One of the many aspects of the consciousness of Jeff Henry descends upon the podcast, to discuss programmable brains in the work of Philip K. Dick; he then confronts his and our and everyone’s mortality in an original story, which prompts a surprisingly heated argument regarding the nature of free will.…

We’re joined once more by comedian and podcaster Matt Allex to pop the zombie popcorn of James Knapp (while arguing over the seasoning), before using more of his Black Lagoon fanfiction to discuss the oft-eerie overlap between comedy and horror.Von The Not-So-Silent Planet

We kick off our second season with a reversal, in which regular host phillip andrew bennett low becomes the guest to talk about his latest comic fantasy novella! Beginning with much discussion of the value (if any) and limits (if any) of shock comedy, followed by an excerpt featuring a questionably satirical and unquestionably explicit love scene.…

The season finale comes with a pair of firsts: our first live recording, and our first guest discussing their own work! Comedian and author Joseph Scrimshaw talks about world-building in parody, then shares a story about a sentient streaming service that leads us to consider what it means to be a geek in an age of being flooded by entertainment.…

Poet and improv comic Joe Bozic joins us to talk about world-building and the rules of magic in the alternative history of Susanna Clarke, before poking at comedy, fantasy, and metaphor with a strangely buoyant love story. Also featuring the FINALE of our ongoing serial, “Bucky Starburst: Junior Space Cadet!”…

Comedian and podcaster Matt Allex returns to discuss the intersection of hard-boiled detective fiction and mind-altering substances in Jonathan Lethem, then continues digging at memory and identity in a new short story involving a shapeshifter with Alzheimer’s.Von The Not-So-Silent Planet

Sci-fi author Michael Merriam introduces us the metaphysical frippery of Steven Brust — then gives us the whimsical tale of a small-town cop having a Strange Encounter, which we immediately hijack into a prolonged and useless argument about police brutality.Von The Not-So-Silent Planet

Comedy writer Joshua English Scrimshaw returns, stealthily using an L. Neil Smith novel to springboard into a dissection of Star Wars, before continuing to talk about his work on the podcast’s ongoing serial and his love of the giddy inventiveness of pulp fiction.Von The Not-So-Silent Planet

Skeptic and comedy writer Tim Wick returns to the Planet with our first non-fiction recommendation — a memoir of the Apollo 13 mission by Jim Lovell (astronaut) and Jeffrey Kluger (journalist) — then presents an original sci-fi tale that prompts a discussion of the psychology of conspiracy fiction.Von The Not-So-Silent Planet

Sci-fi author Pat Harrigan returns to discuss the alternate histories of Kim Newman, before spinning a lecture that leads us to reflect on the nature of epistolary horror.Von The Not-So-Silent Planet