Books Without Pictures artwork

Books Without Pictures

25 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 8 years ago - ★★★★★ - 15 ratings

Tales of speculative fiction have been told since before recorded history, but in the past century it has grown into an art form all its own. From Asimov to Wells, from adventures in space opera to cyberpunk dystopias, from Amazing Stories to your e-reader and beyond, join us as we discuss some of the most important and acclaimed science fiction novels of all time. Warning: Here be spoilers.

TV & Film isaac asimov robert heinlein ray bradbury arthur c clarke neil gaiman orson scott card hg wells philip k dick books science fiction
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

Bloodchild

September 24, 2015 13:00 - 1 hour - 28.6 MB

Wendee and Dan end Dan's minor freakout at having confused different portions of the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince catalog by remembering to thank Patreon subscriber Rick with a discussion of Octavia E. Butler's remarkable novelette Bloodchild. Visit www.patreon.com/bookswp to learn more about making the hosts into your trained seals!

Hyperion, Part B: Hard-Boiled Time-Displaced Baby Thing

August 27, 2015 13:00 - 1 hour - 51.8 MB

Wendee and Dan finish their discussion of Hyperion, squeezing this in, naturally, between mentions of award slates, convention experiences, and possible new horizons for the podcast itself. Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp.

Armageddon 2015 AD - The Hugo Awards

August 20, 2015 13:00 - 2 hours - 67.1 MB

In this special episode of Books Without Pictures, while taking a look at the 2015 nominees for Best Short Story, Wendee and Dan have strong words about slate organizers, some of the works they were successful in forcing onto this year's ballot, sandwiches, and their cat. This particular episode is being submitted for consideration for the 2016 award for "Most Repeated Uses of the Phrase 'Steaming Pile.'" Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp.

Hyperion, Part A: Clergy, Soldiers, Poets, and Semirobotic Harbingers of Murderdeath

August 14, 2015 14:00 - 1 hour - 50.7 MB

Books Without Pictures returns with the first half of Dan Simmons' Hyperion, and also the story of that time Dan saw boobs with his mom sitting next to him. Attaboy, Luther! Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp.

A Princess of Mars

April 10, 2015 17:20 - 1 hour - 35 MB

The cosmos did everything in its power to delay the return of Books Without Pictures, but nothing could hold Wendee back from venting her rage against John Carter of Mars, the hero of Edgar Rice Burroughs' hugely influential 1912 science fantasy classic A Princess of Mars. How long does it take for the phrase "filth bucket" to enter the conversation? The answer may surprise you! Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp, because you can almost hear the BWP...

The Time Machine

July 03, 2014 16:35 - 1 hour - 35.4 MB

HG Wells' The Time Machine holds the distinction of meriting the briefest synopsis in the podcast's history. While deciding if historical importance always equals artistic merit, Wendee and Dan wander off topic towards Dan's hatred of Dickens and all his dark works, Eric Cartman's adventures in suspended animation, and all the good times that yurts have to offer.

Brave New World, Part B: What We Thought

June 05, 2014 17:20 - 1 hour - 34.6 MB

When he was 14, Brave New World opened Dan's horizons to include philosophical arguments about the cruelty of dehumanization. Also, the book had boobs in it. With that in mind, he and Wendee discuss the themes behind this book, occasionally lapsing into Foghorn Leghorn impressions. (It was late. They were tired.)

Brave New World, Part A: What It's About

March 12, 2014 14:05 - 1 hour - 51.3 MB

Wendee's groove thing, and the shaking of same, ties directly into a con report and her involvement in the NOH8 campaign. From there, she and Dan break down the plot of Aldous Huxley's groundbreaking 1932 dystopic vision of dehumanization, Brave New World. They also wonder what accessories would come with a Herbert Hoover action figure.

A Study in Emerald

January 12, 2014 15:30 - 51 minutes - 23.9 MB

They discuss Alan Moore, they discuss the Mickey Mouse copyright shenanigans, they even discuss whether this story's author's wife is a firestorm of two-fisted awesome or perhaps not, but will Wendee and Dan ever discuss "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman? Tune in to find out!

Childhood's End

December 29, 2013 14:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MB

Dan's new job selling cheap crap to terrible people and Wendee's success in not dying horribly on Boston's terrifyingly antiquated public transit system are some of the excuses given for the epic lateness of this episode. Eventually they get around to actually discussing Arthur C. Clarke's avowed classic Childhood's End.

The War of the Worlds, Part B: The Novel

October 06, 2013 17:50 - 1 hour - 32.1 MB

Luxurious Victorian mustaches! Wandering Raisinets! And does Dan know the difference between Tanzania and Tasmania? All this and more as the hosts discuss HG Wells' The War of the Worlds, arguably the most influential novel in the genre's history!

