Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast

Quit your scratching and bleeding and put down the rosary, the cure of all your anxieties has arrived! At long last, the Mapping the Zone Review of Shadow Ticket, Spoilerful Edition, has been released, and it's packed with more hot takes and thrilling twists than any diehard fans of the storied Spoiler-free episode could have imagined. The hype is NOT TOO HIGH!If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Books: Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Ulysses by James JoyceMusic: The Third Man (OST) by Anton Karas, Green Street, Grant’s First Stand, Idle Moments, Nigeria by Grant GreenTV/Film: Brazil (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1985), The Third Man (dir. Carol Reed, 1949), The Long Goodbye (dir. Robert Altman, 1973)As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Merch: mapping-the-zone.myspreadshop.comShow art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

It's finally here and we got to read it! Shadow Ticket, the newest (and perhaps final) novel by Thomas Pynchon is out in the wild and we are here with a spoiler-free review for those who may not have had a chance to read it as of yet.We will have a longer, more in-depth review episode out on 31 October 2025, so stay tuned for that if you wanted a more nuanced discussion of our thoughts on the novel.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Music: Béla BartókAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Merch: mapping-the-zone.myspreadshop.comShow art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

Wid'ya lookit that! It's been a hundred pages since our paths last crossed the Chums' of Chance, and here they are, in Venice. That ain't the only coincidence at hand, no, far too many'a them... Something's wrong. Still, hoping to keep with the patriotic aeronauts, and the history presented, our crew resorts to conspiratorial means of tracking the plot. Those mirrors 'n lenses had better help with that map, eh?If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Merch: mapping-the-zone.myspreadshop.comShow art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

Once in a lifetime, a moment comes around, and one has with the latest film from auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson! We take that moment to assess the film on its own merit, but not without respect to the weight of its primary credited influence, Vineland. Is Sean Penn the next Christian Bale? Just how Pynchonian has PTA gotten lately? Will anyone even need to read the old crank again, with adaptations like these? Answers to these questions, and more, await the listeners of our definitive, and complete, review of One Battle After Another.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Merch: mapping-the-zone.myspreadshop.comShow art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

A spot of smoky rooms and heavy drapes suits us as finely as they do Lew, and somehow the more obscure the corner of history referred to by the couple-three iconoclasts he meets, the more our hosts find to discuss. There's plenty of room left in the shadows, as these dialogues reveal their purposes unorthodox even by the TWIT's standard! From the cricket...arenas...of Australia to bathtubs of Condy's fluid, it's no wonder we take a few missteps (e.g. Raimi) from the line of firm tracks this chapter joins them by.Next episode: Ch. 21 (pg. 242-259) ending on “‘Bells are the most ancient objects. They call to us out of eternity.’”If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Music: The Pod - WeenFilm/TV: Love Liza (2002; d. Todd Louiso), Spider-Man (2002; d. Sam Raimi), Community (2009-2015)As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Merch: mapping-the-zone.myspreadshop.comShow art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

With how things have gotten so real these past few eps, it's time to see what Lew's been up to in cheery old Inglund! These chaps, Nigel and Nuisance or whatbeit, who've already brung him across the world just have not said quite enough about this infinite tetrangle! Even the demonstrably stable Grand Cohen's powerful rhetoric can not convince our thoroughly skeptic troupe of the TWIT's wisdom. And just so, what more fitting a background to divine the sources of the oncoming strife upon the mainland? If Madame Eskimoff's recordings did not suffice our listeners, they might find a digestif in order while contemplating this episode of Mapping the Zone.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:The Avenger: An Allegorical War Map for 1877 by Fred W. Rose (1877) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877%E2%80%931878)#/media/File:Fred._W._Rose_The_Avenger_An_Allegorical_War_Map_for_1877_1877_Cornell_CUL_PJM_1080_01.jpgBooks: The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage; Bare-faced Messiah by Russell Miller, Cryptonomicon by Neal StephensonAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

This week we wander through Jeshimon and track Reef as he rescues his father's harried remains from the just yet supernatural decay they'd have suffered in the desecrate airs of the town. Though Webb may rest his children and Mayva shall not and like them we wrestle with grief and legacy in our discussion.Those distressed by the forestalling of our chapter 19 discussion are recommended to contemplate the tetractys for fifteen minutes each morning and come back in two weeks.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Books: The Dark Tower (series) by Stephen KingFilms/TV: AnimaniacsMusic: Hermanos Gutierrez (https://tidal.com/browse/artist/9835680?u)As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

Checking in on the Traverse household, things are looking ... somber. As happy as the hosts are to all be present and accountable, the mood is somewhat dampened by the final ties breaking between Lake and her father, and where that leads Webb. Thankfully, the romantic backdrop of Nochecita cushions things a bit, even if Frank and Reef's glimpse at peace is cut short. It's not all a loss, though! We do, at least, meet a few new friends along the way to Jeshimon.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Films/TV: The Killer (2023; d. David Fincher), The Matador (2005; d. Richard Shepard)As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

The Harvard-Yale game brings us by vector analysis to rearrive upon the scraggly isthmus of Long Island. The tales of Vibes are much rehearsed, wooing Kit between Dittany eyelashes and forms seen lonesome in the hallways. The fall of an earnest worker marks the end of Fleet's refrain, but lines up well to the west with Lew on a quest. What clashes here, in mines and minds? Kieselguhr soaked in nitro, wrapped in newsprint and 'cyclomite'! But White City's loss is our gain, as the suspect PI bolts, chased by beavers in the brain, and our scholars, nonplussed, watch his newfound escapades.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

As with the Chums from the center of the Earth, we return from temporary distraction, and yea, what hath time wrought? What did this planet itself cradle slumbering beneath its frozen extremities? What idols have we found ourselves prostrate before, as the thirsting tongues of flame awaken nerves deadened by that chill? May the scourge pass you by, ye who behold... the latest episode of Mapping the Zone!If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit)bradspersecond.com

We are thrilled to finally return to Against the Day and we are finally covering Part II - Icelandic Spar! We had planned on covering Chapters 11 and 12 in this episode, however we quickly realized that there was just too much in Chapter 11 to be able to condense it and Chapter 12 into one episode.As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you've listened to this show for any amount of time, you've probably heard Cody mention the Cities of the Weft trilogy by Alex Pheby, a phenomenal dark fantasy series that explores a number of fascinating themes and concepts all set in a tremendously built world, with a brilliant cast of characters. We were lucky to be joined by Alex Pheby to discuss his work, that before the Cities of the Weft trilogy. and those books, as well.We are back to our regularly scheduled programming in two weeks, finally getting into our coverage of Part II, Icelandic Spar, of Against the Day.Please check out Alex's work wherever you buy books, or directly from Galley Beggar Publishing: https://www.galleybeggar.co.uk/alex-phebyFollow Alex on BlueSky: @alexpheby.bsky.social‬As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

We're back (kind of) with a bonus episode covering David Foster Wallace—his life, his work, and why you should (or shouldn't) read his work. Joining us in this conversation is our friend and fellow DFW enthusiast, Johan Harstad.We'll be back in a couple of weeks to get back into Against the Day, so stay tuned weirdos!As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

We're going to be covering the short stories in Slow Learner after each section of Against the Day, as we are going through that. This episode we discuss The Small Rain, Pynchon's first published short story. What we liked, what we didn't like, and how Pynchon has grown as a writer are all topics of conversation and we hope you'll enjoy listening to our ramblings. We'll return to Against the Day in the next episode.As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

After discussing Part One of Against the Day, we spent some time talking with our guest, Johan Harstad, about whatever came to mind—the music of Hüsker Dü, David Foster Wallace, the films of Ingmar Bergman, and so much else.We'll be back in two weeks to discuss The Small Rain, the first short story from Pynchon's Slow Learner collection before diving back into Against the Day.Please check out Johan's work wherever you buy books and follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacktr/As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

We've reached the end of The Light Over the Ranges, the first part of Against the Day! We were incredibly lucky to be joined by Johan Harstad, Norwegian author of Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You In All the Confusion?, The Red Handler and, most recently, Under the Paving Stones, The Beach! We discuss our thoughts with everything that has happened in the story so far, the goofy, fun-natured boy-adventurers known as The Chums of Chance, the historical accuracy of Franz Ferdinand, some controversy around the Norwegian translation of Against the Day, and much more (so much more that there's a bonus epidsode in the works)!Please check out Johan's work wherever you buy books and follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacktr/As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

Woo-hee! finally, we cover some real ground. Back on the Inconvenience, the Chums are bickering and splitting within themselves, while here on land our own crew are becoming "frazzled" in their own way. It seems such polarization can only be expected as we reach the end of Part One, but stay tuned through this analysis for the announcement of our thrilling conclusory episode of The Light Over the Ranges.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Quaternions (somewhat) explained: https://eater.net/quaternionsCivil War Draft Records article by Michael T. Meier: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1994/winter/civil-war-draft-records.htmlSpirits of the Land: A Tool for Social Education by Ólina Thorvarðardóttir: http://www.literature.at/viewer.alo?objid=14721&viewmode=fullscreen&scale=3.33&rotate=&page=35Films/TV: The Knick (2014-2015)Music: “Cat’s In the Cradle” - Harry Chapin, “Father and Son” - Cat StevensAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

With the recent passing of one of our favorite filmmakers, David Lynch, Kate and Cody sit down to talk about the impact of his work on our lives.If you aren't familiar with his body of work, the discussion covers his entire filmography without spoiling any major plot points. He was a truly unique artist and one who will be dearly missed by the both of us.As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/

This week in Mapping the Zone: Movement appears stalled. Not only do we remain with the Traverse household, but the only motion to be found is that of the mind. Kit begins to fathom the depth of Vectorism through the primal texts of electicity, and who is to find his talents but Nikola Tesla? It turns out, the understudy-in-perpetuity to Vibe, Foley Walker. The Earth may be striving to destroy our schedule, but the intrepids of this show shall not rest until we've ridden lightning through its heart.We had planned on covering Chapters 9-10 in this episode, but by the time we were done recording, we had around 5 1/2 hours of audio, so the decision was made to split it into two episodes. As such, this episode ends with our discussion of Chapter 9—quotes, "Most 'Pynchon' Part" and details about our Part One wrap-up episode will be at the end of the Chapter 10 episode in two weeks.If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Quaternions (somewhat) explained: https://eater.net/quaternionsCivil War Draft Records article by Michael T. Meier: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1994/winter/civil-war-draft-records.htmlSpirits of the Land: A Tool for Social Education by Ólina Thorvarðardóttir: http://www.literature.at/viewer.alo?objid=14721&viewmode=fullscreen&scale=3.33&rotate=&page=35Films/TV: The Knick (2014-2015)Music: “Cat’s In the Cradle” - Harry Chapin, “Father and Son” - Cat StevensIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

Having made our way to the Rockies, now is the time to dismiss doubts as to what purposes Webb might intend. Not much travel along traditional coordinates in this conversation, instead we meet the waterheads of the Traverse clan and contemplate the molds in which the bonds between workers and those rascals who despise all shapes of mandate were set. Just try and keep your hat on, heavier things have been seen blown away in these mountains.Next episode: Pages 97-118 (End of Part One)If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Films/TV: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (dir. Andrew Dominik, 2007)Music: Public Enemy, Nick CaveBooks/Authors: B. Traven’s Jungle series (1931-1940); The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron HansenIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com