Luke reviews The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, the Goodreads Winner for Readers’ Favorite Science Fiction of 2024, which means it isn’t actually good science fiction but is pretty competent at the other things it’s trying to be.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

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Luke rereads Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card to see if it should be on the SFBRP Must-Read List, and with Juliane discusses how Some Desperate Glory fails to live up to its predecessors.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

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Luke tells Juliane about Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, a novel that started strong with lots of promise but left him disappointed, annoyed, underwhelmed and generally feeling other negative emotions. Also this won the best novel Hugo award, so there’s a bit of that to talk about too.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Part 3 of our discussion of The Lord of the Rings, focusing on The Return of the King, what it means to be a good man or a good king, lessons learned by the hobbits and us during their adventures, and a final review of the reading experience 30 years on from Luke’s first time through.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Part 2 of Luke and Juliane’s discussion of The Lord of the Rings, focusing on The Two Towers, the power of wizards, action vs fights vs battles vs sieges, a diversion on Ents, and who is tempted by the One Ring.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Part 1 of Luke and Juliane’s discussion of The Lord of the Rings, focusing on the audiobook performance by Andy Serkis, appreciation for the first movie in the trilogy, how Tom Bombadil can be so annoying, and Luke takes a stab at the question “what even are elves?”

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Luke delves into The Silmarillion for the first time, and talks to Juliane about myth creation, map confusion, and the genealogy of a silver tree.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Juliane finished Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky and so Luke joins her to discuss academic politics, totalitarian politics, aliens, and clay.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Luke revisits Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds, and tells Juliane about the four different levels of understanding available to discover and enjoyment to be had.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Luke talks to Juliane about Neverness by David Zindell, an epic space opera from 1988 which for years he considered one of his favourite science fiction novels, and debates adding it to the SFBRP Must Read List.

See every book/episode of the SFBRP here: https://www.sfbrp.com/episode-lists-3

See the SFBRP Must-Read List here: https://www.sfbrp.com/must-read

Support Luke and Juliane financially via Patreon.com/lukeburrage

Luke on Bluesky:
@lukeburrage.bsky.social

Discuss this book at Goodreads.com

Luke writes his own novels, like “Minding Tomorrow”, “Combat”, “Get that rat off my face!” and “The Monster Story Conference”, so download them for free at: https://www.lukeburrage.com/fiction.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download