Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection

About Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection

In Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection, host Stephen Geraghty interviews special guests about notable history and new frontiers in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror as found in Toronto's Merril Collection, the Western Hemisphere's largest publicly accessible archive of genre materials. Produced by Janet Mowat. Interviews have been edited for length and content. Opinions are solely those of the speakers, representing neither the Toronto Public Library System nor the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy.

Publisher

The Friends of Merril

Category

arts · history · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Jan 2021

Latest episode

26 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Jan 2026

   First Contact pt. 2

   This is part 2 of our final episode of the season! Stephen talks with Peter Watts, author of Blindsight and Echopraxia (and much more), about alien intelligence, how vampires work, and the choice to use Creative Commons licensing. This episode contains spoilers for Blindsight. Website/blog Merril Links The Merril Collection!Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter) Works & artists mentioned Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian (sheepshank) Behemoth by Peter Watts Cory Doctorow John Scalzi Neill Blomkamp Arthur Jafa Spike Lee Eyes Wide Shut (1999, dir. Stanley Kubrick) The Twenty-One Second God by Peter Watts Sunflower cycle by Peter Watts Host: Stephen GeraghtyProducer: Janet Mowat This episode was recorded in the spring of 2024. We do not advocate running down the street naked, shooting shotguns.

2. 

   19 Jan 2026

   First Contact pt. 1

   This is part 1 of our final episode of the season! Stephen talks with Peter Watts, author of Blindsight and Echopraxia (and much more), about UFOs, his influences, and the functional utility of consciousness. This episode contains spoilers for Blindsight. Website/blog Merril Links The Merril Collection!Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter) Works & artists mentioned Star Trek: The Original Series The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Neuropath by Scott Bakker Larry Niven Ray Bradbury Solaris by Stanislav Lem Solaris (1972; dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) Solaris (2002; dir. Steven Soderberg) The Creator (2023) Charles Stross Richard Dawkins (sorry, Janet couldn't find the work mentioned) Alien movie series Host: Stephen GeraghtyProducer: Janet Mowat This episode was recorded in the spring of 2024.

3. 

   12 Jan 2026

   Humour and SF

   Stephen talks with Charles Stross, author of the Laundry Files series (and much more), about humour in speculative fiction, the element of surprise, and what makes him laugh. Charlie's DiaryMastodonBluesky Merril Links The Merril Collection!Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter) Works, games, & artists mentioned H.P. Lovecraft Laundry Files series by Charles Stross New Management series by Charles Stross A Colder War by Charles Stross Len Deighton John Le Carré Discworld series by Terry Pratchett James Bond series by Ian Fleming Adam Hall Anthony Price Modesty Blaise Quentin Tarentino Vampire: The Masquerade (game) Merchant Princes series by Charles Stross Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams Gil’s All-Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez J.W. Wells & Co. series by Tom Holt Monty Python's Flying Circus Call of Cthulu (game) The Laundry (game) George R.R. Martin Dungeons & Dragons (game) Host: Stephen GeraghtyProducer: Janet Mowat This episode was recorded in the spring of 2024.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

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1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.