In this episode, your hosts return to the Graven Trilogy by Essa Hansen to discuss Ethera Grave, the third and final book of the series. They lament the 18 month reading gap, debate what qualifies something to be “cthulu-esque,” and talk about how terrifying true belief is in a villain. They also debate minute details in the definitions of “science fiction” and “main character.” Some minds get blown by timeline shenanigans. Your hosts also delve into the myriad ways that Words can be Weird. Find...
Dec 27, 2023•51 min•Ep. 120
In this week's episode your hosts are joined by Sherwood Smith to talk about A Stranger to Command, prequel to Crown Duel and part of her Sartorias-Deles series. They talk about Sartorias-Deles as a whole and what it's like to finish such a long-spanning series (both in book time and in our time), an outsider's perspective of the now-familiar Marloven Military Academy, seeing a YA romance break up on the page, and edits to appease publishers in the early 2000s. Find more from Sherwood https://ww...
Dec 20, 2023•38 min•Ep. 119
Your hosts are joined by Jennifer Donohue to discuss her debut novel Exit Ghost. They talk about witch girls, Hamlet, and witchy-girl Hamlet, along with self destructive characters, sympathetic characters, and prickly characters (and sometimes they're the same!). This episode also features a Wor-ds Are We-ird. Find more from Jen http://authorizedmusings.blogspot.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/authorizedmusings.bsky.social https://twitter.com/AuthorizedMusin Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/...
Dec 13, 2023•48 min•Ep. 118
Your hosts discuss the first Young Adult novel on the Discworld, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. They takes a trip down memory lane to a brand new place, and talk about the various YA tropes that Pratchett plays with. Sara also takes us to the pet peeve corner where they try to come up with better alternatives to "male" and "female" as used in A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon...
Dec 06, 2023•40 min•Ep. 117
Your hosts are joined by Ai Jiang to discuss her novelette I AM AI. They also talk about ghostwriting, Artificial Intelligence in art, and experimental work in genre fiction. Find more from Ai here https://aijiang.ca/ Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise...
Nov 29, 2023•29 min•Ep. 116
Your hosts are joined by Adrian Gibson from SFFAddicts to discuss Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. They give Shelley some marketing advice a few years too late, rip into some 1970s editors with bad opinions and questionable facts, and debate both authorial intent and reader interpretations across centuries. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the ...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 115
Your hosts discuss The Last Hero, a Discworld fable written by Terry Pratchett and illustrated by Paul Kidby. They talk about its use of Discworld characters as fable archetypes and the various fun cameos that pop up, as well as how it examines the different aspects of heroing. They also go over some of their favorite illustrations from the book. This episode contains a retroactive pet peeve corner. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.c...
Nov 01, 2023•37 min•Ep. 114
Your hosts are joined by Suzan Palumbo to talk about her new collection of short fiction, Skin Thief. They discuss her inspiration from Trinidadian folklore, love of retellings, and the unique challenges of short fiction. She even gets Sara to admit that she might like gothic horror. Find more from Suzan here: https://suzanpalumbo.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/sillysyntax Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thank...
Oct 25, 2023•52 min•Ep. 113
Continuing their Spooky Month theme, your hosts are joined by Rus Wornom to talk about his new dark fantasy novel, Ghostflowers. They discuss the genesis of the novel ("the vampires of Madison county"), the differences between horror in short stories vs horror in novels, and music as a narrative device. Find more from Rus Wornom here: https://ruswornom.com/ Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following m...
Oct 18, 2023•46 min•Ep. 112
In this spooky month episode, your hosts discuss Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, notorious parody erotica author. This book, however, has a lot more bugs and a lot less sex. They talk about how important it is to pace info in horror stories, the inherent horror of gay conversion camps, and whether this book even counts as a horror novel at all. But on one thing they do agree - it sure is spooky. This episode includes discussion of homophobia and religious trauma. Find us on discord: https://disco...
Oct 11, 2023•41 min•Ep. 111
Your hosts are once again joined by Hannah and Laura from On Wednesdays We Read Podcast for another episode of Nostalgia Book Club. They discuss “Which Witch?" a kids’ book that’s half love story, half witchcraft exhibition, and half earthworms (yes, this was a Lilly choice). They talk about the value of dark themes in children's lit, the unremarkable love interest, and framing dated stories for young readers. There’s also a Words are Weird segment about the same words getting used for VERY diff...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 110
The people have spoken! Your hosts let their patreon subscribers choose the book for this episode, which means they’re diving into the Dungeons & Dragons world of Krynn with a discussion of “Dragons of Autumn Twilight” by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. To be honest, they’re not too impressed by the blandly unlikeable characters in this first Dragonlance novel, but they both agree that they would continue reading the series, maybe. They throw around some comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Sla...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 109
In this episode, your hosts discuss The Return of the King by J.R.R.Tolkien and come up with some better names for both this book and the series as a whole. They also talk about fantasy depictions of PTSD, the romanticism of Aragorn, and Eowyn’s flaws. Lilly complains a lot about monarchies. They manage to agree that Lobelia Sackville-Baggins gets a bad rap. Sara compares the “Rings of Power” adaptation to fanfiction. References to “My Immortal” are thrown around. Find us on discord: https://dis...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 108
In this episode, Sara cheats you out of many very funny "horologist" puns while your hosts discuss "Thief of Time" by Terry Pratchett. Your hosts also talk about the inner workings of Igors, what makes a good pun, and the alarming lack of Susan in what is theoretically a book in the Death series of Discworld novels. Content warning: mention of fictional suicide Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the followi...
Sep 13, 2023•42 min•Ep. 107
This week your hosts discuss “Debunked” by Dito Abbott, an action-packed YA adventure across the sci-fi and fantasy genres (which one is it? No one knows). They talk about young readers, dinosaur kidnappers, and sand pits. Lilly continues to have a soft spot for Amnesia in any form. They also debate important topics such as: Does the robot dog have laser eyes? Or is that just a rumor? Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfansp...
Sep 06, 2023•42 min•Ep. 106
This whole episode contains spoilers. This week your hosts discuss The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. Is it the second book in the Lord of the Rings series, or a combination of books three and four? Probably the former. They also talk about Tolkien having standards for his Kings, sympathy for the ents, and Lilly negs King Theoden. This episode also has a Words are Weird double feature. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfansp...
Aug 30, 2023•59 min•Ep. 105
In this episode, you hosts discuss “The Delve” by Dani Finn. They talk about introductions to fantasy worlds, inevitable comparisons to Tolkien and D&D (even when the work is entirely unique, or perhaps especially then), and magic sex toys. This episode also features a Pet Peeve Corner. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Séréna...
Aug 23, 2023•58 min•Ep. 104
Your hosts take another step on their journey to the center of the Discworld with “The Truth” by Terry Pratchett. They argue quite a bit about books as content vs. physical object and it is tenuously related to the text, we promise. They somehow end up referencing Percy Shelley more than once, and they also discuss whether this book belongs in the “Industrialization” Discworld series, vampires fitting in, and puppies not drowning. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us o...
Aug 16, 2023•45 min•Ep. 103
In this episode your hosts discuss “Nona the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir, the third book in the Locked Tomb Series. They censor spoiler talk in the first ten minutes, attempt to dive into some mushy details, and compliment Muir’s unusual use of perspective in narrative. They also determine that this novel requires a study guide. This incredible person wrote out a whole ass timeline for the first two books in the series which your hosts appreciate immensely https://darkveracity.tumblr.com/post/63833129...
Aug 09, 2023•48 min•Ep. 102
Your hosts journey farther into the center of the Discworld with “The Fifth Elephant” by Terry Pratchett. Elephants feature very little in this conversation, and indeed, this book. But they DO talk about poor husbanding played for laughs, the true introduction of the Igor family, and Uberwald from the Witches’ vs Sam Vimes’s perspectives. This episode also features a Words are Cool. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod...
