Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:46:34 Intro+Anti-AI+Questionaire 00:46:34 - 01:29:00 Anti-Utopianism 01:29:00 - END The Left Page Book Club™

Join us next Lets Prattle where we will continue the book club with the Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe, where we will discuss chapter 1 to 13!

Frank's sources:

BLAIM, Artur. Anti-utopia. In: MARKS, Peter; WAGNER-LAWLOR, Jennifer A.; VIEIRA, Fátima (ed.) The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. p. 39-51.

CURTIS, Claire P. Ambiguous Choices: Skepticism as a Grounding for Utopia. In: DAVIS, Laurence; STILLMAN, Peter (Ed.) The New Utopian Politics of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed. New York: Lexington Books, 2005. p. 265-282.

DAVIS, Laurence. Isaiah Berlin, William Morris, and the Politics of Utopia. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, v. 3, n. 2-3, p. 56-86, 2000.

JAMESON, Fredric. The Antinomies of Postmodernity. The Seeds of Time. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. p. 1-73.

We talk about The Zone in fiction.

Inspired by our Patreon Series on Pacific Drive we expand our understanding of Zones by also bringing in:

• The novel Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers

• The film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky

• The Metro series of books by Dmitry Glukhovsky and its games

• And a touch of the S. T. A. L. K. E. R. games.

There's a lot to the idea of Zones, so we establish a concept of what Zones are and how they can be successful ways of navigating and inventing fictional realities. And, of course, how certain Zones can succeed far more, and more interestingly, than others.

Enjoy!

If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage

Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN

Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Episode cover art: Angus McKie, 1978

We take a dive into Arthuriana, adaptation, and more, as we talk about The Green Knight wit our good friend Jay!

Considering how not only the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight connects with the Dev Patel film, but also exploring the themes involved and how they can be treated by a contemporary framing.

And, of course, as we talk about adapting things, we go beyond just this pair, briefly going into Scorcese's The Last Temptation of Christ, but also interpretations of broader Arthuriana, and of course, how could we not go into Lord of the Rings?

Lots to dive into and explore in history and today with this one, enjoy!

Check out Jay on Library Punk: http://librarypunk.gay/

If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage

Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN

Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Episode cover art: Angus McKie, 1978

itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:34:30 - Intro 00:34:30 - 01:44:40 - Villains! 01:44:40 - END - Book Club (Cat VII - Cat VIII)

Given we're pretty close, we'll be going from the next chapter, Tyrion VII, all the way to the end!

We're back into Science Fiction, and with a great friend and comrade! As Breht from RevLeftRadio fame joins us to talk about the relationship of this genre and Empires.

Talking the roots of imperial representation, how we can critique them, and how a lot goes back into colonialism, fascist projects and more.

A wonderful dive into how this genre and this representation and structure connect, enjoy!

Check out RevLeftRadio! https://revleftradio.com/

If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage

Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN

Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Episode cover art: Angus McKie, 1978

Our references and previous episodes:

• Memories of Future Empire: The Productive Effects of Imperial Imaginaries in Science Fiction – An Analysis of The Expanse - https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-8529.20244603e20230058

• The Course of Empire: A Survey of the Imperial Theme in Early Anglophone Science Fiction - https://www.jstor.org/stable/25746408?seq=1

• Episode 44 - Postmodern Literature, Climate Chaos and Irony. On White Noise w/ RevLeftRadio - https://theleftpage.libsyn.com/episode-44-postmodern-literature-climate-chaos-and-irony-on-white-noise-w-revleftradio

• Warhammer 40k - The Horus Heresy: The Immaterium's Negative Dialectic & How to Read Warhammer - https://www.patreon.com/leftpage/posts/warhammer-40k-to-157369486

• Episode 70 - The Expanse 1-3: Where Subtle Utopia Meets Responsible Dystopia -https://theleftpage.libsyn.com/the-left-page-episode-70-the-expanse-1-3-where-subtle-utopia-meets-responsible-dystopia

This time we go into how we think about Pathology in media and videogames, while still talking about gaming news and the Left Page Book Club, enjoy!

itinerary: 00:00:00-01:03:21 - Intro + Summer Games Fest + Minute AI rambling 01:03:21-01:55:05: - The Broader Pathology of Media 01:55:05-END - The Left Page Book Club

Our next set of chapters is from Catelyn VII to Catelyn VIII! (Another 16 chapters!)

Article mentioned: https://thehaunt.blog/2026/03/29/on-moral-repugnance/

If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage

Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN

Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

We continue our travails this time with disecting the discourses around power fantasies and an interesting track through one of videogames largest franchises. Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:15:52 Intro (What are we up to) 00:15:52 - 01:03:28 Power Fantasies 01:03:28 - 01:40:00 AI in Music 01:40:00 - 02:16:50 AC 02:16:50 - END Book Club aGoT Jon II - Eddard V Essay mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN2ElcTXr6Y&t=3915s

We're talking about men this time.

Using different media like Star Wars, American Psycho, and Blade Runner 2049, we develop some theory on this idea of "media illiteracy", on masculinity and its toxicity.

Fundamentally considering what we mean when we talk about Patriarchy, how it exists and is historically defined, and what does it mean to consider and confront it today.

Enjoy!

If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage

Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN

Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

A new kind of episode!

Lighter and more current, as we talk about what we've been playing, some things we've been thinking about, and the new Left Page Book Club!

Time stamps 00:00:00 - 00:40:40 Intro + What are we watching, reading, playing 00:40:40 - 01:27:45 AI In Video Games 01:27:45 - 02: 23:45 Left Page Book Club

The article we talked about: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/new-research-shows-over-90-of-gamers-find-playing-with-ai-powered-npcs-to-be-enjoyable-and-rewarding

We deploy Critical Harvest Theory in this episode, when we ask:

What happens when we don't look critically at escapist fantasies? We then try to answer this question by looking at two video games: Stardew Valley (2015) and Citizen Sleeper (2022 & 2025)

Going into the ways of how these games create their realities and end up surviving in or attempting to sideline capitalism, which will surely go well, right? Right? That, and more, in this episode about capital, land, time and space!

Enjoy!

If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage

Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN

Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

Wolfenstein is a fascinating series of games, so let's talk about the recent Machine Games' iterations.

Asking the fundamental question of how to properly kill fascism and how this game is presenting it, or not.

Enjoy!

Check out Jon's stuff: Horror Vanguard & The Haunt Blog

Morris Rosenfeld's poem In The Factory from 1914

Intro song: Machine, Machine. Nits. 2019, Werf & V2 Records

Outro song: Nazi raus. Marti Fischer. 2024, ContentView GmbH