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Estimated from 3 chart positions in 3 markets.
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- 🇳🇿NZ · Science Fiction#913K to 10K
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2K to 8K🎙 ~2x weekly·25 episodes·Last published 5d ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
4K to 16K🇳🇿63%🇮🇪19%🇿🇦19% - Active Followers
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1.6K to 6.4K
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On the show
Recent episodes
Didactic Fiction ft. Vajra Chandrasekera, Samantha Mills, and Gregory A. Wilson
May 15, 2026
Unknown duration
In Praise of Difficult Women ft. Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Apr 15, 2026
Unknown duration
Amazing Stories 100th Anniversary ft. Steve Davidson, Kermit Woodall and Lloyd Penney
Mar 15, 2026
Unknown duration
Charles R. Saunders ft. Jon Tattrie
Feb 15, 2026
Unknown duration
Editing Roundtable ft. Alexandra Pierce and Josh Wilson
Jan 15, 2026
Unknown duration
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/15/26 | Didactic Fiction ft. Vajra Chandrasekera, Samantha Mills, and Gregory A. Wilson | Welcome to our new season! To celebrate, we’re kicking it up a notch by holding an all-star roundtable of some truly incredible writers. Vajra Chandrasekera, Samantha Mills, and Gregory A. Wilson join us to discuss didactic genre fiction. Is it a skill problem? Is it a media literacy problem? Can you hammer home a message without alienating (sorry/not sorry) your audience?We're nominated for an Aurora Award for Best Fan-Related Work!Check out the ballot (and consider casting a vote for us) at the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.Show Notes:Vajra's websiteSamantha's websiteGregory's websiteGuillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein)Dante’s InfernoKatabasis, R.F. KuangRabbit Test, Samantha MillsA Sound of Thunder, Ray BradburyDune, Frank HerbertThe Witcher, Andrzej SapkowskiLe Roman de SilenceFrom the Notebooks of Doctor Brain, Minister FaustThe Time Machine, H.G. WellsIsland of Doctor Moreau, H.G. WellsStar Trek TOS: Let That Be Your Last BattlefieldOne star review of Pride and PrejudiceWorld Bank literacy statsGrendel, John Gardner | — | ||||||
| 4/15/26 | In Praise of Difficult Women ft. Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Genre fiction is full of strong, independent women, badass heroines, brave Final Girls, and virginal princesses. Frankly, we’re getting a little sick of it? For our season finale, with us to discuss difficult women is the queen of messy, complicated, and antiheroic female protagonists herself, the legendary Silvia Moreno-Garcia!Show NotesSilvia's websiteSilvia's Instagram and ThreadsSignal To Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (find out why Rachel is correct and all of the Goodreads reviewers are wrong)Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-GarciaCountess by Susan PalumboUnknown Number: The High School CatfishRachel’s Problematic FavesBellis Coldwine (The Scar by China Miéville)Baru Cormorant (The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickson)Essun (The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin)Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Nate Stevenson)David’s Problematic FavesMorgan Le Fay (Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory)Cersei Lannister (A Song Of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin)Jadis (The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis)Silvia’s Problematic FavesEleanor and Theodora (The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson)Constance and Merricat (We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson)Everything by Tanith LeeRebecca and Rachel (Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier)Emma Bovary (Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert)Are they genre? Nah, but we still love themCass Neary novels by Elizabeth HandGone Girl by Gillian FlynnWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëThe Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia HighsmithLolita by Vladimir NabokovWashington Square by Henry JamesAnna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy | — | ||||||
| 3/15/26 | Amazing Stories 100th Anniversary ft. Steve Davidson, Kermit Woodall and Lloyd Penney | We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Amazing Stories Magazine. It started way back in March or April, of 1926, depending on who you ask. With us to talk about the magazine's past, present, and maybe even the next hundred years, are its publishers and editors: Steve Davidson, Kermit Woodall and Lloyd Penney.Show notes:Amazing Stories Magazine onlineWikipedia's entryGalactic CentralSF Encyclopedia | — | ||||||
