Belting At Windmills

It's a new novel, a New Terra, and a new episode! Reuben and Elliot start their journey into Cibola Burn, and discuss the wacky assortment of people who have made their way to humanity's first inter-stellar colony, as well as the nature of squatter's rights. Discussion Question : How long do a population need to live in a place before they actually have an entitlement over it? Or - who do you side...

We're back for Season 2! And kicking it off with an intense one! Reuben and Elliot tackle the difficult problems of The Churn, what it means for Amos, and where even is Baltimore. Discussion Question : As we head into the second trilogy, what did you think of the first? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 6th of July to cover the prologue through to chapter 7 o...

Howdy folks! While we take a break before season 2, we wanted to share this unreleased bonus episode talking about the medical questions raised by Caliban's War! Also Elliot talks about sharks for some reason. No discussion question for this bonus episode! Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! Remember, we're back on the 29th of June to cover The Churn!  Check out the full schedul...

The Season 1 finale of Belting at Windmills is here! We finish off our coverage of Abaddon's Gate, and try to figure out where the characters (and our show) might go from here. No discussion question this episode! Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 29th of June to cover The Churn!  Check out the full schedule here! Send us feedback on the show!

We're back on schedule! The counter coup gets a counter-counter coup, as all our characters work to do their own version of saving the human race. Clarissa yo-yos between sanity and Melba. No discussion question this episode! Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 27th of April for chapters 47 through to the epilogue of Abaddon's Gate!  Check out the full sch...

Sorry this episode is so late! Just about everything that could've gone wrong did! But Elliot and Reuben are finally out of the Slow Zone, and back to backseating our characters still in there! Discussion Question : Which character (in fiction) has had your favourite redemption arc? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 14th of April (one day late) for chapters 4...

Things are very slow in the Ring Space - but not in Abaddon's Gate! Holden's in holding. Melba melts down. Anna puts the Reacher in preacher, and Bull becomes the china shop. Discussion Question : Do you agree with Anna or Cortez about humans reaching too far - is it our strength, or our weakness? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 30th of March for chapters 3...

It's the halfway point of Abaddon's Gate, and we learn about Ring Space! Also, we realise this show is missing one thing in particular: Shipping! Discussion Question : What ships do YOU think should emerge from this series so far? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 16th of March for chapters 26-32 of Abaddon's Gate!  Check out the full schedule here! Send...

One by one, we watch all our characters enter the Ring. Also, Melba's big day finally arrives - and she finds it's not all it's cracked up to be. Discussion Question : What would be the most surprising thing to find on the other side of the ring? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 2nd of March for chapters 20-25 of Abaddon's Gate!  Check out the full sche...

Everyone is heading for the ring, and there's a surpising number of executions along the way. Elliot and Reuben are travelling alongside Abaddon's Gate as we try to figure out what the hell Melba is thinking. Discussion Question : If the Ring happened today, who should we send on our cultural expedition / possible first contact voyage? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're b...

The third book, and some kind of ominous ring, await us! Elliot and Reuben kick off their coverage of Abaddon's Gate, talk a little too much about genai and some other things, and talk about how awesome all these new characters are! Discussion Question : What crazy stunts did you pull when you were young, dumb, and wanted to fuck your cousin? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord !...

It's time to jump back into Memory's Legion, so we can cover Gods of Risk! David Draper breaks bad. Bobbie (threatens to) break bones. Mars breaks spirits. Discussion Question : How well would you deal with the prescriptive Mars society? Would you flourish or flounder? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 19th of January to go kick start Abaddon's Gate, starting...

It's the end of Caliban's War! Will the baddies be defeated? Who is the baddies actually? Also who the hell is Caliban? Discussion Question : What did you think of Caliban’s War as a novel? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 5th of January to go back into Memory's Legion and cover the Gods of Risk novella!  Check out the full schedule here! Send us feedback on...

Our new super crew does what the all do best, and sends out a broadcast. Then the "everyone gets together"-ness intensifies as the entire solar system's military might gathers above Io. Discussion Question : At this point in time, what do you think the single deadliest screwup in the history of humankind is? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 22nd of December...

The gang all gets together! Bobbie and Avasarala book it to the newly democratic crew of the Rocinante, and Prax encounters some... allegations. No discussion question this week! Elliot is travelling. Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 8th of December to continue our coverage of Caliban's War! We're doing chapters 41 through to 47.  Check out the full schedule...

We're in the back half of Caliban's War! The crew of the Rocinante make it back to Tycho, but decide GoFundMe is better than working for Fred. Meanwhile, Avasarala walks into a trap that it seems Bobbie is gonna need to get her out of. Discussion Question : Do you think you’d be happiest living on Earth, Mars, or the Belt (at this point in the story)? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our D...

Caliban's War part four! Holden has a bad time, that is entirely of his own making. Bobbie has a good time and gets to flex her muscles... at least figuratively. Prax shocks the system by talking about non-plant based organisms. Discussion Question : What’s the most brutal break up you’ve ever seen (in media or IRL)? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 10th of...

Reuben and Elliot continue their journey into Caliban's War! Bobbie and Avasarala meet, Holden makes a bigger mess of Ganymede, and Amos cops it in the head. Discussion Question : What’s your ‘specialty subject’ that would contextualise the way your narration sees the world? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 27th of October to continue our coverage of Caliban...

Reuben and Elliot continue their journey into Caliban's War! Prax meets up with Holden, and somehow, Bobbie doesn't meet up with Avasarala. We compare Miller and Prax a bunch. There's no discussion question this week! No homework! Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 13th of October to continue our coverage of Caliban's War! We're doing the chapters 15 through t...

We begin our second proper book! As Ganymede becomes a mess that is dragging all our POV characters into it's orbit, we learn some Greek prefixes in order to tinfoil, and learn a bit about magnetospheres! Discussion question : What is your favourite prologue in a book? Why? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 29th of September to continue our coverage of Caliba...

It's time to dive into some of Memory's Legion! Join Reuben and Elliot as they experience Solomon's meteoric rise into the history books, and Fred's.... slightly less glamorous journey there too. Also, we learn about Lagrange Points! Discussion question : Which real world historical moment do you want to hear the human story behind? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back...

We round out our coverage of Leviathan Wakes! Can Miller and Holden save humanity? If it's down to those two, is it worth saving? Also, we're joined by a genuine(ish) space doctor to talk about radiation poisoning. Discussion question : What do you think of Leviathan Wakes as a standalone novel? Would you have enjoyed this book just as it is? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord !...

In the penultimate Leviathan Wakes episode, we see how the attempts to contain Eros go... not great. So far at least. Discussion question : Was Fred right to steal the Nauvoo? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 15th of August to finish covering Leviathan Wakes - chapter 50 to the epilogue! Check out the full schedule here! Send us feedback on the show!

The team have finally all gotten together.... but it doesn't last too long. Meanwhile, Elliot is fascinated by laser blocking smoke. Discussion question : What would it take for you to join Protogen's side - either as a scientist or a volunteer on Eros? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 4th of August to cover Leviathan Wakes from chapter 43 to the end of chap...

Miller and Holden have a very bad day on Eros - even without gambling. Afterwards, the gang explore Julie's ship. Discussion question : What’s the most brutal rejection you’ve ever seen (in media or IRL)? Follow us on Bluesky , or come check out our Discord ! We're back on the 21st of July to cover Leviathan Wakes from chapter 35 to the end of chapter 42! Check out the full schedule here! Send us...