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.