHer work has been translated into Swedish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Polish, Croatian, Korean, Lithuanian, Chinese, Romanian, Japanese, Russian, and Klingon, none of which she can read. In 1998, Nancy married fellow SF writer Charles Sheffield, who died in 2002 of brain cancer. In 2011 she married writer Jack Skillingstead. They live in Seattle with Cosette, the world’s most spoiled toy poodle. This week’s picks: * Nancy: Spoonbenders: A novel by Daryl Gregory * John: Tribe of mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Timothy Ferris * Patrick: Scourged by Kevin Hearne (Narrated by Luke Daniels) and Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries: The Squirrel on the Train by Kevin Hearne (Narrated by Luke Daniels) Links: * Nancy on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

Episode 359 is here and Patrick and John are back to talk about Easter and Passover falling oddly this year, creativity, writing, Alzheimer’s, life changes, moving, routines, music, practice, sleep, sound editing, family, Mandolins, Chris Thiele, and so much more… Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 358 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back Jerry Gordon, author of the new book – BREAKING THE WORLD. About BREAKING THE WORLD: In his debut novel, Jerry Gordon takes readers deep inside the longest standoff in law enforcement history for an apocalyptic thriller that challenges the news media’s reporting of the event, the wisdom of militarizing domestic law enforcement, and the blurry line between religion and cult. In 1993, David Koresh predicted the end of the world. What if he was right? Cyrus doesn’t believe in David’s predictions, and he’s not interested in being part of a cult. But after the sudden death of his brother, his parents split up and his mom drags him to Waco, Texas against his will. At least he’s not alone. His friends, Marshal and Rachel, have equally sad stories that end with them being dumped at the Branch Davidian Church. Together, they’re the trinity of nonbelievers, atheist teens caught between a soon to be infamous cult leader, an erratic FBI, and an epidemic that may confirm the worst of the church’s apocalyptic prophecies. With tanks surrounding the Branch Davidians and tear gas in the air, Cyrus and his friends know one thing for certain: They can’t count on the adults to save them. About Jerry Gordon: Jerry Gordon makes stuff by making stuff up. He is the author of the apocalyptic thriller, Breaking the World. He is also the Bram Stoker and Black Quill Award-nominated co-editor of the Dark Faith, Invocations, and Streets of Shadows anthologies. His short stories and essays have appeared in numerous venues, including Apex Magazine and Shroud. When he’s not writing and editing, he runs a software company and teaches. This week’s picks: * Jerry: Sound of my Voice (movie) * John: Runnin’ with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen * Patrick: Star Wars: battlefront II Patch/Update removing loot crates and more… Links: * Jerry on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

Episode 357 is bittersweet in that Patrick and John sit down to chat about the series finale of Star Wars: Rebels. If you haven’t seen it yet, and intend to, go do that before you listen to this episode because SPOILERS OMG SPOILERS SO MANY FREAKING SPOILERS RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE WE SPOIL STUFF LIKE HUGE STUFF STUFF YOU CAN’T UNHEAR so, please, be wary… there be spoilers here… About Star Wars Rebels: Star Wars Rebels begins fourteen years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and five years before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Rebels takes place during an era when the Galactic Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy. Imperial forces are hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights while a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking form. A motley group of rebels unite aboard a freighter starship called The Ghost and conduct covert operations against the Imperial garrison on and around the planet Lothal and on other planets in the galaxy that are menaced by the Galactic Empire. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 356 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Kim Wilkins – author of the new book DAUGHTERS OF THE STORM. About Kim: Kim Wilkins was born in London, and grew up at the seaside north of Brisbane, Australia. She is an Associate Professor of writing and book culture at University of Queensland. She writes a lot, usually by ignoring unimportant things like cooking and washing her children’s clothes. She has enduring obsessions with Viking-age England, misty landscapes, pagan mythology, Led Zeppelin, and really really small dogs. About DAUGHTERS OF THE STORM: They are the daughters of a king. Though they share the same royal blood, they could not be more different. Bluebell is a proud warrior, stronger than any man and with an ironclad heart to match. Rose’s heart is all too passionate: She is the queen of a neighboring kingdom who is risking everything for a forbidden love. Ash is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift—or a curse. And then there are the twins—vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods. But when their father is stricken by a mysterious ailment, these five sisters must embark on a desperate journey to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But to succeed on their quest, they must overcome their differences and hope that the secrets they hide from one another and the world are never brought to light. Because if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom. This week’s picks: * Kim: Thor: Ragnarok * John: Dixie Dregs * Patrick: Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars Links: * Kim on Facebook * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 355 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back author, podcaster and North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books, Michael R. Underwood. About Michael R. Underwood: Michael R. Underwood is the author of over ten books: Born the Blade, the Ree Reyes Geekomancy books, Shield and Crocus, The Younger Gods, and the Genrenauts series of novellas, which was a finalist for a r/Fantasy “Stabby” Award. By day, he’s the North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books. Mike lives in Baltimore with his wife, their dog, and an ever-growing library. In his rapidly-vanishing free time, he studies historical martial arts and makes pizzas from scratch. He is also a co-host on the Hugo Award Finalist The Skiffy and Fanty Show and Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. This week’s picks: * Mike: Quantum Teens Are Go by Magdalene Visaggio (Author),? Eryk Donovan (Artist),? Claudia Aguirre (Artist) * John: Star Wars: Rebels Season 4 (one…last…lesson…) * Patrick: Star Wars: Rebels Season 4 (one…last…lesson…) Links: * Michael on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

