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We are back with Our Queen Emily St. John Mandel, and her incredible new American dystopian novel, Exit Party, that asks: What happens if gestures around we keep this shit up? This novel has everything. Surveillance-state-flavoured fascism, well-lit parties, a fabulous art collector dame, murder, gun smuggling, neglectful parents, pretty decent parents, secret police, and multiversal travel. It will make you think, panic lightly, and maybe even find hope and joy in the sinking ship that is American democracy. The nerds are extra excited for this one, because we got our bespeckled eyeballs on this novel before it came out. And we’ll have a bonus surprise, with royalty, for you next week! Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

Don’t listen to this podcast or we will conquer you. The Pagenerds are back with part two of The Three Body Problem, and things are about to get chaotic, and not just mathematically. The nerds dive into alien nanotech, real, uh, slicey innovation, human computers and human jerky. The second half of this book is breakneck, it’s such a fantastic trip, and we can’t wait for you to strap on your extraterrestrial VR headset and take it with us.And a big thank you to Adobe Acrobat for sponsoring this episode.  Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

This week the dream team reads The Three-Body Problem, a book that asks the important question: What happens when you combine trauma and nihilism with intergalactic phone tag? Sarah, Tommy, Rick, and Andrew nerd out over solar amplification, broken physics, space-age VR, and the dick-measuring contest that is billionaire space travel. This episode is truly a chaotic era. And Rick finally asks the rest of the team a question that he’s been stewing over for the entire history of Pagenerd. It’s not what you think it is. This one is big, weird, philosophical science fiction with ideas that will stick in your brain long after you finish it.   Come wander into the dark forest with us.     Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

Just like we love public libraries, we pagenerds also love public broadcasting. So we want to introduce you to a show by some podcast friends of ours over at the CBC: Bookends, with Mattea Roach. If you like Pagenerd we think you'll enjoy this episode so we're sharing it in our feed for you to enjoy. In this episode: If an asteroid were hurtling towards Earth, and you had no other choice … would you upload your mind to a computer to survive? Robert J. Sawyer explores that dilemma in his new novel, The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine. The Canadian sci-fi legend’s latest is all about technology and identity at the end of the world … and as someone who has thought a lot about mortality, Robert has a unique perspective on how technology, humanity and death align. Robert tells Mattea Roach about why he likes to write about cheating death, the harmony of science and religion and a personal experience he’s sharing for the first time. Go here to check out CBC Bookends! Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

In this spoilerful second part of Pagenerd reading Yesteryear we find our way to the conclusion of the book, and finally figure out what’s going on at Yesteryear Ranch.  Most of us do, anyway. Andrew figured it out in the first chapter and is not un-smug about it. So, does Natalie redeem herself and do we even like her? This is part two of our double episode on Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, so if you haven’t already go check out the first episode before this one. Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

This week on the pod Sarah has the unenviable task of explaining what a “tradwife influencer” is to the guys. We've got a cultural history of the people and ideas that inspired Yesteryear: Ballerina Farm, “The Hogfather”,  ASMR sourdough, and cosplaying religious subservience for a right-wing project (it’s not great). Gasps are gusped, jaws are dropped, everyone is thoroughly creeped out— sometimes reality is truly stranger than science fiction. Then we dive into the first half of Yesteryear, the buzziest and the most unhinged book of the season. This book has everything: a sociopath protagonist, apparent time travel, a weaponized bear trap, a milk-drinking man-child. This episode is spoiler-lite; If you haven't read this one yet that's OK — we’ll save any big reveals and twists for part two. Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

This week, the gang tackles H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. We figured a century and a quarter was a fair amount of time to respect NO SPOILERS. Sarah, Tommy, Rick, and Andrew dig into the novel that helped invent the alien invasion epic. We explore Wells' surprisingly radical attempt to help readers empathize with colonized peoples by putting Britain on the receiving end of an alien invasion.  We also learned a lot of splendid 18th-century words. A big shoutout to this week's sponsor, Adobe Acrobat. Thank you for supporting creatives.   Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

This week, the gang dives into Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente, a novel that asks one important question: what if Eurovision decided the fate of entire civilizations? The answer involves flamingo anglerfish, intergalactic threesomes, washed-up glam rock stars, a hyper-masculine moonbeam, and enough commas to qualify as a form of literary jazz.  Sarah, Tommy, Rick, and Andrew do their best to keep up with Valente's dazzling, relentless prose while trying to explain one of the most joyful, ridiculous, and imaginative books they've ever read. It’s glitter-sex-hopecore, and we loved every minute of it. If you vibed with the episode, we'd love it if you'd leave us a rating and review. And if you'd like to support the show (and help us keep reading increasingly ridiculous sci-fi), you can join us on Patreon. And we will obviously be rooting for Canada in the next Eurovision, even Tommy. Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

This week, the Pagenerd crew tackles hyper pigs, consensual cannibalism, corpse-eating architecture, a freaky little child AI, planetary genocide, and a supervillain called “The Clockmaker.” Alastair Reynolds Aurora Rising (originally called The Prefect) is a fever dream of a detective novel that somehow manages to jam all those things into a single story. Sarah, Tommy, Rick, and Andrew attempt to untangle a future powered by quickmatter, debate whether anyone actually understands what's happening, and marvel at Alastair Reynolds' ability to make the absolutely absurd feel strangely plausible. This episode starts as a detective story and rapidly descends into chaos. We recommend surrendering to the experience. If you’d like to support the pod, you can find us on Patreon. Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

