Thumbing Through Yesterday

I Am Legend is a fantasticly fun read about the sole human survivor in a world overrun by vampires. Sort of. A longtime favorite of Tom's, and much appreciated by Tony, listen as we explore the life and evolution of Robert Neville, the last human on Earth.

Confess, Fletch is the 2nd in Gregory McDonald's series of comic mysteries. Fletch finds himself accused of a murder he didn't commit, which seriously inconveniences his actual investigation. There are several interlocking mysteries here, and some amazing dialogue between Fletch and Reluctant FLynn, the police detective pursuing both Fletch and the truth. A first time for Tom and a favorite for Tony, Confess, Fletch is a joy to read.

A Scanner Darkly is arguably Phillip K Dick's best-know novel, and certainly is one of his finest. This has been a favorite of Tom's for decades. Its exploration of the drug culture and the nature of identity, set in a near-future dystopia where shopping malls have armed guards, resonate's with Tom's love of broken characters.

Tony's choice, Passage by Connie Willis, is Tom's introduction to this amazing author, one of the Grand Masters of science fiction. Listen to our responses to this story about near-death experiences.

The Madness Season is one of the few stand-alone novels by by C.S.Friedman, one of Tom's favorite authors. Both the novel and the author are firsts for Tony; listen to see how he reacts!

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess may be one of the most disturbing dystopian visions ever penned. See how Tom & Tony react to revisiting Alex and his droogs.

Big Brother is watching. And listening. George Orwells's 1984 is a powerful book with some big ideas, and one that Tom keeps revisiting. Enjoy our doubleplusgood review of this iconic novel.

The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton's first novel published under his own name, is a techno-thriller set in the earliest days of space exploration about an extra-terrestrial microorganism coming to Earth. It's a trope today, but this is the book that defined it, and it's one of Tony's favorites.

John Steakley's Armor is the definitive book about smashing hordes of bug-eyed aliens while wearing powered combat armor... and so much more! Join us as we revisit a classic much-beloved by both of us. Also, language warning for this episode.

Gateway by Frederick Pohl is a favorite from Tony's youth, and a first-read for Tom. A little book with a lot of big ideas, Gateway was written as a stand-alone novel, but went on to become the opening to an epic saga.