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Starship Alexandria

Starship Alexandria

By: Emma Newman and Adrian Tchaikovsky
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 The Sci-fi and Fantasy podcast from the best of futures! In this future, humanity has solved its problems and is now sending spaceships from Earth, not in a desperate attempt to escape the apocalypse but because we can do so in a spirit of hope and exploration. As a part of the Starship Alexandria Project, the far-future analogues of 21st century authors Emma Newman and Adrian Tchaikovsky have been tasked to make recommendations from the ship’s vast library of creative works based on the preferences of our 21st century counterparts. Each of us will take it in turns to nominate a book, film or similar work, and the other will play judge and give the thumbs up or thumbs down to be recommended across the fleet.2025 Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • Episode 7 - The Ministry for the Future

    Episode 7 - The Ministry for the Future
    Oct 9 2025
    For our seventh episode of Starship Alexandria, Emma puts forward the novel The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, for Adrian to consider. Other talking points: Wet Bulb Events Nonconformist plot structures The Doyenne of Climate Fiction The balance of hope and despair Asshole billionaires again National stereotypes in spec fic Adrian thinking he’s being clever SFF as stealth literature for change Media Mentions: Saturation Point, novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky, narrated by Emma Newman The Windup Girl, novel by Paulo Bacigalupi The Remains of the Day, film dir. James Ivory Star Trek: The Next Generation, TV series Piranesi, novel by Susanna Clarke Our next episode will look at the novel Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock. Emma’s music recommendation: Borodin’s String Quartet No.2 in D Major https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKsCxvT8e8Y&list=RDRKsCxvT8e8Y&start_radio=1 Emma’s latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian’s most recent book: The Hungry Gods https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-hungry-gods-adrian-tchaikovsky/7756963 Follow us at: Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com
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    52 mins
  • Episode 6- Battle Beyond The Stars

    Episode 6- Battle Beyond The Stars
    Sep 17 2025
    For our sixth episode of Starship Alexandria, Adrian puts forward our first film, Battle Beyond the Stars directed by Roger Corman, for Emma to watch and consider. Other talking points: Idiolectic time units Suggestive spaceship design Doing the robot Caiman, of the Lambda Zone Doing a lot of spaceship on a small budget James Horner soundtracks The longevity of practical model work Writing to music Media Mentions: The Seven Samurai, film directed by Akira Kurosawa The Magnificent Seven, film directed by John Sturges Logan’s Run, film directed by Michael Anderson The Waltons, TV series Pulp Fiction, film directed by Quentin Tarantino The A-Team, TV series Our next episode will look at The Ministry for the Future, the novel by Kim Stanley Robinson. Adrian’s music recommendation: the soundtrack to the Skylanders computer game, by Lorne Balfe and Han Zimmer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Z9PCie0mo&list=PL046FFA1862CCE21C&ab_channel=SethisZurlo Emma’s latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance Adrian’s most recent book: The Hungry Gods https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-hungry-gods-adrian-tchaikovsky/7756963 Follow us at: Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com
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    54 mins
  • Episode 5 - The Golden Apples of the Sun

    Episode 5 - The Golden Apples of the Sun
    Aug 9 2025
    For our fifth episode of Starship Alexandra, Emma puts forward the short story collection The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury to read and consider. Other talking points: Stories specifically talked about: A Sound of Thunder, The Foghorn, The Golden Apples of the Sun (short story), The Garbage Collector, The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, I See You Never, Sun and Shadow, The Wilderness, The Black and White Game, The butterfly effect (not the film) Poetic and commercial prose Lawsuits! History, repeating itself The prevalence of the nuclear apocalypse in fiction. Amazing Obstructive Asshole Stories! The Time Machine Factory Problem The prevalence of psychic powers in fiction Media Mentions: Star Trek: the Next Generation, TV series (specifically the episode ‘The Survivors’) The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms film directed by Eugéne Lourié Pavane, novel by Keith Roberts Oppenheimer, film directed by Christopher Nolan Dune, novel by Frank Herbert Zen in the Art of Writing, book by Ray Bradbury Peter Pan, novel/play by JM Barrie The Police, band Our next episode will look at the film Battle Beyond the Stars directed by Roger Corman. Emma’s music recommendation: the album Anticlines by Lucrecia Dalt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOL78nXzgCc&list=OLAK5uy_kirX77Moqz0sO1a2GqQ1D88fgsUvAzrS4&ab_channel=LucreciaDalt-Topic Emma’s latest book: The Vengeance https://geni.us/thevengeance and also a short story in the ‘Lesbians in Space’ anthology published by Space Wizard press https://www.spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/book/lesbians-in-space-where-no-man-has-gone-before Adrian’s most recent book: Bee Speaker https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/bee-speaker-adrian-tchaikovsky/7741036?ean=9781035901456 Follow us at: Emma: @emmanewman@bsky.social and www.enewman.co.uk Adrian: @aptshadow.bsky.social and www.adriantchaikovsky.com
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    57 mins
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