David Agranoff
Indiana, Portland
Wonderland award nominated author of The Last Night to Kill Nazis -Sci/Horror fiction critic, Trailblazer fan,Vegan sXe, host of @dickheadspod podcast
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by David Agranoff
25th Century Five and Dime #18: 100 years of Amazing stories and the Pulitzer Prize for a Genre novel.
100 years of Amazing stories and the Pulitzer Prize for a Genre Novel. When the official 100th birthday of Amazing Stories hit in April, we celebrated in style here in San Diego. Philip Fracassi, me, KC Grifant, Gideon Marcus, Jac Jemc, Jonathan Maberry, and Cody Goodfellow. Far from Gernsbeck’s office at 53 Park Place in New York City, the magazine created in that humble building (still standing) was a window to the universe.
25th Century Five and Dime #17: 23 of the Best underrated Science Fiction/ Speculative/ Weird of the first quarter of the 21st Century
With my last column written in 2025, I wanted to highlight some works of excellent speculative fiction that might normally get overlooked. If I were going to list the best pure best of science fiction novels, it would be filled with titles like A Mountainin the Sea by Ray Nayler, Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn, Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson… All fantastic books that were bestsellers, won, and were nominated for awards.
25th Century Five and Dime #16: Robert Bloch’s Proto-Bizarro Hollywood dystopia is a lost classic!
We have to talk about Robert Bloch in the column. The list of Science Fiction writers who have enough short story output that they could call Philip K. Dick lazy. Robert Bloch was one of the few. Robert Bloch is an author most commonly remembered as the author of one novel. This is understandable. When you wrote a novel like Psycho, yes, that Psycho, made into one of Hitchcock’s greatest classics, you become Robert Bloch – the author of Psycho.
25th Century Five and Dime #15 Speculative Fiction Across Media Conference Year Two - Amazing Stories
So in the 9th entry of this column, I wrote up the first Speculative Fiction Across Media Conference in Los Angeles. This is an academic conference devoted to Science Fiction Academia that has attendees from around the globe who are attending and giving papers. The entire thing takes place in Los Angeles, and it is an amazing weekend of learning. Being that it is a short train ride for me from San Diego, I intend to make it an annual event.
I Am a Person and You Are Not: Philip K. Dick Themes in Season Two of Severance
In February 2022, when I wrote the first season version of this article for this site, I felt more of a need to introduce Severance, a dark satire of corporate life that was watched by a small but loyal fan base. In the three years since I wrote that last article, Severance has broken records for AppleTV, and the popularity and water cooler conversations about the show have been remarkable. It also has a 96% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and many critics called it the best show on television.
25th Century Five and Dime #14: Philip K. Dick 2025 Bay Area Pilgrimage
July 25-27, 2025 (Join us in Orange County for the 5th International Philip K. Dick Festival at Cal State Fullerton August 20-23rd one week before WorldCon in Anaheim) For this column, I am going to take you on my second Philip K. Dick Bay Area pilgrimage. Since it is an off year between Philip K. Dick festivals, the lower-key PKD hangout this summer is a tour of the PKD sites in Berkeley and Marin County. Organized by David Gill of the Point Reyes Reality Investigation Center.
25th Century Five and Dime #13: Guide to Barry N. Malzberg works
December 19th, 2024, at the age of eighty-five, Barry N. Malzberg passed away, and the Science Fiction world lost a legend. As a committed Dickhead, I often think of that fandom as a small club, but for years, those who appreciate Malzberg were more of a secret club. PKD himself respected Barry’s work and was very excited that Barry dedicated his 1974 novel The Gamesman to him. (I wrote a whole column on that connection) I was thankful that we got to interview Barry during the last year of his life.
Book Review: The Afterlife Project by Tim Weed
The Afterlife Project by Tim Weed 272 pages, Paperback Published June 3, 2025 by Podium Publishing “Separated by ten thousand years, a team of scientists and their test subject must work together to save the human species―before it’s too late . . .” This one came totally out of the blue to my mailbox. I was offered an arc of this novel at some point, and I remember saying I would check it out.
Walter Tevis - Reactor
The Reactor newsletter is the best way to catch up on the world of science fiction, fantasy, pop culture, and more!
