Leave it to the Prose – the Epilogue Leave it to the Prose is your podcast for science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction. Over the past three years Isaac and Reid have enjoyed sharing their reading journeys with everyone and thank you listeners for turning in. We cannot put into words how amazing the response … Continue reading Ep082 – Epilogue →

Ep082 – Epilogue

The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker Is magic real? This is the question posed by Sarah Pinsker’s short story The Court Magician, in which a young boy turns into a magician after learning all of the street tricks that have been nothing more than an illusion. As the magician uses real magic the moral questions … Continue reading Re-Release: Ep022 The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker →

Re-Release: Ep022 The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker

Re-Release: Tideline by Elizabeth Bear A machine near the end of its life and a curious boy come together and create a relationship that will honor the past and lead into the future. Tideline is a science fiction, award winning, short story by Elizabeth Bear. In this episode of Leave It To The Prose, Reid … Continue reading Re-Release: Ep010 – Tideline by Elizabeth Bear →

Re-Release: Ep010 – Tideline by Elizabeth Bear

Re-Release: A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine The 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel, A Memory Called Empire is Arkady Martine’s debut novel of interstellar intrigue. In this episode we dive into the characteristic that this book excel at: worldbuilding. Book Discussion Worldbuilding: The strength of this book. Direct and passive worldbuilding are well-balanced … Continue reading Re-Release: Ep052 – A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine →

Re-Release: Ep052 – A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Re-Release: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury In a world where books are burned and the mind is distracted Bradbury gives a character a glimpse at something more. Despite the monumental following of Fahrenheit 451, we take issue in the importance this book takes in the dystopian genre. Is the story a warning or a pontification? … Continue reading Re-Release: Ep012 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury →

Re-Release: Ep012 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Re-Release: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse Imagine a world after the oceans have risen and the gods of the previous times have taken physical forms. In Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning we follow monster hunter Maggie as she seeks to find the witch who is creating people-eating monsters. Along the way Maggie meets up with … Continue reading Re-Release: Ep025 – Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse →

Re-Release: Ep025 – Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

2021 Review and 2022 Look Ahead Leave it to the Prose is your podcast for science fiction and fantasy discussion. We bring the perspective of a reader and a writer to discuss what works and doesn’t work in storytelling fantastical fiction. 2021 Review 2021 was another big year for Leave it to the Prose, featuring … Continue reading Ep081 – 2021 Review 2022 Look Ahead →

Ep081 – 2021 Review 2022 Look Ahead

And then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker Sarah Pinsker explores the multiverse in “And then There Were (N-One).” Within this short story Pinsker explores choice and a theme of “are we the best version of ourselves?” Discussed this Episode The idiosyncrasies of each different Sarah, and how this plays into the main theme and … Continue reading Ep080 – And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker →

Ep080 – And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker In the story of golem finding a purpose and a jinni seeking freedom, Helene Wecker explores human wanting against the backdrop of turn of the century New York City. Discussed this Episode Comparing and contrasting the journey of the Golem and the Jinni. The character-driven plot of … Continue reading Ep079 – The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker →

Ep079 – The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

2021 Hugo Awards for Best Short Story The nominations for the 2021 Hugo Awards for Best Short Story “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, by Rae Carson (read on Uncanny Magazine) “A Guide for Working Breeds”, by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (read here) Little Free Library, by Naomi Kritzer (read on Tor.com) “The Mermaid Astronaut”, by … Continue reading Ep078 – 2021 Hugo Awards for Best Short Story →

Ep078 – 2021 Hugo Awards for Best Short Story

Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn is the first book in The Last Herald-Mage Series written in 1989. Discussed this episode One of the first openly gay characters in science fiction/fantasy. Vanyel, the protagonist of the book is openly gay; but do to the marketing and era, you have to read the book in … Continue reading Ep077 – Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey →

Ep077 – Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey

House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Part 2 Isaac and Reid continue their discussion of House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. The second half of the book follows Esteban and his children, and grand child. The book follows the family conflicts and the military coup that occurs in the government. Discussed this Episode … Continue reading Ep076 – House of the Spirits Part 2 →

Ep076 – House of the Spirits Part 2

House of the Spirits Part 1 by Isabel Allende Isabel Allende’s debut novel, House of the Spirits, is a journey in magical realism. House of the Spirits follows four generations of the Trueba family against the backdrop of an unspecified South American country (Chile). In this first discussion of the story, Isaac and Reid dig … Continue reading Ep076 – House of the Spirits Part 1 by Isabel Allende →

Ep076 – House of the Spirits Part 1 by Isabel Allende

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien Before Lord of the Rings there was The Hobbit. To many The Hobbit is the cornerstone work of fantasy writing, introducing readers to the high fantasy realm of Middle Earth. JRR Tolkien originally published The Hobbit in 1937 and ever since it has remained among the popular works of fantasy. … Continue reading Ep075 – The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien →

Ep075 – The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Dreadnought by April Daniels A modern superhero story. Dreadnought features Danny, our protagonist who gets the superhero mantel thrust upon her. But with the mantel came a body change. Danny physically become a woman, her ideal body. The story of Dreadnought follows Danny as she deals with the good and bad of not only having … Continue reading Ep074 – Dreadnought by April Daniels →

Ep074 – Dreadnought by April Daniels

All Systems Red by Martha Wells Martha Wells is an accomplished author, active since 1993. All Systems Red is the first work in the Murderbot series, a series that follows Murderbot as they are the security unit on a seemingly harmless planet. Of course the planet is not as harmless as it was reported to … Continue reading Ep073 – All Systems Red by Martha Wells →

Ep073 – All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones Mapping the Interior is a ghost story of loss. Published in 2017, Jones explores how the event of a death of a father cascades into a young adult story of finding a way through life. Isaac and Reid strongly recommend this story. Discussed this Episode Displaying and showing … Continue reading Ep072 Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones →

Ep072 Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro An expansion of the Arthurian Mythos, The Buried Giant follows an elderly couple as they begin to remember a past they had forgotten. Kazuo Ishiguro, a winner of the Booker Award, and author of such works as The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, explores a world … Continue reading Ep071 The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro →

Ep071 The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley What does the mass production of biology look like, and what are its consequences? These are the questions proposed in the 1931 book by Aldous Huxley: Brave New World. Episode Discusion: What were our first introductions to Dystopian Fiction? (The Giver, 1984, Harrison Bergeron – by Kurt Vonnegut) A … Continue reading Ep070 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley →

Ep070 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Short Stories of Izzy Wasserstein Izzy Wasserstein is a prolific new writer, writing and publishing over twenty-five short stories in the past four years! In this episode we discuss three short stories. Episode Discussion Dead at the Feet of a God – read it on Beneath Ceaseless Skies A story written in reverse chronological order. … Continue reading Ep069 Izzy Wasserstein Short Stories →

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