Episode 354 arrives with a bang as Patrick and John sit down to chat about all sorts of things, including but not limited to: Zencastr, Scrivener, Depression, Oppression, Being a Creative, Netflix Viewership numbers, Social ME-dia, The Chain Method, The Magic Spreadsheet, Patrick Writing Again, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, Layla and Other Love Songs, Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars and Writing Shacks. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 353 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back an old friend – John Klima! About John Klima: John is an American librarian, writer, and anthology and science fiction magazine editor, whose science fiction zine, Electric Velocipede, won the Hugo Award for Best Fanzine in 2009. He was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 for his work on the magazine. This week’s picks: * John Klima: House – a 1977 Japanese comedy horror film directed and produced by Nobuhiko Obayashi * John: The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale * Patrick: The Expanse S3 Trailer Links: * John Klima on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 352 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Kelsey Barthel, whose new book – Beyond the Code – is available right now! About Kelsey: Kelsey Rae Barthel grew up in the quiet town of Hay Lakes in Alberta, a sleepy place of only 500 people. Living in such a calm setting gave her a lot of spare time to imagine grand adventures of magic and danger, inspired by the comic books and anime she enjoyed. Upon graduating high school, Kelsey moved to Edmonton and eventually began working in the business of airline cargo, but she never stopped imagining those adventures. Beyond the Code is her first novel. About Beyond the Code: To the common world, Aurora Falon is merely the pampered daughter of a rich and influential family. But to the secret world of The Order, she is Luna, the powerful and formidable warrior knight, under the rule of her master, Cole Iver. Together, they strive to bring down Damon Lexus, a wicked master who uses her knights in cowardly and dishonourable ways for her own selfish desires. But when they obtain evidence that may bring Damon Lexus under the judgement of The Order’s ruling power, The Hand Council, Damon makes a rash decision and orders the assassination of Cole Iver. By pure coincidence, Luna catches Damon’s knight in the act but is too late to save her master and kills the assassin in a moment of grief stricken rage. Luna knows the one with her master’s blood on her hands is not the one she killed, she seeks the assassin’s master. But after a failed attempt at revenge, Luna is pulled from the depths of her dark anger and put on a better path by the Hunter who was ordered to kill her. Together, they will work to break away from being mere tools for the powerful and become heroes. This week’s picks: * Kelsey Barthel: Pilot X by Tom Merritt * John: Atlanta – TV Show (Hulu) * Patrick: Altered Carbon – Netflix Special Picks – Kelsey’s Anime Recomendations: * Fullmetal Alchemist * My Hero Academia * Ouran High School Host Club * Full Metal Panic * Death Note Links: * Kelsey Barthel on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Func...

In episode 351 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Stephen Aryan to these hallowed virtual halls to talk about his Age of Darkness trilogy (Battlemage, Bloodmage, Chaosmage) published by Orbit books, and the new Age of Dread trilogy – which begins with Mageborn. Of Gods and Men, a digital and audio novella set within this world is now available. About Stephen: “I’m a writer and podcaster. I’ve previously written a comic book column and comic book reviews for Tor.com, developed intellectual property into comic book pitches for a media company, and self published a superhero comic. Since 2007 I have been co-hosting a comics and geek culture podcast. We recently moved networks to Geek Syndicate, renamed ourselves, Grouchy Old Geeks and rebooted our numbers. I have also spoken on panels at comic book conventions about comics and podcasting. I’m also working on several comic book projects.” This week’s picks: * Stephen Aryan: The Punisher – Netflix * John: Babylon’s Ashes by James SA Corey * Patrick: Britannia – Prime Links: * Stephen Aryan on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

How do you celebrate an epic 350th episode? Doesn’t matter – cuz you’re in Functional Nerd town and this is how WE do it! It’s time to go EPIC with Patrick and John doing what they do best – talking about STUFF. EPICALLY. Because 350! That’s right! You know who else has gone the distance? The band Chicago – so we talk about their documentary Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago. We also talk EPICALLY about Altered Carbon on Netflix, Battlestar Galactica on Prime, about each streaming service’s apps, user interfaces and experiences, fan backlash about STUFF like The Last Jedi, streaming licenses, The Expanse books by James SA Corey as well as the audiobooks narrated by Jefferson Mays, and seasons 2 and 3 (upcoming) of the TV show, The Wheel of Time audiobooks, Marvel’s Black Panther, starred reviews, skimming, and much more. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 349 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back Gail Carriger – author of the new book Romancing the Werewolf, and cohost of the newly minted 20 Minute Delay podcast. About Gail: Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea. About Romancing the Werewolf: Biffy, newly minted Alpha of the London Pack, is not having a good Christmas. His Beta abandoned him, his werewolves object to his curtain choices, and someone keeps leaving babies on his doorstep. Professor Randolph Lyall returns home to London after twenty years abroad, afraid of what he might find. With his pack in chaos and his Alpha in crisis, it will take all his Beta efficiency to set everything to rights. Perhaps, in the process, he may even determine how to mend his own heart. New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a charming love story set in her popular steampunk Parasolverse. Featuring the long-awaited reunion between everyone’s favorite quietly capable Beta and the werewolf Alpha dandy who let him slip away. This sweet romance is full of unexpected babysitting, holiday decorations, and no small amount of pining. Look for surprise appearances from popular side characters and the occasional strategic application of italics. About 20 Minute Delay: What is it? A podcast! Gail and Piper are travel addicts by choice, compelled to travel even more for their jobs. In this fast paced romp through the detailed intricacies of travel the duo plan to cover everything from travel “kits” to comparisons of which terminals are best at a given airport or train station on a given day for particular amount of time. This week’s picks: * Gail Carriger: Killjoys – Syfy * John: The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living * Patrick: Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris Links: * Gail Carriger on Twitter * Gail’s best blog post on the subject of packing for and attending conventions * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page *