The Left Page

We're back into Science Fiction, and with a great friend and comrade! As Breht from RevLeftRadio fame joins us to talk about the relationship of this genre and Empires. Talking the roots of imperial representation, how we can critique them, and how a lot goes back into colonialism, fascist projects and more. A wonderful dive into how this genre and this representation and structure connect, enjoy!   Check out RevLeftRadio! https://revleftradio.com/ If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Episode cover art: Angus McKie, 1978   Our references and previous episodes: Memories of Future Empire: The Productive Effects of Imperial Imaginaries in Science Fiction – An Analysis of The Expanse - https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-8529.20244603e20230058 The Course of Empire: A Survey of the Imperial Theme in Early Anglophone Science Fiction - https://www.jstor.org/stable/25746408?seq=1 Episode 44 - Postmodern Literature, Climate Chaos and Irony. On White Noise w/ RevLeftRadio - https://theleftpage.libsyn.com/episode-44-postmodern-literature-climate-chaos-and-irony-on-white-noise-w-revleftradio Warhammer 40k - The Horus Heresy: The Immaterium's Negative Dialectic & How to Read Warhammer - https://www.patreon.com/leftpage/posts/warhammer-40k-to-157369486 Episode 70 - The Expanse 1-3: Where Subtle Utopia Meets Responsible Dystopia -https://theleftpage.libsyn.com/the-left-page-episode-70-the-expanse-1-3-where-subtle-utopia-meets-responsible-dystopia

This time we go into how we think about Pathology in media and videogames, while still talking about gaming news and the Left Page Book Club, enjoy! itinerary: 00:00:00-01:03:21 - Intro + Summer Games Fest + Minute AI rambling 01:03:21-01:55:05: - The Broader Pathology of Media 01:55:05-END - The Left Page Book Club Our next set of chapters is from Catelyn VII to Catelyn VIII! (Another 16 chapters!) Article mentioned: https://thehaunt.blog/2026/03/29/on-moral-repugnance/   If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

We continue our travails this time with disecting the discourses around power fantasies and an interesting track through one of videogames largest franchises. Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:15:52 Intro (What are we up to) 00:15:52 - 01:03:28 Power Fantasies 01:03:28 - 01:40:00 AI in Music 01:40:00 - 02:16:50 AC 02:16:50 - END Book Club aGoT Jon II - Eddard V Essay mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN2ElcTXr6Y&t=3915s

We're talking about men this time. Using different media like Star Wars, American Psycho, and Blade Runner 2049, we develop some theory on this idea of "media illiteracy", on masculinity and its toxicity. Fundamentally considering what we mean when we talk about Patriarchy, how it exists and is historically defined, and what does it mean to consider and confront it today. Enjoy!   If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

A new kind of episode! Lighter and more current, as we talk about what we've been playing, some things we've been thinking about, and the new Left Page Book Club! Time stamps 00:00:00 - 00:40:40 Intro + What are we watching, reading, playing 00:40:40 - 01:27:45 AI In Video Games 01:27:45 - 02: 23:45 Left Page Book Club The article we talked about: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/new-research-shows-over-90-of-gamers-find-playing-with-ai-powered-npcs-to-be-enjoyable-and-rewarding

We deploy Critical Harvest Theory in this episode, when we ask: What happens when we don't look critically at escapist fantasies? We then try to answer this question by looking at two video games: Stardew Valley (2015) and Citizen Sleeper (2022 & 2025) Going into the ways of how these games create their realities and end up surviving in or attempting to sideline capitalism, which will surely go well, right? Right? That, and more, in this episode about capital, land, time and space! Enjoy!   If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

Wolfenstein is a fascinating series of games, so let's talk about the recent Machine Games' iterations. Asking the fundamental question of how to properly kill fascism and how this game is presenting it, or not. Enjoy!   Check out Jon's stuff: Horror Vanguard & The Haunt Blog Morris Rosenfeld's poem In The Factory from 1914 Intro song: Machine, Machine. Nits. 2019, Werf & V2 Records Outro song: Nazi raus. Marti Fischer. 2024, ContentView GmbH

Hello everyone!! Today we're starting off with our new kinds of episodes, as we discuss a more broad element... the discourse on the new Oddyssey film! We've often talked about historical representation, mythology, and what "historical accuracy" can mean, but not as directly as of yet. So this time we went full into some of the terrible ways those are all used, distanced from any interesting or useful cultural critique, and only a terrible weapon to brandish. So come along as we seek to prepare ourselves and others to not fall into those same pitfalls and traps that are misrepresenting and confusing all at once. Enjoy! Video Mentioned:
https://youtu.be/O9KD3Xv7D1c If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun

Good lord! It's sure been a while, huh? Celebrating 7 years of running this podcast, Frank and Leon go over some of the changes, some of the achievements, how they see the pod, how they think of it moving forwards, and a couple of interesting things to come! Thank you all so so much for being here, for listening, and especially supporting the show, for as little or as long as you have! It means the world! Here's to the great things coming! Check out all the free stuff on Patreon and support us if you can there! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  And do join our Discord for more chats about games, books, and plenty more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: All Along the Watchtower, Jimmy Hendrix; The Planets, Op.32 - 4. Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity, Gustav Holst; Gymnopédie n. 1, Erik Satie; Home, Karl Casey; I Would Never Have To Know, Samurai Drive; Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Vistas - Downtime, Miracle of Sound Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate the centennial Left Page we go to the start, the originator of the modern novel: Don Quixote de la Mancha! We go over the fantasies of Don Quixote, the way the two books deal with reality, fantasy, and primarily books and reading! All the while not forgetting the deep materiality involved in the depictions, and how there is still more than we think to it. Come celebrate our 100th episode with one of the greatest of all time! Enjoy! Check out all the free stuff on Patreon and support us if you can there! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  And do join our Discord for more chats about games, books, and plenty more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge · Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We continue with the First Law Standalone novels, now going into Heroes and Red Country! We talk about how these characters continue to be engagin, how the materiality of war and conflict continues, and how change, propelled by capital, can be such a dangerous thing the world over, fantasy world it might be. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge · Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We continue with Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, now talking about the 3 standalone novels: Best Served Cold, Heroes, and Red Country! Because these books are great and there is a lot to talk about, we split these episodes in 2 parts, both already available for Patrons! First we talk about Abercrombie and the setup to these books, then Best Served Cold and how to write a phenomenal revenge story indeed. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge · Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We visit the sequel of our very first Here be Media episode, coming alongside a very special announcement in the first 10 minutes about the future of this podcast. We set out to explore the pitfalls of exclusively centreing psychology in your familial narrative, that is therefore ot able to grapple with the existential conflict it seeks to portray. Please enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: I Would Never Have To Know - Samurai Drive. From the Album: Samurai Drive ℗ 2020 Daniel Riederauer Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're wrapping up the year in serious fashion, diving once back into Imperialism everywhere, with the 2025 Superman, and bringing our superhero liasion along, André! This was a film really well talked about for being positive, and progressive and... things which it isn't. It's still imperialist and still very much on the US' side when thinking about anything. So come along as we look at this at first, maybe good superhero film, and yet, rather vile film, regardless of its liberal good intentions. Enjoy! And do check out André's text on superhero films and his interview with good friend Jon from Horror Vanguard: https://operamundi.uol.com.br/cultura/filmes-de-super-heroi-e-possivel-escapar-do-cinismo/ https://youtu.be/-KFmOxZ1-z4?list=LL If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: I Would Never Have To Know - Samurai Drive. From the Album: Samurai Drive ℗ 2020 Daniel Riederauer Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're finally tackling Tolkien! And so here we are, at the beggining... In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. We go into Tolkien's role in fantasy, how The Hobbit still holds up as both a monument of fantasy and still an excellent book, and the resonance that this work has to fantasy still. Thus we close off 2025 on The Left Page, by beggining Tolkien, with more to come! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge · Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're back talking about Brazilian Literature, with a long overdue request! It's "Golden Harvest" or "São Jorge dos Ilhéus", by Jorge Amado! The horrors of capitalism are everywhere, and none less here, where the forces of empire and capital seek to make Brazilian cocoa production their own, with no regard for people and their lives. So come along in this historically inspired novel to further deepen the obviousness that we must abolish the present state of things. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge · Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're talking about a great Sci-fi film, going into language, history and time. As we discuss some of Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life", but primarily, the Denis Villeneuve film "Arrival"! Why are aliens here? How can our understanding of reality changing help us confront the horrors of capitalism? How is time's linearity a simplistic way to confront capital's victories over past, present and future? Come along as we answer those questions and more, in our more Posadist episode yet! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: I Would Never Have To Know - Samurai Drive. From the Album: Samurai Drive ℗ 2020 Daniel Riederauer Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our latest Conversation, Frank has something special for us! Following attempts at bringing together all their academic work, Frank goes into Star Trek proper for the first time in the podcast, surprisingly. In an attempt to articulate how the original 1966-1969 run articulated a certain version of the future that, while utopian, was still entrenched in Liberalism and certain elements of Empire from which it could not imagine a different outcome. So follow along as we dive into proto-Q, liberal visions of race, a mining colony, and the Cold War all over again! Enjoy! Episodes discussed: S1E17 - The Squire of Gothos S1E21 - The Return of the Archons S1E25 - The Devil in the Dark S1E26 - Errand of Mercy S2E19 - A Private Little War S2E23 - The Omega Glory S3E15 - Let That Be Your Last Battlefield Some bibliography from Frank's own current research into the topic: GOLUMBIA, David. "Black and White World: Race, Ideology and Utopia in Triton and Star Trek." Cultural Critique v. 32, Winter 1995-1996. pp. 75-95. MCKAGEN, E. Leigh. "45. Colonialism and Imperialism" GARCIA-SIINO, Leimar; MITTERMEIER, Sabrina; RABITSCH, Stefan. (Ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Star Trek. New York: Routledge, 2022. pp. 332-339. RIEDER, John. "Chapter Two: Fantasises of Appropriation". ______. Colonialism and the emergence of Science Fiction. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2008. pp. 34-60. SPIEGEL, Simon. "60. Utopia" GARCIA-SIINO, Leimar; MITTERMEIER, Sabrina; RABITSCH, Stefan. (Ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Star Trek. New York: Routledge, 2022. Utopias in Star Trek pp. 471-472. STEPHENSON, Anders. Manifest Destiny: American Expansion and the Empire of Right. New York: Hill and Wang, 1996. WORLAND, Rick. "Captain Kirk, Cold Warrior" Journal of Popular Film and Television. Los Angeles, 16, n. 3, 1988. pp. 109-117. For more, keep an eye out on: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy closing of the spooky season Listeners Jay and I are talking about Titane, and subsequently Queer relations and cars. Enjoy! Find more of us at: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Find Jay at: www.librarypunk.gay https://bsky.app/profile/wildeatheart.bsky.social Intro Music: I Would Never Have To Know - Samurai Drive. From the Album: Samurai Drive ℗ 2020 Daniel Riederauer Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're finally talking about one of the big ones for our special Halloween collab with Horror Vanguard, it's Berserk! Focusing on the Golden Age Arc, we talk about how this manga so effectively depicts despair and hope, how it can have ultraviolence and still have one emotional gutpunch after another. And, of course, about fighting fascism in all its forms. Enjoy! And check out Horror Vanguard wherever you get your podcasts! https://soundcloud.com/user-317910500 https://www.patreon.com/c/horrorvanguard/posts If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge · Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're back talking about vampires and abuse, but with a twist! It's far more elaborate and engaging this time, as we discuss the indie game El Paso: Elsewhere! How do we deal with the holes of violence? With the abyss of abuse that seems to swallow and destroy us whole? In this Max Payne-inspired game (1 and 2, not 3, not at all) we find several ways to not destroy ourselves in such a pit, and find a way to understand ourselves better, even if we don't know what's on the other side. This was an excellent game that kept surprising us not only by being good, but by presenting an emotional story with sparse elements but not less impact. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: I Would Never Have To Know - Samurai Drive. From the Album: Samurai Drive ℗ 2020 Daniel Riederauer Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're talking about another classic today, but for sci-fi, it's the 1995 anime film of Ghost in the Shell! Time to talk about one of the most iconic cyberpunk objects there are, and for good reason. Quite a lot to go over when thinking of bodily relations and representation, identity, the urban landscape and, of course, a whole heap of gender. And it's great! It's a phenomenal film, and we're finally spending some time on it. Enjoy! For reference, the Major's wiki page, as we mentioned it: https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Motoko_Kusanagi If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We finalize another series! James S. A. Corey's The Expanse! Returning for the last three novels, Persepolis Rising, Tiamat's Wrath, and Leviathan Falls. Discussing how these books represent fascism and cannot conceive of any other kind of enemy, we also reexamine the series as a whole. Pointing out its merits in materialism and political relationships... up to the point where it slips up, falling back into usual liberalism that cannot break out from its original chains of dreamlessness and end of history. Still, an important read, and an excellent one, without a doubt. So join us as we wrap it up, for now. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Bibliographical Bonus: BANKER, Bryan. "'The Modality in Which Class is Lived': Literalizing Race and Class in The Expanse." In: The Genres of Genre: Form, Formats, and Cultural Formations. SPELL: Swiss Papers in English Language and Literature 38. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH: Tübingen, 2019. pp. 85-103. BELLAMY, Brent Ryan; O'Brien, Sean. "Solar Accumulation: The Worlds-Systems Theory of The Expanse." Science Fiction Studies, vol. 45, no. 3, 2018, pp. 515–29. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5621/sciefictstud.45.3.0515. FLEISCHHACK, Maria. "Against all Odds: Kinship and Collective Action in The Expanse." In: Kinship and Collective Action: in Literature and Culture v. 6. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH: Tübingen, 2020. pp. 229-249. PERCOCO, Juan Ignacio; LABIANO, Virginia. "Memories of Future Empire: The Productive Effects of Imperial Imaginaries in Science Fiction – An Analysis of The Expanse". Contexto Internacional, vol. 46, no. 3, Sep/Dec 2024. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-8529.20244603e20230058 ROYSTON, Edward. "Enclosing, Opening, and Redefining Modern Space in The Expanse." In: American Science Fiction Television and Space: Productions and (Re)configurations (1987-2021). Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, 2023. SADRAI, Edward; DANDO, Michael; KISHIMOTO, Kyoko; BARTON, Matt; COGDILL, Sharon. "Welwala at the Borders: Language, Space, and Power in The Expanse." In: American Science Fiction Television and Space: Productions and (Re)configurations (1987-2021). Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, 2023. SCODARI, Christine. "Unfamiliar Races in Untimely Places: Anti-Essentialism and the Science Fiction Television Series The Expanse". The Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 55, no. 4, Aug 2022. https://doi-org.ez67.periodicos.capes.gov.br/10.1111/jpcu.13156 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We're talking about one of 2025's biggest and best releases so far, and with our good friend André! It's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! It's French, but we have to talk about it. Both how it creates a mechanically elaborate and successful game, and how it manages to incur in unfortunate psychological reductions and an... unfortunate bump into imperialism and colonialism. We have plenty good and plenty bad in it, so we had to talk about it, and its Frenchness. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: La ziguezon - La Bottine Souriante ℗ Les Productions Mille-Pattes Outro Music: Tit galop pour Mamou · The Balfa Brothers ℗ 1990 Swallow Records Music Publisher: Flat Town Music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Joined by good friend Jon, of Horror Vanguard, as we talk about one of the books of all time, Moby Dick, or The Whale, by Herman Melville! Come along as we discover why this book is everything, how it fits into the larger body of American Literature, and how the threats and consequences of individualism are ever-present. Oh, and of course: how this is a phenomenally gay book indeed. Enjoy! Check out Horror Vanguard: https://soundcloud.com/user-317910500 https://www.patreon.com/c/horrorvanguard/posts If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Time for us to talk about one of the bigger and better releases of the year, and a kind of horror movie, no less, it's Sinners! Come along as we go into how the film represents music and culture, how it frames the ideas of religion and "sinning", and, obviously, the institutional practices of racism, colonialism and oppression. There's a LOT to talk about, and we certainly do! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Time to wrap up the Witcher Saga proper!! As we go over this series in things we hadn't yet covered last time! We dive into the sense of History and Myth established, some other relationships and the fellowship functions themselves, and some of our general thoughts on the Witcher and the Saga! We mark it here for the books, we are (probably) finished! Enjoy!! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We are back with some more Star Wars, and of the best kind, with the second season of Andor! There's been a lot of talk on Andor lately, and having done an episode for the first season, we were not going to let it pass us by. So join us, as we dive into what makes this such a compelling show (amidst flaws, as we talk about them too), critiquing a great deal of liberal hypocrisies, having a rather nuanced understanding of violence, all while never conceding that "maybe the fascists aren't so bad", no. With Andor, we can see a representation of antifascist struggle that goes leaps and bounds to critiquing empire and the horror of fascism throughout. Simply enough: what if pop culture was just good? Enjoy! And as we mentioned it, check out good friend Jon's text on Andor! https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/andor-shows-us-what-popular-culture-could-be If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We found something else. Frank talks about the videogame SEASON: A Letter to the Future. It has problems when it talks about History. It's worth talking about. Thank you. For more, keep an eye out on: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! The time has come!! Now that both of us have read the Witcher Saga books, it's time to finally return to this universe and talk about them! However, it being a rather involved story and universe, alongside comprising 5 books, we decided to make two episodes but discussing the whole Saga. In this first part we dive into some of the relationships of Ciri, Geralt and Yennefer, how the story's form has changed since the short story collections, we spend time talking about the villains, and some of the dynamics of power and mob violence depicted. And there's still lots more to come! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone. The time has come to face our enemy once more. Yuval Noah Harari wrote another book, so we dive into how it is, indeed, a torment of pain and horror. We try to fathom how Harari misunderstands History, historical practice, information, institutions, religion, power, science fiction, AI etc etc. There is very little accurate in this book, and yet, it seems to be rather successful in its nonsense. As we interweave some of the MANY ways this book misrepresents reality, we try to get into what Harari understands and believes, and how he's still terrible in it. We suffer, but for your enjoyment! Have fun! Check out Justin's stuff! Including his new show! http://librarypunk.gay/ The Preacher and the Slave If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We have a special episode with a great guest! In order to talk about the magnificent show The Wire (2002-2008) we bring along Oli Mould, professor of Human Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London! In this episode we dive into this destructive institution that is the police, alongside a few others. All while understanding how the show interweaves its characters, environment and narrative that is always aware of the sociological, the psychological and the personal. There is nothing quite like The Wire, and we have to talk about how it is still relevant for understanding the militarization of the US and its police, and plenty plenty more. Enjoy! Check out the article we mentioned by Oli! https://tacity.co.uk/2024/12/16/american-tv-and-post-9-11-political-imaginaries-24-the-west-wing-and-the-wire/ And Oli's TikTok & BlueSky! https://www.tiktok.com/@olimouldt=ZG-8wVtptq6hGb&r=1 https://bsky.app/profile/olimould.bsky.social If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome one and all to the Left Page & Here Be Media Podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! The time has come. We finish our first long-term game series! Dragon Age has come to an end as we understand it. Let's talk about The Veilguard, with good friend Holly! It is a sad time, as we go over some of the many failings of The Veilguard, its faults in production, writing, execution... And yet, all boiling down to a rather generic game (and failing even at that), that is quite unrecognizable from the Dragon Age series, even in its lowest points before. So come along for the ride, as we close the book and lay out our memorial service for this once rather unique, and damn right phenomenal, videogame series. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! For our late Left Page this month, we dive into an odd choice, but a fruitful one! Emperor Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, from 161 A.D.! In what we find to be one of the original inspirations for self-help books, we... certainly suffer through this one! Talking about how an Emperor can isolate himself from his society and keep himself above it, becoming "a perfect and invincible soul". And we tackle it in turn, with our own experiences, charging against his feeble attempts at "human nature", what he understands existance and history to be, and worst and scariest of all, the horror of men. Enjoy! And check out the Existential Comics Frank mentioned on Epictetus! https://existentialcomics.com/comic/264 If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! It's been a little while, but we're back with another Concept episode! This time trying to thing about what makes an RPG! In this new series we intend to understand a few of the several messy questions that surround this genre, including trying to define what is an RPG. In this first episode we tackle that initial question, with Leon putting forth a framework that might be the most useful way to understand not just the genre, but how games and their connection to us, can be broached. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We found something. Leon brings up crucial ways to talk about History, and doing so responsibly. Video Referenced: https://youtu.be/AnySV4SZdqg Thank you. For more, keep an eye out on: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! In another collab with our good friend Jay, we finally decided to talk about Opera, in particular, Don Giovani!! Come along with us as we dissect this odd portrayal of the "Don Juan" image, his terrible deeds and punishment, and continually this articulation of sound, story and music that opera can create. While never forgetting several matters of class within opera, the notions of performance and lots more! Enjoy! And check out Jay's stuff elsewhere! Library Punk And if able, please support Library Punk's Fundraiser! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Kicking off March, we're talking about religion, and the Catholic Church! With the Oscar-winning Conclave! As we finally dive deeper into how we engage with spirituality, organised religion, and the dreadful dynamics of power of the Catholic Church, we find an interesting film! Even if it does get beholden by its own liberal politics. A more personal episode than usual, perhaps, but no less engaging and rigorous! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! As our episode celebration of 6 years of The Left Page we go back to the 19th century with our very first Jules Verne: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! For this very fun episode we not only reminisce a bit about the show and we feel about it after all this time, but also think over these elements that were at the dawn of science fiction as we know it! Elaborate scientific explanations, a tough narrative, a compelling mystery, and the ocean as wondrous and unknowable as space! It's got it all! So join us for this celebration and excellent episode in its own right, as we plumb this genre dear to us, and how it came to be, bit by bit! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Credits: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone! As we make our way through February we bring yet another collab with our friend André, and on another very liberal piece of media, the League of Legends based show: Arcane! There was potential (some) to this show, as we elaborate on it, and yet, a rushed production, a terrible political perspective, and more, turn this into yet another, although worse, liberal and alienating show - reminds us of the previous time we had André on, for X-Men '97, what a shame! And yet, although we are frustrated, we managed to make the most of it, with a better weighter episode than we expected, and no less fierce criticism, as it demanded of us. Enjoy! Check out André's stuff, in Portuguese (if able) and English! https://revistazelota.com/ https://spectrummagazine.org/author/andre-kanasiro/ If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Credits: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Credits: Alternative Silence, Le Trio Jourban; Poetry & Voice, Mahmoud Darwish Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! We start February in style, with Emma's return as she's got a new book out! The excellent The Quick and the Dead! Alchemy, romance, power, religion, and more! As such we talk a bit about how these elements constitute historical representation, how to depict them and queerness in the Elizabethan era, and dive into matters of religion, State power, and belief! Check it out and read the book! https://bedfordsquarepublishers.co.uk/book/the-quick-and-the-dead/ If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Kicking off 2025 with the Left Page we bring a very special series of books, the First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie! A series dear to Leon and, now to the pod itself. We dive into how these books actually achieve goals of engaging the psychological, the social and the political, while also making compelling literature, imagine that! As such, we explore the building of this world, and how it depicts History, war, power, and even its own sense of mythology. A very strong recommendation from us, and a wonderful time for sure. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Ultralounge, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! For our first HBM of 2025 we offer something quite strange, at first glance something all about military propaganda and nothing quite our podcast range, Ace Combat 7! But, as we are joined by our friend Sid of, among other things, The Bad Game Hall of Fame, we dive deeper! And yeah... there's a lot of propaganda, but still, attempts at telling a story and even being anti-war, but we shall see. Happy new year and here's to plenty of HBM in 2025! Enjoy! Check out Sid's stuff! https://linktr.ee/beamsplashx If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone! We are rounding out 2024 and Dunecember with a very special episode on a... "special" film? David Lynch's Dune from 1984 is not good. But it is worth talking about, and with a friend! As Audrey joins us to brave these strange strange sands. Plenty on the erasure of community and the fremen themselves, the roles of social identity, and some of the not good choices and narrative paths this version of Dune took. And all for our very first approach of David Lynch in the podcast! Enjoy! Check out Audrey's podcast where there'll hopefully be more soon! https://open.spotify.com/show/6utj3P2gXmaziT0T5QvTj0?si=0d33a371a86e4428 And the book mentioned early on about the production of this film, A Masterpiece in Disarray (David Lynch's Dune – An Oral History), by Max Evry https://www.1984publishing.com/bookstore/a-masterpiece-in-disarray-david-lynchs-dune-an-oral-history If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings and Salutations everyone, We decided to do a second HBM episode this month instead of a HBE, we know a part of our audience likes it when we talk about Bioware so we hope this is a fun holiday present for you guys! We are going to be honest, this is a very text based analysis, and might not be the easiest to follow along with for those who have not played the game. We do think there is something there for everyone since we talk about how you can approach RPGs and choices in video games in general. We also talk about notions of representation that are universally accessible. Hope you enjoy! Frank & Leon If you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras, check our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Welcome to Dunecember!! Lots of Dune to cap off 2024! For starters, we tackle the one, the original, the 1965 book by Frank Herbert! It's been a long-time coming, and we hope it was worth the wait. So join us as we talk religious manipulation, "untapped human potential", warrior cultures, being a weird little guy, and lots more in the last Left Page episode of the year. Enjoy! And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Intro: "Ultralounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro: "Leve Palestina" Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! Here is us finally talking about the Elden Ring DLC (or just a standalone game according to the GOTY-awards, Geoff should be struck down for his hubris and so on) we hope you all enjoy it! Due to technical difficulties Ash's precis was added post-recording. Our sincere apologies if it sounds odd, it was the best we could do. Find the Crypt dwellers near a cemetery or at the following links: https://www.patreon.com/c/horrorvanguard/ https://bsky.app/profile/thelitcritguy.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/darrowvania.bsky.social And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! The end of the year and the holidays approach rapidly, but not yet! Rejecting that, we remain in the lands of horror, as we talk about Brian Evenson's Good Night, Sleep Tight, with our friend Nate! We dive into some of the themes in this collection of short stories, their representation of childhood and anxieties of parenthood, sleep and more. And while elaborating on elements we enjoyed and... didn't, unfortunately! Still, we have an excellent time chatting about it, and we hope you like it too! Enjoy! Do check out Nate's previous writing on Evenson and his fiction! https://www.full-stop.net/2013/07/19/blog/nathan-weatherford/unknowable-quantities/ And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and now live Here Be Extras! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Intro: "Ultralounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Outro: "Leve Palestina" Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone!! For this month's spooky HBM we go back to Interview with a Vampire! Season 2! And in good company too, with Jay, of LibraryPunk and Tender Subject fame! It's vampire talk again, as we go back into interviewing immortal beings and finding out just how interesting their drama really is. Is it? We wonder that as we dive into this continued adaptation, its successes and limits, and just how effective, or not, their queer representation really is effective or that engaging! Enjoy! And, of course, check out Jay's work elsewhere! LibraryPunk Tender Subject And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more! https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.