E15. A Journey Through Belgian Fantasy: Events and Author Encounters
This episode of **Rolling Into Fantasy** presents an exploration of our recent attendance at two significant events: Geeks and Freaks in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and a Belgian book convention. The primary focus of our discussion is the enriching interactions with various authors, most notably the renowned Belgian fantasy author Morgan Blade, who has graciously agreed to join us for an upcoming podcast episode. We delve into our experiences at these events, highlighting the unique offerings, including workshops and networking opportunities with fellow enthusiasts and creators. Furthermore, we reflect on the burgeoning interest in fantasy literature and its crucial role in fostering a vibrant reading culture. As we share insights from our conversations and the books we encountered, we express our enthusiasm for the upcoming interviews and the promise they hold for our listeners.
The fifteenth episode of our podcast delves into a comprehensive exploration of our recent engagements at two significant events: Geeks and Freaks in Maastricht, and a subsequent book convention in Belgium. We begin by reflecting on our initial impressions of Geeks and Freaks, which, despite its modest size relative to larger conventions, managed to foster a vibrant atmosphere teeming with workshops and artistic displays. Attendees participated in a variety of activities, from crafting potions to engaging with talented cosplayers. Notably, our interaction with Morgan Blade, a prominent Belgian fantasy author, was a highlight, culminating in her enthusiastic agreement to join us for a future episode. This initial event set the stage for our next undertaking, a larger book fair featuring over a hundred authors representing diverse genres. Here, we had the opportunity to engage with multiple fantasy authors and establish connections that promise exciting future collaborations for our podcast. The discussions illuminated the burgeoning interest in reading, particularly within the fantasy genre, highlighting its role in rejuvenating literary passion among younger audiences.
Takeaways:
- The podcast episode discusses the challenges faced in maintaining a bi-weekly recording schedule due to various commitments and events.
- During the episode, the speakers reflect on attending two significant events, which provided opportunities for networking and engaging with authors in the fantasy genre.
- One of the highlights of the episode includes the introduction of Morgan Blade, a Belgian fantasy author, who expressed interest in joining the podcast for future discussions.
- The hosts emphasize the growth of the fantasy genre in Belgium, noting the increasing visibility and accessibility of local authors at conventions.
- Dimitri Balkan, another author mentioned in the episode, has created a series that incorporates themes of disability, aiming to resonate with readers facing similar challenges.
- The episode concludes with a promise to feature upcoming interviews with various authors, showcasing the vibrant literary scene in fantasy literature.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Geeks and Freaks
- Facts
- Morgan Blade
- Dimitri Balcaen
- Petra Doom
- Mathias Maho
- Augustina Bastarica
- Jacqueline Hartman
- Robert Harris
Transcript
All right, and welcome to episode 15 of Rolling Into Fantasy.
Speaker A:And yes, again, we took some extra time.
Speaker A:I think it's an extra week than what we had planned.
Speaker A:But we have a good excuse, as always.
Speaker B:We're gonna run out of good excuses, are we?
Speaker A:No, I just think that trying to do it every two weeks.
Speaker A:So a bi weekly episode is just too difficult for us.
Speaker B:It seems with this much of a busy schedule, it sometimes proves to be difficult.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, and this time around, the excuses are.
Speaker A:Well, we went to two events.
Speaker A:That's one.
Speaker A:And last week, he abandoned me.
Speaker A:I abandoned you.
Speaker A:I gave you an empty house.
Speaker A:That's an advantage for you.
Speaker B:I did enjoy it.
Speaker A:Well, there you go.
Speaker A:But we celebrated the 18th birthday of your sister in Barcelona.
Speaker A:So we were out for a few days, but nevertheless, we got some reading done.
Speaker A:And more importantly, as mentioned, we went to two events which were quite productive.
Speaker B:Yes, very much so.
Speaker A:So with no further ado, let's dive into it immediately.
Speaker A:So we'll have two major segments, I would say, in this episode.
Speaker A:So we're going to have Tales from.
Speaker B:The tome for the books and epic events.
Speaker B:The two events, obviously.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:All right, so your take on the first event we went to, which was Geeks and Freaks.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Which was in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Speaker A:And it was the first time around that they organized this.