25th Century Five and Dime #12 Moon is a better Philip K. Dick movie than Blade Runner
(This column was written in a more of an academic style for a conference I was unable to present at) Moon is a better Philip K. Dick movie than Blade Runner by David Agranoff Today Philip K. Dick is considered one of the most important voices of 20th century Science Fiction. That is a position Phil himself would not have believed possible in his life. In 1966, when Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
25th Century Five and Dime #11 Did Jack London write the SF novel of the Era?
Did Jack London write the SF novel of the Second Trump Presidency? One of the benefits of reading early science fiction is seeing the many ways these tales of future reflect the past when they were written. The timing of many SF hall of fame stories coincide with major historical events, from Murray Leinster’s First Contact being published the month of Nazi surrender or Judith Merril’s Only a Mother being published the month that Truman and Stalin gave the speeches that inflamed the cold war.
25th Century Five & Dime #9: My Experience at Speculative Fiction Across Media in Los Angeles!
This time I want to talk about an awesome first-time conference that happened in October in Los Angeles. The second edition of this conference will be in September 2025 and I wanted to write a little journal about my experience and why I think people should check out this conference. The Speculative Fiction Across Media is an academic conference that covers genre fiction in all expressions throughout all media. It is a small academic-themed conference and I learned a lot attending it.
Book Review: The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms Edited by Taryne Jade Taylor, Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay, Grace L. Dillon, and Isiah Lavender III
The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms Edited by Taryne Jade Taylor, Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay, Grace L. Dillon , and Isiah Lavender III 686 pages, Hardcover Published October, 2023 by Routledge Routlage is one of the most respected academic publishers in the world, or so my father told me when he sold his last book to them before he died. With a 55-year career in political science, he was pretty happy about unlocking this achievement just before we lost him. So I am told this is a big deal.
Magazine Review: The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Summer 2024 edited by Sheree Renée Thomas
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Summer 2024 edited by Sheree Renée Thomas Published August 2024 Mass Market Paperback, 258 pages While not excited that the magazine switch from six to four issues a year, I still a subscriber for a coupleof reasons, one of those reasons is of course the tradition. I enjoy every issue and most of the stories are worth reading Sharee Renee Thomas is a great editor. Three stories stood out this time. The cover novelette is worthy of the position.
25th Century Five and Dime #8: Remember Ray Nelson and Virtual Zen
William Sarill in his many decades on earth had a career in biochemistry, art restoration, physics, and esotericism. He recently told us on the Dickheads podcast, that despite a full lifetime of accomplishments. He knows the thing in his life he will most be remembered for is being Philip K Dick’s Friend, who stayed up late talking about the mysteries of the universe. Many of Philip K. Dick’s friends’ decades after his death have had their experience reduced to being a famous friend.
Good Dogs by Brian Asman
Good Dogs by Brian Asman 302 pages, Paperback Published October, 2024 by Blackstone Publishing, Inc.Podcast interview coming... San Diego HWA Represent!!!! It is hard for me to think of this as being the first novel for Brian Asman. I suppose you could say this is the first proper novel, published with an established publisher, but Asman has been publishing for a few years, but those have been novellas published in a DIY punk style have even produced a viral book release.
Book Review: The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold
The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold 160 pages, Mass Market Paperback Published January, 1974 by Popular Library Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (1974), Nebula Award Nominee for Novel (1973), Locus Award Nominee for Best SF Novel (1974) I knew this was a weird science fiction classic, and that it was considered one of the best time travel novels ever written. Somewhere along the way someone suggested to me that it was best read in one sitting.
Book Review: American Rapture by CJ Leede
American Rapture by CJ Leede 384 pages, Hardcover Published October, 2024 by Tor Nightfire Full Podcast interview coming in November... I have an unfair relationship with CJ Leede’s first novel Mave Fly. It was a massive success, and I saw plenty of excitement about it. Before I read it, I was selling books at the San Diego Book Festival and my fellow tabling authors were Chad Stroup (Secrets of the Weird) and Brian Asman (Good Dogs).
Book Review: Skinship by James Reich
Skinship by James Reich 192 pages, Paperback Published by Anti-Oedipus Press Expected publication December 15, 2024 Some books and authors challenge me to write about without using hyperbole. James Reich is an author who I respect both personally and professionally. As a reader I have yet to read a novel by JR that didn’t impress me, honestly, they have blown me away. I worry that I will come off sounding like his mother telling you how fantastic he is.
Book Review: Not a Speck of Light by Laird Barron
Not a Speck of Light by Laird Barron 372 pages, Paperback Published September, 2024 by Bad Hand Books, LLC I don’t know Laird Barron as well as some authors, we have had nice interactions with the podcast, but most of my relationship with Laird is as a reader, and a Twitter follow. I felt so deeply for his close family and friends when he was sick in 2022/23 I nervously followed the news like most of the horror fiction community.
Book Review: Why Call Them Back From Heaven by Clifford D. Simak
Why Call Them Back From Heaven by Clifford D. Simak 192 pages, Paperback First published January 1, 1967 Clifford Simak is one of the most important voices of 20th-century science fiction, and he is largely forgotten outside of serious SF circles. His books crowd the shelves at used bookstores, and several are considered classics. I prefer his work to Ray Bradbury but he doesn’t have the cultural impact or name recognition. Not even as well-known as Heinlein or Asimov whom he inspired.
Book Review: Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton
Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton 288 pages, Hardcover Published September 24, 2024 by Tor Nightfire I met the author of this book briefly at Stokercon and heard him on the Talking Scared podcast, a few days after I made the mental note that I had to read some of his work an arc sounded up in my mailbox. So when I finished reading Forgotten Sisters (for a great modern horror double feature) I decided to dive in without reading anything about the plot, or setting, and I went in totally cold.
Book Review: Good Men Do Nothing by John Brunner
Good Men Do Nothing by John Brunner 204 pages, Paperback Published May, 1971 by Pyramid This is the second part in a trilogy? I didn’t find out this fact until after I finished reading and that explains many of the shortcomings I felt. Not sure it is fair to rate or review this book as most of my issues were the lack of set-up and how we seemed to jump into the middle of a story.
Book Review: Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo
Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo 303 pages, Paperback Published March, 2024 by Thomas & Mercer Around the time that Del Toro’s amazing Pan’s Labyrinth was being discovered as a part of the Oscar season, there was a rush or a push to find Horror novels that connected to fairy tales. I remember agents in their manuscript wish lists asked for dark fairy tales constantly.
Audiobook Review: Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
10 hours, Audible AudioPublished July , 2024 by Macmillan Audio André Santana (Narrator), Charlie Jane Anders (Narrator), CJ Leede (Narrator), Georgia Bird (Narrator), Liz Kerin (Narrator), Mara Wilson (Narrator), Mark Oshiro (Narrator), Sarah Gailey (Narrator), Stephen Graham Jones (Narrator), T.
Book Review: Letters to C. L. Moore and Others by H.P. Lovecraft & CL Moore
Letters to C. L. Moore and Others by H.P. Lovecraft & CL Moore 413 pages, Paperback Published January, 2017 by Hippocampus Press A Phil Dickian I am lucky that every part of that writer’s life is very detailed in multiple biographies. Catherine Lucille Moore is the next author of the past I have become most fascinated with. Her life is the opposite, and honestly, before this book was suggested I thought we would never know about her life at all.
Book Review: A Door Into Ocean Joan Slonczewski
372 pages, Hardcover Published February, 1986 by Arbor House Publishing Company John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1987) It is strange to realize that the first books I discovered purely through Google searches are now books I read decades in the past. A Door into Ocean is a book I was recently told is a SF feminist classic, but I honestly didn’t know others knew of it. I thought I had found a rare obscure gem.
Book Review: A Better World by Sarah Langan
A Better World by Sarah Langan 368 pages, Hardcover Published April, 2024 by Atria Books I don’t know what took me so long to discover the work of Sarah Langan, I was late to the party, but perhaps the perfect time to do so. Shifting from straight horror (a genre where she earned a couple of Bram Stoker awards) to social-themed Science Fiction is a move I can relate to. Langan thankfully for her, is having better success than me.
The Games Machine Trilogy Three Writers Conversation over Generations
Editorial Note: A previous version of this post was published to the website with editorial markups. This was not the author’s fault. Those markups have been removed in this version. I don’t often get writer’s block when working on fiction, but it has happened a few times. Sometimes I will spin my chair around and look at my library for inspiration. Other times I will go to bookstores, normally used ones, this trick doesn’t work at a strictly modern bookseller.
Book Review: You Like it Darker by Stephen King
You Like it Darker by Stephen King 502 pages, Hardcover Published May, 2024 by Scribner At Stokercon in San Diego this summer I talked with fellow horror podcaster Talking Scared’s Neil McRobert. One of the two topics we discussed in our short introduction was being critical of Stephen King. There are multiple reasons why it is tough for me. Like many of us, Stephen King is one of my formative authors. When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I was a subscriber to Castle Rock.
