L. R. Lam

Today I talked to L. R. Lam about Dragonfall (DAW, 2023).Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the “gods” remember, and they do not forgive.Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact’s magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfill his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely–body, mind, and soul—and then kill them.L. R. Lam discusses influences to their latest novel—from 90s fantasy to the bubonic plague—issues of consent and point of view, and the ways writing near future science fiction has shaped their work in epic fantasy.A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Today I talked to L. R. Lam about <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780756418410" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dragonfall</a> (DAW, 2023).Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the “gods” remember, and they do not forgive.Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact’s magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfill his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely–body, mind, and soul—and then kill them.L. R. Lam discusses influences to their latest novel—from 90s fantasy to the bubonic plague—issues of consent and point of view, and the ways writing near future science fiction has shaped their work in epic fantasy.<a href="https://aelanier.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A. E. Lanier</a> is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at <a href="http://aelanier.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aelanier.com</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

L. R. Lam, "Dragonfall" (DAW, 2023)

Melvin Burgess

In his new novel Loki (Pegasus Books, 2023), Melvin Burgess follows the antics of Norse mythology’s trickster god as he takes the reader on a wild ride through legendary stories about the founders of Asgard. Born from a fire inside the hollow of a tree trunk, Loki arrives in Asgard as an outsider. Despite his cleverness and wit (or, perhaps, because of them), Loki struggles to find his place among the old patriarchal gods of supernatural power. Loki is an amusing and relatable contemporary retelling of a classic Norse legend.Melvin Burgess is an award-winning writer of children’s and YA fiction.Latoya Johnson is an editor, writer, and bibliophile with a master's in Humanities. Her research and writing interests include books and reading in popular culture, the public history of women's fiction, and women in Greco-Roman mythology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

In his new novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781639364398" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Loki</a> (Pegasus Books, 2023), Melvin Burgess follows the antics of Norse mythology’s trickster god as he takes the reader on a wild ride through legendary stories about the founders of Asgard. Born from a fire inside the hollow of a tree trunk, Loki arrives in Asgard as an outsider. Despite his cleverness and wit (or, perhaps, because of them), Loki struggles to find his place among the old patriarchal gods of supernatural power. Loki is an amusing and relatable contemporary retelling of a classic Norse legend.Melvin Burgess is an award-winning writer of children’s and YA fiction.Latoya Johnson is an editor, writer, and bibliophile with a master's in Humanities. Her research and writing interests include books and reading in popular culture, the public history of women's fiction, and women in Greco-Roman mythology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Melvin Burgess, "Loki: A Novel" (Pegasus Books, 2023)

Daniel M. Ford

Daniel M. Ford’s new novel The Warden (Tor, 2023) follows Aelis de Lenti, a young necromancer in her first year as the Warden of Lone Pine—a small frontier village surrounded by sheep and little else. The story follows Aelis as she works to win over locals who are distrustful of magic generally, and necromancy particularly, and as she unravels a series of mysteries plaguing the town. All the while reconciling with the fact that she has graduated top of her class only to leave the charms and joys of urban life to live in the freezing middle of nowhere, in a tiny town plagued by goats.Ford discusses the various influences on the novel—from RPGs to detective fiction—the ways his novel draws on and subverts tropes, and the differences between a good novel and a good Dungeons &amp; Dragons session.A. E. Lanier is a writer and teacher living in Central Texas. Most of her writing work is in short fiction, generally second world fantasy with some meandering towards horror. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Daniel M. Ford’s new novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781250815651" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Warden</a> (Tor, 2023) follows Aelis de Lenti, a young necromancer in her first year as the Warden of Lone Pine—a small frontier village surrounded by sheep and little else. The story follows Aelis as she works to win over locals who are distrustful of magic generally, and necromancy particularly, and as she unravels a series of mysteries plaguing the town. All the while reconciling with the fact that she has graduated top of her class only to leave the charms and joys of urban life to live in the freezing middle of nowhere, in a tiny town plagued by goats.Ford discusses the various influences on the novel—from RPGs to detective fiction—the ways his novel draws on and subverts tropes, and the differences between a good novel and a good Dungeons &amp; Dragons session.<a href="https://aelanier.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A. E. Lanier</a> is a writer and teacher living in Central Texas. Most of her writing work is in short fiction, generally second world fantasy with some meandering towards horror. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Daniel M. Ford, "The Warden" (Tor, 2023)

Kelly Barnhill

Today I talked to Kelly Barnhill about her book The Crane Husband (Tordotcom, 2023).Our unnamed narrator, a fifteen-year-old girl, manages to care for her six-year-old brother and creative but irresponsible mother by skipping school and selling her mother’s artwork. Her father taught her everything useful before he died, and much like Katniss in The Hunger Games, she devotes herself to keeping her small family afloat (and dodging the social worker’s efforts to intervene). The Crane Husband opens with the arrival of her mother’s newest lover, an insolent giant crane that demands every bit of her mother’s attention while returning her affection with raucous sex and deep cuts from his razor-sharp beak.From this surrealist beginning, things get progressively stranger. In some ways, this surreal, poetic novella reminded me of Australian author Kathleen Jenning’s eerie novella, Flyway. There are fatherless children fighting for survival, allusion to ancestral violence, and odd metamorphoses taking place in remote locations. Underneath the inexplicable events lie opposing motivations—the wish to escape both love and duty fighting with the desire to nurture and care for others. The two novels’ daughters are left to sort through the wreckage and attempt to make wise decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Today I talked to Kelly Barnhill about her book <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781250850973" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Crane Husband</a> (Tordotcom, 2023).Our unnamed narrator, a fifteen-year-old girl, manages to care for her six-year-old brother and creative but irresponsible mother by skipping school and selling her mother’s artwork. Her father taught her everything useful before he died, and much like Katniss in The Hunger Games, she devotes herself to keeping her small family afloat (and dodging the social worker’s efforts to intervene). The Crane Husband opens with the arrival of her mother’s newest lover, an insolent giant crane that demands every bit of her mother’s attention while returning her affection with raucous sex and deep cuts from his razor-sharp beak.From this surrealist beginning, things get progressively stranger. In some ways, this surreal, poetic novella reminded me of Australian author Kathleen Jenning’s eerie novella, Flyway. There are fatherless children fighting for survival, allusion to ancestral violence, and odd metamorphoses taking place in remote locations. Underneath the inexplicable events lie opposing motivations—the wish to escape both love and duty fighting with the desire to nurture and care for others. The two novels’ daughters are left to sort through the wreckage and attempt to make wise decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Kelly Barnhill, "The Crane Husband" (Tordotcom, 2023)