Speaker A:So what was your impression?
Speaker A:And set the scene, perhaps just briefly.
Speaker B:So it's in a convention hall, as you'd expect.
Speaker B:But it's obviously for a first edition, it was very small.
Speaker B:It was just one room, but a big one.
Speaker B:A big one.
Speaker B:A big one, granted.
Speaker B:But for, you know, Comic Con standards, it was fairly small.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But again, it's the first edition, so not surprised.
Speaker B:And you had a lot of things that you could do there.
Speaker B:You had a lot of workshops that you could participate in, like body painting or smaller crafts like crafting potions or wands, face paint, all that stuff.
Speaker B:You had some sort of artist alley where there were a lot of small businesses that were storing their wares.
Speaker B:You had a lot of.
Speaker A:Very dangerous for you.
Speaker B:I only bought one thing, though.
Speaker A:True, true.
Speaker B:Usually it's worse in facts.
Speaker B:I am very afraid of going to facts.
Speaker A:Well, then don't go.
Speaker B:No, I will go.
Speaker B:I matter of fact, I will go matter of fact, too.
Speaker B:I will spend money.
Speaker B:Anyway, getting off topic, there were also a lot of cosplayers.
Speaker B:Very good ones, too.
Speaker A:Yes, true.
Speaker A:And if this is the bar that they're setting, I mean, I think they're off to a Good start.
Speaker A:And although you did mention twice, you know, fairly small.
Speaker A:I mean, you have to take it into account, there was a little alley, you know, the artist alley.
Speaker A:You had those cosplay, boardwalk, the body paint, but also the different little shops.
Speaker A:And there are quite a lot of them, to be honest.
Speaker A:True.
Speaker B:Especially for a first edition, it was really well taken care of.
Speaker A:And I mean, it was neatly organized, as you mentioned.
Speaker A:What I really liked was what we've seen now in the last few editions of Facts, larger alleys, larger walkways, which is way much, you know, enjoyable, you.
Speaker B:Know, because you're not constantly bumping into people.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:I mean, there wasn't that many people, but still.
Speaker A:But still, you know, having large alleys, that's a.
Speaker A:That's an absolutely must.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:It gives you some.
Speaker A:Some breathing space and walking space.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:Despite, like the very large alleyways, it didn't feel empty.
Speaker A:No, true.
Speaker A:No, no, true.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:It was comfortable, but not empty.
Speaker A:No, I mean.
Speaker A:And although we went there, it was just a quick drive for us, about an hour drive.
Speaker A:We didn't spend that long of a time because most of the things that we saw was something that we already had been expecting but weren't too surprised.
Speaker A:I mean, I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong, but it was not something like it contained lots of stuff we hadn't seen.
Speaker A:Perhaps one thing that I found really impressive was some of, as you already mentioned, some of the cosplay.
Speaker A:I mean, there was this guy that had a full automatic suit, you know, that walked straight out of the movie of Transformers.
Speaker A:And I mean, that was huge.
Speaker B:That was huge.
Speaker A:That was.
Speaker A:I mean, I think.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I don't recall having posted an image.
Speaker A:I know I took a picture, if not, I'll repost it.
Speaker A:But anyways, that was quite interesting.
Speaker A:And another reason why we went there and that tying it directly to the second event we'll cover just in a sec, is that we wanted to talk to one of the very few authors, fantasy authors, that was present there.
Speaker A:We did, Yep.
Speaker A:And we did.
Speaker A:So we got to introduce ourselves to Morgan Blade, who is a Belgian fantasy author, quite established now.
Speaker A:She's quite known in the genre in Belgium.
Speaker A:Obviously she wrote.
Speaker A:Writes in Dutch for now.
Speaker A:And so we got a little time.
Speaker A:We introduced ourselves and just basically invited her or asked her if she would be interested in joining us in one of the upcoming recordings of this podcast.
Speaker A:And she immediately said yes.
Speaker A:So we were quite excited about that.
Speaker A:So that one is coming up, but more Perhaps on that, much later in this, in this episode.
Speaker A:So that was another main reason why we wanted to go there.
Speaker A:Which leads us to the second event.
Speaker B:One that was just a book convention where a lot of authors came together to sell their books, basically.
