Share

cover art for The Left Page - Episode 70 - The Expanse 1-3: Where Subtle Utopia Meets Responsible Dystopia

The Left Page & Here Be Media

The Left Page - Episode 70 - The Expanse 1-3: Where Subtle Utopia Meets Responsible Dystopia

Ep. 70

Hello everyone!!


For this month's Left Page we're being ambitious! We talk about the first three books of The Expanse series, by James S. A. Corey! And let us tell you, this is one hell of a SF world!


We dive into the materialist representation and replication of capitalism and oppression, even in space. We also engage in the cosmic aspects of space, the room occupied by the unknown, and the chance for creating gaps of hope even in a dystopic and capitalist reality. It's a very special episode, and one that shows how, even in dystopias, we must ever struggle to make room for utopias.


Enjoy!!



Please support our Patreon if you're interested and want access to early content and the bonus Reading Corners! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage 

Intro Music: Gymnopédie Nº1, Erik Satie, 1888

Outro Music: Downtime, Vistas, Miracle of Sound, 2014 -> Check out his Bandcamp! https://miracleofsound.bandcamp.com/

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 85. The Left Page - Episode 85 - Good Night, Sleep Tight: Short Friction w/ Nate

    01:11:48||Ep. 85
    Hello everyone!!The end of the year and the holidays approach rapidly, but not yet! Rejecting that, we remain in the lands of horror, as we talk about Brian Evenson's Good Night, Sleep Tight, with our friend Nate!We dive into some of the themes in this collection of short stories, their representation of childhood and anxieties of parenthood, sleep and more. And while elaborating on elements we enjoyed and... didn't, unfortunately! Still, we have an excellent time chatting about it, and we hope you like it too!Enjoy!Do check out Nate's previous writing on Evenson and his fiction!https://www.full-stop.net/2013/07/19/blog/nathan-weatherford/unknowable-quantities/And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and now live Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Intro: "Ultralounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Outro: "Leve Palestina" Spartacus
  • Here Be Media - Episode 45 - Interview with the Vampire S02: Vamphere, Vampthere, Vampeverywhere! w/ Jay

    01:37:41|
    Hello everyone!!For this month's spooky HBM we go back to Interview with a Vampire! Season 2! And in good company too, with Jay, of LibraryPunk and Tender Subject fame!It's vampire talk again, as we go back into interviewing immortal beings and finding out just how interesting their drama really is. Is it? We wonder that as we dive into this continued adaptation, its successes and limits, and just how effective, or not, their queer representation really is effective or that engaging!Enjoy!And, of course, check out Jay's work elsewhere!LibraryPunkTender SubjectAnd please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more!https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPNIntro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat AudioOutro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus
  • 84. The Left Page - Episode 84 - The Scar: The Dangers of DIY Quantum Physics w/ Horror Vanguard

    01:24:08||Ep. 84
    Hello everyone!!It's October and you know what that means! We drag the ghost, from their crypts (or ship) and have a good Halloween book chat!As Jon joined us for China Mieville's 2nd book of the Bas-Lag Trilogy: the Scar!It's a great time talking about the power and potential of class consciousness, the strange dynamics of cities, pirates, liberation, and the terrible risks of mishandling quantum and nuclear physics.It's Mieville, it's a fun book, and a phenomenal chat! Enjoy!Also buy Jon's Book!https://repeaterbooks.com/product/capitalism-a-horror-story-gothic-marxism-and-the-dark-side-of-the-radical-imagination/And, naturally, check out and support the Horror Vanguard!https://horrorvanguard.comhttps://www.patreon.com/horrorvanguard/postsAnd please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and now live Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Intro: "Ultralounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Outro: "Leve Palestina" Spartacus
  • Here Be Media - Episode 44 - Paradise Killer: Defective Detectives

    01:16:24|
    Hello everyone!!For this chaotic month's HBM we're diving into one of Frank's favourite genres, right back into detective fiction! This time talking about the very weird and very interesting Paradise Killer!Join us as we discuss the complexities of building a world from scratch, of making a sociologically compelling story, and creating a decent and engaging medium to solve a mystery. All while dealing with the colonial violence and oppression exacted by an even more powerful ruling class!What kind of detective are we, when we're the supreme elite?All this and more on this episode! Enjoy!And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and the Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more!https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPNIntro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat AudioOutro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus
  • 83. The Left Page - Episode 83 - Concept: Tropes and their handling of Art