| 2/15/26 | Charles R. Saunders ft. Jon Tattrie | Charles R. Saunders was a Halifax journalist and, with his Imaro novels, the founder of the "sword and soul" genre and a Black Canadian literary icon. When he died in obscurity in 2020, journalist Jon Tattrie joined fans worldwide to uncover where he was buried, commemorate his life, and bring him the prominence he deserved. For Black History Month, we're joined by Jon to tell us about Charles' remarkable career and his new biography, To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy.Show Notes:To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy by Jon TattrieWrite Now with Jon TattrieThe New Moon’s Arms by Nalo HopkinsonThe Broken Earth by N.K. JemisinThe Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia SamatarInterview With the Vampire (2022-)BladeStar Man’s Son by Andre NortonSkin of the Sea by Natasha BowenAnnaka by Andre FentonDark Fantasy zineJaycen Wise URAEUSMshindo I. KuumbaCharles in the CSFFA hall of fameCharles R. Saunders' select biography:Imaro (1981) Second Edition (2006) Third Edition (2014)The Quest for Cush (1984) Second Edition (2008)The Trail of Bohu (1985) Second Edition (2009)The Naama War (2009)Nyumbani Tales (2017)Dossouye (2008)Dossouye: The Dancers of Mulukau (2012)Other novelsDamballa (2011)Abengoni: First Calling (2014), fantasy novelNon-fictionSweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace (1990)Spirit of Africville (1992)Share & Care: The Story of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children (1994)Black & Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community (2002) | — | ||||||
| 1/15/26 | Editing Roundtable ft. Alexandra Pierce and Josh Wilson | Magazines and journals have been a foundational part of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror since the very beginning and provide us with the stories, art, and critical analysis that keep the genre vibrant. These collaborations are a labour of love and the lifeblood of the literary scene. With us to talk about the work of editing and producing them are two rising stars in the field, Josh Wilson, editor of The Fabulist, and Alexandra Pierce, editor of Speculative Insight.Show Notes:The FabulistThe Fabulist on BlueskyThe Fabulist on InstagramSpeculative InsightSpeculative Insight on BlueskySpeculative Insight on InstagramLetters to TiptreeLuminescent ThreadsRadon JournalClarkesworldkhōréōTrollbreath | — | ||||||
| 12/15/25 | Postcolonialism in SFFH, ft. Suzan Palumbo | The famous introduction to Star Trek lays out the mission of the Starship Enterprise: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before! Later on, they changed it to be more inclusive—where no one has gone before. But the fundamental problem remains—if no one has gone there, what exactly are all those new civilizations? Could science fiction and fantasy have a colonialism problem? With us to discuss this thorny issue and the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers challenging Eurocentric assumptions is Suzan Palumbo, author of Countess and co-founder of the Ignyte Awards.Show notes: Suzan's BlueskySuzan's Instagram2024 Nebula Awards shortlistStelliform PressReading list: “The Butcher of the Forest” by Premee Mohamed“The Tusks of Extinction” by Ray Nayler“Lost Ark Dreaming” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa“Countess” by Suzan Palumbo“The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain” by Sofia Samatar“The Dragonfly Gambit” by A. D. Sui“Green Fuse Burning” by Tiffany Morris“We Speak Through the Mountain and “Annual Migration of Clouds” by Premee Mohamed“Blackheart Man” by Nalo Hopkinson | — | ||||||
| 11/15/25 | How to Write a Kick-Ass Fantasy Battle ft. Suzannah Rowntree | Anyone who’s ever written fantasy has faced this problem: You have hit the point of conflict in a story where problems can no longer be worked out with witty retorts or a magic spell. The orcs are at the gates, the peace talks have broken down…that’s right—you’re going to have to write a battle scene. In this episode, we talk to Suzannah Rowntree, author of How to Write a Fantasy Battle: Basic Medieval and Modern Military Tactics for Authors, The Watchers of Outremer Series, and other historical fantasies, about how to get a battle right.Show Notes:Suzannah's Bluesky: suzannahrowntreeSuzannah's Instagram: suzannahsnapsSuzannahrowntree.siteHow to Write a Fantasy Battle: Basic Medieval and Modern Military Tactics for AuthorsWestern Warfare In The Age Of The Crusades, 1000-1300 by John FranceByzantine flamethrowerBattle of Antioch (1098)Battle of Hattin (1187)Seventh CrusadeMedicine in the Crusades: Warfare, Wounds and the Medieval Surgeon by Piers D. MitchellMagistra HersendGodfrey of BouillonThe Rebellion Of Count Hugh Of Jaffa | — | ||||||
