American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)
Episodes
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 61: The Man Who Sold the Moon
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A story of capitalism run amok and maybe doing some good, THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON, by Robert A. Heinlein is a great novella exploring how money ca...
Episode 613: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 3)
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The middle sections of Harriet Beecher Stowe's OLDTOWN FOLKS (1869) explored education with intense focus and through multiple conversations. While re...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 60: Farmer in the Sky (Part 2)
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I finish up my review of the excellent novel FARMER IN THE SKY by Robert A. Heinlein. This novel has some excellent reflections on po...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 59: Farmer in the Sky (Part 1)
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Heinlein's fourth juvenile novel, FARMER IN THE SKY (1950) is one of the best books he wrote to that point and the most "mature" of his "boy's novels"...
Episode 612: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 2)
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Harriet Beecher Stowe's OLDTOWN FOLKS (1869) is doing a lot, and that is made clear in the second section of this book, which explores the fate of two...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 58: Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon" is another delightful Future History story by Robert A. Heinlein, but this one includes Boy Scouts. Can an Earth Sc...
Episode 611: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 1)
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I begin to explore OLDTOWN FOLKS by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is a fascinating, almost modernist, novel about one man's memory of th...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 57: Gulf
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is this early 1940s Heinlein story doing in the 1950? In this episode I explore Heinlein's brief return to ASTOUNDING with "Gulf". Thanks, I hate...
Episode 610: Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Minister’s Wooing (Part 3)
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I finish up up look at Harriet Beecher Stowe's THE MINISTER'S WOOING. It finishes up much the way we expect. Overall, this novel is a ...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 56: Delilah and the Space Rigger
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the last of the GREEN HILLS OF EARTH stories (from the anthology, but not thematically), we explore the question of who is suited for space ex...
Episode 609: Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Minister’s Wooing (Part 2)
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of my review of THE MINISTER'S WOOING by Harriet Beecher Stowe we build out the world of post-Revolutionary New England with a closer look...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 55: Red Planet (Part 2)
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The finale of my review of Robert A. Heinlein's RED PLANET. I focus on the political aspects of the novel and the awesome portrayal of the indigenous ...
Episode 608: Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Minister’s Wooing (Part 1)
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I begin looking at Harriet Beecher Stowe's THE MINISTER'S WOOING, a novel about New England religion tied to a sentimental novel of lo...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 54: Red Planet (Part 1)
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the first half of my review of RED PLANET by Robert A. Heinlein. While I loved the "Green Hills of Earth" cycle, I cannot help but fee...
Episode 607: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Finale)
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The end of my five-part review of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Overall, I am very glad I finally read this excellent book. There are gr...
Episode 606: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Part 4)
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This section is the turning point in the story, where we see our hopes in the white characters end through their untimely deaths. It then take Tom (an...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 53: Our Fair City
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this small fantasy story, "Our Fair City", Robert A. Heinlein explores city politics and corruption through the adventures of a sentient whirlwind....
Episode 605: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Part 3)
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The middle sections of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe are some of the most interesting in the novel. Stowe is more intriguing with the con...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 52: The Black Pits of Luna
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Another Robert A. Heinlein Future History Story, "The Black Pits of Luna". The title and themes parallel "The Green Hills of Earth" quite well. With t...
Episode 604: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Part 2)
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part two of my review of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This section begins a deeper look at the religious and moral values Stowe was wor...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 51: Gentlemen, Be Seated
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Another Future History story by Robert A. Heinlein, "Gentlemen, Be Seated" explores the character of the humans who should venture into space. While i...
Episode 603: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Part 1)
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 of 5. This review will explore the themes and ideas of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe. While I have never read this book before, I ...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 50: The Long Watch
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A thematic sequel to SPACE CADET and "Ordeal in Space", this story explores the values of the Patrol and seems to be a testament to all the uncelebrat...
Episode 602: Narrative of the Life of J. D. Green a Runaway Slave (1864)
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The final slave narrative of this series in the mostly unknown story of the trickster slave J. D. Green. It is fun, brutal, and fascinating and maybe ...
Robert A.Heinlein Book Club: Episode 49: Ordeal in Space
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So TOWN AND COUNTRY published a very interesting Heinlein story called "Ordeal in Space" in 1948, which explores how we face and overcome trauma. A po...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 48: Space Cadet (Part 2)
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part two of my review of SPACE CADET by Robert A. Heinlein. Let's meet some Venerians and test the values of the Space Patrol when faced with the desi...
