Hugo, Girl!

This month we discussed Jo Walton's debatably fantastical novel Among Others, winner of the Hugo for best novel in 2012.  Your DM for this episode is Amy! CW/TW: CSA, child death Episode transcripts are available within a few days after the audio. Music by Eon Links: Jo Walton's Gizmodo Interview

Last month, we had the pleasure of appearing on City Lights, our local NPR station's arts and culture show, for an interview with senior producer Kim Drobes. We discussed the Hugo Awards, common issues in science fiction, and our favorite podcast segments.  AND THEN...the text version of our interview got scraped, run through a not-very-good thesaurus, and posted on a goofy "news" site. The result...

This month we read and watched 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film won the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1969. The poor book won no awards. This sprawling classic prompted many College Thoughts. Will we find the meaning of life? Probably not. Also, please enjoy a cameo from Haley's mom! DM: Lori Episode transcripts available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts Music by Eon: https...

At long last, we discussed our oft-referenced favorite tale of Terror (and Erebus), Dan Simmons' 2007 novel The Terror, a fictionalized and dubiously supernatural account of the Franklin Expedition. Is it Peak Dan Simmons? Yes, it is! Is it as good the second time? No, it isn't! Did we still LOVE discussing it so much that we talked for nearly two hours, which Kevin has painstakingly pared down to...

This month we read and discussed Karin Boye's novel Kallocain, which was nominated for a Retro Hugo for 1941. This is an excellent, if bleak, book, which we think should be taught in US classrooms alongside 1984 and Brave New World. We scream a few times during minute 29, so mind your volume! The full text of the novel is available to read free online , courtesy of the University of Wisconsin. Dig...

Hey guess what!! We are nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Fancast!! We're excited and screaming and don't want to hurt your ears, so turn down that volume!  Thank you so much to everyone who nominated us, and who listens, likes, comments, shares, leaves reviews - we are over the moon!

This month we read and discussed Vonda McIntyre's 1979 Hugo Award winning novel, Dreamsnake, which is beloved by everyone except a very vocal handful of men on the internet. Even Orson Scott Card said it was readable! DM: Lori CW/TW: CSA, addiction Episode transcript available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: https://...

In this special episode, we're going live to the phones to answer urgent questions across space and time! Big thanks to special guest stars Kevin and Emmanuel! Episode transcript available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts

We watched and discussed the new HBO Max limited series adaptation of Station Eleven. We had a VARIETY of opinions, so if you loved it or you hated it, you'll find something to agree with/be mad about in this episode. And we are joined by special guest, Kevin! DM: Chaos CW/TW: murder/death, violence, death in childbirth, intimate partner violence Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbv...

This month we discussed Larry Niven's Ringworld, which is verifiably a book that won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1971. Even a truly fantastic talking warrior cat couldn't save this litany of Misogynist Moments, but there were still a few things to like. DM: Haley CW/TW: rape, addiction Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: Credit to Simon Bisson for the amazing Mob...

This month's read is Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold. Despite what Haley described as "an oppressive fantasy feeling," we all really enjoyed this classic novel in which all the women are strong, all the men are weird-looking, and all the children are the subject of murder plots. DM: Amy CW/TW: rape, weird pregnancy & birth stuff, disability discrimination Transcript: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.c...

Hello! A couple of things - 1) We launched a website! It's a work in progress, but please check it out at https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/ 2) The deadline to purchase a membership so that you can nominate for the 2022 Hugo Awards is TOMORROW (January 31, 2022). We were just a few nominations short of making it onto last year's ballot, so we would love your support. All levels of memberships are av...

In honor of the recent Moby-Dick Marathon, it's time for a special episode on one of our favorite books of all time. Have you ever wondered if Moby-Dick was Star Wars or Lord of the Rings? It's time to find out! Your ship's captain for this special episode is Haley! More about the Moby-Dick Marathon: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/program/moby-dick-marathon-2022/ Theme music courtesy of Alexander N...

This month we read 2012 Hugo nominee for best novel, Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey. Spoiler alert for how many times you can deride sex workers in one novel! Despite that, we all basically liked this book, we promise. Your DM for this episode is Haley! Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss  

Kevin and Lori went to Worldcon in Washington, DC! It was fun! We'll tell you a little bit about the con itself, plus lots about dogs and food and meeting new friends. We were very excited to find out after the Hugo Awards that we were on the long list for best fancast! We were only a few nominations away from the ballot. If you'd like to nominate us this year, be sure to grab your Worldcon 2022 m...

In this special episode, we learn all of physics, courtesy of amazing physicist Emily Duden! Hear the answers to burning questions like "would a flashlight be useless for a person traveling at the speed of light" and "will I stay young forever if I just never leave an airplane" and "is Interstellar a bunch of foolishness?" Also, relativity! And gravity! And did you know that anything can be a cloc...

What's not to love about 800 years of a straight man's discomfited rumination on "homolife?" This month we read Joe Haldeman's military sci-fi classic, The Forever War. Your DM for this episode is Lori! Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss TW/CW: homophobia, compulsory sex Links: https://www.reddit.com/r/sciencefiction/comments/31n046/im_joe_haldeman_author_of_the_forever_war...

This month we discussed Isaac Asimov's groundbreaking novel about various pairs of dudes scheming in rooms for over a century. Your DM for Foundation is Amy! CW/TW: sexual harassment/assault at cons (especially by Asimov) Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links https://twitter.com/petersagal/status/1176115797107838976?lang=ca https://gizmodo.com/dont-look-away-fighting-sex...

We discussed Denis Villeneuve's new movie adaptation of Dune. We liked it a lot! Recommended reading: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/10/28/dune-muslim-influences-erased/ Recommended listening:  https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/10/25/the-middle-geeks-episode-31-dune-review/ Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss  

It's our Halloween Spooktacular! This month for spooky season we read and discussed Retro Hugo nominee The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle. Published in 1941 under the dubious title Uneasy Freehold, this book is chock full of our favorite things: ghosts, breakfasts, lesbians, and a nice orange cat. It has a great twist so we REALLY hope you'll read it. Be warned: spoilers and spirits abound! Your su...

This month we discussed The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu), winner of the 2015 Hugo Award for best novel. Did you know that we are in fact three bodies? And by the end of this episode, we are also self-taught physicists. Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/24/liu-cixins-war-of-the-worlds

This is a short book so detours abound, but we did (mostly) love that Murderbot! After almost a year and a half of a whole pandemic, who can't identify with wanting to shut your helmet faceplate and feed thousands of hours of TV directly into your brain? Murderbot is all of us. Music by Eon: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links : NPR review: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/27/688354123/s...

It's time to eat! Join us as we eat and discuss delicious dishes inspired by The Witcher, The Broken Earth Trilogy, The Legacy of Orïsha, and Lord of the Rings from Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons , by Thea James and Isabel Minunni. Be forewarned, there's plenty of chewing because this food was good! We are allowed to share a handful of recipes, so send us an email or reach out on social...

This minisode we open and peruse Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons , a fantasy-inspired collection of recipes, created by Hugo Award winner and co-founder of The Book Smugglers, Thea James, and chef Isabel Minunni. The book also includes forty beautiful illustrations by artist Tim Foley. Listen as we...read the table of contents and talk about lactose intolerance and flossing. It's cuter t...

This month we read The City and the City by China Miéville, which was...fine? Maybe goodish? Is it "New Weird," or is it just weird? We don't know. But we do know that Mare of Easttown would have cracked this case with half as many commas as Inspector Borlú. Music by Eon: https:/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss