https://simplecast.com Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time Explore the best of sci-fi with Brent and Cody. Each episode dives into a single book or series in the sci-fi cannon. Author interviews, reviews and analysis, and related book recommendations. Happy reading y'all! 2021-2024 Brent Gaisford & Cody Troyer en Tue, 7 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Tue, 7 Apr 2026 12:00:11 +0000 https://hugonauts.simplecast.com Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/bffb08fe-34ee-4da7-bf80-21b084d2d095/dea070bc-ef23-4fc0-8b2d-d5c8213d2563/3000x3000/main-hugonauts-show-image-square-v5.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://hugonauts.simplecast.com episodic Explore the best of sci-fi with Brent and Cody. Each episode dives into a single book or series in the sci-fi cannon. Author interviews, reviews and analysis, and related book recommendations. Happy reading y'all! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer false https://feeds.simplecast.com/YqfJp6r2 book reviews, books, hugo awards, nebula awards, novels, sci fi, science fiction, book recommendations Brent Gaisford & Cody Troyer hugonautspodcast@gmail.com e315e454-d83b-44f9-88e9-a98e786bec21 Project Hail Mary - Book vs Movie (plus other sci-fi book to movie recommendations) If you thought The Martian was intense, let's just go ahead and raise the stakes. 

We break down the movie version of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, comparing the film with the fun technical problem solving of the original novel. We take a close look at how the movie brings the "astrophage" threat and and action to life, more importantly, whether it is possible to have your hair tousled 100% of the time. 

We dig into which complex scientific explanations were streamlined for Hollywood pacing and which "science-ing the heck out of it" moments remained intact. We also evaluate Ryan Gosling’s performance as the amnesiac-turned-savior, Ryland Grace, comparing his onscreen energy to the internal monologue that made the book a bestseller. Whether you’re a die-hard Rocky fan or a casual viewer who just loves a good space movie, this episode highlights the hits and misses of the transition from page to screen. 

We wrap up by answering the ultimate questions: is the movie worth watching? Is the book worth reading? Settle on in, enjoy, and fist our bump. 

As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.

Similar books and movies we recommend: 

  • The Martian (book and movie) 
  • Story of Your Life (novela) and Arrival (movie) 
  • 2001 (book and movie) 
  • Solaris (book and movie) 
  • Roadside Picnic (book) and Stalker (the movie) 
  • Children of Men (book and movie) 
  • Edge of Tomorrow (movie) and All you Need is Kill (book) 
  • War of the Worlds (book and movie) 
  • Dune (we love eyebrows) 

This episode is sponsored by STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar: https://www.starløk.com/ 

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:

  • 00:00 Intro and review 
  • 02:26 Sponsor – STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar 
  • 03:04 Differences in the movie 
  • 8:13 Jokes vs cheesiness 
  • 10:15 How long can you look at Ryan Gosling? 
  • 12:16 Ever-tousled hair 
  • 16:27 Read or watch first? 
  • 17:53 The Martian 
  • 18:33 Story of Your Life & Arrival 
  • 19:46 2001 20:56 Solaris 
  • 22:03 Roadside Picnic & Stalker 
  • 23:54 Children of Men
  • 25:30 All You Need is Kill & Edge of Tomorrow 
  • 26:38 War of the Worlds 
  • 28:16 Annihilation 
  • 28:56 Dune (we love eyebrows) 
  • 30:11 POST SPOILERS discussion
]]> Tue, 7 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/project-hail-mary-book-vs-movie-bLsMbwUC If you thought The Martian was intense, let's just go ahead and raise the stakes. 

We break down the movie version of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, comparing the film with the fun technical problem solving of the original novel. We take a close look at how the movie brings the "astrophage" threat and and action to life, more importantly, whether it is possible to have your hair tousled 100% of the time. 

We dig into which complex scientific explanations were streamlined for Hollywood pacing and which "science-ing the heck out of it" moments remained intact. We also evaluate Ryan Gosling’s performance as the amnesiac-turned-savior, Ryland Grace, comparing his onscreen energy to the internal monologue that made the book a bestseller. Whether you’re a die-hard Rocky fan or a casual viewer who just loves a good space movie, this episode highlights the hits and misses of the transition from page to screen. 

We wrap up by answering the ultimate questions: is the movie worth watching? Is the book worth reading? Settle on in, enjoy, and fist our bump. 

As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.

Similar books and movies we recommend: 

  • The Martian (book and movie) 
  • Story of Your Life (novela) and Arrival (movie) 
  • 2001 (book and movie) 
  • Solaris (book and movie) 
  • Roadside Picnic (book) and Stalker (the movie) 
  • Children of Men (book and movie) 
  • Edge of Tomorrow (movie) and All you Need is Kill (book) 
  • War of the Worlds (book and movie) 
  • Dune (we love eyebrows) 

This episode is sponsored by STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar: https://www.starløk.com/ 

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:

  • 00:00 Intro and review 
  • 02:26 Sponsor – STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar 
  • 03:04 Differences in the movie 
  • 8:13 Jokes vs cheesiness 
  • 10:15 How long can you look at Ryan Gosling? 
  • 12:16 Ever-tousled hair 
  • 16:27 Read or watch first? 
  • 17:53 The Martian 
  • 18:33 Story of Your Life & Arrival 
  • 19:46 2001 20:56 Solaris 
  • 22:03 Roadside Picnic & Stalker 
  • 23:54 Children of Men
  • 25:30 All You Need is Kill & Edge of Tomorrow 
  • 26:38 War of the Worlds 
  • 28:16 Annihilation 
  • 28:56 Dune (we love eyebrows) 
  • 30:11 POST SPOILERS discussion
]]> Project Hail Mary - Book vs Movie (plus other sci-fi book to movie recommendations) Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:39:21 The movie was great fun - but was it as good as the book? Also, we address the really important questions, like whether it is physically possible to get tired of looking at Ryan Gosling. The movie was great fun - but was it as good as the book? Also, we address the really important questions, like whether it is physically possible to get tired of looking at Ryan Gosling. project hail mary, movie recommendations, ryan gosling, book recommendations, sci-fi, book review, sci fi, movie review, book vs movie, scifi, andy weir false full 93 4ed0973c-e874-49d0-b2ed-5d49284facde The Dark Tower: Unraveling Stephen King's Mid-World We had so much fun revisiting Mid-World for this episode – it’s the first series that brought us together as book nerds twenty years ago, and it’s absolutely just as good as the first day we read it. So thankful it helped tie our friendship together, and laid the foundation for meeting all the rest of you Hugonauts all these years later! 

The Dark Tower defies (or bridges) genres, with elements of sci-fi, fantasy, western, horror, and more, all rolled into one legendary package. And Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger, is an incredible main character, and we’ll never forget the rest of the Ka-Tet either. And the ending – we won’t spoil it here, but man do we like thinking about this ending (it’s one of the most polarizing in all of literature). You may be picking up on the fact that we kinda like these books.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
  • Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
  • Book of the New Sun series - Gene Wolfe

This episode is sponsored by The Rising and the Fall of Hell by Sean Miller

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:58 Our review (5/5)
  • 03:35 Sponsor – The Rising and the Fall of Hell by Sean Miller
  • 04:09 About Stephen King
  • 07:26 Incredible character writing
  • 08:56 A 20 year series
  • 10:30 Should we be reading on drugs?
  • 12:38 Cody hates Star Wars
  • 15:52 Every genre combined
  • 18:02 Our favorite books in the series
  • 19:39 The King Multiverse
  • 21:10 The Dark Tower movie
  • 22:03 Inspirations from other fiction
  • 27:44 Similar books we recommend
  • 31:27 POST SPOILERS discussion
]]> Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-dark-tower-4uWhUmdK We had so much fun revisiting Mid-World for this episode – it’s the first series that brought us together as book nerds twenty years ago, and it’s absolutely just as good as the first day we read it. So thankful it helped tie our friendship together, and laid the foundation for meeting all the rest of you Hugonauts all these years later! 

The Dark Tower defies (or bridges) genres, with elements of sci-fi, fantasy, western, horror, and more, all rolled into one legendary package. And Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger, is an incredible main character, and we’ll never forget the rest of the Ka-Tet either. And the ending – we won’t spoil it here, but man do we like thinking about this ending (it’s one of the most polarizing in all of literature). You may be picking up on the fact that we kinda like these books.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
  • Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
  • Book of the New Sun series - Gene Wolfe

This episode is sponsored by The Rising and the Fall of Hell by Sean Miller

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:58 Our review (5/5)
  • 03:35 Sponsor – The Rising and the Fall of Hell by Sean Miller
  • 04:09 About Stephen King
  • 07:26 Incredible character writing
  • 08:56 A 20 year series
  • 10:30 Should we be reading on drugs?
  • 12:38 Cody hates Star Wars
  • 15:52 Every genre combined
  • 18:02 Our favorite books in the series
  • 19:39 The King Multiverse
  • 21:10 The Dark Tower movie
  • 22:03 Inspirations from other fiction
  • 27:44 Similar books we recommend
  • 31:27 POST SPOILERS discussion
]]> The Dark Tower: Unraveling Stephen King's Mid-World Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:47:42 Stephen King’s Dark Tower series is timeless, gripping, and unforgettably interwoven with itself and all the rest of the King multiverse. Stephen King’s Dark Tower series is timeless, gripping, and unforgettably interwoven with itself and all the rest of the King multiverse. the dark tower, western, mid-world, horror, science fiction, book recs, stephen king, hugonauts, fantasy, book review, booktube, sci fi, books recommendations false full 92 0a3eaddd-67eb-41fe-8f9d-16c452114ba4 PAGE TURNERS: 15 binge-worthy Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books! We’ve got 15 books and series here, so there should be something to love for almost every reader (although we need some traditional fantasy page turners – send us some recommendations in the comments please)! Plus, at the end of the episode we each rank our personal top 3.

We intentionally excluded YA and military sci-fi books, although those are often also page-turners - look out for episodes about each of those soon!

Brent’s brother, Alex, joined us for this episode, and brought us a whole new batch of books (and frankly a couple new subgenres) to enjoy. LitRPG / progression fantasy just keep getting more popular, and we can see why – the books we’ve picked up have all been so, so fun to read (although it probably helps we’ve been reading Alex’s recommendations so far, the best of the best from the hundreds of LitRPG books he’s read).

No spoilers anywhere in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney

All the books we recommend, plus timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:48 Sponsor – Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney
  • 03:26 Silo by Hugh Howey
  • 5:06 Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic
  • 7:19 Murderbot by Martha Wells
  • 9:10 Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer
  • 12:26 Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
  • 14:49 Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke
  • 18:18 Project Hail Mary and The Martian by Andy Weir
  • 19:40 Iron Prince by Bryce O'Connor
  • 22:33 Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
  • 24:04 He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon
  • 28:47 Daemon by Daniel Suarez
  • 31:07 The Perfect Run by Maxime J. Durand
  • 33:39 The Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor
  • 36:24 Eight by Samer Rabadi
  • 38:37 Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
  • 46:18 Rankings: Top 3 page turners
]]> Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Alex Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/page-turners-xn3WdzlA We’ve got 15 books and series here, so there should be something to love for almost every reader (although we need some traditional fantasy page turners – send us some recommendations in the comments please)! Plus, at the end of the episode we each rank our personal top 3.

We intentionally excluded YA and military sci-fi books, although those are often also page-turners - look out for episodes about each of those soon!

Brent’s brother, Alex, joined us for this episode, and brought us a whole new batch of books (and frankly a couple new subgenres) to enjoy. LitRPG / progression fantasy just keep getting more popular, and we can see why – the books we’ve picked up have all been so, so fun to read (although it probably helps we’ve been reading Alex’s recommendations so far, the best of the best from the hundreds of LitRPG books he’s read).

No spoilers anywhere in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney

All the books we recommend, plus timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:48 Sponsor – Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney
  • 03:26 Silo by Hugh Howey
  • 5:06 Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic
  • 7:19 Murderbot by Martha Wells
  • 9:10 Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer
  • 12:26 Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
  • 14:49 Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke
  • 18:18 Project Hail Mary and The Martian by Andy Weir
  • 19:40 Iron Prince by Bryce O'Connor
  • 22:33 Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
  • 24:04 He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon
  • 28:47 Daemon by Daniel Suarez
  • 31:07 The Perfect Run by Maxime J. Durand
  • 33:39 The Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor
  • 36:24 Eight by Samer Rabadi
  • 38:37 Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
  • 46:18 Rankings: Top 3 page turners
]]> PAGE TURNERS: 15 binge-worthy Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Alex Gaisford 00:53:15 From sci-fi thrillers to LitRPG and progression fantasy – these are books we could not put down! From sci-fi thrillers to LitRPG and progression fantasy – these are books we could not put down! thrillers, book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, litrpg, book review, sci fi, page turners, books, scifi, progression fantasy false full 91 e7622100-be94-4fda-b544-ae8a55f6cabb The Best Space Operas Ever Written - the biggest stories and the best characters! We've got 18 books and series we highly recommend, so there's something here for all kinds of readers - and at the end of the episode we rank our top 3 to bring you the best of the best. 

What is space opera? Books with big characters and a bigger world - they usually even come with big 'ol wordcounts. Space opera is often multi-pov, with interstellar travel and the fate of the galaxy at stake. 

No spoilers anywhere in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by indie sci-fi publisher Lil' Factory

All the books we recommend, plus timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 00:36 Sponsor - Lil' Factory 
  • 1:24 What is a space opera? 
  • 2:58 The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 
  • 4:45 The Expanse - James S.A. Corey 
  • 6:38 Hyperion - Dan Simmons 
  • 9:51 House of Suns - Alistair Reynolds 
  • 11:32 Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  • 13:11 Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge 
  • 15:04 The Culture - Iain M. Banks 
  • 17:17 Peter F. Hamilton's whole discography 
  • 20:19 Embassytown - China Mieville 
  • 21:45 A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine 
  • 23:34 Dune - Are you happy now? 
  • 24:47 Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie 
  • 26:34 Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh 
  • 26:05 The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle 
  • 29:24 Startide Rising - David Brin 
  • 31:16 The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers 
  • 33:01 Foundation - Isaac Asimov 
  • 35:22 Rankings: 3rd best Space Opera 
  • 37:27 Rankings: 2nd best Space Opera 
  • 38:50 Rankings: 1st best Space Opera
]]> Tue, 3 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/best-space-operas-RtUhhEcG We've got 18 books and series we highly recommend, so there's something here for all kinds of readers - and at the end of the episode we rank our top 3 to bring you the best of the best. 

What is space opera? Books with big characters and a bigger world - they usually even come with big 'ol wordcounts. Space opera is often multi-pov, with interstellar travel and the fate of the galaxy at stake. 

No spoilers anywhere in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by indie sci-fi publisher Lil' Factory

All the books we recommend, plus timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 00:36 Sponsor - Lil' Factory 
  • 1:24 What is a space opera? 
  • 2:58 The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 
  • 4:45 The Expanse - James S.A. Corey 
  • 6:38 Hyperion - Dan Simmons 
  • 9:51 House of Suns - Alistair Reynolds 
  • 11:32 Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  • 13:11 Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge 
  • 15:04 The Culture - Iain M. Banks 
  • 17:17 Peter F. Hamilton's whole discography 
  • 20:19 Embassytown - China Mieville 
  • 21:45 A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine 
  • 23:34 Dune - Are you happy now? 
  • 24:47 Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie 
  • 26:34 Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh 
  • 26:05 The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle 
  • 29:24 Startide Rising - David Brin 
  • 31:16 The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers 
  • 33:01 Foundation - Isaac Asimov 
  • 35:22 Rankings: 3rd best Space Opera 
  • 37:27 Rankings: 2nd best Space Opera 
  • 38:50 Rankings: 1st best Space Opera
]]> The Best Space Operas Ever Written - the biggest stories and the best characters! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:41:51 We've read through the entire library to bring you the best space operas ever written! We've read through the entire library to bring you the best space operas ever written! book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, hugonauts, space opera, scifi false full 90 15f76b78-3525-4a93-bdd3-2b573f5e3e3c Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age - Nanotech, Atom-scale 3D Printers, and a subversive Primer! This might be the best sci-fi book out there about nanotechnology. But Stephenson has so many good ones that this one isn't his best book - some of the characters lose their way, and it drags in the middle. 

Oh, and one more good recommendation we forgot while we were recording - check out Blood Music by Greg Bear if you want a biological twist on nanotech!

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
  • Neuromancer by William Gibson
  • Cory Doctorow
  • Prey by Michael Crichton

This episode is sponsored by Har Megiddon by Ron Bennett.

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:   

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:47 Book setup
  • 1:49 Sponsor - Har Megiddon
  • 2:22 Our review 3.25/5
  • 3:53 Great sections - and stinkers
  • 4:47 Incredible technology
  • 7:33 Hard to visualize?
  • 9:38 Dances with Wolves
  • 10:17 Labor saving devices
  • 13:59 Neal's infodumps
  • 19:25 Book structure
  • 25:47 Sponsor - Har Megiddon
  • 26:08 Similar books we recommend
  • 28:40 Spoilers section - book summary
  • 31:30 Spoilers section - discussion
]]> Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/diamond-age-H8jrLYIc This might be the best sci-fi book out there about nanotechnology. But Stephenson has so many good ones that this one isn't his best book - some of the characters lose their way, and it drags in the middle. 

Oh, and one more good recommendation we forgot while we were recording - check out Blood Music by Greg Bear if you want a biological twist on nanotech!

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
  • Neuromancer by William Gibson
  • Cory Doctorow
  • Prey by Michael Crichton

This episode is sponsored by Har Megiddon by Ron Bennett.

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:   

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:47 Book setup
  • 1:49 Sponsor - Har Megiddon
  • 2:22 Our review 3.25/5
  • 3:53 Great sections - and stinkers
  • 4:47 Incredible technology
  • 7:33 Hard to visualize?
  • 9:38 Dances with Wolves
  • 10:17 Labor saving devices
  • 13:59 Neal's infodumps
  • 19:25 Book structure
  • 25:47 Sponsor - Har Megiddon
  • 26:08 Similar books we recommend
  • 28:40 Spoilers section - book summary
  • 31:30 Spoilers section - discussion
]]> Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age - Nanotech, Atom-scale 3D Printers, and a subversive Primer! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:41:01 Stephenson does what he does best - incredible technology that feels like a true vision of the future. Stephenson does what he does best - incredible technology that feels like a true vision of the future. sci-fi books, book recommendations, neuromancer, the diamond age, cory doctorow, hugonauts, prey by michael crichton, book review, nanotechnology, books, scifi, neal stephenson false full 89 c1f60083-6fd0-4ab8-a62c-5f2d0aa0c7ce The Myths that Inspired Fantasy and Sci-Fi From Sumeria, to Greece, to India, to the depths of the dark ages we explore the stories that have inspired everything that came later with a professor of mythology and medieval literature. This particular professor also happens to be Cody's mom, so this is also a great episode to explore Cody's psyche, for those brave enough to explore a dark and twisted place. 

If you want to do some reading, here are our suggestions on the best translations of these myths (and even a couple great graphic novels): 

  • Epic of Gilgamesh, trans. Andrew George, Penguin Classics
  • The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fagles
  • The Odyssey, Gareth Hinds graphic novel
  • The Iliad, Penguin Classics
  • The Aeneid, trans. Robert Fagles Penguin Classics
  • Age of Bronze Series, Eric Shanower (series of graphic novels on Trojan War)
  • Hercules, Fred Van Lente
  • Monkey, trans. Arthur Waley
  • Beowulf, trans. Seamus Heaney
  • The Popul Vuh, trans. Michael Bazzett, Milkweed Editions
  • The Nibelungenlied, trans. AT Hatto, Penguin
  • Chretien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, trans. William W. Kibler, Penguin
  • Le Morte D’Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory, Penguin Classics
  • Tales from the Thousand and One Nights, trans. N.J. Dawood, Penguin Classics
  • Sindbad and Other Stories from Arabian Nights, trans Husain Haddowy
  • Sinbad the Sailor, Penguin Classics
  • The Ramayana, Abridged and Translated by Arshia Sattar, Penguin Classics OR any children’s/YA book to get started. There are hundreds

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 1:45 - The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • 6:35 - The Odyssey
  • 10:12 - The Iliad
  • 12:09 - The Aeneid
  • 14:12 - Hercules
  • 15:53 - Monkey (Excerpts from Journey to the West)
  • 21:00 - Beowulf
  • 25:25 - The Popul Vuh
  • 28:23 - The Nibelungenlied
  • 33:21 - King Arthur Myths (Malory, De Troyes)
  • 36:56 - Tales From the Thousand and One Nights
  • 41:40 - Sinbad the Sailor
  • 45:10 - The Ramayana
  • 49:55 - Our Top 3 favorite myths
]]> Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Pam Troyer, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/best-myths-JjkgIjp8 From Sumeria, to Greece, to India, to the depths of the dark ages we explore the stories that have inspired everything that came later with a professor of mythology and medieval literature. This particular professor also happens to be Cody's mom, so this is also a great episode to explore Cody's psyche, for those brave enough to explore a dark and twisted place. 

If you want to do some reading, here are our suggestions on the best translations of these myths (and even a couple great graphic novels): 

  • Epic of Gilgamesh, trans. Andrew George, Penguin Classics
  • The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fagles
  • The Odyssey, Gareth Hinds graphic novel
  • The Iliad, Penguin Classics
  • The Aeneid, trans. Robert Fagles Penguin Classics
  • Age of Bronze Series, Eric Shanower (series of graphic novels on Trojan War)
  • Hercules, Fred Van Lente
  • Monkey, trans. Arthur Waley
  • Beowulf, trans. Seamus Heaney
  • The Popul Vuh, trans. Michael Bazzett, Milkweed Editions
  • The Nibelungenlied, trans. AT Hatto, Penguin
  • Chretien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, trans. William W. Kibler, Penguin
  • Le Morte D’Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory, Penguin Classics
  • Tales from the Thousand and One Nights, trans. N.J. Dawood, Penguin Classics
  • Sindbad and Other Stories from Arabian Nights, trans Husain Haddowy
  • Sinbad the Sailor, Penguin Classics
  • The Ramayana, Abridged and Translated by Arshia Sattar, Penguin Classics OR any children’s/YA book to get started. There are hundreds

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 1:45 - The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • 6:35 - The Odyssey
  • 10:12 - The Iliad
  • 12:09 - The Aeneid
  • 14:12 - Hercules
  • 15:53 - Monkey (Excerpts from Journey to the West)
  • 21:00 - Beowulf
  • 25:25 - The Popul Vuh
  • 28:23 - The Nibelungenlied
  • 33:21 - King Arthur Myths (Malory, De Troyes)
  • 36:56 - Tales From the Thousand and One Nights
  • 41:40 - Sinbad the Sailor
  • 45:10 - The Ramayana
  • 49:55 - Our Top 3 favorite myths
]]> The Myths that Inspired Fantasy and Sci-Fi Pam Troyer, Cody Troyer 00:53:58 Exploring the best ancient myths at the root of all modern sci-fi and fantasy! Exploring the best ancient myths at the root of all modern sci-fi and fantasy! ancient myths, myths, book reviews, book recommendations, hugonauts, best myths false full 88 f402712a-9843-4091-b9c9-edbad7690566 Best Starter Science Fiction Books Whether you like ripping page turners, incredible characters, books that make you laugh out loud, exploring unforgettable new worlds, or literary books that will make you see the world in a new way, there's a great intro to scifi out there for everyone!

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 00:38 Incredible Characters - Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold 
  • 3:07 A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 
  • 4:04 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 
  • 4:52 Unforgettable Worlds - The Expanse by James S.A. Corey 
  • 6:58 Hyperion by Dan Simmons 
  • 8:24 House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds 
  • 9:20 Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  • 10:56 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 
  • 12:22 Funny SF - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 
  • 13:36 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson 
  • 14:50 Old Man's War by John Scalzi 
  • 16:01 Page turners - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
  • 17:43 Dark Matter or Recursion by Blake Crouch 
  • 18:52 All Systems Red by Martha Wells 
  • 20:01 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 
  • 21:35 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 
  • 22:34 Literary SciFi - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin 
  • 24:55 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 
  • 26:26 The Road by Cormac McCarthy 
  • 27:49 Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
  • 28:40 Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
]]> Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/scifi-for-beginners-B2y4lwV_ Whether you like ripping page turners, incredible characters, books that make you laugh out loud, exploring unforgettable new worlds, or literary books that will make you see the world in a new way, there's a great intro to scifi out there for everyone!

