Brothers Reading Books: A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club
Join Will and Michael in our online book club as we go chapter by chapter through classics of the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Episodes
30 episodes
Neuromancer Chapters 12 - 15: The Straylight Run Begins
Neuromancer shifts into high gear as Case gets nabbed by the Turing Police and the Straylight run has to start up before the situation collapses any further. We also get some thoughts about memory and models of the self and get some more Sim-St...
Neuromancer Chapters 9 - 11
We pick up our Neuromancer read-through right as the AI Wintermute starts speaking through familiar faces, laying out its limits and its leverage.From there we step into Freeside, the glossy space resort that feels like a tourist paradi...
Neuromancer Chapters 6 - 8
We continue with chapters six through eight in Neuromancer.In this episode:we collect the last member of the team, Peter RivieraLearn more about who, or what, "Armitage" actually iswe start making our way to...
Neuromancer Chapters 3 - 5
We continue William Gibson’s Neuromancer with chapters 3 through 5 where we learn that we are in a heist story. Assemble the crew, buy the gear, test the tools, then do the heist before the heist. We learn about The Sprawl and BAMA...
Neuromancer Chapters 1 - 2
William Gibson’s cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer, drops us right into the action in the neon grime of Chiba City. Read along with us to find out why the book still feels like the blueprint for hackers, body modification, and the idea...
Conan the Barbarian - Vale of Lost Women and The Devil In Iron
We wrap up our current run through of Robert E. Howard by reading two more tales: “The Vale of Lost Women,” regarded as one of the most controversial Conan stories, and “The Devil in Iron,” a more traditional Conan sword and sorcery story with ...
Conan the Barbarian - Rogues in the House
We follow Conan through “Rogues in the House” a plan for an assassination job turns into a trap filled nightmare. We talk pacing, pulp, horror, and why we enjoy Conan so much when he leans into his skills for improvised violence.
Conan the Barbarian - The Pool of the Black One
Conan arrives on the ship dripping wet from Crom knows where.Conflicts with captain and crew lead to typical Conan solutions. Punch it or stab it if possible. As the ship goes in search of ancient treasure a new and frightening enemy app...
Conan the Barbarian - Xuthal Of The Dusk
A mysterious city rises out of a waterless desert, and for a second it looks like salvation. But there is more than first meets the eye in this supposed oasis.
Conan the Barbarian - Iron Shadows in the Moon
We read Robert E. Howard’s “Iron Shadows in the Moon” and follow Conan from a marshland showdown into cursed ruins, pirate politics, and a moonlit escape.
Conan the Barbarian - The Black Colossus
We read and react to Robert E. Howard’s “Black Colossus." Grave-robbing and treasure hunting goes wrong and unleashes an ancient evil to sweep across the nations. We get to see Conan as a military commander when he is chosen by prophecy to assu...
Conan the Barbarian - Queen of the Black Coast
We follow Conan from a run-in with “civilized” law to his escape to the sea. From there it's on to piracy, pillaging, passion, and exploration of haunting ancient ruins.We also get some insights into Conan’s bleak theology, the visions o...
Conan the Barbarian - The Scarlet Citadel
Today we cover Robert E. Howard’s “The Scarlet Citadel” and look once again at Conan as King which goes well with our previous episode on the "Phoenix in the Sword."This story hits our classic Conan tropes: betrayal, unsettling sorcerers...
Conan the Barbarian - The God in the Bowl and The Tower of the Elephant
We dive into a pair of classic Conan heist tales. Join us as we follow a young Conan as he multi-classes as a rogue in the classic stories "The God in the Bowl" and "The Tower of the Elephant."We have the usual Conan tropes of murder, mo...
Conan the Barbarian - Background, The Phoenix on the Sword, and The Frost Giant's Daughter
We leave sci-fi behind and jump into sword and orcery with Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. We talk pulp context, the Hyborian Age’s “historical shorthand,” and why Conan on the page feels smarter, stranger, and more human th...
Dune Part 14 - Appendix and Final Thoughts
We finish our read through of Dune by looking the appendixes, where Herbert lays out some of the hard details behind Arrakis's ecology, religion, politics, and the history of the empire. We also give some of our final thoughts on th...
Dune Part 13 - He Who Controls the Spice
We've done it! We are making our way through the final chapters of Dune together, well done! While the title does not appear in the books, it does match our episode's theme quite well today as we march into the confronta...
Dune Part 12 - Time to Meet Your Maker
Paul rides the worm, turning a rite of passage into another future legend. Old friends return and trust must be reestablished. What happens when one drinks the Water of Life who was never meant to?
Dune Part 11 - Fremen Rites And The Water Of Life
Paul and Jessica learn more about Fremen life in the sietch. We experience the mysterious Water of Life and the strange effects it has on both our characters and the Fremen at large. We revisit the Baron and his plans for the future once again....
Dune Part 10 - Knives, Water, and Honor
We continue our journey through Dune with Paul’s duel with Jamis, the importance of Fremen traditions and names. This is followed by a detour to Giedi Prime where we meet Count Fenring while the Baron and Feyd put on a grim spectacl...
Dune Part 9 - The Ecology of Arrakis and the Fremen
We start off with Paul and Jessica, dodging desert dangers, and encounter the Fremen, and we learn more about the sometimes unforgiving nature of Fremen society.Kynes feverishly reveals his insights on the ecology of Arrakis.M...
Dune Part 8 - Schemes, Sand, and Smugglers
We learn more of the Baron’s ruthless strategy, follow Paul and Jessica’s through the desert, and learn about where Gurney Halleck's path has led him.Email us at brothersreadingbooks@gmail.comFind us on X at @BrothersReading<...
Dune Part 7 - Escape Into the Desert
Today we continue on into Book 2 of Dune, Muad'dib.Stone halls get traded for sand and storms as Dune’s focus snaps to survival. Paul and Jessica must step carefully as they learn the ways of both the desert and the Fremen. ...
Dune Part 6 - Pain, Prophecy, and the Path Forward
We trace the fall of House Atreides in Book One’s closing stretch as we follow the interweaving stories of Paul and Jessica, Yueh and Leto, and the looming Harkonnen presence.Email us at brothersreadingbooks@gmail.com, find us on X ...