541. Philip Plait, author of Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe

Anthony Ha joins us to discuss the first eight stories in the book The Best of Greg Egan, part of the SF Masterworks series of science fiction classics. Stories discussed: "Learning to Be Me" (20:42), "Axiomatic" (44:03), "Appropriate Love" (50:10), "Into Darkness" (1:00:30), "Unstable Orbits in the Space of Lies" (1:14:47), "Closer" (1:26:42), "Chaff" (1:38:50), "Luminous" (1:52:12). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the book The Top of the Volcano: The Award-Winning Stories of Harlan Ellison, which contains 11 stories not included in Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits. Stories discussed: "A Boy and His Dog" (1:39), "The Region Between" (37:12), "Basilisk" (48:29), "Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W" (53:57), "Croatoan" (1:05:55), "Count the Clock that Tells the Time" (1:16:45), "With Virgil Oddum at the East Pole" (1:32:30), "Soft Monkey" (1:41:43), "The Function of Dream Sleep" (1:47:38), "The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore" (2:01:01), "The Human Operators" (2:11:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mercurio D. Rivera joins us to discuss the first nine stories in the short story collection The Best of Larry Niven, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Stories discussed: "Becalmed in Hell" (5:10), "Bordered in Black" (17:54), "Neutron Star" (26:35), "The Soft Weapon" (38:16), "The Jigsaw Man" (56:27), "The Deadlier Weapon" (1:02:55), "All the Myriad Ways" (1:08:16), "Not Long Before the End" (1:19:48), "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" (1:28:01). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Rajan Khanna join us to discuss Season 1 of the HBO series Dune: Prophecy, a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Wynn and Craig Brewer, hosts of the ReReading Wolfe podcast, join us to discuss Gene Wolfe’s classic novel The Urth of the New Sun, a sequel to The Book of the New Sun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Tom Gerencer join us to discuss the science fiction noir movies Dark City, Strange Days, The Thirteenth Floor, Looker, and Alphaville. Time stamps: Dark City (3:25), Strange Days (28:55), The Thirteenth Floor (48:19), Looker (1:00:43), Alphaville (1:16:19). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the second half of the new short story collection Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits, edited by J. Michael Straczynski. Stories discussed: "On the Downhill Side" (2:34), "Paladin of the Lost Hour" (12:00), "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" (30:08), "I'm Looking for Kadak" (39:10), "How Interesting: A Tiny Man" (48:42), "Djinn, No Chaser" (59:36), "How's the Nightlife on Cissalda?" (1:09:06), "From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet" (1:17:32), "Eidolons" (1:26:13), "All the Lies that are My Life" (1:32:36). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philip Gelatt joins us to discuss writing the hard science fiction film The Europa Report and the animated sword & sorcery film The Spine of Night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

J.T. Petty joins us to discuss serving as executive producer on the new Amazon series Secret Level, a collection of animated shorts set in the worlds of popular video games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the first half of the new short story collection Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits, edited by J. Michael Straczynski. Stories discussed: "'Repent Harlequin,' Said the Ticktockman" (13:08), "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (26:00), "The Deathbird" (37:17), "Chatting with Anubis" (47:39), "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" (51:29), "Jefty is Five" (59:10), "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes" (1:11:39), "Shatterday" (1:26:56), "Mefisto in Onyx" (1:32:48). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices