Richardson's Rubicon

John Richardson
  • 4.8 (9)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 2D AGO

    Worldbuilding a Victorian Information State | Tim Standish, The Sterling Directive

    What if Charles Babbage’s mechanical computers had actually worked, and by 1896 London was already stumbling into an early information age? I’m joined by Tim Standish, author of The Sterling Directive. His version of late-Victorian London has engines, telegraph networks, and a state security machine that’s worrying in a very familiar way: once records become searchable, identity becomes traceable. We talk through the nuts and bolts of making that world feel real without turning it into homework. What the tech can do, where it breaks, who controls it, who gets left out, and how “tappers” (his world’s hackers) make the whole thing dangerous. There’s also airships, because obviously there are. If you like alternate history that actually changes behaviour, or you’re writing your own world and want a few solid craft ideas, you’ll get a lot out of this one. Episode page with notes: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/worldbuilding-a-victorian-information-state-tim-standish-the-sterling-directive/ Tim's website: https://timstandish.co.uk/ The Episode Question! https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/season-5-speculative-fiction-where-worlds-meet/new-tech-who-gets-the-power/ #Steampunk #AlternateHistory #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #AmWriting

    40 min

  2. MAR 29

    No Songs, No Stories, First Contact: Macaulay Christian's Apocalis Universe

    What would it take to build a society that looks calm on the surface, but stays that way by controlling what people are allowed to imagine? In this episode I’m joined by sci-fi author Macaulay Christian, creator of the Apocalis series. We talk about Holindrian and The Human Revolution, a prequel that digs into oppression, resource control, and the uneasy trade-offs between freedom and security. One of the most striking parts of the conversation is the culture on Eridu, where creativity is treated as a threat. Stories, songs, and open artistic expression are not harmless hobbies, they’re a problem to be managed. We also touch on Children of Eternity, where the lens widens from internal control to a much larger, stranger universe, and the pressure shifts onto duty, survival, and consequences on a cosmic scale. If you care about worldbuilding that has rules, enforcement, and day-to-day consequences, this one’s for you. Macaulay's website where you can buy the books and learn more! https://www.macaulaychristian.com/ And here is the episode page itself: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/no-songs-no-stories-first-contact-macaulay-christians-apocalis-universe/ And if you want to have a go at answering the world building questions... https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/season-5-speculative-fiction-where-worlds-meet/balancing-security-and-freedom-in-speculative-fiction/ #SciFiBooks #Worldbuilding #SpeculativeFiction #WritingCraft #AuthorInterview #SciFiAuthor #WritingCommunity #BookPodcast

    39 min

  3. MAR 22

    Worldbuilding Trials and Consequences | Evan Kidwell, Timeaous Spark and the Luck Curse

    In this episode of Richardson’s Rubicon, I’m joined by Evan Kidwell, author of Timeaous Spark and the Luck Curse. Evan’s world is built around a brutal sorting system: students are put through the Trials to force powers to surface early, so society can classify them, place them, and keep control. That control is reinforced through a rigid bloodline hierarchy, where status shapes everything from opportunity and education to who it is socially “acceptable” to associate with. We also get into the danger of becoming an outlier, what happens when a power is hard to manage, and the protagonist’s central trap: reveal what you are and risk severe consequences, or hide it and accept a life of servanthood. If you write speculative fiction, listen for the practical stuff: how to design a sorting mechanism that isn’t just “lore”, how enforcement shows up in ordinary choices, and how to turn social hierarchy into day-to-day pressure rather than background wallpaper. Name guide (correct spellings and pronunciations): Professor Undermeyer; Fayngel (FANG-gul); Mazidi (maz-ZEE-dee); Anom (eye-NOM); Non-Crea (non-CREE). Find out more at the authors site: timeaousspark.com Here's our official episode page: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/worldbuilding-trials-and-consequences-evan-kidwell-timeaous-spark-and-the-luck-curse/ #FantasyFiction #WorldBuilding #SpeculativeFiction #WritingCraft #YAAuthors

    36 min

  4. MAR 14

    Worldbuilding Magic Constraints | Aurora Winter, Magic, Mystery and the Multiverse

    What makes a 16-year-old aspiring actress the right protagonist for a multiverse story? Because performance, mimicry, and knowing when to lie or tell the truth become survival skills when your world treats speech as dangerous. This week on Richardson’s Rubicon, I’m joined by Aurora Winter, award-winning author of Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse. We get practical about how she builds a portal-linked multiverse with rules, gates, and consequences, rather than just a grab-bag of cool settings. We also dig into the spine of the trilogy: free speech, identity, and moral choice, expressed through a regime that can punish people for saying the wrong thing and a villain built for that theme, the Crimson Censor. If you like worldbuilding that actually affects behaviour on a normal Tuesday, this one’s for you. Make the theme enforceable: censorship only matters if it has mechanisms, detection, and real consequences. Match skills to pressure: Ana’s acting background isn’t flavour, it’s an adaptive tool in a world that polices language. Use constraints to power the plot: portals and keys matter when they have limits, costs, and strategic implications. Listen to the episode, then head to the website for the companion write-up and the discussion prompt. Episode website: https://rubipod.link/MagicMultiverse Discuss censorship as a pressure: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/season-5-speculative-fiction-where-worlds-meet/censorship-as-worldbuilding-pressure/ #Worldbuilding #SpeculativeFiction #WritingTips #FantasyBooks #PodcastLife

    35 min

  5. MAR 5

    Worldbuilding Talisman Rules and Trust | Mike Oppenheim, The Curse of Cortez

    This week on Richardson’s Rubicon, I’m joined by author Mike Oppenheim to talk worldbuilding through pressure and consequence, using his novel The Curse of Cortez as the case study. We dig into a deceptively simple engine: a cursed talisman with strict rules, awkward limitations, and social fallout. Mike breaks down how those constraints create tension, force character choices, and escalate the story without dumping exposition on the reader. We also get into trust and human behaviour: what happens when an object protects you, but quietly pushes you to hide, doubt, and fracture relationships. If you’re trying to reveal worldbuilding organically, sharpen your rule-systems, or make pacing come from character decisions rather than “stuff happening,” this one’s for you. More links and resources are in the show notes. https://richardsonsrubicon.com/worldbuilding-talisman-rules-and-trust-mike-oppenheim-the-curse-of-cortez/ #WorldBuilding #SpeculativeFiction #PodcastInterview #WritingTips #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

    30 min

  6. FEB 28

    What Narrators Need from Worldbuilders | Liza Jacob, Audiobook Narrator

    Ever wondered what an audiobook narrator hears in your worldbuilding? In this episode of Richardson’s Rubicon, I’m joined by Liza Jacob, a voice actor and award-winning audiobook narrator (with a career path that started in children’s book illustration). We talk about what it takes to turn a manuscript into a performance, and why the strength of a story’s worldbuilding changes everything, from accents and pacing to how dialogue lands in a scene. Liza shares a narrator’s-eye view of speculative fiction: how “sense of place” affects delivery, how subtext shows up in the voice, and the kinds of details that make characters feel consistent rather than chaotic. If you write fantasy or sci-fi and you want your world to feel real, this is a surprisingly practical listen, even if you never plan to do audio. Find Liza Jacob:https://www.lizajacob.com/More from Richardson’s Rubicon: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/what-narrators-need-from-worldbuilders-liza-jacob-audiobook-narrator/ #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #SpeculativeFiction #Audiobooks

    35 min

  7. FEB 21

    Worldbuilding Compliance vs Choice | Dr. Larry Smith, 2084: The Neuroxone Conspiracy

    This week’s episode of Richardson’s Rubicon is one you won’t want to miss. I’m joined by Dr. Larry Smith, author of 2084: The Neuroxone Conspiracy, a dystopian medical thriller set in a near-future where addiction has been “solved” by mandate. The catch: recovery becomes compliance, and choice starts to look like a risk. We talk about how you build a world like that so it feels real rather than cartoonish: the rules, the enforcement, the incentives, and the everyday pressures that make ordinary people go along with something they’re not fully comfortable with. If you’re a writer, we also get into practical craft: shaping high-stakes conflict, creating characters who feel human under pressure, and why writing the ending first can make plotting a lot less painful. For more on Dr. Smith and his books, head to https://www.drlarrysmithauthor.com/ For more detail, and other episodes, head to richardsonsrubicon.com. For craft discussion: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/season-5-speculative-fiction-where-worlds-meet/does-worldbuilding-need-familiar-power-structures-to-feel-real/ #DystopianFiction #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #AuthorInterview

    43 min

  8. FEB 14

    Momoko Uno, Hello Humans | Behaviour-First Worldbuilding: Make Factions Clash, Not Just Look Different

    What happens when the universe sends… cats… to nudge humanity in a better direction, one “paw biscuit” at a time? 🐾 In this episode I’m joined by Momoko Uno, author of the sci-fi comedy Hello Humans, where an Intergalactic Committee debates whether Earth deserves an invitation to the cosmic family, and a parade of species (Feline Federation included) get far too involved in our messy little sandpit. We talk behaviour-first worldbuilding: how to make alien species feel genuinely distinct (not just different costumes), why her “one species per chapter” structure matters, and how comedy can smuggle in sharp social commentary without turning into a lecture. Expect Greys, octopus hybrids, weird cosmic ethics, and at least one moment where you’ll think, “I can’t believe she played that straight.” (Especially when I went all HP Lovecraft) If you like speculative fiction craft, big themes delivered with a grin, and the occasional roast of humanity, this one’s for you. Momoko's website: http://momokowrites.com/ This episodes website page: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/momoko-uno-hello-humans-behaviour-first-worldbuilding-make-factions-clash-not-just-look-different/ This episodes discussion page: https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/season-5-speculative-fiction-where-worlds-meet/can-comedy-tackle-serious-themes-in-speculative-fiction/ #SciFiComedy #WorldBuilding #SpeculativeFiction #WritingCraft

    32 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    John Richardson
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    52
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © John Richardson
  • Show Website
    Richardson's Rubicon