Person
Every book Roger Avary recommended on podcasts
Roger Avary’s most recommended books
- Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
- Asimov on Numbers by Isaac Asimov
- One Hundred Proofs That the Earth Is Not a Globe by William Carpenter
- Robin Hood by E. Charles Vivian
- Screenplay by Syd Field
- The Issue With Chronology by Anatoly Fomenko
Roger Avary is a filmmaker and writer who appears on interview podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience, where he discusses cinema history, storytelling structures, and his wide-ranging, unorthodox intellectual pursuits. Avary frequently mentions books that have influenced his artistic perspective or sparked his curiosity regarding alternative histories and mathematics. He enthusiastically recommended John Ajvide Lindqvist's chilling novel 'Let the Right One In', praising it as an amazing narrative. To explain the mechanics of Hollywood storytelling, Avary discussed Syd Field's influential screenwriting manual 'Screenplay' and how its formulaic structures impacted studio executives. Diving into more eccentric topics, Avary explored Anatoly Fomenko's controversial 'The New Chronology' theories regarding altered historical timelines, and referenced Isaac Asimov's 'Asimov on Numbers' while discussing how different cultures conceptualize mathematics and the number zero. He also touched upon historical oddities, such as William Carpenter's flat-earth text 'A Hundred Proofs' and discovering an old Penguin paperback edition of 'Robin Hood' by E. Charles Vivien while in prison. Through these discussions, Avary reveals a voracious and eclectic appetite for reading that spans genre fiction, fringe historical theories, and foundational guides to the craft of screenwriting.
Books recommended by Roger Avary
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Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist is a chilling vampire horror novel that explores dark themes through the unusual friendship between a bullied young boy and a child vampire in suburban Sweden.
Recommended“And the book is fabulous as well. It's a an amazing novel.”
Where to get it
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Asimov on Numbers
Discussed“Isaac Azimoff wrote a book called Is Azimoff on numbers which is fantastic which talks about this and he talks about Kalahari Bushmen who have no concept of the number zero”
Where to get it
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One Hundred Proofs That the Earth Is Not a Globe
Discussed“Do you know who this guy is? Oh, he's a flat earth guy. Yeah, he's the flat earth guy and he's written a book called Aundred Proofs.”
Where to get it
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Robin Hood
Discussed“lo and behold I found this old penguin paperback of you know an old old version of Robin Hood written by E Charles Vivien and I'm like oh man this is going to be great”
Where to get it
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Screenplay
Screenplay by Syd Field is a foundational instructional guide on the craft of screenwriting that outlines the fundamental principles of structure, plot points, and character arcs necessary for commercial filmmaking.
Discussed“I mean there was this book by Sid Field which was a screenwriting book um that you know at one hand it gave a kind of formula on what a movie should be.”
Where to get it
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The Issue With Chronology
Discussed“Well, um there's this guy Anatoli Fenco who's a Russian mathematician and historian and he wrote a book called The New Chronology.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2452 - Roger Avary | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2026-02-11 | 5 |
| #2240 - Roger Avary & Quentin Tarantino | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2024-12-10 | 1 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and uh when I was writing the the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood um book I go deeper into the mans and stuff”