Geek's Guide to the Galaxy - A Science Fiction Podcast

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy - A Science Fiction Podcast

** Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks ** Host David Barr Kirtley, author of the book Save Me Plz and Other Stories, talks geek culture with guests such as Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Margaret Atwood, Richard Dawkins, Simon Pegg, Amanda Knox, Andrew Yang, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy has appeared on recommended podcast lists from NPR, The Guardian, Wired, The A.V. Club, BBC America, CBC Radio, WVXU, io9, Omni, The Strand, Library Journal, and Popular Mechanics. CBC Radio writes, "You may not think a podcast about science fiction and fantasy would be the place to go for political insight, but -- it is. Geek's Guide to the Galaxy manages to be more insightful about politics than many pundits." View a complete list of guests and topics at geeksguideshow.com/episodes/. Listen to the show on YouTube at youtube.com/@geeksguidetothegalaxy to easily skip ahead to our discussion of a particular movie or story.

Episodes

620. Stephen King Movies: Firestarter, Maximum Overdrive, Cell, Dreamcatcher

June 4, 2026 • 114 mins
Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Tom Gerencer join us to discuss the Stephen King movie adaptations Firestarter, Maximum Overdrive, Cell, and Dreamcatcher. Time stamps: Firestarter (3:25), Maximum Overdrive (28:21), Cell (58:52), Dreamcatcher (1:18:12). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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619. The Best of Vernor Vinge Part 1 Review (with Mercurio D. Rivera)

May 17, 2026 • 106 mins
Mercurio D. Rivera joins us to discuss Vernor Vinge’s classic novella “True Names” as well as the first nine stories in the book The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge. Stories Discussed: “Bookworm, Run!” (4:12), “The Accomplice” (14:55), “True Names” (20:17), “The Peddler’s Apprentice” (38:00), “The Ungoverned” (50:04), “Apartness” (1:00:52), “Conquest by Default” (1:07:04), “Long Shot” (1:16:08), “The Whirligig of Time” (1:24:09),...
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618. The Story of Fallout (with Chris Avellone)

May 1, 2026 • 60 mins
Chris Avellone, writer on Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, joins us to discuss the role of storytelling in the Fallout series of post-apocalyptic video games. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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617. Creatures of Light and Darkness by Roger Zelazny Review

April 13, 2026 • 83 mins
Andrea Kail, Tom Gerencer, and Rajan Khanna join us to discuss Roger Zelazny’s classic novel Creatures of Light and Darkness, about a cosmic war between godlike beings. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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616. The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson Part 2 Review (with Anthony Ha)

April 2, 2026 • 133 mins
Anthony Ha joins us to discuss the second half of the book The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson. Stories discussed: "The Translator" (1:38), "Glacier" (14:57), "The Lunatics" (27:34), "Zurich" (45:56), "Vinland the Dream" (58:34), "A History of the Twentieth Century, with Illustrations" (1:07:12), "Muir on Shasta" (1:19:14), "Sexual Dimorphism" (1:28:54), "Discovering Life" (1:41:03), "Prometheus Unbound, At Last" (1:45:11), "The Timpa...
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615. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Review

March 18, 2026 • 105 mins
John Joseph Adams, Rajan Khanna, and Christopher M. Cevasco join us to discuss Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new HBO series set 100 years before Game of Thrones. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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614. Jonathan Kay: Pluribus and Cancel Culture

March 5, 2026 • 122 mins
Jonathan Kay joins us to discuss Season 1 of the Apple TV+ series Pluribus, about an alien virus that transforms most of humanity into an extremely cheerful hive mind, and his book Panics and Persecutions, which explores some of the worst excesses of cancel culture. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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613. The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson Part 1 Review (with Anthony Ha)

February 25, 2026 • 118 mins
Anthony Ha joins us to discuss the first half of the book The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson. Stories discussed: “Venice Drowned” (10:53), “Ridge Running” (19:25), “Before I Wake” (26:55), “Black Air” (34:18), “The Lucky Strike” (44:23), “A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions” (55:29), “Arthur Sternbach Brings the Curveball to Mars” (1:09:15), “The Blind Geometer” (1:17:30), “Our Town” (1:25:25), “Escape from Kathmandu” (1:28:...
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612. David P. Silverman: Science Fiction and Atheism

February 7, 2026 • 63 mins
David P. Silverman, author of Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World, joins us to discuss his new science fiction novella Darkshiner. Topics discussed: David's childhood, Star Trek and Trekkies, science fiction conventions, Douglas Adams, atheism among sci-fi fans, persuasion vs. coercion, the idea behind Darkshiner, fiction like Darkshiner, AI collaboration, human editors, scientific accuracy, character names, co...
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611. Roadmarks by Roger Zelazny Review (with Tom Gerencer, Rajan Khanna)

January 28, 2026 • 103 mins
Tom Gerencer and Rajan Khanna join us to discuss Roger Zelazny’s classic novel Roadmarks, about a magical highway that runs through time and space. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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610. Megan McArdle, host of Reasonably Optimistic

January 7, 2026 • 63 mins
Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle joins us to discuss her favorite science fiction and her new podcast Reasonably Optimistic. Topics discussed: Robert Heinlein and libertarianism, working in book publishing, Lord of the Rings and Rendezvous with Rama, Peter Suderman and video games, Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu, Megan’s science fiction novel, the state of book publishing, explaining science fiction to women, Dune an...
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609. Stephen King Movies: The Running Man, The Long Walk, The Dead Zone, The Mist (with Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, Tom Gerencer)

December 23, 2025 • 125 mins
Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Tom Gerencer join us to discuss the Stephen King movie adaptations The Running Man, The Long Walk, The Dead Zone, and The Mist. Time stamps: The Running Man (17:44), The Long Walk (47:14), The Dead Zone (1:10:45), The Mist (1:30:20). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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608. The Best of Larry Niven Part 3 Review (with Mercurio D. Rivera)

December 15, 2025 • 100 mins
Mercurio D. Rivera joins us to discuss the last nine stories from the book The Best of Larry Niven. Stories discussed: “Flatlander” (2:06), “The Borderland of Sol” (17:15), “The Magic Goes Away” (31:40), “A Teardrop Falls” (44:00), “The Return of William Proxmire” (49:43), “Limits” (57:45), “Smut Talk” (1:07:21), “The Missing Mass” (1:12:35), “Cautionary Tales” (1:21:30). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over ...
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607. Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies: Timecop, Universal Soldier, Cyborg, Replicant (with Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, Tom Gerencer)

November 25, 2025 • 121 mins
Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Tom Gerencer join us to discuss the Jean-Claude Van Damme movies Timecop, Universal Soldier, Cyborg, and Replicant. Time stamps: Timecop (15:21), Universal Soldier (41:27), Cyborg (1:01:35), Replicant (1:19:53). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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606. Alien: Earth Season 1 Review (with Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, Anthony Ha)

November 12, 2025 • 111 mins
Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Anthony Ha join us to discuss Season 1 of the FX series Alien: Earth, a prequel to the classic films Alien and Aliens. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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605. The Best of Greg Egan Part 3 Review (with Anthony Ha)

October 27, 2025 • 114 mins
Anthony Ha joins us to discuss the last six stories from the book The Best of Greg Egan. Stories discussed: "Crystal Nights" (1:27), "Zero for Conduct" (19:18), "Uncanny Valley" (37:31), "Bit Players" (52:11), "3-adica" (1:05:17), "Instantiation" (1:19:51). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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604. The Best of Greg Egan Part 2 Review (with Anthony Ha)

October 8, 2025 • 103 mins
Anthony Ha joins us to discuss six more stories from the book The Best of Greg Egan. Stories discussed: “Silver Fire” (1:30), “Reasons to be Cheerful” (16:42), “Oceanic” (28:10), “Oracle” (44:19), “Singleton” (1:04:54), “Dark Integers” (1:16:32). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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603. The History of Sword & Sorcery (with Philip Gelatt, Morgan Galen King)

September 26, 2025 • 90 mins
Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, creators of The Spine of Night, join us to discuss the book Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword and Sorcery by Brian Murphy. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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602. The Best of Larry Niven Part 2 Review (with Mercurio D. Rivera)

September 10, 2025 • 101 mins
Mercurio D. Rivera joins us to discuss nine more stories from the book The Best of Larry Niven. Stories discussed: “Inconstant Moon” (1:34), “Rammer” (18:42), “Cloak of Anarchy” (27:42), “The Fourth Profession” (38:22), “Flash Crowd” (47:59), “The Defenseless Dead” (59:37), “Flight of the Horse” (1:15:55), “The Hole Man” (1:22:29), “Night on Mispec Moor” (1:28:32). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patre...
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601. Fantastic Fiction at KGB (with Matthew Kressel)

August 28, 2025 • 103 mins
Matthew Kressel joins us to discuss Fantastic Fiction at KGB, a monthly science fiction reading series in New York City. Support the Fantastic Fiction at KGB fundraiser over at www.gofundme.com/f/fantastic-fiction-reading-series-at-the-kgb-bar. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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