Books Undone

What is humanity in the first place? That's the question cyberpunk explores. So much more than "high-tech, low-life" and so pertinent to the times we live in. Join me today, in conversation with the Dr of Cyberpunk himself, T.R. Napper, as we discuss what cyberpunk is, where it comes from, and why it's more relevant than ever. Find T.R. Napper's books: https://nappertime.com/ Find the transcript a...

Cormac McCarthy and Jorge Luis Borges. On the surface, their styles and worlds could not be more different. But there is one book and one short story that have more in common than it first appears: they are circling the same premise. Is morality something we do, or something we tell ourselves we've done? Let's get these books undone. https://www.booksundone.com

Tender Is The Flesh is not simply the vegan allegory some readers assume it to be. The horror here serves a more unsettling purpose: it shows the power of language. Like Marcos himself said in the book: "Words carry the weight necessary to mold us, to suppress all questioning." Today's episode discusses how can language make violence palatable, and why does it reshape ethics and morality. Find the...

What do Blade Runner and Dune have in common? Both revolve around the same mechanism: scarcity creates demand, and demand turns possession into prestige... but here is the twist. Prestige is not just about wealth, because status only emerges when wealth is tied to something else: an ethical meaning. In this episode we'll explore one unique possibility: what if prestige requires morality? Full tran...

In this discussion, we dive into the layered deceptions of Dune — a “feint within a feint within a feint.” We explore whether free will can survive foreknowledge, how cycles shape history, and whether heroes are truly liberators… or traps. We also ask a bold question: is religion a belief system, or a technology engineered for power? My guests: K.D. Marchesi, Sarah K. Balstrup, and Henry Nielsen....

Dune is, by no means, a simple book. It examines how an environment shapes a society and its politics, how political and economic power intertwine, and how resources can both provoke or deter war. It speaks about the consequences of scarcity, and how differently we treat abundance when it overflows. With that in mind, this episode will focus on two key threads—details often smoothed in adaptations...

Embassytown is one of the most extraordinary linguistic thought-experiments in modern SFF. This episode explores how Miéville uses language—not just as a tool for communication, but as the very architecture of consciousness, politics, and power. We look at how signs and symbols shape meaning, why the Hosts can't lie, Avice’s role as a living simile and the moment language evolves into something ne...

Watchmen: the greatest graphic novel ever written, a Rorschach test on morality where every character’s goodness is afflicted with greyness and nuance. Join me in a terrific group discussion with Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), and Britton (from smectite). My Substack: https://liviajelliot.substack.com Get The Omens of War: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNN94R17

Joe, like Plato's escaped prisoner, is forced to confront a possibility that his world is not the 'real' one at all. In this podcast, I analyse Ubik's layered realities. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com

"The goal that led him on was not impossible, though it was clearly supernatural: he wanted to dream a man." This is the premise of another mind-blowing, reality-bending short-story by Jorge Luis Borges: The Circular Ruins. Join me in a Guests Talk with a dream cast of guests: Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), Kris (from A Fictional Escapist), P.L. Stuart (author of A Drowned Kingdom Saga), Jose...

We are slowly losing our ability to question ourselves—our likes, our preferences, our judgements on literature... and from there, we're one step away from no longer questioning why we hate something. After all, "What do you despise? By this are you truly known". This episode is actually a response to fellow BookTuber Britton from SomeOkieDude. Back in April (2025) he spoke about political comment...

Join me as I chat with Amy Minton about the author-narrator-character relation, focal distance in framed narratives and multi-timeline stories, and how to ground your reader... and perhaps frustrate them, but in good measure. This is a spoiler-lite episode focused on the craft, and we'll mention plenty of examples. Find Amy at: https://www.youtube.com/@Talking_Story Check my Substack: https://livi...

Annihilation is a challenge to humanity's perennial navel-gazing . It confronts us with the terrifying idea that the universe is not hostile—it simply doesn't care about us. In this episode, I will discuss three way sin which it challenges the biologist's (and thus the reader's) reality. You can find the full transcript, all citations, and get my free novella at: https://liviajelliot.substack.com

Snail on the Slope has a turbulent history, but the Strutgastkys themselves considered it as "the most perfect and the most valuable of [their] works". Let's get this book undone; we will review my proposed interpretation, and also the authors' intended one. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com

"Take it back. I want ignorance again. What is the limit of human comprehension? How much can the abyss stare back at you before you flinch?" This is one of the many open questions explored in DISCOVERY, a cosmic horror debut by JAJ Minton. In this interview, we first dive into the process of crafting a book as a team, and then we dive into some of the key themes, including a human-centric world,...

Author Spotlights are back, and in this episode I'm in conversation with Bert-Oliver Boehmer, author of the Galacticide series--a modern-but-classical military sci-fi with a dash of first-contact, galactic politics, and fast-paced action. Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella, THE GENESIS OF CHANGE: https://liviajelliot.com/ FIND THE GALACTICIDE SERIES: http...

Dance With Me is one of my most personal books, and having a narrator that could translate the literary elements while giving life to a diverse cast was incredibly important. Join me as I chat to audiobook narrator Alison Phoenix, and deep-dive into the perks of audiobook narration. DANCE WITH ME is available on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/liviajelliot/dance-with-me Find Alis...

Is life purposeless and meaningless? Can we survive when our purpose is shattered? Those are some of the questions presented in a cerebral book, a gem of Scottish fiction: 'Walking on Glass' by Iain Banks. Let's get this book undone! TRANSCRIPT: All the links are in the transcript here: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2025/02-podcast-walking-on-glass READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: - On Android: https:...

Are books political? I think we're asking the wrong question. Let's dive in! Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella, The Genesis of Change: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/ TRANSCRIPT: All the links are in the transcript here: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2025/01-podcast-political-books READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: - On Android: https://bit.ly/uneart...

Cyberpunk is back, and we're discussing "The Escher Man", with SPFBO semi-finalist Sarah K Balstrup, FanFi addict reviewer Charlie Cavendish, and the author himself, T.R. Napper. Join to my newsletter for bite-sized bookish deep dives (and get a free novella!: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/ READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: On Android: https://bit.ly/unearthedstories On iOS: https://apps.appl...

We're going back to the Borgesian Labyrinths with "The Garden of Forking Paths." My guests today are Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain), Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), and Britton (aka SomeOkieDude). Join to my newsletter for bite-sized bookish deep dives (and get a free novella!: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/ READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: - On Android: https://bit.ly/uneart...

A discussion on the relationship between memory and identity, as presented in The Escher Man, the latest cyberpunk release from T.R. Napper. Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/ TRANSCRIPT: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2024/20-podcast-escher-man All the links are in the transcript here! READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES:...

A cross-over discussion about ideas, deconstructing V's iconic phrase and analysing it under the light of V for Vendetta itself, 1984, and The Dispossessed. Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/ TRANSCRIPT: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2024/19-podcast-bulletproofideas All the links are in the transcript here! READ M...

Today, we're discussing one of the most famous graphic novels out there--V for Vendetta. Not for the faint of heart, and one piece that remains as timeless as 1984. My guests today are Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain), Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), and Britton (aka SomeOkieDude). Join to my newsletter for bite-sized bookish deep dives (and get a free novella!: https://liviajelliot....

This time, the Spotlight is on the Doctor of Cyberpunk himself, Ditmar award-winning author, and fellow Aussie, T.R. Napper. Today we're discussing his novella, Ghosts of the Neon God. Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella, THE GENESIS OF CHANGE: https://liviajelliot.com/ FIND T.R. Napper: http://www.nappertime.com/ READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: > On Andro...