We have only good things to say about The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed (2021), though that doesn’t extend to the term “hopepunk” used in the marketing copy. Is this post-apocalyptic novella set in Alberta the best specifically Canadian piece of science fiction out there? We make the case that it is. Download the Podcast (archive.org…

90s fantasy is back, baby! We discuss The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (2019). Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Will we survive the fungal infestation that lurks beneath Toronto in The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan (2023)? This horror/near-future science fiction/fantasy novel is packed with ideas and has plenty of relevant criticism of the direction Canada is heading, but doesn’t bring things together in a satisfactory way for the three of us. We talk about…

In the dying days of 2023, we came together to reflect on the best things that we read, watched, listened to and played this year. Tune in to the end for our “dishonourable mentions” as well, where we consider…the opposite. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme song…

We wrap up our 2023 book club with a recent release, The Terraformers (2023) by Annalee Newitz. This throwback to the fix-up novel explores a lot of big ideas about ecology, biology and society, but do all the many, many elements work together as a whole? And what’s up with all the references to Canada? We discuss. Download the Podcast (archive.org…

A working-class memoir? In this day and age? We sit down to discuss Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands (2022) by Kate Beaton. Warning: Includes mentions of sexual assault and workplace harassment. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

We talk about Parable of the Sower (1993) by Octavia Butler, which begins in the far-future year of 2024. And yet somehow, this still seems like a shockingly plausible representation of what next year could like. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

We discuss Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges, and marvel at how much literature you can pack into so few pages. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Just before the holidays, we’re back for a reflection on culture we experienced over the past year. Books, comics, films, TV, games – we talk about them all! Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme song Some things we mentioned: Order of the Stick Tigress Queen Honbarian From a Knight to a Lady The Remarried Empr…

We triumphantly re-convene after over a year’s absence to talk about The Cyberiad by Stanisław Lem, a book of fairy tales for robots, by robots, about robots. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Book Depository page for The Cyberiad Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Sting. In Dune. Despite the title, we are in fact talking about movies. But also books. Because this episode is all about adaptations! Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

A short discussion about Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). Part of this episode references the YouTube video “Raya’s Moral ISN’T A Good Lesson to Learn” by La’Ron Readus. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

After 5 years of people yelling at me to see this film, we finally watch The Witch (2015). Books mentioned: Witches and Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft by Robin Briggs (1998). Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Geralt’s butt. Marie watched the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher! Michal indulges in his teenage obsessions. We end up comparing The Witcher to Dealing with Dragons. Correction: At one point, we make it sound like Dandelion is the English translation of Jaskier. This is incorrect. Jaskier in fact means Buttercup. The books. Download the Podcast (…

…There’s a new Kwisatz Haderach in town. We talk Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Recording this episode cost us an arm and a leg. We talk Fullmetal Alchemist. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

We were supposed to record an episode about Fullmetal Alchemist, but we got distracted by Cybersix, an animated Canadian TV show from 1999 that should not exist. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

We finally talk about Bone. Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s new website Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Marie talks about Marie Brennan’s Memoirs of Lady Trent series, which begins with A Natural History of Dragons. I am also present, largely to provide colour. https://ia601500.us.archive.org/21/items/OLSP39NaturalHistory/OLSP39_NaturalHistory.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog (Podcast Marie, not Brennan Marie) Source of our th…

From Kate Beaton – Hark, a Vagrant! We remember the internet being a lot more fun a decade ago. Why did our attitude change, and what major milestones did internet culture experience between now and the time we first logged on? https://ia601500.us.archive.org/28/items/OLSP38Whereforinternet/OLSP38_Whereforinternet.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.…

A reflection on the life and works of Ursula K. Le Guin in light of her recent passing. https://ia601508.us.archive.org/26/items/OLSP37CelebratingLeGuin/OLSP37_CelebratingLeGuin.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Cory’s blog Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

So little of 2017 left, but just enough time to post our year in review! We discuss media we enjoyed this year, whether it was objectively good or not, including the University of Alberta murder-mystery-but-not-really-a-murder-mystery The Next Margaret, Haruki Murakami’s slow melancholy, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (again!), Roger Zelazny’s …

