In this episode, we cover Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy: "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife," and "The Amber Spyglass." Chris describes moments that fed his interest in physics when first reading the books some 20 years ago

Sonar and shape shifting in "Lagoon"

Jun 22nd, 2023 1h 6m

In this episode, we talk about Nnedi Okorador's "Lagoon." Rosie talks about the biology of shape shifting, and Chris discusses the use of sonar for mapping environments. As always, this episode contains spoilers for the book!Music - Freeze m

Wormholes and Personality Development in "All Systems Red"

May 29th, 2021 50m 39s

In this episode, we talk about All Systems Red, the first novella in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells. Chris explains what wormholes are and how they relate to blackholes, then proposes a scheme for characterizing the travel speed o

Metabolizing metals and seeing the future in "The Final Empire"

Apr 18th, 2021 1h 11m

In this episode, we talk about The Final Empire, the first book in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy. Rosie compares how allomancers burn metals to how food is metabolized. Then, Chris wonders what the existence of atium tells us about wheth

The Speed of Light and Banshee Evolution in “Going Postal”

Mar 17th, 2021 57m

In this episode, we talk about “Going Postal” by Terry Pratchett. Chris explores the question, what if the speed of light weren’t quite so fast? Then, Rosie imagines under what circumstances a banshee could evolve.Once again, this podcast cont

Starlight and Resurrection in "Three Parts Dead"

Feb 3rd, 2021 58m 13s

Welcome to the first episode of Science Fantasy Science! We are launching the podcast with a discussion of "Three Parts Dead" by Max Gladstone. Chris talks about the use of starlight to power Craft. Then, Rosie muses about the biology of resurr

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