Books Undone

Livia J. Elliot

A literary analysis podcast, centred in speculative fiction.

Some books are more than a simple story. They hide timeless themes and allegories full of meaning that are always worth discussing—but doing so requires dedication and keen eye for details. Join Australia-based author Livia J. Elliot as she conducts literary and thematic analyses of speculative and literary fiction to find what lays beyond the plot, decipher their invisible meaning, and reflect on their symbolism. If you are a fan of fantasy or sci-fi books, new or old, traditional or self-published, this is the show for you!

Be mindful. Books Undone contains spoilers for the books discussed, which vary in each episode.

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21 episodes
monthly
Avg 53 min
English

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Episodes 21

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S3 · E10
September 16 · 46 min
Are You Human? The Gom Jabbar Test Explained
What makes a human human? At first glance, the Gom Jabbar Test, from Frank Herbert's Dune, hits at something far larger than self-control: the necessary and sufficient conditions for leadership. And yet... the test is flawed. Incomplete. Let's get this idea undone. https://booksundone.com https://liviajelliot.com/my-books
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S3 · E9
August 12 · 46 min
Meaning is a Privilege: The Absurd in Hour of The Star
What happens if meaning only arrives at the same moment it becomes impossible? That's the terrifying question at the core of Hour of the Star, the last masterpiece of Brazilian author, Clarice Lispector. Let's get this book undone. Find the transcript: https://www.booksundone.com
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S3 · E8
July 8 · 47 min
Cyberpunk is Defiance: Guests Talk with T.R. Napper
What is humanity in the first place? That's the question cyberpunk explores. So much more than "high-tech, low-life" and so pertinent to the times we live in. Join me today, in conversation with the Dr of Cyberpunk himself, T.R. Napper, as we discuss what cyberpunk is, where it comes from, and why it's more relevant than ever. Find T.R. Napper's books: https://nappertime.com/ Find the transcript and more episodes: https://www.booksundone.com
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S3 · E7
June 17 · 1 hr
The Witness and the Liar: Morality in The Road and The Shape of the Sword
Cormac McCarthy and Jorge Luis Borges. On the surface, their styles and worlds could not be more different. But there is one book and one short story that have more in common than it first appears: they are circling the same premise. Is morality something we do, or something we tell ourselves we've done? Let's get these books undone. https://www.booksundone.com
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S3 · E5
May 13 · 39 min
Language Makes Horror Bearable: The Linguistics Behind Tender is The Flesh
Tender Is The Flesh is not simply the vegan allegory some readers assume it to be. The horror here serves a more unsettling purpose: it shows the power of language. Like Marcos himself said in the book: "Words carry the weight necessary to mold us, to suppress all questioning." Today's episode discusses how can language make violence palatable, and why does it reshape ethics and morality. Find the transcript and citations: https://liviajelliot.substack,com
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S3 · E4
April 15 · 39 min
Scarcity Makes Status: What Dune and Blade Runner Reveal About Prestige
What do Blade Runner and Dune have in common? Both revolve around the same mechanism: scarcity creates demand, and demand turns possession into prestige... but here is the twist. Prestige is not just about wealth, because status only emerges when wealth is tied to something else: an ethical meaning. In this episode we'll explore one unique possibility: what if prestige requires morality? Full transcript (and links): https://liviajelliot.substack.com
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S3 · E3
March 18 · 1 hr 6 min
A Feint Within A Feint, Within A Feint: Destiny and Deception in Dune ~ Guests Talk 15
In this discussion, we dive into the layered deceptions of Dune — a “feint within a feint within a feint.” We explore whether free will can survive foreknowledge, how cycles shape history, and whether heroes are truly liberators… or traps. We also ask a bold question: is religion a belief system, or a technology engineered for power? My guests: K.D. Marchesi, Sarah K. Balstrup, and Henry Nielsen. My Substack: https://liviajelliot.substack.com
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S3 · E2
February 18 · 1 hr 16 min
When Religion Becomes Strategy: Political Theory in Dune
Dune is, by no means, a simple book. It examines how an environment shapes a society and its politics, how political and economic power intertwine, and how resources can both provoke or deter war. It speaks about the consequences of scarcity, and how differently we treat abundance when it overflows. With that in mind, this episode will focus on two key threads—details often smoothed in adaptations: the geopolitics of Dune's universe, and how religion and myth are leveraged to manufacture authority. Let's get this book undone. Check my latest book, The Omens of War: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNN94R17
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S3 · E1
January 7 · 1 hr 12 min
We Lie, Therefore We Think: The Linguistics of Deception in Embassytown
Embassytown is one of the most extraordinary linguistic thought-experiments in modern SFF. This episode explores how Miéville uses language—not just as a tool for communication, but as the very architecture of consciousness, politics, and power. We look at how signs and symbols shape meaning, why the Hosts can't lie, Avice’s role as a living simile and the moment language evolves into something new. If you love stories where words remake the world, this is for you. My substack: https://liviajelliot.substack.com My book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNN94R17
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S2 · E17
Dec 3, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Broken Heroes, Broken Ethics: Guests Talk on Watchmen (by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons)
Watchmen: the greatest graphic novel ever written, a Rorschach test on morality where every character’s goodness is afflicted with greyness and nuance. Join me in a terrific group discussion with Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), and Britton (from smectite). My Substack: https://liviajelliot.substack.com Get The Omens of War: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNN94R17
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S2 · E16
Nov 12, 2025 · 54 min
No Exit from Half-Life: Demiurges and Unanswered Questions in Ubik