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 00:38 Incredible Characters - Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold 
  • 3:07 A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 
  • 4:04 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 
  • 4:52 Unforgettable Worlds - The Expanse by James S.A. Corey 
  • 6:58 Hyperion by Dan Simmons 
  • 8:24 House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds 
  • 9:20 Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  • 10:56 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 
  • 12:22 Funny SF - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 
  • 13:36 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson 
  • 14:50 Old Man's War by John Scalzi 
  • 16:01 Page turners - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
  • 17:43 Dark Matter or Recursion by Blake Crouch 
  • 18:52 All Systems Red by Martha Wells 
  • 20:01 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 
  • 21:35 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 
  • 22:34 Literary SciFi - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin 
  • 24:55 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 
  • 26:26 The Road by Cormac McCarthy 
  • 27:49 Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
  • 28:40 Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
]]> Best Starter Science Fiction Books Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:30:24 This episode is all about books that are great stepping stones into the genre, whether for you or a friend or family member you think might be a little sci-curious. This episode is all about books that are great stepping stones into the genre, whether for you or a friend or family member you think might be a little sci-curious. book reviews, scifi for newbies, science fiction, book recommendations, book recs, science ficiton for beginners, sci fi, scifi false full 87 89bf0dd6-357d-475b-ae61-3e308c10f0de Cloud Atlas - A genre-bending book we can't stop thinking about! With six interconnected stories (in a narrative style that broke all kinds of new ground), it's hard not to find at least a few characters you love. And even for those you don't personally love, the voices are unforgettable - it's wild that all these characters with such distinct personalities were created by a single person.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
  • Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
  • Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

This episode is sponsored by #1.1 by Allen Dean Maiora

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:10 Book setup
  • 2:17 Our review 4.5/5
  • 3:56 The unique structure
  • 7:08 The incredible voices
  • 10:44 Power and subjugation
  • 12:58 Our favorites of the stories
  • 23:17 Sponsor - #1.1 by Allen Dean Maiora
  • 23:40 Similar books we recommend
  • 26:06 Spoilers section - book summary
  • 34:18 Spoilers section - discussion
]]> Tue, 4 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/cloud-atlas-WDdZ0JyE With six interconnected stories (in a narrative style that broke all kinds of new ground), it's hard not to find at least a few characters you love. And even for those you don't personally love, the voices are unforgettable - it's wild that all these characters with such distinct personalities were created by a single person.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
  • Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
  • Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

This episode is sponsored by #1.1 by Allen Dean Maiora

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:10 Book setup
  • 2:17 Our review 4.5/5
  • 3:56 The unique structure
  • 7:08 The incredible voices
  • 10:44 Power and subjugation
  • 12:58 Our favorites of the stories
  • 23:17 Sponsor - #1.1 by Allen Dean Maiora
  • 23:40 Similar books we recommend
  • 26:06 Spoilers section - book summary
  • 34:18 Spoilers section - discussion
]]> Cloud Atlas - A genre-bending book we can't stop thinking about! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:40:10 David Mitchell's masterpiece twists genres, transforming historical fiction into science fiction (and mind-bendingly back around again). David Mitchell's masterpiece twists genres, transforming historical fiction into science fiction (and mind-bendingly back around again). false full 86 f01be834-7053-4479-b45e-126eb65ad26b The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe - Full Audiobook Really though we just wanted to do something scary for Halloween - put on a skin-tight leotard. Yes, Brent really did read this sitting next to bubbling pumpkins.

]]> Fri, 31 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/tell-tale-heart-kM7cFeij Really though we just wanted to do something scary for Halloween - put on a skin-tight leotard. Yes, Brent really did read this sitting next to bubbling pumpkins.

]]> The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe - Full Audiobook Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:11:10 Edgar Allen Poe's timeless short story of psychological horror and the descent into madness! Edgar Allen Poe's timeless short story of psychological horror and the descent into madness! tell-tale heart, audiobook, horror, halloween, hugonauts, full audiobook, edgar allen poe false full 85 d55692ed-e5fa-40f5-af03-a703b2e2c9dc The Best Time Travel Books... of all time There's scientifically plausible time travel, fantasy / sci fi time travel, 'traditional' time travel centered around real history, people trapped in time loops, time travel romance, and we even threw in a couple of great time travel kids books - something here for every reader to love!

As we were editing the episode we realized we forgot an incredible, recent time travel book from the list that we'd meant to include - it's one we've mentioned in a previous episode. Drop us a line on discord if you think you know what we forgot (or if you've got a time travel book you love that you think should have been on the list)!

This episode is sponsored by Maya: Seed Takes Root, which you can get here on kickstarter

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 1:03 Sponsor - MAYA: Seed Takes Root 
  • 1:34 Fantastical / far future time travel 
  • 2:04 Night Watch by Terry Pratchett 
  • 3:15 The Dark Tower series by Stephen King 
  • 4:36 Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons 
  • 6:10 Scientifically plausible time travel 
  • 6:50 Tau Zero by Poul Anderson 
  • 9:20 Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang 
  • 10:38 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 
  • 12:15 Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  • 13:47 Looping time travel stories 
  • 14:14 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 
  • 14:44 All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka 
  • 17:31 Great Time Travel Kids Books 
  • 20:25 Kindred by Octavia Butler 
  • 22:09 Lightning by Dean Koontz 
  • 23:48 11/22/63 by Stephen King 
  • 25:50 The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North 
  • 29:18 The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland 
  • 31:40 Time and Again by Jack Finney 
  • 35:00 The Life of Chuck by Stephen King 
  • 36:30 Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
  • 40:43 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 
  • 44:05 Our top 3 favorite time travel books
]]> Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/best-time-travel-books-VZdKwRaA There's scientifically plausible time travel, fantasy / sci fi time travel, 'traditional' time travel centered around real history, people trapped in time loops, time travel romance, and we even threw in a couple of great time travel kids books - something here for every reader to love!

As we were editing the episode we realized we forgot an incredible, recent time travel book from the list that we'd meant to include - it's one we've mentioned in a previous episode. Drop us a line on discord if you think you know what we forgot (or if you've got a time travel book you love that you think should have been on the list)!

This episode is sponsored by Maya: Seed Takes Root, which you can get here on kickstarter

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 1:03 Sponsor - MAYA: Seed Takes Root 
  • 1:34 Fantastical / far future time travel 
  • 2:04 Night Watch by Terry Pratchett 
  • 3:15 The Dark Tower series by Stephen King 
  • 4:36 Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons 
  • 6:10 Scientifically plausible time travel 
  • 6:50 Tau Zero by Poul Anderson 
  • 9:20 Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang 
  • 10:38 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 
  • 12:15 Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 
  • 13:47 Looping time travel stories 
  • 14:14 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 
  • 14:44 All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka 
  • 17:31 Great Time Travel Kids Books 
  • 20:25 Kindred by Octavia Butler 
  • 22:09 Lightning by Dean Koontz 
  • 23:48 11/22/63 by Stephen King 
  • 25:50 The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North 
  • 29:18 The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland 
  • 31:40 Time and Again by Jack Finney 
  • 35:00 The Life of Chuck by Stephen King 
  • 36:30 Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
  • 40:43 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 
  • 44:05 Our top 3 favorite time travel books
]]> The Best Time Travel Books... of all time Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:47:14 We read more than 60 of the most highly regarded time travel books of all time, and narrowed it down to the 20 that are really worth reading. We read more than 60 of the most highly regarded time travel books of all time, and narrowed it down to the 20 that are really worth reading. scientifically plausible time travel, book recommendations, time travel, time travel books, sci fi books, fantasy books, time travel romance false full 84 ce61b680-54b7-46d4-9664-eed6ec41e3c3 I Who Have Never Known Men - Review and Analysis Seen through the eyes of a main character who can't remember anything from life before the prison, you get to explore this strange, grim world from first principles. Its an alien way to explore an alien place, and the mystery just keeps getting deeper all the way through. The ending makes this a stylistically divisive book - you're gonna love it or you're gonna hate it. 

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

This episode is sponsored by Mindstock by Richard Yonk, available here. 

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:00 Book setup
  • 01:45 Sponsor - Mindstock by Richard Yonck
  • 2:17 Our review 4/5
  • 3:50 Must be dystopia, journal time
  • 5:00 Environmental storytelling
  • 8:21 Hyper rational main character?
  • 11:29 Harpman's family in the holocaust
  • 17:15 Shadow of the Colossus
  • 18:15 The Buried Giant
  • 19:02 The Handmaid's Tale
  • 19:46 Book of the Unnamed Midwife
  • 20:54 Spoilers section - book summary
  • 22:44 Spoilers section - discussion
]]> Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/i-who-have-never-known-men-S_0D7aOl Seen through the eyes of a main character who can't remember anything from life before the prison, you get to explore this strange, grim world from first principles. Its an alien way to explore an alien place, and the mystery just keeps getting deeper all the way through. The ending makes this a stylistically divisive book - you're gonna love it or you're gonna hate it. 

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

This episode is sponsored by Mindstock by Richard Yonk, available here. 

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:00 Book setup
  • 01:45 Sponsor - Mindstock by Richard Yonck
  • 2:17 Our review 4/5
  • 3:50 Must be dystopia, journal time
  • 5:00 Environmental storytelling
  • 8:21 Hyper rational main character?
  • 11:29 Harpman's family in the holocaust
  • 17:15 Shadow of the Colossus
  • 18:15 The Buried Giant
  • 19:02 The Handmaid's Tale
  • 19:46 Book of the Unnamed Midwife
  • 20:54 Spoilers section - book summary
  • 22:44 Spoilers section - discussion
]]> I Who Have Never Known Men - Review and Analysis Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:31:38 Jaqueline Harpman's otherworldy dystopia has blown up recently. Is the resurgence justified? Jaqueline Harpman's otherworldy dystopia has blown up recently. Is the resurgence justified? book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, i who have never known men, iwhnkm, sci fi, dystopia, jaqueline harpman false full 83 5c1801ed-6f83-4b91-a507-17a23cd55bfd Interview with Robert Jackson Bennett - Author of The Tainted Cup! We got to interview Robert fresh from his Hugo win for The Tainted Cup - by far the best SFF book of last year! We couldn't be more excited to talk about it with him and get our burning questions answered - will there be more about the leviathans in the rest of the series?! 

Next episode we'll be discussing the classic dystopia I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - subscribe so you don't miss it. 

We talked with Robert about: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 1:07 Winning the Hugo for best novel 
  • 3:04 Brent the hat-eater 
  • 4:22 Why plant life as technology? 
  • 7:58 Bringing modernity into fantasy 
  • 10:49 A fantasy empire that's the good guys 
  • 16:05 Ana Dolabra's origins 
  • 19:26 Will we learn more about the titans? 
  • 21:07 Teasers about the 3rd book 
  • 22:08 RJB's other fantasy series 
  • 23:53 Mild spoilers - Din and Ana's quirks
]]> Tue, 2 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Robert Jackson Bennett, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/robert-jackson-bennett-gSSApjaV We got to interview Robert fresh from his Hugo win for The Tainted Cup - by far the best SFF book of last year! We couldn't be more excited to talk about it with him and get our burning questions answered - will there be more about the leviathans in the rest of the series?! 

Next episode we'll be discussing the classic dystopia I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - subscribe so you don't miss it. 

We talked with Robert about: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 1:07 Winning the Hugo for best novel 
  • 3:04 Brent the hat-eater 
  • 4:22 Why plant life as technology? 
  • 7:58 Bringing modernity into fantasy 
  • 10:49 A fantasy empire that's the good guys 
  • 16:05 Ana Dolabra's origins 
  • 19:26 Will we learn more about the titans? 
  • 21:07 Teasers about the 3rd book 
  • 22:08 RJB's other fantasy series 
  • 23:53 Mild spoilers - Din and Ana's quirks
]]> Interview with Robert Jackson Bennett - Author of The Tainted Cup! Robert Jackson Bennett, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:32:55 Robert Jackson Bennett, Hugo-winning author of The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption, The Founders Trilogy, The Divine Cities Trilogy, and more. Robert Jackson Bennett, Hugo-winning author of The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption, The Founders Trilogy, The Divine Cities Trilogy, and more. author interview, hugo awards, hugonauts, fantasy, the tainted cup, fantasy books, hugo winner, a drop of corruption, robert jackson bennett false full 82 79aa316c-4a7d-41d4-8ecf-79317be4289a The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks - would utopia make you happy? The Culture is Iain M. Banks' sci fi masterpiece - a futuristic society where benevolent AI minds provide humans whatever life they choose. Across the nine books you explore the Culture through their interactions, conflicts, and meddling with other space-faring civilizations. When the series is at its best it's full of action and adventure, and once the dust settles you're left with some extremely interesting ideas about what it means to be happy and have agency in a utopian society.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

 

Similar books we recommend: 

 

This episode is sponsored by Moonrising by Claire Barner, published by Simon and Schuster and available here.

 

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 1:04 What is The Culture? 
  • 4:13 Which book should you read first? 
  • 12:21 Why do billionaires love this series so much? 
  • 14:44 Iain M. Banks tragic early death 
  • 17:23 References to the romantic poets 
  • 20:31 Similar books we recommend 
  • 22:56 SPOILERS SECTION - PLAYER OF GAMES 
  • 32:35 SPOILERS SECTION - USE OF WEAPONS 
  • 42:04 The Culture as nation builders
]]> Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-culture-7lKWIq9g The Culture is Iain M. Banks' sci fi masterpiece - a futuristic society where benevolent AI minds provide humans whatever life they choose. Across the nine books you explore the Culture through their interactions, conflicts, and meddling with other space-faring civilizations. When the series is at its best it's full of action and adventure, and once the dust settles you're left with some extremely interesting ideas about what it means to be happy and have agency in a utopian society.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.

 

Similar books we recommend: 

 

This episode is sponsored by Moonrising by Claire Barner, published by Simon and Schuster and available here.

 

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 1:04 What is The Culture? 
  • 4:13 Which book should you read first? 
  • 12:21 Why do billionaires love this series so much? 
  • 14:44 Iain M. Banks tragic early death 
  • 17:23 References to the romantic poets 
  • 20:31 Similar books we recommend 
  • 22:56 SPOILERS SECTION - PLAYER OF GAMES 
  • 32:35 SPOILERS SECTION - USE OF WEAPONS 
  • 42:04 The Culture as nation builders
]]> The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks - would utopia make you happy? Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:47:14 Everyone should read at least two Culture books - but DON'T start at the beginning! Everyone should read at least two Culture books - but DON'T start at the beginning! utopia, the culture, science fiction, hugonauts, post scarcity, iain m banks, consider phlebas, sci fi, player of games, use of weapons, space opera, scifi, ai fiction false full 81 c9ed0460-1223-4efe-861f-1e0b7ac73c16 Ranking the 2025 Hugo nominees plus 4 more of the best sci-fi and fantasy books of the year! In addition to ranking the six nominees, we also talk about four more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year.

This episode is sponsored by Doppelgänger: An Orphan, A Prodigy, and a Murder by Chip Walter. A computer scientist awakens in a robotic body—next to his own murdered corpse, with only 72 hours to stop a conspiracy that threatens the human race. William Shatner calls it “quite a ride.” Learn more at chipwalter.com/

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 1:26 Episode Sponsor - Doppelgänger by Chip Walter
  • 2:03 6 - A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
  • 4:58 5 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
  • 7:51 4 - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
  • 9:12 3 - Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • 12:49 - Four more great books that deserved a nomination
  • 22:36 2 - Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • 27:15 1 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
]]> Tue, 22 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2025-hugo-awards-Egq6fsdO In addition to ranking the six nominees, we also talk about four more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year.

This episode is sponsored by Doppelgänger: An Orphan, A Prodigy, and a Murder by Chip Walter. A computer scientist awakens in a robotic body—next to his own murdered corpse, with only 72 hours to stop a conspiracy that threatens the human race. William Shatner calls it “quite a ride.” Learn more at chipwalter.com/

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 1:26 Episode Sponsor - Doppelgänger by Chip Walter
  • 2:03 6 - A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
  • 4:58 5 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
  • 7:51 4 - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
  • 9:12 3 - Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • 12:49 - Four more great books that deserved a nomination
  • 22:36 2 - Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • 27:15 1 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
]]> Ranking the 2025 Hugo nominees plus 4 more of the best sci-fi and fantasy books of the year! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:32:19 The Hugo Award shortlist this year is stacked with great science fiction and fantasy books! The Hugo Award shortlist this year is stacked with great science fiction and fantasy books! best books of 2025, scifi books, science fiction, book recommendations, sci-fi, book recs, hugo awards, hugonauts, fantasy, book review, best books of the year, fantasy books, best books of 2024, scifi false full 80 f57ef4fd-6818-443c-be42-cf652f3b3036 2025 Nebula winner and nominees - the best fantasy books of the year? In addition to ranking all the nominees, we talk about why the entire shortlist this year was all fantasy, no sci-fi. 

This episode is sponsored by The Boy, the Cube, and the Elf by Brent Golembiewski, which is available in print or kindle edition here

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 1:50 Episode Sponsor - The Boy, The Cube, and the Elf
  • 2:21 #6 - Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera
  • 6:33 #5 - Sleeping Worlds Have no Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov
  • 10:42 #4 - The Book of Love by Kelly Link
  • 15:28 Why are all the nominees fantasy?
  • 18:46 #3 - Asunder by Kerstin Hall
  • 23:22 #2 - A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
  • 27:53 #1 - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
]]> Tue, 1 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2025-nebula-awards-MtEFs1nn In addition to ranking all the nominees, we talk about why the entire shortlist this year was all fantasy, no sci-fi. 

This episode is sponsored by The Boy, the Cube, and the Elf by Brent Golembiewski, which is available in print or kindle edition here

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 1:50 Episode Sponsor - The Boy, The Cube, and the Elf
  • 2:21 #6 - Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera
  • 6:33 #5 - Sleeping Worlds Have no Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov
  • 10:42 #4 - The Book of Love by Kelly Link
  • 15:28 Why are all the nominees fantasy?
  • 18:46 #3 - Asunder by Kerstin Hall
  • 23:22 #2 - A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
  • 27:53 #1 - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
]]> 2025 Nebula winner and nominees - the best fantasy books of the year? Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:33:11 We rank all six of the nominees, talk about whether the winner deserved it, and let you know which ones are worth reading. There's one truly great book on this year's Nebula list! We rank all six of the nominees, talk about whether the winner deserved it, and let you know which ones are worth reading. There's one truly great book on this year's Nebula list! best books of 2025, book reviews, book recommendations, hugonauts, fantasy books, nebula awards false full 79 7008c148-83c8-4c7f-99e8-8dd313a3d605 The 10 Best Fantasy Books and Series of all time! As sci-fi lovers who are looking to read more fantasy we could not be more excited to know what's good. Thanks to all y'all Hugonauts who filled out the survey, this list rocks. And a special thank you to Gordon Burroughs for joining us as our resident expert on the books we haven't read, plus for putting the whole survey together in the first place!

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books / series we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 2:58 Novel #10 - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  • 6:11 Series #10 - The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • 7:57 Novel #9 - Babel by R.F. Kuang
  • 10:30 Series #9 - The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
  • 13:33 Novel #8 - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
  • 15:40 Series #8 - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
  • 19:18 Novel #7 - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
  • 21:20 Series #7 - Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • 23:50 Novel #6 - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
  • 25:37 Series #6 - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
  • 28:16 Novel #5 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  • 30:36 Series #5 - The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
  • 34:18 Novel #4 - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • 37:18 Series #4 - The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin
  • 38:38 - Our 3 favorites that didn't make the list
  • 43:46 Novel #3 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
  • 46:19 Series #3 - Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
  • 47:37 Novel #2 - Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
  • 50:04 Series #2 - The Dark Tower by Stephen King
  • 53:55 Novel #1 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • 55:32 Series #1 - The Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
]]> Tue, 10 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Gordon Burroughs, Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/10-best-fantasy-books-and-series-6L0FHuBg As sci-fi lovers who are looking to read more fantasy we could not be more excited to know what's good. Thanks to all y'all Hugonauts who filled out the survey, this list rocks. And a special thank you to Gordon Burroughs for joining us as our resident expert on the books we haven't read, plus for putting the whole survey together in the first place!

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books / series we talked about: 

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 2:58 Novel #10 - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  • 6:11 Series #10 - The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • 7:57 Novel #9 - Babel by R.F. Kuang
  • 10:30 Series #9 - The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
  • 13:33 Novel #8 - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
  • 15:40 Series #8 - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
  • 19:18 Novel #7 - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
  • 21:20 Series #7 - Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • 23:50 Novel #6 - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
  • 25:37 Series #6 - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
  • 28:16 Novel #5 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  • 30:36 Series #5 - The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
  • 34:18 Novel #4 - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • 37:18 Series #4 - The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin
  • 38:38 - Our 3 favorites that didn't make the list
  • 43:46 Novel #3 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
  • 46:19 Series #3 - Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
  • 47:37 Novel #2 - Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
  • 50:04 Series #2 - The Dark Tower by Stephen King
  • 53:55 Novel #1 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • 55:32 Series #1 - The Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
]]> The 10 Best Fantasy Books and Series of all time! Gordon Burroughs, Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:58:48 The top fantasy novels and series ever written, according to... you! We were so excited to see the survey results include some amazing books we love, and even more interested to see the ones that are new to us, we can't wait to read them soon. We count down the top 10 books and series by giving a quick spoiler-free teaser of each and then talk about what makes them each great. The top fantasy novels and series ever written, according to... you! We were so excited to see the survey results include some amazing books we love, and even more interested to see the ones that are new to us, we can't wait to read them soon. We count down the top 10 books and series by giving a quick spoiler-free teaser of each and then talk about what makes them each great. best fantasy series, top 10 books, fantasy series, book recommendations, hugonauts, book review, best fantasy, fantasy books, books false full 78 dc153eb9-0d27-44ae-bf9d-641944a8a4eb Redshirts by John Scalzi - funny, rule-breaking scifi! As always, no spoilers until the end when we do our plot explainer and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 20 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/redshirts-3RPHsHd8 As always, no spoilers until the end when we do our plot explainer and discussion.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Redshirts by John Scalzi - funny, rule-breaking scifi! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:27:24 John Scalzi's Hugo & Locus winning novel is funny, heartwarming, and does some interesting things with structure and voice. Cody liked it, Brent loved it - what'd you think? John Scalzi's Hugo & Locus winning novel is funny, heartwarming, and does some interesting things with structure and voice. Cody liked it, Brent loved it - what'd you think? science fiction, book recommendations, redshirts, break the 4th wall, book review, booktube, sci fi, john scalzi, booktok, books, funny, scifi false full 77 0f9130a7-ace4-4904-a686-6045ce9aedb2 The God's Themselves - Asimov answering the biggest question in the universe! That said, there are some problems with this book too, which made this a fun one to talk about - Brent liked it a lot more than Cody did. Plus, love em or hate em, Asimov thought up some very alien aliens.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

NEW THRU 2025-05-15: Fill out our listener survey to tell us your favorite fantasy novels and series, and see them covered in an episode soon!

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-gods-themselves-FHqxAnej That said, there are some problems with this book too, which made this a fun one to talk about - Brent liked it a lot more than Cody did. Plus, love em or hate em, Asimov thought up some very alien aliens.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

NEW THRU 2025-05-15: Fill out our listener survey to tell us your favorite fantasy novels and series, and see them covered in an episode soon!

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> The God's Themselves - Asimov answering the biggest question in the universe! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:35:08 Have you ever spent time thinking about the origins of our universe, and how it seems awfully convenient that it's set up just right for intelligent life? Well, Isaac Asimov did too, and this Hugo and Nebula award winning novel contains one of the most interesting answers to that question that we've ever read! Have you ever spent time thinking about the origins of our universe, and how it seems awfully convenient that it's set up just right for intelligent life? Well, Isaac Asimov did too, and this Hugo and Nebula award winning novel contains one of the most interesting answers to that question that we've ever read! book recommendation, the god's themselves, science fiction, book review, sci fi, isaac asimov, book rec, books, aliens, scifi false full 76 44a765ba-9a95-4afc-bfa2-ed6caee84fb9 Altered Carbon - Wild tech, visceral action, and an unhinged plot! If you like gritty cyberpunk settings, a page-turning, action-driven plot, and a lot of visceral explorations of violence and sexuality, this one's for you. If you're looking for deep characters, a carefully crafted plot, or philosophical ideas, this might not be your next read.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 8 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/altered-carbon-13x_9a3P If you like gritty cyberpunk settings, a page-turning, action-driven plot, and a lot of visceral explorations of violence and sexuality, this one's for you. If you're looking for deep characters, a carefully crafted plot, or philosophical ideas, this might not be your next read.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Altered Carbon - Wild tech, visceral action, and an unhinged plot! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:36:14 Richard K. Morgan's breakout novel got the full Netflix treatment - but is it worth reading? Richard K. Morgan's breakout novel got the full Netflix treatment - but is it worth reading? altered carbon, book reviews, richard k. morgan, cyberpunk, science fiction, book recommendations, sci-fi, richard morgan, sci fi, cortical stack, books, scifi false full 75 b53ae972-3185-46ba-b044-8027d40f1080 Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton - An Incredible Space Opera! Solid characters, amazing worldbuilding, and an epic plot that will keep you interested all the way through (and that's no mean feat in such a long book). If you've been thinking about trying out Peter F. Hamilton this is the right place to start.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/great-north-road-UzKZrevq Solid characters, amazing worldbuilding, and an epic plot that will keep you interested all the way through (and that's no mean feat in such a long book). If you've been thinking about trying out Peter F. Hamilton this is the right place to start.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton - An Incredible Space Opera! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:33:15 If you like big sci-fi worlds with a huge plot, high stakes, and lots of characters this is a must-read! If you like big sci-fi worlds with a huge plot, high stakes, and lots of characters this is a must-read! great north road, science fiction, book recommendations, wormholes, book recs, book review, sci fi book review, peter f hamilton, sci fi, space opera false full 74 25f2c438-ad3c-4969-8b4c-70168b50c79b Interview with Ann Leckie - author of Ancillary Justice! Ann is also the author of Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Translation State, Provenance (all set in her Imperial Radch universe), and the excellent stand-alone fantasy novel The Raven Tower.

