The UNSONG Audiobook is now complete. Two-hundred and forty-four thousand, one hundred and forty words. Thirty-two hours of audio. Let me know of any episodes you think really need to be re-recorded. For the rest of this year, the further episodes will be my favorite short stories from the same author, which I have been looking forward to.

Here is the hour-long retrospective episode. If you have not read the book and this is where you're starting, be advised of spoilers, and of content warnings about violence and mental illness.

It includes an interview with the author, announcements of the future of the podcast, recommendations for further reading or listening, my reflections on the themes of the novel, the ability to change the world, finding patterns where none exist, random acts of violence, and resisting despair.

It also includes a very personally vulnerable account of how the novel makes me feel about the historical development of this century so far, the position of my life within that, and the place of you and I and each other in the world.

According to my time tracker, I have been writing, reworking, and editing this episode for almost 18 total hours in my text editor alone, to say nothing of the audio editor.

On the one hand, I might talk about myself too much, and on the other hand, I consider it misleading if I present a "view from nowhere" as if it were the only one. Everyone has a viewpoint on the subject they are discussing, and this one is mine. I'm interested in yours, so please email your questions or answers or follow-up questions or follow-up answers to:

thatsoundshard@gmail.com

Question timestamps:

1, the theme of your blog- 01:07. 2, softening opposition to the antagonists - 01:47. 3, planning in a serial format- 05:56. 4, justifying the unjustifiable- 11:09. 5, placebomancy and propaganda- 20:18. 6, worldbuilding premise- 26:44. 7, comedic style- 30:53. 8, psychological distance- 38:02. 9, did anyone ever make it to Wall Drug- 46:50. 10, after the interview- 52:39.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Lincoln. Lincoln who? Lincoln the shownotes.

Too Like The Lightning, the Terra Ignota series by Dr Ada Palmer: https://adapalmer.com/publication/too-like-the-lightning/

The Atrocity Archive, The Laundry Files series by Charles Stross: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2016/04/faq-the-laundry-filesseries-ti.html

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow: https://craphound.com/category/walkaway/

Blindsight by Peter Watts: https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

Cory Doctorow's article in Locus about Cold Equations and moral hazard: https://locusmag.com/2014/03/cory-doctorow-cold-equations-and-moral-hazard/

Meaningness, an online HTML book by David Chapman: https://meaningness.com/

Blankets, a graphic novel by Craig Thompson: https://smile.amazon.com/Blankets-Craig-Thompson/dp/177046218X

Distress by Greg Egan: https://www.gregegan.net/DISTRESS/DISTRESS.html

"I Can't Stop Watching Contagion" by Dan Olson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsSzrVhdVuw&vl=en