The epic saga comes to a close... This week we finish our Tolkien series with Return of the King...but the king's not the only one returning! Alongside us is the triple-guest, Aysha U. Farah! We're talking elves, we're talking gollums, we're talking sad homecomings and magic swords. You already knowwww! You can find Aysha's work at her website, her…

No, it doesn't make sense that we did an episode on the Sonic Archie Comics...but it'll be fine. We had fun. To get into the wild world of Sonic comics, we bring on Wiispywitch, AKA Tay, AKA creator of the iconic (to us) Socialist Shelf art. Between her passion, Ryan's expertise, and the shadow of "The President is Missing" hounding everything we d…

It's time to jump off a cliff, seduce a troll, and get turned into a button. This week, we're talking about Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play, "Peer Gynt," an absolutely crazy ride of folklore, modernity's encroachment on tradition, good music, and Sphinxes with Berlin accents. Brian Alford of "the Worst of All Possible Worlds" joins us to discuss this foun…

Remember James Comey, the FBI Director who infuriated Democrats by reopening the Hillary Clinton email investigation just before the 2016 election, then became a liberal hero a year or so later because Trump fired him? Well, he wrote a novel. We read it. "Central Park West" is a 2023 crime novel about the mafia, being a good mom, and using the full…

Part 3 of our Tolkien series is HERE! It's time for Ents, Wizards, Giant Spiders, and Ecological Catastrophe, because we're talking about J.R.R. Tolkien's, "The Two Towers." Is this the most action-packed book of the trilogy? How did C.S. Lewis become a tree? How can we keep mind-control incels out of politics? Are Frodo and Sam gay (no...but actua…

We're in our spooky era. This week, we're talking about Creepypastas, that internet horror phenomenon that was the pride and joy of kids who "just didn't fit in" circa 2011. In particular, we focus on 2001's "Ted the Caver" and 2011's "Jeff the Killer." Lenore is off stuck in a cave or being murdered by a Joker clone somewhere, so we're joined by o…

Join the shelfers as we enter The Zone and explore a classic work of Soviet sci-fi, the Strugatsky brothers' 1972 novel, "Roadside Picnic." Never heard of it? You may know the film adaptation, Tarkovsky's critically acclaimed 1979 movie, "Stalker." Learn about this book's troubled publication history, hear Jacob get annoyed about thematic pieces no…

Due to busy schedules and a mild back injury (explanations within) we didn't finish prep to talk about this week's novel, so instead we read and...let's say critique...Adam Wren's "How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance's Politics" for Politico. You can read it here. Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) …

That flesh do be tender The shelfers take on Augustina Bazterrica's 2017 horror novel (or cookbook if you're really weird I guess), "Tender is the Flesh." They're really out here eating people. This is a book about justifying your place as a node in the extractive machine of capitalism, and as such it's pretty intense. We try not to over-dwell on t…

Yee...and I can't stress this enough...Haw The Shelfers dive into VP hopeful, evil lawyer, and overgrown garden gnome J.D. Vance's 2016 memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy." Does this book (and its 2020 film adaptation) answer all the questions about the Rust Belt and the white working class??? Uh. No. Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.…

A blast from the past...we've dug up an episode recorded several months ago. Why didn't we release it? Uhh...idk honestly. Anyway! It's Harlan Ellison's work of sci-fi/horror, "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream." Why on earth does this evil computer hate us so much?? Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,…

It's a three-peat folks! They're calling him the three-peater! Josh Boerman of the Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast is BACK to help the Shelfers crack Ted Dekker's 2004 evangelical fantasy novel, "Black: The Birth of Evil." We examine the inherent weaknesses of the evangelical fiction author, figure out why Ted hates the French so much, ask bol…

"A Picture of Doran GAY" was too low-hanging of fruit, but I did consider that as an episode title. This week the Shelfers dive into the only novel Oscar Wilde ever wrote, 1891's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Come for the Gothic horror, stay for the overt homosexuality. We discuss Wilde's life, which is so exciting and tragic we *almost* forgive hi…

WE! ARE! BACK! The Shelfers have RETURNED! This week we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's 1953 quintessential fantasy novel, "Fellowship of the Ring." (If you're interested in Tolkien as a guy, you may want to catch the first part of our episode on "The Hobbit," because we go into detail there) Is the Shire the perfect society? What's the deal with Tom Bomb…

And so it begins...The Socialist Shelf Tolkien deep dive. The Shelfers begin an examination of the ultimate fantasy series, "The Lord of the Rings," starting with 1937's "The Hobbit" (not technically part of the trilogy but pretty darn important if you want to understand it.) We also talk about the life of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, a world-histori…

It's short, but it's important (to us!) Ahead of our next month of Tolkien deep-dive, we need another week to read and study. However, we did want to use this time to announce that Jacob is now querying for his novel, "They Called Her Rebel." "They Called Her Rebel" is a story about people power, fantastical revolution, and queer love. If you're in…

Alternate episode title: "Who Killed Captain Aleph?" The Shelfers get Zen as we dive into Ruth Ozeki's 2021 work of magical realism, "The Book of Form and Emptiness." This book has got it all: psych wards, nonbinary ferrets, anarchist goth GFs, Zizek in a wheelchair, disaster capitalism, Marie Kondo, ghostly fridge magnets...none of this is a joke …

It's time to talk about DUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Educator and sci-fi lover Trent returns to the show to discuss Frank Herbert's 1965 epic tale of spice, sand, and worms. The movies get talked about a good bit too (we loved them.) Can Paul Atreides see the dialectic itself? Why is Frank Herbert so scared of women? What is "good" power and what is "bad" po…

Right at the top: y'all need to get this book. You can find it here. Journalist and author Vincent Bevins joins the Shelfers to discuss his new book, "If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution." Topics of discussion: the need for organization during mass movements, Hunger Games GIFS, and V for Vendetta. Music by Solo Monk (@Sol…

Special thanks to THE Count Dracula for stopping by! This week we get into Leo Frankowski's 1986 sci-fi—let's not say "epic," exactly—"The Cross-Time Engineer," the story of the coolest, buffest, smartest, sexiest engineer that's ever lived (and TOTALLY isn't a self-insert power fantasy character of the author!!) What's the deal with creepy liberta…

This episode was delayed multiple times due to what is no doubt the curse of the ghost of Poe himself! This week we're discussing the life of famed American spook-smith, Edgar Allan Poe, with a particular focus on his short stories, "The Masque of The Red Death" and "Hop-Frog" Was Poe a tortured genius, or just some guy trying to get by? How do cla…

We're back with a Socialist Shelf author interview! This week we're talking to labor lawyer, long-time activist, and author of the book, "Fighting Times," Jonathan Melrod! Want to learn how to change the world through working-class organization? Jon is the man you need to hear from! He's an absolute fountain of wisdom. Don't miss this interview...o…

This is a fun one. Fantasy expert and professional hater Aysha U. Farah is back on the show to discuss C.S. Lewis' 1950 children's novel, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," though we really get into all of Narnia and spend a lot of time on its deeply fascinating author. Who was this odd, sometimes-brilliant, sometimes-foolish, always-insane a…

We're covering Tony Kushner's 2009 (and 2010, and 2011, and many-times-since-edited) play, "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures," which incidentally could also be the name of this podcast. Joining us is beloved theater-enjoyer, A.J. Ditty from The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast! Together…

It's 2024...new year, new books, a new name...the same, classic socialist spirit. We're talking about Francis Spufford's 2010 historical fiction...novel? Short story collection? Something like that... "Red Plenty." Come for the history of the first worker state, stay for the discourse on whether or not smoking is sexy. We both continue to remain de…

It's our last episode of 2023...so let's end it on something we all know and love, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin! What is it about this little story that gets inside people's heads? Is Omelas basically just the story of Jesus? Can you reform a system built on child misery? (I'll go on and answer that one: no.) For more t…

Yeah. The dog dies. This week we're discussing Paolo Bacigalupi's sci-fi short story, "The People of Sand and Slag." There's a lot of sand, there's a lot of slag. There's not a lot of joy, but we and our fantastic guest from Podside Picnic, Karlo Yeager Rodríguez, manage to find it where we can. They haven't managed to write a story yet that can de…

Not all is well in the town of Salem...or Washington for that matter. Join the Shelfers as we dive into Arthur Miller's 1953 not-so-subtle-allegorical play, "The Crucible" Topics of discussion: McCarthyism, religious hypocrisy, Marilyn Monroe, and Jacob playing Judge Danforth in high school. We are doing shout-outs to anyone who donates to PSL Atla…

It's a lesser-known series...you probably haven't heard of it. Today the shelfers take on Matthew Stover's 2005 novelization of "Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith," the novel that asks the dangerous question of what would happen if you made ROTS... good? Enjoy us diving into the concept of Star Wars legends, criticize Yoda for undialectical thinki…

Joss reads the entire thing at the opening so you have no excuse not to absorb this text (unless you just don't want to in which case...fair) This week we discuss French philosopher Albert Camus' 1942, essential absurdist work, "The Myth of Sisyphus." You might have heard this one before, it's where the guy is happy despite his whole rock situation…

History may have gone entirely differently, but the music of Bruce Springsteen is eternal... Today we explore the alt-history dystopia of Koushun Takami's, 1999 novel, "Battle Royale." This one's a little more intense than Fortnite. What does "successful fascism" look like? Why is the genre of kids murdering each other so lucrative? Will Koushun Ta…

Folks welcome to the episode where we debut our BRAND NEW THEME SONG!!!!! Massive shout-out to Solo Monk for putting it together. Please go give him a follow on Twitter @SoloMonk256, on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/tsalcollective But we do have an episode today outside the music. We're di…

It's existential horror time!! This week we get into Victor LaValle's 2016 novella, "The Ballad of Black Tom," a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's shockingly racist (and honestly boring) short story, "The Horror at Red Hook." And yes, we read the original short story too so you don't have to. The Shelfers discuss Lovecraft adaptions that deal with his …

Jacob fails to read poetry, Joss makes bad jokes, we have a cool guest, and we released the episode two days late...honestly, it's the platonic ideal of a Socialist Shelf episode. This week we're talking about J.D. Salinger's 1951 rant of a novel, "Catcher in the Rye." Joining us is writer, game developer, and professional Holden Caulfield defender…

Let's. Get. Edgy. Step into (even more) fascistic London in Alan Moore's classic 1982-1985 graphic novel, "V for Vendetta." What makes Moore such a remarkable creator? How do repressive regimes give birth to their own destruction? How brutal must a revolution be? Also...what's the deal with anarchism? Art from the graphic novel, music by Kevin MacL…

Some are calling it THE literary classic. This week the boys get into "My Immortal," a notorious 2006-2007 Harry Potter fan fiction by the user known as XXXbloodyrists666XXX. What makes a bad fanfiction so magical? Why are so many preps flaming our podcast? What can we learn from the earnestness of online fiction...plus, some young Jacob and Joss l…

We're back and holding Rich Devos accountable. This is the second half of our conversation on "Compassionate Capitalism" and "Ten Powerful Phrases" by Amway founder and rightwing billionaire Rich Devos. In this half we really tear into the cult of toxic positivity, discuss dialectics the Devos way, and Jacob gets REAL heated about the idea that God…

It's time to learn more than we ever wanted to about Amway founder and general rightwing psycho, Richard Devos.Josh Boerman from Worst of All Possible Worlds returns to the podcast to discuss Devos' self-help book/manifestos "Compassionate Capitalism" and, to a lesser extent, "Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People." They're some doozies, folks.W…

Welcome back to the cyber-adrenaline rush that is Neal Stephenson's, "Snow Crash!" The Shelfers team up with Kurt Schiller of Podside Picnic and Blood Knife Magazine to get to the bottom of age-old questions like: how do you handle a guy who has a nuclear bomb strapped to his motorcycle? (and other stuff like that) Check out Kurt's work at https://…

We're going to the distant, wild, far-flung cyberpunk future of the early 2000s...as seen from the early 90s. Yep, we're talking about Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction/action/dystopian/satirical/straight-up-badass novel, "Snow Crash." Joining the Shelfers to discuss is editor of Blood Knife Magazine and member of Podside Picnic, Kurt Schiller…

EMBRACE THE IMMORTAL SCIENCE OF MARXISM-LENINISM-LEVONISM!!!! We're back with Sydney to finish out this trudge through what I assume has to be Ben Shapiro parodying himself: "True Allegiance." This book is bad. It's so so so so bad. Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode art is of a random child who tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he looked cool in…

UGGHHHHHH That more or less summarizes our reaction to "True Allegiance," Ben Shapiro's work of fiction that repeatedly, incessantly, infuriatingly, asks over and over and over: "Have you considered wokeism might be at the heart of our problems?" No Ben, we haven't. Joining us is cringe-fiction expert and Jacob's spouse, Sydney, to really get into …

It's our first repeat author! Get ready to discuss the short stories, "Bloodchild," "Amnesty," and "Book of Martha" by the Queen of science fiction, Octavia Butler. Joining us is noted sci-fi enthusiast, drip-king, and all-around-cool-guy, Aaron Thorpe! How does one sanitize literally being eaten alive? Why is the internet into botflies? What would…

It's the week of interviews, and we're back with another fantastic one...this time with legendary socialist writer, thinker, and enjoyer of good fiction, Vijay Prashad! Hear Vijay's thoughts on superhero films, the (super)power of organizing, how mass media reveals the insecurities of the ruling class, and how anti-capitalist fiction can become rev…

We enjoyed his book, "American War," and in this episode, we got a chance to enjoy speaking to the author! Listen to acclaimed writer and journalist Omar El Akkad chat with the Shelfers about climate change, the dangers of American individualism, his writing process...and then even more about climate change. You're not required to scroll back and l…

Y'all know what's up: it's Kim Stanley Robinson's climate fiction smorgasbord, "The Ministry for the Future!" REVOLUTIONARY OPTIMISM!!!!!!!! Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode art is of KSR himself

"Jacob...Joss...do y'all talk about nothing but bleak books anymore? I'm getting tired! I'm getting depressed." Never fear listeners, it's time to talk about Kim Stanley Robinson's positive, anti-dystopian work of climate fiction, "Ministry for the Future." Questions we consider: What will spur the working masses of the world to action? What role d…

"First of all, I don't want to hear the word surrender..." We're back with more dystopia! "American War" by Omar El Akkad continues to deliver with discussion of life as a refugee, island torture facilities, and economies strangled by war...sound familiar? The chickens are coming home to roost. With us is delightful guest, Josh Boerman, helping us …

What if everything was bad...and then it got worse...and then it kept getting worse...and everything generally stayed bad forever? That's what Omar El Akkad tackles in his work of climate fiction, "American War," and that's what the Shelfers are here to discuss. But wait! Joining us is noted apocalyptician and student of declining empire, Josh Boer…

Part 2! Welcome back to the godless wasteland roamed by the Glanton Gang. We, along with our guest, Drew Mason, will be your guides. We're talking more about Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." In this episode, we ask how the Judge Holdens of the world can be fought, try to puzzle out just what that epilogue is talking about, and give a send-off to…