Hugos There Podcast

“It’s fantastical, it’s awe-inspiring, it’s extraordinary, it’s something that really doesn’t exist, hence the name fiction…you know, it inspires you.” – James Ralston It’s another Foundational Fantasy episode!Returning guest James (also my Take Me To Your Reader co-host) joins me for a discussion of Raymond E. Feist’s Magician, the first book (or is it two … Continue reading "Foundational Fantasy: Magician, by Raymond E. Feist, with guest James Ralston"

“Fantasy is a comfort, an escape, a way to imagine other sorts of realities other than the one I’m in.” – Paul Weimer It’s another Foundational Fantasy episode!Returning guest Paul Weimer joins me for a discussion of Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber, the first book of the Chronicles of Amber. And we chip away, … Continue reading "Foundational Fantasy: Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny, with guest Paul Weimer"

This is the first in a series I hope to do for much of 2026, called Foundational Fantasy.What does that mean? Tune in to find out. Also find a fun discussion of Brian Jacques’s excellent Redwall, the first in a long-running series of children’s fantasy books. My close friend and podcast co-host Colin joins me … Continue reading "Foundational Fantasy: Redwall, by Brian Jacques, with guest Colin Kuskie"

I was joined by my sister Megan Cutter and returning guest Mandy Self to talk about favorite 2025 reads. Our lists and contact info are below. Did you have any favorite reads from last year? Mandy Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/82215779-mandy-ps Twitter: https://x.com/Brown_Ajah Megan Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21860239?ref=nav_profile_l StoryGraph: mlcutter Facebook: Megan Heasley Cutter Seth StoryGraph: sheasley https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2025/2459540

Bob Morrell joins me again for a brief discussion of the short but hilarious Hugo and Nebula finalist Doorways in the Sand, by Roger Zelazny Notes & Links: https://sites.google.com/site/bbbmorrell/bobs-writing-page https://magazine.trollbreath.com Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing

Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing Three of my Nebulugo Book Club friends join me for a draft of our favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy concepts. Themes: Round 1: Round 2: Round 3: Round 4: Bring Out Your … Continue reading "Bonus! Science Fiction and Fantasy Concepts Draft (with Dan, Emmanuel, and Kalin)"

Hi everyone, I hope you enjoy this microfiction fantasy story I wrote and submitted as part of NYC Midnight’s 250-word Microfiction Contest. This story made the cut in Round One, and then I had to submit another original story for Round Two, and that’s as far as I got. But I thought the story was … Continue reading "Original Fiction: Bookends, or Libromancy, by Seth Heasley"

Mythius from the Nebulugo Book Club Discord Server joins me for a discussion of Jeff Vandermeer’s 2014 Nebula-winner, Annihilation. Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing Other Notes & Links: Nebulugo Discord: https://discord.gg/AJvyZUq2 The writing on the walls of … Continue reading "Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer, with Mythius from the Nebulugo Discord"

James from the podcast/blog Something About Dragons joins me for a discussion of Glory Road, by Robert A. Heinlein, which was shortlisted for the 1964 Hugo Award. It’s fantasy wrapped in science fiction wrapped in good old 1950s misogyny! https://somethingaboutdrag.wixsite.com/something-about-drag Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a … Continue reading "Glory Road, by Robert A. Heinlein, with James Hedrick"

A couple of my friends from the Nebulugo Book Club Discord join me for a more or less spur of the moment episode on a book I’d recommended to them after recently reading it. The book is The Man Who Saw Seconds, by Alexander Boldizar, the most recent winner of the Locus Award. Notes & … Continue reading "The Man Who Saw Seconds, by Alexander Boldizar, with Sophia Suhu and JW Wartick"

(This one had a quick turnaround and I didn’t go back through and edit it for language, or really, anything. This is about as raw as you’ll get a Hugos There episode, so it’s marked Explicit for language.) I don’t do a ton of author interviews, but I was intrigued by David’s new book and … Continue reading "Great America In Dead World, by David Agranoff (interview with the author)"

Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing It’s another Seth’s Picks episode, taking about an old favorite of mine, Dean Koontz’s Lightning, with guests Megan Cutter (my big sister) and Colin Kuskie. Spoilers start about 07:30. Other Notes & … Continue reading "Lightning, by Dean Koontz (with guests Megan Cutter and Colin Kuskie)"