We talked with Ann about: 

  • 1:12 Becoming a writer later in life
  • 5:06 The inspiration for the Radch and Ancillary Justice
  • 7:48 Creating a gender-less empire
  • 12:43 Writing from the POV of an AI
  • 16:56 Invisible exposition
  • 20:26 Space opera inspired by the real world
  • 26:16 Audiobooks and pronunciation
  • 34:14 Will we get to see inside the Radch Dyson sphere?
  • 35:49 Recent books Ann likes and her influences
  • 42:22 Blurbing Murderbot
  • 44:16 Ann's next book is set on a rogue planet!
]]> Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Ann Leckie, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/interview-with-ann-leckie-eMmmjbv5 Ann is also the author of Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Translation State, Provenance (all set in her Imperial Radch universe), and the excellent stand-alone fantasy novel The Raven Tower.

We talked with Ann about: 

  • 1:12 Becoming a writer later in life
  • 5:06 The inspiration for the Radch and Ancillary Justice
  • 7:48 Creating a gender-less empire
  • 12:43 Writing from the POV of an AI
  • 16:56 Invisible exposition
  • 20:26 Space opera inspired by the real world
  • 26:16 Audiobooks and pronunciation
  • 34:14 Will we get to see inside the Radch Dyson sphere?
  • 35:49 Recent books Ann likes and her influences
  • 42:22 Blurbing Murderbot
  • 44:16 Ann's next book is set on a rogue planet!
]]> Interview with Ann Leckie - author of Ancillary Justice! Ann Leckie, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:46:34 We are so excited to interview Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice - the only book to have won the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Arthur C. Clarke award! We are so excited to interview Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice - the only book to have won the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Arthur C. Clarke award! author interview, ancillary sword, science fiction, book recommendations, translation state, sci fi, provenance, the raven tower, ancillary mercy, ann leckie, writing space opera, ancillary justice false full 73 e87462d6-d81c-4af6-ac07-14412ae12469 The 14 Best First Contact Books We also each rank our top three first contact books at the end of the episode.

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

All the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): 

]]> Tue, 4 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/best-first-contact-fO4S_ESX We also each rank our top three first contact books at the end of the episode.

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

All the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): 

]]> The 14 Best First Contact Books Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:43:58 Will first contact with aliens destroy us or save us? These are the books that show us what the future could hold! No spoilers. Will first contact with aliens destroy us or save us? These are the books that show us what the future could hold! No spoilers. book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, book recs, hugonauts, alien invasion, first contact books, sci fi, first contact, aliens, hard sci fi false full 72 9b077d21-cee1-4f9f-a313-e1f7d7bab5b9 Ministry for the Future - Heatwaves, Super-Storms, and Cutting-Edge Climate Tech! The book somehow manages to be optimistic at the same time that it realistically portrays horrific climate catastrophes - the opening chapter will stick with you forever. That said, it also suffers from some of KSR's usual writing quirks: weak characters and a pretty loosely defined plot. We talk about it all, the good, the bad, and the terrifyingly hot!

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ministry-for-the-future-awy__vhB The book somehow manages to be optimistic at the same time that it realistically portrays horrific climate catastrophes - the opening chapter will stick with you forever. That said, it also suffers from some of KSR's usual writing quirks: weak characters and a pretty loosely defined plot. We talk about it all, the good, the bad, and the terrifyingly hot!

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Ministry for the Future - Heatwaves, Super-Storms, and Cutting-Edge Climate Tech! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:45:04 Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is absolutely stuffed full of hard sci-fi ideas about climate change and the technology that could save us. Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is absolutely stuffed full of hard sci-fi ideas about climate change and the technology that could save us. kim stanley robinson, climate change, book reviews, book recommendations, climate fiction, book recs, climate technology, hugonauts, ministry for the future, heatwave, climate science, books false full 71 6cac78bc-f454-4ea4-b9fd-9b5d39b14a0f A Clockwork Orange - the classic dystopia of crime and punishment! The book is shocking, disturbing, entertaining, and unbelievably thought provoking all at once - no wonder Stanley Kubrick decided to turn the book into a movie (which is a must-watch classic in its own right). It's also an unforgettable masterwork of language, as the narrator, Alex, and his droogs speak in slang that is somehow entirely novel and comprehensible at the same time.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by I Am Machine by Lex Van Der Ploeg, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/a-clockwork-orange-vpcc14O3 The book is shocking, disturbing, entertaining, and unbelievably thought provoking all at once - no wonder Stanley Kubrick decided to turn the book into a movie (which is a must-watch classic in its own right). It's also an unforgettable masterwork of language, as the narrator, Alex, and his droogs speak in slang that is somehow entirely novel and comprehensible at the same time.

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by I Am Machine by Lex Van Der Ploeg, which is available in print or kindle edition here.

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> A Clockwork Orange - the classic dystopia of crime and punishment! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:36:54 Anthony Burgess' dystopian classic explores the brutal violence that humans are capable of - and how our choices, however flawed, are all we really have. You'll never think about crime and punishment the same way again. Anthony Burgess' dystopian classic explores the brutal violence that humans are capable of - and how our choices, however flawed, are all we really have. You'll never think about crime and punishment the same way again. book reviews, dystopian books, science fiction, book recommendations, clockwork orange, hugonauts, anthony burgess, sci fi, dystopia, books false full 70 fe871866-c32a-41db-9f0e-bb7b88f45665 Neuromancer by William Gibson - an unforgettable world of sleek techno-criminals, AI, and body mods! Neuromancer is an incredible science fiction classic, a page turner full of gripping action sequences, wild futuristic ideas, and a unique, techno-criminal world populated by wildly imaginative characters. 

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by Mythos: The Origin of Gods by A.A., which is available on print, audiobook, or kindle here

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Tue, 3 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/neuromancer-d73mKWyL Neuromancer is an incredible science fiction classic, a page turner full of gripping action sequences, wild futuristic ideas, and a unique, techno-criminal world populated by wildly imaginative characters. 

As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. 

This episode is sponsored by Mythos: The Origin of Gods by A.A., which is available on print, audiobook, or kindle here

Similar books we recommend: 

]]> Neuromancer by William Gibson - an unforgettable world of sleek techno-criminals, AI, and body mods! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:37:00 This is the book that launched all of cyberpunk - inspiring everything from Snow Crash to The Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077! This is the book that launched all of cyberpunk - inspiring everything from Snow Crash to The Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077! mona lisa overdrive, cyberpunk, science fiction, book recommendations, neuromancer, book review, sci fi, count zero, william gibson, books, scifi false full 69 a5ec62a1-fe05-4105-976e-15fb7537bd63 The Silo Series by Hugh Howey - Wool, Shift, and Dust  As always, no spoilers until the end when we clearly call it out before getting into the full plot explanation and discussion.

This episode is sponsored by The Song of Immaru: Earth's Door by PJ Dudek, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.

Similar media we recommend:

  • Fallout: New Vegas (game)
  • Horizon Zero Dawn (game)
  • The Thirteenth Floor (movie)
  • Severance (TV show)
]]> Tue, 12 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/silo-series-_DBNjsUF  As always, no spoilers until the end when we clearly call it out before getting into the full plot explanation and discussion.

This episode is sponsored by The Song of Immaru: Earth's Door by PJ Dudek, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.

Similar media we recommend:

  • Fallout: New Vegas (game)
  • Horizon Zero Dawn (game)
  • The Thirteenth Floor (movie)
  • Severance (TV show)
]]> The Silo Series by Hugh Howey - Wool, Shift, and Dust Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:40:57 A dystopian thriller that Cody loved and Brent hated - what'd you think? A dystopian thriller that Cody loved and Brent hated - what'd you think? book reviews, dystopian book, wool, science fiction, book recommendations, silo tv show, hugh howey, hugonauts, sci fi, dust, dystopian thriller, silo, silo series, shift false full 68 9c9e3c69-9023-4088-a4ee-d34e10f75a4c The Best Dystopian Books of All Time This episode is sponsored by The Dawn series by Ray N. Kuili, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.

All the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): 

]]> Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/best-dystopian-books-i_e43_CA This episode is sponsored by The Dawn series by Ray N. Kuili, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.

All the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): 

]]> The Best Dystopian Books of All Time Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:55:46 The books that show us how it could all go wrong - the 15 best dystopian novels of all time (with no spoilers)! The books that show us how it could all go wrong - the 15 best dystopian novels of all time (with no spoilers)! we, kallocain, handmaid's tale, margaret atwood, dystopian books, yevgeny zamyatin, the giver, science fiction, best sci-fi books, george orwell, e.m. forster, hugonauts, dystopian future, the hunger games, ready player one, sci fi, dystopia, the machine stops, scifi, 1984 false full 67 ca1be880-fb32-4f28-9b33-d020ef14a587 The Mercy of Gods - Reviewing James S. A. Corey's new book The Mercy of Gods follows a team of research scientists trying to survive an alien invasion. The Carryx are ruthless - killing 1/8 of the population immediately as they arrive to encourage the survivors to cooperate. Our team, along with many others, are then abducted and brought to a Carryx planet, where they are set loose in an open-air prison populated by hundreds of other alien races. They’re told that if they want to survive they must be useful to the Carryx. Will they resist, or decide to serve the alien overlords? And what does service even mean to aliens who think totally differently?

Similar books we recommend:

]]> Tue, 1 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-mercy-of-gods-mibGBWHY The Mercy of Gods follows a team of research scientists trying to survive an alien invasion. The Carryx are ruthless - killing 1/8 of the population immediately as they arrive to encourage the survivors to cooperate. Our team, along with many others, are then abducted and brought to a Carryx planet, where they are set loose in an open-air prison populated by hundreds of other alien races. They’re told that if they want to survive they must be useful to the Carryx. Will they resist, or decide to serve the alien overlords? And what does service even mean to aliens who think totally differently?

Similar books we recommend:

]]> The Mercy of Gods - Reviewing James S. A. Corey's new book Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:33:13 The new book by the James S.A. Corey, the writing duo behind the Expanse, is out and it is absolutely worth reading! The first book of a planned trilogy called The Captive's War. The new book by the James S.A. Corey, the writing duo behind the Expanse, is out and it is absolutely worth reading! The first book of a planned trilogy called The Captive's War. hard science fiction, science fiction, book recommendations, the mercy of gods, hugonauts, james s a corey, book review, alien invasion, sci fi, books, scifi, hard sci fi, the captive's war false full 66 c556698d-a0ae-4ec9-888b-e7f06378ca80 The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - A doomed mission to an alien planet! A radio astronomer discovers a signal coming from Alpha Centauri - strange, beautiful alien voices, singing. While the rest of the world is transfixed by the broadcast, a catholic order, the Jesuits, take action and launch a mission to the planet of Rakhat. But from the outset we know the mission is doomed to tragedy, because a second storyline follows Emilio Sandoz after his return to Earth. The only survivor of the mission, he struggles to heal his wounds and to reconcile his faith with the deaths of his friends, and prepare to tell the world the truth of what happened on Rakhat.

Similar books we recommend:

]]> Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-sparrow-j7YcbQnc A radio astronomer discovers a signal coming from Alpha Centauri - strange, beautiful alien voices, singing. While the rest of the world is transfixed by the broadcast, a catholic order, the Jesuits, take action and launch a mission to the planet of Rakhat. But from the outset we know the mission is doomed to tragedy, because a second storyline follows Emilio Sandoz after his return to Earth. The only survivor of the mission, he struggles to heal his wounds and to reconcile his faith with the deaths of his friends, and prepare to tell the world the truth of what happened on Rakhat.

Similar books we recommend:

]]> The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - A doomed mission to an alien planet! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:37:24 This is a first contact book with so, so much going on. Could you keep your faith if God took everyone you loved? What does morality mean in an alien society? And can the ending really be as dark as the foreshadowing suggests it will be? This is a first contact book with so, so much going on. Could you keep your faith if God took everyone you loved? What does morality mean in an alien society? And can the ending really be as dark as the foreshadowing suggests it will be? the sparrow, science fiction, book recommendations, mary doria russell, science fiction book review, first contact books, sci fi books false full 65 6acafffd-fc2e-41bb-9443-9ab897b5c3d1 Starship Troopers: the deeply Philosophical classic of Military Sci-Fi! In the 23rd century Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, the heart of the human military. As he nears completion of an intensely rigorous training program to learn how to fight and use his power armor, war breaks out between humanity and the bugs. The bugs are aliens with a hive mind, who attack and destroy Buenos Aires, and Johnny and his friends must strive to survive and defend humanity through the brutal war. 

It's also full of deeply interesting (and controversial) ideas about duty, service, crime and punishment, and so much more. If you like military sci-fi this is a must-read, and if you are into philosophical SF you are going to be pleasantly surprised how much it will stick with you and make you think.

Similar books we recommend:

]]> Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/starship-troopers-mGwxDmQt In the 23rd century Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, the heart of the human military. As he nears completion of an intensely rigorous training program to learn how to fight and use his power armor, war breaks out between humanity and the bugs. The bugs are aliens with a hive mind, who attack and destroy Buenos Aires, and Johnny and his friends must strive to survive and defend humanity through the brutal war. 

It's also full of deeply interesting (and controversial) ideas about duty, service, crime and punishment, and so much more. If you like military sci-fi this is a must-read, and if you are into philosophical SF you are going to be pleasantly surprised how much it will stick with you and make you think.

Similar books we recommend:

]]> Starship Troopers: the deeply Philosophical classic of Military Sci-Fi! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:43:14 This week we're joined by our friend in the US Army to talk about Robert Heinlein's timeless classic of military sci-fi, Starship Troopers! This week we're joined by our friend in the US Army to talk about Robert Heinlein's timeless classic of military sci-fi, Starship Troopers! starship troopers, robert heinlein, science fiction, book recommendations, book analysis, hugonauts, military scifi, book review, military sf, sci fi, book vs movie false full 64 a8db280d-eae3-48d0-aa73-43e4e8e76ba1 12 Books - the best of last year! Ranking the Hugos plus Six More We rank the nominees for the 2024 Hugo award, plus 6 more from last year!

The books:

  • The Witch King - Martha Wells
  • The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty
  • Some Desperate Glory - Emily Tesh
  • The Saint of Bright Doors - Vajra Chandrasekera
  • Starter Villain - John Scalzi
  • Translation State - Ann Leckie
  • Chain Gang All Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
  • The Great Transition - Nick Fuller Googins
  • Titanium Noir - Nick Harkaway
  • The Marriage Act - John Marrs
  • Red Team Blues - Cory Doctorow
  • The Ferryman - Justin Cronin

 

]]> Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2024-hugos-VR64k4_K We rank the nominees for the 2024 Hugo award, plus 6 more from last year!

The books:

  • The Witch King - Martha Wells
  • The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty
  • Some Desperate Glory - Emily Tesh
  • The Saint of Bright Doors - Vajra Chandrasekera
  • Starter Villain - John Scalzi
  • Translation State - Ann Leckie
  • Chain Gang All Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
  • The Great Transition - Nick Fuller Googins
  • Titanium Noir - Nick Harkaway
  • The Marriage Act - John Marrs
  • Red Team Blues - Cory Doctorow
  • The Ferryman - Justin Cronin

 

]]> 12 Books - the best of last year! Ranking the Hugos plus Six More Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:43:03 We review books by Cory Doctorow, Ann Leckie, John Scalzi, Martha Wells, and so many more! We review books by Cory Doctorow, Ann Leckie, John Scalzi, Martha Wells, and so many more! book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, martha wells, cory doctorow, hugo awards, hugonauts, sci fi, books, ann leckie false full 63 20ea073c-77a0-4727-b412-045a0b2187bc 7 Amazing, Short Sci-Fi Books for when you need a quick read! Over the years we've built up a pretty big backlog of short novels that we really liked but hadn't had a chance to cover on the show - so today we're bursting that dam.

  • Join the book club on discord (and vote for our next book club book!): https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2
  • Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod

 

The seven books we recommend in this ep:

  • This is how you Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
  • The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
  • Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Babel-17 by Samuel Delany
  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells
  • Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
  • The Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
]]> Tue, 9 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/7-amazing-short-sci-fi-books-e_k5KAlC Over the years we've built up a pretty big backlog of short novels that we really liked but hadn't had a chance to cover on the show - so today we're bursting that dam.

  • Join the book club on discord (and vote for our next book club book!): https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2
  • Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod

 

The seven books we recommend in this ep:

  • This is how you Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
  • The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
  • Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Babel-17 by Samuel Delany
  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells
  • Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
  • The Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
]]> 7 Amazing, Short Sci-Fi Books for when you need a quick read! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:20:30 Sometimes you just need a quick read - so here are seven short sci-fi novels that are sure to help you out of that reading slump (or push you over that reading goal)! Sometimes you just need a quick read - so here are seven short sci-fi novels that are sure to help you out of that reading slump (or push you over that reading goal)! book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, short books, book recs, sci fi, books false full 62 a1f60d30-b8b5-43a7-b9f1-db52b614b13e Embassytown - Aliens who are truly alien and a wild, techno-organic world! There is only one human settlement on the planet of Arieka. There, in Embassytown, a young woman named Avice grows up in a strange world between worlds, where all that is human and all that is alien collide without ever really coming together. That's not much of a summary, but this is a book that really benefits from going in mostly blind, so we made sure to keep things really clean in the pre-spoilers section too.

Similar books we recommend:

]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/embassytown-lnaSzynU There is only one human settlement on the planet of Arieka. There, in Embassytown, a young woman named Avice grows up in a strange world between worlds, where all that is human and all that is alien collide without ever really coming together. That's not much of a summary, but this is a book that really benefits from going in mostly blind, so we made sure to keep things really clean in the pre-spoilers section too.

Similar books we recommend:

]]> Embassytown - Aliens who are truly alien and a wild, techno-organic world! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:36:55 This book by China Miéville is a masterpiece, a rare, unanimous 5/5. An incredible world / universe, a gripping story, and some really wild philosophy about language and trying to communicate with aliens who are truly, truly alien. This book by China Miéville is a masterpiece, a rare, unanimous 5/5. An incredible world / universe, a gripping story, and some really wild philosophy about language and trying to communicate with aliens who are truly, truly alien. book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, china mieville, hugonauts, sci fi, embassytown, books, aliens false full 61 03fb58f4-57a0-4d54-9560-7aa62b084746 Your top 20 sci-fi books - listener survey results! If you want to see the complete survey results, including all the top books, favorite authors, and short stories come find them on the discord.

Video version of this episode available on YouTube.

]]> Tue, 28 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Gordon Burroughs, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2024-listener-survey-IC0j28Z4 If you want to see the complete survey results, including all the top books, favorite authors, and short stories come find them on the discord.

Video version of this episode available on YouTube.

]]> Your top 20 sci-fi books - listener survey results! Gordon Burroughs, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:36:52 The results are in! Your top 20 SF books of all time, plus hidden gems, underrated classics, and subgenres that are on the rise. The results are in! Your top 20 SF books of all time, plus hidden gems, underrated classics, and subgenres that are on the rise. science fiction, book recommendations, best sci-fi books, top 20 books, hugonauts, sci fi, top 20 sci fi false full 60 4c3dd38e-5c16-464f-a190-207b8130364e 2024 Nebula nominees - 3 great books on this short list! The 2024 Nebula awards are coming up, so we read  and ranked all the books for ya. And we've got good news, this was a great year for fantasy and sci-fi!

  • Join the book club on discord: https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2
  • Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod

 

The short listed books:

  1. Translation State by Ann Leckie
  2. Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
  3. The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
  4. The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
  5. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
  6. The Witch King by Martha Wells
]]> Tue, 7 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2024-nebula-nominees-JaXxag7c The 2024 Nebula awards are coming up, so we read  and ranked all the books for ya. And we've got good news, this was a great year for fantasy and sci-fi!

  • Join the book club on discord: https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2
  • Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod

 

The short listed books:

  1. Translation State by Ann Leckie
  2. Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
  3. The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
  4. The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
  5. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
  6. The Witch King by Martha Wells
]]> 2024 Nebula nominees - 3 great books on this short list! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:32:29 Such a great year of books, the top 3 nominees are frickin' wonderful. Such a great year of books, the top 3 nominees are frickin' wonderful. scifi books, science fiction, 2023, nebula award, nebula nominees, 2024, fantasy, fantasy books, books, nebula short list, scifi false full 59 a8b110cf-2481-46fb-bb7a-ee0745ba4f99 Metro 2033 - The book that inspired the hugely popular video games! The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The survivors live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line. It was one of the Metro's best stations and still remains secure. 

But now a new and terrible threat has appeared. Artyom, a young man living in VDNKh, is given the task of penetrating to the heart of the Metro, to the legendary Polis, to alert everyone to the awful danger and to get help. He holds the future of his native station in his hands, the whole Metro - and maybe the whole of humanity. 

This is a unique book! So instead of our normal book recs, we recommend some similar video games:

  • The Last of Us
  • Bioshock
  • The Witcher 3 (harhar)
]]> Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/metro-2033-E4SCEbkl The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The survivors live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line. It was one of the Metro's best stations and still remains secure. 

But now a new and terrible threat has appeared. Artyom, a young man living in VDNKh, is given the task of penetrating to the heart of the Metro, to the legendary Polis, to alert everyone to the awful danger and to get help. He holds the future of his native station in his hands, the whole Metro - and maybe the whole of humanity. 

This is a unique book! So instead of our normal book recs, we recommend some similar video games:

  • The Last of Us
  • Bioshock
  • The Witcher 3 (harhar)
]]> Metro 2033 - The book that inspired the hugely popular video games! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:38:09 The Metro video game series was a huge success. Is it worth reading Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel that inspired it all? The Metro video game series was a huge success. Is it worth reading Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel that inspired it all? moscow subway, metro last light, science fiction, book recommendations, metro exodus, metro 2033, book review, dmitry glukhovsky, books, scifi false full 58 0f9ec27d-3ef8-4609-8990-0d6138f22d8b The Martian - Poop, Taters, and Tenacity Six days ago astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
  • Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-martian-hw168Mde Six days ago astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
  • Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
]]> The Martian - Poop, Taters, and Tenacity Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:27:55 The Martian by Andy Weir is one of the most fun, un-put-downable sci-fi adventure stories out there. Plus, it's really in a league of it's own, poop-taters wise. The Martian by Andy Weir is one of the most fun, un-put-downable sci-fi adventure stories out there. Plus, it's really in a league of it's own, poop-taters wise. science fiction, book recommendations, hugonauts, the martian, book review, sci fi, books, scifi, andy weir false full 57 c09f63a1-bab4-4fb9-8c6b-9f08856ba732 Roadside Picnic - the book that inspired Stalker and Metro 2033! Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of the young rebels who venture illegally into the Zone, one of six areas on Earth that have been profoundly changed by the visitation of aliens to Earth. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And despite the danger, the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answers he's been looking for. 

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/rendezvous-with-rama)
  • No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
  • Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom by Ted Chiang (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ted-chiang)
]]> Tue, 5 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/roadside-picnic-RCKrlFIw Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of the young rebels who venture illegally into the Zone, one of six areas on Earth that have been profoundly changed by the visitation of aliens to Earth. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And despite the danger, the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answers he's been looking for. 

