DEATH // SENTENCE

This episode, Langdon reports on his adjusted power levels while Eden rambles about dying alone in space. Or perhaps building a flourishing community in space? Both? You'll see (it's the first one). Then, we discuss Stepan Chapman's The Troika, potentially one of the most (if not the most) whip-lashing, weird, and exquisitely written books we've covered. Join us as the souls of three poor people mix in purgatory, leading to revelations about fish, squids, brontosaurs, sentient jeeps, human extermination, sorcery, body horror, and more. Music played: Guillame David - Vanir's Legacy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSa-ngVZdXY

Tariq Goddard joins us to talk about his new book High John the Conqueror - part police procedural, part folk-horror fantasy. Tariq also happens to be the publisher of Repeater Books, the best leftist press in the entire world, so we have plenty to talk about, including cops, psychedelia, the South West of England and the state of publishing.

On this episode of Death // Sentence, Langdon and Eden kick things off by summoning the worst version of Eden possible - Conservative Eden! He rants on and on about the whiplash reaction to Sad Puppies and the inevitable, and awful, rise of identity politics focused SFF. Then, the two discuss Jeffrey Ford's The Physiognomy, a World Fantasy Award winning, weird-ass book about corrupted cities, immortality, heaven, time travel (possibly), neurosis, paranoia, fascism, and a protagonist who really, really sucks. No, really. He sucks. Book's great though! Music played: Reliqa - The Bearer of Bad News https://reliqa.bandcamp.com/track/the-bearer-of-bad-news-2 God Alone - Kung Fu Treachery https://godalone.bandcamp.com/track/kung-fu-treachery-2

NORMAL ISLAND RIGHT? Britain has been even more NORMAL than usual lately, so we invited Phil Burton-Cartledge on the show to talk about his book Falling Down: The Conservative Party and the Decline of Tory Britain. We cover the past, present and hopefully short future of the Tory Party, the hidden motivations of its leading figures and our shared love of White Zombie. Music by Ripped to Shreds and Lana Del Rabies.

Hark, wary traveler: Today, Langdon ventures out alone to feast, to hunt, to kill. Also they interview a returning Trevor from Putrescine and Ivan from Kosmogyr about their recent split LP DESOLATE TIDES. All being pretty bored of standard interview shapes and topics, the results are more a conversation than drilling into what inspired them to write sick riffs. (The inspiration is that riffs are very sick and it's cool to write sick riffs.) FEATURED MUSIC: Putrescine - "The Accursed" Kosmogyr - "Ring"

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