Fuligin Snuggie

Telekinetic necromantic erotic cannibalism, you say? Sounds like our kind of party! Join us as we read chapters 10 & 11 of Claw of the Conciliator and finally encounter the mysterious alzabo! Well, the special juices from its glands, that is. Now that we're getting into the meat (hehe) of this arc, how will Severian react when brought to the weirdest dinner party of all time? Will he be able to handle this feast for the... sens...

Warning! While we usually give a broad content warning at the beginning of each episode, we thought we'd give a particular warning for this one considering current events. After our chapter discussion, we talk quite a bit about transphobia, and in his writing Wolfe repeatedly uses a transphobic slur. If this is something that will cause you distress, you can either skip this episode or peace out during the break. Please take care o...

It is the hosts' opinion that Severian should be tied up and unmasked by Scooby & The Gang-- if only they could help us untangle these chapters! Join us as we read chapters 5, 6 & 7 of The Claw of the Conciliator and encounter some of the (we keep saying this) most twisty chapters we've read to date. Is Wolfe actually doing something brave and daring here, or have we lost the plot entirely? Probably both! At least Severian'...

Turns out, pond scum gives you psychic powers! Alas dear listener! We are back to tell you that we are having a good time! Join us as we read chapters 4 & 5 of Claw of the Conciliator and discuss some of our favorite passages so far. There's a cryptic green man! A murder mystery! Ominous liturgy! And, most excitingly, Hethor's back, baybee!

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Our second season begins most auspiciously with a very dated conversation about House of the Dragon (more time travel! woohoo!) and a trip to 4chan to see how Book of the New Sun ranks among literature's other luminaries. We then begin our reading of Claw of the—ahem, Cwaw of the Conciwiatow with some deliciously spooky scenes. Despite our ongoing struggles with Severian as a narrator, are we actually having a really good time? Lat...

We're not in Nessus anymore, Triskele! Lions and tigers and good writing, oh my! Grab your hot chocolate, favorite plushie, and legally-distinct blanket wrap, and join us as we journey once more into Strange Birds, Wolfe's delightful little short story collection inspired by the work of Lisa Snellings-Clark. While our protagonist Tom heads off to the stars, we'll dive into our opinions about how Wolfe's later short story writing co...

A bonus episode? In THIS economy?? Hello dear listeners! We're BACK after our long hiatus for yet another adventure! Before we rejoin Severian and dive back into the world of Book of the New Sun, we're going to instead step foot into the most haunted place in the midwest, Gene Wolfe's imagination, and explore a story that... we really like?? Jumpscare! Join us for a part-storytime part-discussion frolic into Wolfe's rare short stor...

We have been saving this pun all season! Please clap for our pun game! Join us as we recap Shadow of the Torturer and discuss House of the Dragon, obviously! Oh, and our Goodreads star ratings, our impressions of how the book works (or doesn't work) as a whole, and that most central of questions: does the second reading pay off?? Later, we make up for all of our past failures and imagine how we would fix this most tricky of books.

It's over! It's done! Join us as we read chapters 34 & 35 of Shadow of the Torturer and finally finish book one of The Book of the New Sun series. What awaits us here at the end of all things? A beautiful woman (who we are not supposed to like), a boring robot (who we are supposed to like), and our favorite freak Hethor! Later, we ascend the heights of literary society and see what the luminaries of Goodreads have to say about ...

Warning!! If you don't want to hear a colonoscopy story (lol) skip to 10:00.

You heard it here first folks, Severian went to the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Join us as we read chapters 32 & 33 of Shadow of the Torturer and learn about Severian's own techniques and goals as a writer, what the "Key to the Universe" might be, and why torturers don't go to the doctor. Later, we ask which attachment is greater: the attachment to the pers...

Can True Crime Fans be fun, actually? Thanks to one freaky little guy, we think so! Join us this week in wading through chapters 29, 30, and 31 of Shadow of the Torturer, perhaps the bleakest and most wearying stretch of the novel so far. To keep the existential dread at bay, we take a few exciting detours into The Silmarillion, breaking evolutionary news, and recent cinema.

Also, please welcome our special guests, 5 million airplan...

Is Dark Souls the Gene Wolfe of video games? Is Severian the Dark Souls of people who suck? We answer these pressing questions and more in our discussion of chapters 25 & 26 of Shadow of the Torturer, in which Severian tells us why dueling is cool (eugenics), Dorcas makes a reasonable suggestion, and once more we are treated to some batshit ideas about gender. Then we discuss 9/11 (!!!) before journeying to that ever-flowing fo...

Say hello to our special little aryan princess! Can an uwu baby bwain widdle gworl be a legitimate love interest? Apparently yes! Does this have sinister implications? Of course! Join us as we read chapters 25 & 26 of Shadow of the Torturer and get into some truly baffling narrative choices as well as some even more baffling diatribes on women. Later, we turn once more to reddit to understand just who Dorcas is and what the hel...

What awaits Severian in the Garden of Endless Sleep? Join us as we read chapters 22, 23, & 24 of Shadow of the Torturer. While Severian cruises the Lake of Birds for hot GILFS, we attempt to untangle Severian's twisty family tree, the philosophical implications of the observer effect, and Terminus Est (which has become stuck in some water weeds). As we do that, we also finally meet Dorcas and wonder, is Severian at all capable ...

We're going on a field trip! Join us as we read chapters 20 & 21 of Shadow of the Torturer and visit Father Inire's mysterious and fantastical Botanic Gardens. Inside, we'll encounter venomous beasts, otherworldly mirror-fish, and racism! Later, we take a deep dive into who and what, exactly, Father Inire is supposed to be. As always, we turn to the eternal wisdom of Reddit to find out. (Also, some birds outside Will's window d...

What happens when you let a hot young woman draw you in to a dangerous drag race across a crowded city? You kick off a highly coincidental sequence of events which eventually lead to the end of the world as we know it! Join us as we read chapters 18 & 19 of Shadow of the Torturer and tag along with one of our favorite characters as she turns this plot upside down. Ft. an all-time classic freudian slip when AD says 'musical' ins...

Uh oh, somebody's horny, and his name starts with S! :/ In which Severian promises to meet up with Dr. Talos & Co. later, but totally bails (#relatable). Don't worry, he finds a much more interesting character to follow around! Join us as we read chapters 16 & 17 of Shadow of the Torturer and examine how Severian's ~unquenchable thirst~ relates to Wolfe's depictions of race and gender in the Commonwealth.

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In this freewheeling discussion of chapters 15 & 16 of Shadow of the Torturer, we and Severian begin to explore the wide world outside the Torturer's Guild. On the way we encounter a big anime sword, Wolfe's disgust for innkeepers and poor people, a giant named Baldanders, and too many allusions. Come for the weird old songs, stay for the extended digression on Moby Dick.

Brought to you by AD & Will.

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Who would you cast in your dream Book of the New Sun movie? While we answer this unimaginably difficult question, Severian and The Guild have some difficult choices of their own to make. Join us as we read chapters 12 & 13 of Shadow of the Torturer and get into some of our favorite chapters thus far!

Also, apologies for the weird inexplicable background thumping in this episode?! Thankfully it mostly clears up after the firs...