Somehow, Ishiguro has written a book that Sarah found both boring and emotionally devastating at the same time. The banality of the language is part of the darkness of this semi-dystopian trip inside the mind of Klara, a solar-powered artificial friend who is generally treated like crap by the humans around her.  The novel is a masterpiece by the Nobel laureate who wrote Remains of the Day, but it’s not a beach read. We see the world unfold through Klara’s childlike vision, and her innocence prevents her from recognising that nobody really cares about her. Despite that, the robot is the most human character in the book. It’s a book about hope, even in its darkness. If you’re looking for something that will absolutely ruin you in a ponderous and meditative way then read Klara and the Sun. You sicko. Purchase on Bookshop.org (Support Pagenerd) Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

The Pagenerds are back with part two of The Dispossessed, where Ursula K. Le Guin somehow takes an already brilliant book and makes it hit even harder. This section gets deeply personal. We follow Shevek as he wrestles with fame, isolation, intellectual ego (and the consolidation of publishing power), and the very messy reality of trying to build a better world with other humans. The political conversations get bigger, and at least one Pagenerd starts sounding like they’re on the verge of joining an anarchist moon colony (it’s me, Sarah). There’s a lot in here about who gets access to knowledge, who controls it, and what we owe each other when systems stop serving people. You know, fun light podcast stuff. Thank you for spending your finite life minutes with us. We adored this book and honestly could have talked about it for another six hours. If you like your sci-fi thoughtful, political, and painfully human, Le Guin remains undefeated. Purchase on Bookshop.org (Support Pagenerd) Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

The Pagenerds finally tackle Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, which is a lot in the best way possible. Naturally, we had to split this one into two parts. This book absolutely rocks. Le Guin drops us onto two sister planets locked in ideological opposition, then uses one physicist’s journey to unpack capitalism, anarchism (the good kind?), power, sex stuff, academia, love, and what it actually means to try and build a better world.  A breezy read if you’re a sociology PhD, pretty heady for the rest of us. This book could not have been an email. Part one is all about the setup, the ideology, and the growing suspicion that Ursula K. Le Guin may have simply understood humanity way, way too well.  We loved this book deeply, and we’re so grateful you’re spending your finite life minutes with us talking about it. If you like your sci-fi thoughtful, political, and devastatingly smart, pick up this book (from a library or indie bookstore) right now. Purchase on Bookshop.org (Support Pagenerd) Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

The Forever War is a book that asks "Who hurt author Joe Haldeman?” and the answer is: The United States Military. This book is about a futuristic war fought by soldiers in power armour, but really it's about every war and every soldier. It was written in 1974, yet it feels disturbingly current. Haldeman wrote this book after his experience as a combat engineer in the Vietnam War. So it reads as a scathing critique of American imperialism, the futility of war, and what it does to the people sent to fight it— and the ones left behind.   It’s the kind of book we need in April of 2026. Tommy recorded this episode from the bathroom of a truly gross San Francisco hotel, which feels spiritually aligned with the time we’re living in. Haldeman’s writing is sharp, disorienting, and surprisingly human. If you like your sci-fi with a true disdain for war, queer-stuff before its time, and a side of existential whiplash, this one delivers. Purchase on Bookshop.org (Support Pagenerd) Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

The Intercepts is an excellent beach read if you’re deeply unwell. It’s also the Pagenerds very first horror sci-fi, so thanks T.J. Payne.  The novel drops us into a secret government facility where people are kept underground and understimulated for some… experimentation. We uncover what in the MKUltra is going on through the eyes of a program manager and his teenage daughter. There’s a beige, middle-management, banality-of-evil vibe— and then it gets properly haunted-house scary. Huge shoutout to Jay, our producer, who is famously squeamish and still edited this episode. If you like your sci-fi with some gore, this book is for you. If you don’t, let us spoil it for you. We love you, ‘nerds. Thanks so much for listening! Purchase on Bookshop.org (Support Pagenerd) Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!

Wild Dark Shore is the kind of book that makes you openly weep on the subway. Charlotte McConaghy drops us onto a remote, storm-battered island filled with seals, secrets, and a family holding on a little too tightly to both. In this episode the Pagenerds attempt to unpack it and emotionally survive it, as the story unfolds into something about grief, survival, and what we owe each other at the end of the world. Sarah sobbed into the book. Full, page-wrecking sobs. She also sobbed in the episode, and at one point almost fought Rick, which feels on theme. It’s haunting, tense, and deeply tender. You might finish it and call someone you love. Or start a fight. Honestly, both feel right. Purchase on Bookshop.org (Support Pagenerd)   Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer. New episodes launch every two weeks. If you want to read along with future episodes then you'll find a full list of what we're reading next at pagenerd.com, and support us at patreon.com/pagenerd. You can reach the nerds at [email protected] — tell us about your local library or favourite indie book store!