Ep#153 PsychoActive Horror novellas W/ Ryan C. Thomas,Cody Goodfellow & Anthony Trevino on Apple Podcasts
Psychoactive is a collection of extreme horror novellas that collectively explore the themes of Transformation, all three novellas have different takes on horror tone . As a good anthology does, it highlights the strengths and skills of the authors represented. Featuring works by Ryan C. Thomas author of the Summer I Died, writing with Anthony Trevino my co-author on Nightmare City, Cody Goodfellow author of Perfect Union, and Ed Kurtz author of Bleed.
25th Century Five and Dime #7: Help us honor Science Fiction and Horror Pioneer Catherine Lucille Moore!
In the mid to late 1930s the current site of the Hilton Garden Inn in Indianapolis Indiana was known as The Fletcher Trust Building. A stenographer and secretary who worked for the company was a young woman by the name of Catherine Lucille Moore. After two years of study at Indiana University during the Great Depression, she had to leave and return to work at Fletcher Trust. She published her first two works of fiction in the IU student literary journal.
Book Review: Shallow Ends by David James Keaton
Shallow Ends by David James Keaton 288 pages, Paperback Expected publication: September 24, 2024 by Podium Publishing Years ago, homey Anthony Trevino lent me The Last Projector by David James Keaton. It sounded good, and Anthony swore by it. I can’t explain it, but that book has been unread on my TBR pile in four apartments. Probably 8 years now. For the life of me why I have not read it is a mystery and at this point, I think I am just being stubborn.
Book Review: The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 1 by Philip K Dick
by Philip K. Dick, Steven Owen Godersky (Foreword), Roger Zelazny (Introduction) Format 432 pages, Paperback Published January, 1990 by Citadel Twilight After six years of immersion, doing a podcast, writing a book about Philip K. Dick I was over due to read these early stories as a whole. But that is not how I have PKD short stories in the past. Volume two of the Collected stories is the second PKD I bought, in the early 90s, and that copy sits under this book on my shelf.
Ep 152 * SF Hall of Fame #7 The Weapons Shop by AE Van Vogt w/ David Gill & Keith Giles on Apple Podcasts
In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on Philip K Dick.
Interview w/ James Chambers on His New Cosmic Horror Collection! on Apple Podcasts
James Chambers is one of the bright examples of why I love the horror community. We first hung out at Borderlands Writers Boot Camp in 2011. It was way longer ago than I want to think about. Halloween people have kinship, and SF people have kinship, and I share both with Chambers. An active force in the HWA if you are a horror writer it is likely that James has impacted your work. In this episode, we discuss how James got into science fiction, horror, and writing.
Book Review: Future Perfect: American Science Fiction of the Nineteenth Century Howard Bruce Franklin (editor)
Future Perfect: American Science Fiction of the Nineteenth Century Howard Bruce Franklin (editor) 408 pages, Paperback First published January 1, 1966 Most of my reference and non-fiction book reviews are generally going to be shorter but this is not your typical history book about the science fiction genre.
Novella Review: Vintage Season by C.L. Moore writing as Lawrence O'Donnell
Vintage Season by Catherine Lucille Moore Writing as Lawrence O'Donnell First publication: Astounding Science Fiction, September 1946 50 pages (Collected many times) Anyone who follows my reviews and writing knows I love the pioneers of science fiction and horror. The trailblazers were writing at a time when there was no long tradition to draw on.
Book Review: PsychoActive: Transformative Horror Novellas by Ryan C. Thomas & Anthony Trevino , Cody Goodfellow , Ed Kurtz
PsychoActive: Transformative Horror Novellas by Ryan C. Thomas & Anthony Trevino , Cody Goodfellow , Ed Kurtz 258 pages, Paperback Published June, 2024 by Crystal Lake Publishing I suppose this year I unintentionally read books in bunches. Two books in a row by locals. Well, ⅔ of this book is local. This is my first book in the Dark Tide series, which is a series of novellas from Crystal Lake Publishing, an outfit I am familiar with but have yet to drive into their work to any great depth.