In which we speak of books we never finished, or wish we had never finished. Normally, I would provide a list of the novels we talked about. But this time, I think it’s better if you go in blind. https://ia601502.us.archive.org/34/items/OLSP35Unfinished/OLSP35_Unfinished.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Cory’s blog Source of…

We settle down to talk about another classic work of fantasy: Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series, specifically the first three novels, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore. Also: dragons. https://ia601504.us.archive.org/10/items/OLSP34TheRuleofNames/OLSP34_TheRuleofNames.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’…

We take a break from civilized life and get our barbarian groove on with a discussion of Robert E. Howard’s character Conan, focusing on the 1936 serialized novel The Hour of the Dragon. Topics include the wide-ranging influence of these stories, reprehensible anthropological themes within them, the enduring appeal of the character, approaches to w…

What does heaven look like? We find out by reading Steven Brust’s novel To Reign in Hell (1984). https://ia601501.us.archive.org/12/items/OLSP32ToReigninHell/OLSP32-ToReigninHell.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Cory’s blog Source of our theme songAutor: Michal Wojcik

Japan makes lots of cartoons, so our planned cartoon episode ended up being all about anime junk: Kill la Kill, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Vision of Escaflowne, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. https://ia601503.us.archive.org/27/items/OLSP31Cartoons/OLSP31_Cartoons.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Cory’s blog Source of…

I already did my year-end blog post, but my usual podcast hosts haven’t, so here’s the podcast edition! We talk about all the movies, books, television shows, comics, anime and art gallery shows we enjoyed this year. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/5/items/OLSP30WrappingUp2016/OLSP30_WrappingUp2016.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’…

The Giver by Lois Lowry is the one book on elementary/high school reading lists that Canadians our age remember fondly. Why is this, and why is the cover so darn memorable? https://ia601503.us.archive.org/21/items/OLSP29TheGiver/OLSP29_TheGiver.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Episode 26: Get Urras back to Anarres (Discussio…

The internet has provided ways for artists to skirt around traditional channels to get their work out to the public; web series are one of the more ambitious examples. We chat about our favourite web series and the idiosyncrasies of the medium. https://archive.org/download/OLSP28Webseries/OLSP28_Webseries.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page)…

We’re back! This time, we’re talking about adolescence, isolation and social anxiety in the anime series No Matter How I look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m not Popular! AKA, WataMote. Includes verbatim readings of entries from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and plenty of cringing. https://ia601507.us.archive.org/2/items…

We egoize about Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1974 classic, The Dispossessed. https://ia601502.us.archive.org/13/items/OLSP26Dispossessed/OLSP26_Dispossessed.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Episode 10 – The Left Hand of Podcasts Source of our theme song Incidental Music: Danse Macabre – Big Hit 1 Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licen…

A short, impromptu review of The Witches of Lublin, the holiday radio play “by Ellen Kushner and a bunch of other people in the cast.” https://ia601502.us.archive.org/0/items/OLSP25Lublin/OLSP25_Lublin.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog The Witches of Lublin websiteAutor: Michal Wojcik

After suffering through TSR’s gamebooks, we decide to try one that’s actually good: Ring of Thieves by S. John Ross. Dice will be rolled! Blood will spilled! Genies will be petulant! https://ia601508.us.archive.org/7/items/OLSP24BXimsBigDayOut/OLSP24B_XimsBigDayOut.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Get Ring of Thieves for free! Risus: The…

Squawk! The Dungeoneering Edition reaches its conclusion (Thank God) with Circus of Fear, and there is much rejoicing. https://ia601509.us.archive.org/8/items/OLSP24ASendintheGriffons/OLSP24A_SendintheGriffons.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Theme song: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative …

Our ill-advised experiment drags on as we play our way through Revolt of the Dwarves and The Dragon’s Ransom. Despite covering two books, this might well be our shortest episode yet. Only one more book remains before this series draws to a definite and unavoidable close. Apologies for the intermittent background noise! https://ia601507.us.archive.o…

Don’t get too excited: We don’t see meet either of these creatures. The Dungeoneering Edition of the podcast continues with Light on Quests Mountain. (We’re sorry. We’re so, so sorry.) https://ia601500.us.archive.org/20/items/OLSP22GammaWorld/OLSP22_GammaWorld.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Theme song: Five Armies by Kevin…

