Richardson’s Rubicon is a speculative fiction podcast. Each episode dives into worldbuilding, strange ideas, creative failures, surprising successes, and the deeper questions behind imagined worlds. Writers, worldbuilders, and curious listeners will find honest conversation, dark humour, and thoughtful insight into how stories take shape. Season Five focuses on the art of speculative storytelling and the minds that create it.
Worldbuilding a Privatised America | Matt Witten, 51%
Matt Witten joins me to talk about 51%, his speculative thriller set in a near-future America where corporations own everything, including people.
We dig into one of the book’s strongest ideas: a privatised justice system where detectives have to crowdfund murder investigations. That opens up a wider discussion about debt, ownership, healthcare, policing, and how worldbuilding becomes far more powerful when it creates real pressure on characters’ daily choices.
If you like dystopian fiction with clear systems and strong moral stakes, this one has plenty to get into.
Find out more, including shownotes, here: https://rubipod.link/51percent (https://rubipod.link/51percent)
8 Jun 2026
Worldbuilding a Human Among Vampires | Sara A. Freites, Rise of Midnight
My first vampire-themed author conversation on the show.
In this episode, I speak with Sara A. Freites, author of the Rise of Midnight series, a YA fantasy that puts a human girl inside a hidden vampire society with its own rules, pressures, and dangers.
We talk about Autumn Hayes, past-life power, demons, spellcraft, and the uneasy reality of living among vampires when you are needed, but not fully trusted. What stood out to me most was the social tension of that setup: a world with its own customs and hierarchy, where daily life changes the moment Autumn is forced inside it.
We also get into how Sara approaches vampire lore, supernatural pressure, and the challenge of building a world that feels dangerous without losing sight of character.
A conversation about hidden societies, power, belonging, and what it means to remain human in a world that does not see you as one.
Episode link:
https://rubipod.link/midnight (https://rubipod.link/midnight)
#SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #Vampires #YAFantasy #AuthorInterview
31 May 2026
Worldbuilding Meteor Impacts and an Invasive Lifeform | Ryan McGinnis, Terrestrial
Meteor impacts slam into North America and the crisis doesn’t stay on the ground. In this episode I’m joined by sci-fi author Ryan McGinnis to talk about Terrestrial, a dual-thread disaster story split between scientists investigating strange growth at the impact sites and a stranded crew on the International Space Station dealing with an invasive stowaway. We dig into why parallel narratives work, how to build escalation without losing plausibility, and how politics and information control can make a bad situation vastly worse. If you like your sci-fi tense, grounded, and built on consequences, this one’s for you.
Episode page with full notes: https://rubipod.link/terrestrial (https://rubipod.link/terrestrial)
#SciFi #SpeculativeFiction #WritingCommunity #Podcast #Worldbuilding
Who has been a guest on Richardson's Rubicon - Escape to EverQuest
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Colette Walker
Alex Thorburn
Gary Stevenson
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
12,140
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
30
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
71
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