    01:18:27||Ep. 83
    Hello everyone!!We kick off September with a very interesting concept episode, as we talk about Tropes, and clichés and archetypes!A very good time as we consider not just the creation of art, especially literature, but also its very superficial and weak discourse that is mostly upheld by these building blocks of tropes.We also go over a general engagement with art and the willingness to confront plenty of both good and bad, and even some of our personally most enjoyed and hated tropes!Enjoy!And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and now live Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Intro: "Ultralounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Outro: "Leve Palestina" Spartacus
  • Here Be Media - Episode 43 - Baldur's Gate 3: The Complexities of Creation and Desire w/ Holly

    02:54:26|
    Hello everyone!!This is a big one! We are finally talking about Baldur's Gate 3!In our longest Left Page and Here Be Media episode to date we dive into many of the complexities involving Dungeons & Dragons, tabletop RPGs, the fantasy problems of "races" and this incredibly interesting and fun game of wish-fulfillment, adventure, and more!We still have many critiques though, and go into ways this is a remarkable game, but could have been even more engaging and entertaining too.We are also, of course, joined by Holly! Making this equal parts a serious, critical, and very very fun episode! Enjoy!!As part of our question of "races" in D&D, check out the following video too:Bioessentialism in Gaming, https://youtu.be/u2PhrI4yZXYAnd please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and two current Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord, as we have been more talkative than usual, and plan to do so more and more!https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPNIntro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat AudioOutro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus
  • 82. The Left Page - Episode 82 - The Expanse 4-6: A Culmination of Tragedy

    01:43:20||Ep. 82
    Hello everyone!!It has been one year since, but we return to the responsible dystopia of The Expanse! Following books 4 to 6, Cibola Burn, Nemesis Games & Babylon's Ashes!This time we dive further into the possible horrors mankind can accomplish all on its own, the difficult nature of resistance and rebellion, the looming unknowns orders of magnitude above humanity, and how this book series continues to be incredible in its commitment to the psychological the economical and the sociological!Enjoy!And if you missed it, check out the first part!Episode 70 - The Expanse 1-3: Where Subtle Utopia Meets Responsible DystopiaAnd please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and now live Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Intro: "Ultralounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Outro: "Leve Palestina" Spartacus
  • 81. The Left Page - Episode 81 - Capitalism: A Horror Story

    01:09:35||Ep. 81
    Comrades!Lend us your ears! As one of the best to ever pod it joins us to talk about his book!Are you tired of being alone in the dark clutches of Capital-C-Capitalism?! Then take our hand our downtrodden compatriot, and join us on a voyage of radical informational archeology, and imagination."If you’ve been feeling isolated or afraid, take up this book and find that the only thing hiding in the shadows is our hope for a better world that could yet be."— Ashley DarrowPlease, enjoy!Leon & FrankBuy it! We are no longer asking:https://repeaterbooks.com/product/capitalism-a-horror-story-gothic-marxism-and-the-dark-side-of-the-radical-imagination/
  • 42. Here Be Media - Episode 42 - X-Men '97: Liberalism’s Flawed Dreams w/ André

    01:54:06||Ep. 42
    Hello everyone!!As a special treat this July, we have another Here Be Media episode! It's an X-Men deep dive, even as we talk about the latest show, and we're joined by a good friend and academic, André Kanasiro!We talk about the many parallels that are usually established when one talks about the X-Men, the pervading liberalism of it all, and the terrible terrible notions of "evolution" at play here too! We even touch upon the early 2000s films and even some recent comics, it's an X-Men full platter!Enjoy!You can find Andre on Instagram, BlueSky, And Twitter at: @andrekanasiroMentioned:https://revistazelota.com/ and @revistazelota in all social media.https://spectrummagazine.org/ and @spectrummag on Twitter, and @adventistforum on Instagram.And please support our Patreon if you can and are interested in early episodes and the upcoming Here Be Extras!https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat AudioOutro Music: Leve Palestina, Spartacus