Today I talked to Olivia Atwater about her new book Half a Soul (Orbit, 2022).When a nasty fairy Lord tries to take young Dora’s soul, her doting cousin, Vanessa, fights him off with a pair of iron scissors—but not before he can abscond with half of his desired bounty. As an orphan, Dora is already disadvantaged. After losing half her soul, her affliction manifests as the inability to feel emotions, which puzzles and angers her judgmental aunt. Dora meets her aunt’s hostility with a calm fortitude, but her inability to get angry also means she doesn’t stand up for herself when she is mistreated.When Dora’s aunt decides it’s time to present Vanessa to the ton in London, Vanessa insists that Dora come along, although it’s generally accepted that Dora will never find a husband at the advanced age of twenty-one. Dora is left alone at the mansion of her hostess for several days, while Vanessa is taken to fittings and shown around. She decides to defy convention and explore London on her own. While in a mysterious bookstore, she meets the only titled man in London deemed less marriageable than herself—the sneering Lord Sorcier, who specializing in insulting remarks when he’s not performing three impossible spells before breakfast.His manner is enough to drive most people away, but Dora doesn’t react to his scorn. When circumstances throw them together, they get along amazingly well. In meantime, her meddling aunt and their hostess think they have finally found a match for Dora—the Sorcier’s best friend, a military physician who lost an arm and is not deemed a good match for most young ladies because of his injury.Faced with the arrival of romance in her lonely life, and the discovery of vexatious injustices in society, Dora will have to sort out who or what could evoke some emotion in her damaged soul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Today I talked to Olivia Atwater about her new book <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780316462709" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Half a Soul</a> (Orbit, 2022).When a nasty fairy Lord tries to take young Dora’s soul, her doting cousin, Vanessa, fights him off with a pair of iron scissors—but not before he can abscond with half of his desired bounty. As an orphan, Dora is already disadvantaged. After losing half her soul, her affliction manifests as the inability to feel emotions, which puzzles and angers her judgmental aunt. Dora meets her aunt’s hostility with a calm fortitude, but her inability to get angry also means she doesn’t stand up for herself when she is mistreated.When Dora’s aunt decides it’s time to present Vanessa to the ton in London, Vanessa insists that Dora come along, although it’s generally accepted that Dora will never find a husband at the advanced age of twenty-one. Dora is left alone at the mansion of her hostess for several days, while Vanessa is taken to fittings and shown around. She decides to defy convention and explore London on her own. While in a mysterious bookstore, she meets the only titled man in London deemed less marriageable than herself—the sneering Lord Sorcier, who specializing in insulting remarks when he’s not performing three impossible spells before breakfast.His manner is enough to drive most people away, but Dora doesn’t react to his scorn. When circumstances throw them together, they get along amazingly well. In meantime, her meddling aunt and their hostess think they have finally found a match for Dora—the Sorcier’s best friend, a military physician who lost an arm and is not deemed a good match for most young ladies because of his injury.Faced with the arrival of romance in her lonely life, and the discovery of vexatious injustices in society, Dora will have to sort out who or what could evoke some emotion in her damaged soul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Olivia Atwater, "Half a Soul" (Orbit, 2022)

The Daughters of Izdihar (Harper Voyager, 2023), like last year’s A Master of Djinn, is set in a world similar to Egypt, during the time of the suffragette movement. American-Egyptian author Hadeer Elsbai has chosen to focus even more on social justice issues, through her two main characters, rich spoiled girl Nehal, and struggling bookworm Giorgina. Both have magical powers, as well as an interest in women’s rights, but while Giorgina’s poverty and traditional father make her susceptible to intimidation, Nehal has grown up feeling entitled and being allowed to express her opinions. However, when Nehal is forced into marriage, and bristles at needing her husband’s permission to enroll in a school to train magicians, she starts to realize that even wealth and status can’t make up for the subservient status of women.Nehal and Giorgina become unlikely allies, brought together both through their politics and their proximity to Nico, Giorgina’s husband.Hadeer studied history at Hunter College and later earned her Master’s degree in library science from Queens College. Aside from writing, Hadeer enjoys cats, iced drinks, live theater, and studying the 19th century. She is also a gigantic A Song of Ice and Fire nerd, having read George R.R. Martin’s books before the show. The series remains a constant inspiration.You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

<a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780063114746" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Daughters of Izdihar</a> (Harper Voyager, 2023), like last year’s A Master of Djinn, is set in a world similar to Egypt, during the time of the suffragette movement. American-Egyptian author Hadeer Elsbai has chosen to focus even more on social justice issues, through her two main characters, rich spoiled girl Nehal, and struggling bookworm Giorgina. Both have magical powers, as well as an interest in women’s rights, but while Giorgina’s poverty and traditional father make her susceptible to intimidation, Nehal has grown up feeling entitled and being allowed to express her opinions. However, when Nehal is forced into marriage, and bristles at needing her husband’s permission to enroll in a school to train magicians, she starts to realize that even wealth and status can’t make up for the subservient status of women.Nehal and Giorgina become unlikely allies, brought together both through their politics and their proximity to Nico, Giorgina’s husband.Hadeer studied history at Hunter College and later earned her Master’s degree in library science from Queens College. Aside from writing, Hadeer enjoys cats, iced drinks, live theater, and studying the 19th century. She is also a gigantic A Song of Ice and Fire nerd, having read George R.R. Martin’s books before the show. The series remains a constant inspiration.You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Hadeer Elsbai, "The Daughters of Izdihar" (Harper Voyager, 2023)

Christopher M. Hood

A road trip novel, The Revivalists (Harper, 2022) is intimate, funny, and at times, shocking. It has only the dystopian setting in common with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. While Cormac’s characters are shadow figures on a stage devoid of meaning, our narrator, Bill, and Penelope, his wife, seem like people we know, or even, reflections of ourselves. Their concerns and reactions serve as mirrors for us to imagine ourselves in a future where 70% of the population died, and the conveniences of modern life have vanished. Bill, a psychologist, and his wife, Penelope, a skilled fund manager, have experienced different stages of their marriage, including initial intimacy followed by the challenges of raising a willful daughter. Bill, easy-going, perhaps almost lethargic at times, is conflict averse, but Penelope, a Black woman who fought for everything she’s ever had, is determined to steer her daughter in the right direction in life.When the pandemic separates parents and daughter on different sides of the continent, and they learn through the ham radio that their daughter is joining a dangerous cult, Penelope is galvanized into action, insistent that they must come to the rescue. There ensues an odyssey through the USA, and encounters with idealists and opportunists of varying ideologies, as well as the lonely or loony. A love story about two people with different dispositions, as well as the damaged people they come into contact with, The Revivalists is a meditation on how far we’re willing to go for someone we love, as well as an exploration of what happens when the fabric of society unravels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

A road trip novel, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780063221390" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Revivalists</a> (Harper, 2022) is intimate, funny, and at times, shocking. It has only the dystopian setting in common with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. While Cormac’s characters are shadow figures on a stage devoid of meaning, our narrator, Bill, and Penelope, his wife, seem like people we know, or even, reflections of ourselves. Their concerns and reactions serve as mirrors for us to imagine ourselves in a future where 70% of the population died, and the conveniences of modern life have vanished. Bill, a psychologist, and his wife, Penelope, a skilled fund manager, have experienced different stages of their marriage, including initial intimacy followed by the challenges of raising a willful daughter. Bill, easy-going, perhaps almost lethargic at times, is conflict averse, but Penelope, a Black woman who fought for everything she’s ever had, is determined to steer her daughter in the right direction in life.When the pandemic separates parents and daughter on different sides of the continent, and they learn through the ham radio that their daughter is joining a dangerous cult, Penelope is galvanized into action, insistent that they must come to the rescue. There ensues an odyssey through the USA, and encounters with idealists and opportunists of varying ideologies, as well as the lonely or loony. A love story about two people with different dispositions, as well as the damaged people they come into contact with, The Revivalists is a meditation on how far we’re willing to go for someone we love, as well as an exploration of what happens when the fabric of society unravels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Christopher M. Hood, "The Revivalists" (Harper, 2022)

Today I talked to Tanvi Berwah about Monsters Born and Made (Sourcebooks Fire, 2022).In our narrator Koral’s world—an oceanic world full of sea monsters, brutal heat, and only a few islands—choices are limited. Koral belongs a to class of people called Renters, who don’t own land, or in many cases, even have proper dwellings. The Landers live protected inside a cool place called the Terrafort, safe from the dangers that the Renters experience every day.Koral’s angry father, quiet mother and sick little sister depend on her and her brother Emrik to earn enough to keep the simple dwelling they live in, and to buy her sister’s medicine. Koral’s family are, by tradition, Hunters, a special class of Renters which have a few more privileges, than most others. Hunters catch and train the wild sea monsters called maristags, which are used in the Glory Race held every four years.This year, however, it looks like Emrik and Koral’s luck has run out. They have one maristag, a female, left, but fail to catch a male to breed her with. In desperation, Koral finds a way to participate in the Glory Race, although she will be the first Renter to do so. Not only must she race with a barely tamed maristag and a decrepit chariot, she must also bear the hostility of both the Landers and the other Renters for not knowing her place. The three days of the race are nonstop action, with unexpected attacks by swarms of aqua bats, rebel Renters, and other charioteers looking to scare Koral off, as well as tense encounters with Dorian, a former Lander friend of Koral’s who is competing against her. It seems like almost no one believes that Koral can win this race.Except her sick little sister.﻿You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Today I talked to Tanvi Berwah about <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781728247625" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Monsters Born and Made </a>(Sourcebooks Fire, 2022).In our narrator Koral’s world—an oceanic world full of sea monsters, brutal heat, and only a few islands—choices are limited. Koral belongs a to class of people called Renters, who don’t own land, or in many cases, even have proper dwellings. The Landers live protected inside a cool place called the Terrafort, safe from the dangers that the Renters experience every day.Koral’s angry father, quiet mother and sick little sister depend on her and her brother Emrik to earn enough to keep the simple dwelling they live in, and to buy her sister’s medicine. Koral’s family are, by tradition, Hunters, a special class of Renters which have a few more privileges, than most others. Hunters catch and train the wild sea monsters called maristags, which are used in the Glory Race held every four years.This year, however, it looks like Emrik and Koral’s luck has run out. They have one maristag, a female, left, but fail to catch a male to breed her with. In desperation, Koral finds a way to participate in the Glory Race, although she will be the first Renter to do so. Not only must she race with a barely tamed maristag and a decrepit chariot, she must also bear the hostility of both the Landers and the other Renters for not knowing her place. The three days of the race are nonstop action, with unexpected attacks by swarms of aqua bats, rebel Renters, and other charioteers looking to scare Koral off, as well as tense encounters with Dorian, a former Lander friend of Koral’s who is competing against her. It seems like almost no one believes that Koral can win this race.Except her sick little sister.﻿You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Tanvi Berwah, "Monsters Born and Made" (Sourcebooks Fire, 2022)

A clever magical mystery which needs your full attention, Comeuppance Served Cold (Tordotcom, 2022) challenges this podcaster to write a review without a spoiler. The novella begins with what appears to be the murder of a young dark-haired woman, followed by the departure of a masked person who might be the perpetrator. Or maybe not.Nothing what it seems like, except that the pompous powerful Mr. Earnshaw, and his misogynist son Francis really are as despicable as they first appear to be. (They do get their comeuppance, though). Earnshaw, whose nickname is the White King, runs a commission to license magicians. His son Francis leads a group called the Order of Saint Michael, which metes out punishment when his father wishes his own hands to stay clean. The White King and Francis have targeted people from the waterfront, such as Violet, a Black speakeasy owner, and her brother, a shape shifter, in their efforts to clean up Seattle and regulate magic.The battle lines are drawn. But what does Dolly White, a no-nonsense caretaker for Mr. Earnshaw’s drunken daughter, Fiona, have to do with any of this? Corpses on ice, magical jewels, a bespoke suit, and a precious mask will all make their appearances as this sly tale unwinds.Marion Deeds was born in Santa Barbara, California and moved to northern California when she was five. She loves the redwoods, the ocean, dogs and crows. She’s fascinated by the unexplained, and curious about power: who has it, who gets it, what is the best way to wield it. These questions inform her stories. Fun Fact: She once lost her glasses when they fell into a glacier.﻿You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

A clever magical mystery which needs your full attention, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781250811073" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Comeuppance Served Cold</a> (Tordotcom, 2022) challenges this podcaster to write a review without a spoiler. The novella begins with what appears to be the murder of a young dark-haired woman, followed by the departure of a masked person who might be the perpetrator. Or maybe not.Nothing what it seems like, except that the pompous powerful Mr. Earnshaw, and his misogynist son Francis really are as despicable as they first appear to be. (They do get their comeuppance, though). Earnshaw, whose nickname is the White King, runs a commission to license magicians. His son Francis leads a group called the Order of Saint Michael, which metes out punishment when his father wishes his own hands to stay clean. The White King and Francis have targeted people from the waterfront, such as Violet, a Black speakeasy owner, and her brother, a shape shifter, in their efforts to clean up Seattle and regulate magic.The battle lines are drawn. But what does Dolly White, a no-nonsense caretaker for Mr. Earnshaw’s drunken daughter, Fiona, have to do with any of this? Corpses on ice, magical jewels, a bespoke suit, and a precious mask will all make their appearances as this sly tale unwinds.Marion Deeds was born in Santa Barbara, California and moved to northern California when she was five. She loves the redwoods, the ocean, dogs and crows. She’s fascinated by the unexplained, and curious about power: who has it, who gets it, what is the best way to wield it. These questions inform her stories. Fun Fact: She once lost her glasses when they fell into a glacier.﻿You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Marion Deeds, "Comeuppance Served Cold" (Tordotcom, 2022)

R. F. Kuang

In R. F. Kuang’s Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution (Harper Voyager in 2022), we meet Robin Swift. Orphaned by Cholera in Canton in 1828, he is brought to London by a mysterious Professor Lovell, who trains him in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, to prepare him for enrollment in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. Yet as Robin soon finds out, the glamour and glory of Babel is not all it seems, and thriving at the center of knowledge and power demands complicity in the violence and militarism of empire….Tune in to this NBN episode to hear Rebecca discuss what motivated her to write Babel, the inspiration behind Babel’s magical system of silver-working and the histories of anti-colonial struggle she wanted to illuminate in her writing, how real-life friendship inspired the friendships of Babel, the importance of sensitivity readers to imagining more diverse and complex characters, the joy of learning languages and the importance of collaboration to writing such a multilingual book, how her writing process has changed and grown since working on The Poppy War trilogy, the intersections and divergences between fiction and academic writing, and her current draft-in-progress on magician PhD students in Hell.R. F. Kuang is author of The Poppy War trilogy and a PhD student in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.Jennifer Gayoung Lee is a writer and data analyst based in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

In R. F. Kuang’s <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780063021426" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution</a> (Harper Voyager in 2022), we meet Robin Swift. Orphaned by Cholera in Canton in 1828, he is brought to London by a mysterious Professor Lovell, who trains him in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, to prepare him for enrollment in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. Yet as Robin soon finds out, the glamour and glory of Babel is not all it seems, and thriving at the center of knowledge and power demands complicity in the violence and militarism of empire….Tune in to this NBN episode to hear Rebecca discuss what motivated her to write Babel, the inspiration behind Babel’s magical system of silver-working and the histories of anti-colonial struggle she wanted to illuminate in her writing, how real-life friendship inspired the friendships of Babel, the importance of sensitivity readers to imagining more diverse and complex characters, the joy of learning languages and the importance of collaboration to writing such a multilingual book, how her writing process has changed and grown since working on The Poppy War trilogy, the intersections and divergences between fiction and academic writing, and her current draft-in-progress on magician PhD students in Hell.R. F. Kuang is author of The Poppy War trilogy and a PhD student in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.<a href="https://www.jgayoung.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jennifer Gayoung Lee</a> is a writer and data analyst based in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

