Science Fiction Book Club

Abu and Obssa complete their read-through of Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. Zelu's story and the Rusted Robots storyline finally meet in a twist that reframes everything that came before it, and the hosts land in very different places on whether the ending earns it. Obssa found the book's recursive structure deeply satisfying start to finish, while Abu closes out a rocky read with real reservations about how the final act ties its themes together.

IN THIS EPISODE

Zelu survives an armed ambush in Nigeria by running 35 miles while livestreaming the whole ordeal on Facebook, and the fallout with her family gets ugly fast.

Obssa's takeaway breaks down the novel's recursive "creation flows both ways" structure and ties it back to Roland Barthes' original essay on the death of the author.

Abu and Obssa hand out their final ratings for the book and close out Season 3 with a first look at Season 4's opening read, The Dog Stars.

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Abu and Obssa continue their read-through of Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. This middle third is where the two of them split hardest: one is all in on Zelu, the other can barely stand her. Between them they get into grief, exoskeletons, and who gets to decide what makes someone human.

IN THIS EPISODE

Zelu's custom exoskeleton, the line "I'm no one's robot," and whether augmentation frees her or just hands people the right to define her body.

Two deaths, one in each timeline, and Abu's case that grief reprograms the people left behind for better and worse.

In the Rusted Robots strand, an unlikely friendship between a Hume and a Ghost, a loyalty pact at a graveside, and a warning Cross River City doesn't want to hear.

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Watch video episodes and clips: youtube.com/@loreparty
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Abu and Obssa begin their read-through of Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. They examine the three layers of the story: the present-day story of Zelu, the far-future robot novel she is secretly writing, and a string of interviews with the people who know her. They also break down Okorafor's career and where the book gets its title.

IN THIS EPISODE

Meet Zelu: a paraplegic adjunct professor and black sheep of a big Nigerian American family who gets fired and writes her way to a seven-figure book deal

Inside Rusted Robots, the novel within the novel, where a war between Humes and Ghosts take over a human-less Earth

Why Okorafor insists her work is Africanfuturism, not Afrofuturism, and the difference she draws

The Roland Barthes essay this book is arguing against, and how autobiographical the family really is

Where Abu and Obssa land after a third of the book, including who's Team Zelu and who's Team Chinyere

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Bookmark the reading schedule: https://sfbc.netlify.app/schedule

Join the conversation in our free Discord: https://discord.gg/bVrhwWm7j4

Get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/scifibookclubpod

Watch video episodes and clips: www.youtube.com/@loreparty
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Abu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Obssa are joined by Cody from the Hugonauts podcast to break down the thought-provoking short story by Ursula K. Le Guin. They explore the moral philosophy at the center of this tale, and debate whether the ones who leave Omelas are worthy or praise or disdain.

Check out the Hugonauts podcast: https://hugonauts.simplecast.com/

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.loreparty.com/science-fiction-book-club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Keep up with the reading schedule: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sfbc.netlify.app/schedule⁠⁠

Join the conversation in our free Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/bVrhwWm7j4⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get bonus content and helpful reading materials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/scifibookclubpod⁠⁠⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Obssa complete their read-through of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. They discuss the lessons from this book about cultural exchange, and what it means to treat others through the lens of "I and Thou".

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.loreparty.com/science-fiction-book-club⁠⁠⁠⁠

Keep up with the reading schedule: ⁠⁠⁠https://sfbc.netlify.app/schedule⁠

Join the conversation in our free Discord: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/bVrhwWm7j4⁠⁠⁠

Get bonus content and helpful reading materials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/scifibookclubpod⁠⁠⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices