Starship Alexandria

For our March 2026 episode of Starship Alexandria – and the first our our new season – Emma puts forward the novel The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester.   Other talking points:  The perils of returning to past reads  Difficult books to summarise  Cunning schemes for the perfect murder  Psychic earworms  Psychotherapy in science fiction  Particularly big warts  (not) the Time Machine Factory  Heroes and anti-heroes  The Poochy effect  Skeezy gender dynamics  Eugenics  Contradictory attitudes towards murder  Typographical games  Inadvisable titles  Media Mentions:  The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, novel by Douglas Adams  The Lathe of Heaven, novel by Ursula le Guin  The Simpsons TV series (twice!)  Gormenghast, series by Mervyn Peake  Babylon 5, TV series  Illuminati, card/board game  Star Trek: The Next Generation, TV series, particularly "Remember Me"  The Life of Chuck, movie dir. Mike Flanagan (based on the work of Stephen King)  Next month we look at the movie Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves  Emma's music recommendation: Punk Tactics by Joey Valance & Brae https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OklSZmIx9-o&list=RDOklSZmIx9-o&start_radio=1    Emma's latest writing is included in Creative Futures (Beyond and Within) https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/creative-futures-allen-stroud/7847161 which was recently shortlisted for a BSFA Award  Adrian's most recent book: Pretenders to the Throne of God https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/pretenders-to-the-throne-of-god-adrian-tchaikovsky/7953437  If you'd like to support the show, and get an additional monthly patrons-only episode, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home   You can buy our official t-shirts and mugs at https://starshipalexandria.teemill.com/  Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com   

For our February 2026 episode of Starship Alexandria, Adrian puts forward the novel A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark for Emma to consider.    Other talking points:  Potato Guys  Getting old as a female fantasy hero  Marriage and long term relationships in fantasy fiction  Amazing prose styles  Being brought up by buccas in a tin mine  Levelling up as a reader    Media Mentions:  The work of Haruki Murakami  The work of KJ Parker (particularly the Scavenger trilogy)  Legend, novel by David Gemmell  The Conan stories by Robert E Howard  The Discworld books by Sir Terry Pratchett  Planetfall, novel by Emma Newman  Excalibur, movie dir. John Boorman     This marks the end of season 1 of Starship Alexandria! Season 2 will commence in March with a look at Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. (For the curious, the seasons are mostly to do with our bulk recording of the regular episodes in advance.)    Adrian's  music recommendation: '39 by Queen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE8kGMfXaFU&list=RDkE8kGMfXaFU&start_radio=1     Emma's latest writing is a short story included in the Creative Futures (Beyond and Within) anthology: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/creative-futures-allen-stroud/7847161    Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/ebook-starseers-ruin-eng-2025.html    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com   

For our January 2026 episode of Starship Alexandria, Emma puts forward the movie Godzilla Minus One directed by Takashi Yamazaki for Adrian to consider.    Other talking points:  A monstrous regiment of Godzillas  Survivor's Guilt  Redemption arcs  Found boat family  The Unbearable Weightiness of Kaiju  Convenient mattress factories  Godzilla amplification    Media Mentions:  Godzilla (Gojira), movie dir Ishiro Honda  Subsequent Godzilla movies, dir. various  Pacific Rim, movie dir. Guillermo del Toro  Jurassic Park, movie dir. Steven Spielberg  Back to the Future, movie dir. Robert Zemeckis  Oppenheimer, movie dir. Christopher Nolan    Our next regular episode will look at the novel Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark.  Emma's  music recommendation: The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWz0JC7afNQ&list=RDLWz0JC7afNQ&start_radio=1    Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance     Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/ebook-starseers-ruin-eng-2025.html   Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our eighth episode of Starship Alexandria, Adrian puts forward the novel Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock, for Emma to consider.  Our caveat from the episode: "If you have not read this book yet, go and read the book and then listen to this episode, because it really does benefit from not knowing what's going to happen."  Other talking points:  Pronunciation blues  God bless Wikipedia  Adrian shoehorns insects into absolutely everything  Readability as an overlooked virtue  Exploring the challenging female hero/love interest archetype  Was it an homage?  Sense of the numinous  Cornwall is a State of Mind  The internal document as narrative device    Media Mentions:  Diana Wynne Jones, author  Split Worlds series of novels, Emma Newman  Oppenheimer, movie dir. Christopher Nolan    Our next regular episode will look at the movie Godzilla Minus One directed by Takashi Yamazaki. However, we are taking a different turn for December and, instead of a single large episode, we will have an Advent Calendar, with one short episode every day where Emma and Adrian will discuss their favourite TV series. Meanwhile, the patron's episode will be our Q&A session.  Adrian's  music recommendation: Duran Duran's Ordinary World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqIACCH20JU&list=RDFqIACCH20JU&start_radio=1  Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance   Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025?srsltid=AfmBOor2S_A__evSPhVQRyFurB0Lf7CIMsVMoqxmB28ig0JRS8itagr0    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our seventh episode of Starship Alexandria, Emma puts forward the novel The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, for Adrian to consider.    Other talking points:  Wet Bulb Events  Nonconformist plot structures  The Doyenne of Climate Fiction  The balance of hope and despair  Asshole billionaires again  National stereotypes in spec fic  Adrian thinking he's being clever  SFF as stealth literature for change     Media Mentions:  Saturation Point, novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky, narrated by Emma Newman  The Windup Girl, novel by Paulo Bacigalupi  The Remains of the Day, film dir. James Ivory  Star Trek: The Next Generation, TV series  Piranesi, novel by Susanna Clarke    Our next episode will look at the novel Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock.    Emma's music recommendation: Borodin's String Quartet No.2 in D Major https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKsCxvT8e8Y&list=RDRKsCxvT8e8Y&start_radio=1    Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance   Adrian's most recent book: The Hungry Gods https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-hungry-gods-adrian-tchaikovsky/7756963    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our sixth episode of Starship Alexandria, Adrian puts forward our first film, Battle Beyond the Stars directed by Roger Corman, for Emma to watch and consider.  Other talking points:  Idiolectic time units  Suggestive spaceship design  Doing the robot  Caiman, of the Lambda Zone  Doing a lot of spaceship on a small budget  James Horner soundtracks  The longevity of practical model work  Writing to music    Media Mentions:  The Seven Samurai, film directed by Akira Kurosawa  The Magnificent Seven, film directed by John Sturges  Logan's Run, film directed by Michael Anderson  The Waltons, TV series  Pulp Fiction, film directed by Quentin Tarantino  The A-Team, TV series    Our next episode will look at The Ministry for the Future, the novel by Kim Stanley Robinson.    Adrian's music recommendation: the soundtrack to the Skylanders computer game, by Lorne Balfe and Han Zimmer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Z9PCie0mo&list=PL046FFA1862CCE21C&ab_channel=SethisZurlo    Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance   Adrian's most recent book: The Hungry Gods https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-hungry-gods-adrian-tchaikovsky/7756963    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our fifth episode of Starship Alexandra, Emma puts forward the short story collection The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury to read and consider.    Other talking points:  Stories specifically talked about: A Sound of Thunder, The Foghorn, The Golden Apples of the Sun (short story), The Garbage Collector, The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, I See You Never, Sun and Shadow, The Wilderness, The Black and White Game,   The butterfly effect (not the film)  Poetic and commercial prose  Lawsuits!  History, repeating itself  The prevalence of the nuclear apocalypse in fiction.  Amazing Obstructive Asshole Stories!  The Time Machine Factory Problem  The prevalence of psychic powers in fiction    Media Mentions:  Star Trek: the Next Generation, TV series (specifically the episode 'The Survivors')  The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms film directed by Eugéne Lourié  Pavane, novel by Keith Roberts  Oppenheimer, film directed by Christopher Nolan  Dune, novel by Frank Herbert  Zen in the Art of Writing, book by Ray Bradbury  Peter Pan, novel/play by JM Barrie  The Police, band    Our next episode will look at the film Battle Beyond the Stars directed by Roger Corman.    Emma's music recommendation: the album Anticlines by Lucrecia Dalt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOL78nXzgCc&list=OLAK5uy_kirX77Moqz0sO1a2GqQ1D88fgsUvAzrS4&ab_channel=LucreciaDalt-Topic    Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance and also a short story in the 'Lesbians in Space' anthology published by Space Wizard press https://www.spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/book/lesbians-in-space-where-no-man-has-gone-before     Adrian's most recent book: Bee Speaker https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bee-speaker-adrian-tchaikovsky/7741036?ean=9781035901456    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our fourth episode of Starship Alexandra, Adrian puts forward the graphic novels Top Ten volumes 1 and 2 by Moore, Ha and Cannon, for Emma to read and consider.    Other talking points:  Police procedurals Graphic novel reading-fu Representation of minorities and prejudice The courage of our convictions (or lack of same)    Media Mentions:  Watchmen, graphic novel, Moore & Gibbons  V for Vendetta, graphiv novel, Moore, Lloyd & Weare  Hill Street Blues, TV series  I Robot and related stories, Asimov  ER, TV series  The Boys, graphic novels, Ennis & Robertson (also TV series)  Jess Nevins' annotations to Top Ten: https://enjolrasworld.com/Jess%20Nevins/Top%20Ten/Top%20Ten%20index.htm  The Ballad of Halo Jones, graphic novels, Moore & Gibson  Captain Britain, comics run by Moore & Davis  Invincible, TV series and comic by Kirkman, Walker and Ottley    Our next episode will look at the short story collection The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury.    Adrian's music recommendation: "Lass Sie Gehen" by Seeed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAiMoUJwp7w&list=RDGAiMoUJwp7w&start_radio=1&ab_channel=Seeed    Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance and also a short story in the 'Lesbians in Space' anthology published by Space Wizard press https://www.spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/book/lesbians-in-space-where-no-man-has-gone-before     Adrian's most recent book: Bee Speaker https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bee-speaker-adrian-tchaikovsky/7741036?ean=9781035901456    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our third episode of Starship Alexandra, Emma puts forward Ursula K le Guin's fascinating SF novel The Lathe of Heaven for Adrian to read and consider.  Other talking points:  Reality-bending in SF  Unusual power relationships  Tech billionaire problem solving  The perils of having superpowers  Inadvertent puns    Media Mentions:  The Fifth Element, film, dir. Luc Besson  Eye in the Sky, novel, Phillip K Dick  It's a Good Life, short story, Jerome Bixby  Young Americans, film, dir. Danny Cannon  Dancer in the Dark, film, dir. Lars von Trier    Our next episode will look at: Top Ten volumes 1 and 2, graphic novels by Alan Moore, Gene Ha and Zander Cannon.    Emma's music recommendation: Play Dead by Björk https://youtu.be/cw09VTTDRRo?si=WAaY0qeb7cC4OH12   Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance  Adrian's most recent book: Bee Speaker https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bee-speaker-adrian-tchaikovsky/7741036   Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com 

