It's a week of harsh punishments for Duncan. For his crimes against humanity (Geordie) he has been forced to read what is widely regarded as the worst fantasy novel of all time: The Eye of Argon. But because he's such a nice guy, Geordie read it too. The fellas discuss Conan fanfiction, when is a book so bad it's funny, and the actually pretty sad story behind it's creation. Highlights of the episode include: arguments about the existence of "red emeralds," Geordie's inability to pronounce "thes...
Mar 19, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 6
The fellas read Legend by David Gemmel and what do you know, Duncan found another Conan story! How does he do it? The fellas discuss siege logistics, the etymology of the word berserker, a good story weighed down by misogyny, and the story of the book's heartbreaking inception. Plus, Geordie begins his path towards revenge for Duncan's treachery.
Mar 12, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Want a story about an extremely dangerous school for wizards, but with actual themes?! This episode the fellas check out Naomi Novik's Deadly Education. Once again Geordie has dragged Duncan back to the world of YA literature (don't worry he he loves it really.) The fellas discuss the books' themes of social isolation, class division and wizard socialism. The highlights of the episode include: getting stressed over the word sophomore, Duncan getting way too into shipping culture, and finally an ...
Feb 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The fellas take a break from books (gross) to catch up on their current favourite fantasy TV show: Critical Role's Legend of Vox Machina. Geordie takes Duncan on a tour of the backstory of the D&D campaign which led up to the TV show. What discussion would be complete without an argument about Keyleth? This episode's highlights include Duncan getting the chance to correct Geordie for the first time ever, and Geordie events a new drinking game: take a drink every time he says the words: "adap...
Feb 19, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Duncan and Geordie set off on an epic journey into imagination and adaptations in their analysis of Michael Ende's classic, The Neverending Story. Highlights include a fascinating role reversal, where Duncan can pronounce things and Geordie cannot, Geordie struggling with why he didn't enjoy the book more, and Duncan begins to suspect that all the book's characters are secretly evil.
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Back for a new year and season 2! The fellas return to form by talking about another dynamic duo: the titular Strange and Norrell. This slow epic is a favourite of Geordie's but will Duncan feel the same? They discuss the themes of Englishness and unheard voices in regency era England. Highlights include Geordie adding a sinister new rule to the podcast and Duncan goes a whole episode without mispronouncing a name! A new record!
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 1
So ends season 1. Starting a podcast was last year's new years resolution, so what shall it be this year? Duncan and Geordie look back at the heights of the books they covered over the year, as well as some of their favourite pieces of media from outside the fantasy genre.
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 26
To wrap up the first year of Is This Just Fantasy , Duncan and Geordie make their first journey to the late great Sir Terry Pratchett's seasonal parody: Hogfather . The fellas reflect of their love for Sir Terry's depiction of Death as a character, as well as one of the best speeches in his canon. Duncan denies that the book is a parody of the Nightmare Before Christmas, Geordie can't say the word anthropormorphisation, and the fellas perform their first reading (and Geordie enjoys playing with ...
Dec 24, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 25
The boys discuss the exciting follow-up to Nicholas Eames' Kings of Wyld. Immediately the debate is on, which of the two books do the lads enjoy more? They discuss characters arcs, the author's worrying increase in willingness to kill characters, evil bunny girls, Duncan's hatred of a fictional child and Geordie relating too much to falling for goth girls who just ain't good for you.
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 24
(Audio fixed) What an episode! Not only do the fellas enjoy an amazing fantasy novel, they also got a chance to land their first interview with an author. Nicholas Eames joins them to discuss his novels, his reading list, and the power of rock 'n roll, baby. Geordie and Duncan discuss this novel's comedy, pathos, fist-pumping action and unnecessarily emotionally stirring ettins.
