Robot Elf Book Club

CONTENT WARNING: pet euthanasia, suicide.

Rose and Nico discuss LARK ASCENDING by Silas House (Algonquin Books). After climate catastrophe ravages the planet and fascists seize control of the United States, Lark and his family flee to Ireland in search of a society that will accept them.

Other titles mentioned: THE ROAD, Cormac McCarthy THE DOG STARS, Peter Heller SAME SUN HERE, Silas House & Neela Vaswani THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, T. J. Klune THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE US, Eliot Schrefer

Topical non-book: THE LARK ASCENDING, Composition by Ralph Vaughan Williams (YouTube)

Read along with us! We'll be back in March to discuss THE KEEPER'S SIX by Kate Elliott (Tordotcom).

Contact us: [email protected]

Music: Intro/Outro: "Our Princess Is In Another Castle," 8 Bit Era Synopsis: "Luck of the Irish," Cody Martin

License code for YouTube: PDY89VDKGKEEYJOL, QWOODIKRZMK1R2AV, ZQN28421AFLBJXDM

Rose and Nico discuss THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA by Ray Nayler (MCD). In a near future where AI is leveraged for everything from companionship to deep-sea fishing, megacorp DIANIMA purchases Vietnam's Con Dao archipelago after a unique population of octopi is discovered there. But not everyone believes DIANIMA's mission is benevolent -- including the small research team assembled to study the octopi.

Timestamps: Discussion/***SPOILER ZONE***: 41:20 Conclusion: 01:25:50

Other titles mentioned: BLINDSIGHT, Peter Watts WOLF LARSEN, 1958 film

Topical non-books: Mikhail Bakunin, rad dude The Split Brain Phenomenon (research article)

We'll be back in January to discuss most-anticipated titles of 2023, and review what we read over the holiday break.

Contact us: [email protected]

License code for YouTube: RDRF4JZVNFDIVOGG, X85EODOXIAFES9ZD, DBSVBQGJAILAXSFN

CONTENT WARNING: suicide, sexual assault, infant loss

Rose and Nico discuss LEECH by Hiron Ennes (Tordotcom). On a post-apocalyptic earth, a sentient parasite seems to have cornered its niche by "integrating" the entire physician profession, until a chance encounter in the frozen north introduces it to an unexpectedly fierce competitor -- and humanity's will to survive. Two fungal hyphae way up!

Timestamps: Act I/II: 07:00 Act III/***SPOILER ZONE***: 51:10 SLIME MOLD CHAT: 01:19:01 Conclusion: 01:26:00

Other titles mentioned:

• WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson
• FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley
• WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T. Kingfisher
• MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• THE LOCKED TOMB (series) by Tamsyn Muir
• THE WITCHER (series) by Andrzej Sapkowski

Topical non-books:

• YEAR WALK (video game)
• BLOODBORNE (video game)
• THE THING (1982 film)
• PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997 film)

Other related reading:

• THE MYTHOLOGY AND MISREPRESENTATION OF THE WINDIGO
• YOUR BODY IS A HAUNTED HOUSE: HIRON ENNES ON THE DISCOMFITING TRADITION OF MEDICAL HORROR

Read along with us! We'll be back in December to discuss THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA by Ray Nayler (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

Contact us: [email protected]

Music: Intro/Outro: "Our Princess Is In Another Castle," 8 Bit Era Intermission: "Becco Das Garaffas," The Night Train

License code for YouTube: YAYDYTET2VRWTLUE, 27ZKP9SNAVAL6Q5U, PAAZ2BRYEYZKJBYJ

CONTENT WARNING: death, arson, suicide, unexpected pregnancy, child abuse, sexual assault.

Rose and Nico discuss MEET US BY THE ROARING SEA by Akil Kumarasamy (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux). In the near future, a young woman grieves the sudden loss of her mother, and uncovers a surprising message from the past while translating an unusual manuscript from Tamil. (Spoilers: we loved it.)

Timestamps: Act III/***SPOILER ZONE***: 42:00 Conclusion: 01:16:00

Other titles mentioned: HOUSE OF LEAVES, Mark Z. Danielewski LIFE OF PI, Yann Martel A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING, Ruth Ozeki

Topical non-book: NIGHT IN THE WOODS

Read along with us! We'll be back in November to discuss LEECH by Hiron Ennes (Tordotcom).

Music: Intro/Outro: "Our Princess Is In Another Castle," 8 Bit Era Intermission: "Becco Das Garaffas," The Night Train

Contact us: [email protected]

License code for YouTube: 1BYFCB8LEKCQGAAJ, 7UGTKVU1ECGWVJVS, KJSRJNFCARZHHAAP

Rose and Nico discuss A HALF-BUILT GARDEN by Ruthanna Emrys (Tordotcom), a tale of first contact with a healthy side of eco-anarchism, high-stakes diplomacy, pronouns, and interspecies erotica. Timestamps: Acts I/II: 8:20 Act III / ***SPOILER ZONE***: 40:10 Interspecies Love: 67:00 Conclusion: 76:47

Other SFF titles mentioned: THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET, Becky Chambers CHILDHOOD'S END, Arthur C. Clarke DARK ORBIT, Carolyn Ives Gilman PROJECT HAIL MARY, Andy Weir

Topical non-fiction: ECOSOCIALISM, essays by Michael Löwy Read along with us! We'll be back in October to discuss MEET US BY THE ROARING SEA, by Akil Kumarasamy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Music: Intro/Outro: "Our Princess Is In Another Castle," 8 Bit Era Intermission: "Becco Das Garaffas," The Night Train Interspecies Love Theme: "Love Quest," Cast of Characters Contact us: [email protected] License code for YouTube: YBWCO3ERULIH3UQS, LNOMDBJPXCTF9WX3, ABLXPOE2SWUFEWZJ

Brace yourselves for an epic journey that will dazzle your expectations and baffle your imagination. Or something.

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