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/rendezvous-with-rama)
  • No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
  • Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom by Ted Chiang (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ted-chiang)
]]> Roadside Picnic - the book that inspired Stalker and Metro 2033! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:43:44 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's sci-fi masterpiece is driven by one man - Red Schuhart, one of the greatest characters ever written into science fiction. He's a stalker, one of the few people with enough grit and wits to survive trips into the Zone, the eerie region left behind after aliens visited Earth. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's sci-fi masterpiece is driven by one man - Red Schuhart, one of the greatest characters ever written into science fiction. He's a stalker, one of the few people with enough grit and wits to survive trips into the Zone, the eerie region left behind after aliens visited Earth. book reviews, arkady and boris strugatsky, strugatsky brothers, roadside picnic, science fiction, book recommendations, stalker, hugonauts, sci fi, strugatsky, books, scifi false full 56 27787913-cfdc-4b0f-9571-af61886cc446 The Expanse - Full series review! Space ships whip across the solar system, ice haulers burn in from the gas giants, stolen Martian corvettes sneak behind enemy lines, and very human characters tie it all together and make the incredible journey worth the ride. Miraculously all 9 books (plus a collection of short stories) are fun, well-done adventures that will keep you turning the pages and racing to find out what happens next. Seriously, if you haven’t read the Expanse yet, it’s time for a treat that goes down easy.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • House of Suns – Alastair Reynolds (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/house-of-suns)
  • Children of Time – Adrian Tchaikovsky (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/children-of-time)
  • Memories Legion – James S.A. Corey
]]> Tue, 13 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-expanse-full-series-review-Xe0oW8uM Space ships whip across the solar system, ice haulers burn in from the gas giants, stolen Martian corvettes sneak behind enemy lines, and very human characters tie it all together and make the incredible journey worth the ride. Miraculously all 9 books (plus a collection of short stories) are fun, well-done adventures that will keep you turning the pages and racing to find out what happens next. Seriously, if you haven’t read the Expanse yet, it’s time for a treat that goes down easy.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • House of Suns – Alastair Reynolds (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/house-of-suns)
  • Children of Time – Adrian Tchaikovsky (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/children-of-time)
  • Memories Legion – James S.A. Corey
]]> The Expanse - Full series review! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:50:37 Watched the show and wondering if you should read the books? REVIEW SPOILER HELL YES YOU SHOULD this is the greatest space opera series ever written. James S.A. Corey all four of your cheeks deserve a nice squeeze from nona. Watched the show and wondering if you should read the books? REVIEW SPOILER HELL YES YOU SHOULD this is the greatest space opera series ever written. James S.A. Corey all four of your cheeks deserve a nice squeeze from nona. book reviews, leviathan wakes, science fiction, book recommendations, book recs, james s a corey, sci fi, leviathan falls, books, the expanse, space opera, scifi false full 55 415960cf-ec34-4ebb-add0-5a774d9d1310 We - The book banned by the Soviets that inspired 1984! In the One State of the great Benefactor, there are no individuals, only numbers. Life is an ongoing process of mathematical precision, a perfectly balanced equation. Primitive passions and instincts have been subdued. Even nature has been defeated, banished behind the Green Wall. But one frontier remains: outer space. Now, with the creation of the spaceship Integral, that frontier -- and whatever alien species are to be found there -- will be subjugated to the beneficent yoke of reason. Unless D-503 can find a space within himself - that disease the ancients called a soul.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • 1984 by George Orwell (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/1984)
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/brave-new-world)
  • One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
]]> Tue, 23 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/we-GOY_p_ZF In the One State of the great Benefactor, there are no individuals, only numbers. Life is an ongoing process of mathematical precision, a perfectly balanced equation. Primitive passions and instincts have been subdued. Even nature has been defeated, banished behind the Green Wall. But one frontier remains: outer space. Now, with the creation of the spaceship Integral, that frontier -- and whatever alien species are to be found there -- will be subjugated to the beneficent yoke of reason. Unless D-503 can find a space within himself - that disease the ancients called a soul.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • 1984 by George Orwell (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/1984)
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/brave-new-world)
  • One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
]]> We - The book banned by the Soviets that inspired 1984! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:36:53 We by Yevgenzy Zamyatin is the grand-daddy of all dystopias that couldn't be published in the USSR until 1988! Extremely well-written and full of interesting ideas - petroleum food, anyone? We by Yevgenzy Zamyatin is the grand-daddy of all dystopias that couldn't be published in the USSR until 1988! Extremely well-written and full of interesting ideas - petroleum food, anyone? we, yevgeny zamyatin, science fiction, book recommendations, hugonauts, book review, sci fi, dystopia, books, scifi false full 54 71ff20de-5276-4fae-bc13-b14940f5f65e Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K. Dick - complete short story audiobook! A starship is taking off from Mars, and just before it does one of the crewman arrives with a strange new creature. What will the Wub bring to those on board, and the headstrong captain who can't stop thinking with his stomach?

PS We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is still coming soon, but Brent had a family emergency, so Cody stepped up to bring y'all this gem in the meantime.

]]> Tue, 2 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/beyond-lies-the-wub-WeZDapaq A starship is taking off from Mars, and just before it does one of the crewman arrives with a strange new creature. What will the Wub bring to those on board, and the headstrong captain who can't stop thinking with his stomach?

PS We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is still coming soon, but Brent had a family emergency, so Cody stepped up to bring y'all this gem in the meantime.

]]> Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K. Dick - complete short story audiobook! Cody Troyer 00:16:05 This week we're bringing you a complete short story - Philip K. Dick's first published work. This is a fun one, hope y'all enjoy! This week we're bringing you a complete short story - Philip K. Dick's first published work. This is a fun one, hope y'all enjoy! short story, philip k dick, audiodrama, audiobook, science fiction, sci fi, scifi false full 53 a385dd4c-5a1c-41b9-a46d-856a1156ac34 The Mountain in the Sea - Octopuses, AI, and the struggle to communicate! Rumors are swirling about a species of super-intelligent octopus living off the coast of Vietnam. As corporations and other non-state actors begin to investigate, it becomes clear that we are not alone in the universe - alien life has evolved right here on earth. DIANIMA, a giant tech company known for its machine learning prowess, buys the islands to study the octopuses and try to monopolize their unique brains for profit. They send Evrim, the world’s first true android / AI, and Dr. Ha Nguyen, a brilliant marine biologist, to study the octopuses, and Altantsetseg, a battle-hardened drone operator, to defend the islands from rapacious automated fishing vessels. 

Can they learn to communicate with the octopuses? Or will this new intelligent life be destroyed by global corporations run amok?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Children of Ruin - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • Story of Your Life - Ted Chiang (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ted-chiang)
  • The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-windup-girl)
]]> Tue, 12 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-mountain-in-the-sea-8xM54L5p Rumors are swirling about a species of super-intelligent octopus living off the coast of Vietnam. As corporations and other non-state actors begin to investigate, it becomes clear that we are not alone in the universe - alien life has evolved right here on earth. DIANIMA, a giant tech company known for its machine learning prowess, buys the islands to study the octopuses and try to monopolize their unique brains for profit. They send Evrim, the world’s first true android / AI, and Dr. Ha Nguyen, a brilliant marine biologist, to study the octopuses, and Altantsetseg, a battle-hardened drone operator, to defend the islands from rapacious automated fishing vessels. 

Can they learn to communicate with the octopuses? Or will this new intelligent life be destroyed by global corporations run amok?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Children of Ruin - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • Story of Your Life - Ted Chiang (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ted-chiang)
  • The Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-windup-girl)
]]> The Mountain in the Sea - Octopuses, AI, and the struggle to communicate! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:28:50 One of the best sci-fi books of the last couple years! A must-read if you're into octopuses, different forms of consciousness, or how to communicate with and understand people (or aliens!) who see the world through different eyes. One of the best sci-fi books of the last couple years! A must-read if you're into octopuses, different forms of consciousness, or how to communicate with and understand people (or aliens!) who see the world through different eyes. ray nayler, octopuses, science fiction, book recommendations, book summary, hugonauts, book review, sci fi, mountain in the sea, locus award, octopi false full 52 88047d87-df1e-4bc1-9244-6f3b71bcb713 The Top 15 Sci-Fi Books of All Time! Ranking our top 15 sci fi books of all time:

  • 15 - Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu 
  • 14 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  • 13 - Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
  • 12 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
  • 11 - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
  • 10 - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • 9 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
  • 8 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons
  • 7 - A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
  •  6 - Exhalation by Ted Chiang
  • 5 - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • 4 - Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • 3 - Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
  • 2 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
  • 1 - Contact by Carl Sagan

If you think something deserves to be on the list, drop us a line on Discord!

]]> Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-top-15-sci-fi-books-of-all-time-tIk4vwQJ Ranking our top 15 sci fi books of all time:

  • 15 - Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu 
  • 14 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  • 13 - Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
  • 12 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
  • 11 - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
  • 10 - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • 9 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
  • 8 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons
  • 7 - A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
  •  6 - Exhalation by Ted Chiang
  • 5 - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • 4 - Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • 3 - Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
  • 2 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
  • 1 - Contact by Carl Sagan

If you think something deserves to be on the list, drop us a line on Discord!

]]> The Top 15 Sci-Fi Books of All Time! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:37:05 We tried to do top 10, but the world is just too full of good stuff to read. Bonus books! We tried to do top 10, but the world is just too full of good stuff to read. Bonus books! best sci fi books, top 10, top 15, book reviews, best books of all time, book recommendations, sci-fi, best sci-fi books, hugonauts, sci fi false full 51 d1641bb7-7332-4361-bde8-39c97c0072f8 Permutation City - A mind-bending look at the singularity, consciousness, and immortality! Paul Durham has begun experimenting on his own mind. He uploaded a copy of his neural patterns - everything that makes him who he is - into a computer simulation. The more he experiments, the more the lines between the real person and the virtual person begin to blur. What he discovers there, out at the edge of consciousness and the pattern that defines him, give him an impossible idea. A permutation city, where immortality might be possible.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • The Hidden Girl and other Stories - Ken Liu (our interview with Ken Liu: https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ken-liu)
  • The Last Question - short story by Asimov (available free here: https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html)
  • Diaspora - Greg Egan
]]> Tue, 31 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/permutation-city-fUQrZ1nd Paul Durham has begun experimenting on his own mind. He uploaded a copy of his neural patterns - everything that makes him who he is - into a computer simulation. The more he experiments, the more the lines between the real person and the virtual person begin to blur. What he discovers there, out at the edge of consciousness and the pattern that defines him, give him an impossible idea. A permutation city, where immortality might be possible.

Similar books we recommend: 

  • The Hidden Girl and other Stories - Ken Liu (our interview with Ken Liu: https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ken-liu)
  • The Last Question - short story by Asimov (available free here: https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html)
  • Diaspora - Greg Egan
]]> Permutation City - A mind-bending look at the singularity, consciousness, and immortality! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:32:29 Permutation City by Greg Egan is a triumph of hard scifi! One of the best-ever explorations of mind-uploading, it also brings a mind-bending idea about randomness, the nature of the universe, and consciousness that will stay with you forever. Permutation City by Greg Egan is a triumph of hard scifi! One of the best-ever explorations of mind-uploading, it also brings a mind-bending idea about randomness, the nature of the universe, and consciousness that will stay with you forever. permutation city, book recommendation, science fiction, book summary, hugonauts, greg egan, book review, immortality, mind upload, scifi, hard sci fi, singularity false full 50 e9667f0b-3354-4047-ade2-3cde18ce750c Interview with Peter Watts - Author of Blindsight! We talked with Peter about:

  • Why he quit science to write fiction
  • The real-world science that inspired Blindsight
  • Why vampires?!
  • Blindsight movie(s) in the works
  • What's coming next (the sequel to Echopraxia!)

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video, or join the Hugonauts book club on discord!

And if you haven't listened to our episode about Blindsight, check it out here.

]]> Tue, 17 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Peter Watts, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/peter-watts-eJp_7AzM We talked with Peter about:

  • Why he quit science to write fiction
  • The real-world science that inspired Blindsight
  • Why vampires?!
  • Blindsight movie(s) in the works
  • What's coming next (the sequel to Echopraxia!)

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video, or join the Hugonauts book club on discord!

And if you haven't listened to our episode about Blindsight, check it out here.

]]> Interview with Peter Watts - Author of Blindsight! Peter Watts, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:43:55 Peter Watts is the award winning author of Blindsight; Echopraxia; Starfish, and many more - but we focused the conversation on our favorite of his books - Blindsight! Peter Watts is the award winning author of Blindsight; Echopraxia; Starfish, and many more - but we focused the conversation on our favorite of his books - Blindsight! peter watts, interview, science fiction, book recommendations, hugonauts, blindsight, sci fi, echopraxia, scifi false full 49 0a923192-c62b-4e05-9072-f27c083af474 Spin - A first contact book that starts with a bang (and the stars going out)! Tyler, Jason, and Diane are growing up together in the suburbs of Washington, DC. One night, as they are outside looking up at the sky, something shocking happens - all the stars go out at once. The 'Hypotheticals' have wrapped the earth in a spin membrane that isolates the Earth, making time move millions of times slower inside the barrier than outside. In Tyler, Diane, and Jason's lifetime the sun will turn into a red giant and consume the earth - unless they can figure out how to escape the Spin!

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Contact - Carl Sagan (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/contact)
  • Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
  • Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-three-body-problem)
]]> Tue, 3 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Jonathan - Words in Time) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/spin-8NhtPGTO Tyler, Jason, and Diane are growing up together in the suburbs of Washington, DC. One night, as they are outside looking up at the sky, something shocking happens - all the stars go out at once. The 'Hypotheticals' have wrapped the earth in a spin membrane that isolates the Earth, making time move millions of times slower inside the barrier than outside. In Tyler, Diane, and Jason's lifetime the sun will turn into a red giant and consume the earth - unless they can figure out how to escape the Spin!

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Contact - Carl Sagan (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/contact)
  • Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
  • Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-three-body-problem)
]]> Spin - A first contact book that starts with a bang (and the stars going out)! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Jonathan - Words in Time 00:49:14 Spin by Robert Charles Wilson has a wonderfully big, bad sci-fi problem to overcome, powerful, inscrutable aliens, and a wonderful human story to tie it all together! Spin by Robert Charles Wilson has a wonderfully big, bad sci-fi problem to overcome, powerful, inscrutable aliens, and a wonderful human story to tie it all together! spin, science fiction, book recommendations, book review, sci fi, first contact, robert charles wilson false full 48 de7d852d-d910-4290-95b3-f441aef6cbb2 1984 - The techno-surveillance dystopia that keeps coming true! Winston Smith is a Party member living in London. He, like every other member of the Party, is under constant surveillance. Despite the risk, he dares to buy a blank book and begin to write down his thoughts. From the first moment he writes “down with Big Brother” he believes he is doomed to die in the torture chambers below the Ministry of Love. Will his deviance be caught, or will Winston succeed in finding a way to resist the totalitarian control of the Party?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Animal Farm - George Orwell
  • Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
  • Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/brave-new-world)
]]> Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/1984-NkCs_Kym Winston Smith is a Party member living in London. He, like every other member of the Party, is under constant surveillance. Despite the risk, he dares to buy a blank book and begin to write down his thoughts. From the first moment he writes “down with Big Brother” he believes he is doomed to die in the torture chambers below the Ministry of Love. Will his deviance be caught, or will Winston succeed in finding a way to resist the totalitarian control of the Party?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Animal Farm - George Orwell
  • Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
  • Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/brave-new-world)
]]> 1984 - The techno-surveillance dystopia that keeps coming true! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:38:39 George Orwell's terrifying look at life inside a totalitarian surveillance state stands up just as well today as when it was written - we had a great time revisiting this one! George Orwell's terrifying look at life inside a totalitarian surveillance state stands up just as well today as when it was written - we had a great time revisiting this one! book, science fiction, book recommendations, george orwell, hugonauts, novel, dystopia, scifi, 1984 false full 47 ca73e23a-8a0f-44ec-9b37-c5ee652bfc7d 2023 Hugo Nominees - plus 3 great SF books that should have made the list! Ranking the 2023 Hugo nominees: 

  • N/A: Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir 
  • #5: Spare Man - Mary Robinette Kowal 
  • #4: Daughter of Doctor Moreau - Silvia Moreno-Garcia 
  • #3: Nettle and Bone - T Kingfisher 
  • #2: Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi 
  • #1: Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldry 

And three amazing sci-fi books that should have made the list: 

  • The Mountain and the Sea - Ray Nayler 
  • Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel 
  • Eyes of the Void - Adrian Tchaikovsky

 

]]> Tue, 15 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2023-hugo-nominees-x7khyNRc Ranking the 2023 Hugo nominees: 

  • N/A: Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir 
  • #5: Spare Man - Mary Robinette Kowal 
  • #4: Daughter of Doctor Moreau - Silvia Moreno-Garcia 
  • #3: Nettle and Bone - T Kingfisher 
  • #2: Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi 
  • #1: Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldry 

And three amazing sci-fi books that should have made the list: 

  • The Mountain and the Sea - Ray Nayler 
  • Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel 
  • Eyes of the Void - Adrian Tchaikovsky

 

]]> 2023 Hugo Nominees - plus 3 great SF books that should have made the list! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:25:53 The Hugo nominees are out, and we’re going to help you dodge the bad and find the good by ranking them all - plus 3 amazing sci-fi books that should have made the list! The Hugo nominees are out, and we’re going to help you dodge the bad and find the good by ranking them all - plus 3 amazing sci-fi books that should have made the list! science fiction, book recommendations, hugo awards, fantasy, sci fi false full 46 72ccebe6-54ac-4025-b7c7-11fa63248cf2 The Dispossessed - Anarchy, capitalism, and fighting for freedom across two planets! Shevek is a brilliant physicist, working on a new theory that may be as transformative and foundational as the work of Einstein. In pursuing his theory, he discovers that his dry homeworld of Anarres is not as free as he believed it to be. His society of anarchists has grown rigid, bureaucratic, and resistant to change in the years since the revolution. 

In order to pursue his work, he must leave Anarres and be the first to travel back to the deeply unequal, capitalist planet of Urras. Will Shevek succeed at completing his theory and igniting the fires of change? Or will he be consumed in the struggle for freedom?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-left-hand-of-darkness)
  • The City and the City - China Miéville (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-city-and-the-city)
  • Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-mars-trilogy-colonizing-and-terraforming-mars)
]]> Tue, 1 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-dispossessed-STo_bUna Shevek is a brilliant physicist, working on a new theory that may be as transformative and foundational as the work of Einstein. In pursuing his theory, he discovers that his dry homeworld of Anarres is not as free as he believed it to be. His society of anarchists has grown rigid, bureaucratic, and resistant to change in the years since the revolution. 

In order to pursue his work, he must leave Anarres and be the first to travel back to the deeply unequal, capitalist planet of Urras. Will Shevek succeed at completing his theory and igniting the fires of change? Or will he be consumed in the struggle for freedom?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-left-hand-of-darkness)
  • The City and the City - China Miéville (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-city-and-the-city)
  • Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-mars-trilogy-colonizing-and-terraforming-mars)
]]> The Dispossessed - Anarchy, capitalism, and fighting for freedom across two planets! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:30:10 Ursula K. Le Guin's cerebral fusion of science fiction and a thought-provoking exploration of two very different ways of organizing society is absolutely one of her best books! Ursula K. Le Guin's cerebral fusion of science fiction and a thought-provoking exploration of two very different ways of organizing society is absolutely one of her best books! anarchy vs capitalism, science fiction, shevek, hugonauts, sci fi, the dispossessed, ursula k. le guin, hainish cycle false full 45 ea351f07-2295-48a6-91b7-58b829d17c49 The Road - the best post-apocalyptic book ever written?! The bombs fell, and the world ended. A man and his pregnant wife survived the blasts. Their son would be born into a world changed entire. It grew darker, and colder, and more violent. The new world was grim and grey and relentless, and the wife could not bear to live in it. 

The man and his young son had to set out on the road, alone, heading south. The road, though, is dangerous. Cannibals and slavers and men driven mad with hunger roam the hills. Even if the man can avoid marauders, will he be clever and lucky enough to find food and supplies in the picked-over remains of civilization to feed his son? And every day that they survive, they have to ask themselves if it is worth surviving. What awaits them in the south, on the coast?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Anything by Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, etc.
  • Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/parable-of-the-sower)
  • A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr. (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/a-canticle-for-leibowitz-who-knew-the-nuclear-apocalypse-could-be-so-funny)
]]> Tue, 18 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-road-tXc_MxHs The bombs fell, and the world ended. A man and his pregnant wife survived the blasts. Their son would be born into a world changed entire. It grew darker, and colder, and more violent. The new world was grim and grey and relentless, and the wife could not bear to live in it. 

The man and his young son had to set out on the road, alone, heading south. The road, though, is dangerous. Cannibals and slavers and men driven mad with hunger roam the hills. Even if the man can avoid marauders, will he be clever and lucky enough to find food and supplies in the picked-over remains of civilization to feed his son? And every day that they survive, they have to ask themselves if it is worth surviving. What awaits them in the south, on the coast?

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Anything by Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, etc.
  • Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/parable-of-the-sower)
  • A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr. (https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/a-canticle-for-leibowitz-who-knew-the-nuclear-apocalypse-could-be-so-funny)
]]> The Road - the best post-apocalyptic book ever written?! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:30:46 Cormac McCarthy's unforgettable story about a man and his son trying to survive the nuclear winter is gripping, disturbing, deeply emotional, and hopeful all at once. If you love to read, you've got to add at least one Cormac McCarthy book to your bucket list, and this is one of his best. Cormac McCarthy's unforgettable story about a man and his son trying to survive the nuclear winter is gripping, disturbing, deeply emotional, and hopeful all at once. If you love to read, you've got to add at least one Cormac McCarthy book to your bucket list, and this is one of his best. book recommendation, nuclear winter, science fiction, sci-fi, the road, post-apocalyptic, hugonauts, cormac mccarthy, book review, sci fi, scifi false full 44 1e54876d-07db-47a7-af7c-881c0cb68614 Solaris - An intensely creative, mind-blowing first contact book! Kris Kelvin is traveling to the ocean world of Solaris. For more than 100 years, scientists have been trying to understand and communicate with alien life. But Solaris is truly alien - the entire planet-wide ocean is a single living organism. As Kelvin arrives, he finds that things are going wrong. The science station is disturbing and nearly abandoned. Will he be able to unravel the mystery of Solaris? Or will he lose his mind in the attempt? 

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Blindsight - Peter Watts (https://youtu.be/7GSLFAU_CFk)
  • Ubik - Philip K Dick
  • Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer
]]> Tue, 4 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/solaris-abD9MKdx Kris Kelvin is traveling to the ocean world of Solaris. For more than 100 years, scientists have been trying to understand and communicate with alien life. But Solaris is truly alien - the entire planet-wide ocean is a single living organism. As Kelvin arrives, he finds that things are going wrong. The science station is disturbing and nearly abandoned. Will he be able to unravel the mystery of Solaris? Or will he lose his mind in the attempt? 

Similar books we recommend: 

  • Blindsight - Peter Watts (https://youtu.be/7GSLFAU_CFk)
  • Ubik - Philip K Dick
  • Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer
]]> Solaris - An intensely creative, mind-blowing first contact book! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:29:01 Stanislaw Lem's masterwork will absolutely blow your mind about the possibilities of alien life. And it establishes an incredible mood of dislocation and creepiness to boot - if you like cosmic horror or first contact you need to read this book! Stanislaw Lem's masterwork will absolutely blow your mind about the possibilities of alien life. And it establishes an incredible mood of dislocation and creepiness to boot - if you like cosmic horror or first contact you need to read this book! cosmic horror, book recommendation, science fiction, hugonauts, book review, solaris, sci fi, first contact, stanislaw lem, scifi false full 43 6d65ee08-31b2-44a5-9829-e8bf33caf66a The Expanse - Books 1 thru 3 - the biggest space opera of the modern era! Jim Holden is XO of an ice hauler making runs from the rings of Saturn to the asteroid cities of the Belt. Out in the darkness, they detect a distress signal, and move to investigate. Holden leads the away team to check on the signal, and they find a dead ship called the Scopuli that seems to have been boarded with military precision. Moments later, a stealth ship fires nuclear torpedoes at the ice hauler, killing the entire crew, leaving Holden and his away team as the only survivors. All the evidence points to the Martian military, and system-wide war threatens to break out unless Holden can find out who set the trap, and why. 

Miller is a detective on Ceres, and he is looking for a girl. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and Holden, they realize that this girl may be the key to everything. 

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations—and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. 

Similar books we recommend: 

  • House of Suns - Alastair Reynolds - https://youtu.be/qTKm46YrIiQ
  • The Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson - https://youtu.be/D7OrjGfKUj4
  • Murderbot Series - Martha Wells
]]> Tue, 20 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-expanse-books-1-thru-3-JrEVRcee Jim Holden is XO of an ice hauler making runs from the rings of Saturn to the asteroid cities of the Belt. Out in the darkness, they detect a distress signal, and move to investigate. Holden leads the away team to check on the signal, and they find a dead ship called the Scopuli that seems to have been boarded with military precision. Moments later, a stealth ship fires nuclear torpedoes at the ice hauler, killing the entire crew, leaving Holden and his away team as the only survivors. All the evidence points to the Martian military, and system-wide war threatens to break out unless Holden can find out who set the trap, and why. 

Miller is a detective on Ceres, and he is looking for a girl. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and Holden, they realize that this girl may be the key to everything. 

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations—and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. 

