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Artwork for A Meal of Thorns
Speculative Fiction
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Identity
Literary Criticism
Memory
Philosophy
Leena Krohn
Tainaron, Mail From Another City
The Fifth Season
Hugo Awards
Piranesi
Perelandra
Susanna Clarke
Queerness In Literature
Fire Logic
Donald Barthelme
Climate Change
Loneliness
Cyberpunk

A critical book club from the Ancillary Review of Books. Host Jake Casella Brookins invites writers, scholars, and critics to discuss thorny works of science fiction, fantasy, and other speculative genres.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes54Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsScience FictionBooksFiction

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Artwork for A Meal of Thorns

Latest Episodes

Literary agent and Print Run podcaster extraordinaire Laura Zats is on to talk about a novel that is the most urban fantasy you can imagine, and yet seems to run towards different traditions and ideas the closer you examine it—Robin McKinley’s award-... more

Critic & reviewer Ian Mond talks us through Tiny Deaths, a very funny and frequently morbid collection. We also think bigger: about the place and status of humor and seriousness in genre literature, and why non-genre imprints and translated literatur... more

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Brunner’s prescient classic about overpopulation: is it about overpopulation? Was it prescient? And, for that matter: what does it mean to be a classic? Reviewer and editor Dan Hartland joins to discuss these questions and more.

Podcasts, reviews, i... more

YouTube

Science fiction readers love a mechanism, they love a bit of world-building and mystery-solving. Premee Mohamed joins us to discuss Gene Wolfe's The Fifth Head of Cerberus, a book that asks: what if a science fiction book intentionally avoided all of... more

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Recent Guests

Premee Mohamed
Science fiction writer and guest of the episode
Independent author; formerly Escape Pod contributor
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 51- THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS with Premee Mohamed
Gareth Watkins
Critic and commentator, writer and host of Death Sentence Podcast
Independent critic; contributor to New Socialist, Los Angeles Review of Books, New Statesman, Vulture
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 50- SISYPHEAN with Gareth Watkins
Molly Templeton
Reviewer and editor with Reactor Magazine; administrator for the Le Guin Prize
Reactor Magazine; Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 49- MOONGATHER with Molly Templeton
Dr. Matthew Leggat
Senior lecturer in English and American Literature at the University of Winchester; co-host of Utopian and Dystopian Fictions podcast
University of Winchester
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 48- READY PLAYER ONE with Matthew Leggatt
Abigail Nussbaum
Writer and critic; frequent contributor to Locust Vector, Los Angeles Review of Books, Strange Horizons
Locust Vector; Los Angeles Review of Books; Strange Horizons
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 47- CLOUD ATLAS with Abigail Nussbaum
Max Gladstone
Hugo Nebula and Locust winning author and Craft sequence writer
Independent author, Craft series
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 46- THE BIG SLEEP with Max Gladstone
Alexander Dickow
Poet, literary scholar, translator; professor of French literature and culture at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 45- THE DEEP SEA DIVER’S SYNDROME with Alexander Dickow
Liz Bourke
Critic and reviewer in the SFF world
Locus, Strange Horizons, etc.
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 44- PALADIN OF SOULS with Liz Bourke
Eden Kupermintz
Writes and podcasts about science fiction, politics, theory, and metal.
Episode: A Meal of Thorns 43- DIASPORA with Eden Kupermintz

Host

Jake Casella Brookins
Host of A Meal of Thorns; affiliated with Ancillary Review of Books; central figure in discussions of speculative fiction

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 51 ratings
  • A pleasure to listen to

    This is a great way to expand your understanding of the fiction landscape and lineages and get book recommendations, I’ve especially enjoyed learning about titles that are before my time.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    l0bst3rc0p
    United States5 months ago
  • Great, thoughtful podcast about science fiction and fantasy

    The only thing keeping me from listening to all of these in a binge is the fact that I need to catch up and read many of the novels under discussion. Broad ranging, informative, and host and guests always care about the books, even the bad ones.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ouranosaurus
    Canada8 months ago
  • Exceptional

    There aren’t many speculative fiction review podcasts so I was so excited to find this one. I like how guests have expertise in relation to episode’s title selection and I especially enjoy the titles chosen to discuss. There is a nice mix of newer and less recent titles.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kayemme
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Great for readers who want deeper context beyond plot summaries.
A rare blend of scholarly insight and accessible discussion in speculative fiction.
Thoughtful, broad-ranging conversations with care for books and guests.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#240
Germany/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#165
Finland/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

A Meal of Thorns 52- STAND ON ZANZIBAR with Dan Hartland
Q: How does this book compare to later works in SF that deal with similar themes?
It foreshadows cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk concerns through its immersive structure and social critique, but it often lacks the humane counterbalance seen in later novels, making it feel harsher yet historically influential.
A Meal of Thorns 52- STAND ON ZANZIBAR with Dan Hartland
Q: Is Brunner's portrayal of overpopulation and race dystopian, prophetic, or both?
It is both; Brunner aggressively imagines dehumanization and social control as solutions, which reads as pessimistic and sometimes troubling, though it also captures a historical moment of anxiety about population and social order.
A Meal of Thorns 52- STAND ON ZANZIBAR with Dan Hartland
Q: What makes Stand on Zanzibar structurally distinctive, and how does that affect its readability today?
The book fuses a central, action-driven narrative with multiple interstitial pieces—news headlines, ads, reports, and short character studies—that collectively create an immersive, if uneven, reading experience, which can feel overlong but also opens up broader social critique.
A Meal of Thorns 51- THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS with Premee Mohamed
Q: Tell us why you chose this book for the discussion and what parts resonated most with you?
Premee explains that Wolfe's willingness to challenge readers and to delay definitive answers, plus the book's gendered and colonial critique, made it a rich candidate for a critical, collaborative discussion.
A Meal of Thorns 47- CLOUD ATLAS with Abigail Nussbaum
Q: Yeah, this was a fun pick. But before we dive into this, I wanted to ask, what else you have been reading? Anything interesting?
Abigail discusses recent and forthcoming works, including Aliya Whiteley's The Misheard World and other contemporary releases, highlighting how genre boundaries are being tested and how authors move between speculative and literary terrains.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About A Meal of Thorns

What is A Meal of Thorns about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, club-style exploration of speculative fiction and literary crossovers, featuring critical dives into science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. Episodes emphasize world-building, narrative structure, intertextuality, and the social and political dimensions of books, often through scholarly analysis, author perspectives, and editor/critic insights. Noteworthy are the mix of academics, editors, and novelists as guests, the willingness to tackle controversial topics (gender, race, sexuality, empire), and the focus on how form and context shape reception. Listeners can expect rigorous yet accessible conversations that illuminate less-charted works alongside canonical titles, with a strong emphasis on critical discussion, pedago... more

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2. Just King Things
3. Octothorpe
4. A More Civilized Age: A Star Wars Podcast
5. The Coode Street Podcast

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A Meal of Thorns launched 2 years ago and published 54 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on A Meal of Thorns?

Recent guests on A Meal of Thorns include:

1. Premee Mohamed
2. Gareth Watkins
3. Molly Templeton
4. Dr. Matthew Leggat
5. Abigail Nussbaum
6. Max Gladstone
7. Alexander Dickow
8. Liz Bourke

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