Podside Picnic

Ashely Adams returns to talk about Kij Johnson's "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change". What would YOU do if your dog asked you to eat what you eat, sleep where you sleep? This story first appeared in the World Fantasy Award nominated The Coyote Road (edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling), but you can read or listen to the story, reprinted in Drabb...

We talk Upgrade (2018), which asks the pressing question: what EXACTLY did you agree to in the TOS?

Aaron Thorpe of The Trillbillies and Everybody Loves Communism joins us to chat about William Gibson's first published story, Fragments of a Hologram Rose. Find out with us if a simulation would smell as sweet

It's that time again - time to unlock the next step in our journey through the Year of the New Sun. Just as you can't read a Gene Wolfe story, only re-read it, so we hope it goes with podcasts. Music by Loot the Body

The Culture War is underway. Join Jernau Gurgeh - professional gamer and amateur asshole - on his journey to play a game with an Empire at stake. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Music is "A Guilty System Recognizes No Innocents" by Terminal Khaos Builders https://terminalkhaosbuilders.bandcamp.com/track/a-guilty-system-recognizes-no-innocents

Tai returns to talk about the original My Bloody Valentine (1981) and the flawed remake (2009). One thing's certain in this mining town - they

Some books aspire to greatness with merely one or two world-shaking twists. Margaret St. Clair's The Shadow People scoffs at such limitations and squeezes FIVE such twists into her slim novel

We're joined by the creators of indie RPG games Fail Marines, Hell, Inc. and the forthcoming BURGERPunk to talk about Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) - a touching story about government-mandated horniness. Get reminded to support BURGERPunk: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffmartin/burgerpunk-the-rpg

We discuss Octavia Butler's Speech Sounds, a harrowing pandemic scenario so plausible it speaks to Butler's writing skills.

We discuss Johnny Mnemonic (1995), a man who got a brain modification so he can smuggle the hottest takes to the highest bidder

You ready for a revolution? Well, listen up as we talk about our next read-alongs, Iain M. Banks' Culture novels, Player of Games and Excession

We discuss The Venus Effect by Violet Allen, where the Black protagonist's adventures get cut short due to "an officer-involved shooting" Read it at Lightspeed Magazine: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-venus-effect/

We discuss Looker (1981), a flawed Crichton film with intriguing stuff to say about the role of computers in automation. Oh, and snazzy eyewear.

Trevor Strunk returns as we delve into the secrets of Hallownest and admire a hero of few words who also happens to be a little bug

It's that time again - time to unlock the next step in our journey through the Year of the New Sun. Just as you can't read a Gene Wolfe story, only re-read it, so we hope it goes with podcasts. Music by Loot the Body

Stephen Mazur joins us for one last Year of the New Sun episode. Trust, good folk, that we've gone from gate to gate, from night to light, there's no shame if you do not wish to join us. It is a hard path, after all

We chat about the amazingly pulpy Enchantress of Venus, by Leigh Brackett and her life as pulp science fiction, noir and screenwriter.

Cowabunga! We chat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and a bit about some of their other iterations across media, so listen in and be sure to have a slice or two to celebrate

For this episode we bring Ashely Adams back and take out our BIG shovels for The Kaiju Preservation Society. Be sure to wear your hazmat suits with this crap - it's literally radioactive!

An old acquaintance ain't forgot as we show 2022 the door and look forward to the new year.

Karlo, Kurt and Chris share a Holiday Beer. Happy Holidays, Podsiders!

This is it - as the Year of the New Sun comes to a close, we reach the end of Severian's journey. Listen to our discussion on these last, glorious chapters of The Book of the New Sun!

The most dangerous woman in speculative fiction returns! Raquel S. Benedict joins us for Black Christmas. One of the first slasher movies, it inspired Carpenter when making Halloween. Go forth, podsiders, and watch the original, accept no substitutes

Looky, looky who's got the Hooky! That's right, we revisit the reason for the season - James A. Hook, who will kidnap your loved ones if you're bad. Hell, he'll do it if you're good, too. Join us as we fight, we fly and crow

We're joined by Podside's own World Warrior, Zangief, to take the pulse of the genre and talk about the Short Fiction and Novelette ballots for the Shirley Jackson Awards.