R. F. Kuang, "Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution" (Harper Voyager, 2022)

Interviews with fantasy and adventure authors about their new books.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Interviews with fantasy and adventure authors about their new books. Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

New Books in Fantasy

Ryan Wieser

Lean, mean, and a fighting machine. That could describe lovely Jessop, psychologically and physically scarred at the hands of a former Infinity Hunter with the catchy name of Falco Bane. Jessop plots her way into joining the all-male fraternity of the Infinity Hunters, waiting to rescue them at an opportune... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Lean, mean, and a fighting machine. That could describe lovely Jessop, psychologically and physically scarred at the hands of a former Infinity Hunter with the catchy name of Falco Bane. Jessop plots her way into joining the all-male fraternity of the Infinity Hunters, waiting to rescue them at an opportune... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Ryan Wieser, “The Glass Blade” (Kensington, 2018)

Sam Hooker

If you are a young moody woman who likes to wear black, you might well be a witch. Or aspire to be a witch. If you needed a tongue-in-cheek guide on how to behave, you could benefit from picking up The Winter Riddle (Black Spot Books, 2018) by Sam Hooker. Quaint, and... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

If you are a young moody woman who likes to wear black, you might well be a witch. Or aspire to be a witch. If you needed a tongue-in-cheek guide on how to behave, you could benefit from picking up The Winter Riddle (Black Spot Books, 2018) by Sam Hooker. Quaint, and... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Sam Hooker, “The Winter Riddle” (Black Spot Books, 2018)

“What should be wild” is really asking who should be wild? Simultaneously a plea against the domestication of women, a unique fairy tale, and impressive literary fiction, this novel explores the taming of women through the experiences of the modern Maisie and some of her female ancestors, who sought shelter... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

“What should be wild” is really asking who should be wild? Simultaneously a plea against the domestication of women, a unique fairy tale, and impressive literary fiction, this novel explores the taming of women through the experiences of the modern Maisie and some of her female ancestors, who sought shelter... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Julia Fine, “What Should be Wild” (Harper, 2018)

The Night Tiger (Flatiron Books, 2019) is much more than just a fantasy novel—it’s also a mystery, a historical novel, and a love story. Yang-Sze Choo accomplishes all this in one deft package. Set in Malaysia in the 1930s, in the state of Perak, The Night Tiger closely follows three narrators, mysteriously interlinked by their names. There is a clever orphan named Ren who works as a houseboy, a spunky and funny young beauty, Ji Lin, and a British surgeon, William Acton.Though the novel is grounded in mundane concerns, such as Ji Lin’s effort to pay back her mother’s gambling debt before her step-father discovers it, there are also numinous aspects, such as the waking-dream states that Ji-Lin and Ren enter, during which they communicate with Ren’s dead brother. Even as Ji Lin tried to cope with the restricted options available to a woman of that time period, and surgeon William Acton grapples with his lusty urges, a shimmer of the supernatural imbues the narrative, and a sense of transcendent beauty weaves its way through the chapters.One of the supernatural aspects concerns were-tigers. Ren’s former master, a colleague of the surgeon William Acton, has recently died. Before his passing, he implored Ren, his loyal houseboy, to locate his missing finger. It seems if he is buried without it, his spirit will roam as a were-tiger. Ren has only forty-nine days during which he can bury the finger with the corpse; should he not suceed, the spirit of his former master will never find peace.The book opens as Ji-Lin has discovers the missing finger in her pocket, as a result of a chance encounter with a salesman. She is unaware of its significance but would like nothing better than to be rid of this macabre item. Through a series of events, Ji-Lin and Ren meet, exchange stories, and befriend each other. Their fates are linked through ancient Confucian tradition with other characters. Ji-Lin, Ren, and William Acton all have names which denote Confucian virtues; there is also Ji-Lin’s alluring step-brother, whose motivation for helping Ji-Lin is shrouded, and Ren’s dead brother, Yi. One of the five is deeply flawed and may bring doom onto the rest.Yang-sze’s characters are engrossing, beckoning you into look deep into their psyches, and the setting of colonial Malaysia is a refreshing change to Eurocentric fantasy literature.Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at http://gabriellemathieu.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

<a href="https://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/Qj3bIzCxWVavangwk5HNh9wAAAFoq1EwiwEAAAFKARgywi8/https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250175453/?creativeASIN=1250175453&amp;linkCode=w61&amp;imprToken=CaArnxzuNZg7o7hK-rTL9g&amp;slotNum=0&amp;tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Night Tiger</a> (Flatiron Books, 2019) is much more than just a fantasy novel—it’s also a mystery, a historical novel, and a love story. <a href="https://yschoo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yang-Sze Choo</a> accomplishes all this in one deft package. Set in Malaysia in the 1930s, in the state of Perak, The Night Tiger closely follows three narrators, mysteriously interlinked by their names. There is a clever orphan named Ren who works as a houseboy, a spunky and funny young beauty, Ji Lin, and a British surgeon, William Acton.Though the novel is grounded in mundane concerns, such as Ji Lin’s effort to pay back her mother’s gambling debt before her step-father discovers it, there are also numinous aspects, such as the waking-dream states that Ji-Lin and Ren enter, during which they communicate with Ren’s dead brother. Even as Ji Lin tried to cope with the restricted options available to a woman of that time period, and surgeon William Acton grapples with his lusty urges, a shimmer of the supernatural imbues the narrative, and a sense of transcendent beauty weaves its way through the chapters.One of the supernatural aspects concerns were-tigers. Ren’s former master, a colleague of the surgeon William Acton, has recently died. Before his passing, he implored Ren, his loyal houseboy, to locate his missing finger. It seems if he is buried without it, his spirit will roam as a were-tiger. Ren has only forty-nine days during which he can bury the finger with the corpse; should he not suceed, the spirit of his former master will never find peace.The book opens as Ji-Lin has discovers the missing finger in her pocket, as a result of a chance encounter with a salesman. She is unaware of its significance but would like nothing better than to be rid of this macabre item. Through a series of events, Ji-Lin and Ren meet, exchange stories, and befriend each other. Their fates are linked through ancient Confucian tradition with other characters. Ji-Lin, Ren, and William Acton all have names which denote Confucian virtues; there is also Ji-Lin’s alluring step-brother, whose motivation for helping Ji-Lin is shrouded, and Ren’s dead brother, Yi. One of the five is deeply flawed and may bring doom onto the rest.Yang-sze’s characters are engrossing, beckoning you into look deep into their psyches, and the setting of colonial Malaysia is a refreshing change to Eurocentric fantasy literature.Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at <a href="http://gabriellemathieu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://gabriellemathieu.com/</a>. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielleauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GabrielleAuthor</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Yang-Sze Choo, "The Night Tiger" (Flatiron Books, 2019)

