Were joined by two veteran high school English teachers, each with a summer reading recommendation for a teenager. We talk about about how speculative fiction (including sci-fi, fantasy, horror, alt.

Lauren Olamina leaves her ruined home in the second half of Octavia E. Butler's 1993 novel/theology document/allegory/philosophical text, heading for the mysterious utopia of Branscombe first and then

Parable of the Sower purports to be a work of speculative fiction, but Bagg points out that speculative is in the eye of the speculator. Dukes calls it the founding document of a theology that both

Dukes and Baggs challenge each other to recap the second half in three and a half sentences before diving into what makes Weirs hard sci-fi novel about interstellar friendship so satisfying. Bagg un

Many many many many writers take on hard science fiction, and get lost in the science, leaving behind such niceties as plot, character development, human insight, or deep emotional stakes. Somehow,

Jonathan Lethems climax is fun, exciting, and surprises both Bagg and Dukes by not requiring much action from its already largely inactive protagonist, Journeyman. The UMBs once again consider the vi

Jonathan Lethem imagines not so much an apocalypse, but a kind of slow pause of most (but not all) advanced technologies, he calls The Arrest. Dukes and Bagg find the scenario fascinating and are no

In the second half of Goon Squad, many of the characters end upsurprisingly OK, especially when you consider their struggles and self-destructive capacity displayed in the first half. Bagg and Dukes

After a camel cricket update (!), Jesse and Chris try to untangle the conga line of affection and destruction that forms the structure of Egan's remarkable 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Bagg play

Play along with Dukes and Bagg as we play Neal Stephenson Bingo. We find that the final third does pick up a bit, with Goto Dengos story in particular providing a satisfying character arc. There are