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In the lost lands of the central sea, a place beyond time, perhaps even existing only in dreams, there is a place where the people have a god they do not worship, lest his waking end the world. Their faith was described in two books and several stories written at the turn of the century by an Irish nobleman that have left a deep mark on the modern fantasy genre, even though he remains obscure outside of genre circles. But Lord Dunsany is likely "your favourite fantasy author's favourite fantasy author". Join us as we explore his Pegana mythos..

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Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme song by Jack Feerick

Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early!

Phil's Patreon

Adam's Twitter

What Mad Universe on Facebook

Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme song by Jack Feerick

You're getting sleepy...very sleepy...

No, stay alert! A great criminal mastermind is at large, and anyone could fall under his spell. His name is Dr. Mabuse, scientist, mad genius, would-be conqueror, and his eyes and words compel men to do his bidding. Even death doesn't seem to stop him. And as a force of evil arising in Germany in the 1920s, his presence resonates with events to come in ways that are still chilling, nearly a century later...

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Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme song by Jack Feerick

Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early!

Adam's Patreon

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Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme song by Jack Feerick

Mars may be a lifeless rock in the real world, but it's long been teeming with life in fiction. Ever since astronomers claimed to have seen canals on Mars in the late 19th century, SF writers have been imagining exotic creatures, lost civilizations, and swashbuckling adventures on the red planet.

One of the most notable and iconic of the martian sagas is A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs and its various sequels, which was one of the first pulp stories to combine swashbuckling fantasy with interplanetary SF. In this episode, we sit down with special guest star and pulpologist Jess Nevins to talk about Burroughs' tales and a general overview of fiction set on Mars. Strap on your swords and hoist your radium guns as we psychically project ourselves to a dying world of action and romance!

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Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme song by Jack Feerick

Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early!

Phil's Patreon

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Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme song by Jack Feerick

The latest chapter delves into the strange case of Venus On The Half-Shell, the book-within-a book with three authors, one of whom is purely fictional. An intergalactic satire that seems to have inspired Douglas Adams and others, this oddball book has been mostly forgotten, even though it lies at the intersection of at least two major literary careers...

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Theme song by Jack Feerick

Music: Rhythmic Comedy by alayan10 on Looperman

Used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.

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You know his name. Nobody does it better. The man on her majesty's secret service, with a license to kill, the spy who loved every woman from here to Russia (with love).

...Octopussy?

Actually it's Bond, James Bond, as we take a break from the obscure stuff to look at Ian Fleming's original 12 novels and 2 collections of short stories and try to figure out why they've left such a lasting mark on pop culture. He may be a bastard...but he's our bastard.

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Producer/Engineer: Alex Ross Never Sleeps Network

Theme Song: Jack Feerick

Additional Music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/secret-agent-rock