Episode 601: Harriet Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Part 2)
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The conclusion of my look at INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL by Harriet Jacob. This remains my favorite slave narrative and is in my view the mo...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 47: Space Cadet (Part 1)
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part one of my review of SPACE CADET. This should be a favorite of Next Generation fans and has some of the best work building in the Heinlein juvenil...
Episode 600: Harriet Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Part 1)
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps the best slave narrative, and certainly my favorite, INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL by Harriet Jacobs hits to the heart of the experien...
Episode 599: A Thousand Miles to Freedom (William and Ellen Craft’s Narrative)
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode contains my thoughts on the excellent slave narrative by William and Ellen Craft, detailing their escape from slavery and Georgia and how...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 47: Water is For Washing
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
No Robert A. Heinlein book club would be complete without the 1947 story "Water is for Washing". I almost forgot about it and probably will again soon...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 45: They Do It With Mirrors
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode includes my review of Robert A. Heinlein's short mystery story "They Do It With Mirrors." While it is not exceptional as a locked room my...
Episode 598: The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My review of the narrative of the life of Sojourner Truth, one of the more unique slave narratives of this era. A little less about slavery itself and...
Episode 597: Narrative of the Life of Henry Bibb (1849)
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We explore another excellent slave narrative with the work of Henry Bibb, whose narrative explores the trauma of being married in slavery and the diff...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 44: No Band Playing, No Flags Flying
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we come close to wrapping up our look at Heinlein's 1947 works, we look at a short and not so significant story showing Heinlein trying to define c...
Episode 596: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Frederick Douglass' amazing slave narrative probably does not need much of an introduction. Few works deconstruct all the myths of the Old South so ef...
Episode 595: The Confessions of Nat Turner
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While this is not quite a slave narrative, "The Confessions of Nat Turner" is testimony of one of the most famous American slaves (although the case c...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 43: Space Jockey
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Space Jockey" is another great science fiction story by Heinlein from 1947 published in the Saturday Evening Post. At the same time it is horribly qu...
Episode 594: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Part 2)
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The conclusion of my thoughts on the slave narrative by Olaudah Equiano. In my view, in this narrative he parallels the struggle against slavery with ...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 42: It’s Great to be Back
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"It's Great to be Back" is another 1947 Saturday Evening Post story by Robert A. Heinlein dealing with nostalgia for Earth and the human presence in s...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 41: The Green Hills of Earth
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this wonderful short story, Heinlein tells us the history of a blind working class space poet, who also caught the essence of Earth's identity in s...
Episode 593: Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1)
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The first of two episodes covering Olaudah Equiano's amazing slave narrative. It is a thematic. structural, and moral foundation of all other slave na...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 41: Columbus was a Dope
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this tiny story published in 1947 in STARTLING STORIES, Robert A. Heinlein explores the struggle for progress and how every generation builds off t...
Episode 592: Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I am back from my summer break and start with a look at slave narratives. First up is the strange but significant account by James Albert Ukawsaw Gron...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 39: Jerry Is a Man
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A great story by Robert A. Heinlein, "Jerry Is a Man" (1947) explores the nature of humanity, animal rights, and genetic engineering. It is hard not t...
Episode 591: Mark Twain: No 44: Mysterious Stranger
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I complete my look at Mark Twain with one version of "Mysterious Stranger" known as "No. 44: The Mysterious Stranger". The other versions have interes...
Episode 590: Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer, Detective
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A better novel than TOM SAWYER ABROAD, TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE by Mark Twain picks up as a sequel to THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. It also is a wi...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 38: Rocket Ship Galileo (Part 2)
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Nazis on the moon in part two of ROCKET SHIP GALILEO by Robert A. Heinlein. While it does not compare to some of the short stories and later juve...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 37: Rocket Ship Galileo (Part 1)
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The review of the first half of Robert A. Heinlein's ROCKET SHIP GALILEO, the first of his famous young adult novels. A rocket club gets a chance to g...
Episode 589: Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer, Abroad
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the short novel TOM SAWYER, ABROAD (1892), Mark Twain takes Tom, Huck Finn and Jim on a balloon voyage to Africa. In this episode are my thoughts o...
