We discuss Embassytown, China Miéville's weird science fiction novel about a colonial outpost confronted by sudden upheaval and insurgency. We get wrapped up in allegory, metaphor, and how living through crisis can sometimes be the only way to find the necessary language for survival. What is a Trotskyist? // October, Miéville's history of the Russian Revolution // untranslatable language and the conflation of the sign and the signifier // writing about colonialism without allegory // the Opium Wars // humans as similes // fantasy racism // The Festival of Lies // the latent violence of the colonial order // utopian uncertainty // the marks of insurgency on the body // the gestural nature of language // becoming politically activated // why read science fiction politically? // transformation through struggle // literacy and cognitionFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/unseenbookclubMusic by ex-official: https://exofficialexo.bandcamp.com/Art by Eli Liebman: https://elimack.weebly.com/Buzzsprout Instagram Music by Ex-Official Art by Eli Mack
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
NPR News: 12-08-2025 2AM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-07-2025 11PM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-07-2025 10PM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
Meidas Health: AAP President Strongly Pushes Back on Hepatitis B Vaccine Changes
08 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Democrat Bobby Cole Discusses Race for Texas Governor
07 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Fox News Crashes Out on Air Over Trump’s Rapid Fall
07 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast