Official OLS Episodes – One Last Sketch
Discussions of science fiction, fantasy, and history with a semi-regular cast of friends from across Canada.
- Update frequency
- every 61 days
- Episodes
- 66
- Years Active
- 2012 - 2025
Episode 61 – Imaginary Prisons
We wander through a vast mansion full of looming statues in Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (2020).
Episode 60 – Avian Attire
We try to get the jump on Canada Reads by discussing Bird Suit by Sydney Hegele (2024), the first pick for our 2025 book club. This southern Ontario gothic novel tells a story of generational tra…
Episode 59 – Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way!
We decide to finally discuss something J.R.R. Tolkien-related on our podcast, but in the stupidest way possible: by comparing the 2024 animated fi…
Episode 58 – 2024 Year in Review
As the end of 2024 draws ever closer, we reflect on our favourite arts and culture from the past year.
Episode 57 – Martian Madrigals
Our 2024 book club concludes with Roger Zelazny’s 1963 novelette “A Rose for Ecclesiastes”, wherein a poet goes to Mars and discovers he’s not very good at describing dances.
Episode 56 – That Was Just Cloud Talk, Man
We have only good things to say about The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed (2021), though that doesn’t extend to the term “hopepunk” used in the marketing copy. Is this post-apocalypt…
Episode 55 – Slay, Queen
90s fantasy is back, baby! We discuss The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (2019).
Episode 54 – Fungus Among Us
Will we survive the fungal infestation that lurks beneath Toronto in The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan (2023)?
This horror/near-future science fiction/fantasy novel is packed with ideas and …
Episode 53 – 2023 Year in Review
In the dying days of 2023, we came together to reflect on the best things that we read, watched, listened to and played this year. Tune in to the end for our “dishonourable mentions” as well, whe…
Episode 52 – Terraforming Moose
We wrap up our 2023 book club with a recent release, The Terraformers (2023) by Annalee Newitz. This throwback to the fix-up novel explores a lot of big ideas about ecology, biology and society, …
Episode 51 – Quack, Quack
A working-class memoir? In this day and age? We sit down to discuss Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands (2022) by Kate Beaton.
Warning: Includes mentions of sexual assault and workplace harassm…
Episode 50 – Parable of the Podcasters
We talk about Parable of the Sower (1993) by Octavia Butler, which begins in the far-future year of 2024. And yet somehow, this still seems like a shockingly plausible representation of what next…
Episode 49 – A Labyrinth-like Conversation
We discuss Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges, and marvel at how much literature you can pack into so few pages.
Episode 48 – 2022 End of Year Spectacular
Just before the holidays, we’re back for a reflection on culture we experienced over the past year. Books, comics, films, TV, games – we talk about them all!
Episode 47 – An Episode for the Cybernetic Age
We triumphantly re-convene after over a year’s absence to talk about The Cyberiad by Stanisław Lem, a book of fairy tales for robots, by robots, about robots.
Download the Podcast (archive…
Episode 46 – Book People
Despite the title, we are in fact talking about movies. But also books. Because this episode is all about adaptations!
Download the Podcast (archive.org page)
Episode 45.5 – Dealing with Disney
A short discussion about Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
Part of this episode references the YouTube video “Raya’s Moral ISN’T A Good Lesson to Learn” by La’Ron Readus.
Episode 45 – Eat, Pray, Live Deliciously
After 5 years of people yelling at me to see this film, we finally watch The Witch (2015).
Books mentioned:
- Witches and Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft b…
Episode 44 – Toss a Coin To Your Wiedźmin
Marie watched the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher! Michal indulges in his teenage obsessions. We end up comparing The Witcher to Dealing with Dragons.
Correction: At one point,…
Episode 43 – Step Aside, Dune
…There’s a new Kwisatz Haderach in town.
We talk Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki.
Download the Podcast (archive.org page)