Best Roadside Picnic Podcasts (2024)

1
Starship Troopers: the deeply Philosophical classic of Military Sci-Fi! 43:14

7h ago43:14

43:14

In the 23rd century Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, the heart of the human military. As he nears completion of an intensely rigorous training program to learn how to fight and use his power armor, war breaks out between humanity and the bugs. The bugs are aliens with a hive mind, who attack and destroy Buenos Aires, and Johnny and his f…

1
12 Books - the best of last year! Ranking the Hugos plus Six More 43:03

21d ago43:03

43:03

We rank the nominees for the 2024 Hugo award, plus 6 more from last year! Join the book club on discord and read The Sparrow! https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The books: The Witch King - Martha Wells The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty Some Desperate Glory - Emi…

1
Flubber Colonoscopy! (The Absent-Minded Professor/Flubber, based on “A Situation of Gravity,” by Samuel W. Taylor

17d ago

—

This time we picked up a very hard to find story, “A Situation of Gravity,” by Samuel W. Taylor, which was adapted into the 1961 movie The Absent-Minded Professor and the 1996 remake Flubber. The story was originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of Liberty magazine. We couldn’t find that. It was also anthologized in Taylor’s book Take My Adv…

1
7 Amazing, Short Sci-Fi Books for when you need a quick read! 20:30

1M ago20:30

20:30

Over the years we've built up a pretty big backlog of short novels that we really liked but hadn't had a chance to cover on the show - so today we're bursting that dam. Join the book club on discord (and vote for our next book club book!): https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The seven…

1
Stalker, based on Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky (with guest Ben DeBono)

2M ago

—

Ben DeBono from The Sci-Fi Christian joins us once again to discuss a slow science fiction movie and the book that inspired it. It’s Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky Brothers, adapted by Andrei Tarkovsky into Stalker. SFC episode about Ben catching up with the Criteron Collection: http://thescifichristian.com/2023/08/episode-1107-criterion-comple…

1
Embassytown - Aliens who are truly alien and a wild, techno-organic world! 36:55

2M ago36:55

36:55

There is only one human settlement on the planet of Arieka. There, in Embassytown, a young woman named Avice grows up in a strange world between worlds, where all that is human and all that is alien collide without ever really coming together. That's not much of a summary, but this is a book that really benefits from going in mostly blind, so we ma…

1
A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeline L’Engle

3M ago

—

It’s unfortunately time to talk about the A Wrinkle In Time adaptations. We also discuss the book, of course, but I tried to pull back a bit since my fuller thoughts on the book are also covered in my Hugos There episode with Mandy Self: https://hugospodcast.com/podcast/a-wrinkle-in-time-by-madeline-lengle-feat-mandy-self/ Rankings! Colin/James/Set…

1
Your top 20 sci-fi books - listener survey results! 36:52

3M ago36:52

36:52

If you want to see the complete survey results, including all the top books, favorite authors, and short stories come find them on the discord. Video version of this episode available on YouTube.By Gordon Burroughs, Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer

1
2024 Nebula nominees - 3 great books on this short list! 32:29

4M ago32:29

32:29

The 2024 Nebula awards are coming up, so we read and ranked all the books for ya. And we've got good news, this was a great year for fantasy and sci-fi! Join the book club on discord: https://discord.gg/fHejh3PpR2 Video version of the show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@hugonautspod The short listed books: Translation State by Ann Leckie Shigidi a…

1
Arachnotherapy! (Spaceman of Bohemia)

4M ago

—

In this episode, we discuss the new Adam Sandler movie (okay, it came out March 1st, but it was new for us!) Spaceman, based on Spaceman of Bohemia, by Jaroslav Kalfar. It’s an interesting adaptation of an interesting book, but don’t go in looking for an action movie. It’s not necessary to read the book to enjoy the movie, but you do miss quite a b…

1
Metro 2033 - The book that inspired the hugely popular video games! 38:09

4M ago38:09

38:09

The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The survivors live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. VDNKh…

1
The Martian - Poop, Taters, and Tenacity 27:55

5M ago27:55

27:55

Six days ago astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — an…

1
Dune: Part Two

5M ago

—

We saw Dune: Part Two, then grabbed dinner, then got together to discuss our thoughts on the second half of Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation. We all loved it and welcome any other SF adaptations he wants to do in the future.By Seth

1
Roadside Picnic - the book that inspired Stalker and Metro 2033! 43:44

6M ago43:44

43:44

Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of the young rebels who venture illegally into the Zone, one of six areas on Earth that have been profoundly changed by the visitation of aliens to Earth. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And despite the danger, the news he gets from his girlf…

