Tag: Books

Episode 78: “Our Robot Friends, Part II,” or Ted Chiang’s Exhalation

Our favorite education researcher joins us to talk about Ted Chiang’s collection Exhalation, which includes the story “The Life Cycle of Software Objects” which Chris read from in our earlier Robot Friends show. We discuss several stories in the collection, and marvel at Chiang’s ability to surface the BIG questions by tugging at a small speculation about what our future might hold. 

Episode 77: “A Soup of Dreams,” or James S.A. Corey’s Leviathan Wakes, Part II

The Lads finish out James S.A. Corey’s 2011 novel Leviathan Wakes, a huge success that powered The Expanse, the SyFy and then Amazon Prime space opera. Bagg and Dukes talk about whether or not you can marry noir and space opera effectively, how important the first sentence of a book can be, and whether or… Continue reading Episode 77: “A Soup of Dreams,” or James S.A. Corey’s Leviathan Wakes, Part II

Episode 75: “It Was Capitalism All Along!” or China Miéville’s The City and The City, Part II

The lads continue to admire China Miéville’s genius premise for this novel, but will the second half of the book escape the issues we’ve seen in the noir and noir-adjacent works the UMBers have read? As Inspector Borlu closes in on the answer to this spiraling whodunit, the boys discuss the choices Miéville makes and whether or not they are to our taste—we’re curious to know what YOU think once you’ve finished the book, too.

Episode 74: “Our Robot Friends (and Enemies),” with Leah Jones

We invite podcast buddy Leah Jones from Finding Favorites to follow up on a recommendation she made to Dukes last year: to watch the film M3gan. We thought it would be fun to talk about films and books with robot friends (and enemies) more broadly, and we each make a recommendation. Since we don’t yet have actual robot friends (although according to Silicon Valley, they’ll be here soon) what are we really talking about when we tell stories about robots? Loyal servants? Monsters? Children? We discuss examples of each, and contemplate what makes a good story with robots. 

Episode 72: “Red Herringfest?” or Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest

The boys hop to it, chum, and talk about Dashiell Hammett’s 1929 debut novel Red Harvest. While the socialist connotations of the title never truly materialize (“Communism was a red herring”), leaving the lads scratching their heads, Hammett definitely crafted a new sound and a new genre. Jesse and Chris find the jaunty dialogue compelling, but both speculate as to why audiences of this period seemed to just love lots and lots and lots of plot.

Episode # 71 The Night of a Thousand Crimes, or Raymond Chandler’s “The Long Goodbye” Part II.

Dukes and Bagg were both a little disappointed with how LONG the second half of The Long Goodbye is, with a rather Byzantine and confusing series of plot machinations that only slightly support the ending. But, as Bagg says, “the craft creeps in” as Chandler continues to write lyrical and insightful passages. Dukes enjoyed the ending, which feels coherent and profound. And even though Marlowe refers to “A Thousand Crimes”, (and describes many of them), we struggle to articulate THE crime that drives this particular story. 

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Episode 69: “A Surfeit of Injustice,” or Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye, Part I

The lads kick off this series of Chris’ called “Relativistic Noir” with Raymond Chandler’s remarkable 1959 The Long Goodbye. Both Chris and Jesse are rendered somewhat slack-jawed at the sheer audacity—and skill—of the prose and of Chandler’s ability to build a world so stylized while still remaining plausible. They wonder, though, if maybe there aren’t just a few too many similar cops, and couldn’t this have used maybe one more editorial pass? The plot is, at points, as ponderous as the sentences are lively.

Episode 68: “From Fiends to Friends,” or Gary Shteyngart’s Our Country Friends, Part II

Gary Shteyngart’s overtly Chekhovian novel ends in a distinctly non–Chekhovian manner, with hope. However, the hope is dearly earned, as one of the country friends sadly does not survive the second half of the book. The lads wonder if Act Four is a bit padded, and sort out the layers of satire in which Shteyngart wraps what is at heart, a tender story of love, friendship, and forgiveness.

Episode 67: Revenge of the Jock-Nerds (Season 3 DRAFT)

With a small but loyal Zoom audience, Dukes and Bagg propose TWELVE new series, and pick five, including a LISTENER’S CHOICE series. Throughout, they kibbitz, lobby, and respond to chatted questions from the audience. (For people who don’t like drama, you can find the list of future works here.)

Also, be sure to check out the lads’ guest appearance on Big Campaign Stories.

Episode 66: “Russia With Love (Nesting Dolls),” or Gary Shteyngart’s Our Country Friends Part I

Gary Schteyngart’s 2021 pandemic novel is overtly Chekhovian, and the lads love it. A group of friends and family gather in the Hudson valley during the 2020 pandemic leading to betrayals, love triangles, secrets, lies, but also some joy and camaraderie. We discuss how Schteyngart’s precise portrayal of his characters’ inner lives, and marvel at moments of satirically brilliant prose.

Episode 13: “Time the Ravager” or Jennifer Egan’s 2010 A Visit From the Goon Squad, Part I

After a camel cricket update (!), Jesse and Chris try to untangle the conga line of affection and destruction that forms the structure of Egan’s remarkable 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Bagg plays the babyface/fanboy while Dukes combines admiration for Egan’s craft with a deep sense of discomfort with the characters’ circumstances. We wrap it up with some trivia about titans of tech and shoplifting spin.