DEATH // SENTENCE

Returning guest Alison Rumfitt (whose book Tell Me I'm Worthless you need to read) is back to get elbow-deep in medieval pee-pee and poo-poo as we immerse ourselves in Ottessa Moshfegh's Lapvona. Is she crypto-fash? A talentless shock artist? A doo-doo obsessed genius? Just a good writer who writes good books? We discuss this and Alison's new book, Morbid Obsessions, writing about the internet and ant genders on this unmissable new episode!

There are more things, but how many more? Let's find out by reading Yara Rodrigues Fowler's There Are More Things, a multi-generational story of queer love and revolution. On the way we discuss London's transportation system, Brazilian politics and millenial sadgirl novels. Music by Cloud Rat and Gnoll.

We are escaping to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism... Space! Unfortunately, it has been corrupted by capitalism. Olga Ravn's book The Employees spun out of a commission to write a few pages to accompany an art installation and went on to be shortlisted for an International Booker. Music by Tomb Mold and Bekor Qilish Please report to our Patreon for a mandatory waffle party: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

In Dakota, the twin towers reappear. Inside them Elvis' still-born brother is resurrected. Elsewhere, JFK loses the election and siblings roam the US following their father's elusive, and exhaustive, playlist for a crumbling Union. A DJ croons across the wastes. Reality buckles in the wake of music's death. John Lennon lives. It's Steve Erikson's Shadowbahn! Before that, Langdon and Eden (remember him?) also talk about how Cool and Also Good™ it is for different types of communists to be absolute dorks and also violent to each other, haha that's definitely not bad! Music played - Gospel - S.R.O https://gospel.bandcamp.com/track/s-r-o Ashenspire - Tragic Heroin https://ashenspire.bandcamp.com/track/tragic-heroin

Foul Tarnished, we have Matt Calquhoun with us to extinguish the meagre flame of your ambition by talking about the games of Hidetaka Miyazaki - Demons Souls, Dark Souls, Sekiro and now Elden Ring. We discuss whether these games can really be said to have a politics, the true meaning of nihilism and we solve philosophy by determining that hauntology is when things are old and dialectics is when there is two of something. Music by Bedsore: https://bedsoredeath.bandcamp.com/album/split Only a truly maidenless individual wouldn't subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

We're joined by one-half of the excellent podcast Twelve Rules for What to talk about their jointly written book The Rise of Ecofascism. We have a wide-ranging conversation that takes in ecofascism's past, present and future and bond over a joint love of Elden Ring. Buy The Rise of Ecofascism from Polity Books: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-rise-of-ecofascism-climate-change-and-the-far-right--9781509545377 Music by Devil Master

In an episode that's been a long time coming, Langdon and Eden tackle Vancian fantasy, the Dying Earth sub-genre, and how these might be subverted to tell both radical and conservative stories. Works covered (beyond the obvious Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance) include Adventure Time, D&D, Gor, The Dancers at the End of Time, Book of the New Sun, and more! Music played: Duel - Children of the Fire https://duel3.bandcamp.com/track/children-of-the-fire

The philosophy world has turned on poor, innocent Freidrich Nietzsche, calling him a 'reactionary' and 'proto-fascist' and 'incel' (probably), but YouTuber Jonas Ceika (aka CCK Philosophy)is here to bring him back, jamming his deeply anti-egalitarian thought into that of Karl Marx, who literally invented being nice. Can he make a convincing case that these two thinkers are compatible? Spoilers: yes. Music by Wormrot and Holy Fawn. Transvalue all values by giving us your money to spend on anime swords here: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

This time around, Langdon and Eden dive face first into Samantha Hunt's heart-breaking, magical realist, water drenched "The Seas". They discuss topics like the impact of poverty on the psyche, climate change, the collective and individual trauma of the Iraq War (both of them), femininity, and unrequited love. Oh, but not before discussing yassified Melkor and Sauron fan art. You know, Death // Sentence stuff. Music played: Moon Tooth - Carry Me Home https://moontoothny.bandcamp.com/album/phototroph An Evening Redness - Black Flame at the Edge of the Desert https://transylvaniantapes.bandcamp.com/album/an-evening-redness

We have the indomitable Gretchen Felker-Martin back on the show to talk about her major-publisher debut, the first ever mainstream horror novel by a trans author, Manhunt. We talk about horror, TERFs, the sublime nature of violence, community and Community (the show). Music by Black Dresses: https://blackdresses.bandcamp.com/album/forget-your-own-face and The Body: https://thebody.bandcamp.com/album/enemy-of-love