Dec 07, 2022•2 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Revisiting one of their favourite book series of the pod so far, the fellas check out the sequel to Green Rider by Kristen Britain, and it is... about time travel? Yeah, this episode is a bit of a curveball. Duncan grapples with his mingled disappointment and hope for the sequels, and tasks Geordie with determining whether this is the end of the road or whether to press on with the rest of the series.
Nov 27, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 22
It doesn't get much more 'E' for explicit than this one. The fellas discuss the conclusion to Berserk's Golden Age Arc and the fateful eclipse, where the flow of causality turns on a gyre. It's a heavy episode, where they discuss the Berserk's lofty themes alongside it's gratuity. Geordie is given the impossible task of defending the character of Wyald, Duncan denies that he ever said Griffith did nothing wrong, Geordie gushes for minutes straight about Hieronymus Bosch, William Blake, and the S...
Nov 05, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 21
That thing, it was too long to be called a podcast... so we split it in two. The fella's wrap up their Halloween booooooook club with the first part of their discussion of Berserk: Geordie's favourite fantasy series of all time and a first time read for Duncan. Covering the the Black Swordsman Arc till Guts' departure from the Band of the Hawk, Duncan and Geordie rave about Miura's genius penmanship, how Berserk ruined all western comic books, the '97 anime, and the marvelous nuances behind its ...
Oct 23, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 20
It's the first of two episodes in our annual Halloween boooook club. Geordie picked the Library at Mount Char completely by accident and what a triumph! The boys adored this book and they discuss: its humour, its intense metaphysical weirdness, its stubborn refusal to be compared with anything else, and the unbelievable fact that its the author's debut.
Oct 15, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Sooooo due to Geordie trying to be a responsible book buyer, his copy of The Library at Mount Char hasn't arrived yet. Oh calamity, oh Bailey! But Geordie has a plan. He challenges Duncan to a first sentence challenge, where the fellas test the other to see if they can guess the fantasy novel from just the opening line. Duncan plays dirty, Geordie plays too nice, and it's a pretty embarrassing showing all round. Nobody tell Duncan that Geordie heard about this challenge from TikTok.
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 19
“It is important, when recording a podcast, to ensure that you choose a book of sufficient quality." Duncan and Geordie are back from their holidays, ready to recount all the books they read and discuss 'Red Sister' by Mark Lawrence. Duncan is a big fan of Lawrence's, whereas Geordie thinks 'Prince of Thorns' is the most repugnant book he ever gave up on. In addition to discussing the highs and lows of this book, the fellas discuss their summer reading, Duncan reveals he's never heard of iCarly,...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Hoo-boy! More racist than you thought. Yup, Robert E. Howard is tragically offensive in this 1936 novella. The fellas are left gutted, and with complicated feelings about Howard using his amazing writing for evil. Duncan gives a crash-course in Conan history, and talks non-stop about pastiche novels, and Geordie doesn't have the heart to tell him that he doesn't know how to pronounce "pastiche."
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 17
The curse is ended, we've got a good book! A great book! The fellas get lost in Geordie's vast love of Greek mythology, the wonderful love story of Achilles and Patroclus, One of the best episodes yet! T/W: This episode contains discussions around the topic of rape, which is an important theme within the book.
Sep 11, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 16
It's a real monster of an episode! Whilst the fellas make their way through Song of Achilles, they take a break to discuss the dark and perilous side of fantasy: the monsters that must be slain. The topics discussion stray into Geordie being confidently wrong about Chinese mythology, Hogwarts plumbing, and fist fighting H.P. Lovecraft. How is it to say Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn , anyway?
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 15
The title of this book doesn't even make sense! It's a good day for John Gwynn, but a bad one for Duncan and Geordie. The boys have found their new low-point in their quest to explore the fantasy genre. Even Duncan, try as he might, can't fully defend this book. They discuss: baffling writing choices, painfully cringey sex scenes, and all the books you should read instead of this one.
