I’ve been listening to Joe’s podcast (the Poscast) and reading his books for years, and I’d originally reached out to him, hoping to get him on to discuss Brittle Innings, a Hugo-nominee but also a baseball book. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the bandwidth for extracurricular reading, but he had time to do a podcast with … Continue reading "Why We Love Baseball (and Football), with Joe Posnanski"

Returning guest Paul Williams joins me for a discussion of the 2001 winner of the World Fantasy Award, Declare, by Paul Williams. Secret history, espionage, and fantasy all wrapped into one terrific novel. Spoiler talk starts at 15:03 Notes & Links: Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick … Continue reading "Declare, by Tim Powers (feat. Paul Williams)"

Legend says he’s still reading lists of books to this day. JW Wartick has read all of the Hugo-winning novels, but he’s also read all the Nebula winners, and all the Hugo-nominated novels. To say he’s a voracious reader is to vastly understate the case. But he’s also my friend, and I asked him to … Continue reading "“Other people walk their dog, and I walk my book,” a conversation with JW Wartick"

Damo Mac Choiligh joins me for a deep look at Scottish SF author Iain M. Banks. Some reading recommendations and notes (not all of these are mentioned in the discussion): Banks 101: The Culture Series: Other SF: Mainstream Fiction: Themes: Advanced Banks: Weird Fiction: The Culture Series: Other SF: Links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/130411676997908

Mandy Self joins me once again to discuss A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle. This is a “Seth’s Picks” episode, but it’s also an award-winner, having won the Newberry Award in 1963. We get into spoilers about 15 minutes in. Mandy’s links:https://twitter.com/Brown_Ajahhttps://twitter.com/MandymoniumPod “Ticky Tacky little boxes” referenced by Mandy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boxes Ways to support the … Continue reading "A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle (feat. Mandy Self)"

My little sister Katie joins me for an informal discussion of her favorite subgenre, Urban Fantasy. This isn’t perhaps as scholarly as previous Zoomed Out episodes, just an off-the-cuff discussion with my sister. Sorry for the doggies’ panting that occasionally shows up in the background. The dogs love Katie and couldn’t stop snuggling up to … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Urban Fantasy, with Katie Heasley"

With the sad news of Vernor Vinge’s recent passing, I decided (at Olav’s prompting) to host a short-notice discussion panel about Vinge’s work. This podcast has previously covered his three Hugo-winning novels, but we go a bit deeper here, giving some other recommendations for Vinge reading. I’m mostly just here to facilitate, and more than … Continue reading "Vernor Vinge Tribute episode"

Lori from Hugo, Girl!, and Juan (frequent bonus episode guest) join Peter and me to discuss our picks for the 2024 Oscars.

Peter Kuskie, son of my co-host Colin from TMTYR (and brother of my theme music composer), and also childhood friend of my son, joins me in person for a discussion of Andy Weir’s 2022 Hugo-nominated novel Project Hail Mary. We get into spoilers about 14 minutes in. Comps: Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me … Continue reading "Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (feat. Peter Kuskie)"

It’s been almost exactly a year since multiple-time guest of the podcast, Michael Gabriel, finished the World Marathon Challenge (Seven Days, Seven Marathons on Seven Continents), and I asked him to chat with me about the whole experience. it’s not science fiction related, but I just like to chat with interesting people, so this is … Continue reading "“Oh, I have a new limp now!”, a conversation about the World Marathon Challenge with Michael Gabriel"