Episode 588: Mark Twain: The American Claimant
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1892, Mark Twain published a sequel of sorts to THE GILDED AGE called THE AMERICAN CLAIMANT. It goes back to an old theme Twain was fascinated by: ...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 36: Free Men
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Robert A. Heinlein Book Club, I look at "Free Men", an interesting and moralistic look at the duty of free men to resist author...
Episode 587: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 4)
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finale of my review of THE GILDED AGE by Mark Twain. While not one his most popular novels, I think this one deserves a read for its important themes ...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 35: A Bathroom of Her Own
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Robert A. Heinlein book club, I look at this odd little story "A Bathroom of Her Own," a non-science fiction tale of housing an...
Episode 587:Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 3)
04 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Now we need to deal with two sussy colonels in this novel? Colonel Sellers and Colonel Selby team-up to extract love and money from post-Civil War Was...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 34: Waldo
04 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap up our pre-war coverage of Heinlein's works with WALDO, a fitting story to complete the Anson MacDonald ASTOUNDING period of Heinlein's career...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 33: My Object All Sublime and Pied Piper (1942)
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I mostly look at Heinlein's short story "My Object All Sublime" but also mention "Pied Piper". These forgettable tales may have some t...
Episode 585: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 2)
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part two of my review of THE GILDED AGE by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. This part of the novel moves our focus to the national level and expo...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 32: The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"... Jonathan Hoag" is a great Robert A. Heinlein story that keeps getting me to think about and talk about Philip K. Dick. I loved it.
Episode 584: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 1)
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part one of my review of the underrated novel THE GILDED AGE, by Mark Twain and another guy. It is one of the most sturdy investigations into America'...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 31: Goldish Bowl
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Goldfish Bowl" by Robert A. Heinlein is almost a H. P. Lovecraft story. One of his best pieces of short fiction that I read from him.
Episode 583: Mark Twain: Following the Equator
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With this final episode on FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR, I finish up with Mark Twain's travel literature. Coming up is THE GILDED AGE and his later novels.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 30: Beyond this Horizon (Part 2)
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There is a lot happening in the second half of BEYOND THIS HORIZON by Robert A. Heinlein, but I skip over most of that to talk about Heinlein and the ...
Episode 582: Mark Twain: Following the Equator (Part 3)
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the halfway point of Mark Twain's FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR, we shift our focus to British India and the cultural changes and continuities in India und...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 29: Beyond this Horizon (Part 1)
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BEYOND THIS HORIZON by Robert A. Heinlein came out in early 1942 in ASTOUNDING. It is one of the best early Heinlein books and explores various themes...
Episode 581: Mark Twain: Following the Equator (Part 2)
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The part of Mark Twain's FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR that I discuss in this episode explores the British colonization of Australia and carries on many of th...
Episode 580: Mark Twain: Following the Equator (Part 1)
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I begin the final Mark Twain travelogue FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR. It is one of the greatest anti-imperialist texts of the 19th century, a...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 28: Elsewhen
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Elsewhen" (also known as "Elsewhere") by Robert A. Heinlein is another borderline fantasy story that explores the unrealized potential of human being...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 27: And He Built a Crooked House
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"... And Be Built A Crooked House" is a solid and fun story by Robert Heinlein, exploring the geography of four dimensions through the device of a tes...
Episode 579: Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad (Part 4, Conclusion)
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A bit of fatigue with these travelogues by Mark Twain hits me in this (one of my shortest) episodes. A TRAMP ABROAD descends into more simple tourism ...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 26: By His Bootstraps
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well, this one is a doozy. BY HIS BOOTSTRAPS is one of the best Robert A. Heinlein stories yet. A perfectly constructed time travel story that begs th...
Episode 578: Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad (Part 3)
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 of my review of Mark Twain's A TRAMP ABROAD tried to take a big picture look at this book and its significance among Twain's travel literature....
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 25: Sixth Column (Part 2)
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The second part of my review of SIXTH COLUMN by Robert A. Heinlein. It is a fascinating a troublesome book about race, religion, resistance, and techn...
Episode 577: Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad (Part 2)
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I continue to work my way through the works of Mark Twain with A TRAMP ABROAD. Mark Twain seems to be coming to terms with European nationalism and fo...
