You don’t understand science fiction

You don’t understand science fiction

Author: Damien Walter April 26, 2026 Duration: 35:17

Damien Walter has spent years thinking about how the future shapes our present, and in his Science Fiction podcast, he shares those conversations. Rather than just reviewing books or films, this series digs into the ideas that make the genre so vital, using it as a unique lens to examine everything from current technology and social change to ancient myths and human psychology. Each episode feels like a thoughtful discussion with a well-read friend, one who can draw a line from classic novels to the latest TV series with ease. You’ll hear analysis of stories that predicted our world, explorations of how fictional futures reflect our deepest anxieties and hopes, and considerations of why certain narratives endure. Walter’s background as a writer and storyteller informs a approach that is both accessible and deeply insightful, making connections across the arts, science, and popular culture. This isn't about escapism; it's about using the imaginative tools of science fiction to better understand the reality we're all living in. For anyone who finds themselves wondering about the world that's coming next, this podcast offers a compelling and regular dose of perspective.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 91

Science Fiction
Podcast Episodes
LitFic vs SciFi – the consilience position [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:59
Why does science fiction not get the respect it deserves...from literary fiction? It’s the East coast vs West cost gangster rap rivalry but fiction writers (except without the drive-by shootings…that I know of?) An ancie…
The Northman : a map of the Unfathered man (with intro) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:26
Batman. Luke Skywalker. Conan. Paul Atreides. And now The Northman. Just a few of the Unfathered men that dominate our storytelling. Why are we obsessed with the Unfathered man? Follow the the Science Fiction podcast and…
Arthur C Clarke’s forgotten masterpiece of hard SF [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:48
It's Arthur C Clarke's greatest novel and a classic of "hard" science fiction. The Fountains of Paradise is a brilliantly realized story of humankind's ascent to the stars, not on rockets, but by building the first space…
The true history of science fiction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:55
“With Jules Verne and the publisher Hugo Gernsback, H.G. Wells invented the genre of science fiction.” Tweet by @nytimesbooks, November 2021 A badly worded tweet by the New York Times revealed a deep anger at the false h…
Lord of the Rings and the fascist fantasy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:40
Fascism lures people in with a fantasy of return to older, better times. A golden age before the modern world. Nazi Germany had the fantasy of the Third Reich and the Ubermensch. Today the Russia of Vladimir Putin has a…
A science fiction history of World War 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:55
Humankind had it within our grasp to become a K1 civilization, the first stage of the Kardashev scale. But we allowed K1 to slip through our fingers. As the scientist Carl Sagan argued, much of 20th century history can b…
Severance – what does it mean? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:57
Severance is sophisticated science fiction for grown up audiences in the style of J G Ballard, Philip K Dick or Haruki Murakami. But what does it mean? Follow the the Science Fiction podcast https://damiengwalter.com/pod…
An interview with Adam Roberts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:04:20
“It’s trying to thread that needle between the wonder and the splendour in this mythology without being beguiled into actual fascism.” ~Adam Roberts Adam Roberts is a professor of nineteenth century literature, a prolifi…
The thematic genius of Iain M Banks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:59
This episode of the Science Fiction podcast is re-published from an original video essay first published in September 2018. I spent years searching, after I first read the Culture novels of Iain M Banks, for other space…
What is Solarpunk? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:32
Solarpunk is the newest genre of science fiction, a joyous and optimistic vision of a future where humans and our technology live in balance with nature. Solarpunk is an artistic, cultural and political movement that enc…