Joe, like Plato's escaped prisoner, is forced to confront a possibility that his world is not the 'real' one at all. In this podcast, I analyse Ubik's layered realities. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com
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S2 · E15
Oct 1, 2025 · 58 min
We Are Someone's Dream: Guests Talk on The Circular Ruins by Jorge Luis Borges
"The goal that led him on was not impossible, though it was clearly supernatural: he wanted to dream a man." This is the premise of another mind-blowing, reality-bending short-story by Jorge Luis Borges: The Circular Ruins. Join me in a Guests Talk with a dream cast of guests: Jarrod (from The Fantasy Thinker), Kris (from A Fictional Escapist), P.L. Stuart (author of A Drowned Kingdom Saga), Jose (from José's Fantasy Worlds), and Dr Philip Chase (author of The Edan Trilogy). Subscribe to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com Books mentioned (in order): "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter "Stop Doing That Sh*t: End Self-Sabotage" by Gary John Biship "A Drowned Kingdom" by P.L. Stuart "The Way of Edan" by Phillip Chase Movies mentioned (in order): "Inception" by Christopher Nolan
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S2 · E14
Aug 27, 2025 · 20 min
When Books Offend Us: What Our Taste Reveals About Ourselves
We are slowly losing our ability to question ourselves—our likes, our preferences, our judgements on literature... and from there, we're one step away from no longer questioning why we hate something. After all, "What do you despise? By this are you truly known". This episode is actually a response to fellow BookTuber Britton from SomeOkieDude. Back in April (2025) he spoke about political commentary in fiction and made quite a compelling call of action: "[...] if there is a book or show that rubbed you the wrong way, I want you to sit back and think about why it did that. What was it about this piece of media that offended you so much?" Let's get this idea undone. Transcript & newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com
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S2 · E13
Aug 6, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
One Voice, Many Layers - Guests Talk on Fluid Narrators w/ Amy Minton
Join me as I chat with Amy Minton about the author-narrator-character relation, focal distance in framed narratives and multi-timeline stories, and how to ground your reader... and perhaps frustrate them, but in good measure. This is a spoiler-lite episode focused on the craft, and we'll mention plenty of examples. Find Amy at: https://www.youtube.com/@Talking_Story Check my Substack: https://liviajelliot.substack.com BOOKS & SHORT STORIES MENTIONED: "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell "The Kingkiller Chronicles" by Patrick Rothfuss "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut "Maus" by Art Spiegelman "City of Thieves" by David Benioff "Heat" by Joyce Carol Oates "Friend of my Youth" by Alice Munro "Dolores Claiborne" by Stephen King "The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges "The Book of the New Sun" by Gene Wolfe "The Dregs" by Thomas J. Devens
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S2 · E12
Jul 2, 2025 · 45 min
The World Doesn't Need You: Existentialism in Annihilation
Annihilation is a challenge to humanity's perennial navel-gazing. It confronts us with the terrifying idea that the universe is not hostile—it simply doesn't care about us. In this episode, I will discuss three way sin which it challenges the biologist's (and thus the reader's) reality. You can find the full transcript, all citations, and get my free novella at: https://liviajelliot.substack.com
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S2 · E11
Jun 11, 2025 · 51 min
Lies That Become Truths: Twisted History in Snail on the Slope
Snail on the Slope has a turbulent history, but the Strutgastkys themselves considered it as "the most perfect and the most valuable of [their] works". Let's get this book undone; we will review my proposed interpretation, and also the authors' intended one. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com
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S2 · E10
May 28, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
Author Spotlight: J.A.J. Minton (Discovery, a cosmic horror)
"Take it back. I want ignorance again. What is the limit of human comprehension? How much can the abyss stare back at you before you flinch?" This is one of the many open questions explored in DISCOVERY, a cosmic horror debut by JAJ Minton. In this interview, we first dive into the process of crafting a book as a team, and then we dive into some of the key themes, including a human-centric world, religions and cults (including a cult to AIs), the characters own personal discovery, and the permanence of conflict and struggle. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot.substack.com/
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S2 · E9
May 14, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
Author Spotlight: Bert-Oliver Boehmer (The Galacticide Series)
Author Spotlights are back, and in this episode I'm in conversation with Bert-Oliver Boehmer, author of the Galacticide series--a modern-but-classical military sci-fi with a dash of first-contact, galactic politics, and fast-paced action. Join to my newsletter to get bite-sized bookish deep-dives and a free novella, THE GENESIS OF CHANGE: https://liviajelliot.com/ FIND THE GALACTICIDE SERIES: https://www.galacticide.com READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: On Android: https://bit.ly/unearthedstories On iOS: https://apple.co/48IcnYm
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S2 · E8
Apr 24, 2025 · 32 min
Voicing the Page: Literary Nuance in Audiobooks with Narrator Alison Phoenix
Dance With Me is one of my most personal books, and having a narrator that could translate the literary elements while giving life to a diverse cast was incredibly important. Join me as I chat to audiobook narrator Alison Phoenix, and deep-dive into the perks of audiobook narration. DANCE WITH ME is available on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/liviajelliot/dance-with-me Find Alison Phoenix: - Website: https://alisonphoenixnarration.wordpress.com/ - Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Alison+Phoenix
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S2 · E7
Mar 19, 2025 · 48 min
When Life’s Meaning Isn’t Your Own: Existentialism in "Walking on Glass"
Is life purposeless and meaningless? Can we survive when our purpose is shattered? Those are some of the questions presented in a cerebral book, a gem of Scottish fiction: 'Walking on Glass' by Iain Banks. Let's get this book undone! TRANSCRIPT: All the links are in the transcript here: https://liviajelliot.com/blog/2025/02-podcast-walking-on-glass READ MY INTERACTIVE STORIES: - On Android: https://bit.ly/unearthedstories - On iOS: https://apple.co/48IcnYm
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