1
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season One

6M ago

—

The guys follow up their coverage of The Lightning Thief by discussing the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Rankings: Colin/James/Seth: book/series/a very large gap/movieBy Seth

1
The Expanse - Full series review! 50:37

6M ago50:37

50:37

Space ships whip across the solar system, ice haulers burn in from the gas giants, stolen Martian corvettes sneak behind enemy lines, and very human characters tie it all together and make the incredible journey worth the ride. Miraculously all 9 books (plus a collection of short stories) are fun, well-done adventures that will keep you turning the…

1
Those Meddling Satyrs: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, Part One (2010 movie)

7M ago

—

This is the first of two episodes we’ll do on The Lightning Thief. In this one, we just discuss the book and 2010 movie. We’ll get to the series next month once it’s complete. Rankings!: James/Colin/Seth: book/movie (duh) A couple of links: My blog post that I resurrected and commented on: https://pavementpodcast.com/the-lightning-thief-movie-how-t…

1
We - The book banned by the Soviets that inspired 1984! 36:53

7M ago36:53

36:53

In the One State of the great Benefactor, there are no individuals, only numbers. Life is an ongoing process of mathematical precision, a perfectly balanced equation. Primitive passions and instincts have been subdued. Even nature has been defeated, banished behind the Green Wall. But one frontier remains: outer space. Now, with the creation of the…

1
Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K. Dick - complete short story audiobook! 16:05

8M ago16:05

16:05

A starship is taking off from Mars, and just before it does one of the crewman arrives with a strange new creature. What will the Wub bring to those on board, and the headstrong captain who can't stop thinking with his stomach? Join the Hugonauts book club on discord! PS We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is still coming soon, but Brent had a family emergency,…

1
The Shepherd, by Frederick Forsyth (and 2023 short film)

8M ago

—

A quick end of the year episode about the new Disney+ short film (40 minutes), Shepherd, based on the Frederick Forsyth novella of the same name. I believe the story is more well known by folks in Britain and former Crown Colonies than it is to American audiences; this was certainly our first experience of the story, and it’s quite delightful. All …

1
The Woking Dead (The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells), with Tim Kuskie

8M ago

—

While James was away in South America, Colin’s younger son, Tim, joined us for a discussion of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, along with several adaptations, including the radio play, the classic movie, the 2005 remake with Tom Cruise, and the 2019 BBC limited series. Rankings! Colin: 2005/novel/Radio Play/1953/2019 Tim: novel/Radio Play/2005/…

1
The Mountain in the Sea - Octopuses, AI, and the struggle to communicate! 28:50

8M ago28:50

28:50

Rumors are swirling about a species of super-intelligent octopus living off the coast of Vietnam. As corporations and other non-state actors begin to investigate, it becomes clear that we are not alone in the universe - alien life has evolved right here on earth. DIANIMA, a giant tech company known for its machine learning prowess, buys the islands…

1
The Top 15 Sci-Fi Books of All Time! 37:05

9M ago37:05

37:05

Ranking our top 15 sci fi books of all time: 15 - Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu 14 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy 13 - Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold 12 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie 11 - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein 10 - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 9 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 8 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons 7 - A Scan…

1
Dracula-Adjacent (movies, TV, books)

9M ago

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This time we just roundtable some other Dracula-adjacent material we’ve consumed. Consider it a DVD extra from our previous episode. Works referenced (not exhaustive): Van Helsing (movie) Renfield (movie) Love at First Bite (movie) Dracula Untold (movie) Dracula Daily (book/email subscription) The Dracula Tape (book) Blade (film series) Underworld …

1
Permutation City - A mind-bending look at the singularity, consciousness, and immortality! 32:29

10M ago32:29

32:29

Paul Durham has begun experimenting on his own mind. He uploaded a copy of his neural patterns - everything that makes him who he is - into a computer simulation. The more he experiments, the more the lines between the real person and the virtual person begin to blur. What he discovers there, out at the edge of consciousness and the pattern that de…

1
So Many Transfusions! (Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

10M ago

—

This time, the guys discuss Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel, Dracula, and two of its direct adaptations, the classic 1931 Universal movie, and 1992’s lavish Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. We also mention quite a few other direct or slightly indirect adaptations. Rankings! Colin: 1931 film, book, 1992 movie James: Audibl…

