In the beginning .... Find out what book(s) flipped the sci-fi/fantasy switch to ON for your hosts, Tim and Liz!
Who knew opening a semi-mysterious chest with the picture of a man getting his head cut-off could be so fraught? Pretty complicated, apparently. Join Tim and Liz as they talk about "Gods of Jade and Shadow" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and the complicatedness of gods.
Join Tim and Liz as they talk about the classic "Ancillary Justice" by Anne Leckie! They can’t agree on the pronunciation of names but they can agree this is was one super interesting book to talk about!
One loved it, one hated it. Listen to Tim and Liz discuss this month’s pick, "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch. Swashbuckling shenanigans, a truly astounding amount of cursing, and a layered plot led Tim to love this book and Liz to … extremely dislike it. Listen in to find out why!
Did you know there was more to the punk sub-genre of Sci-fi/Fantasy than just cyber-punk? Move aside Blade Runner, God punk is here! Join Tim & Liz as they revel over the many types of “punk” out there and talk about "Black God’s Drum" by P. Djèlí Clark.
Join Tim and Liz as they welcome their first guest, SAPL Teen Librarian, Laura! The book being discussed is "Catfishing on CatNet" by Naomi Kritzer! The hosts and their guest will be chatting about teens not understanding adults and vice versa, AI’s that just want to be good, the beauty of online friendships, and cats.
The year is 2095, and it looks really cool (no flying cars yet, sadly), but also there’s a machine rights terrorist group killing people?? Have to take the pros with the cons, amiright? Join Liz and Tim as they talk about "Machinehood" by S.B. Divya! DISCLAIMER: there is going to be a discussion of more “adult” topics in this episode.
Episode 06.5: Escape the Earth Interview with S.B. Divya
Tim and Liz get deep in conversation with "Machinehood" author S.B. Divya. What’s the breakthrough technology of the next 100 years? What will it be like to have Siri implanted in your brain? Why are people so hyped about the gig economy? Who will win at next year’s Golden Globes? Okay, maybe not that last one. Join us as we find out what’s next for this Hugo-nominated author!
Episode 07: Unleash the Minotaur
Tim and Liz discuss Susanna Clarke’s "Piranesi," a strange little book about the sole inhabitant of a mysterious house with thousands of rooms, its own weather and oceans, and a unique effect on memory. It’s a labyrinth and not even Piranesi knows everything about it...
Episode 08: Lovely Rita Murdermaid
Tim and Liz narrowly avoid mentioning Starbucks as they embark on a lively discussion about killer mermaids, PT Barnum, and how it feels to be the guy killed by a shrimp. All this while they discuss Mira Grant’s "Into the Drowning Deep."
Episode 08.5: Queen vs. Toto vs. War Bagpipes
The ETE crew discuss the book Dune, the 1984 Dune movie, and the new Dune! You don’t need to be a selectively-bred mentat to enjoy this episode (though it may help). If you love Dune, you’re bound to gain something from this discussion.
Episode 09: One Me Burger, Poop Potato Fries, and a Coma Slurry Shake to Go
Join us as the crew discusses Andy Weir’s "Project Hail Mary." Warning: there is ample complaining about math and at least one comparison to "Charlotte’s Web."
Episode 10: Explosions with Glitter and a Gem at the End
Join the crew as Elissa, Mary Elizabeth, and Tim discuss T. L. Huchu’s book "Library of the Dead." Find out how a bowel movement ends up likened to a World War II air raid, hear ruminations about how having magical powers might be a bad thing, and most importantly, the role of cake in the afterlife.
Join the Escape the Earth crew as they discuss The Mother Code by Carole Stivers. How would you raise a child with zero human contact? What if there were no people around to raise them? What would it take to actually code someone’s personality? Mother Code takes the reader on a ride through a worldwide pandemic with a group of scientists who are both pursuing a cure and planning the next stage of human evolution should their cure fail. Through the course of the discussion you’ll get our thoughts on the important topics like what it would be like to have an app that could ping your kids or how best to keep secrets from your family. Also, learn how Siri almost made Elissa late for the dentist.
The ETE Crew goes on a ride through the multiverse while exploring alternative reality games and conspiracy theories as they relate to Terry Miles’s book Rabbits. “You play and never tell” is the first rule of the alternate reality game known as Rabbits. The game may be as old as society and was once only referred to in numbered iterations. The game also may very well hold the fabric of reality in place... It is dark and dangerous in the rabbit hole.
Join the crew as we find out what exactly does happen when a Crow god, a siren, and a sun priestess walk into a bar. Or maybe not. We do have a great time exploring the world of Meridian which is the setting for Rebecca Roanhorse’s rich fantasy novel Black Sun. Participate in our auditory scavenger hunt by listening for the mysterious bump, the angry bird, our high tech sound effects, and the second Back to the Future reference. Listen and find out why we love this book!
Brew up a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join the crew for this month’s discussion of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. We’ll discuss potential jobs for retired orcs, technological inventions we’d introduce to fantasy worlds, and names for our alternate universe coffee shop fan fiction. Bonus topics include the Durias’s racial identity, Pendry’s creation of Norwegian death metal, and Mary Elizabeth’s desire for her very own Amity the dire cat.
This month the crew ventures off to the Verdant planet of Sask-E where we'll discuss the appropriate punishment for eating poached meat, define personhood, explore life in a city under a volcano, and ponder the virtue of copyrighting our genomes. We may also dedicate some time to discussing Annalee Newitz's book The Terraformers.
Ever have one of those days where you’re called into work on your day off and nothing seems to go as expected? Yeah. Welcome to the world of Nino Cipri’s Finna. In this episode the Crew tracks the adventures of two retail employees at a Swedish big box furniture store (not that one) who travel through alternate universes in search of a lost granny. Oh, did we mention they just broke up?
Join the crew as they venture into the void and explore all the dark corridors of the Scholomance while discussing Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education.
Join the crew as they explore a snowman's chance of survival in the apocalypse. Grab your ChickieNobs and your favorite rakunk for a deep dive into the world of "Oryx and Crake."
Join the crew as they search for Chernobog with a 200-year-old vampire who runs a ritzy preschool in upstate New York. From the vomit sloshing hold of a ship to the French Alps during World War II to Alexandria, everywhere Collette goes, Chernobog is not far behind.
This month the Escape the Earth crew discusses Jinwoo Chong’s elegantly written time travel novel “Flux.” We liked it, but it left us with a lot of questions. Join us in our own state of flux as we unravel the timeline of this book.
Get your rigs ready to do some hacking! What would you do with a key that could unlock anything? Follow along as the crew discusses their favorite parts of Sancia Grado's misadventures in the city Tevanne, run by cutthroat merchant houses on one side and by criminals on the other. Can an escapee from the plantation foil an attempt to bring back the age of the hierophants without getting killed in the process?
It's time for a showdown. Join the Crew as they discuss the thrilling conclusion to Rebecca Roanhorse's Between Earth and Sky Trilogy. Thank goodness the ship isn't powered by shadow magic, or is it?
