DEATH // SENTENCE

We made it - the podcast's personal favourite Kazuo Ishiguro book, The Buried Giant. It turns out a book about memory and genocide is kind of relevant to the world today, but we set it as part of Ishiguro's grand project of showing how Britain is bad and should sink below the waves. Music by Planning for Burial Theme tune by Caina

Gareth and Eden explore Nisi Shawl's Everfair, a mostly successful attempt at writing better, less racist, and more "complete" historical fiction. Nuclear dirigibles, proto-socialist societies, cool knife-hands, and lots and lots (and lots) of character PoVs mix and mingle with geopolitics and complex racial identities! Music played: Knives - PHD https://knivesnoise.bandcamp.com/track/phd

Eden flies solo on this episode, diving deep into the masterful, subtle, and rich Growing Up Weightless by the criminally under-read and under-recognized John M. Ford. Lunar politics, coming of age, and weird interstellar drives clash in this unique, hard sci-fi bildungsroman! Music played: Changeling - Changeling https://changelingofficial.bandcamp.com/track/changeling

Langdon and Eden kick things off by discussing their favorite Metallica tracks and also how good Metallica really are. Then, they dive into Oliver K. Langmead's "Calypso", a beautiful, if limited, verse novel about terraforming, memory, personhood, and endings. Music played: Slave Agent - Forced to Suffer https://slaveagent.bandcamp.com/track/forced-to-suffer Grails - Silver Bells https://grails.bandcamp.com/track/silver-bells

The Kazuo Ishiguro season continues with maybe his least known, maybe his least liked work: Nocturnes. Sitting between the mega-hit Never Let Me Go and the critical blockbuster The Buried Giant, this book is often overlooked and, maybe, it kind of deserves to be? But first, we talk GAMING - specifically Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, because our woke Marxist schools taught us that everything is a text. Music by Hedvig Mollestad Trio, theme tune by Caina.

Are books... dangerous? A lot of people think so, from Moms For Liberty to the mostly-imaginary internet spectre of the censorious Puriteen. Lyta Gold joins us to talk about which books are most dangerous and which might be able to redeem the act of reading. Theme tune by Caina: https://cainaband.bandcamp.com/ Danger is our Patreon's middle name: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

Eden and Langdon both exist (maybe) and with this snippet of existence, they discuss the historiography of the Paris Commune on the left and suggest a proper position (empathy) towards its hopes and failures. Then, they discuss the beautiful and problematic "Five Ways to Forgiveness" by Ursula K. Le Guin, a short story suite about slavery, feminism, war and Hain. Music played: Object Unto Earth - Alas I Hop Along https://objectuntoearth.bandcamp.com/track/alas-i-hop-along Cave Sermon - Hopeless Magic https://cavesermon.bandcamp.com/track/hopeless-magic

Olga Tokarczuk's first book since winning the Nobel prize in Literature is deeply feminist folk-horror with more than a little influence from Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain. Is it just a fun ghost story or a warning about how the Male Loneliness Epidemic(tm) will end in tragedy. More importantly, does Langdon yearn for the production lines?

This time around, Langdon and Eden discuss what can be done in our personal lives, regardless of the potential for a revolution or any feelings of hope and despair. Then, they dive into the mesmerizing verse-prose of Jason Guriel's Forgotten Work, a novel in heroic couplets about the power of music, obsession, cult followings, and sick teleportation technology. Music played: Kyros - Esoterica https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQGbHdn_SJ0 Max Cooper - The Sun in a Box https://maxcooper.bandcamp.com/track/the-sun-in-a-box-2

One of the greatest fantasy epics of the 21st century ends here, with Alex Pheby's mind-bending Waterblack. We go in-depth into the trilogy and the surprising inspirations behind its central themes. Also, Skibidi Toilet. Music by Homeskin: https://homeskin.bandcamp.com/track/blood-to-disk Theme tune by Caïna: https://cainaband.bandcamp.com/

Ready to get DAMP? Sophie Sleigh-Johnson's Code: Damp explores fucked Anglo vibes through the work of sitcom legend Leonard Rossiter, star of Rising Damp and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. Buy it from Repeater Books here: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/code-damp-an-esoteric-guide-to-british-sitcoms/

Y'all ready to get DELEUZIAN? Victoria Brooks' Silicon God is a goopy, rhizomatic book about time mistresses from the future and a bunch of stuff that we definitely can't talk about here. Music by Phrenelith: https://phrenelith.bandcamp.com/album/ashen-womb

Why is Guan Yu so powerful? Which Universal Movie Monster tastes best? How can you get somebody to enjoy Brutal Death Metal? Will Communism win? Our audience has asked all of these questions and many more, and we tackle them all with our trademark professionalism and focus. Music by Wrekmeister Harmonies Theme tune by Caina.

