My little sister Katie joins me for an informal discussion of her favorite subgenre, Urban Fantasy. This isn’t perhaps as scholarly as previous Zoomed Out episodes, just an off-the-cuff discussion with my sister. Sorry for the doggies’ panting that occasionally shows up in the background. The dogs love Katie and couldn’t stop snuggling up to … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Urban Fantasy, with Katie Heasley"

With the sad news of Vernor Vinge’s recent passing, I decided (at Olav’s prompting) to host a short-notice discussion panel about Vinge’s work. This podcast has previously covered his three Hugo-winning novels, but we go a bit deeper here, giving some other recommendations for Vinge reading. I’m mostly just here to facilitate, and more than … Continue reading "Vernor Vinge Tribute episode"

Lori from Hugo, Girl!, and Juan (frequent bonus episode guest) join Peter and me to discuss our picks for the 2024 Oscars.

Peter Kuskie, son of my co-host Colin from TMTYR (and brother of my theme music composer), and also childhood friend of my son, joins me in person for a discussion of Andy Weir’s 2022 Hugo-nominated novel Project Hail Mary. We get into spoilers about 14 minutes in. Comps: Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me … Continue reading "Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (feat. Peter Kuskie)"

It’s been almost exactly a year since multiple-time guest of the podcast, Michael Gabriel, finished the World Marathon Challenge (Seven Days, Seven Marathons on Seven Continents), and I asked him to chat with me about the whole experience. it’s not science fiction related, but I just like to chat with interesting people, so this is … Continue reading "“Oh, I have a new limp now!”, a conversation about the World Marathon Challenge with Michael Gabriel"

This is a “Seth’s picks” episode of the podcast, still Science Fiction related this time, with the classic 1959 nuclear war novel Alas, Babylon. Joining me for the podcast is returning guest Mitch Wagner. I noticed there are some pops and crackles on Mitch’s audio, and I did my best to clear them up, but … Continue reading "Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank (feat. Mitch Wagner)"

Ethan asked to do a favorite movies of 2023 episode with me. Since we recorded, we’ve both started watching stuff for our Oscars episode, so there’s definitely stuff we’d have done differently if we recorded today. Our Letterboxd profiles: https://letterboxd.com/sethheasley/ https://letterboxd.com/bevold/ Ethan’s List: 10. The Killer 9. Barbie 8. Creed 3 7. Mission: Impossible: Dead … Continue reading "Bonus: Favorite 2023 Movies (with Ethan Heasley)"

Dr. Audrey Isabel Taylor joins me for a look at the work of Patricia A. McKillip. Time codes included for the major sections, as well as two mini-discussions of McKillip’s World Fantasy Award winners. Checking those off the list! A transcript is available for this episode. Intro to Audrey Taylor (02:22) Intro to McKillip (07:53) … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Patricia A. McKillip, with Dr. Audrey Taylor"

In the first of hopefully many Subgenre Spotlights, Bob Morrell joins me for a discussion on Pandemic Fiction. Who doesn’t want to think about pandemics? Trigger warning for anyone who isn’t ready to talk about pandemics. Here we focus mostly on COVID-19 but also there’s substantial discussion of AIDS, so be warned. Links & Notes: … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Pandemic Fiction, with Bob Morrell"

Seth is joined by Darryl Cunningham, author of these tremendously interesting Graphic Nonfiction Titles: Darryl’s Links:https://myriadeditions.com/creator/darryl-cunningham//https://www.patreon.com/acmedarrylhttps://twitter.com/AcmeDarrylhttps://bsky.app/profile/acmedarryl.bsky.social

Seth is joined by Sarah Elkins to discuss the 1998 Nebula Award winner for Best Novel, The Moon and the Sun, by Vonda McIntyre. Just a more or less typical episode. Financially support this podcast (and others by Seth): Patreon (ongoing support): https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Buy Me a Coffee (one-time or ongoing): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Time Codes: Start – … Continue reading "The Moon and the Sun, by Vonda McIntyre (feat. Sarah Elkins)"