The cover art was revealed today for The Fabulist Play Cycle, a collection of radio play scripts by Toronto author Hugh A. D. Spencer.
The vintage aesthetic to the cover art is a nod to the collection’s setting. The plays follow a group of aspiring—and later, somewhat successful—authors starting in the Great Depression, through the Golden Age of science fiction, and concluding in the 1980s. This satire on the entire genre fictionalizes the reality of the way pulp magazines and a few determined authors defined science fiction to this day, while telling a rousing comedic tale of frustrated dreams, jilted love, and occasional megalomania.
This is the first time the collection has appeared in print. The four-part play “Amazing Struggles, Astonishing Failures, and Disappointing Success” has been produced by Shoestring Radio Theater in San Francisco and broadcast throughout NPR satellite networks across the United States. Spencer also adapted his follow-up short story “Cult Stories” (originally published in 2013 and now available in his 2021 collection The Progressive Apparatus and More Fantasticals) into an audio drama to conclude The Fabulist Play Cycle. Additionally, Shoestring Radio Theater currently has a production of Spencer’s Aurora Award-nominated short story “Why I Hunt Flying Saucers” available to listen on its website.
Spencer’s writing has received widespread critical acclaim from outlets including Amazing Stories magazine, Publishers Weekly, author Cory Doctorow, and Locus magazine. The Toronto Star has given all his books rave reviews and says, “Spencer is an author who should be better known. The genre satire is spot on.” With the rise in popularity of podcasts in recent years, The Fabulist Play Cycle is perfect for fans of audio dramas, science fiction, comedy, 20th century history, and more.
The Fabulist Play Cycle is now available for preorder through the publisher and is making its way into bookstore catalogues worldwide ahead of its release on Friday, October 13, 2023. It will be available in trade paperback (388 pages, ISBN 978-1-998795-05-5, $23.99 CAD) and ebook (ISBN 978-1-998795-06-2, $4.99) formats. Spencer and publisher Catherine Fitzsimmons are planning in-person events in Toronto to celebrate the book’s release.
Spencer has been writing science fiction and cultural commentary (popular and otherwise) for longer than he cares to admit. He has been published in magazines including On Spec, Interzone, and Descant, and has also been included in various anthologies, including Tesseracts, Ominous Realities, and Monstrous Futures. He lives in Toronto with his family and dogs.
The Fabulist Play Cycle will be Brain Lag’s 49th released title. This is the publisher’s ninth release of eleven planned for 2023. Brain Lag has previously published Spencer’s novels Extreme Dentistry (2014) and The Hard Side of the Moon (2021) and his collections Why I Hunt Flying Saucers and Other Fantasticals (2016) and The Progressive Apparatus and More Fantasticals (2021) and are working together on more forthcoming releases.
Media inquiries and requests to contact the author can be directed to publishing@brain-lag.com.
Leave a Reply