Langdon is joined in the Wizard's Tower by Kayte Terry of Tender Subject and Jon Greenaway of Horror Vanguard to discuss Robert Eggers' tale of a Dracula trapped in a world he never made, looking for love in all the wrong places. Music by Ambrose Akinmusire

Langdon and Eden tackle linear time and how World War II, and its retellings, fit in with our cultural memories of the past. Then, they dive into the fragmented, gorgeous, and shocking Unknown Language, a tale shifting rapidly between alternative presents, futures, holy wars, love, and violence, all through the inimitable and kaleidoscopic lens of Hildegard von Bingen, Huw Lemmey, Bhanu Kapil and Alice Spawls! Music played: Tides From Nebula - Fearflood https://tidesfromnebulaofficial.bandcamp.com/track/fearflood-2 Pale - Almost Transparent Blue https://paleofband.bandcamp.com/track/almost-transparent-blue

Kazuo Ishiguro season keeps on truckin' into 2005's Never Let Me Go, perhaps his most widely read and equally widely loved novels. There are brain-donor clones drawing dank pepes, Ruth being a total b-word and -even though we are 100% anti-worldbuilding- some bad worldbuilding. Music by Skagos: https://skagos.bandcamp.com/album/chariot-sun-blazing

ENTER THE WIZARD'S TOWER with this episode in which we stretch the concept of a 'text' to breaking point by talking about a film- specifically 2024's The Substance. Joined by comedian Jake Flores and Tender Subject host Kayte Terry, will we survive the intricate mind maze of feminist discourse?

This time around, Langdon and Eden dive into the question of geo-political narratives and the stories we tell ourselves, specifically about the "American Century" and it's dubious decline. Then, they dive deep into Oh God, the Sun Goes, the debut novel by David Connor. State of mind, Pynchon-esque misconnections, hazy realities, and the power of the desert, combine into a flawed but highly moving book! Music played: Caelestra - Lightbringer https://caelestra.bandcamp.com/track/lightbringer The Great Old Ones - Me, the Dreamer https://thegreatoldonessom.bandcamp.com/track/me-the-dreamer

In the early 20th century Henri Bergson was a rockstar of philosophy, able to pack lecture halls and create the first ever traffic jam on Broadway. Today he's virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, and Dr. Emily Herring is aiming to fix that with her book Herald of a Restless World. Music by Lowen: https://lowen.bandcamp.com/album/do-not-go-to-war-with-the-demons-of-mazandaran-2

John Trefry's Massive is 764 pages of the densest post-everything literary noise possible, a monolith that you don't read, you move through. There's absolutely no way to describe it and it's brilliant. Buy it from Asterism here: https://asterismbooks.com/product/massive Music by Sunrise Patriot Motion: https://sunrisepatriotmotion.bandcamp.com/album/my-father-took-me-hunting-in-the-snow

This time around, Gareth and Eden are joined by Marijam Did to discuss her excellent research into the revolutionary and reactionary potentials, avenues, and practices of the video games industry! The three talk the COVID boom and bust, professionalizing esports as a practice of capitalism, and games under future communism! Music played: Solar Wimp - Enhanced Iconography https://solarwimp.bandcamp.com/track/enhanced-iconography

CW FOR BASICALLY EVERYTHING Charlene Elsby is one of the most renowned literary horror writers out there right now, and her two most recent books, the novel Violent Faculties (Clash Books) and short story collection (House of Vlad) are both incredibly intelligent and utterly horrific. Music by Gutless: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/high-impact-violence

This time around, Eden is joined by Kyle Winkler, author of Grasshands and, more recently, the cosmic horror, punk-infused, metal-slinging tale of a biker who refuses to go quietly. They talk violence, revenge, metal as aesthetics, and more! Music played: Dance with the Dead - Neon Cross https://dancewiththedead.bandcamp.com/track/neon-cross-feat-brandon-saller

Talia Lavin joins us to talk about her new book Wild Faith, on how the Christian Right is taking over America, but also raw milk, cruelty, demons and more. Also we declare Beef on another podcast. Music by MINTTT The power of Christ compels you to join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

Kazuo Ishiguro season keeps on truckin' to 2000's When We Were Orphans. After the divisive The Unconsoled, Kaz' is getting his groove back with this story of a gentleman detective who is so English that his brain doesn't work right. Music by Pig Destroyer and Streetfighter

Ever wanted to live out your worst impulses in America's sweaty armpit? Of course you have, and debut author Jillian Luft knows this. Her book Scumbag Summer is about failing to live up to your potential in Florida and it is glorious. Music by Full of Hell: https://fullofhell.bandcamp.com/album/scraping-the-divine Our Discord has often been called 'The Florida of Discords', and you can access it through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DeathSentence

Langdon and Eden travel to a future-past where TV hosts bring nations to their knees (hahahah oh god that's just our present) with Norman Spinrad's controversial (and excellent) Bug Jack Barron! But first, they discuss the fading power of debuts, early works, and the role of passion in art! Music played: Excuse - Sworn to the Crimson Oath https://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/track/sworn-to-the-crimson-oath Frozen Crown - War Hearts https://frozencrown.bandcamp.com/track/war-hearts

There are cars, hyperloops, even blimps - but no form of transport is better than the train. Gareth Dennis has been in the rail industry for a decade and hosts the podcast Rail Natter... and has been targeted by sleazy government officials after speaking up about safety. He joins us to talk about why trains are perfect, why hyperloop will never work and what we do to get a transport system that works. Music by Schammasch Chugga-chugga choo choo! The join our Patreon train has left the station: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

The Wizard's Tower emerges once more, this time gathering in its clutches Donald Ryan, author of Don Bronco's (Working Title) Shell! Meta-narrative, eggs (sort of), truth (not really), experimentation, and more! Music played: "I Cover the Mountaintop" by Elephant9 https://elephant9band.bandcamp.com/track/i-cover-the-mountaintop

Eden is joined by Adam C. Jones of the Acid Horizon podcast to discuss his upcoming book - The New Flesh: Life and Death in the Data Economy! The two discuss cybernetics, the human as battery, data flows as cybernetics, and the fall and fall of cyberpunk. Music played: Graveyard Addicted by Warpstone https://warpstone.bandcamp.com/track/graveyard-addicted

Langdon and Eden happily return to Vajra Chandrasekera's Rakesfall but first must unhappily return to the ongoing and intensifying genocide in Palestine. They discuss ideas that appear in both the book and our lived experiences of culpability, memory, storytelling, and future imaginaries as well as delay on the subject of hype and attention. Music played: Bedsore - Realm of Eleuterillide https://bedsoredeath.bandcamp.com/track/realm-of-eleuterillide Dungeon Crawl - The Arcane Temptation https://dungeoncrawlofficial.bandcamp.com/track/the-arcane-temptation

The Wizard's Tower appears out of the mist once more! This time, Langdon conjures forth Katye Terry of Tender Subjects to dive into The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew Sullivan. Homeliness, horror, DIY, and real estate mix within! Music played: Adorior - "Scavengers of Vengeance" https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/track/scavengers-of-vengeance

Langdon goes into the Wizard's Tower and summons Morgan Giles to discuss the expansive and fantastic The End of August by Yu Miri which Giles translated! Family, memory, loss, betrayal, and war are contained therein! Music played: Floating Points - Vocoder https://floatingpoints.bandcamp.com/album/vocoder

It's chaos configuration as Eden, Gareth and Langdon sit down to discuss the...sort of good and very hyped Between Two Fires! And also argue about dark fantasy, Dark Souls, and listen to some sick doom metal. Music played: The Flight of Sleipnir - North https://theflightofsleipnir.bandcamp.com/track/north

On this episode, Langdon and Eden are forced to tackle the so-called "Hegelian E-girl Council" and explain why they suck. While they tackle them. To the ground. Then, they talk about the tantalizing, subtle, and down-right inimitable The West Passage. Weird fantasy, even weirder honey, and the weirdest eldritch beings in the form of Ladies, plus all the occulted, esoteric lore you could crave. Music played: Oh Hiroshima - Swans In A Field https://ohhiroshima.bandcamp.com/track/swans-in-a-field Pinkish Black - Ashtray Eyes https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/track/ashtray-eyes

In this solo episode, Eden talks about the Arthurian myth and its weird potentialities by covering Lev Grossman's The Bright Sword. Gender-bending, political disorder, and why weird fantasy matters and, of course, sick ass swords and cool mage duels! Eden's essay on the political uses of science fiction: https://www.notthesky.com/posts/essays/the-men-who-sold-the-moon/ Eden's essay on The Green Knight: https://www.notthesky.com/posts/essays/the-knight-is-always-greener/ Music played: Meer - This Is the End https://meer.bandcamp.com/track/this-is-the-end

In this episode, Langdon and Eden discuss the merits, oddities, and uses of mediocrity before covering a mediocre, but fun, book from an excellent author, Roger Zelazny. Time travel, making fun of Hitler, zen koan martial arts, dinosaurs, and a lot of confused writing! Music played: Lie Heavy - Burn to the Moon https://lieheavy.bandcamp.com/album/burn-to-the-moon

We definitely didn't record this three months ago and only remembered to post this now! Langdon's computer definitely didn't die at the end! Stations of the Tide is DEFINITELY an excellent and weird book and Spring is definitely NOT the best season (that last part is true, actually)! Music played - BIG | BRAVE - I felt a funeral https://bigbrave.bandcamp.com/track/i-felt-a-funeral And So I Watch You From Afar - North Coast Megafauna https://asiwyfa.bandcamp.com/track/north-coast-megafauna

In Mobility, Lydia Kiesling really bildungs the heck out of a Roman. Bunny is a foreign-service brat who wants a conventional life and, spoilers, she gets one - but it's a conventional life while the oil industry and American imperialism kills the planet. Music by Orgone.

Babe, wake up, my new favourite book just dropped. Music by Sauna Youth.

Imagine The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and It. Okay, imagining that? Okay, now make it gay. Gayer. More gay than that. That's returning guest Gretchen Felker Martin's follow up to the masterful Manhunt. Music from Scarcity Find more half-human Cronenberg creatures on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deathsentence

This time around, Eden is joined by none other than Vajra Chandrasekera, author of The Saint of Bright Doors and Rakesfall! The two discuss time, history, anti-colonial and colonial violence, the legacy of Arthur C. Clarke in Sri Lanka, memory, scale, science fiction and the New Weird as a genre and so much more! Music played: Wormed - PROTOGOD https://wormed.bandcamp.com/track/protogod

This episode is titled FOUR because Langdon used it to talk to Eden about FOUR books. We have read too many books and all the Smart has leaked away. The books range over topics like psychosis, the death of art, idealism, hauntings, and introspection. You know, Death // Sentence things. The books are: The Passion According to GH - Clarice Lispector Agapē Agape - William Gaddis The Water Statues - Fleur Jaeggy Vertigo - W. G. Sebald Music played: Niftar - Cosmic Embryogenesis https://niftar.bandcamp.com/track/cosmic-embryogenesis

What if the real horror story didn't involve skeletons and boggarts and whatnot... what if the real horror was your boss? There is probably more to returning guest Jon Greenaway's book Capitalism: A Horror Story than that, but we mostly talk about how sick the Saw films were. Music by Valerian Swing

After 1989's masterpiece Remains of the Day made him a superstar, Kazuo Ishiguro returned in 1995 with the baffling, divisive The Unconsoled. James Wood said that it created a 'new category of badness' and... we kind of agree. Music by Tribulation and Krallice.

We're here at last - Langdon's journey through the work of Kazuo Ishiguro reaches one of his greatest novels and perhaps of the greatest novels of the past fifty years, Remains of the Day. Music by Enslaved. Would it please sir to visit our Patreon? https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

Langdon and Eden cover the weird, gothic, Catholic-horror, and unsettling Woodworm by Layla Martinez. But first, they do the unthinkable and wade into the discourse around Litvrgy. There, they discuss theosophy, the limitations and pitfalls of Litvrgy's ideas, but also the vicious instinct of the dogpile and the vociferous cycle of discourse. Music played: Vojdi - Godspeed https://vojdi.bandcamp.com/track/godspeed REZN - Indigo https://rezzzn.bandcamp.com/track/indigo

Elle Nash is back on the show to talk about her new book of bodies, babies and bugs, Deliver Me. We talk about parenting, YouTube, the life of a writer and making it in literature in the 2020s. Music by Winterfylleth All of our Patrons are our babies, and you can join them here to get access to our Discord and hours of bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

That's right, we have decided to open up the terrible portal called "The Internet" and ask our listeners some questions! They cover topics like non-metal music we like, books we wouldn't recommend, shows we would undo or prevent, and all sorts of other negations, recommendations, and inquiries. If you'd like to join us on Discord, we're here: https://discord.gg/ZNefUes85F. If you'd like to support us on Patreon, we're here: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence. Music played: Necry Talkie - Hokujouno Susume https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-qw9yRFOA Andrea von Kampen - Robin https://andreavonkampen.bandcamp.com/track/sister-moon

Ve believe in nothing Lebowski. Gareth has been trying to get Ray Brassier's Nihil Unbound since it came out, and in this episode he enlists Langdon to explain it to him. Will they take the Enlightenment to its ultimate conclusion? Will they understand the world through various oozes and gels? Will there be digressions? Yes. CW for discussion of suicide. Music by Ulcerate.

Spencer Sunshine joins us to talk about a book that is as cheery as his name suggests: it has Nazis, Industrial Music, Child P*rnography, Charles Manson, Neo-folk, Black Metal, At*mwaffen. It appears that the edgy Feral House guys of the 80s and 90s weren't ironic Nazis - they were Nazi Nazis, and Spencer has the receipts.