DEATH // SENTENCE

We've got all three of the podcast's Toxic Litbros on the pod today because we want to talk about Susanna Clarke's incredible Piranesi, the long-awaited follow-up to the modern classic Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel. We talk Platonism, the Tarot, and a weird Meshuggah concert. Music by Fliege: https://dasfliege.bandcamp.com/

The Discourse Labyrinth has once again trapped Langdon and Eden! First, they must do battle with online """Leftists""" to defend a Marxist reading of Foucault (while stabbing the actual man repeatedly, luckily he is already dead). Then, the two dive into the maze of Platonist, reality-bending, weird fantasy that is Alex Pheby's Malarkoi! Talking dogs, gods, ideal realms, time manipulation, and general malarkey abounds. Music played: Gods of Eden - Through the Abyss https://godsofeden.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-abyss Armory - The Hunters from Beyond https://armory417.bandcamp.com/track/the-hunters-from-beyond

To celebrate 3,000 followers on Twitter, Eden sits down for a solo episode exploring Hope Mirrlees' "Lud-In-The-Mist", a forgotten classic of faerie metaphor. The discussion revolves around Mirrlees herself, the undertones of class in the story, and how it further explores tension between city and country, center and periphery, and more. Music played: GoGo Penguin - Wave Decay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzwlh0QagRM&ab_channel=GoGoPenguinVEVO

Elle Nash is back with another banger: Gag Reflex, a story of eating disorders and nu metal told in Livejournal posts and chatlogs. Along the way we discuss British Niceness, Buddhism, method acting and raves. Music by Sugar Ray and Soulfly

Langdon and Eden must first do battle with, and slay, the ancient demon known as "comps" by wielding the mighty sword of post-modern Marxism (real). Then, they tackle the unbridled, full-on, max-fury, chrome, battle-ready, forgotten, unsung masterpiece that is David R. Bunch's scathing sci-fi satire, "Moderan"! Music played: Parannoul - Beautiful World. https://parannoul.bandcamp.com/track/beautiful-world Touccan - Captain Costaud. https://ripcordrecords.bandcamp.com/track/commandant-costaud

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