1
Interview with Peter Watts - Author of Blindsight! 43:55

10M ago43:55

43:55

We talked with Peter about: Why he quit science to write fiction The real-world science that inspired Blindsight Why vampires?! Blindsight movie(s) in the works What's coming next (the sequel to Echopraxia!) Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video, or join the Hugonauts book club on discord! And if you haven't listened to our ep…

1
Spin - A first contact book that starts with a bang (and the stars going out)! 49:14

11M ago49:14

49:14

Tyler, Jason, and Diane are growing up together in the suburbs of Washington, DC. One night, as they are outside looking up at the sky, something shocking happens - all the stars go out at once. The 'Hypotheticals' have wrapped the earth in a spin membrane that isolates the Earth, making time move millions of times slower inside the barrier than ou…

1
On The Beach, by Nevil Shute (feat. Michael Simshauser)

11M ago

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On The Beach, by Nevil Shute (feat. Michael Simshauser) (Content warning: discussions of suicide and euthanasia) Michael Simshauser, our favorite Aussie and longtime friend of the pod, joins us for a long awaited discussion of Nevil Shute’s On the Beach and its two film adaptations from 1959 and 2000. We do try to keep the conversation on the light…

1
1984 - The techno-surveillance dystopia that keeps coming true! 38:39

12M ago38:39

38:39

Winston Smith is a Party member living in London. He, like every other member of the Party, is under constant surveillance. Despite the risk, he dares to buy a blank book and begin to write down his thoughts. From the first moment he writes “down with Big Brother” he believes he is doomed to die in the torture chambers below the Ministry of Love. W…

1
The Crystal Egg, by H.G. Wells (feat. Phil Nichols)

12M ago

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This time, the guys welcome back Dr. Phil Nichols to talk about the recent adaptation of H.G. Wells’s “The Crystal Egg” by the Planet Zoom Players, as well as briefly touching on the Tales of Tomorrow adaptation from 1951. Rankings: Colin: PZP adaptation, story, Tales of Tomorrow James: PZP adaptation, story Seth: PZP adaptation, story, Tales of To…

1
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (with screenwriter Bragi Schut)

1y ago

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Spoilers abound! The screenplay for The Last Voyage of the Demeter has been passed around Hollywood since the late 90s. It’s finally in theaters, and the screenwriter, Bragi Schut, joins us to talk about the new movie, based on a brief chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. (Chapter 7 “Captain’s Log” if you want to read it.) We all had a great time at t…

1
2023 Hugo Nominees - plus 3 great SF books that should have made the list! 25:53

1y ago25:53

25:53

Ranking the 2023 Hugo nominees: N/A: Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir #5: Spare Man - Mary Robinette Kowal #4: Daughter of Doctor Moreau - Silvia Moreno-Garcia #3: Nettle and Bone - T Kingfisher #2: Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi #1: Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldry And three amazing sci-fi books that should have made the list: The Mountain…

1
The Dispossessed - Anarchy, capitalism, and fighting for freedom across two planets! 30:10

1y ago30:10

30:10

Shevek is a brilliant physicist, working on a new theory that may be as transformative and foundational as the work of Einstein. In pursuing his theory, he discovers that his dry homeworld of Anarres is not as free as he believed it to be. His society of anarchists has grown rigid, bureaucratic, and resistant to change in the years since the revolu…

1
Caudal Fins All the Way Down (The Meg)

1y ago

—

It’s summer, and Shark Week, so the guys take on Steve Alten’s 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror and its 2018 action movie spectacle starring Jason Statham. Rankings! Colin: Movie/Book James: Audiobook/Movie Seth: Movie/BookBy Seth

1
The Road - the best post-apocalyptic book ever written?! 30:46

1y ago30:46

30:46

The bombs fell, and the world ended. A man and his pregnant wife survived the blasts. Their son would be born into a world changed entire. It grew darker, and colder, and more violent. The new world was grim and grey and relentless, and the wife could not bear to live in it. The man and his young son had to set out on the road, alone, heading south…

1
Solaris - An intensely creative, mind-blowing first contact book! 29:01

1y ago29:01

29:01

Kris Kelvin is traveling to the ocean world of Solaris. For more than 100 years, scientists have been trying to understand and communicate with alien life. But Solaris is truly alien - the entire planet-wide ocean is a single living organism. As Kelvin arrives, he finds that things are going wrong. The science station is disturbing and nearly aband…

1
It’s A Flat Earth! (Nightfall, by Isaac Asimov)

1y ago

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This time, the guys consider Isaac Asimov’s excellent short story / novelette “Nightfall,” adapted to pretty dreadful movies in 1988 and 2000. Rankings! Colin: story/1988 movie James: story/2000 movie/1988 movie Seth: story/2000 movie/1988 movieBy Seth

