Best CBC NPR Podcasts (2025)

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591. Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits Part 3 (with Tom Gerencer) 2:39:59

7h ago2:39:59

2:39:59

Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the book The Top of the Volcano: The Award-Winning Stories of Harlan Ellison, which contains 11 stories not included in Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits. Stories discussed: A Boy and His Dog (1:39), The Region Between (37:12), Basilisk (48:29), Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77…

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590. The Best of Larry Niven Part 1 (with Mercurio D. Rivera) 1:48:40

19d ago1:48:40

1:48:40

Mercurio D. Rivera joins us to discuss the first nine stories in the short story collection The Best of Larry Niven, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Stories discussed: "Becalmed in Hell" (5:10), "Bordered in Black" (17:54), "Neutron Star" (26:35), "The Soft Weapon" (38:16), "The Jigsaw Man" (56:27), "The Deadlier Weapon" (1:02:55), "All the Myriad Ways…

1
589. Dune Prophecy Season 1 Review (with Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, Rajan Khanna) 1:37:16

1M ago1:37:16

1:37:16

Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Rajan Khanna join us to discuss Season 1 of the HBO series Dune: Prophecy, a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy David Barr Kirtley

1
588. The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe Book Club (with James Wynn, Craig Brewer) 1:27:33

1M ago1:27:33

1:27:33

James Wynn and Craig Brewer, hosts of the ReReading Wolfe podcast, join us to discuss Gene Wolfe’s classic novel The Urth of the New Sun, a sequel to The Book of the New Sun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy David Barr Kirtley

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587. Movie Review: Dark City, Strange Days, The Thirteenth Floor, Looker, Alphaville 1:51:20

2M ago1:51:20

1:51:20

Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Tom Gerencer join us to discuss the science fiction noir movies Dark City, Strange Days, The Thirteenth Floor, Looker, and Alphaville. Time stamps: Dark City (3:25), Strange Days (28:55), The Thirteenth Floor (48:19), Looker (1:00:43), Alphaville (1:16:19). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho…

1
Alternate Realities: Facing the Facts 28:20

2M ago28:20

28:20

Episode 3: After a year of waiting, the bet is finally over. Reporter Zach Mack takes stock of his father's predictions and confronts him about the future of the family. To listen to this series sponsor-free and get early access, sign up for Embedded+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com…

1
Alternate Realities: Down the Rabbit Hole 31:49

2M ago31:49

31:49

Episode 2: After reporter Zach Mack accepts a bet with his father over 10 politically apocalyptic predictions, he sets out on a journey to change his dad's mind. To listen to this series sponsor-free and get early access, sign up for Embedded+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoic…

1
Alternate Realities: A Strange Bet 26:34

2M ago26:34

26:34

Episode 1: Reporter Zach Mack thinks his dad has gone all in on conspiracy theories, while his father thinks that Zach is the one being brainwashed. In 2024, after the latest round of circular arguments, they decided to try something new, an attempt to pull each other out of the spell each of them thinks the other is under. Can one family live in t…

1
Introducing Alternate Realities from NPR 2:34

2M ago2:34

2:34

Zach Mack and his dad are living in separate realities, and it's tearing their family apart. Like so many Americans, Zach's dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. After years of circular arguments, the father challenged his son to a bet: $10,000 on ten politically apocalyptic predictions that would all happen in 2024. In this three-part se…

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586. Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits Part 2 (with Tom Gerencer) 1:58:04

3M ago1:58:04

1:58:04

Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the second half of the new short story collection Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits, edited by J. Michael Straczynski. Stories discussed: "On the Downhill Side" (2:34), "Paladin of the Lost Hour" (12:00), "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" (30:08), "I'm Looking for Kadak" (39:10), "How Interesting:…

1
585. Philip Gelatt, writer of The Europa Report and The Spine of Night 1:05:22

4M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

Philip Gelatt joins us to discuss writing the hard science fiction film The Europa Report and the animated sword & sorcery film The Spine of Night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy David Barr Kirtley

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584. The Making of Secret Level (with J.T. Petty) 58:45

4M ago58:45

58:45

J.T. Petty joins us to discuss serving as executive producer on the new Amazon series Secret Level, a collection of animated shorts set in the worlds of popular video games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy David Barr Kirtley

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Five Fingers Crush The Land from NPR's Throughline 55:32

4M ago55:32

55:32

As NPR correspondent Emily Feng reported in our three-part series "The Black Gate," hundreds of thousands of Uyghur people have been detained in China. They've been subjected to torture, forced labor, religious restrictions, and even forced sterilization. In this episode from 2021, our colleagues at the history podcast Throughline explore who the U…

1
The Black Gate: Arresting Your Brothers and Sisters 41:45

4M ago41:45

41:45

As NPR correspondent Emily Feng reported on the Kucar family, she encountered a mysterious figure working to keep her sources from speaking out. Later, she meets another Uyghur man who - perhaps unwillingly - becomes an actor within China's systems of control. These men are accused of working to silence others, but they say they've found themselves…

1
Holiday Episode featuring The Yule Cat, Kallikantzari, Christmas Spiders, & more [ENCORE] 14:36

4M ago14:36

14:36

The month of December brings a whole host of traditions for people all across the world. For us on Unspookable, this time of year brings some of the strangest creepy creatures we get to see. After all – it wouldn’t be the holidays for us if we didn’t get to throw in something spooky. So consider it your gift to us to countdown some of the spookiest…

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583. Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits Part 1 (with Tom Gerencer) 1:57:08

4M ago1:57:08

1:57:08

Tom Gerencer joins us to discuss the first half of the new short story collection Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits, edited by J. Michael Straczynski. Stories discussed: "'Repent Harlequin,' Said the Ticktockman" (13:08), "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (26:00), "The Deathbird" (37:17), "Chatting with Anubis" (47:39), "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs…

1
The Black Gate: Like a Bullet from a Gun 32:25

4M ago32:25

32:25

Abdullatif Kucar returns to China, determined to find his children, who have been sent to state-run "boarding schools," and his wife, who has spent two years in prison. They're among hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs arrested and detained over the years. Kucar is trying to do what is virtually impossible in China: bring his loved ones home for good.…

1
Introducing: Twenty Thousand Hertz - Minecraft 27:36

5M ago27:36

27:36

This week we are excited to introduce you to one of our favorite podcasts being made today, Twenty Thousand Hertz, a family-friendly podcast that tells the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. And this episode features something we can all love... Minecraft. Since its official release in 2011, Minecraft has grown fro…

1
The Black Gate: Vanished in the Night 27:52

5M ago27:52

27:52

In the Xinjiang region of western China, the government has rounded up and detained hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups, including the wife and young children of a Uyghur businessman named Abdullatif Kucar. NPR correspondent Emilly Feng follows Kucar as he desperately searches for his missing family. To listen to this se…

1
Introducing The Black Gate from NPR 2:35

5M ago2:35

2:35

This is the story of a people being erased, one family at a time. For almost a decade, the Chinese government has been detaining hundreds of thousands of ethnic Uyghurs in what critics call a systematic attempt to dismantle their culture. And since the beginning, NPR correspondent Emily Feng has reported on these detentions, which were described by…

1
582. The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe Book Club (with James Wynn, Craig Brewer) 1:32:12

5M ago1:32:12

1:32:12

James Wynn and Craig Brewer, hosts of the ReReading Wolfe podcast, join us to discuss Gene Wolfe’s classic novel The Fifth Head of Cerberus, about two planets that may or may not be inhabited by shapeshifting aliens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy David Barr Kirtley

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581. Andrew Niccol Movies: Gattaca, The Truman Show, Simone, In Time, Anon 1:56:51

5M ago1:56:51

1:56:51

Andrea Kail, Matthew Kressel, and Tom Gerencer join us to discuss the movies Gattaca, The Truman Show, Simone, In Time, and Anon, all of which were written by Andrew Niccol. Time stamps: Gattaca (11:57), The Truman Show (45:09), Simone (1:03:13), In Time (1:18:08), Anon (1:25:59). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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580. The New Mexico Mafia (with Melinda M. Snodgrass) 1:23:59

6M ago1:23:59

1:23:59

Melinda M. Snodgrass joins us to discuss the New Mexico Mafia, a tight-knit community of fantasy & science fiction writers that formed in New Mexico in the 1970s and 1980s, a group that included George R. R. Martin, Roger Zelazny, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Fred Saberhagen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

1
A Good Guy: Under Oath 34:10

6M ago34:10

34:10

There's a promise that all Marines make to defend the Constitution. After Sgt. Joshua Abate participated in the events on January 6, the Corps has to decide: Did he break his oath when he entered the Capitol that day? And what does his case say about the changing narrative around January 6? To listen to this series sponsor-free and support NPR, sig…

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Episode 71: Skinwalkers & Cultural Appropriation with Christopher Allen Brewer 20:16

6M ago20:16

20:16

Over the last few years, more listeners have requested this topic than any other, but it's a story that isn't ours to tell. And perhaps shouldn't be told at all. Native American Paranormal Adviser, Christopher Allen Brewer, helps us navigate our curiosity without shame as we discuss cultural appropriation and tales of skinwalkers on this episode of…

1
A Good Guy: 279 Hours 38:52

6M ago38:52

38:52

"Have you ever tried to overthrow the U.S. government?" Marine Sgt. Joshua Abate was in the middle of a routine polygraph test to receive top-secret clearance when he made an extraordinary admission: He had followed the crowd that broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This admission leads to a different kind of January 6 story. Abate says…

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Episode 70: The Bell Witch presented by Unspookable and Southern Gothic 29:11

6M ago29:11

29:11

What comes to mind when you hear the term "ghost story"? For many Americans, if you don't think of the haunting of the Bell family of Tennessee, you're surely thinking of one of the dozens of stories inspired by this tale. What is it about this chilling legend that still has us talking over 200 years later? Join us as we delve into The Bell Witch, …

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