Rin, an orphan raised by a family that treats her badly, is no Harry Potter, despite the superficial similarities. No kindly wizards await her; there are no summons from a cute feathered familiar. She studies day and night to be able to attend the military academy at the city of Sinegard, the capital of Nikara. She wins a coveted place at the Academy through sheer endurance, but once she arrives, she realizes how far she still has to go. The rich and educated students are dismissive or downright cruel to Rin, because she comes from a farming district in the south of Nikara, and has darker skin.After several strenuous years at the Academy, another student’s taunts and bullying lead to a fight, during which Rin displays supernatural ability during combat. Until that moment, Rin displays no unusual traits other than exceptional endurance in the face of pain and disappointment. Only the eccentric Lore teacher, Jiang, understands that she has the ability to call down a god to inhabit her body, allowing her to fight with supernatural powers. He’s hoping he can convince her this path will only lead to madness and destruction.Rin initially listens to Jiang, but when she is assigned to the Cike, an assassination squad, after graduation, she falls under the sway of the commander, the charismatic and powerful Altan. Altan, like her, is a Speerly, a member of an island race almost obliterated by the genocide of the Mugen, the enemy of the Nikara.When the Mugen invade Nikara again, Altan and his small band of outcast assassins try in vain to win a significant victory. After discovering the slaughter of the entire population of a town and trying to console a former classmate who survived multiple rapes, Rin is willing to try anything to save the rest of Nikara. But will the solution Altan proposes be the ultimate catastrophe?Join me as I talk to R. F. Kuang about her novel The Poppy War (Harper Voyager, 2019). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Rin, an orphan raised by a family that treats her badly, is no Harry Potter, despite the superficial similarities. No kindly wizards await her; there are no summons from a cute feathered familiar. She studies day and night to be able to attend the military academy at the city of Sinegard, the capital of Nikara. She wins a coveted place at the Academy through sheer endurance, but once she arrives, she realizes how far she still has to go. The rich and educated students are dismissive or downright cruel to Rin, because she comes from a farming district in the south of Nikara, and has darker skin.After several strenuous years at the Academy, another student’s taunts and bullying lead to a fight, during which Rin displays supernatural ability during combat. Until that moment, Rin displays no unusual traits other than exceptional endurance in the face of pain and disappointment. Only the eccentric Lore teacher, Jiang, understands that she has the ability to call down a god to inhabit her body, allowing her to fight with supernatural powers. He’s hoping he can convince her this path will only lead to madness and destruction.Rin initially listens to Jiang, but when she is assigned to the Cike, an assassination squad, after graduation, she falls under the sway of the commander, the charismatic and powerful Altan. Altan, like her, is a Speerly, a member of an island race almost obliterated by the genocide of the Mugen, the enemy of the Nikara.When the Mugen invade Nikara again, Altan and his small band of outcast assassins try in vain to win a significant victory. After discovering the slaughter of the entire population of a town and trying to console a former classmate who survived multiple rapes, Rin is willing to try anything to save the rest of Nikara. But will the solution Altan proposes be the ultimate catastrophe?Join me as I talk to <a href="https://rfkuang.com/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">R. F. Kuang</a> about her novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062662589/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Poppy War</a> (Harper Voyager, 2019). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

R. F. Kuang, "The Poppy War" (Harper Voyager, 2019)

Jo Woolf

Hello from Gabrielle at the NBN Fantasy and Adventure channel. This podcast will be about adventure, and what could be more adventurous than traveling to a far-away place thats hard to get to, and even more of a challenge to get around in. The Germans have another descriptive word for... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Hello from Gabrielle at the NBN Fantasy and Adventure channel. This podcast will be about adventure, and what could be more adventurous than traveling to a far-away place thats hard to get to, and even more of a challenge to get around in. The Germans have another descriptive word for... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Jo Woolf, “The Great Horizon: 50 Tales of Exploration” (Sandstone Press, 2018)

Cat Rambo‘s Hearts of Tabat (WordFire Press, 2018) is rich in emotions and description, though it revolves around a murder mystery as well. We experience the imaginary port city of Tabat through the eyes of four narrators, two merchants and two siblings from a poor household.  Adelina, the secret publisher of... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Cat Rambo‘s Hearts of Tabat (WordFire Press, 2018) is rich in emotions and description, though it revolves around a murder mystery as well. We experience the imaginary port city of Tabat through the eyes of four narrators, two merchants and two siblings from a poor household.  Adelina, the secret publisher of... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Cat Rambo, “Hearts of Tabat” (WordFire Press, 2018)

Matthew Binder

Henri is a middle-aged doctor, one of the few employed people left in the U.S, though the reader suspect his job might be in danger. The hospital administrator, Serena, keeps reducing staff. A large sector of the population, the Absolved are freed from doing any work and receive a guaranteed minimum income. Their days are spent watching sports on TV, or like Henri’s wife, Rachel, staying productive with charity work. Another contingent of people can’t register for the guaranteed income; they’re known as the dispossessed.Political upheaval results as another election draws near; the liberal president who promised jobs has been unable to deliver, and a demagogue throws his hat in the ring for the highest office. However, Henri remains an ironic observer of society; he is too preoccupied by his affair with a failed medical student, his demanding wife and his shots of whisky at a dive bar to engage. That is, until he sacrifices his own career for his mistress, and his life beings to unravel.Join me, as I speak with Matthew Binder about The Absolved (Black Spot Books, 2018).Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at http://gabriellemathieu.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Henri is a middle-aged doctor, one of the few employed people left in the U.S, though the reader suspect his job might be in danger. The hospital administrator, Serena, keeps reducing staff. A large sector of the population, the Absolved are freed from doing any work and receive a guaranteed minimum income. Their days are spent watching sports on TV, or like Henri’s wife, Rachel, staying productive with charity work. Another contingent of people can’t register for the guaranteed income; they’re known as the dispossessed.Political upheaval results as another election draws near; the liberal president who promised jobs has been unable to deliver, and a demagogue throws his hat in the ring for the highest office. However, Henri remains an ironic observer of society; he is too preoccupied by his affair with a failed medical student, his demanding wife and his shots of whisky at a dive bar to engage. That is, until he sacrifices his own career for his mistress, and his life beings to unravel.Join me, as I speak with <a href="https://www.matthewbinder.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew Binder</a> about <a href="https://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/QjgvLJsNf5aPU8-ckYlzcmYAAAFpfW0_WAEAAAFKAQ7rITQ/https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732400725/?creativeASIN=1732400725&amp;linkCode=w61&amp;imprToken=Og8Hvur.lJGPXd6hPDXpwA&amp;slotNum=0&amp;tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Absolved</a> (Black Spot Books, 2018).Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at <a href="http://gabriellemathieu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://gabriellemathieu.com/</a>. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielleauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GabrielleAuthor</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Matthew Binder, "The Absolved" (Black Spot Books, 2018)

Anthony Ryan

The Draconis Memoria series is comprised of a trilogy set in a world where drake (dragon) blood is a prized commodity, the basis of the trading fortune of the Ironship Syndicate. It is a brilliant, savage adventure. When I jumped in with Anthony Ryan’s latest release, ominously named The Empire... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

The Draconis Memoria series is comprised of a trilogy set in a world where drake (dragon) blood is a prized commodity, the basis of the trading fortune of the Ironship Syndicate. It is a brilliant, savage adventure. When I jumped in with Anthony Ryan’s latest release, ominously named The Empire... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Anthony Ryan, “The Empire of Ashes” (Ace, 2018)

