Pagenerd

Epizode

• The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Leguin (Part 2 of 2) 26.05.2026 57min

  The Pagenerds are back with part two of The Dispossessed, where Ursula K. Le Guin somehow takes an already brilliant book and makes it hit even harder. This section gets deeply personal. We follow Shevek as he wrestles with fame, isolation, intellectual ego (and the consolidation of publishing power), and the very messy reality of trying to build a better world with other humans. The political conversations get bigger, and at least one Pagenerd starts sounding like they’re on the verge of joining an anarchist moon colony (it’s me, Sarah). There’s a lot in here about who gets access to knowledge, who controls it, and what we owe each other when systems stop serving people. You know, fun light podcast stuff. Thank you for spending your finite life minutes with us. We adored this book and honestly could have talked about it for another six hours. If you like your sci-fi thoughtful, political, and painfully human, Le Guin remains undefeated.
• The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Leguin (Part 1 of 2) 12.05.2026 59min

  The Pagenerds finally tackle Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, which is a lot in the best way possible. Naturally, we had to split this one into two parts. This book absolutely rocks. Le Guin drops us onto two sister planets locked in ideological opposition, then uses one physicist’s journey to unpack capitalism, anarchism (the good kind?), power, sex stuff, academia, love, and what it actually means to try and build a better world. A breezy read if you’re a sociology PhD, pretty heady for the rest of us. This book could not have been an email. Part one is all about the setup, the ideology, and the growing suspicion that Ursula K. Le Guin may have simply understood humanity way, way too well. We loved this book deeply, and we’re so grateful you’re spending your finite life minutes with us talking about it. If you like your sci-fi thoughtful, political, and devastatingly smart, pick up this book (from a library or indie bookstore) right now.
• The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman 28.04.2026 1h 3min

  The Forever War is a book that asks "Who hurt author Joe Haldeman?” and the answer is: The United States Military. This book is about a futuristic war fought by soldiers in power armour, but really it's about every war and every soldier. It was written in 1974, but feels disturbingly current. Haldeman wrote this book after his experience as a combat engineer in the Vietnam War. So it reads as a scathing critique of American imperialism, the futility of war, and what it does to the people sent to fight it— and the ones left behind. It’s the kind of book we need in April of 2026. Tommy recorded this episode from the bathroom of a truly gross San Francisco hotel, which feels spiritually aligned with the time we’re living in. Haldeman’s writing is sharp, disorienting, and surprisingly human. If you like your sci-fi with a true disdain for war, queer-stuff before its time, and a side of existential whiplash, this one delivers.
• Intercepts, by T.J. Payne 14.04.2026 1h 5min

  The Intercepts is an excellent beach read if you’re deeply unwell. It’s also the Pagenerds very first horror sci-fi, so thanks T.J. Payne. The novel drops us into a secret government facility where people are kept underground and understimulated for some… experimentation. We uncover what in the MKUltra is going on through the eyes of a program manager and his teenage daughter. There’s a beige, middle-management, banality-of-evil vibe— and then it gets properly haunted-house scary. Huge shoutout to Jay, our producer, who is famously squeamish and still edited this episode. If you like your sci-fi with some gore, this book is for you. If you don’t, let us spoil it for you. We love you, ‘nerds. Thanks so much for listening!
• Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy 31.03.2026 1h 8min

  Wild Dark Shore is the kind of book that makes you openly weep on the subway. Charlotte McConaghy drops us onto a remote, storm-battered island filled with seals, secrets, and a family holding on a little too tightly to both. In this episode the Pagenerds attempt to unpack it and emotionally survive it, as the story unfolds into something about grief, survival, and what we owe each other at the end of the world. Sarah sobbed into the book. Full, page-wrecking sobs. She also sobbed in the episode, and at one point almost fought Rick, which honestly feels on theme. It’s haunting, tense, and deeply tender. You might finish it and call someone you love. Or start a fight. Honestly, both feel right.
• All Systems Red (Murderbot), by Martha Wells 17.03.2026 56min

  Murderbot is the patron saint of “please stop talking to me”, and we love that for it. The pagenerds dive into All Systems Red by Martha Wells and the deeply relatable life of Murderbot— an anxious, rogue security android that saves humans mostly so it can get back to watching its shows. They talk about corporate dystopias, introversion, androgynous (hot) Alexander Skarsgard, and why this novella punches way above its weight. Tommy, Rick, and Andrew are holding down the fort this week while Sarah is in France, likely overconsuming funky cheese. She’ll be back in two weeks, as will the rest of us. We love you, nerds, thank you so much for listening!
• Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley 03.03.2026 1h 7min

  Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is often called the first science fiction novel for good reason. The problematic goth queen was only 18 when she wrote this novel at a gloomy lakehouse in Switzerland in 1816, but its lessons about scientific hubris and themes of parental abandonment and guilt are forever relevant. Shelley’s prose remains haunting and gorgeous, and her social circle is one of history’s greatest blunt rotations. The Pagenerds take us back to the early 19th Century and look at how Frankenstein and his monster emerged from cutting edge science of the time and look at the real Victor Frankenstein — an actual scientist who actually pumped electricity through severed limbs and heads to make them move.
• Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel 03.03.2026 58min

  Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility is an elegantly told time travel mystery that takes us from the dark and beautiful woods of Vancouver Island to a dilapidated old city on the Moon — a lunar Toledo, according to Pagenerd Tommy. The Pagenerds follow some less-than-competent time detectives across eras and try to explain how time travel actually works using dinosaurs, toilets and movies Tommy’s grandma wouldn’t let him watch because of nipples.
• Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch 03.03.2026 1h 22min

  Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter is like a sci-fi thriller version of Sliding Doors if you needed a basic understanding of quantum mechanics to watch Sliding Doors. The novel asks “what if in a different timeline there’s a version of you that didn’t have a kid, and instead became a famous scientist?”, and “what if you got in a big fight with all the other versions of you?” Pagenerd Sarah read this book when she was deciding whether to have a kid, but she won’t tell us how many other Sarahs she defeated in single combat. Read along with us and see if you end up as a parent, or whether you decide to try fighting your evil twin from another universe!
• Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir 03.03.2026 58min

  If you like movies with hot basic boys doing science magic then you’ll love Andy Weir. The Martian had Matt Damon as Mark Watney and now his next novel, Project Hail Mary, is coming out as a movie starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace. Join the Pagenerds on our spoiler heavy adventure into stinky spaceships with dog-sized spiders (crabs?) as we figure out whether Ryland Grace could actually save Earth, or whether he would have just accidentally boiled the oceans instead.
• Pagenerd, out now! 24.11.2025 2min

  Pagenerd is a sci-fi book club for people who suck at book clubs. You can read along if you want, but we’ll tell you what happens and have some fun figuring out the science, plot and characters along the way. In each episode we pick a sci-fi novel — current or classic — and explore its world and characters, discussing what it would be like to exist in that novel and how well it's realised on the page. Pagenerd is Sarah Stockdale, Tommy Guy, Richard Vieweg and Andrew Corway. Jay Cockburn is the producer.