A bit of a download about WorldCon 2025, about people I met, interviews I did, and some plans for the future. Links and Photos! Translated Hugo Initiative: https://translatedhugo.org/about-us Endeavour Award: https://osfci.org/endeavour/ Brian Aldiss: https://brianaldiss.co.uk/ Ray Bradbury Center: https://give.myiu.org/iu-indianapolis/I380010312.html https://www.instagram.com/bradburycenter https://raybradburycenter.substack.com https://today.iu.edu/iu-indianapolis/live/news/46788-ray-bradbury-center-presents-festival-451indy

Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing Don’t forget to stick around for the quiz at the end of the podcast! (photos for the quiz are included down below) This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Subgenre Spotlight episode, back … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: SFF Novelizations, with Andrew and Hannah from Authorized!"

I’m joined for a discussion of the 2025 Hugo nominees for Best Novella by a few of my best Internet Friends. Guests include: Video will be posted hopefully tomorrow. These episodes get very little editing, so if it sounds a bit rougher than normal, that’s to be expected, but the discussion was terrific, so I … Continue reading "2025 Hugo-nominated Novellas panel"

I’m joined for a discussion of the 2025 Hugo nominees for Best Novel by a few returning guests, and a couple of new people. Guests include: No video for this episode. Technology let us down and we lost Mythius and his video recording toward the end, which is why he’s not in the sign off, … Continue reading "2025 Hugo-nominated Novels Panel"

If you prefer video, check us out here: https://youtu.be/pEPVVL7njFQ I’m joined for a discussion of the 2025 Hugo nominees for Best Short Story by a few returning guests. Guests include: These episodes get very little editing, so if it sounds a bit rougher than normal, that’s to be expected, but the discussion was terrific, so … Continue reading "2025 Hugo-nominated Short Story Panel"

It’s time for more Secret Histories with Tim Powers! This time it’s a World Fantasy Award and Locus Award nominee, and winner of the Mythopoeic Award, The Stress of Her Regard, which weaves a fantasy/horror story into the lives and deaths of the Romantic Poets. Don’t forget to reach out to me if you’ll be … Continue reading "The Stress of Her Regard, by Tim Powers (with guest Ray Alston)"

It’s another Zoomed Out, Author Deep Dive episode, this time on Kurt Vonnegut, with guest Nic Pietersma. Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing Segments and time codes: (06:43) – Intro to Kurt Vonnegut (12:00) – Vonnegut 101 (24:38) … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Kurt Vonnegut, with guest Nic Pietersma"

This is a Seth’s Picks episode, the very highly regarded, though not much honored at the time Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. It’s like Ready Player One, but without all the references or terrible writing. (It’s not really like RPO at all, and that’s a very good thing.) This is one of my shorter episodes, … Continue reading "Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, with guest Leah Borden"

While I was recording with my TMTYR co-hosts, I realized I never recorded a reaction to my 2025 Hugo nomination, so I just sprang it on them (they were already in the know about the nomination because I can’t keep a secret from them). Thanks so much to everyone who nominated this podcast!

Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick a Book off the Mondo List and contact me: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s6JbgvwCB3ptr2cDZWWaEHvbc-BEmC5Y5avdf2kaLqQ/edit?usp=sharing This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Subgenre Spotlight episode on Sports Science Fiction. Joining me for this discussion is Christopher Garcia of Journey Planet and the Drink Tank fanzines. An unedited transcript … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Sports SFF, with Chris Garcia"

My guest and I discuss a Hugo-nominee, Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi. I haven’t been loving Scalzi’s recent books, but I loved this one. This episode includes an unedited transcript that will be updated at a later time. Spoiler talk starts at 15:24 Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me … Continue reading "Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi (with guest Tony [redacted])"

This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Author Deep Dive episode on Lloyd Alexander. Joining me for this discussion is Jared Crossley, creator of the Lloyd Alexander documentary on YouTube. This episode includes an unedited transcript which will be updated at a later time. Segments and time codes: (03:00) – Intro to Lloyd Alexander (08:00) – … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Lloyd Alexander, with Jared Crossley"

Just a quick look back at everything I read in 2024, including a bit of podcast reading, lots of graphic novels, and more than a little leisure reading. Video link here: https://youtu.be/9A2p_9y3TvE Adjoa Andoh is the narrator of Translation State and she’s an absolute beast. My Year in Books: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2024/2459540# (or my 2024 Reading Challenge): … Continue reading "My 2024 in books!"

Guest Evan Bradtke joins me for a fairly lengthy discussion of CS Lewis’s Space Trilogy (more aptly called the Cosmic Trilogy), all three volumes of which were nominated for the Retro Hugo. It’s a normal-ish episode, with the exception being that we discuss all three books in some detail. The books are, to me, less accessibly … Continue reading "The Space Trilogy, by CS Lewis (feat. Evan Bradtke)"

In this bonus episode, Michael Gabriel and I discuss (at length) live action Superman, particularly the recently-ended CW show Superman & Lois, with stops along the way to talk about our histories with Superman, the Arrowverse, and some comic book recommendations for anyone who’s interested in reading a few Superman books. Topics Covered: Michael’s social … Continue reading "“We’re all Superman to somebody, sometime,” a conversation about live-action Superman with Michael Gabriel"

Follow me on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/hugospodcast.com This time it’s another Zoomed Out, Subgenre Spotlight episode on Military Science Fiction. Joining me for this discussion is returning guest William Bregnard from Future War Stories. An unedited transcript is included with this episode. A more polished transcript will be posted at a later date. Segments and time codes: … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Military Science Fiction, with William from Future War Stories"

Andy Parry from Sci-Fi Around the World joins me for a Seth’s Picks episode about Blindness, by Nobel-winner Jose Saramago. The book was originally published in Portuguese, which made Andy the perfect guest due to his international SF project. It’s a tough read for content reasons, including violence and sexual violence, but it’s one of … Continue reading "Blindness, by José Saramago (feat. Andy Parry)"

“Is this gonna be another stand-up fight, sir, or another bug hunt?” Well, neither really. It’s an October surprise! We’ve got Aliens, Colonial Marines, and four people who love the 1986 movie Aliens. Joining me for the discussion are my sister Megan Cutter, former guest / fellow podcaster Mandy Self, and fellow Portland-area podcaster Luke … Continue reading "Bonus: Aliens (1986 movie) discussion panel"

This time it’s another Zoomed Out episode, focusing on Jules Verne, who despite Seth’s unforgiveable ignorance, was a French author who wrote in French. For this discussion, Emmanuel Dubois and Haley Zapal join to talk about a few of Verne’s better known works, and Emmanuel gives us a few ideas for future reading. Ways to … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Jules Verne, with Emmanuel Dubois and Haley Zapal"

Amy Salley from Hugo, Girl!, joins me for a Seth’s picks episode about a book I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s not science fiction, but it is award-winning, specifically a Pulitzer winner. It’s also in contention for Best Book I’ve Ever Read. We’ll return to normal SFF content in the next episode. But if … Continue reading "Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry (feat. Amy Salley from Hugo, Girl!)"

This time it’s another Zoomed Out episode, focusing on Speculative Fiction in Translation (SFT), with guest Rachel Cordasco. Below I’ve captured some of her recommendations. There are some light spoilers in the episode, but nothing that should detract from your enjoyment of these books and authors. Notes & Links: Ways to support the podcast: Buy … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Speculative Fiction In Translation, with Rachel Cordasco"

I’ve been listening to Joe’s podcast (the Poscast) and reading his books for years, and I’d originally reached out to him, hoping to get him on to discuss Brittle Innings, a Hugo-nominee but also a baseball book. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the bandwidth for extracurricular reading, but he had time to do a podcast with … Continue reading "Why We Love Baseball (and Football), with Joe Posnanski"

Returning guest Paul Williams joins me for a discussion of the 2001 winner of the World Fantasy Award, Declare, by Paul Williams. Secret history, espionage, and fantasy all wrapped into one terrific novel. Spoiler talk starts at 15:03 Notes & Links: Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Book/Coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sethheasled Support Me on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Pick … Continue reading "Declare, by Tim Powers (feat. Paul Williams)"

Legend says he’s still reading lists of books to this day. JW Wartick has read all of the Hugo-winning novels, but he’s also read all the Nebula winners, and all the Hugo-nominated novels. To say he’s a voracious reader is to vastly understate the case. But he’s also my friend, and I asked him to … Continue reading "“Other people walk their dog, and I walk my book,” a conversation with JW Wartick"

Damo Mac Choiligh joins me for a deep look at Scottish SF author Iain M. Banks. Some reading recommendations and notes (not all of these are mentioned in the discussion): Banks 101: The Culture Series: Other SF: Mainstream Fiction: Themes: Advanced Banks: Weird Fiction: The Culture Series: Other SF: Links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/130411676997908

Mandy Self joins me once again to discuss A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle. This is a “Seth’s Picks” episode, but it’s also an award-winner, having won the Newberry Award in 1963. We get into spoilers about 15 minutes in. Mandy’s links:https://twitter.com/Brown_Ajahhttps://twitter.com/MandymoniumPod “Ticky Tacky little boxes” referenced by Mandy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boxes Ways to support the … Continue reading "A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle (feat. Mandy Self)"

My little sister Katie joins me for an informal discussion of her favorite subgenre, Urban Fantasy. This isn’t perhaps as scholarly as previous Zoomed Out episodes, just an off-the-cuff discussion with my sister. Sorry for the doggies’ panting that occasionally shows up in the background. The dogs love Katie and couldn’t stop snuggling up to … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Urban Fantasy, with Katie Heasley"

With the sad news of Vernor Vinge’s recent passing, I decided (at Olav’s prompting) to host a short-notice discussion panel about Vinge’s work. This podcast has previously covered his three Hugo-winning novels, but we go a bit deeper here, giving some other recommendations for Vinge reading. I’m mostly just here to facilitate, and more than … Continue reading "Vernor Vinge Tribute episode"

Lori from Hugo, Girl!, and Juan (frequent bonus episode guest) join Peter and me to discuss our picks for the 2024 Oscars.

Update!: We covered Project Hail Mary (movie) on Take Me To Your Reader in March 2026, so be sure to check out the episode: https://pavementpodcast.com/archives/podcast/project-hail-mary-by-andy-weir-with-guest-peter-kuskie Peter Kuskie, son of my co-host Colin from TMTYR (and brother of my theme music composer), and also childhood friend of my son, joins me in person for a discussion … Continue reading "Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (feat. Peter Kuskie)"

It’s been almost exactly a year since multiple-time guest of the podcast, Michael Gabriel, finished the World Marathon Challenge (Seven Days, Seven Marathons on Seven Continents), and I asked him to chat with me about the whole experience. it’s not science fiction related, but I just like to chat with interesting people, so this is … Continue reading "“Oh, I have a new limp now!”, a conversation about the World Marathon Challenge with Michael Gabriel"

This is a “Seth’s picks” episode of the podcast, still Science Fiction related this time, with the classic 1959 nuclear war novel Alas, Babylon. Joining me for the podcast is returning guest Mitch Wagner. I noticed there are some pops and crackles on Mitch’s audio, and I did my best to clear them up, but … Continue reading "Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank (feat. Mitch Wagner)"

Hi there folks, if you’re hearing this podcast, that means you’re either subscribed to the master feed for hugospodcast.com or you’re subscribed to the Brief & Not So Brief feed. I’ve decided to stop publishing episodes in the Brief & Not So Brief feed for a couple of reasons. First, we so rarely put out … Continue reading "Brief & Not So Brief feed inactivation"

Ethan asked to do a favorite movies of 2023 episode with me. Since we recorded, we’ve both started watching stuff for our Oscars episode, so there’s definitely stuff we’d have done differently if we recorded today. Our Letterboxd profiles: https://letterboxd.com/sethheasley/ https://letterboxd.com/bevold/ Ethan’s List: 10. The Killer 9. Barbie 8. Creed 3 7. Mission: Impossible: Dead … Continue reading "Bonus: Favorite 2023 Movies (with Ethan Heasley)"

Dr. Audrey Isabel Taylor joins me for a look at the work of Patricia A. McKillip. Time codes included for the major sections, as well as two mini-discussions of McKillip’s World Fantasy Award winners. Checking those off the list! A transcript is available for this episode. Intro to Audrey Taylor (02:22) Intro to McKillip (07:53) … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Patricia A. McKillip, with Dr. Audrey Taylor"

In the first of hopefully many Subgenre Spotlights, Bob Morrell joins me for a discussion on Pandemic Fiction. Who doesn’t want to think about pandemics? Trigger warning for anyone who isn’t ready to talk about pandemics. Here we focus mostly on COVID-19 but also there’s substantial discussion of AIDS, so be warned. Links & Notes: … Continue reading "Zoomed Out: Pandemic Fiction, with Bob Morrell"