And so it begins...The Socialist Shelf Tolkien deep dive. The Shelfers begin an examination of the ultimate fantasy series, "The Lord of the Rings," starting with 1937's "The Hobbit" (not technically part of the trilogy but pretty darn important if you want to understand it.) We also talk about the life of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, a world-histori…

It's short, but it's important (to us!) Ahead of our next month of Tolkien deep-dive, we need another week to read and study. However, we did want to use this time to announce that Jacob is now querying for his novel, "They Called Her Rebel." "They Called Her Rebel" is a story about people power, fantastical revolution, and queer love. If you're in…

Alternate episode title: "Who Killed Captain Aleph?" The Shelfers get Zen as we dive into Ruth Ozeki's 2021 work of magical realism, "The Book of Form and Emptiness." This book has got it all: psych wards, nonbinary ferrets, anarchist goth GFs, Zizek in a wheelchair, disaster capitalism, Marie Kondo, ghostly fridge magnets...none of this is a joke …

It's time to talk about DUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Educator and sci-fi lover Trent returns to the show to discuss Frank Herbert's 1965 epic tale of spice, sand, and worms. The movies get talked about a good bit too (we loved them.) Can Paul Atreides see the dialectic itself? Why is Frank Herbert so scared of women? What is "good" power and what is "bad" po…

Right at the top: y'all need to get this book. You can find it here. Journalist and author Vincent Bevins joins the Shelfers to discuss his new book, "If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution." Topics of discussion: the need for organization during mass movements, Hunger Games GIFS, and V for Vendetta. Music by Solo Monk (@Sol…

Special thanks to THE Count Dracula for stopping by! This week we get into Leo Frankowski's 1986 sci-fi—let's not say "epic," exactly—"The Cross-Time Engineer," the story of the coolest, buffest, smartest, sexiest engineer that's ever lived (and TOTALLY isn't a self-insert power fantasy character of the author!!) What's the deal with creepy liberta…

This episode was delayed multiple times due to what is no doubt the curse of the ghost of Poe himself! This week we're discussing the life of famed American spook-smith, Edgar Allan Poe, with a particular focus on his short stories, "The Masque of The Red Death" and "Hop-Frog" Was Poe a tortured genius, or just some guy trying to get by? How do cla…

We're back with a Socialist Shelf author interview! This week we're talking to labor lawyer, long-time activist, and author of the book, "Fighting Times," Jonathan Melrod! Want to learn how to change the world through working-class organization? Jon is the man you need to hear from! He's an absolute fountain of wisdom. Don't miss this interview...o…

This is a fun one. Fantasy expert and professional hater Aysha U. Farah is back on the show to discuss C.S. Lewis' 1950 children's novel, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," though we really get into all of Narnia and spend a lot of time on its deeply fascinating author. Who was this odd, sometimes-brilliant, sometimes-foolish, always-insane a…

We're covering Tony Kushner's 2009 (and 2010, and 2011, and many-times-since-edited) play, "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures," which incidentally could also be the name of this podcast. Joining us is beloved theater-enjoyer, A.J. Ditty from The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast! Together…

It's 2024...new year, new books, a new name...the same, classic socialist spirit. We're talking about Francis Spufford's 2010 historical fiction...novel? Short story collection? Something like that... "Red Plenty." Come for the history of the first worker state, stay for the discourse on whether or not smoking is sexy. We both continue to remain de…

It's our last episode of 2023...so let's end it on something we all know and love, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin! What is it about this little story that gets inside people's heads? Is Omelas basically just the story of Jesus? Can you reform a system built on child misery? (I'll go on and answer that one: no.) For more t…

Yeah. The dog dies. This week we're discussing Paolo Bacigalupi's sci-fi short story, "The People of Sand and Slag." There's a lot of sand, there's a lot of slag. There's not a lot of joy, but we and our fantastic guest from Podside Picnic, Karlo Yeager Rodríguez, manage to find it where we can. They haven't managed to write a story yet that can de…

Not all is well in the town of Salem...or Washington for that matter. Join the Shelfers as we dive into Arthur Miller's 1953 not-so-subtle-allegorical play, "The Crucible" Topics of discussion: McCarthyism, religious hypocrisy, Marilyn Monroe, and Jacob playing Judge Danforth in high school. We are doing shout-outs to anyone who donates to PSL Atla…

It's a lesser-known series...you probably haven't heard of it. Today the shelfers take on Matthew Stover's 2005 novelization of "Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith," the novel that asks the dangerous question of what would happen if you made ROTS... good? Enjoy us diving into the concept of Star Wars legends, criticize Yoda for undialectical thinki…

Joss reads the entire thing at the opening so you have no excuse not to absorb this text (unless you just don't want to in which case...fair) This week we discuss French philosopher Albert Camus' 1942, essential absurdist work, "The Myth of Sisyphus." You might have heard this one before, it's where the guy is happy despite his whole rock situation…

History may have gone entirely differently, but the music of Bruce Springsteen is eternal... Today we explore the alt-history dystopia of Koushun Takami's, 1999 novel, "Battle Royale." This one's a little more intense than Fortnite. What does "successful fascism" look like? Why is the genre of kids murdering each other so lucrative? Will Koushun Ta…

Folks welcome to the episode where we debut our BRAND NEW THEME SONG!!!!! Massive shout-out to Solo Monk for putting it together. Please go give him a follow on Twitter @SoloMonk256, on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/tsalcollective But we do have an episode today outside the music. We're di…

It's existential horror time!! This week we get into Victor LaValle's 2016 novella, "The Ballad of Black Tom," a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's shockingly racist (and honestly boring) short story, "The Horror at Red Hook." And yes, we read the original short story too so you don't have to. The Shelfers discuss Lovecraft adaptions that deal with his …

Jacob fails to read poetry, Joss makes bad jokes, we have a cool guest, and we released the episode two days late...honestly, it's the platonic ideal of a Socialist Shelf episode. This week we're talking about J.D. Salinger's 1951 rant of a novel, "Catcher in the Rye." Joining us is writer, game developer, and professional Holden Caulfield defender…

Let's. Get. Edgy. Step into (even more) fascistic London in Alan Moore's classic 1982-1985 graphic novel, "V for Vendetta." What makes Moore such a remarkable creator? How do repressive regimes give birth to their own destruction? How brutal must a revolution be? Also...what's the deal with anarchism? Art from the graphic novel, music by Kevin MacL…

Some are calling it THE literary classic. This week the boys get into "My Immortal," a notorious 2006-2007 Harry Potter fan fiction by the user known as XXXbloodyrists666XXX. What makes a bad fanfiction so magical? Why are so many preps flaming our podcast? What can we learn from the earnestness of online fiction...plus, some young Jacob and Joss l…

We're back and holding Rich Devos accountable. This is the second half of our conversation on "Compassionate Capitalism" and "Ten Powerful Phrases" by Amway founder and rightwing billionaire Rich Devos. In this half we really tear into the cult of toxic positivity, discuss dialectics the Devos way, and Jacob gets REAL heated about the idea that God…

It's time to learn more than we ever wanted to about Amway founder and general rightwing psycho, Richard Devos.Josh Boerman from Worst of All Possible Worlds returns to the podcast to discuss Devos' self-help book/manifestos "Compassionate Capitalism" and, to a lesser extent, "Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People." They're some doozies, folks.W…

Welcome back to the cyber-adrenaline rush that is Neal Stephenson's, "Snow Crash!" The Shelfers team up with Kurt Schiller of Podside Picnic and Blood Knife Magazine to get to the bottom of age-old questions like: how do you handle a guy who has a nuclear bomb strapped to his motorcycle? (and other stuff like that) Check out Kurt's work at https://…

We're going to the distant, wild, far-flung cyberpunk future of the early 2000s...as seen from the early 90s. Yep, we're talking about Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction/action/dystopian/satirical/straight-up-badass novel, "Snow Crash." Joining the Shelfers to discuss is editor of Blood Knife Magazine and member of Podside Picnic, Kurt Schiller…

EMBRACE THE IMMORTAL SCIENCE OF MARXISM-LENINISM-LEVONISM!!!! We're back with Sydney to finish out this trudge through what I assume has to be Ben Shapiro parodying himself: "True Allegiance." This book is bad. It's so so so so bad. Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode art is of a random child who tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he looked cool in…

UGGHHHHHH That more or less summarizes our reaction to "True Allegiance," Ben Shapiro's work of fiction that repeatedly, incessantly, infuriatingly, asks over and over and over: "Have you considered wokeism might be at the heart of our problems?" No Ben, we haven't. Joining us is cringe-fiction expert and Jacob's spouse, Sydney, to really get into …

It's our first repeat author! Get ready to discuss the short stories, "Bloodchild," "Amnesty," and "Book of Martha" by the Queen of science fiction, Octavia Butler. Joining us is noted sci-fi enthusiast, drip-king, and all-around-cool-guy, Aaron Thorpe! How does one sanitize literally being eaten alive? Why is the internet into botflies? What would…

It's the week of interviews, and we're back with another fantastic one...this time with legendary socialist writer, thinker, and enjoyer of good fiction, Vijay Prashad! Hear Vijay's thoughts on superhero films, the (super)power of organizing, how mass media reveals the insecurities of the ruling class, and how anti-capitalist fiction can become rev…

We enjoyed his book, "American War," and in this episode, we got a chance to enjoy speaking to the author! Listen to acclaimed writer and journalist Omar El Akkad chat with the Shelfers about climate change, the dangers of American individualism, his writing process...and then even more about climate change. You're not required to scroll back and l…

Y'all know what's up: it's Kim Stanley Robinson's climate fiction smorgasbord, "The Ministry for the Future!" REVOLUTIONARY OPTIMISM!!!!!!!! Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode art is of KSR himself

"Jacob...Joss...do y'all talk about nothing but bleak books anymore? I'm getting tired! I'm getting depressed." Never fear listeners, it's time to talk about Kim Stanley Robinson's positive, anti-dystopian work of climate fiction, "Ministry for the Future." Questions we consider: What will spur the working masses of the world to action? What role d…

"First of all, I don't want to hear the word surrender..." We're back with more dystopia! "American War" by Omar El Akkad continues to deliver with discussion of life as a refugee, island torture facilities, and economies strangled by war...sound familiar? The chickens are coming home to roost. With us is delightful guest, Josh Boerman, helping us …

What if everything was bad...and then it got worse...and then it kept getting worse...and everything generally stayed bad forever? That's what Omar El Akkad tackles in his work of climate fiction, "American War," and that's what the Shelfers are here to discuss. But wait! Joining us is noted apocalyptician and student of declining empire, Josh Boer…

Part 2! Welcome back to the godless wasteland roamed by the Glanton Gang. We, along with our guest, Drew Mason, will be your guides. We're talking more about Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." In this episode, we ask how the Judge Holdens of the world can be fought, try to puzzle out just what that epilogue is talking about, and give a send-off to…

Everybody's favorite dirt mage, Drew Mason, is back to talk with us about "Blood Meridian" by the recently late, forever great, Cormac McCarthy. What does the Western (or in this case, anti-western) teach us about the foundations of the United States? What is the truth behind this nation's founding myths? Can we have an episode even darker than our…

No poetry for this episode summary, just appreciation for Tamsyn Muir's blast of a novel, "Gideon the Ninth." How does the internet intersect with Millennial and Gen Z art? How much lore is the right amount of lore? Is romance dead? (Spoilers, it's not.) Also, here's a link to a really good interview between Three Crows Magazine and the author. If …

Two for the stories reread in our dreams Three for the prose we remember in memes Four for the books that we both recommend Five for the ones where we're glad for the end Six for the classics debated to death Seven for those that have wasted our breath Eight for the novels inspiring our stuff and Nine for the pod and for all of its scuff (P.S. Sorr…

"Stop reading this! It's too awful!" our brains cry. "No," we reply, as we sink further into madness. Yep, we're back with more of "The President is Missing" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. How do reactionary politics work hand-in-hand with liberalism? What is Joss' personal lore with Bill Clinton? How do you create the world's most annoying v…

Bill Clinton wrote a novel, y'all...Yes, that Bill Clinton. Join us as we slowly lose our minds trying to crawl through the nightmare that is "The President is Missing" by James Patterson and former U.S. President, Bill Clinton. We'll be answering such questions as: "Can a former President still be deeply insecure?" (Yep.) and "Can liberalism save …

We're back with more of Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war sci-fi classic, "Slaughterhouse-Five" ft none other than known Vonnegut-head, TRENT. In this episode, we talk more about the fate of poor old Edgar Derby, discuss what makes Paul Lazarro the perfect American hero, and ask ourselves...is Billy Pilgrim the Muad'Dib? Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode cove…

We've got another guest, folks. You know him, you love him, it's the legend himself...TRENT (a college buddy of Jacob's) It's time to hop into Kurt Vonnegut's classic, semi-autobiographical work science fiction, "Slaughterhouse-Five." What makes for a "just war," and is that even a thing? What's the deal with all these buff, homoerotic British offi…

It's what you've been waiting for, folks: the GAMING portion of Liu Cixin's sci-fi headscratcher, "The Three-Body Problem." Okay, okay, there's more than gaming. We've got political intrigue, we've got nano-violence, we've got existentialism, we've got futuristic internationalism...and more. Plus, our Netflix-based plan to prevent World War 3. Epis…

We're back...and yes I mean *we.* After a three-week hiatus, Joss has returned to the program. And we're talking Liu Cixin's hard sci-fi puzzle-box, "The Three Body Problem." How did this distinctly Chinese work of fiction manage to capture the hearts of so many in the West? What do the Chinese Cultural Revolution and gravitational currents have in…

Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. Good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason.Jacob and Mason are back this week to finish our discussion on Upton Sinclair's 1906 work of political horror (Aka the life of a member of the hyper-exploited working class) "The Jungle."What does capitalism do to the h…

Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. The good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason. Listen to Jacob and Mason chat about "The Jungle," the 1906 work of political fiction by Upton Sinclair. What would the Biblical story of Job look like in early 1900s Chicago? What's changed, what's stayed the same…

Welcome back to Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park! Should we reject Marxism and instead embrace Malcolmism? How do billionaires deal with failure? Where did Costa Rica get their air force? Will Joss become a mammoth? All your burning questions are answered! Music by Kevin MacLeod. Cover art from the novel's first edition cover.…

We had a weeklong hiatus but now we're back at it! It's time to talk bioengineering, it's time to talk irresponsible research, it's time to talk chaos theory, it's time to talk about Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park!! Music by Kevin MacLeod. As for the episode art...you already know who it is and where it's from.…

Your favorite apocalypticians are back on the case of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins' attempt to add a 67th book to the Bible: Left Behind. We discuss the epidemic of boring evangelical characters, rip on Jenkins' writing a little (okay, a lot), and dream up what a "good version" of this book might look like. Most importantly, we look into the nih…