Books Without Pictures

Wendee and Dan finish their discussion of Hyperion, squeezing this in, naturally, between mentions of award slates, convention experiences, and possible new horizons for the podcast itself. Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp.

In this special episode of Books Without Pictures, while taking a look at the 2015 nominees for Best Short Story, Wendee and Dan have strong words about slate organizers, some of the works they were successful in forcing onto this year's ballot, sandwiches, and their cat. This particular episode is being submitted for consideration for the 2016 award for "Most Repeated Uses of the Phrase 'Steaming Pile.'" Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp.

Books Without Pictures returns with the first half of Dan Simmons' Hyperion, and also the story of that time Dan saw boobs with his mom sitting next to him. Attaboy, Luther! Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp.

The cosmos did everything in its power to delay the return of Books Without Pictures, but nothing could hold Wendee back from venting her rage against John Carter of Mars, the hero of Edgar Rice Burroughs' hugely influential 1912 science fantasy classic A Princess of Mars. How long does it take for the phrase "filth bucket" to enter the conversation? The answer may surprise you! Please consider subscribing to the BWP Patreon campaign at patreon.com/bookswp, because you can almost hear the BWP Home Office fall down around our hosts as they record.

HG Wells' The Time Machine holds the distinction of meriting the briefest synopsis in the podcast's history. While deciding if historical importance always equals artistic merit, Wendee and Dan wander off topic towards Dan's hatred of Dickens and all his dark works, Eric Cartman's adventures in suspended animation, and all the good times that yurts have to offer.

When he was 14, Brave New World opened Dan's horizons to include philosophical arguments about the cruelty of dehumanization. Also, the book had boobs in it. With that in mind, he and Wendee discuss the themes behind this book, occasionally lapsing into Foghorn Leghorn impressions. (It was late. They were tired.)

Wendee's groove thing, and the shaking of same, ties directly into a con report and her involvement in the NOH8 campaign. From there, she and Dan break down the plot of Aldous Huxley's groundbreaking 1932 dystopic vision of dehumanization, Brave New World. They also wonder what accessories would come with a Herbert Hoover action figure.

They discuss Alan Moore, they discuss the Mickey Mouse copyright shenanigans, they even discuss whether this story's author's wife is a firestorm of two-fisted awesome or perhaps not, but will Wendee and Dan ever discuss "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman? Tune in to find out!

Dan's new job selling cheap crap to terrible people and Wendee's success in not dying horribly on Boston's terrifyingly antiquated public transit system are some of the excuses given for the epic lateness of this episode. Eventually they get around to actually discussing Arthur C. Clarke's avowed classic Childhood's End.

Wendee and Dan end Dan's minor freakout at having confused different portions of the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince catalog by remembering to thank Patreon subscriber Rick with a discussion of Octavia E. Butler's remarkable novelette Bloodchild. Visit www.patreon.com/bookswp to learn more about making the hosts into your trained seals!