An illuminating conversation with one of our greatest living science-fiction writers on topics as diverse as AI, climate change, interstellar travel, new forms of finance needed to avert catastrophe, memorable characters and plot lines in his novels, the debate between settling Mars now vs fixing Earth first, utopia and dystopia,…
Arkady Darell and Homir Munn arrive on Kalgan and get involved in high level intrigue in the palace of the First Citizen, Lord Stettin, who has eyes on following in the Mule's footsteps to master the galaxy. It seems he also has eyes on Arkady. Stettin's apparently dimwitted mistress Lady…
Video trailer for a new podcast exploring Isaac Asimov's Foundation epic. Podcast website: https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm/ Script and Narration: Joel McKinnon Video and Sound Editing: Jeremy MacKinnon (https://tinyurl.com/33nc5jw6) Theme music: Joel McKinnon, Tom Barnes Artwork: Fred Gambino, Michael Whelan Updated 8/26/2022
Illustrator and science fiction connoisseur Danielle Pajak describes her ideas on the art of sci fi, the means of communicating truth and beauty to the readers and watchers of science fiction books, movies, and TV shows. We talk about some of her major inspirations as an artist and many of…
Young Arkady Darell is crazy about the history of the Foundation and her grandmother Bayta's historic duel with the Mule. When her father and friends conspire to uncover the hidden workings of the fabled Second Foundation, she finds a way to join the conspiracy by stowing away aboard a spaceship…
A conversation with science fiction author, media scholar, and musician Paul Levinson about the history and legacy of the Star Trek franchise, including his thoughts on the latest entry to the canon, Strange New Worlds. We discuss the philosophy and technologies featured on this great series of shows, and what…
The ambitious and confident Bail Channis thinks he is on the trail of the Second Foundation. General Han Pritcher is consumed by jealousy and doubt, but seems to have secret knowledge as the two men huddle in a cold room on frigid Rossem. Someone is coming to their doorway. Is…
Two visionary authors of independent science fiction share their visions of possible human futures. Tobias Cabral has humans living in a thriving Mars colony with intelligent robots interacting with humans while Erasmo Acosta envisions a billion years of human expansion through the galaxy relying upon rotating settlements constituting Dyson swarms…
Foundation has fallen to the Mule and the proud citizens of Terminus are shocked and dismayed. Haven is under siege and our heroes make a mad dash for the center of the Galaxy to find clues to the location of the fabled Second Foundation, the only hope of stopping the…
The Mule dominates the galaxy and controls the planets and technology of the Foundation. He is not a happy conqueror, for he is unable to find the rumored Second Foundation despite five years of searching by Han Pritcher, now his loyally converted servant. He calls upon the unconverted and ambitious…
Isaac Asimov loved history and used many important lessons from the past in writing his stories, including his greatest epic Foundation. Historian TCA Achintya joins Seldon Crisis to share his unique perspective from his expertise as a scholar of the British Empire and a long time fan of Asimov and…
Foundation has fallen to the Mule and the proud citizens of Terminus are shocked and dismayed. Haven is under siege and our heroes make a mad dash for the center of the Galaxy to find clues to the location of the fabled Second Foundation, the only hope of stopping the…
A wide-ranging conversation with astrophysicist Stephen Webb, owner of all the canonical works of Isaac Asimov save for a couple of wall charts. Stephen talks about Asimov the teacher, speculations on the distant future of humanity in the galaxy, the plausibility of psychohistory, faster than light travel, robots with positronic…
Theme music intro with voiceover representing characters: Captain Han Pritcher, Bayta Darell, Magnifico, Toran Darell, Ebling Mis, and The Mule. Episode Page: https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm/s2/16 Voices: Joel McKinnon, Amanda Kreitler Music: Joel McKinnon, Tom Barnes Video: Jeremy MacKinnon (https://vimeo.com/user69083615) Artwork: Mike Topping #shorts
We go a little deeper on the theme of The General, the opposing forces of psychohistorical determinism vs the futile efforts of Bel Riose to exert his free will against it. Bringing this into our current universe, we talk about Thomas Carlisle's "Great Man" theory of history and some of…
We pick up where we left off with the meager Foundation reeling from the onslaught of the Empire's great general Bel Riose. The Emperor's sycophantic envoy Brodrig joins him at the front and insists on personally interrogating the captured spy, Lathan Devers. He and Ducem Barr plot a means to…
Theme music intro with voiceover representing characters: Juddee, Bayta Darell, Randu, Ebling Mis, Captain Han Pritcher, Viceroy of Terminus, Toran Darell, and Bayta again. Episode Page: https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm/s2/15 Music: Joel McKinnon Arrangement: Tom Barnes Video: Jeremy MacKinnon (https://vimeo.com/user69083615) Artwork: Mike Topping #shorts
Brief comments in the interval between episodes, thoughts on the intended audience, and an explanation for shift to a more relaxed episode cadence. Logo art: Mike Topping Theme orchestration: Tom Barnes Transcript: https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm/s1/9/transcript Podcast website: https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seldoncrisis
Seldon Crisis returns with the second in the seven novel saga, Foundation and Empire, and the opening of The General, which tells the story of the young and brilliant General Bel Riose's attempt to destroy the growing, but still minute Foundation. He is opposed by an old veteran of a…
In this short episode we summarize the major characters and events of Season 1 covering the first novel, Foundation, in Isaac Asimov's seven novel epic, and tease a few of the major events to be covered in Season 2 corresponding to the novel Foundation and Empire. Also, a brief mention…
To finish off Season 1 of Seldon Crisis and the completion of the first book in the original trilogy, Foundation, this special episode consists of an interview with Professor of Philosophy Nathaniel Goldberg. He will discuss his long running course, Philosophy and Science Fiction, in which he asks students to…
Theme music intro with voiceover representing characters: Bayta Darell, Randu, Magnifico Giganticus, Mayor Indbur Episode Page: https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm/s2/13 Music: Joel McKinnon Arrangement: Tom Barnes Voices,: Amanda Kreitler, Joel McKinnon Video: Jeremy MacKinnon (https://vimeo.com/user69083615) Artwork: Mike Topping Music: Scott Buckley (Ambush, The Old Ones, Hiraeth, Hunted, The March of Midnight) #shorts
One of the enduring and mythic figures in Foundation history, Hober Mallow, follows in the footsteps of Hari Seldon and Salvor Hardin in facing a truly existential crisis in the growing power of the Korellian Republic, a breakaway star system that may have a very powerful ally deep in the…
Limmar Ponyets is a dashing profiteer on the galactic fringe who gets drawn into a life or death struggle to free a fellow Foundation comrade who also happens to be a secret agent. The Grand Master of Askone is not one to let a prime hostage escape without payment of…