Format of the Novel Episodes

I thought I'd haul this out of the specific response to the previous episodes — the two on chapters 1-2 — and throw out a thought. (That way, others can weigh in later on, rather tying the discussion to that particular set of episodes.)

You guys did two episodes, separating the recap & the discussion. Which worked well for this book, particularly given that it will probably be the least-read novel of any that you cover. But if you're going to do two episodes for a novel, then, for future novels, I would suggest something different.

How about split it into two episodes, one to discuss "first-reading" things — or, at least, things that only depend upon the part of the book covered thus far in the podcast — and a second devoted to insights gleaned by those who have read the book before? Again, I doubt it'll matter for Operation ARES. But for FIFTH HEAD OF CEREBUS, the Long Sun volumes, etc, you'll have to bite your tongue SO MUCH to avoid mentioning that Veil's hypothesis is [REDACTED], or that Thecla later [REDACTED], or is even later [REDACTED], or even later than that [REDACTED], that I think it's worth doing them separately.

Consider that, for short stories, you sort of do this automatically: since everyone has read everything by the beginning, you can talk throughout the story, and not cut yourself off. It's hard to do in a case like ARES, where you are both reading it for the first time; but for later books?

It will be more work to do it that way, of course. But then, my sense is that for most of these books, at least, you both know them fairly well. So maybe it's just a way to structure things? Anwyay, think about it? I'm sure I'll get a lot out of the episodes if you only do a "first reading", anyway. But it'll be better if you do both.