Episode 576: Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad (Part 1)
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We go back to the travel writings with Mark Twain's 1880 A TRAMP ABROAD. These are some of the funnest to read and some of the hardest to talk about b...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 24: Sixth Column (Part 1)
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This one (Robert A. Heinlein's SIXTH COLUMN) certainly leaves us with lots to talk about, including Pan-Asianism, technology, religion, and race. This...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 23: Lost Legacy
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's explore some Super science and posthumanism with Robert A. Heinlein's LOST LEGACY, a novella about the untapped potential of humanity and infilt...
Episode 575: Mark Twain: The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Part 4)
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I finish another book (Mark Twain's PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF JOAN OF ARC) and another volume of the Library of America. At this rate,...
Episode 574: Mark Twain: The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Part 3)
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Like in the previous episodes on THE PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF JOAN OF ARC by Mark Twain, I focus on what Joan of Arc can mean to us today. The book...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 22: Methuselah’s Children (part 3)
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I finish up my thoughts on METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN in this episode. Mostly, I talk about the tension between individualism and the community. If it were...
Episode 573: Mark Twain: The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Part 2)
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This part of the THE PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF JOAN OF ARC is about lifting the siege of Orleans, but I do not says much about that and instead contin...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Methuselah’s Children (Part 2)
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Here I take a look at part 2 of "Methuselah's Children" by Robert A. Heinlein. I spend most of the time trying to figure out what might be the key t...
Episode 572: Mark Twain: The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Part 1)
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do we owe our youth? Maybe we just owe it to get out of their way. In this episode I use JOAN OF ARC by Mark Twain to reflect on this question an...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Methuselah’s Children (Part 1)
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The first part of METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN by Robert A. Heinlein does a great deal of work in putting together the "future history" world and introduces ...
Episode 571: Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Part 3)
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the finale of my review of A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT, I explore technology, power and the chilling climax of the novel. This is o...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 19: ”We Also Walk Dogs”
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pay attention Hollywood, this episode on Heinlein's 1941 short story "We Also Walk Dogs" includes a pitch for the next hit TV series.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 18: The Logic of Empire
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Heinlein may always have been annoying, but it sort of triggers me in this one. In this episode I discuss "The Logic of Empire" (1941) and Heinlein's ...
Episode 570: Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Part 2)
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part two of my review of Mark Twain's A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT. I discuss mostly the points where reform hits the cultural wall, an...
Episode 569: Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Part 1)
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part one of my review of Mark Twain's novel CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING'S ARTHUR COURT. The first third of this book mostly sets up the hero and the se...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 17: Common Sense (1941)
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Common Sense" is Robert A. Heinlein's action-packed sequel to "Universe". While I do not find it quite as elegant a story as "Universe", I did enjoy ...
Episode 568: Mark Twain: The Prince and the Pauper (2)
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode includes part two of my review of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER by Mark Twain (1882). I discuss my concerns that Twain is making safe argumen...
Episode 567: Mark Twain: The Prince and the Pauper (1)
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part one of my review of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, an 1882 children's novel by Mark Twain. This classic role-swapping story is a window into American...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 16: Universe
12 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My review of Heinlein's 1941 story "Universe". While the first part of the story later published as ORPHANS OF THE SKY stands on its own, only with th...
Episode 566: Mark Twain: Roughing It (Part 4)
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The finale of my review of ROUGHING IT by Mark Twain. In the final chapters of this book Mark Twain moves on from Nevada to California and spends half...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 15: Magic, Inc.
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Magic, Inc." is a fascinating novella by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1940. It explores issues such as union power, technology, law, corruption, ...
Episode 565:Mark Twain: Roughing It (Part 3)
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After failing as a silver prospector, Mark Twain took up journalism. He discusses his early days on the beat in ROUGHING IT (1872). I discuss this and...
Episode 564: Mark Twain: Roughing It (Part 2)
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of my review of ROUGHING IT by Mark Twain, I find some of the most important commentary and observations on the betrayals at the heart of th...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 14: They
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In "They", published in 1941, Robert A. Heinlein takes on issues I am more used to talking about in my series on Philip K. Dick: conspiracy, shifting ...
Episode 563: Mark Twain: Roughing It (Part 1)
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I begin my look at one of my favorite Mark Twain books, ROUGHING IT (1872), an autobiographical exploration of life in the West in th...
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 13: Successful Operation
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I take a short look at a very short Heinlein story, "Successful Operation". It can be read a couple of ways and I am happy with both....