S3 Ep9: On Pola Oloixarac's Mona
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Pola Oloixarac's hilarious Mona, a satire of academia as well as a comment on the spiritual condition of woman. Note to listeners: I mistakenly refer to Oloixarac as Peruvian in this episode, when she is in fact Argentine.
1hr 3m Jul 21, 2021
1hr 3m
S3 Ep8: On Brian Catling's The Vorrh
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I trash a terrible book that has few redeeming qualities.
1hr 2m Jul 03, 2021
1hr 2m
S3 Ep7: On Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss the classic novel Invisible Man, which examines black identity, the sense of invisibility, and individuality in the fifties in the United States.
1hr 10m Jun 18, 2021
1hr 10m
S3 Ep6: On Paul Auster's New York Trilogy
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a trilogy of novellas that deals with questions of identity and loss of self.
58m Jun 07, 2021
58m
S3 Ep5: On Jess Walters' Cold Millions
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Cold Millions, a novel about the Wobblie movement in the early twentieth century in Spokane, Washington.
1hr 3m May 28, 2021
1hr 3m
S3 Ep4: On Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the classic of British Literature, Jane Eyre.
1hr 10m May 17, 2021
1hr 10m
S3 Ep3: On Geoff Dyer's Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi
Hans, Chris, and I take a look at a strange work of fiction called a "diptych" by it's author. The book is split into two parts that don't have any plot connections, except that maybe they feature the same main character. Instead of plot unity, the book features thematic unity, as well as some very clever and humorous writing.
1hr 11m Mar 13, 2021
1hr 11m
S3 Ep2: On Manil Suri's The Death of Vishnu
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a super interesting novel that examines ordinary people's pettiness in the face of suffering.
55m Feb 22, 2021
55m
S3 Ep1: On Flannery O'Connor's Wiseblood
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Flannery O'Connor's short novel Wiseblood, in which WWII veteran Hazel Motes comes home to preach the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ Without Christ.
55m Jan 15, 2021
55m
S2 Ep17: On John Steinbeck's East of Eden
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss John Steinbeck's East of Eden, a generational novel that uses the Cain and Abel story as an allegory to discuss familial love and duty.
1hr 4m Dec 18, 2020
1hr 4m
S2 Ep16: On Gustav Meyrink's The Golem
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss a strange, puzzling novel called The Golem. It's about a guy who mistakenly puts on another man's hat and then dreams the other man's life. There's also maybe a golem stalking the Jewish ghetto.
1hr 14m Dec 07, 2020
1hr 14m
S2 Ep15: On Ted Chiang's Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss two sci-fi short stories collections, both by Ted Chiang. We touch on a number of topics, including determinism, stories as thought experiments, and the craft of using first-person narration to drive character.
1hr 7m Nov 17, 2020
1hr 7m
S2 Ep14: On Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the quite massive Pynchon novel Against the Day. At times hilarious, at times confusing, this novel is definitely an experience.
1hr 24m Nov 02, 2020
1hr 24m
S2 Ep13: On Jia Qing Wilson-Yang's Small Beauty
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss a really fantastic novel about trans experience, Small Beauty. With a very quiet tone, the novel explores the life of Mei, a Chinese-Canadian trans woman, in the aftermath of a family death.
1hr 3m Oct 08, 2020
1hr 3m
S2 Ep12: An Interview with Adi Callai, Author of The Sodomites
In this interview, Hans and I chat with Adi Callai, author of XDB's newest publication, The Sodomites.
51m Aug 20, 2020
51m
S2 Ep11: On Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory
In this episode, Hans and Chris discuss the extremely disturbing first novel of Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory. I listen in the background for a while before chiming in with thoughts that break the whole thing open.
1hr 2m Aug 19, 2020
1hr 2m
S2 Ep10: On Homer's The Odyssey
In this episode, Chris and I geek out a little over The Odyssey, a fantastic epic poem from the ancient world. Hans feels lost.
1hr 6m Aug 18, 2020
1hr 6m
S2 Ep9: On Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I tackle a classic: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's a fantastic novel of ideas that asks questions about moral responsibility and evil. 
59m Jul 15, 2020
59m
S2 Ep8: On Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge and Its Sequel, Myron
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the hilarious novel Myra Breckinridge, by Gore Vidal, and its lackluster sequel, Myron.
52m Jun 21, 2020
52m
S2 Ep7: On John Milton's Paradise Lost
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, which gives an account of the apocrypha surrounding the Christian creation story.
1hr 1m May 08, 2020
1hr 1m
S2 Ep6: On Daryl Farmer's Where We Land
In this special episode, Hans, Chris, and I chat with Daryl Farmer on the topic of his short story collection Where We Land, which examines relationships and death in the context of the American West.
1hr 11m Apr 24, 2020
1hr 11m
S2 Ep5: On Haruki Murakami's 1Q84
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the strange and disturbing 1Q84, a huge novel by renowned magical realist Haruki Murakami.
1hr 14m Apr 15, 2020
1hr 14m
S2 Ep4: On John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss The French Lieutenant's Woman, a metafictional novel that explores sexuality and class in Victorian England.
1hr 6m Mar 13, 2020
1hr 6m
S2 Ep3: On Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and Hans shakes my faith in her ability to critique her cultural.
57m Feb 24, 2020
57m
S2 Ep2: On Dante's Disneyland Inferno, by Sun City Girls
In this special episode, the XDB editorial team discusses an album by the experimental rock band Sun City Girls, called Dante's Disneyland Inferno. Most of the focus is on the lyrics, but some musical analysis is offered as well.
1hr 21m Jan 30, 2020
1hr 21m
S2 Ep1: On Albert Camus' The Fall
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Camus' most intriguing, but also most baffling, novel, The Fall.
1hr 5m Jan 08, 2020
1hr 5m
S1 Ep10: On My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Suffering Channel
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Ottessa Moshfegh's novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation and David Foster Wallace's short novella The Suffering Channel. Check it out.
1hr 21m Dec 14, 2019
1hr 21m
S1 Ep9: On Marilynne Robinson's Gilead
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Gilead, the famous epistolary novel by Marilynne Robinson.
1hr 1m Dec 03, 2019
1hr 1m
S1 Ep8: On Patrick Barney's Misfit the Wanderer
In this episode, Hans and Chris interview me on the topic of Xi Draconis Books' most recent publication, my novella Misfit the Wanderer. The novella follows all-around loser Misfit as he tries to escape a city-wide fire.
55m Oct 29, 2019
55m
S1 Ep7: On Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss The Goldfinch, an intriguing take on the crime novel.
1hr 14m Oct 08, 2019
1hr 14m
S1 Ep6: On Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss A Brief History of Seven Killings, a novel by Jamaican author Marlon James. The novel is disturbing, harrowing, and inventive.
1hr 13m Sep 23, 2019
1hr 13m
S1 Ep5: On Toril Moi's Revolution of the Ordinary
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a nonfiction work that explores how Wittgenstein's philosophy of language can be useful for literary critics.
1hr 23m Aug 26, 2019
1hr 23m
S1 Ep4: On Robert Browning's Caliban Upon Setebos
In this episode, Hans and I discuss the quite devilish and engaging Caliban Upon Setebos, a poem that has had personal significance to us for at least a decade.
45m Aug 01, 2019
45m
S1 Ep3: On Robert Coover's Gerald's Party
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss a raunchy, satirical novel that explores sex, death, and Freud. Enjoy.
1hr 27m Jul 25, 2019
1hr 27m
S1 Ep2: On Fran Ross's Oreo
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I explore Fran Ross's devilishly cunning novel Oreo. The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old youth Christine as she leaves her grandmother, who is black, in search of her father, who is Jewish. With links to the myth of Theseus, the novel explores race and identity.
48m Jun 12, 2019
48m
S1 Ep1: An Interview with Jennifer Lagier, Author of Trumped Up Election
In this episode, I interview Jennifer Lagier, author of Xi Draconis Books' most recent publication, a poetry collection entitled Trumped Up Election. It humorously describes a nightmare world in which a fat, disgusting billionaire molester runs for the presidency and wins.
28m May 31, 2019
28m
S1 Ep16: On Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. We touch on the use of fiction techniques in creative nonfiction, portraiture, the ethics of narrative, and (briefly) queer theory. 
1hr 22m May 25, 2019
1hr 22m
S1 Ep15: On John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor
In this episode, Chris, Hans, and I discuss John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor, an epic tale that might be an historical novel, a satire of an historical novel, or both. It's witty and hilarious, but also serious and touching. Check it out.
1hr 43m May 02, 2019
1hr 43m
S1 Ep14: On Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan
In this episode, Heather, Jedd, and I discuss Vonnegut's third book, a sci-fi novel that satirizes wealth, inequality, and the human sense of purpose. It's hilarious, and it affords me the opportunity to go on a rant against Sam Harris and pirates.
1hr 14m Apr 12, 2019
1hr 14m
S1 Ep13: On Steve Erickson's Zeroville
In this episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss the fantastic Zeroville. This novel follows autistic protagonist Vikar as he becomes a film editor in 70s-era Hollywood. It's hilarious, moving, and tragic.
1hr 9m Mar 15, 2019
1hr 9m
S1 Ep12: On Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed
In this episode, I discuss Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed with Jedd Cole and special guest Heather Cole. The Dispossessed is a thought experiment that explores an anarcho-syndicalist society on the moon Anarres, which orbits the planet Urras. Urras is much like Earth, with capitalist nations controlling much of what goes on.
1hr 4m Feb 16, 2019
1hr 4m
S1 Ep11: On Janet Frame's The Carpathians
In this special episode, Hans, Chris, and I discuss Janet Frame's strange, mind-boggling novel The Carpathians. Since I found reading it like looking into opaque glass, Hans and Chris discuss the novel at length before we veer off into a larger discussion of language, the technological singularity, and forms of life.
1hr 37m Feb 07, 2019
1hr 37m
S1 Ep10: On Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing
In this episode, Hans and I discuss Cormac McCarthy's novel The Crossing, which details a teenager's confrontation with "the perfect cohesion of darkness," an indifferent world constructed on borders both artificial and natural.
55m Jan 23, 2019
55m
S1 Ep8: On Sergio de la Pava's A Naked Singularity
In this episode, author Hans Burger and I discuss A Naked Singularity, a giant, hilarious novel that criticizes the judicial system.
1hr 2m Dec 19, 2018
1hr 2m
S1 Ep7: On W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage
In this episode, I discuss the classic Of Human Bondage with Chris Malmberg. Topics addressed include tendencies in post-structuralism and the question of free will.
57m Nov 29, 2018
57m
S1 Ep4: On Moby Dick
In this episode, I discuss Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick with special guest Chris Malmberg.
54m Oct 28, 2018
54m