Approaching Lightspeed

Martha Wells' "Murderbot Diaries" follows one of science fiction's most introverted (but also most likable!) protagonists through an alarmingly familiar corporate hellscape in an epic journey to get as far from humans as possible. 

Spoiler alert! I am joined by my good friend and tri-lingual comedic wonder Loïc Suberville to discuss the second trailer for "Dune: Part II." We talk about Call of Duty, Man of Steel, and a BUNCH of things we are absolutely not qualified to comment on. Oh, and there's even some Dune talk here and there!  Reaction video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uizRtlLr-YQ Loïc's l...

Iain M. Banks spirits us away to a crumbling solar system where technological advancement and supremacy comes not in what its inhabitants can make for themselves, but in what they can pilfer from the ruins of the countless failed civilizations that came before.  Come for the homicidal cultists and daring heists; stay for the existential dread! (Minor "spoilers" between 1:09:24 and 1:13:4...

In Alastair Reynolds' "Revelation Space" series, humanity is slowly coming to the uncomfortable realization that they might be the only spacefaring civilization around--or at least the only one that hasn't been violently wiped out. But this wasn't always the case. Who called the galaxy home in eons past, and where did they all go? Humanity might not be ready for the answer...

Andy Weir's "The Martian" was a gigantic hit on both literary and cinematic fronts. So how does he keep the momentum going in his latest work, "Project Hail Mary?" Well, it has a little something to do with icy apocalypses, Jason Bourne-esque amnesia, and some super memorable aliens. More info inside...

Becky Chambers' Galactic Commons is a civilization brimming with history and intrigue... what better way to explore it than through the eyes of this universe's endearing equivalent to blue collar workers? 

The races of the galaxy were helpless to stem the Dread Empire of the Shaa's conquering tide. Today, with the ethos of their Praxis at the forefront of their society, the Shaa are the undisputed rulers of all that is known, having never lost a battle in the millennia they've existed. But perhaps that sort of efficiency has a way of coming back to haunt an empire in the end... 

An all-devouring cosmic beast to some, a shining beacon of civilization to others; Arkady Martine's Teixcalaanli Empire is the most powerful force in the known galaxy and a center of technological development, poetry, and art. But this refined facade covers up a deeply troubled regime that is fundamentally at odds with itself... 

In this episode, we pay a visit to the eerily beautiful, richly realized, and utterly alien planet of Darwin IV. 

In this episode, we take a look at the vast, absurdly powerful galactic utopia that is Iain M. Banks' Culture, as well as the lengths its citizens go to in order to find meaning in a universe seemingly without want...

The Expanse isn't just the cataclysms and paradigm shifts that seem to come with each book; some of the quieter moments are collected in the anthology "Memory's Legion." Part two of Approaching Lightspeed's "Expanse Spectacular" will delve into the ordinary (relatively speaking, at least) folks who populate this extraordinary science fiction universe.

Spoilers ahead! Join D. Tyler Pierson and John Hayes in their deep dive of the final chapters of the Expanse series: "Leviathan Falls" and "Sins of Our Fathers."

The Expanse television show is complete... but the story remains unfinished. What comes next? And what IS the Expanse, anyway? D. Tyler Pierson has the answers in part one of Approaching Lightspeed's "Expanse Spectacular."

The bounty hunter Boba Fett is a well-established character in Star Wars lore... but what was he like during the franchise's formative years? 

We delve into the depths of the massive, spacefaring haunted house that is Revelation Space's Nostalgia for Infinity...

Host D. Tyler Pierson outlines what the Approaching Lightspeed podcast is all about.