| 10/15/25 | WITCHES! | Happy Halloween! We're talking about WITCHES! A staple of fantasy, horror, and Broadway musicals, witches can be anything from a murderous presence in the woods to the friendly neighbourhood Wiccan who revives your dying African violet. So let's get our witch on!Show Notes:Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)Spirited Away (2001)VenCo by Cherie DimalineBuffy the Vampire Slayer, "Helpless"Barbie-Yaga Dream HutCool People Who Did Cool Stuff, "Baba Yaga: Everyone's Favorite Witch From Folklore" Part 1 and Part 2Baba Yaga: The greatest 'wicked witch' of all?The Chronicles of Narnia by CS LewisCaliban and the Witch by Silvia FedericiA Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher"Love Potion No. 9" by the CloversThe Witch Boy by Molly Knox OstertagSeason of the Witch (2011)Bewitched (1964-1972)The Good Witch (2008)The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)Charmed (1998-2006) | — | ||||||
| 9/15/25 | The Science Bros Answer Your Science Questions, Part 2, ft. Rob & Jon Mound | You guys had so many science questions that our resident scientists couldn't answer them all in just one episode! In this episode, Rob & Jon Mound tackle important questions such as time travel, the mutability or lack thereof of the laws of physics, and dragon taxonomy. Also, why we are not going to Mars.Show Notes: The Forever War, Joe Haldeman The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis The Time Machine (1960) Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee The Walking Dead World of Warcraft corrupted blood incident Game of Thrones dragons Coelacanth Unusual anal fin offers new insight into evolution Tiktaalik Total Recall (1990) terraforming Mars scene Spaceballs (1987)Keep the conversation going, or ask the Science Bros more questions by joining our Discord or Facebook group! | — | ||||||
| 8/15/25 | The Science Bros Answer Your Science Questions, Part 1, ft. Rob & Jon Mound | Suspension of disbelief is a cornerstone of speculative fiction, but as writers and fans, we often find ourselves wondering just how grounded in reality our favourite stories really are. We asked you, our listeners, for questions like:What would happen if I went through a wormhole? Does a Star Trek transporter just kill you and create a new copy of you? What kind of technology can or can’t you use to blow up the world?And then we got biologist Rob Mound and geophysicist Jon Mound to answer the questions you sent. There were so many we had to split it into two parts! In this part, we look at jumping out of a spaceship without a suit (why?), octopus people (yes!), sex in space (obviously!), and more!Show Notes The Core (2003) The Expanse - 5x07 | Naomi's Leap From The Pella A City On Mars, Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith Star Trek Voyager "Cathexis" on Memory Alpha Gattaca (1997) When You Nut In Space, It Push You Backwards (NSFW) "There Are Four Lights," scene from Star Trek: The Next Generation Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie Gerald Bull The Martian growing poop potatoesKeep the conversation going, or ask the Science Bros more questions by joining our Discord or Facebook group! | — | ||||||
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| 7/15/25 | Against Hopepunk ft. Nick Mamatas | Sci-fi and fantasy has always had an optimistic current, whether it’s utopian space-age cities or noble chosen ones vanquishing a dark lord. In recent years, with the popularity of romantasy and cozy fantasy, it’s easier than ever to immerse yourself in a more hopeful world.But what if instead we made you feel bad?In this wide-ranging conversation with multitalented author and editor Nick Mamatas, we talk about crushing your joy, corporate greed in the publishing and music production industries, and why the 80s and 90s were objectively the best time for music. Show Notes:Alex Rowland’s original hopepunk post.Buy 120 MurdersNick’s BlueskyPerfect Crime PartyDark Yonder Issue 1Nick’s website that never gets updatedThat Slayer memeHave you bought Blight yet? If you like dark things, you should!Buy it from your favourite online retailerBuy direct from the publisher"Do You Love the Colour Of the Sky?" in Trollbreath Magazine | — | ||||||
