DEATH // SENTENCE

It's another of our 'stuff that's not books but is as good as books' episodes, but this time kind of about a book: the manga Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda. It's about a hunt for a stash of gold in turn-of-the-century Japan, but it's actually about colonialism, indigenous identity, the psychological effects of war, and friendship. Pod Save Anime host Emma Bowers (@hyenasandgin) is on hand to help keep us on course. We say the c-word a *lot* in this episode. Music by Smoulder ( https://smoulder.bandcamp.com ) and Sadness ( https://sadnessmusic.bandcamp.com )

We talk to Juliet Escoria about her new book Juliet the Maniac (on Melville House), the story of a teenager with some very severe mental health problems who makes all kinds of sex and drugs-related mistakes and winds up in therapy, which doesn't exactly work. It's kind of something everyone involved in the making and probably listening-to of this show can relate to, so we're into it. Music by Foie Gras and Sunn 0))) Support our Patreon for bonus episodes

British-Literary-Neocon daddy Ian McEwan has lowered himself to writing a 'scientific fiction' book to show us poor saps that they can have real feeling and emotions! So there's a robot in the background while some middle-class white people talk about their feelings. And you bet there's some bad sexual and racial politics! Music by Big Brave and DILLY DALLY. Support our Patreon and become a true WÄRBRÖTHËR (gender neutral term): https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

We've got comics artist, writer and critic Sarah Horrocks on the show to talk about her work so far (which has included The Leopard and Goro) and her forthcoming mecha comic. We talk Gundam, learning to draw, the nature of melodrama and whether we'd vore Donald Trump like ducks or snakes. Learn more about Sarah's work here: https://mercurialblonde.squarespace.com/ Music by Skepticism and Les Rallizes Denudes And support our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

What if we're wrong about the current far-right movements in Europe and the US being fascists? What if they're a new, more dangerous phenomena that blends ideas from the far-right with the relative acceptability of the political centre? That's the main thesis in David Renton's The New Authoritarians, so we dissect it and, somehow, still manage to talk about horror movies, bad Lolita takes and bustin'. Music by Waste of Space Orchestra: https://wasteofspaceorchestra.bandcamp.com And Spiteful Urinator: https://spitefulurinator.bandcamp.com/album/acid-earth And here's our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

This is both the first Patreon-exclusive episode and the first time that we've had a poet on the show: Rax King is the author of The People's Elbow: Thirty Recitatives on Rape and Wrestling, a raw, beautiful meditation on trauma and healing that's also about Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Music by Devil Master and Chevalier.

South Londoners ITHACA blew everyone away when they released The Language of Injury in February, so we've been waiting, biding our time, holding back until the perfect moment to get the band's singer Djamila to come on the show to talk about Hollow Earth, weaponised estrogen and Nicki Minaj, Music by Grave Pleasures: https://gravepleasures.bandcamp.com/releases And Seeyouspacecowboy: https://seeyouspacecowboyca.bandcamp.com Support our Patreon why not: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence

It's barely March and already we've got a book of the year contender: Marlon James' Black Leopard Red Wolf, an epic fantasy that might be the best, and definitely the most literary thing in the genre since The Vorrh. There's enough material in its 600-plus pages for ten podcasts, so naturally, we talk about, video games, violence, queering fantasy and under-appreciated Judas Priest albums. Music by Fange: https://fange.bandcamp.com/ And Sutekh Hexen: https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/sutekh-hexen

Richard Chiem's King of Joy (Soft Skull Press) is a novel about porn, weed and good dogs that's also a Lynch-ian vaporwave nightmare *and* a raw, intense story of grief and perseverance. You know, based on that description, that I 'had to do it to 'em' (interview Richard on his life, influences and writing process.) Music by Candlemass: https://candlemass.bandcamp.com/album/the-door-to-doom And Violet Cold: https://violetcold.bandcamp.com/album/kosmik

Lords of Chaos was going to be the definitive story of the bloodiest chapter in extreme metal's history, a cinematic event essential to any true metal fan... Until Vice fucked up the release so only one of the three people on this podcast got to see it. Fortunately, that person was Megan Osztrosits from Couch Slut, one of the best bands ever, so we ended up talking about Air Bud, YouTube and catfishing Varg Vikernes. Music by Inter Arma: https://interarma.bandcamp.com And Scorpions.