What Mad Universe?!?

Adam Prosser and Philip Rice
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Books
  • Updated Monthly

Action! Excitement! Horror! Romance! Thrills and Chills! Swords and Sorcery! Rockets and Rayguns! Hosts Adam Prosser and Philip Rice take a journey through the history of SF, Fantasy, horror, and pulp fiction. Every 2 weeks one of us, alternating back and forth, selects a book or book series from the late 18th century up to the present to look back on, discuss, and examine. Some of them have left an indelible mark on pop culture; some of them are forgotten echoes of what might have been...all of them are weird and fascinating. (If you like our work, please support us on Patreon! Adam is at https://patreon.com/user?u=404623 and Phil is at https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc .

  1. Jul 15

    Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Two: The Lady Bird!

    Superheroes have their origins in a dozen different places and eras, some well known, some less so (at least here in North America). Pre-WWI French pulp has actually been a surprisingly fertile ground for early proto-superheroes--or what some might call full-blown superheroes, long before the era they're usually associated with. L'Oiselle (The Bird), an early pulp story about a female daredevil with a flying suit, is certainly a strong contender for one of the first superheroes, so let's dig in and take a look! Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick Additional Music: "Blue Danube Waltz" by Johann Strauss (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  2. Jul 1

    Chapter One Hundred and Forty-One: Down, Down to Goblin Town!

    There's a world going on underground, but the nature of its inhabitants has been hotly debated since humans started telling stories around the campfire. One of the first modern writers to portray the world of goblins as we know them today is George MacDonald, author of The Princess and the Goblin, which we look at with this latest episode. Beware of long-limbed cats... [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick Additional music: "The March of the Dwarves" by Edvard Grieg (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  3. May 26

    Chapter One Hundred and Forty: Hell to Pay!

    In this episode, Philip looks at the Dr. Satan stories by Paul Ernst, which in many ways typify pulp of its era by hitting as many of the tropes as possible (including the idea of a villain taking center stage) while still being imaginative and fun. I never cared for that Doctor Satan... Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  4. May 6

    Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Nine: Children of Darkness!

    We return once more to the dark and soulful world of Anne Rice with a look at another grouping of her novels including The Vampire Armand, which seems to be the last stretch of her classical vampire "continuity" before things get REALLY weird. Stay tuned, creatures of the night! Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  5. Apr 8

    Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Eight: You Walk Into A Tavern...!

    Roll for initiative, listeners, because you're about to have an encounter with adventure! Yes, it's time to talk about the intersection of role-playing games, specifically the classic model Dungeons and Dragons, and literature, in the form of TSR's first big experiment in prose publishing, the Dragonlance trilogy. We're joined by guest Filbi Pott to talk about these surprisingly pivotal anchors of nerd culture. Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick Additional music: ["Call to Adventure" by Kevin MacLeod](https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300022\&Search=Search) (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  6. Mar 25

    Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Project Arkham!

    The Cthulhu Mythos, a concept that outlived (and was born after) the death of HP Lovecraft, is the subject of our latest episode--specifically Strange Eons, a loving tribute to Lovecraft's work by Robert Bloch, author of psycho and actual personal friend of Lovecraft's in his youth. Bloch's love for Lovecraft's work is beyond dispute, but at what point does playing in a deceased author's sandbox become self-indulgent? Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  7. Jan 21

    Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six: For Generations Yet Voiceless!

    As a wise man once said, we are all concerned about the future, because that is where we are going to spend the rest of our lives. Kim Stanley Robinson certainly is, and his magnum opus The Ministry For The Future tackles the biggest threat to the future: looming climate change, and the things that prevent us from tackling it (spoiler: it's capitalism). This near-future hard SF book takes a look at what might be done, at least in Robinson's mind; is it plausible or practical, or does he have the wrong idea? Either way, it's certain: future events such as these will affect you in the future. [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick Additional Music: ["War and Peace" by Jamie Evans](https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jamie_Evans/Opening_Doors/War_and_Peace_320) (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

  8. Jan 7

    Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five: The Well-Made Knight!

    When times are dark and evil stalks the land, it means it's time for a knight in shining armour to ride to the rescue! What what happens when it's the 20th century and knights in armour are hard to come by? You build one, of course! The 1970s kid's adventure Sir MacHinery has a robot taking on the role of gallant saviour on a noble quest against the forces of darkness through a wacky misunderstanding, in a breezy romp that reflects where pop culture was at at the time. Support us on Patreon and listen to the show a week early! [Adams Patreon](https://patreon.com/phantasmictales) [Phils Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc) [What Mad Universe?!? on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/whatmaduniverse.bsky.social) [Philips Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/spearhafoc.bsky.social) [Adams Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/prankster36.bsky.social) [What Mad Universe on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WhatMadUniverse) [What Mad Universe on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/universewhatmad/) [What Mad Universe RSS Feed](https://pinecast.com/feed/what-mad-universe) Engineer/Producer: Alex Ross Theme song by Jack Feerick Additional Music: "The Sorceror's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas (c) 2026 Adam Prosser and Philip Rice. Music (c) its respective creators. Used under a [Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 International License.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

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About

Action! Excitement! Horror! Romance! Thrills and Chills! Swords and Sorcery! Rockets and Rayguns! Hosts Adam Prosser and Philip Rice take a journey through the history of SF, Fantasy, horror, and pulp fiction. Every 2 weeks one of us, alternating back and forth, selects a book or book series from the late 18th century up to the present to look back on, discuss, and examine. Some of them have left an indelible mark on pop culture; some of them are forgotten echoes of what might have been...all of them are weird and fascinating. (If you like our work, please support us on Patreon! Adam is at https://patreon.com/user?u=404623 and Phil is at https://www.patreon.com/Spearhafoc .

Information

  • Creator
    Adam Prosser and Philip Rice
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2018
  • Show Website
    What Mad Universe?!?