This episode dives into We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, a pioneering dystopian novel that helped define the genre. We examine the author’s life, the political context of the book, and the inner conflict of D-503 as he grapples with individuality, love, and rebellion inside a tightly controlled society.

Our discussion covers themes of authoritarianism, emotional suppression, regulated relationships, and the illusion of happiness without struggle. We also critique the novel’s writing style and narrative choices, asking how frustration, self-indulgence, and discomfort shape the reader’s understanding of power and control.

The conversation expands into contemporary concerns, including cognitive dissonance, apathy, nihilism, state violence, fascism, masculinity, economic pressure, and family planning. By unpacking We, we explore how literature helps us confront political justifications for cruelty and better understand the social realities we are living through today.

In this episode, we dive deep into Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, unpacking its powerful exploration of colonialism, genocide, Indigenous history, and reimagined vampire lore. Through a close reading of the novel, we examine how horror becomes a vehicle for confronting historical injustice and moral accountability.

We discuss Stephen Graham Jones’ background as a Blackfeet author, the haunting moral evolution of Goodstab, and how characters like The Cat Man embody the violence and consequences of white colonialism. The novel’s unique take on vampire mythology serves as both transformation and indictment, reflecting the enduring impact of oppression on identity, memory, and culture.

Our conversation expands beyond the book to address broader themes including the colonization of America, the influence of Indigenous governance on American democracy, and the lasting harm of policies like the Dawes Act. We explore how capitalism functions as a modern extension of colonialism, the cultural costs of technological dominance, and why libraries and local journalism remain essential to informed, resilient communities.

This episode highlights how horror forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about history, race, power, and accountability, making Buffalo Hunter Hunter both a cathartic and deeply unsettling reflection of the past and present.

In this episode of Resistance Reads, we dive deep into Heavenly Tyrant, the highly anticipated sequel to Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. This is not just a book review. It is a critical conversation about power, resistance, feminism, and the political structures that shape both dystopian fiction and the real world.

We explore the novel’s political themes, pacing, and character dynamics, with particular attention to women-led resistance movements, the costs of revolution, and the myth of the benevolent dictator. Along the way, we connect Heavenly Tyrant to broader conversations in anthropology, intersectional feminism, and cultural critique, questioning popular narratives around power, violence, and social control.

This episode also tackles:

• Colonial feminism and Western intervention narratives

• Misconceptions in popular anthropology, including critiques of Jared Diamond and Steven Pinker

• Police, state violence, and the role of force in maintaining social order

• How contemporary science fiction and fantasy reflect real-world political anxieties

• Character consistency and ideological tension in modern speculative fiction

If you are interested in political science fiction, feminist literature, dystopian novels, cultural criticism, or leftist media analysis, this conversation goes beyond surface-level fandom and asks harder questions about what resistance really looks like and who pays the price.