Author: nowherecentral

Episode 104: ‘Everything but the Squeal,’ or Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

Upton Sinclair spent about seven months in the Chicago stockyards, dressed as worker, making notes about poor working conditions, corrupt bosses, unsanitary conditions, and inhumane slaughter. And in his debut novel, he tried to include nearly everything he saw. Sinclair’s 1906 novel contains a litany of outrages. Its publication brought about some important reforms. But,… Continue reading Episode 104: ‘Everything but the Squeal,’ or Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

Episode 103: “A Pleasurable Disgust,” or Philip Roth’s Goodbye Columbus

Roth’s 1959 novella begins with an account of the protagonist, Neil Klugman watching the lovely Brenda swim while he holds her glasses. Immediately, we’re transported to the poolside, and into Klugman’s brain. But, is Klugman’s brain worth visiting?

Klugman is charming and manipulative, funny and arrogant. We watch him pursue Brenda, begin and relationship and (spoiler alert) predictably louse it up. The UMBs discuss the virtues in inhabiting the world of a bad person who doesn’t improve.

Episode 101: ‘What Thrums Below,’ or Herman Melville’s Billy Budd

Herman Melville’s Novella Billy Budd, Sailor was not published until 1924, thirty-three years after his death. The literary world was in the midst of the Melville revival, suggesting that his themes of existential dread, guilt and innocence, right and wrong, and the conflict between what is good verses what is allowed had become salient to… Continue reading Episode 101: ‘What Thrums Below,’ or Herman Melville’s Billy Budd

Project Hail Mary Part I (REPOST)

We go all the way back to episode 17, in honor of the release of the major motion picture, starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace. Our part 1 was originally titled Bromancing the Stone Carapace, perhaps the single greatest podcast title in history.

Many many many many writers take on “hard” science fiction, and get lost in the science, leaving behind such niceties as plot, character development, human insight, or deep emotional stakes. Somehow, Andy Weir imagines a thrilling and scientifically plausible adventure, that’s really just about friendship in space. Amidst the ammonia, burritos, and penis blood, sits a tale that brings both Dukes and Bagg to occasional tears. So much so that Bagg wonders if this is the “perfect novel” for our time.

Episode 99: More Robot Friends!: Isaac Asimov’s ‘Robot Visions’ Part 1 with Justin Reich.

Isaac Asimov doesn’t PERFECTLY predict today’s era of anxiety and excitement around AI. But he does pretty well for somebody writing eighty years ago. In this 1990 collection of Asimov’s classic robot stories, we see corporations trying to make money while navigating human anxiety around robots, and humans trying to determine whether robots should have… Continue reading Episode 99: More Robot Friends!: Isaac Asimov’s ‘Robot Visions’ Part 1 with Justin Reich.

Episode 98: ‘Minor League Stew,’ or John Feinstein’s Where Nobody Knows Your Name, Part II

The second half of Feinstein’s book of minor league baseball stories and characters feels very much like the first half. The reporting is extensive, and Feinstein has a knack for the well described scene, brief characterization, and finding the drama in the everyday. In spite of those virtues, the book continues to overwhelm the reader… Continue reading Episode 98: ‘Minor League Stew,’ or John Feinstein’s Where Nobody Knows Your Name, Part II

Episode 96: “The Clustercus,” or David Halberstam’s The Amateurs, Part II

In the second half of Halberstam’s nonfiction account of the 1984 sculling Olympic trials, we go to the Olympics, to see how Biglow, Lewis, Wood, et al fare at the world’s most famous sports event. 5 major characters each have big stakes, and while the actual events cluster together, Halberstam keeps the reader focused on the drama. The results are predictably mixed, and one wonders if the work these Olympians go through is worth it.

Structurally, the second half of the book remains tight, perhaps even tighter than the first half, and all of the loose ends, questions, and promises of the first half are fulfilled in the second half. It’s not entirely atisfying, but neither, as we learn, is amateur athletics in a low-glamor sport.

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Episode 94: “Chewing Glass” or Tim Krabbe’s The Rider

Tim Krabbe’s novel is barely a novel. It is a thinly veiled autobiogrpahical essay, with fictional details and composite characters, allowing the author to navigate his story just to one side of the fiction/nonfiction divide. The lads ponder why it does not fall into the “bike porn” genre, and why the images of teeth and glass continually emerge.

Episode 93: “Post Humanity Blues,” or Cixin Liu’s Death’s End Part I

The final installment in Cixin Liu’s trilogy is long. And strong. We begin in the “deterrence” era, in which humans and Trisolarans enjoy a truce enforced by mutually ensured destruction. But all things must pass, and when the truce breaks, humanity gazes at the possibility of its own destruction. Death’s End is part interstellar chase, part Cold War allegory and introduces a new anti-villian, Sophon, who is perhaps Liu’s greatest creation. 

Bagg finds the characters are less realistic humans, and more ideas, but grudgingly acknowledges the ideas themselves are interesting and worth the ride. 

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Episode 91: “All Chess Pieces, No Chess,” or Cixin Liu’s The Dark Forest, Part I

The premise of the Dark Forest, that Humanity must make a secret plan stored in our hidden thoughts to defeat an enemy that can spy on our every move, is wonderful. But the lads find the action in the first half a bit tepid, as Cixin Liu builds sets up the chess pieces we expect he’ll start knocking down in the second half of the book. There are some hot spots, and wonderful moments, including a depiction of the best group photo ever taken, but you have to read through a lot of narrative chaff to find htem.

Here is the video of a six year old watching Star Wars for the first time with his Dad. Hint, at the end, the kid says “It’s the most amazingest thing I’ve ever saw in my whole entire, whole entire, whole entire, whole entire life.” 

And here is the Hildebrandt Brothers poster art for Star Wars, using models who were not actually Carrie Fisher or Mark Hamill.

Review: John Scalzi’s “When the Moon Hits Your Eye”

Jesse Dukes offers a quick review of popular science fiction writer John Scalzi’s newest novel, “When the Moon Hits Your Eye”. While he initially put the book down after reading the first chapter, due to frustration with the absurd premise, on a second read, Dukes found that the book has its charms. https://media.blubrry.com/1470605/content.blubrry.com/1470605/UMB_when_the_moon_review_pod.mp3Podcast: Play in… Continue reading Review: John Scalzi’s “When the Moon Hits Your Eye”

Episode 89: “A Creeping Awareness” or Cixin Liu’s The Three Body Problem, Part I

The Three Body Problem begins with an inexplicable series of tragic mysteries, most notably, that physics as we know it has stopped working. Slowly, the reader is given enough clues to start to suspect various causes, although halfway through, we still don’t really know what’s going on. Dukes has read it before, and Bagg has not, so they lads compare notes as to their experience of the creeping awareness of the disturbing truth dawning on the characters. 

Digression: Solo Canoe Sailing on Long Lake

Friend of the show Justin shares another update, as well as his foray into what he terms Contemporary Victorian Episolary Short Travel Non-Fiction. Justin is paddling a solo canoe (and often carrying the canoe) along the 700 Mile Northern Forest canoe trail, and we are digressing from our regular programming to share his dispatches. We… Continue reading Digression: Solo Canoe Sailing on Long Lake