1
The Expanse - Books 1 thru 3 - the biggest space opera of the modern era! 32:47

1y ago32:47

32:47

Jim Holden is XO of an ice hauler making runs from the rings of Saturn to the asteroid cities of the Belt. Out in the darkness, they detect a distress signal, and move to investigate. Holden leads the away team to check on the signal, and they find a dead ship called the Scopuli that seems to have been boarded with military precision. Moments later…

1
Fahrenheit 451 - book propaganda or flamethrower celebration? 36:19

1y ago36:19

36:19

Guy Montag is a fireman - one whose job is to burn books, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag and his wife, Mildred (who spends all day with her television ‘family’) had never questioned his life as a fireman, until he meets his eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse. Clarisse introduces him to a bigger world and new ideas, and Monta…

1
Fungal Furor! (A Voice in the Night/Matango)

1y ago

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This time, the guys hop in the way back machine to 1909 and William Hope Hodgson’s short story “A Voice in the Night” and its small screen adaptation (Suspicion S1.E24) and big screen Japanese adaptation (Matango, or Attack of the Mushroom People!). We neglected to rank them, which is surprising. Maybe we were distracted by Kathy’s amazing dessert …

1
A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick's best book? 36:16

1+ y ago36:16

36:16

Substance D is a new drug sweeping the nation and slowly destroying the minds of its users. As the connection between the two halves of their brains degrades, they grow increasingly disoriented and confused before suffering irreversible brain damage. Fred is an undercover narcotics agent working to uncover where the new drug is coming from. But to …

1
Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2022: Part 1 - The Nebula Nominees 23:47

1+ y ago23:47

23:47

For all six of the nominated books we'll give you a quick summary (with no spoilers), a review, and a rundown of what kind of reader is likely to love (and who might hate) each book. Featuring: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Babel by R.F. Kuang Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree Spear by Nicola Griffith Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Nona …

1
A Murderbot, not THE Murderbot (Weapon/Solo)

1+ y ago

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This time we hit Robert Mason’s 1989 military/AI novel Weapon, adapted to a pretty terrible 1996 movie named after the main character, Solo. Colin reached out to the author and got him to do some Q&A, which we sprinkle in through this episode. It’s a tricky eBook to find. I guess I found it from Barnes & Noble a while back, but right now I don’t se…

1
Brave New World - Sex, Drugs, and Dystopia 40:07

1+ y ago40:07

40:07

Set in a futuristic, unified World State, Brave New World tells the story of a very different kind of dystopia. The population is not tightly controlled in the traditional sense - instead they are free to do what they choose, and live phenomenally happy lives. However, people are born in test tubes and modified in-vitro to fulfill their role in the…

1
Providence by Max Barry - an AI battleship, a hapless crew, and black-hole spewing aliens! 38:24

1+ y ago38:24

38:24

Four soldiers are serving a four year tour of duty as the only crew members on a super-advanced AI battleship, dispatched to fight the alien Salamanders who have been spewing black holes everywhere and killing humans in space. The ship is fully controlled by AI, and as the mission goes on our heroes feel more and more like window dressing - they su…

1
The Bear-muda Triangle (Cocaine Bear)

1+ y ago

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The guys break down the tamed-down version of the true story that is Cocaine Bear.By Seth

1
Interview with Becky Chambers - author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet! 37:53

1+ y ago37:53

37:53

All of Becky's writing is excellent, but if you haven't read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet it's a great place to start. It's a wonderful, warm, and character-driven space opera that follows the tight-knit crew of a wormhole-drilling starship working their way across the galaxy. We talked with Becky about: Growing up in a 'space' family Goin…

1
A Very Breakable Nose (Timecop)

1+ y ago

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This time, we hit 1994’s Timecop, based on the Dark Horse Presents character from the August, September, and October 1992 issues of Dark Horse Comics. There are splits, and messy time travel logic, and awesome performances from Bruce McGill and Ron Silver. Rankings!: Colin/James/Seth: Movie ComicsBy Seth

1
Contact by Carl Sagan - a scientifically grounded and totally ground-breaking first-contact story! 36:55

1+ y ago36:55

36:55

Ellie is a brilliant radio astronomer who has often felt alone in the world. When she detects an indisputably intelligent signal emanating from the Vega system, that all changes - for her and for the entire human race. The nations and people of the world begin to come together in the face of the alien intelligence, and humanity faces a simultaneous…

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Roadside Picnic Podcasts

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