Aug 02, 2023•40 min•Ep. 101
Your hosts celebrate their 100th episode with the Fellowship of the Ring, first sequel to The Hobbit (oh, and the beginning of that Lord of the Rings series). Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Big huge thank you to Fellowship! The Musical Parody of Fellowship of the Ring, for use of their songs “Overture” and “The Fellowship” as the intro and outro to this episode. Find more about Fellowship! The Musical Parody of F...
Jul 26, 2023•47 min•Ep. 100
Your hosts are joined by Nick Martell. He may be the author of The Legacy of the Mercenary King, but the discussion was centered entirely around manga. They talk about how they discovered the genre, some of their favorite series, weirdest series, and boring series. They also discuss keeping up with weekly chapters, the morally gray area of fan translations, and harem stories. They also drop a heck ton of slang. A short glossary of Wikipedia definitions: Shounen - a genre of Japanese comics and a...
Jul 19, 2023•58 min•Ep. 99
Your hosts journey into the Discworld once more with "Carpe Jugulum" by Terry Pratchett. They discuss the allure of vampires, try to define Trash Villains and talk about Granny Weatherwax's approach to hard decisions. They also bring up the nostalgia value of books and question if you need to be challenged by everything you read. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of thei...
Jul 12, 2023•59 min•Ep. 98
Your hosts discuss “Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven” by Bryan S. Glosemeyer. They talk about intense content warnings, trusting an author, and interpreting custom slang. They also bring up space shrooms, space cats, and space sex. Lilly spends a bit of time comparing this book to Starship Troopers and Frankenstien, but not at the same time. This episode contains a default Words are Weird segment. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 97
Your hosts are joined by authors Nicholas Eames and Peter McLean (“Kings of the Wyld” and “Priest of Bones” respectively) to drink whisk(e)y and talk about the publishing industry. They aren’t drinking tea, but a little bit is spilled. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” Licensed under Creative Common...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 96
Your hosts talk about The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna, and how it didn’t quite live up to their expectations. Sara knows too much about Arthurian legend, and Lilly doesn’t know enough for either of them to really engage with this retelling. Something, something, girl power. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame...
Jun 21, 2023•46 min•Ep. 95
With apologies to Bryan Asher for the 15 month wait, your hosts discuss The Assassin of Malcozé. They talk about first novel exposition, world building intricacies, and excellently choreographed fight scenes. They also bring up some spoiler stuff we don’t want to mention here. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fictionfanspod Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dam...
Jun 14, 2023•50 min•Ep. 94
Your hosts are joined by Andrew Cartmel to talk about “Death in Fine Condition,” the first novel in his new Paperback Sleuth series. They discuss likeable main characters, morally grey main characters, kind of horrible main characters, and endearing main characters (all at the same time!). They also bring up the delightful character crossovers between this series and the Vinyl Detective series, as well as how different the two series are. Find Andrew here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewcart...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 93
Your hosts discuss “The Bruising of Qilwa” by Naseem Jamnia, a novella that they mostly enjoyed but really should have been a novel. They talk about refugee stories, the rippling repercussions of past empires, and the flaws of the novella format. They also talk about the melding of magic and science in this medical horror story. Content warning for discussion of: plague, xenophobia, racism, bullying, dissection, blood, self-harm, torture, and body dysphoria Find us on discord: https://discord.gg...
May 31, 2023•53 min•Ep. 92
Your hosts discuss Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee and only spend SOME of the time talking about emotional connection (and lack thereof!) to Arthurian legend. They also cover near-future-environmental-dystopias, the problem with heroes, and how nice it would be if climate change was fixed by one good explosion. This episode also features a combobulating Words are Weird segment about unpaired words and other gruntling phrases. Find us on discord: https://discord.gg/dpNHTWVu6b or support us on Pat...
May 24, 2023•49 min•Ep. 91