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
The boys blend ancient divine rites with alchemy in Gareth Hanrahan's debut: The Gutter Prayer. Duncan lauds the book's world building, whilst Geordie thinks it's not enough to support a weak story and characters. They discuss the use of tense, Duncan's new mistrust of professors since leaving academics, and Geordie keeps trying to talk about The Expanse and the Count of Monte Cristo instead
Jul 30, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The fellas roadtrip across America, meeting a cavalcade of gods in the process. No, it's not Percy Jackson. In this episode Geordie and Duncan debate the pros and cons of Neil Gaiman's fantasy-novel-with-a-lot-of-hyphens. The episode highlights include: Geordie's horror when he realised Duncan didn't like it, Duncan not realising that Jesus appears in the novel, and a gust appearance by Geordie's beautiful dachshund, Tilly.
Jul 17, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Whoa! A bonus episode? That's right, Duncan and Geordie can't get enough of podcasting and have released their first bonus episode. In this episode the fellas discuss their early reading years and how they got into the fantasy genre. The discussion goes everywhere, from being read bedtime stories, the time Duncan read all of A Song of Ice and Fire in 19 days, Dragon Ball, and perhaps the most obscure book series that Duncan and Geordie somehow both know.
Jul 02, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Neither of the fellas knew this book existed until Duncan unwrapped it at Christmas, so they're surprised to find out how much they love it! In this episode the boys cover Kristen Britain's 1998 ya fantasy adventure debut, Green Rider. They discuss sword fights, the best horses in fantasy, and a shocking revelation makes Geordie laugh harder than he has in years.
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 10
To begin their journey into YA literature, the fellas settle in to read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. They discuss the book's popularity, the blow-back against it, and misogyny in the fantasy landscape. They've a lot to cover in this episode, from discussing the highs and lows of Edward's qualities as a boyfriend, the surprising lack of Jacob, and Geordie's hatred of the word "chuckled."
Jun 12, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 9
For the first time in history, the fellas have no idea what the other thought of the book. Its a journey of discovery for all of us. Duncan and Geordie discuss 'Malice' John Gwynne's debut novel - best known as the author of those books with the real big monsters on the front. In this ep Geordie schools Duncan on Irish mythology and has a good rant about shieldwall logistics, whilst Duncan cannot stop drawing comparisons between the book and just about every part of the fantasy canon....
May 28, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Duncan and Geordie voyage across the deep seas in their first forray into Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy continuum: A Wizard of Earthsea. The fellas discuss the power of names in fantasy, from Ra to Rumpelstiltskin to Rothfuss, feminism, Le Guin's revolutionary place in the canon of fantasy, as well as the novel's unique Taoist philosophy. In case that sounds too heavy, Duncan also takes Geordie as his sith apprentice and refuses to let Geordie brag about reading Chinese sci-fi.
May 08, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 7
It's the boys' most divisive episode yet. Duncan brings Matthew Stover's Star Wars novelisation to the table, triggering Geordie's existential breakdown. Duncan shares his passion for all things Star Wars, whilst Geordie tries to grapple with the shame of being a Star Wars nerd. Can Duncan get Geordie to admit he loves this book? Will Geordie learn to make peace with the Star Wars prequels? And just how many Star Wars books has Duncan read? The answer can only be found in a galaxy far far away....
Apr 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The most ineffable episode yet. The team take their first look at one of their favourite fantasy novelists: Sir Terry Pratchett, and give their impression on his collaboration with Neil Gaimen. They have a laugh at the fantastic humour, and unpack Terry's breakdown of good and evil cosmology. And chalk it on the score board, it's the first mention of death of the author on the podcast, as Geordie talks about queer readings of fantasy novels, and when readers interpret in defiance of the text. Pl...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 5
After... uh-hum... absolutely nothing happened with the last recording... Duncan takes us into our first moray into the Moorcockiverse. Does Elric of Melniboné live up to Geordie's expectations? Will he be able to talk about anything but Dungeons and Dragons? Will Duncan be able to explain the reading order? But more importantly, can he figure out how to pronounce the name of the book?
Apr 09, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 4