Larry Elmore’s gonna getcha! I found a stack of TSR Endless Quest Books at the dump. After that, this podcast was inevitable. https://ia601506.us.archive.org/30/items/OLSP21DungeoneeringEdition/OLSP21_Dungeoneering_Edition.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) Marie’s blog Theme song: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed un…

Well, it had a dragon on the cover. Young Adult literature is a Thing now, but it wasn’t when Marie and I grew up! Join as as we talk about the books we read as teenagers and realize with dawning horror that we had terrible, terrible taste. Warning folks, this one’s a long one. https://ia601503.us.archive.org/13/items/StuffTeenagersRead/Stuff%20Tee…

Cross-posted with Iatropexy. Thus the dueling theme songs. We watch Doc Zone’s last documentary, Volunteers Unleashed. Then…we rant. https://ia801508.us.archive.org/22/items/voluntourism/voluntourism.mp3 Download the Podcast (archive.org page) The documentary! (Video available for Canadians only) Pippa Biddle’s blog post: “The Problem with Little W…

It’s 1962. Marijuana is legal in California, massive amounts of farmland was recently recovered from the Mediterranean, and human colonization of the Solar System has begun. Everything seems just peachy, if it wasn’t for the pesky fact that the Third Reich and Imperial Japan won the Second World War… A discussion of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the …

Frank Hebert’s Dune is one of the most influential science fiction novels of all time. Naturally, we have a lot to say about it. https://ia601408.us.archive.org/8/items/rambling_Dune/Dune.mp3 Download the Podcast (35 MB, right-click to save) Source of our theme song Marie’s blogAutor: Michal Wojcik

Science! Religion! History! A far-ranging discussion of Walter M. Miller, Jr.’s epic post-apocalyptic Catholic-monks-in-Utah novel A Canticle for Leibowitz. https://ia902608.us.archive.org/24/items/CanticleForLeibowitz/Canticle%20for%20Leibowitz.mp3 Download the Podcast (30 MB, right-click to save) Source of our theme song Marie’s blog…

We watched Dracula Untold, then tried to salvage the utterly ruined evening by recording a podcast wherein I mispronounce “caricature”, Marie talks about bad anime shows, and Cory is confused. Our verdict on the film? Go read The Stress of her Regard by Tim Powers instead! https://ia601405.us.archive.org/12/items/DraculaUnedited/Dracula%20Unedited.…

We spent the last few weeks experiencing what Canadian cinema has to offer. This was the result: https://ia902607.us.archive.org/27/items/canadianfilms/canadianfilms.mp3 Download the Podcast (30 MB, right-click to save) Marie’s blog Films discussed: Ticket to Heaven Porky’s Quest for Fire The Bear Dance Me Outside Rock and Rule Heavy Metal Maelstro…

We talk about an obscure 13th-century French verse romance you’ve probably never heard of: The Romance of Eustace the Monk. https://ia902508.us.archive.org/28/items/EustaceTheMonk/Eustace%20the%20Monk.mp3 Download the Podcast (24 MB, right-click to save) Source of our theme song Leah Shopkow’s prose translation of Eustace the Monk…

Alternative Title: The Episode with Dragons in It. Marie and I survey classic (and not-so-classic) Middle Grade and YA literature that include dragons. Special mention goes to Patricia C. Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons, and we also brainstorm the next YA dragon epic that is sure to be a mega-bestseller. https://ia902508.us.archive.org/17/items/Battle…

Autor: Michal Wojcik

To no one’s surprise, the blog of the New Sun posts a podcast about The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Under discussion: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor and The Citadel of the Autarch, with some references to The Urth of the New Sun as well. https://ia600801.us.archive.org/32/items/PodcastOfTheNe…

Three friends discuss “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury, a creepy story about shockingly creepy children and their even more shockingly useless parents. Plus lions. https://ia601205.us.archive.org/24/items/NurseryCrimes/NurseryCrimes.mp3 Download the Podcast The story itself, as read by Leonard Nemoy Marie’s Blog Source of our theme song A very timely Wi…