Mort 1: The Uncommon Man

Mort 2: What Should Be Will Be

This week, we return to Terry Pratchett's Mort to discuss perspective, the dualities of life on the Disc, and what is really going on with Death. Do we believe that everything is predestined? Who gets to tell the story? Does Ysabelle sparkle in the sunlight? To see the video version of this week's show, click here [https://youtu.be/bceBtFeAMzQ]; to see the slides, click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/16l94i99j_EB_vRW2fhjgxhzNw3RPh6Un/view?usp=sharing]! Footnotes: * Mort [https://bookshop.org/p/books/mort-a-discworld-novel-terry-pratchett/77826e7ac2745ced?ean=9780063393233&next=t] * Terry Pratchett [https://terrypratchett.com/] * Audiobooks (including the footnotes!) [https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-audio-announcement/] Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@StarsAndSwordsPod], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/starsandswords.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/starsandswordspod]. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord [http://patreon.com/nextword] and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/nextword]

Mort 1: The Uncommon Man

This week, we dive into the Discworld with our first discussion of Terry Pratchett's Mort. Are the rules as unbreakable as they seem to be? Are ideas as dangerous? How does Death blow smoke rings? To see the video version of this week's show, click here [https://youtu.be/K_PSCo_flXY]; to see the slides, click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CrZygXB-DDLpq6q5BtYAU691Re5c7Y4d/view?usp=sharing]! Footnotes: * Mort [https://bookshop.org/p/books/mort-a-discworld-novel-terry-pratchett/77826e7ac2745ced?ean=9780063393233&next=t] * Terry Pratchett [https://terrypratchett.com/] * Rhianna Pratchett [https://rhiannapratchett.com/] * Terry Pratchett's Mort (BBC Radio 4) [https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/terry_pratchetts_mort/] * Audiobooks (including the footnotes!) [https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-audio-announcement/] Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@StarsAndSwordsPod], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/starsandswords.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/starsandswordspod]. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord [http://patreon.com/nextword] and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/nextword]

Neuromancer 3: It's The Punk

This week, we return from an extended hiatus to offer a short conclusion to our unit on William Gibson's Neuromancer. How are Zion and Istanbul connected? Is Wintermute right about the power of hate? Is the punk more important than the cyber? Footnotes: * Neuromancer [https://bookshop.org/p/books/neuromancer-william-gibson/f6206cf90635c8e6?ean=9780441007462&next=t] * William Gibson [https://williamgibsonbooks.com/] * William Gibson on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/greatdismal.bsky.social] Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@StarsAndSwordsPod], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/starsandswords.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/starsandswordspod]. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord [http://patreon.com/nextword] and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/nextword]

Neuromancer 2: No Imagination

This week, we continue our unit on William Gibson's Neuromancer. Are there only a few pathways to juvenile rebellion? How does the industrial become the post-industrial? How does Gibson's understanding of artificial intelligence hold up in 2025? To see the video version of this week's show, click here [https://youtu.be/FKUj07tO3KI]; to see the slides, click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YFGxs5ZjwL4gE-inx2n8qYi9KMWbBFde/view?usp=sharing]! Footnotes: * Neuromancer [https://bookshop.org/p/books/neuromancer-william-gibson/f6206cf90635c8e6?ean=9780441007462&next=t] * William Gibson [https://williamgibsonbooks.com/] * William Gibson on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/greatdismal.bsky.social] Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@StarsAndSwordsPod], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/starsandswords.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/starsandswordspod]. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord [http://patreon.com/nextword] and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/nextword]

Neuromancer 1: But The Dreams Came On

This week, we begin our unit on influential science fiction with the first part of William Gibson's novel Neuromancer. Where does cyberpunk come from? How does Gibson complicate the mind-body problem? How do we know what's cool? To see the video version of this week's show, click here [https://youtu.be/IN6rCw2r6r8]; to see the slides, click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BxI5Ej73tRDu1Xcb1p54ogxM2xo23aS2/view?usp=sharing]! Footnotes: * Neuromancer [https://bookshop.org/p/books/neuromancer-william-gibson/f6206cf90635c8e6?ean=9780441007462&next=t] * William Gibson [https://williamgibsonbooks.com/] * William Gibson on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/greatdismal.bsky.social] Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@StarsAndSwordsPod], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/starsandswords.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/starsandswordspod]. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord [http://patreon.com/nextword] and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://patreon.com/nextword]