| 6/15/25 | The Ur-Pisode: The Queer Heart of The Epic of Gilgamesh, ft. Julian Gunn | For 4000 years, The Epic of Gilgamesh has influenced mythology, theology, and literature, and its rediscovery in the 1850s is itself an epic tale of war, theft, and Hobby Lobby. A meditation on love and death, rage and grief, civilization and nature, starring two problematic queer frat boys, it is the foundation of so many of our stories. In this episode, we talk to poet, artist, and essayist Julian Gunn about the story that started it all.Show Notes:Gilgamesh, A King, At Uruk (Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok")What makes the world’s first bar joke funny? No one knows.@radiantfracture on instagramJulian's blogJulian's gamesVictoria Festival of AuthorsThe Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Maureen KovacsThe Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Andrew GeorgeThe Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Sophus HelleIf you haven't had enough problematic gays raging against the gods by the end of this episode, you might enjoy Rachel's new novel, Blight! Buy it from your favourite online bookstore or directly from the publisher.Also, voting for the Aurora Awards opens June 7th! You can vote for us. Or other people. But please vote for us. | — | ||||||
| 5/15/25 | Blight, ft. Rachel A. Rosen | Break out the cake, balloons, and gigantic bone tentacles, it's season 2 of Wizards & Spaceships! Rachel has a new book out, Blight, the sequel to her first novel, Cascade. In this episode, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the newest instalment in the Sleep of Reason series.And did you know that tomorrow is Rachel's birthday? Why not celebrate by buying one or more of her books?Pre-order Blight (The Sleep of Reason Book 2): Amazon Other online bookstores Direct from the publisherBuy Cascade (The Sleep of Reason Book 2)Buy (or download the free ebook) The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don't DieBuy Instant Classic (That No One Will Read)Aurora Awards 2025 BallotWant to stay informed? Here's how to find Rachel all over social media: Newsletter Blog Bluesky Mastodon Instagram Facebook Threads Goodreads | — | ||||||
| 4/15/25 | Transhumanism and AI ft. Robert J. Sawyer | It's been an entire year of Wizards & Spaceships! Thank you for coming along with us on this wild and magical space ride. You can't turn on the news or doomscroll social media without hearing about how AI will revolutionize everything. Unfortunately, the worst people in the world seem to be in charge of it. In this episode, we talk to sci-fi legend Robert J. Sawyer about what AI and transhumanism really mean for humanity and our planet and how we can stand up to corporate hype and greed. Show notes: Robert's website Robert's Bluesky AI's environmental problems AI's thirst for electricity | — | ||||||
| 3/15/25 | TTRPG Design ft. Jesse Pohlman | There’s a huge crossover between tabletop role-playing game players, genre fans, and genre writers, and many of us fell in love with genre fiction by playing D&D in the basement. In this episode, we're joined by author and game designer Jesse Pohlman to talk about the considerations that go into building your own TTPRG. Show notes: Jesse’s website Jesse’s Bluesky Blight cover reveal | — | ||||||
| 2/15/25 | Toxic Schlock Syndrome ft. Shawn Whitney | Pulp fiction is a cornerstone of the genres we love. In this episode, we talk to screenwriter, ghostwriter, and author of the new zombie novel Deads Rise, Shawn Whitney, about manly men doing manly things, the perils of writing romance, and close encounters with sexy lizard aliens. Show notes: Shawn's website Shawn's Twitter The Pulp Magazines Project Pulps In Special Collections | — | ||||||
| 1/15/25 | Can*Con Can-Can ft. Ira Nayman and Shirley Meier | Rachel and David take the show on the road to Can*Con 2024 in Ottawa. We recorded the launch of The Dance, a multiverse anthology, as well as some general table silliness. Show notes: Buy The Dance online Can*Con Ira's website Shirley at Fantastic Fiction | — | ||||||
| 12/15/24 | Worldbuilding ft. Ursula Whitcher | put notes here | — | ||||||
| 11/15/24 | The Great Hugo Awards Controversy ft. Diane Lacey | Welcome to the first episode of Wizards & Spaceships to pass the Bechdel Test! In 2023, the Hugo Awards, administered by the World Science Fiction Society, were rocked by scandal. That year, the convention was hosted in Chengdu, China, and a number of popular and acclaimed works, from R. F. Kuang's Babel to Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow, were deemed ineligible...even though they had enough nominations to appear on the ballot. The controversy engulfed the world of speculative fiction, but what really happened? In this episode, we talk to WorldCon whistleblower Diane Lacey to get her take on what went wrong, who's to blame, and what we can learn from this moving forward. | — | ||||||
| 10/15/24 | The King of Horror ft. Troy Harkin | Happy Halloween! To celebrate all that is spooky and monstrous, we're joined by poet, novelist, and David's other podcast co-host, Troy Harkin, to talk about the master of horror himself, Stephen King. Also cocaine. Show Notes: Troy's website ChiZine Publications SK Tours of Maine Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi | — | ||||||
| 9/15/24 | Speculative Whiteness | In this episode, we talk to Jordan S. Carroll about his new book, the Sad and Rabid Puppies, and how to avoid getting your sci-fi co-opted by fascists. Show Notes: Jordan’s Twitter: https://x.com/JordanSCarroll/ Jordan’s Bluesky: jordanscarroll.bsky.social Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt Right by Jordan S. Carroll Kaleidotrope Elizabeth Sandifer: Eruditorum Press and Neoreaction a Basilisk but why not just go ahead and read everything she’s written? Camestros Felapton’s The Complete Debarkle: Saga of a Culture War | — | ||||||
| 8/15/24 | In the Beginning ft. Shiraz Janjua | How do you begin your epic sci-fi, fantasy, or horror story? How do you grab a viewer or reader’s attention, introduce your characters and world, and avoid the dreaded infodump? To discuss these questions and much more, we talk to Shiraz Janjua, host of the YouTube channel How the Novel Starts. Show Notes: How the Novel Starts Shiraz's website Shiraz's Instagram Bulwer-Lytton Awards Reading and Watching List: George Orwell, 1984 Karen Russell, Swamplandia Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell William Gibson, Neuromancer Michael Chabon, Yiddish Policemen's Union Vajra Chandasekera, The Saint Of Bright Doors Frank Herbert, Dune JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Christopher Nolan, Inception George Lucas, Star Wars | — | ||||||
| 7/15/24 | A New World In Our Hearts | In this episode, we interview absolute legend Ken MacLeod about utopias in science fiction. And yes, we're talking about the Culture. Of course we're talking about the Culture. Show Notes: The Early Days of a Better Nation Russian Cosmism Utopia and the Return of History Postwar as the war generation's utopia China 2019, just before the pandemic Reading/Watching List The Culture, Iain M. Banks News From Nowhere, William Morris Half-Earth Socialism: https://www.half.earth/ Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072 by M.E. O’Brien and Eman Abdelhadi The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin The Green-Sky Trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar Red Star by Alexander Bogdanov Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis Desert by Anonymous The English Utopia by A.L. Morton Utopia by Thomas More Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach Elysium (2013) The Creator (2023) Noon Universe by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky We by Yevgeny Zamyatin Lenin Lives by Philip Cunliffe Merrie England by Robert Blatchford Ministry For the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson | — | ||||||
| 6/15/24 | You Never Get a Second Chance to Make First Contact | In this episode, we talk about meeting sentient extraterrestrials: The challenges of communication, what first contact stories say about our own Earthbound society, and why the aliens won't return our texts. David's recommendations: "Darmok" (Star Trek TNG) "The Inner Light" (Star Trek TNG) The Day the Earth Stood Still Arrival The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell Rachel's recommendations "Species 10-C" (Star Trek Discovery) Children of Time, Adrian Tchaikovsky Attack the Block Xenogenesis Trilogy (Lilith’s Brood), Octavia E. Butler Blindsight, Peter Watts | — | ||||||
| 5/15/24 | Some People Call Me the Space Cowboy | In this episode, we're talking about the Space Western! Was Firefly cancelled too soon or is it massively overrated? Why does it continue to grip the Nerd Imagination? Is it even okay to use Western elements in SFFH?Credits: Shamelessly stolen from Star Trek's "Spectre of the Gun," the Expanse Season 1 trailer, UFO Cowboy's official trailer, and Firefly's "Jayne's Town." The background music clips are "Somewhere In the Dark" and "Western Showdown" by Holizna and licensed under Creative Commons. | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.
Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.