Rephonic
Artwork for Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons
Speculative Fiction
Science Fiction
Poetry
Hugo Awards
Fantasy
SF In Translation
Death
Artificial Intelligence
Identity
Literary Criticism
Hugo Award
Emmie Christie
Small Presses
Diversity In Literature
Grief
Horror
Short Fiction
Time Travel
Elon Musk

Speculative fiction and poetry, literary criticism, and interviews from award-winning Strange Horizons magazine, updated weekly on Mondays/Tuesdays. Find us online at strangehorizons.com

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes761Founded13 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
FictionScience Fiction

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Artwork for Strange Horizons

Latest Episodes

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Kate Macdonald and Duncan Lawie join Dan Hartland to tackle the question of the back catalog. How should reviewers and readers approach writers with a number of books al... more

In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, editor Michael Ireland presents "Cold Comfort" by Louis Inglis Hall, read by Emmie Christie

You can read the full text of the story, and more about Louis Inglish Hall ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠her... more

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Hana Carolina and Alex Kingsley join Dan Hartland to think about reviewing debut books and writers. Is there an extra responsibility reviewers owe to new writers? And if... more

In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, editor Michael Ireland presents "Four Steps to Hunt a God" by Athar Fikry, read by Emmie Christie

You can read the full text of the story, and more about Lio Abendan ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Recent Guests

Alex Kingsley
Guest contributor from previous episode; reviewer and community member
Episode: Critical Friends Episode 24: On Oeuvres
Athar Fikry
Writer of weird, fun nonsense; associate editor at Baffling Magazine
Baffling Magazine
Episode: "Four Steps to Hunt a God" by Athar Fikry read by Emmie Christie
Anushree Nande
Writer and editor
Episode: Critical Friends Episode 22: Romancing The Genre
Jenny Hamilton
Critic and reactor columnist
Episode: Critical Friends Episode 22: Romancing The Genre
Paul Kincaid
Returning guest and author of the review collection Color Fields
Episode: Critical Friends Episode 21: On Style
Dawn Macdonald
Poet and critic, author of Northern Ear
University of Alberta Press
Episode: Critical Friends Episode 21: On Style
R.B. Lemberg
A queer, bigender immigrant from Ukraine and an author of speculative fiction and poetry
Episode: Writing the Diaspora Experience with R.B. Lemberg (SH@25 Episode 17)
Arturo Serrano
Proofreader at Strange Horizons.
Strange Horizons
Episode: Celebrating 25 Years - SH@25 Anniversary Issue Episode
Aisha Subramanian
Reviews editor at Strange Horizons.
Strange Horizons
Episode: Celebrating 25 Years - SH@25 Anniversary Issue Episode

Hosts

Dan Hartland
Host of Critical Friends (and related shows), regularly contributing criticism and discussion on style, history, and canon in speculative fiction.
Michael Ireland
Host of the Strange Horizons Fiction Podcast, often guides discussions and introduces readings.

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 75 ratings
  • Great site for speculative fiction!

    Great site for speculative fiction! And all their stories and poems are available as podcasts.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gherkin Rick
    United States4 years ago
  • Nice site and podcastings

    Podchaser
    5
    pranita deshpande
    5 years ago
  • Inconsistent Stories, Inconsistent Narration, Inconsistent Language

    I’ve listed to Strange Horizons for years, and recently it’s declined. Or maybe the novelty of a fiction podcast has worn off and when compared to others, I’m just less impressed. The stories are sometimes good, sometimes not and there doesn’t seem to be a strong editorial hand. The narration switches between a set of what I assume are volunteers, and it ranges from decent to horrible; sometimes heavily accented, sometimes very poor audio quality. Recently they’ve also started doing narrations ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    w.eatherman
    United States5 years ago
  • Brilliant broadcast

    Cassini packets home so well expresses the wonderful enthusiasm of science and scientists. For a podcast to broadcast poems and such poems, thanks a bunch people, it is appreciated.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    hateindieantiscience
    United Kingdom8 years ago
  • Great stories, acceptable narration

    I love how the Strange Horizons editors choose high-quality stories from diverse authors and about diverse experiences. It's so much better to have this great mix of stories, instead of the boring same old, same old.

    And I love having no-advertisement listener supported free short story readings.

    Anaea Lay's narration is so-so. It's not bad, and it doesn't get in the way. Every story is read exactly like every other story, though, and it is sometimes hard to focus.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Jguldi
    United States9 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners praise high-quality speculative fiction and engaging readings.
Some listeners critique inconsistent narration and mixed editorial direction.
Audience appreciates diverse authors and ad-free listening experiences.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Critical Friends Episode 16: Length and Breadth with Redfern Jon Barrett and Nileena Sunil
Q: How do we achieve that with shorter works that seem to need more?
By understanding and recognizing what each work sets out to do and accepting them on their own terms.
Critical Friends Episode 16: Length and Breadth with Redfern Jon Barrett and Nileena Sunil
Q: What was it about reading that book that just felt so uncontrolled?
It had a really compelling premise that wasn't fully unpacked, leading to disappointment.
Critical Friends Episode 14: Hard Times with Octavia Cade and M.L. Clark
Q: How do you view the role of speculative fiction in times of defeat?
Speculative fiction serves as a lens to re-examine our struggles and offers pathways toward understanding and resilience, despite the despair present in many narratives.
On Artistic Honesty with Debbie Urbanski (SH@25 Episode 15)
Q: What advice do you have for other writers facing challenges in publishing?
Urbanski encourages building a writing community and reaching out to other authors for support and guidance.
An Interview with Mary Robinette Kowal - SH@25 Ep13
Q: How has your approach to genre writing into the various lengths and formats, how has that evolved during your writing journey?
Kowal discusses initially having trouble with structure, but through her experiences, she has learned to chase emotional authenticity while writing.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Strange Horizons

What is Strange Horizons about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Strange Horizons presents thoughtful speculative fiction, poetry, and literary criticism through weekly episodes that mix original storytelling with in-depth criticism and author discussions. Listeners consistently encounter conversations about how criticism handles long backlists, genre boundaries, and publishing trends, alongside readings of new and classic works. The show often features guests from the criticism and writing communities, offering perspectives on reviewing frameworks, romance within SFF, and diaspora and multilingual storytelling. Its strengths lie in careful analysis, varied guest voices, and a commitment to accessible, author-aware critique that appeals to fiction readers, writers, and editors alike.

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How many listeners does Strange Horizons get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Strange Horizons?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Strange Horizons:

1. LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE - Science Fiction and Fantasy Story Podcast (Sci-Fi | Audiobook | Short Stories)
2. Escape Pod
3. Uncanny Magazine Podcast
4. PseudoPod
5. Clarkesworld Magazine

How many episodes of Strange Horizons are there?

Strange Horizons launched 13 years ago and published 761 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Strange Horizons?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Strange Horizons?

Recent guests on Strange Horizons include:

1. Alex Kingsley
2. Athar Fikry
3. Anushree Nande
4. Jenny Hamilton
5. Paul Kincaid
6. Dawn Macdonald
7. R.B. Lemberg
8. Arturo Serrano

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