Marshall Ryan Maresca

Dayne has the highest respect for the order he’s joined, the Tarians. The Tarian warriors adhere to a chivalrous code of honor, though they live in a time period vaguely suggestive of post-Renaissance Europe during the Age of Discovery. When Dayne, a Candidate, returns to the order’s home in the city of Maradaine, he finds events of the past year prevent him from advancing to the level of Adept. Despite Dayne’s best effort, the boy he was to rescue from a criminal’s trap died when Dayne failed to protect him. Now the boy’s relatives are determined to block his ascent in the Tarian order, which means that Dayne will not be allowed to stay for good.Though Dayne is saddened about his pending departure, he still takes the way of the shield and sword seriously. The shield, which appears in the title of the book, symbolizes protection, while the sword should only be drawn as a last resort. Dayne believes that protecting lives doesn’t mean taking other lives, though he is always willing to sacrifice himself, if needed.His ideals will be challenged as he is drawn into events orchestrated by a conspiracy featuring ten masked men and women, most of them highly placed. What appears at first to be a movement to give more power to the commoners is actually a secret conspiracy to replace the King and achieve new alliances in the Parliament to further the aims of the Traditionalist Party, the political arm of the nobility. The plot is set into motion through pawns that are unaware of the true goal.As Dayne rushes forth, despite the Tarian Grandmaster’s injunction, to save the day, he’s helped by another Candidate, Jerinne, as well as the daughter of his lordly sponsor, the Lady Mirianne, and an assortment of politically-radicalized writers.Listen in as we talk to author Marshall Ryan Maresca about The Way of the Shield(DAW, 2018).Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at http://gabriellemathieu.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Dayne has the highest respect for the order he’s joined, the Tarians. The Tarian warriors adhere to a chivalrous code of honor, though they live in a time period vaguely suggestive of post-Renaissance Europe during the Age of Discovery. When Dayne, a Candidate, returns to the order’s home in the city of Maradaine, he finds events of the past year prevent him from advancing to the level of Adept. Despite Dayne’s best effort, the boy he was to rescue from a criminal’s trap died when Dayne failed to protect him. Now the boy’s relatives are determined to block his ascent in the Tarian order, which means that Dayne will not be allowed to stay for good.Though Dayne is saddened about his pending departure, he still takes the way of the shield and sword seriously. The shield, which appears in the title of the book, symbolizes protection, while the sword should only be drawn as a last resort. Dayne believes that protecting lives doesn’t mean taking other lives, though he is always willing to sacrifice himself, if needed.His ideals will be challenged as he is drawn into events orchestrated by a conspiracy featuring ten masked men and women, most of them highly placed. What appears at first to be a movement to give more power to the commoners is actually a secret conspiracy to replace the King and achieve new alliances in the Parliament to further the aims of the Traditionalist Party, the political arm of the nobility. The plot is set into motion through pawns that are unaware of the true goal.As Dayne rushes forth, despite the Tarian Grandmaster’s injunction, to save the day, he’s helped by another Candidate, Jerinne, as well as the daughter of his lordly sponsor, the Lady Mirianne, and an assortment of politically-radicalized writers.Listen in as we talk to author <a href="http://mrmaresca.com/wp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marshall Ryan Maresca</a> about <a href="https://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/QpMKQ2UNKzACfIiGOWDb8QsAAAFoikDs0gEAAAFKAUpUR8E/https://www.amazon.com/dp/0756414792/?creativeASIN=0756414792&amp;linkCode=w61&amp;imprToken=DbhpMhbc6hcwMscZEKlyrA&amp;slotNum=0&amp;tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Way of the Shield</a>(DAW, 2018).Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at <a href="http://gabriellemathieu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://gabriellemathieu.com/</a>. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielleauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GabrielleAuthor</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Marshall Ryan Maresca, "The Way of the Shield" (DAW, 2018)

Madeline Miller

Circe is an immortal naiad, the daughter of the Sun God, Helios. Ignored or belittled by her divine kin because of her human-sounding voice, dull-colored hair, and quiet manner, she turns to her little brother for company, and then eventually, meets a human man who seems to offer her adoration. Yet her good will and nurturing are wasted on these relationships.Stung because the man she loves does not recognize her worth, Circe uses her newly found power of witchcraft to transform her romantic rival into a monster. This act has serious consequences; the new gods of Olympus are angered, and demand that her father punish her. She is exiled to the island of Aiaia. Alone at last, without the mockery of the gods, Circle develops inner resilience and wisdom, refining her plant lore, and finding companionship among the animals of the island.But Circe is immortal, and her island paradise will not remain undiscovered forever. Through the ages many mortals visit her; some seek to exploit her, and others appreciate her.  Gods visit her island as well. Hermes becomes an occasional lover, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, a frightening opponent.In her wonderful book Circe (Little, Brown and Company, 2018), Madeline Miller makes the ancient myths come alive with her vivid luscious writing style, and her sympathetic portrayal of the witch Circe, a peripheral character in the Odyssey.Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at http://gabriellemathieu.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Circe is an immortal naiad, the daughter of the Sun God, Helios. Ignored or belittled by her divine kin because of her human-sounding voice, dull-colored hair, and quiet manner, she turns to her little brother for company, and then eventually, meets a human man who seems to offer her adoration. Yet her good will and nurturing are wasted on these relationships.Stung because the man she loves does not recognize her worth, Circe uses her newly found power of witchcraft to transform her romantic rival into a monster. This act has serious consequences; the new gods of Olympus are angered, and demand that her father punish her. She is exiled to the island of Aiaia. Alone at last, without the mockery of the gods, Circle develops inner resilience and wisdom, refining her plant lore, and finding companionship among the animals of the island.But Circe is immortal, and her island paradise will not remain undiscovered forever. Through the ages many mortals visit her; some seek to exploit her, and others appreciate her.  Gods visit her island as well. Hermes becomes an occasional lover, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, a frightening opponent.In her wonderful book <a href="https://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/QpBUpj_C2amZJLbIdDvqZ78AAAFpyZjy7wEAAAFKAZm8m9Q/https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316556343/?creativeASIN=0316556343&amp;linkCode=w61&amp;imprToken=fOKLfhoUzGhySXELMiZcGw&amp;slotNum=0&amp;tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Circe</a> (Little, Brown and Company, 2018), <a href="http://madelinemiller.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Madeline Miller</a> makes the ancient myths come alive with her vivid luscious writing style, and her sympathetic portrayal of the witch Circe, a peripheral character in the Odyssey.Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the historical fantasy Falcon series and the upcoming epic fantasy, Girl of Fire. She blogs about travel and her books at <a href="http://gabriellemathieu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://gabriellemathieu.com/</a>. You can also follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielleauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GabrielleAuthor</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Madeline Miller, "Circe" (Little, Brown and Company, 2018)

Patrice Sarath

There is something almost sweetly Victorian about the new fantasy novel, The Sisters Mederos (Angry Robot, 2018), by Patrice Sarath, which concerns two young sisters enduring misfortune. The opening chapters reminded me of the childhood classic, The Little Princess, published in 1905. Yvienne and her magical sister, Tesera, daughters of... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

There is something almost sweetly Victorian about the new fantasy novel, The Sisters Mederos (Angry Robot, 2018), by Patrice Sarath, which concerns two young sisters enduring misfortune. The opening chapters reminded me of the childhood classic, The Little Princess, published in 1905. Yvienne and her magical sister, Tesera, daughters of... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Patrice Sarath, “The Sisters Mederos” (Angry Robot, 2018)

William Morrow

Danielle Teller

Most of us hear the Cinderella story in childhood: a mean stepmother favors her own daughters and controls her hapless husband, turning the sweet and innocent Cinderella into a scullery maid and refusing to let her attend the royal ball, only to be thwarted by a fairy godmother and Cinderella’s... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Most of us hear the Cinderella story in childhood: a mean stepmother favors her own daughters and controls her hapless husband, turning the sweet and innocent Cinderella into a scullery maid and refusing to let her attend the royal ball, only to be thwarted by a fairy godmother and Cinderella’s... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Danielle Teller, “All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother” (William Morrow, 2018)

Bernard Cornwell

As seems appropriate for a character as resourceful, skilled, and self-confident as Uhtred of Bebbanburg, he goes from strength to strength. In addition to a set of bestselling novels, collectively dubbed The Saxon Tales, Uhtred has a television series to his name: The Last Kingdom, just renewed for its third... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

As seems appropriate for a character as resourceful, skilled, and self-confident as Uhtred of Bebbanburg, he goes from strength to strength. In addition to a set of bestselling novels, collectively dubbed The Saxon Tales, Uhtred has a television series to his name: The Last Kingdom, just renewed for its third... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Bernard Cornwell, “War of the Wolf” (Harper, 2018)

Jason Arnopp

Jack Sparks

A modern morality tale lurks under this fast-paced horror novel. Jason Arnopp‘s The Last Days of Jack Sparks (Orbit, 2016) consists of the diary of a fictional character, Jack Sparks, along with a collection of interviews about him. Additional commentary by his surviving brother begins and ends the work. Jack... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

A modern morality tale lurks under this fast-paced horror novel. Jason Arnopp‘s The Last Days of Jack Sparks (Orbit, 2016) consists of the diary of a fictional character, Jack Sparks, along with a collection of interviews about him. Additional commentary by his surviving brother begins and ends the work. Jack... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Jason Arnopp, “The Last Days of Jack Sparks” (Orbit, 2016)

S. M. Hardy

Jim, our narrator, experiences a crisis of conscience in the wake of the possible suicide of his girlfriend. He quits his high-paying job seizing assets for a loan company and moves to a small village near the seaside to get away from it all. With no plans to occupy himself, and a golden parachute from his company, Jim finds himself with a lot of time on his hands—time that he hopes will help him heal from his loss.Instead, odd and spooky events immediately begin occurring. After he hears sounds from the empty attic, he finds out from his new friend, handyman Jed, that a little girl died falling down the steps. Soon, Jim begins to doubt that the little girl’s death was an accident. Jed, and a kindly neighbor, Emma, believe in supernatural visitations, and explain that he is receiving warnings from ghosts.Yet, some of the things that happen to Jim, like gas from the stove filling the cottage, seem too real to be ascribed to ghosts. Is Jim going mad, doing things he’s unaware of, or is there a real threat to his own well-being? Even Jed and Emma begin to wonder.Listen in as I talk to S. M. Hardy about The Evil Within (Allison and Busby, 2020).Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the YA fantasy, Girl of Fire, the first in the Berona’s Quest series, and the historical fantasy Falcon series. You can follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor, or visit her website at gabriellemathieu.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

Jim, our narrator, experiences a crisis of conscience in the wake of the possible suicide of his girlfriend. He quits his high-paying job seizing assets for a loan company and moves to a small village near the seaside to get away from it all. With no plans to occupy himself, and a golden parachute from his company, Jim finds himself with a lot of time on his hands—time that he hopes will help him heal from his loss.Instead, odd and spooky events immediately begin occurring. After he hears sounds from the empty attic, he finds out from his new friend, handyman Jed, that a little girl died falling down the steps. Soon, Jim begins to doubt that the little girl’s death was an accident. Jed, and a kindly neighbor, Emma, believe in supernatural visitations, and explain that he is receiving warnings from ghosts.Yet, some of the things that happen to Jim, like gas from the stove filling the cottage, seem too real to be ascribed to ghosts. Is Jim going mad, doing things he’s unaware of, or is there a real threat to his own well-being? Even Jed and Emma begin to wonder.Listen in as I talk to <a href="https://www.smhardy.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S. M. Hardy</a> about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0749025557/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Evil Within</a> (Allison and Busby, 2020).Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the YA fantasy, Girl of Fire, the first in the Berona’s Quest series, and the historical fantasy Falcon series. You can follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor, or visit her website at <a href="http://gabriellemathieu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">gabriellemathieu.com</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

S. M. Hardy, "The Evil Within" (Allison and Busby, 2020)

Leslie M. Harris

Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies (University of Georgia Press, 2019), edited by Leslie M. Harris, James T. Campbell, and Alfred L. Brophy, is the first edited collection of scholarly essays devoted solely to the histories and legacies of this subject on North American campuses and in their Atlantic contexts. Gathering together contributions from scholars, activists, and administrators, the volume combines two broad bodies of work: (1) historically based interdisciplinary research on the presence of slavery at higher education institutions in terms of the development of proslavery and antislavery thought and the use of slave labor; and (2) analysis on the ways in which the legacies of slavery in institutions of higher education continued in the post–Civil War era to the present day.The collection features broadly themed essays on issues of religion, economy, and the regional slave trade of the Caribbean. It also includes case studies of slavery’s influence on specific institutions, such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Oberlin College, Emory University, and the University of Alabama. Though the roots of Slavery and the University stem from a 2011 conference at Emory University, the collection extends outward to incorporate recent findings. As such, it offers a roadmap to one of the most exciting developments in the field of U.S. slavery studies and to ways of thinking about racial diversity in the history and current practices of higher education.Today I spoke with Leslie Harris about the book. Dr. Harris is a professor of history at Northwestern University. She is the coeditor, with Ira Berlin, of Slavery in New York and the coeditor, with Daina Ramey Berry, of Slavery and Freedom in Savannah (Georgia).Adam McNeil is a History PhD student at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0820354422/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies</a> (University of Georgia Press, 2019), edited by <a href="https://www.history.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/core-faculty/leslie-m-harris.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leslie M. Harris</a>, J<a href="https://history.stanford.edu/people/james-t-campbell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ames T. Campbell</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Brophy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alfred L. Brophy</a>, is the first edited collection of scholarly essays devoted solely to the histories and legacies of this subject on North American campuses and in their Atlantic contexts. Gathering together contributions from scholars, activists, and administrators, the volume combines two broad bodies of work: (1) historically based interdisciplinary research on the presence of slavery at higher education institutions in terms of the development of proslavery and antislavery thought and the use of slave labor; and (2) analysis on the ways in which the legacies of slavery in institutions of higher education continued in the post–Civil War era to the present day.The collection features broadly themed essays on issues of religion, economy, and the regional slave trade of the Caribbean. It also includes case studies of slavery’s influence on specific institutions, such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Oberlin College, Emory University, and the University of Alabama. Though the roots of Slavery and the University stem from a 2011 conference at Emory University, the collection extends outward to incorporate recent findings. As such, it offers a roadmap to one of the most exciting developments in the field of U.S. slavery studies and to ways of thinking about racial diversity in the history and current practices of higher education.Today I spoke with Leslie Harris about the book. Dr. Harris is a professor of history at Northwestern University. She is the coeditor, with Ira Berlin, of Slavery in New York and the coeditor, with Daina Ramey Berry, of Slavery and Freedom in Savannah (Georgia).Adam McNeil is a History PhD student at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Leslie M. Harris, "Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies" (U Georgia Press, 2019)

