#533 – Octavia Butler's Ghost
From The Sword and Laser by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont
May 8, 2026 · 44 min · Episode 533
About this episode
The episode discusses the Hugo voting process, the return of the Guild, and the implications of defying a deceased author's wishes, alongside thoughts on 'Slow Gods' by Claire North.
The Hugo voting is open! The Guild is coming back! Is "best and most popular" actually fair? Is it right to defy a dead author's wishes? Tom risks Octavia Butler's ghost to explain. Plus, we share our opening thoughts on Slow Gods by Claire North. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Tom Merritt, Veronica Belmont
Topics covered
- Hugo voting
- Octavia Butler
- literary discussion
- Slow Gods
- authorial intent
- genre fiction
Keywords
- Hugo voting
- Octavia Butler
- Slow Gods
- Claire North
- literary debate
- genre fiction
- authorial intent
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Slow Gods
More episodes of The Sword and Laser
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- #534 - No Noox, Just Boox · May 22, 2026 · 43 min
- #532 - Chekhov's Dead Body · April 23, 2026 · 44 min
- #531 - Interesting Nacho · April 9, 2026 · 54 min
- #530 – You’re Pulling My Noodle · March 12, 2026 · 39 min
- #529 - Fuzzy Edges · February 27, 2026 · 58 min
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