Similar books we recommend: 

  • House of Suns - Alastair Reynolds - https://youtu.be/qTKm46YrIiQ
  • The Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson - https://youtu.be/D7OrjGfKUj4
  • Murderbot Series - Martha Wells
]]> The Expanse - Books 1 thru 3 - the biggest space opera of the modern era! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:32:47 Incredible action, colonies across the solar system, compelling characters, and a high-stakes fight to save the human race - so much here to love! This episode cover's the first three books in the series - Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, and Abaddon's Gate. Incredible action, colonies across the solar system, compelling characters, and a high-stakes fight to save the human race - so much here to love! This episode cover's the first three books in the series - Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, and Abaddon's Gate. leviathan wakes, expanse, science fiction, hugonauts, james s a corey, abaddon's gate, sci fi, caliban's war, the expanse, space opera false full 42 9360d6a9-9e39-4428-9480-7012fdcd92de Fahrenheit 451 - book propaganda or flamethrower celebration? Guy Montag is a fireman - one whose job is to burn books, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag and his wife, Mildred (who spends all day with her television ‘family’) had never questioned his life as a fireman, until he meets his eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse. Clarisse introduces him to a bigger world and new ideas, and Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

Similar books we recommend:

  • Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
  • Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
  • The Giver - Lois Lowry
]]> Tue, 6 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/fahrenheit-451-wsv2mkzk Guy Montag is a fireman - one whose job is to burn books, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag and his wife, Mildred (who spends all day with her television ‘family’) had never questioned his life as a fireman, until he meets his eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse. Clarisse introduces him to a bigger world and new ideas, and Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

Similar books we recommend:

  • Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
  • Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
  • The Giver - Lois Lowry
]]> Fahrenheit 451 - book propaganda or flamethrower celebration? Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:36:19 Burning books, sweet flamethrowers, and complaining about people watching too much TV make Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury one of the all-time dystopian classics. Burning books, sweet flamethrowers, and complaining about people watching too much TV make Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury one of the all-time dystopian classics. book recommendation, dystopian books, science fiction, hugonauts, ray bradbury, book review, sci fi, dystopia, fahrenheit 451, scifi false full 41 fc3a4b7d-cd98-4ab5-8560-6dc84f95a10f A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick's best book? Substance D is a new drug sweeping the nation and slowly destroying the minds of its users. As the connection between the two halves of their brains degrades, they grow increasingly disoriented and confused before suffering irreversible brain damage. 

Fred is an undercover narcotics agent working to uncover where the new drug is coming from. But to find the source he has to pose as Bob Arctor, a user, and soon Arctor is as addicted as the junkies around him. Can he see through his psychosis long enough to tell which leads are real and which imagined? Or will he be consumed, like his friends, by substance D?

]]> Tue, 23 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/a-scanner-darkly-BasOzNzv Substance D is a new drug sweeping the nation and slowly destroying the minds of its users. As the connection between the two halves of their brains degrades, they grow increasingly disoriented and confused before suffering irreversible brain damage. 

Fred is an undercover narcotics agent working to uncover where the new drug is coming from. But to find the source he has to pose as Bob Arctor, a user, and soon Arctor is as addicted as the junkies around him. Can he see through his psychosis long enough to tell which leads are real and which imagined? Or will he be consumed, like his friends, by substance D?

]]> A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick's best book? Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:36:16 An all-time sci-fi classic set in a dark future. It follows Bob Arctor and his life of drugs and paranoia - and what happens when he doesn't have any voices left that he can trust. An all-time sci-fi classic set in a dark future. It follows Bob Arctor and his life of drugs and paranoia - and what happens when he doesn't have any voices left that he can trust. war on drugs, philip k dick, a scanner darkly, science fiction, book recommendations, philip k. dick, hugonauts, book review, drugs, books, scifi false full 40 f6cc6f99-447c-42ba-ba43-137d6c92c92a Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2022: Part 1 - The Nebula Nominees For all six of the nominated books we'll give you a quick summary (with no spoilers), a review, and a rundown of what kind of reader is likely to love (and who might hate) each book.

Featuring: 

  1. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler 
  2. Babel by R.F. Kuang 
  3. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 
  4. Spear by Nicola Griffith 
  5. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher 
  6. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

And join us for our next episode on A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick!

]]> Tue, 9 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/2022-nebula-nominees-cPTCQVmw For all six of the nominated books we'll give you a quick summary (with no spoilers), a review, and a rundown of what kind of reader is likely to love (and who might hate) each book.

Featuring: 

  1. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler 
  2. Babel by R.F. Kuang 
  3. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 
  4. Spear by Nicola Griffith 
  5. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher 
  6. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

And join us for our next episode on A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick!

]]> Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2022: Part 1 - The Nebula Nominees Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:23:47 Ranking and reviewing the 2022 Nebula nominees so you know what's worth reading! Ranking and reviewing the 2022 Nebula nominees so you know what's worth reading! nettle & bone, ray nayler, rf kuang, book reviews, t kingfisher, nicola griffith, science fiction, book recommendations, hugonauts, travis baldree, tamsyn muir, nona the ninth, spear, fantasy, best fantasy, best scifi, legends and lattes, sci fi, nebula awards, books, babel, scifi, the mountain in the sea false full 39 fd07ece1-626a-407c-810b-b446b1e9f9ae Brave New World - Sex, Drugs, and Dystopia Set in a futuristic, unified World State, Brave New World tells the story of a very different kind of dystopia. The population is not tightly controlled in the traditional sense - instead they are free to do what they choose, and live phenomenally happy lives. However, people are born in test tubes and modified in-vitro to fulfill their role in the caste system, to love their work, and to love the hedonistic lifestyle that the World State provides. 

Bernard Marx is not perfectly happy though. He arranges a trip to a reservation to see a different way of living, and there meets someone born outside the system - The Savage - who begins to question the social order and chafe against the World Controllers who mastermind the system.

]]> Tue, 25 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/brave-new-world-DwmksERQ Set in a futuristic, unified World State, Brave New World tells the story of a very different kind of dystopia. The population is not tightly controlled in the traditional sense - instead they are free to do what they choose, and live phenomenally happy lives. However, people are born in test tubes and modified in-vitro to fulfill their role in the caste system, to love their work, and to love the hedonistic lifestyle that the World State provides. 

Bernard Marx is not perfectly happy though. He arranges a trip to a reservation to see a different way of living, and there meets someone born outside the system - The Savage - who begins to question the social order and chafe against the World Controllers who mastermind the system.

]]> Brave New World - Sex, Drugs, and Dystopia Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:40:07 Aldous Huxley's classic is one of the greatest dystopian books of all time. How much would you trade for happiness? What makes life worth living? And is an orgy still sexy if you call it an orgy porgy? Aldous Huxley's classic is one of the greatest dystopian books of all time. How much would you trade for happiness? What makes life worth living? And is an orgy still sexy if you call it an orgy porgy? brave new world, summary, book recommendation, science fiction, hugonauts, dystopian future, aldous huxley, book review, analysis, sci fi, dystopia false full 38 9f23576e-3c73-46bb-a389-7972c701f901 Providence by Max Barry - an AI battleship, a hapless crew, and black-hole spewing aliens! Four soldiers are serving a four year tour of duty as the only crew members on a super-advanced AI battleship, dispatched to fight the alien Salamanders who have been spewing black holes everywhere and killing humans in space. 

The ship is fully controlled by AI, and as the mission goes on our heroes feel more and more like window dressing - they sure are killing a lot of aliens, but are they anything more than passengers on this ship? Or are they just window-dressing for the military industrial complex?

Thanks to Lori from the Hugo, Girl podcast for joining us for this episode! Hugo, Girl is a monthly show featuring three very funny space feminists reading and discuss Hugo Award-winning fiction. Cody joined them on their most recent episode, talking about the hugely underrated book Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. 

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week)

]]> Tue, 11 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Lori Anderson, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/providence-Nb_VLmyx Four soldiers are serving a four year tour of duty as the only crew members on a super-advanced AI battleship, dispatched to fight the alien Salamanders who have been spewing black holes everywhere and killing humans in space. 

The ship is fully controlled by AI, and as the mission goes on our heroes feel more and more like window dressing - they sure are killing a lot of aliens, but are they anything more than passengers on this ship? Or are they just window-dressing for the military industrial complex?

Thanks to Lori from the Hugo, Girl podcast for joining us for this episode! Hugo, Girl is a monthly show featuring three very funny space feminists reading and discuss Hugo Award-winning fiction. Cody joined them on their most recent episode, talking about the hugely underrated book Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. 

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week)

]]> Providence by Max Barry - an AI battleship, a hapless crew, and black-hole spewing aliens! Lori Anderson, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:38:24 This is a book that probably tries to do too much - but its still a short, often fun read. Besides, it's hard to hate a book that gets back to some good old humans vs aliens space war action and tries its best to bring some important themes along for the ride. This is a book that probably tries to do too much - but its still a short, often fun read. Besides, it's hard to hate a book that gets back to some good old humans vs aliens space war action and tries its best to bring some important themes along for the ride. max barry, science fiction, book recommendations, book review, sci fi, providence false full 37 5c0f62fb-52fa-414d-abf1-b5f830320c75 Interview with Becky Chambers - author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet! All of Becky's writing is excellent, but if you haven't read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet  it's a great place to start. It's a wonderful, warm, and character-driven space opera that follows the tight-knit crew of a wormhole-drilling starship working their way across the galaxy. 

We talked with Becky about:

  • Growing up in a 'space' family
  • Going from self-publishing to winning a Hugo 
  • Her process for creating her wonderful characters 
  • Using the search for identity as central conflict 
  • Becky's biggest influences

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week), or join the Hugonauts book club on discord!

]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Becky Chambers, Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/interview-with-becky-chambers-lzmTEC8b All of Becky's writing is excellent, but if you haven't read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet  it's a great place to start. It's a wonderful, warm, and character-driven space opera that follows the tight-knit crew of a wormhole-drilling starship working their way across the galaxy. 

We talked with Becky about:

  • Growing up in a 'space' family
  • Going from self-publishing to winning a Hugo 
  • Her process for creating her wonderful characters 
  • Using the search for identity as central conflict 
  • Becky's biggest influences

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week), or join the Hugonauts book club on discord!

]]> Interview with Becky Chambers - author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet! Becky Chambers, Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:37:53 Becky Chambers is the multiple-Hugo award winning author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet; A Closed and Common Orbit; A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and many more! Becky Chambers is the multiple-Hugo award winning author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet; A Closed and Common Orbit; A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and many more! interview, hugo award, author, science fiction, long way to a small angry planet, hugonauts, sci fi, becky chambers, psalm for the wild built false full 36 abb2c0f0-10d4-46a2-90ca-a18c6e97ae9d Contact by Carl Sagan - a scientifically grounded and totally ground-breaking first-contact story! Ellie is a brilliant radio astronomer who has often felt alone in the world. When she detects an indisputably intelligent signal emanating from the Vega system, that all changes - for her and for the entire human race. 

The nations and people of the world begin to come together in the face of the alien intelligence, and humanity faces a simultaneous revival and crisis of faith. Ellie works with an international team of scientists to decode the layers of the Message, and eventually, they realize the Message contains plans for some kind of Machine. Should humanity invest the resources to build the Machine? And if they do, what will happen when they turn it on?

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week).

Hope you love it, keep reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 14 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/contact-aOGbbE9X Ellie is a brilliant radio astronomer who has often felt alone in the world. When she detects an indisputably intelligent signal emanating from the Vega system, that all changes - for her and for the entire human race. 

The nations and people of the world begin to come together in the face of the alien intelligence, and humanity faces a simultaneous revival and crisis of faith. Ellie works with an international team of scientists to decode the layers of the Message, and eventually, they realize the Message contains plans for some kind of Machine. Should humanity invest the resources to build the Machine? And if they do, what will happen when they turn it on?

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week).

Hope you love it, keep reading y'all!

]]> Contact by Carl Sagan - a scientifically grounded and totally ground-breaking first-contact story! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:36:55 Modern-day radio astronomers making first contact with an alien civilization - it almost feels like the optimistic counterpoint to the Three Body Problem! Hard science, amazing characters, a wonderful exploration of the interplay between science and faith, and an all-pervasive sense of wonder - this is a book that you will give you ideas to think about for years to come. Modern-day radio astronomers making first contact with an alien civilization - it almost feels like the optimistic counterpoint to the Three Body Problem! Hard science, amazing characters, a wonderful exploration of the interplay between science and faith, and an all-pervasive sense of wonder - this is a book that you will give you ideas to think about for years to come. contact, book recommendation, carl sagan, science fiction, book club, hugonauts, book review, first contact, books, scifi false full 35 5c422296-d5b5-4752-be66-908080b6adab Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - The wildly entertaining book that invented the Metaverse! Hiro Protagonist is a self-described hacker working as a pizza-delivery driver and living in a storage unit at LAX. He lives in a US that has been fully corporatized - from Judge Bob’s Judicial System to Pastor Wayne’s Pearly Gates. 

To get away, Hiro spends much of his free-time in the Metaverse, where he wrote many of the subroutines that underpin the virtual world. One of his hacker friends, Da5id, is given a new virtual drug called Snow Crash that not only crashes his computer, but also destroys his brain in the real world. Hiro (and a hilarious cadre of friends) are drawn ever deeper into the worldwide conspiracy that is spilling out of the virtual world to threaten the real world.

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/snow-crash-mUh1_UNv Hiro Protagonist is a self-described hacker working as a pizza-delivery driver and living in a storage unit at LAX. He lives in a US that has been fully corporatized - from Judge Bob’s Judicial System to Pastor Wayne’s Pearly Gates. 

To get away, Hiro spends much of his free-time in the Metaverse, where he wrote many of the subroutines that underpin the virtual world. One of his hacker friends, Da5id, is given a new virtual drug called Snow Crash that not only crashes his computer, but also destroys his brain in the real world. Hiro (and a hilarious cadre of friends) are drawn ever deeper into the worldwide conspiracy that is spilling out of the virtual world to threaten the real world.

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - The wildly entertaining book that invented the Metaverse! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:30:20 Snow Crash is fun, fast and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Big ideas, big action, and incredibly fun to read! Snow Crash is fun, fast and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Big ideas, big action, and incredibly fun to read! book reviews, science fiction, book recommendations, sci-fi, snow crash, hugonauts, scifi, neal stephenson false full 34 6fd82271-f54b-4e94-9895-676de7e09f0c The Andromeda Strain - A scientific thriller about an alien virus! Michael Crichton was fresh out of Harvard Medical School when he wrote the Andromeda Strain - and we're so glad he did! The book that launched his literary career and all that followed, from Jurassic Park to Sphere.

Here's the setup:

A US government program is sending satellites with scoops into orbit, looking for alien organisms that can survive the void of space. When one of the scoops comes down in the Arizona desert two soldiers are sent out to pick it up. But as they get closer, they realize the signal has moved - someone has already picked up the object and moved it into the tiny town of Piedmont. As the two men pull into town, bodies line the streets. In less than five minutes they are dead too. 

The United States government is forced to mobilize Project Wildfire, a top-secret emergency response protocol. Four of the nation’s most elite biophysicists are summoned to a clandestine underground laboratory where they must race to understand and contain the crisis. But the Andromeda Strain proves different from anything they’ve ever seen - and what they don’t know could not only hurt them, but lead to unprecedented worldwide catastrophe.

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-andromeda-strain-AzgIPdHx Michael Crichton was fresh out of Harvard Medical School when he wrote the Andromeda Strain - and we're so glad he did! The book that launched his literary career and all that followed, from Jurassic Park to Sphere.

Here's the setup:

A US government program is sending satellites with scoops into orbit, looking for alien organisms that can survive the void of space. When one of the scoops comes down in the Arizona desert two soldiers are sent out to pick it up. But as they get closer, they realize the signal has moved - someone has already picked up the object and moved it into the tiny town of Piedmont. As the two men pull into town, bodies line the streets. In less than five minutes they are dead too. 

The United States government is forced to mobilize Project Wildfire, a top-secret emergency response protocol. Four of the nation’s most elite biophysicists are summoned to a clandestine underground laboratory where they must race to understand and contain the crisis. But the Andromeda Strain proves different from anything they’ve ever seen - and what they don’t know could not only hurt them, but lead to unprecedented worldwide catastrophe.

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> The Andromeda Strain - A scientific thriller about an alien virus! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:25:37 Michael Crichton's breakout novel about an alien organism that kills in minutes and the scientific race to understand it before it can spread and wreak havoc worldwide! Michael Crichton's breakout novel about an alien organism that kills in minutes and the scientific race to understand it before it can spread and wreak havoc worldwide! science fiction, book recommendations, sci-fi, michael crichton, andromeda strain, hugonauts, book review, sci fi false full 33 3acc1ab7-39a9-44ec-8604-127777cd1717 The Handmaid's Tale - A chilling, theocratic dystopian classic! The story is told via the diary of a Handmaid - a young woman living in Gilead, an extremely repressive, patriarchal society that has taken over the United States. We explore the dark world through her eyes, and follow her struggle to express herself, escape, or just take control back over any part of her life. 

What are the rules of this brutal society? And will the Handmaid ever see the people she loves again?

  • Link to buy the book (and help support the show!): https://amzn.to/3DqPTxP
  • Join the book club on discord! https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2
  • Related books we recommend:
    • 1984 - https://amzn.to/3Y71TMO
    • The Testaments - https://amzn.to/3XTM1Oa
    • Brave New World - https://amzn.to/3kW4CKM
    • Never Let Me Go - https://amzn.to/3DsPFWP

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-handmaids-tale-MGi9pLvg The story is told via the diary of a Handmaid - a young woman living in Gilead, an extremely repressive, patriarchal society that has taken over the United States. We explore the dark world through her eyes, and follow her struggle to express herself, escape, or just take control back over any part of her life. 

What are the rules of this brutal society? And will the Handmaid ever see the people she loves again?

  • Link to buy the book (and help support the show!): https://amzn.to/3DqPTxP
  • Join the book club on discord! https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2
  • Related books we recommend:
    • 1984 - https://amzn.to/3Y71TMO
    • The Testaments - https://amzn.to/3XTM1Oa
    • Brave New World - https://amzn.to/3kW4CKM
    • Never Let Me Go - https://amzn.to/3DsPFWP

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> The Handmaid's Tale - A chilling, theocratic dystopian classic! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:36:04 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is one of the best dystopian novels of all time! It's a fully realized, dark, and disturbing world of theocratic control and misogyny, explored through a masterfully written book. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is one of the best dystopian novels of all time! It's a fully realized, dark, and disturbing world of theocratic control and misogyny, explored through a masterfully written book. handmaid's tale, margaret atwood, science fiction, book recommendations, sci-fi, hugonauts, book review, dystopia false full 32 81032dab-dd62-4355-87f2-19ae7754edb0 Dark Matter - A sci-fi thriller that is way too fun to put down! Jason Dessen is walking home one night when he realizes he is being followed. A strange man in a geisha mask abducts him at gunpoint, drives him to an abandoned building, takes his phone and clothes, and injects him with a strange drug. 

When Jason wakes up, he’s surrounded by strangers congratulating him for something he’s supposed to have achieved. In this world he’s not a college professor - they say he’s created something that seems impossible. He looks for his wife - but in this world she says she’s not his wife. His son was never born.

Is this world real, or a dream? And no matter what this place is, how can he get back to the people he loves?

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

We also launched three new things this week!

  1. A website - hugonauts.org - where you can read written reviews & see related books!
  2. A Hugonauts book club discord to talk about books together (and everything else)! We're giving away 8 great sci-fi books to kick off the channel, enter to win on the discord channel.
  3. Providing links to buy the books we recommend. It doesn't cost you any extra, but a percentage of anything you buy after clicking these links goes to the show, and the support really means a lot!

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/dark-matter-a-sci-fi-thriller-that-is-way-too-fun-to-put-down-hbVwXY72 Jason Dessen is walking home one night when he realizes he is being followed. A strange man in a geisha mask abducts him at gunpoint, drives him to an abandoned building, takes his phone and clothes, and injects him with a strange drug. 

When Jason wakes up, he’s surrounded by strangers congratulating him for something he’s supposed to have achieved. In this world he’s not a college professor - they say he’s created something that seems impossible. He looks for his wife - but in this world she says she’s not his wife. His son was never born.

Is this world real, or a dream? And no matter what this place is, how can he get back to the people he loves?

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

We also launched three new things this week!

  1. A website - hugonauts.org - where you can read written reviews & see related books!
  2. A Hugonauts book club discord to talk about books together (and everything else)! We're giving away 8 great sci-fi books to kick off the channel, enter to win on the discord channel.
  3. Providing links to buy the books we recommend. It doesn't cost you any extra, but a percentage of anything you buy after clicking these links goes to the show, and the support really means a lot!

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Dark Matter - A sci-fi thriller that is way too fun to put down! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:25:33 Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a sci-fi thriller done just right! It's exciting, its surprising, it follows its own rules, and its got great characters to root for. If you're looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump, or just want a fun read - this one is for you! Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a sci-fi thriller done just right! It's exciting, its surprising, it follows its own rules, and its got great characters to root for. If you're looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump, or just want a fun read - this one is for you! sci-fi books, dark matter, science fiction, book recommendations, sci-fi, hugonauts, book review, blake crouch, books, scifi false full 31 6dd0e60b-731e-4787-91da-962bb5c33436 Double Star - A hilarious, lighthearted book that is a perfect introduction to Robert Heinlein! The story is told from the first person perspective of Laurence Smith—the self-styled “The Great Lorenzo”—a down-and-out actor who spends most of his time in bars. He's approached by a space-pilot who offers him a drink and, despite some trepidation about Lorenzo’s high opinion of himself, offers him a dangerous job at a very high pay rate. One of the solar system's most important politicians has been kidnapped, and they need someone to impersonate him until he's rescued. Lorenzo is quickly pulled deeper and deeper into the conspiracy, and has to keep up the act to avoid his own death and an all-out planetary war.

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Drop us a line:

]]> Tue, 3 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/double-star-TasYUB_F The story is told from the first person perspective of Laurence Smith—the self-styled “The Great Lorenzo”—a down-and-out actor who spends most of his time in bars. He's approached by a space-pilot who offers him a drink and, despite some trepidation about Lorenzo’s high opinion of himself, offers him a dangerous job at a very high pay rate. One of the solar system's most important politicians has been kidnapped, and they need someone to impersonate him until he's rescued. Lorenzo is quickly pulled deeper and deeper into the conspiracy, and has to keep up the act to avoid his own death and an all-out planetary war.

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Drop us a line:

]]> Double Star - A hilarious, lighthearted book that is a perfect introduction to Robert Heinlein! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:23:15 Double Star is a hilarious, lighthearted read with an unforgettable main character. If you're looking for an entry point into Heinlein's work, want a classic from the golden age of sci-fi that has stood the test of time, or are just hoping for a book that doesn't take itself too seriously - this one's for you! Double Star is a hilarious, lighthearted read with an unforgettable main character. If you're looking for an entry point into Heinlein's work, want a classic from the golden age of sci-fi that has stood the test of time, or are just hoping for a book that doesn't take itself too seriously - this one's for you! double star, robert heinlein, book recommendation, science fiction, sci-fi, hugonauts, book review, sci fi, robert a heinlein false full 30 926f543f-c21a-41ed-860b-04e38d25479b Parable of the Sower - A very real dystopia that helped launch Afrofuturism! It’s the year 2025, and society is descending into anarchy in the face of climate change and other disasters. We see the world through the diary entries of Lauren Olamina, a teenager living in a walled-in neighborhood in the exurbs of Los Angeles. Jobs are scarce, food and water are increasingly expensive, and armed gangs and drug addicts control the streets outside. Lauren’s father, a pastor and professor at a local college, tries to keep their little community safe, but Lauren feels things going to pieces and is always preparing for things to get worse. When it all comes crashing down, will she be ready?

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Drop us a line:

]]> Tue, 6 Dec 2022 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/parable-of-the-sower-EqeCTOWO It’s the year 2025, and society is descending into anarchy in the face of climate change and other disasters. We see the world through the diary entries of Lauren Olamina, a teenager living in a walled-in neighborhood in the exurbs of Los Angeles. Jobs are scarce, food and water are increasingly expensive, and armed gangs and drug addicts control the streets outside. Lauren’s father, a pastor and professor at a local college, tries to keep their little community safe, but Lauren feels things going to pieces and is always preparing for things to get worse. When it all comes crashing down, will she be ready?

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video.

Drop us a line:

]]> Parable of the Sower - A very real dystopia that helped launch Afrofuturism! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:28:37 This is an incredibly entertaining read that also contains a very interesting philosophy. It will make you think about the undercurrents within society that drive us apart, the good and the bad sides of religion, and how much it would suck if society really did collapse. This is an incredibly entertaining read that also contains a very interesting philosophy. It will make you think about the undercurrents within society that drive us apart, the good and the bad sides of religion, and how much it would suck if society really did collapse. parable of the sower, octavia butler, afrofuturism, science fiction, book recommendations, parable of the talents, book review, scifi false full 29 6ff6986b-23d9-4545-90d9-4e1c293e005b Behind the scenes with Seth Fishman - agent for Cixin Liu, Ann Leckie & more! Seth Fishman is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the world of sci-fi publishing, representing Cixin Liu, Ann Leckie, Mary Robinette Kowal, Becky Chambers, Mur Lafferty, River Solomon, P Djeli Clark, and many others (plus huge names in lots of other genres too, like Randall Munroe, the creator of XKCD). 