For our second episode of Starship Alexandria, Adrian puts forward KJ Bishop's weird fantasy novel The Etched City (2004) for Emma to read and consider.  Other talking points:  A short discussion about spoilers and different thresholds depending on the work being considered  The challenges involved with reading and writing secondary world fantasy due to vocabulary  Adherence to historical accuracy when writing historical fantasy  Adrian's manifesto for the unacknowledged sub-genre "fantastical realism"    Media Mentions:  Dungeons and Dragons, tabletop role-playing game, Gygax et al  Perdido Street Station, book, China Mieville  Ambergris series, books, Jeff Vandermeer  Viriconium series, books, M John Harrison  A Man of Shadows, book, Jeff Noon  Tyrant Philosophers series, books, Adrian Tchaikovsky    Our next episode will look at:  The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin (1971)   Adrian's music recommendation:  Minus Sixty-One by Woodkid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcJepz3QW0    Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance  Adrian's most recent book: Shroud https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/shroud-adrian-tchaikovsky/7656869    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk  Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com   

For this very first episode of Starship Alexandria, Emma puts forward John Wyndham's classic SF novel The Kraken Wakes (1953) for Adrian to read and consider (published in the US as Out of the Deeps.)    Other media mentions:  The War of the Worlds, HG Wells   Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Aliens franchise, dir. Ridley Scott, James Cameron et al  The Quatermass franchise, dir. Various, written by Nigel Kneale  A Mission of Gravity, Hal Clements  Blackgate Adventures in Fantasy blog https://www.blackgate.com/2020/07/16/these-two-books-are-not-the-same-john-wyndhams-the-kraken-wakes-and-out-of-the-deeps/  That Book Your Mad Ancestor Wrote, KJ Bishop    Our next episode will look at:  The Etched City, KJ Bishop (2004)    Emma's music recommendation:  Jennifer, by Everything Everything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEIhJM-atiI&ab_channel=EverythingEverything    Emma's upcoming book: The Vengeance https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-vengeance-emma-newman/7713374  Adrian's most recent book: Shroud https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/shroud-adrian-tchaikovsky/7656869    Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com       

Merry Christmas! This is the twenty-fifth, and final, episode of the 2025 advent calendar. We share some news, a gift and something that will hopefully make you laugh! If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance   Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com  

For the Christmas Eve episode of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Adrian shares why Andor is so special for him. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance  Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com  

For the twenty-third day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Emma shares her deep love for the show Detectorists. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com  

For the twenty-second day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Adrian makes a bold declaration about the show Farscape. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com

For the twenty-first day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Emma talks about another cosy murder mystery show, this one set in 1920's Melbourne: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com

For the twentieth day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Adrian shares his love of the ultimate low budget british science-fiction show Blake's 7. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com  

For the nineteenth day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Emma talks about why Avatar: The Last Airbender (the original animated series!) is such a joy to watch. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance   Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk   Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com  

For the eighteenth day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Adrian talks about a show he loves which is impossible to enthuse about without spoilers: The Good Place. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com  

For the seventeenth day of the 2025 Starship Alexandria advent calendar, Emma recommends a TV show that is not for those who want a happy, easy story; The Leftovers. If you'd like to support the show, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/c/starshipalexandria/home Emma's latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian's most recent book: Starseer's Ruin https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/shop/hb-starseers-ruin-eng-2025 Follow us at:  Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com