The War of the Worlds, Part A: The Panic Broadcast

September 08, 2013 16:25 - 1 hour - 28.6 MB

Sometimes life conspires to keep us from sitting at a computer to talk about HG Wells' The War of the Worlds. To hold you over, here is the famous 1938 radio drama that sent a not-zero number of people screaming into the night. Think of it as homework.

The Little Black Bag

August 27, 2013 16:45 - 40 minutes - 18.6 MB

One host loves CM Kornbluth's story "The Little Black Bag." The other most decidedly does not. Words are exchanged. Also, remember Night Gallery? That show was awesome.

The Forever War

August 15, 2013 15:50 - 1 hour - 39.1 MB

After welcoming new sponsor Audible to the podcast, Dan and Wendee manage to stop speculating about an alternate reality where Hulk Hogan endorsed the George Foreman Grill long enough to discuss Joe Haldeman's Vietnam War allegory The Forever War. But seriously, Burgermania? Steakamania? How would that work?

The Handmaid's Tale, Part B: What We Thought

July 28, 2013 14:40 - 1 hour - 29.9 MB

Is The Handmaid's Tale inherently anti-Christian? Is it an easy read? Is it actually science fiction? These are just some of the many questions Wendee and Dan tackle in this episode. (Warning: Politics ahead.)

The Handmaid's Tale, Part A: What It's About

July 25, 2013 14:30 - 1 hour - 41.2 MB

Unappetizing European chocolate, terrifying Victorian pornography, and the wholesale destruction of Western civilization brought about by New Coke are some of the ways Wendee and Dan veer off topic while summarizing Margaret Atwood's bleak, 1985 dystopia The Handmaid's Tale in this very, very late episode.

The Whisperer in Darkness

June 30, 2013 16:30 - 58 minutes - 27.2 MB

In between talk of how inherently terrible the state of Rhode Island really is and whether or not Tim Curry is an adequately scary clown, the hosts find time to discuss (and argue over) HP Lovecraft's novella The Whisperer in Darkness. Want to find out if Dan had to sleep on the couch that night? Tune in to find out.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

June 16, 2013 17:30 - 1 hour - 54.4 MB

After battling through 50 pages that neither Dan nor Wendee thought they would survive, they bat around Robert A. Heinlein's 1966 Hugo winner The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. In this book, things get political; a computer decides not to enslave and destroy; the hosts see how enjoyable a book can be and still give them serious reservations; and a strong, independent woman would like to know how you take your coffee.

The Martian Chronicles, Part B: What We Thought

June 02, 2013 18:25 - 1 hour - 41.4 MB

Can a short story collection be a novel? Will eReaders destroy us all? Are 1970s TV miniseries adaptations by their very nature inherently terrible? And what exactly did Dan and Wendee think about The Martian Chronicles? The answer to these questions, and many, many more, await!

The Martian Chronicles, Part A: What It's About

May 23, 2013 12:30 - 1 hour - 31.2 MB

Books Without Pictures is here at last, and Dan and Wendee introduce themselves with Ray Bradbury's classic 1950 novel... story collection... thing: The Martian Chronicles.

Books Without Pictures: Trailer

May 10, 2013 17:30 - 1 minute - 850 KB

Books Without Pictures, coming soon to Earth-2.net.

Earth-2.net: The Show - Episode 612

March 23, 2013 06:00 - 1 hour - 54.3 MB

Dan and Wendee return once more to talk you through some more Books Without Pictures! This month, the topic of discussion is Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five; either this is the most incredible book you've ever read, or there's something intrinsically wrong with you -- a deep pit of emptiness and ache in your very core that can never be filled. Either way, stay tuned for an announcement that may or may not rock the Internet to its foundations.

Earth-2.net: The Show - Episode 608

February 19, 2013 15:15 - 2 hours - 56 MB

In the latest Books Without Pictures, cyberpunk, ancient Sumerian mythology, pirates versus ninjas, the National Cryptologic Museum, and They Might Be Giants all become part of the attempt by Dan and Wendee to make some sort of sense out of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.

Earth-2.net: The Show - Episode 602

January 22, 2013 12:00 - 2 hours - 67.5 MB

The first full edition of Books Without Pictures is here, and with it Dan and Wendee debate the merits of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's classic first-contact novel: The Mote in God's Eye! Blast Hardcheese and the He-Man Woman Haters' Club bring extreme diplomacy to the outer reaches of the galaxy! Is this the 25th greatest science fiction novel in history? Tune in to hear our hosts say "probably not." Note: Thank you to Preston Nelson for lending his dulcet tones to the proceedings.

Earth-2.net: The Show - Episode 576

December 01, 2012 15:40 - 47 minutes - 21.9 MB

New to Earth-2.net: The Show, Dan and Wendee discuss the 1959 short story "Flowers for Algernon" in this, the first episode of Books Without Pictures! Also, Mike make a major announcement about Earth-2.net: The Show, and begins paying back those who donated to the Shameless Pledge Drive.