We had a great time talking with him about what's happening behind-the-scenes in sci-fi, what the publishers like are looking for, and an honestly inspiring speech about how to talk about your own work.

After this episode we’re taking a break for the holidays and closing out our first season (and so Cody can take his honeymoon!) We'll be back on December 6th to talk about Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, and then returning to our regular schedule every two weeks starting January 3rd. We'll be missing y'all till then!

Drop us a line:

hugonautspodcast@gmail.com

https://twitter.com/hugonautspod

https://www.instagram.com/hugonautspodcast/

]]> Tue, 25 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Seth Fishman, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/seth-fishman-65wZ0Xdk Seth Fishman is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the world of sci-fi publishing, representing Cixin Liu, Ann Leckie, Mary Robinette Kowal, Becky Chambers, Mur Lafferty, River Solomon, P Djeli Clark, and many others (plus huge names in lots of other genres too, like Randall Munroe, the creator of XKCD). 

We had a great time talking with him about what's happening behind-the-scenes in sci-fi, what the publishers like are looking for, and an honestly inspiring speech about how to talk about your own work.

After this episode we’re taking a break for the holidays and closing out our first season (and so Cody can take his honeymoon!) We'll be back on December 6th to talk about Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, and then returning to our regular schedule every two weeks starting January 3rd. We'll be missing y'all till then!

Drop us a line:

hugonautspodcast@gmail.com

https://twitter.com/hugonautspod

https://www.instagram.com/hugonautspodcast/

]]> Behind the scenes with Seth Fishman - agent for Cixin Liu, Ann Leckie & more! Seth Fishman, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:45:51 Ever wondered who decides what kinds of sci-fi books get published? Or why the first book in a series is usually the best? Or how to publish that novel you've been working on for years? Then take a peak behind the scenes to see what's really happening in the world of sci-fi publishing! Ever wondered who decides what kinds of sci-fi books get published? Or why the first book in a series is usually the best? Or how to publish that novel you've been working on for years? Then take a peak behind the scenes to see what's really happening in the world of sci-fi publishing! science fiction, sci-fi, writing tips, literary agent, getting published, publishing false full 28 056ea2b3-0dc6-4d90-96e3-9f4a123a0617 Blindsight - A haunting, mindblowing first contact book! Aliens have taken a snapshot of the entire earth, down to 1 meter of resolution - we know because they lit the entire sky on fire to do it. 

Then, humanity detected something out at the very edge of the solar system sending a signal - but not to us. The signal is being sent out, into deep space, to another planet, or to something already on the way to Earth. 

A ship is dispatched with a crew of five - including two technical specialists who have been deeply biologically and technologically enhanced, a soldier, a resurrected Vampire who interfaces with the ship AI to lead the crew, and our protagonist, Siri, whose job is to understand those specialists and translate their insights for the people back home. What will they find, out in the darkness? 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend: 

  • The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
  • Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube here.

]]> Tue, 11 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/blindsight-G1es7QzT Aliens have taken a snapshot of the entire earth, down to 1 meter of resolution - we know because they lit the entire sky on fire to do it. 

Then, humanity detected something out at the very edge of the solar system sending a signal - but not to us. The signal is being sent out, into deep space, to another planet, or to something already on the way to Earth. 

A ship is dispatched with a crew of five - including two technical specialists who have been deeply biologically and technologically enhanced, a soldier, a resurrected Vampire who interfaces with the ship AI to lead the crew, and our protagonist, Siri, whose job is to understand those specialists and translate their insights for the people back home. What will they find, out in the darkness? 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend: 

  • The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
  • Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

Or you can watch the episode on YouTube here.

]]> Blindsight - A haunting, mindblowing first contact book! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:29:35 Blindsight by Peter Watts is a book that will make you question fundamental things about the nature of consciousness, reconsider what first contact with aliens could mean, and is also an incredible journey out into the dark of the stars to get to the big reveal! Blindsight by Peter Watts is a book that will make you question fundamental things about the nature of consciousness, reconsider what first contact with aliens could mean, and is also an incredible journey out into the dark of the stars to get to the big reveal! peter watts, science fiction, book recommendations, hugonauts, blindsight, book review, sci fi, books, scifi, hard sci fi false full 27 204e8388-4169-4271-9b0d-56653293f7b5 Interview with Ken Liu - author of the Paper Menagerie! This week we are so excited to interview Ken Liu! All of his writing and translation work is excellent, but if you haven't read his short story collection The Paper Menagerie  we recommend you start there, it's full of incredibly memorable stories.

We talked with Ken about:

  • Growing up in both China and America
  • Robo-Ken - the neural network he built to help write a story
  • The singularity and uploading your consciousness
  • His background as a programmer and lawyer
  • The importance of family in his stories
  • The meaning of silkpunk and his series The Dandelion Dynasty

We'll be releasing more bonus content from the Hugo Awards on YouTube over the next week - check those out on our YouTube channel if you haven't already subscribed!

Next episode we'll be discussing Peter Watt's Blindsight - look forward to talking with y'all then. Happy reading everybody!

]]> Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Ken Liu, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ken-liu-laWjHhNO This week we are so excited to interview Ken Liu! All of his writing and translation work is excellent, but if you haven't read his short story collection The Paper Menagerie  we recommend you start there, it's full of incredibly memorable stories.

We talked with Ken about:

  • Growing up in both China and America
  • Robo-Ken - the neural network he built to help write a story
  • The singularity and uploading your consciousness
  • His background as a programmer and lawyer
  • The importance of family in his stories
  • The meaning of silkpunk and his series The Dandelion Dynasty

We'll be releasing more bonus content from the Hugo Awards on YouTube over the next week - check those out on our YouTube channel if you haven't already subscribed!

Next episode we'll be discussing Peter Watt's Blindsight - look forward to talking with y'all then. Happy reading everybody!

]]> Interview with Ken Liu - author of the Paper Menagerie! Ken Liu, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:57:24 Interview with Ken Liu, author of The Paper Menagerie, The Hidden Girl, and The Dandelion Dynasty. He's also the translator of the Three Body Problem! Interview with Ken Liu, author of The Paper Menagerie, The Hidden Girl, and The Dandelion Dynasty. He's also the translator of the Three Body Problem! interview, hugonauts, paper menagerie, ken liu, short stories, sci fi author, the hidden girl false full 26 6881caf0-9c26-42ee-8d72-82c44793e89f Author interviews from the Hugo Awards - Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, and Joe Haldeman! We had a great time rolling out the red carpet in Chicago, and we're excited to release the first set of interviews!

The Seanan McGuire interview starts at 2:10. Seanan is a multiple Hugo award winning fantasy and sci fi author, most well known for her Wayward Children series and her Newsflesh zombie series (published under her pseudonym Mira Grant). We talked with her about how she manages to create so much content, what made her want to write about zombies, and her approach to researching her stories (she once gave herself a tapeworm to prep for a book about parasites!)

The Ryka Aoki interview starts at 15:47. Ryka's breakout novel Light from Uncommon Stars came second in the Hugo voting this year. We talked with her about the book, making music, why she loves donut shops (and how she managed to include them in a sci fi novel), and queerness and what it means to be 'normal'.

The interview with Joe and Gay Haldeman starts at 42:13. Joe is most famous for his novel The Forever War (which we talked with him about in a previous episode), as well as the Nebula award winning book Camouflage. We talk with Joe and Gay about Camouflage, the Bataan death march, as well as hanging out with Arthur C. Clarke, Gene Wolf, and Robert Silverberg at sci-fi conventions over the years. 

If you want to see photos from the red carpet, check them out on twitter or instagram! And if you want to see the rest of the interviews from ChiCon with other content creators, we'll be releasing those on our YouTube channel.

]]> Tue, 13 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, Cody Troyer, Gay Haldeman, Brent Gaisford, Joe Haldeman) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/author-interviews-seanan-ryka-joe-gay-vY_2eFva We had a great time rolling out the red carpet in Chicago, and we're excited to release the first set of interviews!

The Seanan McGuire interview starts at 2:10. Seanan is a multiple Hugo award winning fantasy and sci fi author, most well known for her Wayward Children series and her Newsflesh zombie series (published under her pseudonym Mira Grant). We talked with her about how she manages to create so much content, what made her want to write about zombies, and her approach to researching her stories (she once gave herself a tapeworm to prep for a book about parasites!)

The Ryka Aoki interview starts at 15:47. Ryka's breakout novel Light from Uncommon Stars came second in the Hugo voting this year. We talked with her about the book, making music, why she loves donut shops (and how she managed to include them in a sci fi novel), and queerness and what it means to be 'normal'.

The interview with Joe and Gay Haldeman starts at 42:13. Joe is most famous for his novel The Forever War (which we talked with him about in a previous episode), as well as the Nebula award winning book Camouflage. We talk with Joe and Gay about Camouflage, the Bataan death march, as well as hanging out with Arthur C. Clarke, Gene Wolf, and Robert Silverberg at sci-fi conventions over the years. 

If you want to see photos from the red carpet, check them out on twitter or instagram! And if you want to see the rest of the interviews from ChiCon with other content creators, we'll be releasing those on our YouTube channel.

]]> Author interviews from the Hugo Awards - Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, and Joe Haldeman! Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, Cody Troyer, Gay Haldeman, Brent Gaisford, Joe Haldeman 01:04:33 We're back from the Hugo Awards with three great author interviews in one episode! Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, and Joe and Gay Haldeman. We're back from the Hugo Awards with three great author interviews in one episode! Seanan McGuire, Ryka Aoki, and Joe and Gay Haldeman. science fiction, hugo awards, hugonauts, seanan mcguire, ryka aoki, joe haldeman, sci fi, light from uncommon stars, books, chicon false full 25 f7b55684-6e6a-4d75-b8e5-95e000b54708 The Windup Girl - A gene-hacking dystopia full of anti-heroes! The vast majority of the world's fossil fuels have been expended, leading to a climate and economic catastrophe. In the aftermath, calories from food become the world's most important energy source, not only for human consumption, but also to power industry and technology. A few mega-corporations produce almost all the world's food, and have become the most powerful entities on earth, thriving by genetically engineering new foods, while also trying to destroy the competition by biohacking diseases to attack other sources of nutrition they don't control. 

The novel is set in a future version of Bangkok. Thailand is one of the few countries that has maintained its sovereignty from the calorie companies, but it has it's own troubles, and is plagued by corruption, rent-seeking, and factions struggling for control over the kingdom. 

The cast of characters is complex and full of deeply flawed people, all trying to get a piece of the pie in this land of relative prosperity. We can't remember ever reading a book so thoroughly populated by people who feel both real and so ruthlessly self-interested - it's brutal, but also so refreshing to read something so out of the ordinary! 

This book calls for a trigger warning - there are two fairly brutal sexual assault scenes that are quite disturbing. If you are reading a chapter with some bad things happening at a sex club, know that it will get worse before it gets better - you can skip to the next chapter to avoid those scenes.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read:

  • The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
  • The City and the City by China Miéville

Or you can choose to watch this episode on YouTube here instead.

]]> Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-windup-girl-9KrGpKzJ The vast majority of the world's fossil fuels have been expended, leading to a climate and economic catastrophe. In the aftermath, calories from food become the world's most important energy source, not only for human consumption, but also to power industry and technology. A few mega-corporations produce almost all the world's food, and have become the most powerful entities on earth, thriving by genetically engineering new foods, while also trying to destroy the competition by biohacking diseases to attack other sources of nutrition they don't control. 

The novel is set in a future version of Bangkok. Thailand is one of the few countries that has maintained its sovereignty from the calorie companies, but it has it's own troubles, and is plagued by corruption, rent-seeking, and factions struggling for control over the kingdom. 

The cast of characters is complex and full of deeply flawed people, all trying to get a piece of the pie in this land of relative prosperity. We can't remember ever reading a book so thoroughly populated by people who feel both real and so ruthlessly self-interested - it's brutal, but also so refreshing to read something so out of the ordinary! 

This book calls for a trigger warning - there are two fairly brutal sexual assault scenes that are quite disturbing. If you are reading a chapter with some bad things happening at a sex club, know that it will get worse before it gets better - you can skip to the next chapter to avoid those scenes.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read:

  • The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
  • The City and the City by China Miéville

Or you can choose to watch this episode on YouTube here instead.

]]> The Windup Girl - A gene-hacking dystopia full of anti-heroes! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:33:30 The winner of both the Nebula and the Hugo award in 2010, this is an extraordinarily unique book that will absolutely make you think! It's dark, brutal, and full of deeply complex people, all of whom are trying to get a piece of the pie and don't particularly care about who gets hurt along the way. The winner of both the Nebula and the Hugo award in 2010, this is an extraordinarily unique book that will absolutely make you think! It's dark, brutal, and full of deeply complex people, all of whom are trying to get a piece of the pie and don't particularly care about who gets hurt along the way. windup girl, hugo award, science fiction, sci-fi, paolo bacigalupi, hugonauts, nebula award, the windup girl, book review, books false full 24 5c90551f-7508-4955-ba91-d6f470ba97b2 Ancillary Justice – A unique take on AI and a sprawling, complex galactic empire! Breq used to be the Justice of Toren - the huge, complex AI that inhabited a colossal starship and all of its thousands of ancillaries in the service of the Radch, the largest of the human empires.

Ancillaries are human bodies that were captured in previous Radchaai annexations (or colonizations) – those who resist the takeover are killed and their bodies frozen and stored, ready to be activated and controlled by Radchaai AI in future annexations. The ancillaries are terrifying soldiers – each one is protected by almost impenetrable armor, and the AI never miss a shot.

But now Breq has been reduced to only one ancillary body. The book follows two parallel timelines – one as she closes in on the end of her quest for revenge, and the other showing how she was betrayed twenty years ago.

There are two small things that hold this book back just a little bit. First, it’s fairly complicated – perhaps too much so. Second, it starts off slowly – but once it gets going, it is incredibly propulsive. So, push through the first 50-80 pages, and know that it’s an incredible experience once you are immersed in the world!

We also talk a bit about the two sequels in the Imperial Radch trilogy – those books aren’t as good and are a lot smaller in scope, but if you absolutely love Ancillary Justice, they can still be worth a read.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend:

  • The Murderbot series by Martha Wells
  • A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
  • The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here.

]]> Tue, 9 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ancillary-justice-Gm4vsfsZ Breq used to be the Justice of Toren - the huge, complex AI that inhabited a colossal starship and all of its thousands of ancillaries in the service of the Radch, the largest of the human empires.

Ancillaries are human bodies that were captured in previous Radchaai annexations (or colonizations) – those who resist the takeover are killed and their bodies frozen and stored, ready to be activated and controlled by Radchaai AI in future annexations. The ancillaries are terrifying soldiers – each one is protected by almost impenetrable armor, and the AI never miss a shot.

But now Breq has been reduced to only one ancillary body. The book follows two parallel timelines – one as she closes in on the end of her quest for revenge, and the other showing how she was betrayed twenty years ago.

There are two small things that hold this book back just a little bit. First, it’s fairly complicated – perhaps too much so. Second, it starts off slowly – but once it gets going, it is incredibly propulsive. So, push through the first 50-80 pages, and know that it’s an incredible experience once you are immersed in the world!

We also talk a bit about the two sequels in the Imperial Radch trilogy – those books aren’t as good and are a lot smaller in scope, but if you absolutely love Ancillary Justice, they can still be worth a read.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend:

  • The Murderbot series by Martha Wells
  • A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
  • The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here.

]]> Ancillary Justice – A unique take on AI and a sprawling, complex galactic empire! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:40:24 Ancillary Justice is a book that does so many things right! A plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, complex characters who speak in realistic dialogue full of subtext, and a world that feels fully realized and is wonderful to explore. 4/5 stars. Ancillary Justice is a book that does so many things right! A plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, complex characters who speak in realistic dialogue full of subtext, and a world that feels fully realized and is wonderful to explore. 4/5 stars. novels, science fiction, sci-fi, hugonauts, book review, sci fi, books, ann leckie, ancillary justice false full 23 a57c731f-67c9-4d5e-b7a0-2b39dc8319ee Ranking the best sci-fi books of 2021! Who are the frontrunners to win the Hugo award? Ranking and reviewing the best speculative fiction books of 2021! Here's the extremely abridged version of the list, with a one sentence summary of each:

6. Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark - A murder mystery set in a steampunk version of Cairo with lots of genies. 

5. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers - A bunch of aliens are stuck at an interstellar truck stop, hanging out with a cute kangaroo. 

4. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - Mulan, but Mulan acts more like Walter White from Breaking Bad. 

3. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine - Translator needed to talk with scary aliens, but everyone has an ulterior motive. 

2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - A high school science teacher is alone in space trying to save the world - no pressure. 

1. Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - A young trans woman meets a violin teacher who owes the devil seven souls - oh and the donut lady down the block is a starship captain too. 

If you're excited about this year's Hugo, you can vote if you want to! You can either attend the annual convention, or buy a supporting membership for $50 to be able to vote. If you want to vote or attend, you can get your membership here: https://registration.chicon.org/memberships 

And if you are going to the convention, please drop us a line and let us know! We'll be there running a red carpet and interviewing authors, and we'd love to meet all the rest of the Hugonauts from around the world too! Shoot us a DM on twitter or instagram, or send us an email to hugonautspodcast@gmail.com to let us know you'll be in Chicago.

Happy reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ranking-the-best-sci-fi-books-of-2021-4hSU8ROt Ranking and reviewing the best speculative fiction books of 2021! Here's the extremely abridged version of the list, with a one sentence summary of each:

6. Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark - A murder mystery set in a steampunk version of Cairo with lots of genies. 

5. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers - A bunch of aliens are stuck at an interstellar truck stop, hanging out with a cute kangaroo. 

4. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - Mulan, but Mulan acts more like Walter White from Breaking Bad. 

3. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine - Translator needed to talk with scary aliens, but everyone has an ulterior motive. 

2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - A high school science teacher is alone in space trying to save the world - no pressure. 

1. Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - A young trans woman meets a violin teacher who owes the devil seven souls - oh and the donut lady down the block is a starship captain too. 

If you're excited about this year's Hugo, you can vote if you want to! You can either attend the annual convention, or buy a supporting membership for $50 to be able to vote. If you want to vote or attend, you can get your membership here: https://registration.chicon.org/memberships 

And if you are going to the convention, please drop us a line and let us know! We'll be there running a red carpet and interviewing authors, and we'd love to meet all the rest of the Hugonauts from around the world too! Shoot us a DM on twitter or instagram, or send us an email to hugonautspodcast@gmail.com to let us know you'll be in Chicago.

Happy reading y'all!

]]> Ranking the best sci-fi books of 2021! Who are the frontrunners to win the Hugo award? Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:39:12 Ranking and reviewing this year's Hugo nominees for best novel! We summarize the beginning of each book, review them (with no spoilers), and talk about what kind of reader is likely to love (and hate) each one. Ranking and reviewing this year's Hugo nominees for best novel! We summarize the beginning of each book, review them (with no spoilers), and talk about what kind of reader is likely to love (and hate) each one. project hail mary, shelley parker-chan, desolation called peace, the galaxy and the ground within, science fiction, sci-fi, best sci-fi books, arkady martine, she who became the sun, hugo awards, hugonauts, ryka aoki, master of djinn, light from uncommon stars, becky chambers, best books of 2021, p djeli clark, andy weir false full 22 dd708bb8-bddd-40c2-9a3d-ac265abda8a1 House of Suns - An epic space opera with solid science! Gentian line is one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy - one of the 'lines' of clones (called shatterlings) who have been traveling the galaxy since the start of the star-faring era six million years ago. The shatterlings of Gentian line travel alone, but they come together for a reunion every 200,000 years to compare what they have seen on their latest circuit around the galaxy.

Campian and Purslane are two shatterlings who have fallen in love and are traveling together against the rules of the line. They are running late to the upcoming reunion when they get a terrifying message - someone has attacked the reunion and killed almost all of the Gentians. Now it is up to them to determine who, or what, their enemy is before the entire line is wiped out.

This is a book that succeeds because of its incredible world building and engrossing plot. You are slowly but steadily introduced to new mind-bending concepts and mysteries, and learning the answers to those questions over the course of the book is a real pleasure. The scientific concepts and technologies that power the world (which are all rooted in real science) are also incredibly fun to explore, and are one of Reynolds strong suits - perhaps not surprising for a writer with a PhD in astrophysics.

That said, if you are looking for dialogue-driven writing or unforgettable characters, this might not be the book for your current moment. It also slows down a bit in the middle of the book, but the final quarter picks up the pace again, and is propulsive, gripping, and answers all the big questions in very satisfying ways. 

This is a stand-alone novel, which is somewhat rare for space operas. If you want to enjoy a big, galactic adventure without the commitment of a long series, this is definitely up your alley.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend:

  • Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge,
  • The Culture series by Iain Banks
  • And Hyperion by Dan Simmons

 If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can find it at this link.

]]> Tue, 12 Jul 2022 12:18:54 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Shane Phillips, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/house-of-suns-fqylMRS2 Gentian line is one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy - one of the 'lines' of clones (called shatterlings) who have been traveling the galaxy since the start of the star-faring era six million years ago. The shatterlings of Gentian line travel alone, but they come together for a reunion every 200,000 years to compare what they have seen on their latest circuit around the galaxy.

Campian and Purslane are two shatterlings who have fallen in love and are traveling together against the rules of the line. They are running late to the upcoming reunion when they get a terrifying message - someone has attacked the reunion and killed almost all of the Gentians. Now it is up to them to determine who, or what, their enemy is before the entire line is wiped out.

This is a book that succeeds because of its incredible world building and engrossing plot. You are slowly but steadily introduced to new mind-bending concepts and mysteries, and learning the answers to those questions over the course of the book is a real pleasure. The scientific concepts and technologies that power the world (which are all rooted in real science) are also incredibly fun to explore, and are one of Reynolds strong suits - perhaps not surprising for a writer with a PhD in astrophysics.

That said, if you are looking for dialogue-driven writing or unforgettable characters, this might not be the book for your current moment. It also slows down a bit in the middle of the book, but the final quarter picks up the pace again, and is propulsive, gripping, and answers all the big questions in very satisfying ways. 

This is a stand-alone novel, which is somewhat rare for space operas. If you want to enjoy a big, galactic adventure without the commitment of a long series, this is definitely up your alley.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend:

  • Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge,
  • The Culture series by Iain Banks
  • And Hyperion by Dan Simmons

 If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can find it at this link.

]]> House of Suns - An epic space opera with solid science! Shane Phillips, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:39:33 House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds is a big, beautiful space opera, spanning the entire galaxy and six million years of human history. The stakes are high, the technology feels real, and the world building is top-notch! House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds is a big, beautiful space opera, spanning the entire galaxy and six million years of human history. The stakes are high, the technology feels real, and the world building is top-notch! science fiction, sci-fi, hugonauts, alastair reynolds, book review, sci fi, house of suns, books false full 21 bd2e373e-ae4f-491e-8adc-ec995feb1a0b The Machine Stops - A dystopian short story that feels almost too real! (analysis episode) It is truly unbelievable that this story was written in 1909 - E. M. Forster's dystopian world feels all too real in our increasingly digitally connected and physically isolated real world. 

The story is about ritual & superstition, resistance to change, the dangers of reliance on an all-powerful authority, the origins of knowledge and creativity, and a tumultuous relationship between a mother and son who see the world in very different ways. 

We're joined to talk about the story by actor and writer Kiran Subramaniam, who also joined us to record our full cast, unabridged audiobook of this story! No spoilers here as usual, but we do highly recommend listening to the story as well, whether before or after the analysis & review. It's an incredible story and isn't too long - the audiobook episode is just over an hour. You should see that free audiobook available as our episode 19.  

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut, and Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video.

Happy reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 28 Jun 2022 16:45:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Kiran Subramaniam, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-machine-stops-analysis-1xFp2c7p It is truly unbelievable that this story was written in 1909 - E. M. Forster's dystopian world feels all too real in our increasingly digitally connected and physically isolated real world. 

The story is about ritual & superstition, resistance to change, the dangers of reliance on an all-powerful authority, the origins of knowledge and creativity, and a tumultuous relationship between a mother and son who see the world in very different ways. 

We're joined to talk about the story by actor and writer Kiran Subramaniam, who also joined us to record our full cast, unabridged audiobook of this story! No spoilers here as usual, but we do highly recommend listening to the story as well, whether before or after the analysis & review. It's an incredible story and isn't too long - the audiobook episode is just over an hour. You should see that free audiobook available as our episode 19.  

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut, and Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video.

Happy reading y'all!

]]> The Machine Stops - A dystopian short story that feels almost too real! (analysis episode) Brent Gaisford, Kiran Subramaniam, Cody Troyer 00:16:08 Analysis & review of the classic short story by E. M. Forster where everyone lives in a tiny mechanical cell, connected to each other and the outside world only through the machine. Analysis & review of the classic short story by E. M. Forster where everyone lives in a tiny mechanical cell, connected to each other and the outside world only through the machine. science fiction, sci-fi, e.m. forster, hugonauts, book review, analysis, sci fi, the machine stops false full 20 d6ef82b2-71ac-4384-b58d-e161261a8ffe The Machine Stops - Complete Short Story Audiobook with Full Cast! A world where everyone occupies a tiny cell, connected to each other only by machines, and where a parent's responsibility to their child ends at birth. Where all knowledge and experience comes secondhand, through the machine. A world where the machine rules everyone's lives.

