The Incomparable Mothership

Let’s travel 40 years back in time, to Chicago in 1986, where on one legendary day, a high school student named Ferris Bueller bends time and space, all in service of cheering up his best friend. We break down what makes “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” still work after all these years.

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

Host Jason Snell with Cicero Holmes, Quinn Rose, Deborah Stanish, Erika Ensign, and John Siracusa.

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Awards Book Club reconvenes for 2026, as we discuss Nebula-nominated novels “Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang, “Wearing the Lion” by John Wiswell, and “Death of the Author” by Nnedi Okorafor. The mood of the panel is… cautious. Also: What else are we reading?

2026 Awards Book Club, Part 1

Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign, Heather Berberet, Scott McNulty, and Paul Weimer.

Next Awards Book Club: “When We Were Real” by Daryl Gregory, “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones, and “Sour Cherry” by Natalia Theodoridou.

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Put on your eye phones and jack in to the cyberscape! Rocket Surgery comes for 1996’s cyberpunk epic “Lawnmower Man 2.” (Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the original “Lawnmower Man,” half of us didn’t either.) Matt Frewer is Max Headrooming it up! A bunch of urchins populate a rainy L.A. that’s straight out of “Blade Runner,” but, you know—cheaper. There’s a brilliant doctor in charge of virtual-reality research, and also there’s Jennifer! And everything in the future is hackable!

Rocket Surgery: "Lawnmower Man 2"

Host Jason Snell with Monty Ashley, Tony Sindelar, and Annette Wierstra.

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Not now, Klansmen, I’m killing vampires! “Sinners” got nominated for all the awards, and it’s also a vampire (with a hint of zombie?) movie. We love it when genre movies get attention, and Ryan Coogler keeps putting out bangers, so we’re all in on the story of magical music opening the door to eldrich horror—oh, and also it’s the deep south in the 1930s so there’s some horrendous racism too!

"Sinners"

Host Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, Brian Hamilton, Monty Ashley, Tony Sindelar, and Steve Lutz.

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A special Book Club panel provides an overview of Lois McMaster Bujold’s excellent Penric & Desdemona series of fantasy novellas (plus one novel). This series gives its characters time to learn, grow, and age. It’s got some perspectives you don’t see very often in fantasy fiction. We love it and think you will, too.

Penric & Desdemona

Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign, Kat Benesh, and Dan Moren.

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We complete our run through blades with “Blade Runner 2049,” a late sequel in which Ryan Gosling plays a replicant detective searching for an explosive secret that could change everything… and is unsurprisingly tied to characters from “Blade Runner.” We discuss why a replicant might need a holographic girlfriend, Jared Leto’s eyes, and once again, if Deckard is a replicant or not and why that really doesn’t matter.

"Blade Runner 2049"

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Erika Ensign, Dan Moren, and Monty Ashley.

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No voiceovers! More unicorns! Our journey deep into the futuristic world of 2019 Los Angeles continues with another look at “Blade Runner” — this time, it’s “The Final Cut” edition. Deckard’s identity revealed, sort of? Voiceovers removed! Superfans and sort-of-fans compare, contrast, and discuss.

"Blade Runner" (The Final Cut)

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Antony Johnston, Erika Ensign, and Moisés Chiullán.

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These movie producers really did a job on “Blade Runner.” They don’t advertise for narrations in the newspaper, every good writer knows that. But when you’re trying to sell a narratively dense piece of visual art to 1982 audiences who just want to see a Harrison Ford movie, that’s the sort of compromise you make. All we could do is sit there and watch it play.

Blade Runner (Theatrical Edition)

Host Jason Snell with Monty Ashley, Steve Lutz, Kelly Guimont, and Dan Moren.

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Hit the books and polish up your comm badges, because it’s time to go to school—“Starfleet Academy,” that is. We check in on the first season of Star Trek’s latest (and last, for now?) TV series, and find that despite the YA focus, it’s still just really good “Star Trek” that’s worth your attention.

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy"

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, and Tony Sindelar.

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Jason was on “Jeopardy!” Now he breaks the experience down with the help of two former “Jeopardy!” champions, Glenn Fleishman and Dan Moren.

Jason on Jeopardy!

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Glenn Fleishman.

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