The Incomparable Mothership

Latest Episodes:

837: Thoughts About a Fictional Bakery Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Helene Wecker’s third Golem and Jinni novel, The Gates of Midnight, is now available! Jason asks her about her multi-decade journey to get to the end of the trilogy, how research has changed along the way, the themes of the three books, and what she might do next.

"The Gates of Midnight"

Host Jason Snell with Helene Wecker.

Referenced Works

The Gates of Midnight

[Amazon] [Apple]

The Golem and the Jinni

[Amazon]

The Hidden Palace

[Amazon] [Apple]

Show Notes & Links

(There are some mild thematic spoilers for the final book in the trilogy, but nothing too bad!)

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836: Tea, Blankets, and Murder Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Once a subcategory for mysteries, “cozy” feels like the latest craze in publishing with every genre getting in on the act. Is it really a new thing? Are authors able to take sci-fi or horror and turn it into something to be read while cuddled into a warm blanket with a cup of tea at one’s elbow? Our panel discusses what makes a piece of media cozy, drafts a few books (sometimes with media tie-ins), and then throws it open to anything that gives us that cozy feeling. David includes tea pairings with his choices and Antony tells us how he ended up writing a cozy mystery series.

Cozy Draft

Host Shannon Sudderth with Antony Johnston, Annette Wierstra, Shelly Brisbin, David J. Loehr, and James Thomson.

Show Notes & Links

Annette: “A Council of War” cozy mysteries inspired by Elizabeth Peters (series with Amelia Peabody and Vicky Bliss), Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raubourne, Jaya Jones mysteries by Gigi Pandian
David: the Gervase Fen series by Edmund Crispin
Antony: the Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie
James: The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne by Summer N. England
Shelly: the Night Soldiers series by Alan Furst
Shannon: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Annette: A Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
David: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Antony: the Wayfarers books by Becky Chambers
James: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Shelly: the Bridgerton novels by Julia Quinn
Shannon: the Cat Who… mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun
Annette: outdoor lights on my patio
David: the Jeeves and Wooster series by P.G. Wodehouse
Antony: Journey (videogame) by Thatgamecompany
James: Fallout 4 (videogame) by Bethesda Game Studios
Shelly: my cozy reading nook with my Incomparable blanket, Mom’s cozy furniture, various cats, and “Murder, She Wrote” playing in the background
Shannon: revisiting children’s books/media: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Colin Thompson picture books, Disney fairy tales

Antony’s rec list of fellow cozy authors:

Poppy Denby mysteries by Fiona Veitch Smith
Cressida Fawcett mysteries by Fliss Chester
The Dales Detective Agency series by Julia Chapman
The Inspector Chopra mysteries and the Malabar House series, both by Vaseem Khan
The Bloody Christmas mysteries by Jo Middleton
Various books by Janice Hallett

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835: Team Whammer Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

The Summer of Sundance comes to an end with “The Natural,” a story of a legendary baseball player—no, we’re not talking about Joe Don Baker as The Whammer, or are we? It’s Bernard Malamud’s take on baseball as American mythology, filtered through the mind of Barry Levinson. Barbara Hershey shocks and confuses, Glenn Close glows, Wilford Brimley is very old and near retirement despite being younger than us, and Robert Redford is so versatile he can play a teenager and a man in his mid-thirties despite being in his late forties.

"The Natural"

Host Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Micheline Maynard, John Siracusa, and David J. Loehr.

Referenced Works

Robert Redford

The Natural

Show Notes & Links

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834: Dial-a-CIA-computer Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

The Summer of Sundance continues with the paranoid thriller, “Three Days of the Condor.” A devastatingly handsome nerd goes out to buy sandwiches for the office, and the next thing he knows he’s on the run and kidnapping Faye Dunaway…

"Three Days of the Condor"

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Shelly Brisbin, Paul Weimer, Glenn Fleishman, and Dan Moren.

Referenced Works

Three Days of the Condor

Robert Redford

Show Notes & Links

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

833: She Thought She Heard the Ice Cream Truck Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Now the curtain is going up, “The Sting” is starting the show! Snappy patter and jokes, along with the star power of Robert Redford and Paul Newman, drive this story of an elaborate con that goes right—or does it?! Also there’s a lot of Scott Joplin music.

"The Sting"

Host Jason Snell with Micheline Maynard, Dr. Drang, Monty Ashley, and David J. Loehr.

Referenced Works

Robert Redford

The Sting

Show Notes & Links

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

832: Likeable Goblins Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Eleven books later, our Awards Book Club has finally reached the end of the line. In this episode we cover our last uncovered book, “Shroud” by Adrian Tchaikovsky, recommend some Hugo-nominated short fiction, and rank all eleven books. Plus: What are we reading other than shortlisted novels?! See you next year.

2026 Awards Book Club, final chapter

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

Referenced Works

Shroud

[Amazon] [Apple]

Show Notes & Links

What are we reading?

Erika: Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis and Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Aleen: The Book Witch by Meg Schaffer, The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula
Heather: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott
Scott: There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm, The Dentist by Tim Sullivan
Jason: Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler, The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey

The Incomparable Book Club Awards final rankings

The Everlasting (4 first-place votes) - Average place: 1.7
The Incandescent 3.2
Shroud (1) 3.8
A Drop of Corruption 4.8
The Raven Scholar 5.2
Wearing the Lion 6.2
Katabasis 6.7
When We Were Real 7.7
Death of the Author 8.0
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (1) 8.3
Sour Cherry 10.5

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831: What Is Even Bolivia? Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Our Summer of Sundance kicks off with Sundance himself, as we travel back to the end of the old west (and, later, to the garden spot of Bolivia) to visit a couple of robbers, their lady friend, and their not-very-important gang with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Did they use enough dynamite? Is Woodcock a little too loyal to his employer? What does it say about the old west when a call for a posse is hijacked by a bicycle salesman?

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

Host Jason Snell with Dr. Drang, Shelly Brisbin, Philip Michaels, and Dan Moren.

Referenced Works

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Robert Redford

Show Notes & Links

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

830: Sad Man in a Van Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Buy some flowers and get ready to profess your feelings—we’re here to talk about “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” in which Tom Holland’s Peter gets to be a sad sack who is saving New York while his personal life has fallen completely apart. There are surprising character reveals, unsurprising character twists (well, at least Peter was surprised), interesting guest-star choices, and a lot of themes involving the dangers of letting yourself become isolated.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day"

Host Jason Snell with James Thomson, Moisés Chiullán, and Ben Rice McCarthy.

Referenced Works

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Show Notes & Links

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

829: The True Horror is Bureaucracy Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Put on your summer best and board a ferry to New England’s hottest tourist destination! It’s time for us to discuss “Widow’s Bay,” a funny horror story about the mayor and other denizens of a cursed island. Of course there’s a creepy clown, and a slasher, and a dark secret that goes back centuries. Of course Stephen Root is wild-eyed! Once you visit Widow’s Bay, you’ll never want to leave… which is good, because you might not be able to.

"Widow's Bay"

Host Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Tony Sindelar, and Monty Ashley.

Referenced Works

Widow's Bay

Show Notes & Links

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

828: Perfectly Serviceable Boat Movie Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

It’s one of the best “Star Trek” movies, a classic Dad Movie, and the start of a franchise that never really started. It’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” in which oceans have become battlefields and privateer ships lurk like horror-movie monsters. Don’t get attached to any of those nice young sailors!

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"

Host Jason Snell with Steven Schapansky, Philip Michaels, and Brian Warren.

Referenced Works

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Show Notes & Links

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.