We absolutely love this classic short story, and we're lucky it's old enough to have entered the public domain so we can release this complete audiobook for free! We did a full cast recording with Kiran Subramaniam joining Cody and Brent to voice all the parts.

Let us know if you liked (or didn't like) this episode so we can keep doing more (or quit doing) these free audiobooks! Drop us a message to let us know what you think on Instagram or Twitter (search 'Hugonauts Podcast'), or via email at hugonautspodcast@gmail.com.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 28 Jun 2022 12:51:41 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Kiran Subramaniam, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-machine-stops-audiobook-RnoTj9b2 A world where everyone occupies a tiny cell, connected to each other only by machines, and where a parent's responsibility to their child ends at birth. Where all knowledge and experience comes secondhand, through the machine. A world where the machine rules everyone's lives.

We absolutely love this classic short story, and we're lucky it's old enough to have entered the public domain so we can release this complete audiobook for free! We did a full cast recording with Kiran Subramaniam joining Cody and Brent to voice all the parts.

Let us know if you liked (or didn't like) this episode so we can keep doing more (or quit doing) these free audiobooks! Drop us a message to let us know what you think on Instagram or Twitter (search 'Hugonauts Podcast'), or via email at hugonautspodcast@gmail.com.

Keep reading y'all!

]]> The Machine Stops - Complete Short Story Audiobook with Full Cast! Kiran Subramaniam, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 01:07:55 This classic short story by E. M. Forster is an absolutely gripping, entertaining, emotional, and prescient story that is a must-listen for anyone who thinks about the effects of technology on our lives and relationships. This classic short story by E. M. Forster is an absolutely gripping, entertaining, emotional, and prescient story that is a must-listen for anyone who thinks about the effects of technology on our lives and relationships. unabridged, short story, audiobook, science fiction, full audiobook, machine stops, sci fi, em forster, e. m. forster false full 19 5543311a-06fc-40b7-9f40-0268b018119b Interview with David Brin - Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Startide Rising and the Postman! David Brin is an astrophysicist whose international best-selling novels include The Postman, Startide Rising, and the Uplift War. He consults for NASA, companies, agencies, and nonprofits about the onrushing future. His first nonfiction book, The Transparent Society, won the Freedom of Speech Award. His newest book is Vivid Tomorrows: Science Fiction and Hollywood.

Startide Rising won both the Hugo and the Nebula in 1984 - one of a very short list of books to win both awards! If you haven't read it yet, here's the setup:

Startide Rising follows a spaceship from Earth, named Streaker, that is primarily crewed and captained by dolphins. The main conceit of Brin’s uplift series is that humanity has ‘uplifted’ dolphins and chimpanzees by speeding up their evolution. Streaker’s crew has discovered something of great interest to the entire galaxy, and is trying to get back to Earth with the information. Unfortunately, the galaxy is not a friendly place, and when word gets out about what Streaker is carrying, the entire galaxy converges on Streaker to try and stop them. Streaker is damaged and lands on an ocean planet to hide and buy time to repair themselves, while meanwhile the forces of all the other galactic civilizations battle it out in the solar system above them, trying to be the last one’s standing so they can capture Streaker. It’s a plot driven space opera, with each chapter following one of many different characters (even including a few aliens) as the crew of the Streaker races to repair their ship, to understand the strange planet they’ve crashed on, and tries to come up with a plan to escape and get back to Earth.

If you want to learn more about David Brin's recent books: 

  • davidbrin.com/vividtomorrows.html
  • davidbrin.com/outoftime.html
  • ringoffirepress.com/shop/melody-of-memory

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video. Happy reading y'all!

]]> Tue, 14 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford, David Brin) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/david-brin-FP6fcYCl David Brin is an astrophysicist whose international best-selling novels include The Postman, Startide Rising, and the Uplift War. He consults for NASA, companies, agencies, and nonprofits about the onrushing future. His first nonfiction book, The Transparent Society, won the Freedom of Speech Award. His newest book is Vivid Tomorrows: Science Fiction and Hollywood.

Startide Rising won both the Hugo and the Nebula in 1984 - one of a very short list of books to win both awards! If you haven't read it yet, here's the setup:

Startide Rising follows a spaceship from Earth, named Streaker, that is primarily crewed and captained by dolphins. The main conceit of Brin’s uplift series is that humanity has ‘uplifted’ dolphins and chimpanzees by speeding up their evolution. Streaker’s crew has discovered something of great interest to the entire galaxy, and is trying to get back to Earth with the information. Unfortunately, the galaxy is not a friendly place, and when word gets out about what Streaker is carrying, the entire galaxy converges on Streaker to try and stop them. Streaker is damaged and lands on an ocean planet to hide and buy time to repair themselves, while meanwhile the forces of all the other galactic civilizations battle it out in the solar system above them, trying to be the last one’s standing so they can capture Streaker. It’s a plot driven space opera, with each chapter following one of many different characters (even including a few aliens) as the crew of the Streaker races to repair their ship, to understand the strange planet they’ve crashed on, and tries to come up with a plan to escape and get back to Earth.

If you want to learn more about David Brin's recent books: 

  • davidbrin.com/vividtomorrows.html
  • davidbrin.com/outoftime.html
  • ringoffirepress.com/shop/melody-of-memory

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video. Happy reading y'all!

]]> Interview with David Brin - Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Startide Rising and the Postman! Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford, David Brin 00:58:54 This week we talk with David Brin about his writing, what it was like seeing his book adapted into a movie, the future of sci-fi, how aliens would be welcomed in Los Angeles, and what it was like to study writing under Ursula K. Le Guin with Kim Stanley Robinson! This week we talk with David Brin about his writing, what it was like seeing his book adapted into a movie, the future of sci-fi, how aliens would be welcomed in Los Angeles, and what it was like to study writing under Ursula K. Le Guin with Kim Stanley Robinson! science fiction, sci-fi, the postman, hugonauts, uplift war, startide rising, david brin, books false full 18 dd259d32-7154-43a8-a834-cb0bade85080 Foundation - The rise and fall of a galactic empire! These books are among the most popular works of the Golden Age of sci fi, and for good reason. The overall story arc established in the first book is very, very good.  

Hari Seldon combines mathematics and psychology to create the new science of psychohistory and predicts that the galaxy-wide empire that has ruled and kept the peace for tens of thousands of years will collapse within 500 years. The collapse is inescapable, but Seldon sees a single, narrow path that could shorten the dark ages after the collapse from 30,000 years to 1,000 years, and establishes a Foundation at the barren edge of the galaxy to enact that plan. The books are essentially organized as collections of short stories, each story detailing the story of a new generation of foundationers as they seek to navigate a crisis that threatens the plan and the very existence of the Foundation.

The technology holds up as well - Asimov was a master of making things futuristic without being too specific about how they worked, and its made his series into a timeless classic. Asimov's view of history as the result of the collective work of humanity rather than the actions of a few great men is also very refreshing and real - a nice change of pace from the typical hero's journey.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend I, Robot by Isaac Asmiov, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video.

]]> Tue, 31 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/foundation-wT5hXG6O These books are among the most popular works of the Golden Age of sci fi, and for good reason. The overall story arc established in the first book is very, very good.  

Hari Seldon combines mathematics and psychology to create the new science of psychohistory and predicts that the galaxy-wide empire that has ruled and kept the peace for tens of thousands of years will collapse within 500 years. The collapse is inescapable, but Seldon sees a single, narrow path that could shorten the dark ages after the collapse from 30,000 years to 1,000 years, and establishes a Foundation at the barren edge of the galaxy to enact that plan. The books are essentially organized as collections of short stories, each story detailing the story of a new generation of foundationers as they seek to navigate a crisis that threatens the plan and the very existence of the Foundation.

The technology holds up as well - Asimov was a master of making things futuristic without being too specific about how they worked, and its made his series into a timeless classic. Asimov's view of history as the result of the collective work of humanity rather than the actions of a few great men is also very refreshing and real - a nice change of pace from the typical hero's journey.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend I, Robot by Isaac Asmiov, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Or you can watch the show on YouTube here if you prefer video.

]]> Foundation - The rise and fall of a galactic empire! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:36:12 The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a remarkable journey across multiple centuries, as generation after generation of Foundationers struggle to implement Hari Seldon's grand plan and avoid a galaxy-wide dark age! The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a remarkable journey across multiple centuries, as generation after generation of Foundationers struggle to implement Hari Seldon's grand plan and avoid a galaxy-wide dark age! foundation, science fiction, hugonauts, book review, foundation series, sci fi, isaac asimov, books false full 17 bed64124-2834-425e-82bc-0fa13647f48f The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The funniest thing to ever happen to sci fi! Douglas Adams passed away 21 years ago this week, so it seemed like a good time to revisit his amazing work. These are short, digestible books that are jam-packed full of jokes and mad-cap adventures. The first book in the series (the eponymous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is especially full of non-stop zaniness - the chapters are only a few pages long, but every single one feels like it has something big happening in it, and every page has a joke. 

The books also raise big philosophical questions, but answers them in a truly unique way. Instead of trying to dispense wisdom or tell you how to live your life, the books poke fun at the entire notion of universal answers to life's big questions. Instead, Adams suggests we could all do with taking life a little less seriously and finding our own answers to those big questions.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

Later on this week we'll also be giving away a complete set of all five HGTTG books, as well as Adam's final, posthumously published work, The Salmon of Doubt. Find us on twitter or instagram @hugonautspodcast to enter to win!

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can find it at this link.

]]> Tue, 17 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-3GAvkVdL Douglas Adams passed away 21 years ago this week, so it seemed like a good time to revisit his amazing work. These are short, digestible books that are jam-packed full of jokes and mad-cap adventures. The first book in the series (the eponymous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is especially full of non-stop zaniness - the chapters are only a few pages long, but every single one feels like it has something big happening in it, and every page has a joke. 

The books also raise big philosophical questions, but answers them in a truly unique way. Instead of trying to dispense wisdom or tell you how to live your life, the books poke fun at the entire notion of universal answers to life's big questions. Instead, Adams suggests we could all do with taking life a little less seriously and finding our own answers to those big questions.

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

Later on this week we'll also be giving away a complete set of all five HGTTG books, as well as Adam's final, posthumously published work, The Salmon of Doubt. Find us on twitter or instagram @hugonautspodcast to enter to win!

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can find it at this link.

]]> The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The funniest thing to ever happen to sci fi! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:31:56 This is one of the top three most popular sci-fi books of all time, and for good reason - it is relentlessly funny and philosophical at the same time! This is one of the top three most popular sci-fi books of all time, and for good reason - it is relentlessly funny and philosophical at the same time! hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, science fiction, douglas adams, hugonauts, book review, sci fi, books false full 16 ff2d014b-0134-4164-b144-7bfe478c80d2 Station Eleven - A character-driven post-apocalyptic survival story! Despite the grim nature of a story about a pandemic that destroys civilization, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is full of subtle optimism and deep characters. It jumps between timelines and between characters, and builds mystery about how all these people are going to be connected. It tells a tense story about the dangers posed by other survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, while at the same time its characters try to hold on to art and music. It even manages to explore the narcissism created by celebrity in the 'present' timeline. 

The book was first published as sci-fi, but after the release of the TV show has been moved to the general fiction section in most book stores, so this also seemed like the right episode go deep on what exactly counts as sci-fi. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Barrayar (or any book in the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, The Glass Hotel  by Emily St. John Mandel, any book by Mario Vargas Llosa, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can watch it at this link.

]]> Tue, 3 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/station-eleven-vQNPMEpW Despite the grim nature of a story about a pandemic that destroys civilization, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is full of subtle optimism and deep characters. It jumps between timelines and between characters, and builds mystery about how all these people are going to be connected. It tells a tense story about the dangers posed by other survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, while at the same time its characters try to hold on to art and music. It even manages to explore the narcissism created by celebrity in the 'present' timeline. 

The book was first published as sci-fi, but after the release of the TV show has been moved to the general fiction section in most book stores, so this also seemed like the right episode go deep on what exactly counts as sci-fi. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you are looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Barrayar (or any book in the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, The Glass Hotel  by Emily St. John Mandel, any book by Mario Vargas Llosa, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can watch it at this link.

]]> Station Eleven - A character-driven post-apocalyptic survival story! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:33:21 A fresh take on the post-apocalyptic genre! It almost reads like a zombie survival story without the zombies. A fresh take on the post-apocalyptic genre! It almost reads like a zombie survival story without the zombies. science fiction, sci-fi, emily st. john mandel, hugonauts, station eleven, book review, sci fi, post-apocalypse, books false full 15 33dfa557-5766-4e17-a73f-c04da3739189 The Three Body Problem - some of the biggest ideas in sci fi! In this episode we review Cixin Liu's Hugo award winning Three Body Problem (the book that made him the first person from Asia to win the award), as well as the sequels. If you haven't read the first book yet, you should - it absolutely deserves all its acclaim, with a huge number of big tech ideas, an incredibly compelling character in Ye Wenjie, and even includes a section set during the Cultural Revolution in China to boot. 

Unfortunately, the sequels aren't as good - although the second book The Dark Forest does contain the single most disturbing solution to the Fermi Paradox we've ever read! 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you liked Three Body and are looking for more great sci fi to read. This week we recommend the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, Legends of the Galactic Heroes by Yoshiki Tanaka, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can watch it here.

]]> Tue, 19 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Adam McMurchie) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-three-body-problem-8BCZYINr In this episode we review Cixin Liu's Hugo award winning Three Body Problem (the book that made him the first person from Asia to win the award), as well as the sequels. If you haven't read the first book yet, you should - it absolutely deserves all its acclaim, with a huge number of big tech ideas, an incredibly compelling character in Ye Wenjie, and even includes a section set during the Cultural Revolution in China to boot. 

Unfortunately, the sequels aren't as good - although the second book The Dark Forest does contain the single most disturbing solution to the Fermi Paradox we've ever read! 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you liked Three Body and are looking for more great sci fi to read. This week we recommend the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, Legends of the Galactic Heroes by Yoshiki Tanaka, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can watch it here.

]]> The Three Body Problem - some of the biggest ideas in sci fi! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Adam McMurchie 00:45:07 This series starts with a bang! So many incredible ideas woven together into a hugely mysterious plot that you'll never see coming. This series starts with a bang! So many incredible ideas woven together into a hugely mysterious plot that you'll never see coming. hugo award, science fiction, hugonauts, dark forest, three body problem, book review, remembrance of earth's past, deaths end, sci fi, cixin liu, books false full 14 14c494a2-7b81-4daf-ba4c-f133340d1bfe Ted Chiang's short stories - Like the optimistic version of black mirror episodes! In this episode we review and discuss Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang's two short story collections. 

These seventeen stories are full of novel scientific ideas, wonderful characters, and thoughtful takes on the morality of future technologies and how they will change society. We certainly aren't alone in thinking they're wonderful - Ted Chiang has won four Hugos, four Nebulas, and four Locus awards for his stories. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you're looking for more great sci fi short story collections to read. This week, we recommend The Paper Menagerie and other Stories by Ken Liu, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu, I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, and Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut.

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can watch it here.

]]> Tue, 5 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/ted-chiang-5hbwOZ14 In this episode we review and discuss Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang's two short story collections. 

These seventeen stories are full of novel scientific ideas, wonderful characters, and thoughtful takes on the morality of future technologies and how they will change society. We certainly aren't alone in thinking they're wonderful - Ted Chiang has won four Hugos, four Nebulas, and four Locus awards for his stories. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar books if you're looking for more great sci fi short story collections to read. This week, we recommend The Paper Menagerie and other Stories by Ken Liu, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu, I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, and Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut.

If you'd prefer to watch the video version, you can watch it here.

]]> Ted Chiang's short stories - Like the optimistic version of black mirror episodes! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:29:36 Ted Chiang wrote the story the movie Arrival is based on - and many of his other stories are even better! Ted Chiang wrote the story the movie Arrival is based on - and many of his other stories are even better! arrival, science fiction, hugonauts, book review, short stories, sci fi, stories of your life and others, ted chiang, exhalation, books false full 13 0ce05d5a-888a-4de4-a46a-2b68f758b481 Ender's Game - The page turner where empathy is a superpower! In this episode we review Ender's Game, what makes it so inspiring to generation after generation of readers, why Ender is so incredibly likeable, discuss empathy as a superpower, and talk about Orson Scott Card's bizarre and outspoken homophobia (and why you should get this book from the library or used book store as a result). 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Speaker for the Dead (the sequel to Ender's Game), Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Youtube link if you'd prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Ender’s Game is the story of Ender Wiggin, a boy who is recruited into the elite orbital Battle School. There, young men and women are trained into the next generation of military leaders to command the forces of humanity against the buggers. The buggers are insect-like aliens who have attempted to invade the solar system twice, nearly wiping out humanity in the most recent invasion, and now humanity has sent fleets to attack the bugger worlds and try to avoid a 3rd invasion. 

Ender is a brilliant, empathetic kid, but has felt mostly alone his entire life. His older brother Peter is a violent sociopath, and only Ender’s older sister Valentine prevented Peter from attacking Ender. Now, at battle school, Ender feels even more alone, surrounded by children older than himself and adults who are constantly pushing him to his limits and trying to force him to be violent in an attempt to either break him or mold him into the best military commander Earth has ever produced. 

NOTE - at the very end of this episode we discuss the twist and the ending of the book. We give you plenty of verbal notice before we talk about any spoilers, but we wanted to give you a heads up here as well just in case. Make sure to tune out at 30:44 if you haven't read the book yet and don't want to spoil anything.

We're also excited to announce we've been named one of the best sci fi podcasts of 2022!

]]> Tue, 22 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/enders-game-Th2_XkXh In this episode we review Ender's Game, what makes it so inspiring to generation after generation of readers, why Ender is so incredibly likeable, discuss empathy as a superpower, and talk about Orson Scott Card's bizarre and outspoken homophobia (and why you should get this book from the library or used book store as a result). 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Speaker for the Dead (the sequel to Ender's Game), Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Youtube link if you'd prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Ender’s Game is the story of Ender Wiggin, a boy who is recruited into the elite orbital Battle School. There, young men and women are trained into the next generation of military leaders to command the forces of humanity against the buggers. The buggers are insect-like aliens who have attempted to invade the solar system twice, nearly wiping out humanity in the most recent invasion, and now humanity has sent fleets to attack the bugger worlds and try to avoid a 3rd invasion. 

Ender is a brilliant, empathetic kid, but has felt mostly alone his entire life. His older brother Peter is a violent sociopath, and only Ender’s older sister Valentine prevented Peter from attacking Ender. Now, at battle school, Ender feels even more alone, surrounded by children older than himself and adults who are constantly pushing him to his limits and trying to force him to be violent in an attempt to either break him or mold him into the best military commander Earth has ever produced. 

NOTE - at the very end of this episode we discuss the twist and the ending of the book. We give you plenty of verbal notice before we talk about any spoilers, but we wanted to give you a heads up here as well just in case. Make sure to tune out at 30:44 if you haven't read the book yet and don't want to spoil anything.

We're also excited to announce we've been named one of the best sci fi podcasts of 2022!

]]> Ender's Game - The page turner where empathy is a superpower! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:41:11 Ender’s Game is one of the most popular science fiction books of all time, and when you pick it up, you’ll see why – you won’t be able to put it down! Ender’s Game is one of the most popular science fiction books of all time, and when you pick it up, you’ll see why – you won’t be able to put it down! hugo award, science fiction, speaker for the dead, hugonauts, nebula award, book review, orson scott card, sci fi, ender's game false full 12 e83d5c38-5ea0-4514-acbf-eafcc86bc5cd An interview with Joe Haldeman, author of The Forever War! This week we were so excited to interview Joe Haldeman and his wife Gay! The Forever War is absolutely one of the best sci fi books of all time, and we were excited to discuss the origins, real-life inspiration, and message of the book, as well as sci-fi and writing more broadly. In addition to writing more than 30 novels, Joe was also a professor at MIT (as was Gay) where he taught science fiction writing for decades. 

This week, instead of us recommending similar books, we asked Joe and Gay to recommend their favorite sci-fi books. Among Joe's books, they recommended Camouflage, the World's Trilogy, and The Accidental Time Machine. For books by other writers, they recommended anything by Vonnegut, The Murderbot series by Martha Wells, Ted Chiang, N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, and Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga (as well as some love for John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway if you want to read some non science fiction).

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS SUMMARY OF THE FOREVER WAR: William Mandella was a physics student when he was conscripted into the UNEF. Human colony ships had been disappearing, apparently at the hands of a newly discovered alien species called the Taurans, and humanity is conscripting the best and brightest to go out and fight the aliens in deep space.

Mandella and the rest of the recruits undergo dangerous and brutal training to learn how fight for control of the collapsars that greatly speed interstellar travel. During training and through the difficult fighting that follows, Mandella falls in love with another member of his unit, a woman named Marygay Potter.

Mandella and Marygay do everything they can to survive the war, but even if they survive, they still can’t return to the world they left behind. Even with the collapsars to speed their interstellar journeys, travelling through the gaps between the stars still requires accelerating to near lightspeed, and the resulting time dilation means every trip takes them farther and farther into the future, away from their families and the society they knew.

]]> Wed, 9 Mar 2022 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Joe Haldeman, Gay Haldeman) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/interview-with-joe-haldeman-rSmp0lDb This week we were so excited to interview Joe Haldeman and his wife Gay! The Forever War is absolutely one of the best sci fi books of all time, and we were excited to discuss the origins, real-life inspiration, and message of the book, as well as sci-fi and writing more broadly. In addition to writing more than 30 novels, Joe was also a professor at MIT (as was Gay) where he taught science fiction writing for decades. 

This week, instead of us recommending similar books, we asked Joe and Gay to recommend their favorite sci-fi books. Among Joe's books, they recommended Camouflage, the World's Trilogy, and The Accidental Time Machine. For books by other writers, they recommended anything by Vonnegut, The Murderbot series by Martha Wells, Ted Chiang, N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, and Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga (as well as some love for John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway if you want to read some non science fiction).

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS SUMMARY OF THE FOREVER WAR: William Mandella was a physics student when he was conscripted into the UNEF. Human colony ships had been disappearing, apparently at the hands of a newly discovered alien species called the Taurans, and humanity is conscripting the best and brightest to go out and fight the aliens in deep space.

Mandella and the rest of the recruits undergo dangerous and brutal training to learn how fight for control of the collapsars that greatly speed interstellar travel. During training and through the difficult fighting that follows, Mandella falls in love with another member of his unit, a woman named Marygay Potter.

Mandella and Marygay do everything they can to survive the war, but even if they survive, they still can’t return to the world they left behind. Even with the collapsars to speed their interstellar journeys, travelling through the gaps between the stars still requires accelerating to near lightspeed, and the resulting time dilation means every trip takes them farther and farther into the future, away from their families and the society they knew.

]]> An interview with Joe Haldeman, author of The Forever War! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Joe Haldeman, Gay Haldeman 00:54:27 An interview with all-time sci fi great Joe Haldeman and his wife Gay! We discuss his classic military sci fi (and anti-war) novel The Forever War, as well as science fiction and writing more broadly. An interview with all-time sci fi great Joe Haldeman and his wife Gay! We discuss his classic military sci fi (and anti-war) novel The Forever War, as well as science fiction and writing more broadly. author interview, hugo award, the forever war, science fiction, sci-fi, hugonauts, nebula award, joe haldeman false full 11 2a9f5d89-28a6-4a55-bc68-cf93ae8627dd Children of Time - A book so good it makes you root for the giant spiders!  In this episode we review Adrian Tchaikovosky's most popular book, talk about how he pulled off making giant spiders likeable, discuss how the book started off so strong, and debate whether a book's optimism or pessimism should impact how we view it. We're also joined by a guest - Hasan, a listener who reached out and we invited to guest host an episode - shoot us a message at hugonautspodcast@gmail.com if you're interested in apply to guest host a future episode! 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Startide Rising by David Brin, Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (and to a lesser extent the sequel A Deepness in the Sky), The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson, and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky (the sequel to this book).

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Earth has been destroyed in an unknown cataclysm, but just before the fall, a scientific ship in a nearby system terraforms a planet and drops a super-evolutionary nanovirus onto the planet - where it starts working on spiders and ants. In the generations after the fall, humanity recovers enough to send out a few ark ships, one of which is heading toward the burgeoning spider world. 

We rotate between two narratives: one that describes the evolution of various spiders and spider characters across the generations, and one that details the events aboard the ark ship Gilgamesh as it’s human cargo wakes and sleeps over the eons.

