Geek's Guide to the Galaxy - A Science Fiction Podcast
David Barr Kirtley
** Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks ** Host David Barr Kirtley, author of the book Save Me Plz and Other Stories, talks geek culture with guests such as Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Richard Dawkins, Simon Pegg, Bill Nye, Margaret Atwood, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy has appeared on recommended podcast lists from NPR, The Guardian, Wired, The A.V. Club, BBC America, CBC Radio, WVXU, io9, Omni, The Strand, Library Journal, and Popular Mechanics. CBC Radio writes, "You may not think a podcast about science fiction and fantasy would be the place to go for political insight, but -- it is. Geek's Guide to the Galaxy manages to be more insightful about politics than many pundits." View a complete list of guests and topics at geeksguideshow.com/episodes/. Listen to the show on YouTube at youtube.com/@geeksguidetothegalaxy to easily skip ahead to our discussion of a particular movie or story.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 28, 2025 • 1h 30min
598. The Story of Elden Ring (with Matt London)
Matt London joins us to discuss narrative design, George R. R. Martin, and the new book Grace Given: The Mythology of Elden Ring by George Truscott. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 11, 2025 • 1h 30min
597. Matthew Kressel, author of Histories Within Us and Space Trucker Jess
Matthew Kressel joins us to discuss his short story collection Histories Within Us and his new novel Space Trucker Jess. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 25, 2025 • 1h 46min
596. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert Review
Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Rajan Khanna join us to discuss God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert, the fourth book in the Dune series. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 12min
595. The Business of Science Fiction (with Tom Gerencer)
Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the book The Business of Science Fiction by Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 26, 2025 • 1h 28min
594. Andor Season 2 Review (with Andrea Kail, Erin Lindsey, Matt London)
Andrea Kail, Erin Lindsey, and Matt London join us to discuss Season 2 of the Disney+ series Andor, a prequel to the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 18, 2025 • 1h 10min
593. Roger Zelazny's Writing Advice (with Warren Lapine)
Warren Lapine joins us to discuss editing the book On Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy by Roger Zelazny. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 8, 2025 • 2h 24min
592. The Best of Greg Egan Part 1 Review (with Anthony Ha)
Anthony Ha joins us to discuss the first eight stories in the book The Best of Greg Egan, part of the SF Masterworks series of science fiction classics. Stories discussed: "Learning to Be Me" (20:42), "Axiomatic" (44:03), "Appropriate Love" (50:10), "Into Darkness" (1:00:30), "Unstable Orbits in the Space of Lies" (1:14:47), "Closer" (1:26:42), "Chaff" (1:38:50), "Luminous" (1:52:12). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 23, 2025 • 2h 40min
591. Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits Part 3 Review (with Tom Gerencer)
Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the book The Top of the Volcano: The Award-Winning Stories of Harlan Ellison, which contains 11 stories not included in Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits. Stories discussed: "A Boy and His Dog" (1:39), "The Region Between" (37:12), "Basilisk" (48:29), "Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W" (53:57), "Croatoan" (1:05:55), "Count the Clock that Tells the Time" (1:16:45), "With Virgil Oddum at the East Pole" (1:32:30), "Soft Monkey" (1:41:43), "The Function of Dream Sleep" (1:47:38), "The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore" (2:01:01), "The Human Operators" (2:11:50). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 4, 2025 • 1h 50min
590. The Best of Larry Niven Part 1 Review (with Mercurio D. Rivera)
Mercurio D. Rivera joins us to discuss the first nine stories in the book The Best of Larry Niven, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Stories discussed: "Becalmed in Hell" (5:10), "Bordered in Black" (17:54), "Neutron Star" (26:35), "The Soft Weapon" (38:16), "The Jigsaw Man" (56:27), "The Deadlier Weapon" (1:02:55), "All the Myriad Ways" (1:08:16), "Not Long Before the End" (1:19:48), "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" (1:28:01). Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 22, 2025 • 1h 38min
589. Dune Prophecy Season 1 Review (with Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, Rajan Khanna)
Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Rajan Khanna join us to discuss Season 1 of the HBO series Dune: Prophecy, a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
