PODCAST · arts
Life Death Sci-fi
by Chris Herzberg and Eric Bueschlen
Join readers Chris and Eric as they discuss classic and contemporary sci-fi books. From Ray Bradbury to Octavia Butler to Kim Stanley Robinson, they analyze great works that transcend time and space. Check out lifedeathscifi.com for more episodes and content.
Episodes
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Windup Girl by Poalo Bacigalupi review
In this episode, Chris and Eric dive into Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl, a vividly imagined biopunk dystopia set in a future Bangkok teetering on the edge of collapse. With rising seas, deadly plagues, and a world economy ruled by genetically modified seeds, survival depends on...
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Neuromancer by William Gibson review
this is a science fiction book lovers blog. This is the first episode in the 4rth season of the "Life Death Scfi" blog hosted by Chris and Eric. Neuromancer by William Gibson is a wonderful hallucination born in cyberspace. Hero Henry Dorset Chase and sidekick Molly Millions heist enough tech to...
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Calico by Lee Goldberg review
Two timelines. One buried secret. Detective Beth McDade thinks her worst days are behind her—until a bloodstained 1970 Mustang turns up in a desert cave. What begins as a strange cold case unravels into a time-bending mystery born from a failed military experiment. In Calico, past and present...
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Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi review
Welcome to Lifedeathsifi.com, where hosts Eric and Chris dive deep into the wonders of time travel. In today’s episode, we unravel the enigmatic threads of time through the lens of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Imagine a quaint café where time travelers are bound by strict rules: they cannot…
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Now Wait for Next Year by Philip K. Dick review
Welcome to Life, Death, Sci-Fi, where hosts Chris and Eric dive deep into the realms of speculative fiction. In this episode, we delve into Philip K. Dick's mind-bending novel Now Wait for Last Year. This story is a chaotic fusion of drug addiction, robots, aliens, multiverses, galactic wars, and...
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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe review
This week, Eric and Chris delve into the intriguing universe of Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in a Science-Fictional Universe. "Holy Heinlein!": time machines as ordinary as phone booths, multi-universes at your fingertips, and time travel that demands an ironic patience. Yet, amidst the...
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Timeline by Michael Crichton
In a lively discussion filled with enthusiasm for Michael Crichton’s blend of science fiction and historical intrigue, Eric and Chris delve into the depths of "Timeline." They explore the intricate dance between reality and fantasy as Crichton weaves a tale that blurs the lines between...
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All You Zombies by Robert Heinlein review
This show features a detailed discussion on Robert Heinlein's 1958 short story 'All You Zombies,' exploring its intricate themes related to time travel, paradoxes, and identity. Lifedeathscifi.com investigates the protagonist's journey as a temporal agent who ends up being their own ancestor...
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The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury review
Welcome, cosmic travelers and curious minds! You're tuning in to another thrilling episode with your favorite interstellar guides, Eric and Chris. Today, we're diving into the mesmerizing world crafted by the legendary Ray Bradbury in "A Sound of Thunder." Brace yourselves as we unravel the…
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Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut review
Can time travel be all in your head? A hallucination? Or does time travel need a device? A button to push? Hosts Eric and Chris wrangle over this impossible conundrum in this goofy romp through the horrible history of WWII. How is it possible to write an anti-war novel during another misguided…
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The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter review
Our heroes yo-yo back and forth through time meeting the future and the past and then the future in magnificent ships floating through the sea of time. Lifedeathscifi hosts Chris and Eric try to make sense of what is happening in Stephen Baxter's centennial tribute to H.G.Wells original Time...
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The Time Machine by H. G. Wells Review
Lifedeathscifi looks into the well of time and sees H.G. Wells spinning a tale of science and time. The excitement of the first to travel into the vast beyond, is it science fiction or just another fantasy of the 19th century? If you were sitting in the time machine's chair, would you push the...
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The Martian by Andy Weir Review
Mark Watney is marooned on Mars, not the first literary lost on the red planet, and probably not the last. Lifedeathscifi talks about how he McGivers his way out of some life-or-death spots and earns his spot to the spaceman's ball. the world watches as countries finally come together for the...
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Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson Review
Space travel, Mars settlement, and planet-building on a grand scale, Kim Stanley Robinson takes us on an epic journey that extends our lifetime and shows us what humans can make and take apart. Would you take the treatment? Image: Cover photograph copyright by Detlev van Ravenswaay Science Photo...
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Voyage to the Red Planet by Terry Bisson Review
Finally, space is more like 21st-century space in this wacky ride to Mars. Eric and Chris talk about Demogorgons, wispy beards, the Stalin lounge, HT serum made from bears, The Mary Poppins, and much more about this near-future vision of space travel. Image: Publication: Voyage to the Red Planet...
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Desolation Road by Ian McDonald Review
Okay. This is part of the chronological journey of Martian stories. We began in 1912 and now seven stories later, We're in 1988. So far, most of, if not, all these stories use Mars in name only; like a stage backdrop, meaning it could have just as well happened on Mother Earth. This story is like...
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The Martian Time-Slip by Phillip K. Dick
Host, Chris and Eric review a wild-west walkabout on the thirsty surface of Mars. Our heroes travel a path of time travel and mind, balancing between the now and madness. Image: Martian Time Slip by Philip K. Dick (1964) Got It Covered Music:(Alien 1963) Music No Copyright Download Mp3 Trovi…
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The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Review
War, invasion, and conquest all happening again on Mars. Beautifully written and one of our favorites. Bradbury makes the unbelievable believable with his poetry-like prose. Image: photo of cover by E. Bueschlen Music:(Alien 1963) Music No Copyright Download Mp3 Trovi Alien 1963 Mp3 qui:...
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Out of the silent Planet by C. S. Lewis Review
Chris and Eric try to wrap their minds around the planet Mars with a host of characters that may appear again in The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe. This mind-bending experience takes our hero on a journey of kidnapping, ransom, escape, and enlightenment—all on a dare from the Inklings. Image:...
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Red Star: The First Bolshevik Utopia by Alexander Bogdanov review
Another turn of the 19th century Russian author wrote about space travel and life on other planets, mainly Mars. Because this story was written by one of the founders of the Bolshevik movement, of course, there is a connection to Ukraine. Shout out and solidarity for Ukraine! Lightly discussed…
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Aelita by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy Review
Chris and Eric talk about Aelita by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Mysterious and wonderful in its fantasy sprinkled with some surprising sci-fi tidbits. Think about how long Russia has been enthralled with space and Aelita may have been the twinkle in the Russian space program's eye....
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The Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs Review
Lifedeathscifi hosts Chris and Eric explore the humorous side of science fiction with John Carter's Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This giggly sci-fi romp gives us more fantasy adventure than sci-fi but we both agree that it is worth the ride. We explore the time and attitudes…
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In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood Review
Margaret Attwood gives us a memoir and some insights into the sci-fi genre. Life Death Sci-fi hosts Chris and Eric talk about gizmos, definitions, feminism, censorship, and more. The next season of Life Death Sci-fi is revealed!...
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The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson Review
Lifedeathscifi hosts Chris and Eric wonder about the near-time climate crisis sci-fi story, The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. More utopian than dystopian? No shame in being a little of both. "Every problem has a solution and we had better hurry up or the solution changes…
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The Feed by M. T. Anderson Review
Lifedeathscifi with hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg talk about how they perceive life on the Feed. Feed by M.T. Anderson is a story written for young adults set in a near future where corporations know everything. Where water, air, and education are privatized and trademarked. Where you…
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The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clark Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg talk about The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke. Sri Lanka, Taprobane is the setting for this story and the real-life home of the author. Questions about whether the myths and illusions that fill the early history of the setting are told by a far...
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Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg hail The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. This is the third try for this episode. First, try Eric Didn't press record, second Chris didn't save, and this is the third try. This podcast starts out with how will this podcast start. We might be…
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World War Z by Max Brooks Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg talk about World War Z by Max Brooks. Is the movie better than the book or just different and just as good? This is a hard read during the time of the pandemic, especially the early chapters. Dog lovers will enjoy the dog heroes of this story. Survival…
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Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Review
Lifedeathscifi hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg discuss Ray Bradbury's sci-fi classic, Fahrenheit 451. Did the war in this story blow up the city at the end of the book? Our hosts consider war, education, the 1%, chaos, villains, and heroes. There is a "Wake up Moment" and Halloween...
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Earth Abides by George R Stewart Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg relate to The Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. A 70-year-old story with relevance today. What was the earliest "last person on earth" story? Ish drives across the country looking for survivors and finds more than one kind of survivor. This review was...
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The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg wonder about The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. Our hosts get right into it with all of the sci-fi connections this story has and it was written in 1909! The Starship Enterprise has visited more than one planet that has problems because they forgot who…
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Ringworld by Larry Niven Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg talk about the sci-fi classic, Ringworld by Larry Niven. We are awed by the scope of this setting and the diversity of the cast of characters. Luck, free will, and destiny are surprise guests in this space opera. Think big, solar system big, it’s a...
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Annihilation by Jeff Vanderveer Review
In this episode, we explore the first book of Jeff Vanderveer's Southern Reach Trilogy. Is it a story of first contact? Horror? A love story? Perhaps a fairy tale? What mysteries does the lighthouse represent? What are "Hyperobjects? And why doesn't anyone have a name?
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Review
A lot of podcast production talk; music, scripts, and editing. Then some pandemic catch-up time it just felt like it had to happen. Finally, we get to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, some of the best bits were about "Who IS Captain Nemo? A villain or a hero? Can you be both? Catch all of...
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Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein Review
Hosts Eric Bueschlen and Chris Herzberg argue about this "first contact" satire on religion and politics. We try to answer the questions: Is this story a classic? Does the misogyny of the era disqualify a story from becoming a classic?
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join readers Chris and Eric as they discuss classic and contemporary sci-fi books. From Ray Bradbury to Octavia Butler to Kim Stanley Robinson, they analyze great works that transcend time and space. Check out lifedeathscifi.com for more episodes and content.
HOSTED BY
Chris Herzberg and Eric Bueschlen
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Life Death Sci-fi have?
Life Death Sci-fi currently has 35 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Life Death Sci-fi about?
Join readers Chris and Eric as they discuss classic and contemporary sci-fi books. From Ray Bradbury to Octavia Butler to Kim Stanley Robinson, they analyze great works that transcend time and space. Check out lifedeathscifi.com for more episodes and content.
How often does Life Death Sci-fi release new episodes?
Life Death Sci-fi has 35 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Life Death Sci-fi?
You can listen to Life Death Sci-fi on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Life Death Sci-fi?
Life Death Sci-fi is created and hosted by Chris Herzberg and Eric Bueschlen.
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