The Incomparable

We begin our walk through the 2024 nominees for Best Novel from the Hugo and Nebula Awards. First up: “Starter Villain” by John Scalzi, “Translation State” by Ann Leckie, and “Witch King” by Martha Wells.

Read the show notes.

Previous Episodes

• May 3, 2024 “Doctor Who” anticipation

  714 You Can’t Protect People From “Doctor Who”

  Host Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky, Annette Wierstra, and Kelly Guimont

  Put on your mouse ears and step into the TARDIS! We’re discussing the return (rebirth? regeneration?) of “Doctor Who” in 2024, this time on Disney+ (and the BBC). It’s a new era with an old showrunner. How did the 2023 specials hit us, where should curious viewers start watching, and what are our hopes for the coming season?

• April 26, 2024 “Dead Again”

  713 Weird Guy in the Meat Locker

  Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Erika Ensign, Annette Wierstra, Dr. Drang, and Shannon Sudderth

  Why does discussing the overlooked 1991 classic “Dead Again” feel like we’re living a past life? Maybe it’s the shock of seeing young Sir Kenneth Branagh (attempting a weird American accent) and Dame Emma Thompson. Maybe it’s Sir Derek Jacobi making us wonder if that stutter is an “I, Claudius” reference. Maybe it’s the whole romantic fantasy thing, with a Hitchcockian past intruding on a 1990s present.

• April 19, 2024 2000s Album Draft

  712 Arguably the Saddest Record

  Host Jason Snell with Brian Hamilton, James Thomson, Shelly Brisbin, Erika Ensign, Kelly Guimont, and Andy Ihnatko

  It’s time to celebrate the music of the first decade of this century via our 2000s album draft! From opera to show tunes, we’ve got several musical styles covered—and those are just Andy’s picks! Why do James’s picks leave us cold? What is Erika’s favorite Beat Saber band? Why does Kelly use karaoke as therapy? How does Shelly tactically use remixes? And why did Brian insist on editing this episode?

• April 12, 2024 “The Fragile Threads of Power”

  711 Creepy Bone Owl

  Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, and Heather Berberet

  Our book club reconvenes to discuss the “Shades of Magic” series by V.E. Schwab, as well as the start of a second trilogy, “The Fragile Threads of Power.” Before the spoilers begin, we’ll explain the parallel fantasy world structure and explain why it’s such a great series. Then we’ll discuss the newest book in the series.

  Plus: What are we reading?

• April 5, 2024 “The Godfather III/Coda”

  710 Average Night at the Sicilian Opera

  Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, John Gruber, Chip Sudderth, and Moisés Chiullán

  Just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in! Long after we recorded our first episodes about “The Godfather,” our panelists get back together to talk about the late-sequel “The Godfather Part III,” or is it “The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone” now? Only Francis knows for sure.

• March 29, 2024 “Dune Part 2”

  709 Worms All the Way Down

  Host Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Kelly Guimont, Guy English, and Brian Warren

  Get on your sandworm and head south! It’s time to discuss “Dune Part 2,” a sequel with more sand, more Fremen, and more time spent at the super weird planet of the villainous Harkonnen family. Is Paul the hero, or… something else? Dust off the family atomics and join us, won’t you?

• March 22, 2024

  708 Wet Hot Mutagenic Summer

  Host Moisés Chiullán with Lisa Schmeiser, David J. Loehr, Cicero Holmes, and Monty Ashley

  It’s the first-ever Reboot a Bad Movie draft! In which our stalwart panelists grab an intellectual-property loser off the shelf, dust it off, and re-envision it in a new way that could maybe, possibly be a hit with modern audiences.

• March 15, 2024

  707 Crime is Not Cozy

  Host Dan Moren with Antony Johnston

  Nobody is more surprised than Antony Johnston to find he’s now a cozy crime author. Dan Moren sniffs out the secrets of his “Dog Sitter Detective” series.

• March 8, 2024 “Back to the Future Part III”

  706 Riff on Biff

  Host Jason Snell with Lex Friedman, John Siracusa, Brian Warren, Monty Ashley, and Moisés Chiullán

  We conclude our movie-by-movie review of the “Back to the Future” series with the western-themed third installment, which features less time travel shenanigans and more old-west shenanigans.

• February 29, 2024 “Back to the Future Part II”

  705 A Legacy of Biffs

  Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Dan Moren, Brian Warren, and Shelly Brisbin

  It’s time again. Time! To go forward in time, then backward—or is it sideways?—in time, then further back in time, and then maybe even further back in time. It’s time for the bland future of 2015, the apocalyptic alt-present of 1985, and a familiar 1955. But most of all, it’s time for a Crisis on Infinite Biffs. It’s “Back to the Future Part II.”