Best Ancillary Review Of Books Podcasts (2025)

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Ranking the 2025 Hugo nominees plus 4 more of the best sci-fi and fantasy books of the year! 32:19

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3d ago32:19

32:19

In addition to ranking the six nominees, we also talk about four more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video This episode is sponsored by Doppelgänger: An Orphan, A Prodigy, and a Murder by…

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A Meal of Thorns 28 – EXCESSION with Abigail Nussbaum 1:08:43

11d ago1:08:43

1:08:43

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Abigail Nussbaum Title: Excession by Iain M. Banks Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Transcribers: Kate…

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2025 Nebula winner and nominees - the best fantasy books of the year? 33:11

24d ago33:11

33:11

In addition to ranking all the nominees, we talk about why the entire shortlist this year was all fantasy, no sci-fi. This episode is sponsored by The Boy, the Cube, and the Elf by Brent Golembiewski, which is available in print or kindle edition here Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer vide…

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A Meal of Thorns 27 – 40,000 IN GEHENNA with Arkady Martine (and a 4th Street Fantasy Report) 1:20:47

25d ago1:20:47

1:20:47

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Arkady Martine Title: 40,000 in Gehenna by C.J. Cherryh Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Transcribers:…

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A Meal of Thorns 26 – DEATH OF THE AUTHOR with andré m. carrington 1:14:06

1M ago1:14:06

1:14:06

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: andré m. carrington Title: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Tran…

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The 10 Best Fantasy Books and Series of all time! 58:48

2M ago58:48

58:48

As sci-fi lovers who are looking to read more fantasy we could not be more excited to know what's good. Thanks to all y'all Hugonauts who filled out the survey, this list rocks. And a special thank you to Gordon Burroughs for joining us as our resident expert on the books we haven't read, plus for putting the whole survey together in the first plac…

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A Meal of Thorns 25 – THE HUGO NOVELS & NOVELLAS with Roseanna Pendlebury 1:27:46

2M ago1:27:46

1:27:46

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Roseanna Pendlebury Titles: The 2025 Hugo Novel & Novella List Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Transc…

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Redshirts by John Scalzi - funny, rule-breaking scifi! 27:24

2M ago27:24

27:24

As always, no spoilers until the end when we do our plot explainer and discussion. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video Similar books we recommend: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers…

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A Meal of Thorns 24 – THE LOST BOOK OF ADANA MOREAU with Maia Gil′Adí 1:00:59

2M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Maia Gil′Adí Title: The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough R…

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A Meal of Thorns 23 – DREAMS OF AMPUTATION with Sean McTiernan 1:06:18

3M ago1:06:18

1:06:18

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Sean McTiernan Title: Dreams of Amputation by Gary J. Shipley Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Transcr…

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The God's Themselves - Asimov answering the biggest question in the universe! 35:08

3M ago35:08

35:08

That said, there are some problems with this book too, which made this a fun one to talk about - Brent liked it a lot more than Cody did. Plus, love em or hate em, Asimov thought up some very alien aliens. As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. NEW THRU 2025-05-15: Fill out our listener surve…

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A Meal of Thorns 22 – THE TERRA IS A FORMER MISTRESS with Christian P. Haines 1:29:49

3M ago1:29:49

1:29:49

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Christian P. Haines Titles: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, and The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Open…

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Altered Carbon - Wild tech, visceral action, and an unhinged plot! 36:14

4M ago36:14

36:14

If you like gritty cyberpunk settings, a page-turning, action-driven plot, and a lot of visceral explorations of violence and sexuality, this one's for you. If you're looking for deep characters, a carefully crafted plot, or philosophical ideas, this might not be your next read. As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot ex…

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A Meal of Thorns 21 – LUD-IN-THE-MIST with Marita Arvaniti 1:21:14

4M ago1:21:14

1:21:14

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Marita Arvaniti Title: Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: A…

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A Meal of Thorns 20 – AMONG OTHERS with Archita Mittra 57:02

4M ago57:02

57:02

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Archita Mittra Title: Among Others by Jo Walton Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Eliza Cha…

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Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton - An Incredible Space Opera! 33:15

4M ago33:15

33:15

Solid characters, amazing worldbuilding, and an epic plot that will keep you interested all the way through (and that's no mean feat in such a long book). If you've been thinking about trying out Peter F. Hamilton this is the right place to start. As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This e…

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A Meal of Thorns 19 – HEIR TO THE EMPIRE with Dan Hartland 1:22:36

5M ago1:22:36

1:22:36

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Dan Hartland Title: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Ga…

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Interview with Ann Leckie - author of Ancillary Justice! 46:34

5M ago46:34

46:34

Ann is also the author of Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Translation State, Provenance (all set in her Imperial Radch universe), and the excellent stand-alone fantasy novel The Raven Tower. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video We talked with Ann about: 1:12 Becoming a writer later i…

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A Meal of Thorns 18 – THE SILMARILLION with Eden Kupermintz 1:19:17

5M ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Eden Kupermintz Title: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References:…

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A Meal of Thorns 17 – FIRE LOGIC with Benjamin Rosenbaum 1:22:52

6M ago1:22:52

1:22:52

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Benjamin Rosenbaum Title: Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: B…

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The 14 Best First Contact Books 43:58

6M ago43:58

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We also each rank our top three first contact books at the end of the episode. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video All the books in the episode (with YT links to th…

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A Meal of Thorns 16 – AURORA with Hilary Strang 1:22:39

6M ago1:22:39

1:22:39

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Hilary Strang Title: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Maroo…

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Ministry for the Future - Heatwaves, Super-Storms, and Cutting-Edge Climate Tech! 45:04

6M ago45:04

45:04

The book somehow manages to be optimistic at the same time that it realistically portrays horrific climate catastrophes - the opening chapter will stick with you forever. That said, it also suffers from some of KSR's usual writing quirks: weak characters and a pretty loosely defined plot. We talk about it all, the good, the bad, and the terrifyingl…

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A Meal of Thorns 15 – MISTRESS OF MISTRESSES with Jared Pechaček 1:11:12

6M ago1:11:12

1:11:12

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Jared Pechaček Title: Mistress of Mistresses by E.R. Eddison Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Referenc…

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A Meal of Thorns 14 – 2024 Wrap-Up with Roseanna Pendlebury 1:39:26

7M ago1:39:26

1:39:26

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Roseanna Pendlebury Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough In Memoriam: Alan Jeffrey & Cameron Estrich-Watso…

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A Clockwork Orange - the classic dystopia of crime and punishment! 36:54

7M ago36:54

36:54

The book is shocking, disturbing, entertaining, and unbelievably thought provoking all at once - no wonder Stanley Kubrick decided to turn the book into a movie (which is a must-watch classic in its own right). It's also an unforgettable masterwork of language, as the narrator, Alex, and his droogs speak in slang that is somehow entirely novel and …

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A Meal of Thorns 13 – THE THIS with Anna McFarlane 1:16:00

7M ago1:16:00

1:16:00

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Anna McFarlane Title: The This by Adam Roberts Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Anna's boo…

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Neuromancer by William Gibson - an unforgettable world of sleek techno-criminals, AI, and body mods! 37:00

8M ago37:00

37:00

Neuromancer is an incredible science fiction classic, a page turner full of gripping action sequences, wild futuristic ideas, and a unique, techno-criminal world populated by wildly imaginative characters. As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by Mythos: The Origin …

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A Meal of Thorns 12 – MELMOTH with Jon Greenaway 1:06:08

8M ago1:06:08

1:06:08

Podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Jon Greenaway Title: Melmoth by Sarah Perry Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Jon's latest …

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A Meal of Thorns 11 – THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM with Garrett Bridger Gilmore 1:11:16

8M ago1:11:16

1:11:16

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Garrett Bridger Gilmore Title: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by Joh…

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The Silo Series by Hugh Howey - Wool, Shift, and Dust 40:57

9M ago40:57

40:57

As always, no spoilers until the end when we clearly call it out before getting into the full plot explanation and discussion. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video This episode is sponsored by The Song of Immaru: Earth's Door by PJ Dudek, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindl…

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A Meal of Thorns 10 – TAINARON with Shinjini Dey 1:09:19

9M ago1:09:19

1:09:19

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Shinjini Dey Title: Tainaron: Mail From Another City by Leena Krohn, translated by Hildi Hawkins Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhart…

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The Best Dystopian Books of All Time 55:46

9M ago55:46

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This episode is sponsored by The Dawn series by Ray N. Kuili, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video All the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): The Hunger…

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A Meal of Thorns 09 – PATTERN RECOGNITION with Sunny Moraine 1:13:05

9M ago1:13:05

1:13:05

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Sunny Moraine Title: Pattern Recognition by William Gibson Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Refer…

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A Meal of Thorns 08 – GILDED NEEDLES with Juan Martinez 1:04:01

10M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Juan Martinez Title: Gilded Needles by Michael McDowell Host: Jake Casella Brookins Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough Referenc…

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The Mercy of Gods - Reviewing James S. A. Corey's new book 33:13

10M ago33:13

33:13

The Mercy of Gods follows a team of research scientists trying to survive an alien invasion. The Carryx are ruthless - killing 1/8 of the population immediately as they arrive to encourage the survivors to cooperate. Our team, along with many others, are then abducted and brought to a Carryx planet, where they are set loose in an open-air prison po…

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A Meal of Thorns 07 – THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT with Amal El-Mohtar 1:08:39

10M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: Amal El-Mohtar Title: The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: Rakesfall by …

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The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - A doomed mission to an alien planet! 37:24

