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About This Podcast
A literary analysis podcast, centred in speculative fiction.
Some books are more than a simple story. They hide timeless themes and allegories full of meaning that are always worth discussing—but doing so requires dedication and keen eye for details. Join Australia-based author Livia J. Elliot as she conducts literary and thematic analyses of speculative and literary fiction to find what lays beyond the plot, decipher their invisible meaning, and reflect on their symbolism. If you are a fan of fantasy or sci-fi books, new or old, traditional or self-published, this is the show for you!
Be mindful. Books Undone contains spoilers for the books discussed, which vary in each episode.
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Recent Episodes
S3E5 Language Makes Horror Bearable: The Linguistics Behind Tender is The Flesh
Tender Is The Flesh is not simply the vegan allegory some readers assume it to be. The horror here serves a more unsettling purpose: it shows the power of language. Like Marcos himself said in the…
S3E4 Scarcity Makes Status: What Dune and Blade Runner Reveal About Prestige
What do Blade Runner and Dune have in common?Both revolve around the same mechanism: scarcity creates demand, and demand turns possession into prestige... but here is the twist.Prestige is not just…
S3E3 A Feint Within A Feint, Within A Feint: Destiny and Deception in Dune ~ Guests Talk 15
In this discussion, we dive into the layered deceptions of Dune — a “feint within a feint within a feint.” We explore whether free will can survive foreknowledge, how cycles shape history, and…
S3E2 When Religion Becomes Strategy: Political Theory in Dune
Dune is, by no means, a simple book. It examines how an environment shapes a society and its politics, how political and economic power intertwine, and how resources can both provoke or deter war. It…
S3E1 We Lie, Therefore We Think: The Linguistics of Deception in Embassytown
Embassytown is one of the most extraordinary linguistic thought-experiments in modern SFF. This episode explores how Miéville uses language—not just as a tool for communication, but as the very…
S2E17 Broken Heroes, Broken Ethics: Guests Talk on Watchmen (by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons)
Watchmen: the greatest graphic novel ever written, a Rorschach test on morality where every character’s goodness is afflicted with greyness and nuance. Join me in a terrific group discussion with…
S2E16 No Exit from Half-Life: Demiurges and Unanswered Questions in Ubik
Joe, like Plato's escaped prisoner, is forced to confront a possibility that his world is not the 'real' one at all. In this podcast, I analyse Ubik's layered realities.Subscribe to my newsletter:…
S2E15 We Are Someone's Dream: Guests Talk on The Circular Ruins by Jorge Luis Borges
"The goal that led him on was not impossible, though it was clearly supernatural: he wanted to dream a man." This is the premise of another mind-blowing, reality-bending short-story by Jorge Luis…
S2E14 When Books Offend Us: What Our Taste Reveals About Ourselves
We are slowly losing our ability to question ourselves—our likes, our preferences, our judgements on literature... and from there, we're one step away from no longer questioning why we hate…
S2E13 One Voice, Many Layers - Guests Talk on Fluid Narrators w/ Amy Minton
Join me as I chat with Amy Minton about the author-narrator-character relation, focal distance in framed narratives and multi-timeline stories, and how to ground your reader... and perhaps frustrate…
S2E12 The World Doesn't Need You: Existentialism in Annihilation
Annihilation is a challenge to humanity's perennial navel-gazing. It confronts us with the terrifying idea that the universe is not hostile—it simply doesn't care about us. In this episode, I will…
S2E11 Lies That Become Truths: Twisted History in Snail on the Slope
Snail on the Slope has a turbulent history, but the Strutgastkys themselves considered it as "the most perfect and the most valuable of [their] works". Let's get this book undone; we will review my…
S2E10 Author Spotlight: J.A.J. Minton (Discovery, a cosmic horror)
"Take it back. I want ignorance again. What is the limit of human comprehension? How much can the abyss stare back at you before you flinch?" This is one of the many open questions explored in…
S2E9 Author Spotlight: Bert-Oliver Boehmer (The Galacticide Series)
Author Spotlights are back, and in this episode I'm in conversation with Bert-Oliver Boehmer, author of the Galacticide series--a modern-but-classical military sci-fi with a dash of first-contact,…
S2E8 Voicing the Page: Literary Nuance in Audiobooks with Narrator Alison Phoenix
Dance With Me is one of my most personal books, and having a narrator that could translate the literary elements while giving life to a diverse cast was incredibly important. Join me as I chat to…
S2E7 When Life’s Meaning Isn’t Your Own: Existentialism in "Walking on Glass"
Is life purposeless and meaningless? Can we survive when our purpose is shattered? Those are some of the questions presented in a cerebral book, a gem of Scottish fiction: 'Walking on Glass' by Iain…
S2E6 Are Books Political? Or Are We Asking The Wrong Question?
Are books political? I think we're asking the wrong question. Let's dive in!Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella, The Genesis of Change:…
S2E5 Nobody Remembers The Real World: Guests Talk On "The Escher Man"
Cyberpunk is back, and we're discussing "The Escher Man", with SPFBO semi-finalist Sarah K Balstrup, FanFi addict reviewer Charlie Cavendish, and the author himself, T.R. Napper.Join to my newsletter…
S2E4 The Labyrinth of Our Choices: Crossing The Garden of Forking Paths
We're going back to the Borgesian Labyrinths with "The Garden of Forking Paths." My guests today are Varsha (from Reading by the Rainy Mountain), Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), and Britton (aka…
S2E3 We Are What We Remember: The Existential Debacle in "The Escher Man"
A discussion on the relationship between memory and identity, as presented in The Escher Man, the latest cyberpunk release from T.R. Napper.Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives…
Frequently Asked Questions
Books Undone has published 44 episodes since October 2023, covering topics in Arts, Books.
Books Undone is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 48m.
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