This week, we continue our unit on William Gibson's Neuromancer. Are there only a few pathways to juvenile rebellion? How does the industrial become the post-industrial? How does Gibson's understanding of artificial intelligence hold up in 2025?

To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Footnotes:

• Neuromancer
• William Gibson
• William Gibson on Bluesky

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To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

This week, we begin our unit on influential science fiction with the first part of William Gibson's novel Neuromancer. Where does cyberpunk come from? How does Gibson complicate the mind-body problem? How do we know what's cool?

To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Footnotes:

• Neuromancer
• William Gibson
• William Gibson on Bluesky

Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

This week, we conclude our spooky-season unit on The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. As Eleanor retreats from the story, how do we become aware of the perspective of the house itself? Is it possible to read Theodora as a villain? What, in the end, walks alone inside Hill House?

To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Footnotes:

• The Haunting Of Hill House
• The Lottery And Other Stories (Shirley Jackson)
• The Letters of Shirley Jackson (Laurence Jackson Hyman)

Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!