KC Grifant on her collection Shrouded Horror! on Apple Podcasts
In this episode, I welcome a local author, co-chair, and founder of our Horror Writers Association chapter and I got to work closely with Kristina on the Stokercon we hosted here in San Diego. It was at Stokercon when a copy of this book ended up in my bag of books. we talk about Kristina’s origins in writing, horror, and how she ended up a part of the flagship con in the genre. The main focus however is her exciting new collection Shrouded Horror: Tales of Uncanny.
Audiobook review: The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones , Isabella Star LaBlanc (Narrator)
The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones , Isabella Star LaBlanc (Narrator) 8 Hours, August, 2022 by Simon and Schuster I know better but I fell into a trap with this audiobook. When I saw there was an original Stephen Graham Jones audio novel, I couldn’t resist. I was fresh off interviewing Stephen at the Philip K. Dick Fest and was excited because I had not heard of this one. The trap is entirely my fault as I know better.
Book Review: Shrouded Horror: Tales of Uncanny by KC Grifant
Shrouded Horror: Tales of Uncanny by KC Grifant You may have noticed in my reviews of late I have been on a short story kick in my recent reading. In part that is just what books came down the pike but it is also that I have been working on some short stories myself. It was a good time for me to read this.
Book Review: In Time’s Empire We Are All Slaves by David Gill
In Time’s Empire We Are All Slaves by David Gill 133 pages, Paperback Published November, 2015 by Pravic Books Before this book was handed to me during the Philip K. Dick Festival I didn’t know that Professor David Gill ever wrote fiction. As he teaches English at San Francisco State I should have assumed he did, I am sorry it took me this long to learn this. David Gill is one of the best and nerdiest Philip K. Dick scholars we got.
Book Review: The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport Samit Basu 404 pages, Hardcover Published October, 2023 by Tordotcom I don’t remember where I first heard of this novel, somewhere along the line I put a hold on it at the library and I don’t honestly remember why. I also didn’t remember what it was about. The discovery element is always fun, that is part of my system, that way I get to read the books without preconceived notions implanted by back cover descriptions.
Postcards from a Dying World: Ep #150 S3 Finale – People’s Park book release party recorded in Bloomington Indiana on Apple Podcasts
Hey folks – special audio-only episode. This is a live recording of the release party for my novel People’s Park. It was Recorded before 55 folks at the Monroe County History Center on April 5th 2024, part of solar eclipse weekend in Bloomington. Hosted by my Dickheads podcast Partner D. Harlan Wilson who interviews me about the book, we talk a little Philip K. Dick and I do a short reading from the novel People’s Park, which you can buy from Bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble or Amazon.
Book Review: Destruction of the Temple by Barry N. Malzberg
Destruction of the Temple by Barry N. Malzberg 159 pages, Paperback First published February, 1974 When I read this, I didn’t know I would be getting the author back on the Dickheads Podcast, I just selected it randomly off the shelf as a Malzberg novel I hadn’t yet read and was eager to give it a shot. Just after I finished it Barry reached out to me about a not super favorable review of his novel The Last Transaction.
People's Park by David Agranoff, Paperback
People's Park in Bloomington, Indiana served as a home away from home for punks, skaters, metalheads, hippies, schizos, homeless vets, and anyone who didn't fit in the mainstream in the summer of '89. None of the kids knew the park was created after the Klan bombed a Black-owned business back in 1969. One witness to that bombing was Electric Fred who listens to radio static on his Walkman and writes conspiracy theories in his notebooks.
Book Review: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due 576 pages, Hardcover Published October, 2023 by S&S/Saga Press Bram Stoker Award Nominee for Best Novel (2023) RUSA CODES Reading List Nominee for Horror (2024) This review might be the first victim of my tightening schedule and lack of time to devote to serious book reviews. Sorry about that. That said... The Reformatory is a masterpiece of historical horror and I don’t think anyone would be shocked if I suggest giving Due the Stoker Award right now.
Lavie Tidhar Author of Neom & The Circumference of the World on Apple Podcasts
In this episode, we talk with the author of one of my favorite new novels of last year and one that will probably top my list next year.
Interview with prolific Star Trek author David Mack about Picard:Firewall on Apple Podcasts
When Star Trek Voyager’s popular character Seven of Nine returned to the franchise in the first season of Picard it was a closely guarded secret in that first episode back Seven mentioned years spent being a frontier law enforcer with an outfit called the Fenris Rangers. My guest in this episode is prolific Star Trek author David Mack. When he heard the name Fenris Rangers, he paused the show, wrote his editor, and said put me in coach.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with David
Contact David, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack