Books Undone
Some books are more than a simple story. They hide timeless themes and allegories full of meaning that are always worth discussing—but doing so requires dedication and keen eye for details. Join Australia-based author Livia J. Elliot as she deep-dives into the themework present on different pieces of speculative fiction to find what lays beyond the plot, decipher their invisible meaning, and reflect on their symbolism. If you are a fan of fantasy or sci-fi books, new or old, traditional or self-published, this is the show for you! Be mindful. Books Undone contains spoilers for the books discussed, which vary in each episode.
Episodes
This time, the Spotlight is on the Doctor of Cyberpunk himself, Ditmar award-winning author, and fellow Aussie, T.R. Napper. Today we're discussing his novella, Ghosts of the Neon God.
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FIND T.R. Napper: http://www.nappertime.com/
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> On Android: https://bit.ly/unearthedstories
In this episode, I discuss reading for world-building, as presented by Ada Palmer on her foreword for The Book of the New Soon. This is a short episode, and spoiler-lite.
Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
TRANSCRIPT: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2024/17-podcast-worldbuilding All the links are in the transcript here!
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It's time for another spotlight, this time featuring author C.B.Lansdell as we talk about her prequel novella, The Tidelings of Dras Sayve. We also touch some topics about her debut book Far Removed, but those are spoiler-free!
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FIND CB LANSDELL:
> All links: https://cblansdell.com/links/
> Far Removed: https://books2read.com/f...
The speculative element of Fantasy and SciFi makes them a remarkable medium to portray a variety of trauma. In this episode, I'm joined by authors Joshua Walker, B.S.H. Garcia (Bethany), and Calum Lott, alongside reviewer Kristen Shaffer to discuss a range of topics within this theme.
Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella: https://liviajelliot.com/
FIND THE AUTHORS:
> Joshua Walker: https://j...
Today, we're discussing another famous story from Jorge Luis Borges--Death and the Compass. If you're looking for an accessible Borges story, then this is it. My guests today are Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain) and Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker).
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READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES:
- On Android: https://...
In this episode, I discuss memory and truth as presented in Shadow & Claw, the first two volumes of The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe. This is quite a philosophical episode, and I really enjoyed shared it.
Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
TRANSCRIPT: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2024/16-podcast-shadow-and-claw/ All the links are in the tr...
Today, we're discussing the most Borgesian short-story Borges himself wrote—Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius. My guests today are Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain), José (from José's Amazing Worlds), Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), AP Canavan (aka, The Critical Drgaon), and Javier (from JamReads).
Join to my newsletter for bite-sized bookish deep dives: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
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In this episode, I answer Britton's question of Why are we so fascinated by tragedy? by discussing readers' perceptions of utopia and dystopia/grimdark settings. This is a short-spoiler-lite episode, but I still include some quotes from books as well as my own thoughts.
Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep dives: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
TRANSCRIPT: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2024/15-podcast-utopiav...
An interview with author B.S.H. Garcia about her prequel novellas From the Ashes and From the Depths, both of which are part of her epic fantasy series, The Heart of Quinaria. Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but only regarding the novellas.
If you want to get bite-sized deep-dives and prose analyses, join to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
FIND BETHANY: https://www.bshgarcia.com/
READ LIVIA...
Storytelling and world-building in TTRPGs, video-games, and books (especially fantasy and science) have a lot in common... but also enough difference to be a completely different experience for writers and readers/players alike. Join me in this episode as I chat with game master and writer Gregory Wunderling about key differences between both mediums.
Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives: https://liviajelliot.c...
In this episode, I discuss the five stages of human connections as presented in the novelisation of the famous videogame, Death Stranding. The discussion contains elements of both the books (it's a duology) and mechanics of the game. As usual, this is my subjective opinion, and may or may not be what Kojima (the creator) intended.
Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep dives: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
Today, I'll argue that the First Ideal of the Knight Radiants' Immortal Words can be interpreted according to the Stoic principles. As usual, this is my subjective opinion and may or may not be what Sanderson intended. Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but more importantly, what you will hear is my subjective opinion of it. You are allowed and entitled to disagree and differ.
Today's episode is Guests Talk #3, and we're chatting about The Library of Babel, a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. My guests today are Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain), José (from José's Amazing Worlds), Susana Imáginario (author of Timelessness series, and booktuber at Den of the Wyrd), and Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker).
Join to my newsletter for bite-sized bookish deep dives: https://liviajelliot...
Today we have another Spotlight! This time, I interview author Karl Forshaw about his fantasy debut book, Renia, part one of the Luna Ruinam series. Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but more importantly, they only cover Renia, and no subsequent books.
Wanna get bite-sized bookish deep dives? Join to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.com/newsletter/web/
FIND KARL:
- Purchase Renia @ Broken Binding: https:/...
Hello everyone, and welcome to Books Undone. I'm your host, Livia J. Elliot, and today we have another Spotlight. Alongside Varsha from ReadingByTheRainyMountain, we interview author Susana Imaginario about her slipstream mythological series Timelessness.
Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but more importantly, they only cover Timelessness, and NOT her upcoming book Oublié.
Hello everyone, and welcome to Books Undone. I'm your host, Livia J. Elliot and today we have our second Guest Talk, featuring a book that was a five-stars read for me. Rejoice, a Knife to the Heart by Steven Erikson... and yes, that's the author of Malazan Book of the Fallen.
The guests today are: Varsha from Reading by the Rainy Mountain, Jarrod from The Fantasy Thinker, Susana from Den of the Wyrd (and author of the Timelessness...
Hello everyone, and welcome to Books Undone. I'm your host, Livia J. Elliot, and today we will discuss "Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart" by Steven Erikson. It's a utopia, published in 2018 but written like classical scifi and verging on political philosophy. Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but more importantly, what you will hear is my subjective opinion of it. You are allowed and entitled to disagree and differ.
...
Hello everyone, and welcome to Books Undone. I'm your host, Livia J. Elliot. Today we are starting a new series--Authors Spotlight! Here, I interview authors to do deep-dives into the themes in their works... and we are starting with Joshua Walker, one of #thebreakins and debut author of The Rest of the Gods, a prequel novella to his world The Song of the Sleepers.
Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but more impo...
Hello everyone, and welcome to Books Undone. I'm your host, Livia J. Elliot, and today I have something new four you--the first Guests Talk of the podcast! In this series, I'll invite authors, reviewers, BookTubers and Bookstagrammers to join me on deep-dives of different books and stories, from short-fiction (like today!) to full novels.
Today, alongside Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain), José (from José's Amazing Worlds...
Hello everyone, and welcome to Books Undone. I'm your host, Livia J. Elliot, and today we will discuss Newspeak, the fictional language that is under development in the famous novel 1984, written by George Orwell. It's a classic dystopia, but it is so deep, that I couldn't fit it entirely in a single chapter... so today, we'll only focus on language-related elements.
Full disclosure: there are spoilers in this podcast, but more imp...
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