Our Episodes
Reconciling our love of works by problematic creators
Recently, a number of prominent television and film creators, as well as authors, have either been outed for bad behaviour or made hateful public statements. Anyone who is a regular listener will know that we often refer to Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer....
The mash-up: science fiction and cosmic horror with Ada Hoffmann
The history of humanity is arguably the history of us trying to explain everything around us. Both science and religion have developed as divergent threads of this goal, inextricably linked but often at odds with one another. Science fiction and cosmic horror also...
Political fantasy with Katherine Addison
We talk about unequal societies a lot on this show, about privilege and power and who is in a position to use it. We wanted to take a critical look at a subgenre that maybe best reflects the democratic, bureaucratic society that many of us experience every day. Some...
Technology and the fear of change with Sarah Pinsker
Technological advances are incredible. Just think, the phone in your pocket is infinitely more powerful than the computers that sent the first spaceships to the moon! Technology has given us basic things we take for granted like running water and electricity, to more...
The power of love with Tasha Suri
Love can raise us up. Love can tear us down. It can be our strength, our weakness, and everything in between. And inevitably, love makes fools of us all. While we all enjoy reading a good romance, a love story is rarely just a love story. It has so many other uses...
Tackling the classics – with Nghi Vo
95 years after it was first published, the copyright on The Great Gatsby has expired. This great American novel has sold over 25 million copies since it was first published, despite initially disappointing sales. It is hard to believe now, with its cultural...
Revenge with Marjorie Liu
We actually recorded this episode WAY back in January, just after Biden's inauguration in the US. So, naturally, there is a bit of politics in this one given how wrapped up we all were in what was going on... you've been warned! An eye for an eye. You hurt me, I’ll...
Moving the frontier – with Stark Holborn
The frontier. The edge of civilisation. So far from the central government that laws are more like 'guidelines'. Where the sheriffs are crooked and the criminals ruthless; trains rarely go un-sacked and the cattle drive never goes to plan. Oh, and don't forget the...
Chosen Identities – with Charlie Jane Anders
Our identity is who we are. But for such a seemingly simple concept, our identities are extremely complex. We aren't the only ones who decide our identities. Society places labels on us that we often don’t feel represents who we are, or worse, forces us into very...