Keren Landsman

Circle

dReed Katz is in many ways an ordinary guy. He shares an apartment in Tel Aviv with his best friend, Daphne, works in a coffee shop, crushes on Lee, a green-eyed man from abroad, and dreads family dinners with his nosy mother.Yet when Reed gets on a bus he has to stand in the white marked section, and he loses his job when the coffee shop gets bombed because of “people like him.” Not only is Reed a person who feels emotions strongly, he’s actually an empath, who can manipulate other people’s emotions, preferably at their invitation, and project feelings into books. His circle of friends includes a seer, Daphne, and his ex, a pyro. They’re all considered sorcerers and feared by most norms.A secretive group, the Sons of Simeon, disrupt the peaceful marches that Reed and his friends participate in, targeting sorcerers for murder in a bid to take power for themselves. Daphne fears that Reed’s continuing presence in the movement will put him in harm’s way. Her visions tell her that Reed may die soon. But Reed, understanding that his survival may create a future in which someone else dies in his place, seems set upon his path. Not even a scorching love affair with Lee can convince him to step aside and let that happen.Join me as I talk to Keren Landsman about her new novel The Heart of the Circle (Angry Robot, 2019)Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the YA fantasy, Girl of Fire, the first in the Berona’s Quest series, and the historical fantasy Falcon series.  You can follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more @GabrielleAuthor, or visit her website at gabriellemathieu.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

dReed Katz is in many ways an ordinary guy. He shares an apartment in Tel Aviv with his best friend, Daphne, works in a coffee shop, crushes on Lee, a green-eyed man from abroad, and dreads family dinners with his nosy mother.Yet when Reed gets on a bus he has to stand in the white marked section, and he loses his job when the coffee shop gets bombed because of “people like him.” Not only is Reed a person who feels emotions strongly, he’s actually an empath, who can manipulate other people’s emotions, preferably at their invitation, and project feelings into books. His circle of friends includes a seer, Daphne, and his ex, a pyro. They’re all considered sorcerers and feared by most norms.A secretive group, the Sons of Simeon, disrupt the peaceful marches that Reed and his friends participate in, targeting sorcerers for murder in a bid to take power for themselves. Daphne fears that Reed’s continuing presence in the movement will put him in harm’s way. Her visions tell her that Reed may die soon. But Reed, understanding that his survival may create a future in which someone else dies in his place, seems set upon his path. Not even a scorching love affair with Lee can convince him to step aside and let that happen.Join me as I talk to <a href="https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/our-authors/keren-landsman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Keren Landsman</a> about her new novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857668110/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Heart of the Circle</a> (Angry Robot, 2019)Gabrielle Mathieu is the author of the YA fantasy, Girl of Fire, the first in the Berona’s Quest series, and the historical fantasy Falcon series. You can follow her on Twitter to get updates about new podcasts and more <a href="https://twitter.com/gabrielleauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GabrielleAuthor</a>, or visit her website at <a href="http://gabriellemathieu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">gabriellemathieu.com</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Keren Landsman, "The Heart of the Circle" (Angry Robot, 2019)

George R.R. Martin

Rex Young

“In the game of thrones you either win or you die”––with over 10 million viewers per episode of Game of Thrones, one of the most successful television shows of all time, George R.R. Martin definitely wins. The success of the show is even more amazing considering it’s genre television––fantasy, to be exact. Some assert that the power of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series upon which the crowning jewel of HBO is based, comes from the author’s willingness to ignore the conventions of the fantasy genre. Not so, argues Dr. Joseph Young in his new book, George R. R. Martin and the Fantasy Form (Routledge, 2019)Using the frameworks of literary theory relevant to modern fantasy, Dr. Young undertakes a compelling examination of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and his employment of the structural demands and thematic aptitudes of the genre. Examining Martin’s approaches to his obligations and licenses as a fantasist, Young persuasively argues that the power of A Song of Ice and Fire derives not from Martin’s abandonment of genre convention, but from his ability to employ those conventions in ways that further, rather than constrain, his authorial program.Written in clear and accessible prose, George R. R. Martin and the Fantasy Form is a timely work which encourages a reassessment of Martin and his approach to his most famous novels. This is an important book for both students and critics of Martin’s work, arguing for a reading of A Song of Ice and Fire as a wide-ranging example of what modern fantasy can accomplish when employed with an eye to its capabilities and purpose.Dr. Joseph Rex Young lives and works in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he pursues his research interests in Gothic literature, neo-Romanticism, and the intellectual history and structure of modern fantasy narrative. He has taught at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and New Zealand.Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

“In the game of thrones you either win or you die”––with over 10 million viewers per episode of Game of Thrones, one of the most successful television shows of all time, George R.R. Martin definitely wins. The success of the show is even more amazing considering it’s genre television––fantasy, to be exact. Some assert that the power of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series upon which the crowning jewel of HBO is based, comes from the author’s willingness to ignore the conventions of the fantasy genre. Not so, argues Dr. Joseph Young in his new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1138502162/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">George R. R. Martin and the Fantasy Form</a> (Routledge, 2019)Using the frameworks of literary theory relevant to modern fantasy, Dr. Young undertakes a compelling examination of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and his employment of the structural demands and thematic aptitudes of the genre. Examining Martin’s approaches to his obligations and licenses as a fantasist, Young persuasively argues that the power of A Song of Ice and Fire derives not from Martin’s abandonment of genre convention, but from his ability to employ those conventions in ways that further, rather than constrain, his authorial program.Written in clear and accessible prose, George R. R. Martin and the Fantasy Form is a timely work which encourages a reassessment of Martin and his approach to his most famous novels. This is an important book for both students and critics of Martin’s work, arguing for a reading of A Song of Ice and Fire as a wide-ranging example of what modern fantasy can accomplish when employed with an eye to its capabilities and purpose.<a href="https://www.routledge.com/authors/i18810-joseph-young" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Joseph Rex Young</a> lives and works in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he pursues his research interests in Gothic literature, neo-Romanticism, and the intellectual history and structure of modern fantasy narrative. He has taught at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and New Zealand.<a href="https://ulaval.academia.edu/CarrieLynnEvans" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carrie Lynn Evans</a> is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Joseph Rex Young, "George R.R. Martin and the Fantasy Form" (Routledge, 2019)

Phillipa Chong

How does the world of book reviews work? In Inside the Critics’ Circle: Book Reviewing in Uncertain Times (Princeton University Press, 2020), Phillipa Chong, assistant professor in sociology at McMaster University, provides a unique sociological analysis of how critics confront the different types of uncertainty associated with their practice. The book explores how reviewers get matched to books, the ethics and etiquette of negative reviews and ‘punching up’, along with professional identities and the future of criticism. The book is packed with interview material, coupled with accessible and easy to follow theoretical interventions, creating a text that will be of interest to social sciences, humanities, and general readers alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy

How does the world of book reviews work? In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/069116746X/?tag=newbooinhis-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inside the Critics’ Circle: Book Reviewing in Uncertain Times </a>(Princeton University Press, 2020), <a href="https://twitter.com/ChongSOC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Phillipa Chong</a>, <a href="https://www.phillipachong.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">assistant professor in sociology</a> at <a href="https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/people/chong-phillipa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McMaster University</a>, provides a unique sociological analysis of how critics confront the different types of uncertainty associated with their practice. The book explores how reviewers get matched to books, the ethics and etiquette of negative reviews and ‘punching up’, along with professional identities and the future of criticism. The book is packed with interview material, coupled with accessible and easy to follow theoretical interventions, creating a text that will be of interest to social sciences, humanities, and general readers alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>Support our show by becoming a premium member! <a href="https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy</a>

Phillipa Chong, “Inside the Critics’ Circle: Book Reviewing in Uncertain Times” (Princeton UP, 2020)

The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes: Interesting Stories & Things

The best philosophy podcast episodes. Asking questions about how to live a better life, what it means to be and do good, to the idea of God. This topic includes episodes that bring about important questions that everyone should be asking themselves. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!