11M ago37:24

37:24

A radio astronomer discovers a signal coming from Alpha Centauri - strange, beautiful alien voices, singing. While the rest of the world is transfixed by the broadcast, a catholic order, the Jesuits, take action and launch a mission to the planet of Rakhat. But from the outset we know the mission is doomed to tragedy, because a second storyline fol…

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A Meal of Thorns 06 – THE PASSION with Dan Hartland 1:13:48

11M ago1:13:48

1:13:48

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Host: Jake Casella Brookins Guest: Dan Hartland Title: The Passion by Jeanette Winterson Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References…

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A Meal of Thorns 05 – THE EMPLOYEES with A.V. Marraccini 54:35

11M ago54:35

54:35

More podcasts, reviews, interviews, essays, and more at the Ancillary Review of Books. Please consider supporting ARB’s Patreon! Credits: Guest: A.V. Marraccini Title: The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari, translated by John Brough References: V…

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Starship Troopers: the deeply Philosophical classic of Military Sci-Fi! 43:14

11M ago43:14

43:14

In the 23rd century Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, the heart of the human military. As he nears completion of an intensely rigorous training program to learn how to fight and use his power armor, war breaks out between humanity and the bugs. The bugs are aliens with a hive mind, who attack and destroy Buenos Aires, and Johnny and his f…

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A Meal of Thorns 04 – PERELANDRA with Taylor Driggers 1:13:24

12M ago1:13:24

1:13:24

Taylor Driggers joins us to talk about the second volume in C.S. Lewis's SPACE TRILOGY. A richly-described and philosophical science fiction story, PERELANDRA has a lot that's interesting and a lot that's pretty weird when you think about it. A Meal of Thorns is a podcast from the Ancillary Review of Books. Credits: Guest: Taylor Driggers Title: Pe…

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12 Books - the best of last year! Ranking the Hugos plus Six More 43:03

12M ago43:03

43:03

We rank the nominees for the 2024 Hugo award, plus 6 more from last year! Join the book club on discord and read The Sparrow! https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The books: The Witch King - Martha Wells The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty Some Desperate Glory - Emi…

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A Meal of Thorns 03 – PIRANESI with Misha Grifka Wander 1:17:37

12M ago1:17:37

1:17:37

Ancillary Review editors Jake Casella Brookins and Misha Grifka Wander discuss Susanna Clarke's PIRANESI: epistolary realism and the novel, numinous personhood, and glimpses of utopia in rejecting capitalist expectations. Notes, Links, and Transcript A Meal of Thorns is a podcast from the Ancillary Review of Books. Credits: Guest: Misha Grifka Wand…

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A Meal of Thorns 02 – DEAD COLLECTIONS with Roseanna Pendlebury 1:03:41

1y ago1:03:41

1:03:41

Host Jake Casella Brookins talks to critic Roseanna Pendlebury about Isaac Fellman's DEAD COLLECTIONS (a novel about a trans vampire archivist) and how it addresses grief, portrayals of bodies and identities over time, fanfic and low-budget television, and the place of more experimental fiction in genre publishing. Notes, Links, and Transcript Cont…

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7 Amazing, Short Sci-Fi Books for when you need a quick read! 20:30

1y ago20:30

20:30

Over the years we've built up a pretty big backlog of short novels that we really liked but hadn't had a chance to cover on the show - so today we're bursting that dam. Join the book club on discord (and vote for our next book club book!): https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The seven…

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A Meal of Thorns 01 – THE SCAR with Dan Hartland 1:20:26

1y ago1:20:26

1:20:26

Host Jake Casella Brookins talks to Dan Hartland, critic and reviewer, about China Miéville's novel THE SCAR, the genre of the New Weird, and many related works and ideas. Notes, Links, and Transcript Credits: Guest: Dan Hartland Title: The Scar by China Miéville Music by Giselle Gabrielle Garcia Artwork by Rob Patterson Opening poem by Bhartṛhari,…

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Embassytown - Aliens who are truly alien and a wild, techno-organic world! 36:55

1y ago36:55

36:55

There is only one human settlement on the planet of Arieka. There, in Embassytown, a young woman named Avice grows up in a strange world between worlds, where all that is human and all that is alien collide without ever really coming together. That's not much of a summary, but this is a book that really benefits from going in mostly blind, so we ma…

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Your top 20 sci-fi books - listener survey results! 36:52

1y ago36:52

36:52

If you want to see the complete survey results, including all the top books, favorite authors, and short stories come find them on the discord. Video version of this episode available on YouTube.By Gordon Burroughs, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer

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2024 Nebula nominees - 3 great books on this short list! 32:29

1y ago32:29

32:29

The 2024 Nebula awards are coming up, so we read and ranked all the books for ya. And we've got good news, this was a great year for fantasy and sci-fi! Join the book club on discord: https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The short listed books: Translation State by Ann Leckie Shigidi a…