]]> Tue, 22 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Hasan Eskariyat) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/children-of-time-Xu_Umnb6  In this episode we review Adrian Tchaikovosky's most popular book, talk about how he pulled off making giant spiders likeable, discuss how the book started off so strong, and debate whether a book's optimism or pessimism should impact how we view it. We're also joined by a guest - Hasan, a listener who reached out and we invited to guest host an episode - shoot us a message at hugonautspodcast@gmail.com if you're interested in apply to guest host a future episode! 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Startide Rising by David Brin, Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (and to a lesser extent the sequel A Deepness in the Sky), The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson, and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky (the sequel to this book).

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Earth has been destroyed in an unknown cataclysm, but just before the fall, a scientific ship in a nearby system terraforms a planet and drops a super-evolutionary nanovirus onto the planet - where it starts working on spiders and ants. In the generations after the fall, humanity recovers enough to send out a few ark ships, one of which is heading toward the burgeoning spider world. 

We rotate between two narratives: one that describes the evolution of various spiders and spider characters across the generations, and one that details the events aboard the ark ship Gilgamesh as it’s human cargo wakes and sleeps over the eons.

]]> Children of Time - A book so good it makes you root for the giant spiders! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer, Hasan Eskariyat 00:31:23 Children of Time is a book about giant, super-evolved spiders and a human ark ship. It is so well done it somehow manages to make you empathize and root for the spiders. 3.67 out of 5 stars. Children of Time is a book about giant, super-evolved spiders and a human ark ship. It is so well done it somehow manages to make you empathize and root for the spiders. 3.67 out of 5 stars. science fiction, hugonauts, book review, adrian tchaikovsky, children of time, sci fi false full 10 a9ef097b-cecc-4a90-b917-f181d72a9719 The Mars Trilogy - colonizing and terraforming Mars! In this episode we review KSR's magnum opus, talk about the technology he includes that makes the terraforming project possible, discuss the decline in the quality of each successive book, and debate what makes a character feel real. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, the Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey, and The Martian by Andy Weir.

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: It is the year 2027, and humanity is colonizing Mars! 100 scientists, engineers, and astronauts take the first colony ship to cross the interplanetary gap. Red Mars follows ten of the first hundred colonists and tells the story of the first forty years of life on Mars through their eyes. They build towns and cities, establish industries, become self-sustaining, begin to terraform the red planet, and are joined by tens of thousands of additional immigrants from Earth. Green Mars similarly takes place over the next several decades, and resolves the conflict over the future of Mars and its relationship with Earth. Blue Mars follows those same characters after the events of Green Mars, and is largely a description of how they choose to spend the end of their lives.

]]> Tue, 8 Feb 2022 13:46:27 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-mars-trilogy-colonizing-and-terraforming-mars-IT9rjIP0 In this episode we review KSR's magnum opus, talk about the technology he includes that makes the terraforming project possible, discuss the decline in the quality of each successive book, and debate what makes a character feel real. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, the Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey, and The Martian by Andy Weir.

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: It is the year 2027, and humanity is colonizing Mars! 100 scientists, engineers, and astronauts take the first colony ship to cross the interplanetary gap. Red Mars follows ten of the first hundred colonists and tells the story of the first forty years of life on Mars through their eyes. They build towns and cities, establish industries, become self-sustaining, begin to terraform the red planet, and are joined by tens of thousands of additional immigrants from Earth. Green Mars similarly takes place over the next several decades, and resolves the conflict over the future of Mars and its relationship with Earth. Blue Mars follows those same characters after the events of Green Mars, and is largely a description of how they choose to spend the end of their lives.

]]> The Mars Trilogy - colonizing and terraforming Mars! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:29:17 Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson are incredibly detailed books that dive into the colonization and terraforming of Mars and the technology that could make it possible. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson are incredibly detailed books that dive into the colonization and terraforming of Mars and the technology that could make it possible. 3.5 out of 5 stars. mars trilogy, kim stanley robinson, green mars, blue mars, science fiction, hugo awards, hugonauts, book review, sci fi, nebula awards, red mars false full 9 7234c413-9b7a-48fa-ad12-68b0b15aeaaa Rendezvous with Rama - What if an alien ship flew into the solar system? In this episode we review this timeless classic, talk about the real-life risk of meteors and comets hitting Earth, discuss how much it feels like nonfiction covering an event that just hasn't happened yet, and debate what makes a book ending great. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Titan by John Varley, Ringworld by Larry Niven, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Earth’s asteroid collision warning system detects a new object in the deep solar system, on an orbit that will take past Earth and close to the sun. As it gets closer, it becomes clear it is a massive cylinder, and it’s far too perfect to be natural object. An alien spaceship is heading deep into the solar system. There is only one human ship that can intercept the object before it whips around the sun, and we follow that crew as they arrive at the object and open its airlock door. Note that in this episode we talk about the ending of the book, starting at 19:30.

]]> Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/rendezvous-with-rama-w7IFpj1W In this episode we review this timeless classic, talk about the real-life risk of meteors and comets hitting Earth, discuss how much it feels like nonfiction covering an event that just hasn't happened yet, and debate what makes a book ending great. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Titan by John Varley, Ringworld by Larry Niven, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.

YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Earth’s asteroid collision warning system detects a new object in the deep solar system, on an orbit that will take past Earth and close to the sun. As it gets closer, it becomes clear it is a massive cylinder, and it’s far too perfect to be natural object. An alien spaceship is heading deep into the solar system. There is only one human ship that can intercept the object before it whips around the sun, and we follow that crew as they arrive at the object and open its airlock door. Note that in this episode we talk about the ending of the book, starting at 19:30.

]]> Rendezvous with Rama - What if an alien ship flew into the solar system? Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:28:07 Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is an incredibly well thought out look at what might happen if a giant alien spaceship flew into the solar system. 3.75 out of 5 stars. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is an incredibly well thought out look at what might happen if a giant alien spaceship flew into the solar system. 3.75 out of 5 stars. science fiction, rendezvous with rama, hugo awards, hugonauts, arthur c. clarke, book review, sci fi, nebula awards, books false full 8 ec61c378-af1f-4b6f-abfa-604865893df6 The City and the City - A Mystery in a Mystery! In this episode we review The City and The City, talk about the things that make it so interesting and fun to read, how 'weird fiction' fits into sci fi, and who makes the rules of society. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week, we recommend The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin, LA Confidential by Elmore Leonard, and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

YouTube link if you prefer to watch

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: The City and the City (2010) by China Miéville is a murder mystery set in two cities at the same time. Inspector Borlu is a smart, likeable, no-nonsense detective from Beszel, a city that exists in the same geographic space as the foreign city of Ul Qoma. Despite sitting in the same place, with many streets and even some buildings existing in both cities, the two are fierce rivals with harsh penalties for those who ‘breach’, or cross between the two cities. 

Inspector Borlu is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman that quickly proves to have interested parties across both cities. As Inspector Borlu digs deeper into the case, it also exposes the workings of the two cities, and shadowy, all-powerful agents of Breach that patrol the border and arrest, expel, or execute interlopers. Who killed this young woman? And what exactly is Breach?

]]> Tue, 11 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-city-and-the-city-7n9RnXOW In this episode we review The City and The City, talk about the things that make it so interesting and fun to read, how 'weird fiction' fits into sci fi, and who makes the rules of society. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week, we recommend The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin, LA Confidential by Elmore Leonard, and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

YouTube link if you prefer to watch

NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: The City and the City (2010) by China Miéville is a murder mystery set in two cities at the same time. Inspector Borlu is a smart, likeable, no-nonsense detective from Beszel, a city that exists in the same geographic space as the foreign city of Ul Qoma. Despite sitting in the same place, with many streets and even some buildings existing in both cities, the two are fierce rivals with harsh penalties for those who ‘breach’, or cross between the two cities. 

Inspector Borlu is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman that quickly proves to have interested parties across both cities. As Inspector Borlu digs deeper into the case, it also exposes the workings of the two cities, and shadowy, all-powerful agents of Breach that patrol the border and arrest, expel, or execute interlopers. Who killed this young woman? And what exactly is Breach?

]]> The City and the City - A Mystery in a Mystery! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:17:01 The City and the City by China Miéville is a deeply interesting mystery within a mystery. 4 out of 5 stars. The City and the City by China Miéville is a deeply interesting mystery within a mystery. 4 out of 5 stars. the city and the city, science fiction, china mieville, book review, sci fi, books false full 7 693ca8fd-ccae-48f0-ad4e-489a25869062 The Left Hand of Darkness - an incredible book that shattered the glass ceiling in sci fi In this episode we review Left Hand of Darkness, talk about the things that make it so timeless and fun to read, Ursula K Le Guin's real life experiences that inspired the book, and how it transcends sci fi and becomes 'literary' fiction that everyone can and should enjoy. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read: 

The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie 
Any of Ted Chiang's short story collections 
City and the City - China Mieville 
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein (this one is controversial) 

Spoiler-free book summary: Left Hand of Darkness follows Genly Ai, the first Envoy from the other human worlds of the galaxy to the planet Winter.

Winter is a cold, hostile world in the depths of a never-ending ice age, and the Gethenians who live there are biologically different than most humans. They spend most of their lives as hermaphrodites, but enter kemmer once a month, the time when they become sexually active and express male or female sex organs depending on the month. Genly’s assignment is to get the nations of Winter to join the Ekumen, a loose collection of human worlds that share knowledge and try to improve the lives of all humankind.

Genly has to navigate an alien culture, a mad king, and two feuding nations to try and complete his mission. Most importantly, he must learn who to trust, and how to build a relationship with people so different from himself.

]]> Tue, 28 Dec 2021 14:22:30 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-left-hand-of-darkness-esuNTK89 In this episode we review Left Hand of Darkness, talk about the things that make it so timeless and fun to read, Ursula K Le Guin's real life experiences that inspired the book, and how it transcends sci fi and becomes 'literary' fiction that everyone can and should enjoy. 

As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read: 

The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie 
Any of Ted Chiang's short story collections 
City and the City - China Mieville 
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein (this one is controversial) 

Spoiler-free book summary: Left Hand of Darkness follows Genly Ai, the first Envoy from the other human worlds of the galaxy to the planet Winter.

Winter is a cold, hostile world in the depths of a never-ending ice age, and the Gethenians who live there are biologically different than most humans. They spend most of their lives as hermaphrodites, but enter kemmer once a month, the time when they become sexually active and express male or female sex organs depending on the month. Genly’s assignment is to get the nations of Winter to join the Ekumen, a loose collection of human worlds that share knowledge and try to improve the lives of all humankind.

Genly has to navigate an alien culture, a mad king, and two feuding nations to try and complete his mission. Most importantly, he must learn who to trust, and how to build a relationship with people so different from himself.

]]> The Left Hand of Darkness - an incredible book that shattered the glass ceiling in sci fi Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:29:38 The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin is absolutely, no doubt, one of the greatest sci fi books of all time. It also could not have broken the glass ceiling in a more awesome, on the nose way. Our first unanimous 5 out of 5. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin is absolutely, no doubt, one of the greatest sci fi books of all time. It also could not have broken the glass ceiling in a more awesome, on the nose way. Our first unanimous 5 out of 5. glass ceiling, science fiction, left hand of darkness, book review, sci fi, ursula k le guin, ursula k leguin, books false full 6 24466ea0-3fb1-44c0-a216-4115f3038aad A Fire Upon the Deep - Aliens and AI and Internet Trolls, oh my! In A Fire Upon the Deep, A colony of humans sets up in the transcendence, the part of the galaxy where computers work so well AI can ascend and become godlike. The humans start tinkering with an old artifact, and naturally, they awaken an ancient power. The reborn AI sets off on a reign of destruction, and soon is killing even other deities. 

A single ship escapes with the secret to save the universe and jets off through the beyond to the very edge of the slowness, the sector of the galaxy where the speed of light is an immutable law and computers don’t work very well. It crash lands there on a primitive, medieval world populated by doglike aliens called Tines, and two children are the only survivors of the crash. 

Meanwhile, in the wider world, the race is on to reach the crashed ship. Two humans and two tree-like aliens called Scroderiders are alone, pursued by the agents of the death god, trying to reach the kids and save the galaxy. 

This is a book that is full of big, interesting ideas that are seamlessly woven into an incredibly entertaining story - it will absolutely keep you turning the pages and staying up too late reading. 

Similar books we recommend: 

Children of Time / Children of Ruin - Adrien Tchaikovsky 

Startide Rising - David Brin 

Ancillary Justice - Anne Leckie 

]]> Tue, 14 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/a-fire-upon-the-deep-T2_Zw7KM In A Fire Upon the Deep, A colony of humans sets up in the transcendence, the part of the galaxy where computers work so well AI can ascend and become godlike. The humans start tinkering with an old artifact, and naturally, they awaken an ancient power. The reborn AI sets off on a reign of destruction, and soon is killing even other deities. 

A single ship escapes with the secret to save the universe and jets off through the beyond to the very edge of the slowness, the sector of the galaxy where the speed of light is an immutable law and computers don’t work very well. It crash lands there on a primitive, medieval world populated by doglike aliens called Tines, and two children are the only survivors of the crash. 

Meanwhile, in the wider world, the race is on to reach the crashed ship. Two humans and two tree-like aliens called Scroderiders are alone, pursued by the agents of the death god, trying to reach the kids and save the galaxy. 

This is a book that is full of big, interesting ideas that are seamlessly woven into an incredibly entertaining story - it will absolutely keep you turning the pages and staying up too late reading. 

Similar books we recommend: 

Children of Time / Children of Ruin - Adrien Tchaikovsky 

Startide Rising - David Brin 

Ancillary Justice - Anne Leckie 

]]> A Fire Upon the Deep - Aliens and AI and Internet Trolls, oh my! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:22:05 A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge is an incredibly ambitious novel that successfully combines all kinds of interesting ideas into one tightly woven, gripping story. It won the Hugo award in 1993. We give it a 4.75 / 5. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge is an incredibly ambitious novel that successfully combines all kinds of interesting ideas into one tightly woven, gripping story. It won the Hugo award in 1993. We give it a 4.75 / 5. vernor vinge, science fiction, fire upon the deep, book review, sci fi, ai, aliens false full 5 f0823521-68eb-453e-afe7-bd39b82f0698 Hyperion - A space epic with a classic literary twist Hyperion by Dan Simmons is one of the best sci fi books of all time, and won the Hugo and the Locus awards in 1990. We give it a 4.5 / 5. 

The book is a space epic in the form of Chaucer’s Canterbury tales. Hyperion is a colony world at the edge of Hegemony space, and home to some of the greatest mysteries of the galaxy. A network of giant labyrinths crisscrosses underground across the whole planet, the Time Tombs are surrounded by an anti-entropic field that makes time run backwards, and a fearsome, three-meter-tall metal monster with truly terrifying superpowers called the Shrike that emerges periodically to murder innocent passerby. 

7 pilgrims travel to Hyperion from humanity’s various portal-connected “web worlds” to return to the strange planet in advance of an alien invasion. Like in Chaucer, the story largely consists of each pilgrims’ self-narrated back story, intercut with their return journey to Hyperion and hence, the Time Tombs. The book is a masterful mashup of both real-world literary history and science fiction tropes. The form of the novel engages you deeply in the overall mystery, and some of the pilgrim's stories will stick with you for years to come. 

As always, we also recommend a few similar books to check out if you loved Hyperion: 

Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut 

Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge 

Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie

]]> Tue, 30 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/hyperion-a-space-epic-with-a-classic-literary-twist-spoiler-free-brook-review-JY2U_S9G Hyperion by Dan Simmons is one of the best sci fi books of all time, and won the Hugo and the Locus awards in 1990. We give it a 4.5 / 5. 

The book is a space epic in the form of Chaucer’s Canterbury tales. Hyperion is a colony world at the edge of Hegemony space, and home to some of the greatest mysteries of the galaxy. A network of giant labyrinths crisscrosses underground across the whole planet, the Time Tombs are surrounded by an anti-entropic field that makes time run backwards, and a fearsome, three-meter-tall metal monster with truly terrifying superpowers called the Shrike that emerges periodically to murder innocent passerby. 

7 pilgrims travel to Hyperion from humanity’s various portal-connected “web worlds” to return to the strange planet in advance of an alien invasion. Like in Chaucer, the story largely consists of each pilgrims’ self-narrated back story, intercut with their return journey to Hyperion and hence, the Time Tombs. The book is a masterful mashup of both real-world literary history and science fiction tropes. The form of the novel engages you deeply in the overall mystery, and some of the pilgrim's stories will stick with you for years to come. 

As always, we also recommend a few similar books to check out if you loved Hyperion: 

Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut 

Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge 

Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie

]]> Hyperion - A space epic with a classic literary twist Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:25:21 Hyperion by Dan Simmons is one of the best sci fi books of all time, and won the Hugo and the Locus awards in 1990. We give it a 4.5 / 5. Hyperion by Dan Simmons is one of the best sci fi books of all time, and won the Hugo and the Locus awards in 1990. We give it a 4.5 / 5. review, science fiction, book review, hyperion, books, scifi false full 4 2fd92fba-9a56-462b-941e-4bc9f7d0a37e The Vorkosigan Saga: what INCREDIBLE main characters! This series is beloved by its fans, but doesn't get enough recognition in the wider world. These are incredible, character-driven stories that are a breeze to read but beneath the surface have so much to say about what's most important in life and the meaning and definition of personal identity. That makes them the perfect intro to sci fi for anyone new to the genre, and a refreshing read for any longtime sci fi fan. 4.25 / 5 stars.

 

The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of 16 books by Lois McMaster Bujold, three of which won the Hugo award in 1991, 1992, and  1995. The Vor Game, Barrayar, Mirror Dance, and the rest of the saga follow the members of the Vorkosigan family, one of the feudal ruling families on the planet Barrayar. The books are digestible and concise by sci fi standards (350-600 pages, 11-18 hours of audiobook). The series is also loosely episodic, so you don't have to read them in order.

 

These are character-driven stories, and you're sure to remember these characters for years. The most important of them, Miles Vorkosigan, is clearly the inspiration for George R.R. Martin's Tyrion Lannister, and is even more likable than the knock-off Lannister version. He's a dwarf who suffers from several physical disabilities, but he's wildly brilliant, funny, and imperious, and is constantly throwing himself into danger to protect his friends and family (or just get himself out of a jam of his own making).

 

Across the generations, the Vorkosigan family are the main advisers to generations of Barrayaran emperors, and have to use their wits and intellect to get the empire out of trouble and slowly push Barrayaran society out of its backward nature. These are books about people, the stories that make them who they are, and how they create and define their identities in an unfriendly universe.

]]> Tue, 16 Nov 2021 13:14:19 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/the-vorkosigan-saga-JMeipzfq This series is beloved by its fans, but doesn't get enough recognition in the wider world. These are incredible, character-driven stories that are a breeze to read but beneath the surface have so much to say about what's most important in life and the meaning and definition of personal identity. That makes them the perfect intro to sci fi for anyone new to the genre, and a refreshing read for any longtime sci fi fan. 4.25 / 5 stars.

 

The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of 16 books by Lois McMaster Bujold, three of which won the Hugo award in 1991, 1992, and  1995. The Vor Game, Barrayar, Mirror Dance, and the rest of the saga follow the members of the Vorkosigan family, one of the feudal ruling families on the planet Barrayar. The books are digestible and concise by sci fi standards (350-600 pages, 11-18 hours of audiobook). The series is also loosely episodic, so you don't have to read them in order.

 

These are character-driven stories, and you're sure to remember these characters for years. The most important of them, Miles Vorkosigan, is clearly the inspiration for George R.R. Martin's Tyrion Lannister, and is even more likable than the knock-off Lannister version. He's a dwarf who suffers from several physical disabilities, but he's wildly brilliant, funny, and imperious, and is constantly throwing himself into danger to protect his friends and family (or just get himself out of a jam of his own making).

 

Across the generations, the Vorkosigan family are the main advisers to generations of Barrayaran emperors, and have to use their wits and intellect to get the empire out of trouble and slowly push Barrayaran society out of its backward nature. These are books about people, the stories that make them who they are, and how they create and define their identities in an unfriendly universe.

]]> The Vorkosigan Saga: what INCREDIBLE main characters! Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:23:39 This series is beloved by its fans, but doesn't get enough recognition in the wider world. The perfect intro to sci fi for anyone new to the genre, and a refreshing read for any longtime sci fi fan. 4.25 / 5 stars. This series is beloved by its fans, but doesn't get enough recognition in the wider world. The perfect intro to sci fi for anyone new to the genre, and a refreshing read for any longtime sci fi fan. 4.25 / 5 stars. reading, science fiction, book recommendations, barrayar, book review, sci fi, no spoilers, vorkosigan, books false full 3 12241516-025c-477f-81ad-ac5f0c6d89db A Canticle for Leibowitz: Who knew the nuclear apocalypse could be so funny? A Canticle for Leibowitz is set in the aftermath of a horrible nuclear war. The survivors blamed science, and killed intellectuals and burned all the books they could get their hands on. A monastery in the desert of the western US is one of the few places on earth to preserve any knowledge, and the book follows the monks of the monastery in three sections over the following thousand years.

The monks are witty, wry, and funny as hell, and they make the book into an incredibly fun read.

It's an amazing exploration of the nature of knowledge and religion. The book is also an incredible window in the late 50s and early 60s, when nuclear weapons felt very real and we had to begin to come to terms with the horrible weapons we'd invented. That's two for the price of one folks - spend some time in the nuclear wasteland, and spend some time in 1959 too.

And, as always, a few related books we love that we recommend: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (and Heinlein's Double Star too for good measure).

]]> Tue, 2 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/a-canticle-for-leibowitz-who-knew-the-nuclear-apocalypse-could-be-so-funny-FsLerKju A Canticle for Leibowitz is set in the aftermath of a horrible nuclear war. The survivors blamed science, and killed intellectuals and burned all the books they could get their hands on. A monastery in the desert of the western US is one of the few places on earth to preserve any knowledge, and the book follows the monks of the monastery in three sections over the following thousand years.

The monks are witty, wry, and funny as hell, and they make the book into an incredibly fun read.

It's an amazing exploration of the nature of knowledge and religion. The book is also an incredible window in the late 50s and early 60s, when nuclear weapons felt very real and we had to begin to come to terms with the horrible weapons we'd invented. That's two for the price of one folks - spend some time in the nuclear wasteland, and spend some time in 1959 too.

And, as always, a few related books we love that we recommend: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (and Heinlein's Double Star too for good measure).

]]> A Canticle for Leibowitz: Who knew the nuclear apocalypse could be so funny? Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer 00:26:50 This is a sci fi great, if you haven't read it, you're in for a treat! A no-spoilers book review of the classic by Walter M. Miller Jr. 4/5 stars This is a sci fi great, if you haven't read it, you're in for a treat! A no-spoilers book review of the classic by Walter M. Miller Jr. 4/5 stars reading, reading recs, science fiction, book recommendations, book recs, book review, sci fi, no spoilers, books false full 2 9a797e33-2493-4f9d-81e6-417244189e5d Dune: Do you like sand? This is a no-spoiler review. In advance of the new Dune movie, we thought it would be fun to revisit Dune and remember what made it great (and the things that aren't so great).

The names are incredible - who can forget the Fremen, the Gom Jabbar, or the Reverend Mother? The writing, on the other hand - we wish we could forget the constant repetition, horrific dialogue, and ending that comes so fast it's over before you know it was even really happening.

If you haven't the read Dune and want to decide whether to read it - this one's for you. Or, if you want to dig back into the book without re-reading the whole thing - this one's for you too.

And, if you like Dune, we also recommend a few related books at the end of the episode: The Void Trilogy, Ender's Game, and The Vorkosigan Saga.

]]> Tue, 19 Oct 2021 07:11:53 +0000 hugonautspodcast@gmail.com (Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford) https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/episodes/dune-do-you-like-sand-_jPGekzl This is a no-spoiler review. In advance of the new Dune movie, we thought it would be fun to revisit Dune and remember what made it great (and the things that aren't so great).

The names are incredible - who can forget the Fremen, the Gom Jabbar, or the Reverend Mother? The writing, on the other hand - we wish we could forget the constant repetition, horrific dialogue, and ending that comes so fast it's over before you know it was even really happening.

If you haven't the read Dune and want to decide whether to read it - this one's for you. Or, if you want to dig back into the book without re-reading the whole thing - this one's for you too.

And, if you like Dune, we also recommend a few related books at the end of the episode: The Void Trilogy, Ender's Game, and The Vorkosigan Saga.

]]> Dune: Do you like sand? Cody Troyer, Brent Gaisford 00:22:57 Dune is an icon, and was one of the first sci fi novels to build a complete world that feels full and is exciting to explore. But let's be real - it's also coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Dune is an icon, and was one of the first sci fi novels to build a complete world that feels full and is exciting to explore. But let's be real - it's also coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere. reading, novels, science fiction, book recommendations, hugo awards, book review, dune, sci fi, frank herbert, books false full 1