Speaker A:But this was a Belgian edition and moreover, mainly Dutch speaking or, you know, books written in Dutch.
Speaker A:But there were over a hundred authors.
Speaker B:Which was a lot of authors.
Speaker A:I mean, that is a lot.
Speaker A:Not all of them, obviously not all of them were fantasy writers.
Speaker A:I mean, you had all genres being represented there.
Speaker B:Yeah, thrillers, romance, fantasy, and so on and so forth.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:But nevertheless, there were quite some fantasy authors present there and we talked to.
Speaker B:Quite a few of them.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker B:But more on that later when we're going through all the books.
Speaker A:I mean, although there were like over a hundred authors, so we, we started again saying hi.
Speaker A:I mean, this was literally like one week in between, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So there was one week after Geeks and Freaks.
Speaker A:And so this book event which was in Belgium, our first stop with was again with Morgan.
Speaker A:She was very kind to, to wave us a welcome.
Speaker A:So we talked a bit more with her and apparently she had already mentioned our podcast to some fellow writer and we talked to several of them.
Speaker A:We were very welcome to do that little talk at their stand.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:More than one, more than one agreed to be an upcoming guest in our podcast.
Speaker A:So we will be having quite a few guests in the upcoming recordings.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I'm really, really excited.
Speaker A:We sent out the official emails to them, you know, to get a date set out.
Speaker A:Obviously these people are very much taken, so their time is precious.
Speaker A:But we'll be more than happy, you know, to accommodate.
Speaker A:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker A:But I really enjoyed it.
Speaker A:Although we only focused obviously only on fantasy authors.
Speaker A:I mean, talking to, I think about five authors in total, it took several hours.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, we were there for quite some time.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So I mean, we just spent talking to them.
Speaker A:But all in all, very nice.
Speaker A:And it's, it's another good sign, at least that's how I experience it.
Speaker A:A good sign that people are, I would say, increasingly reading.
Speaker A:And it's, it's, it's really something that we have to cherish.
Speaker A:And I think that the, the genre, the fantasy genre is definitely helping that, you know, to, to get even young readers back into reading.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Which is really funny because I actually took a small break of, you know, the usual fantasy.
Speaker A:Oh, you mean like now, recently?
Speaker B:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker B:I kind of needed a palate cleanser, if you Will.
Speaker A:Same here.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I just did the same.
Speaker B:So the two books that I've read, read are two dystopian novels.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker A:Huh.
Speaker B:I'm gonna start with the first one on my list here, and that is Tender is the Flesh from Augustina Basta.
Speaker A:Rica, which I'm probably, you know, Massacre.
Speaker B:I'm mastering that name, but it's.
Speaker B:I'm butchering it.
Speaker B:But it's.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker B:So what is this book about?
Speaker B:So it's a dystopian novel about basically our future.
Speaker B:And there has been this virus has gone around in all animal meat.
Speaker B:And if you eat animal meat, you die.
Speaker B:It's just not.
Speaker A:Is it a vegan novel?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Oh, it's.
Speaker B:It's so much worse.
Speaker B:It's so much worse.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:So, you know, animal meat, you can't eat it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And sorry for the background noises.
Speaker A:I mean, we have just piles of books on the table, so we're shuffling books around.
Speaker A:So apologies for the.
Speaker A:The background noises.
Speaker A:But anyway, you were saying?
Speaker B:So all animal meat has become inedible.
Speaker A:Okay, good for the animals.
Speaker B:What does the government do as the obvious solution?
Speaker B:They legalize cannibalism.
Speaker B:And they quite literally start processing plans to breed humans made for their meat.
Speaker B:So they are starting to breed humans and treat them like cattle.
Speaker B:Oh, I'm just telling.
Speaker B:I'm just putting it out there.
Speaker B:I really love dark books and books that do not have happy endings.
Speaker B:Those two books fall under that category.
Speaker B:I'm just saying.
Speaker B:Now, Tender is the flesh.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Not for the faint of heart.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Absolutely not.
Speaker B:Well, I'm gonna explain what I thought about the book.
Speaker B:It's absolutely not for the faint of heart.
Speaker B:I even.
Speaker B:I, who usually does not get disturbed that quickly.
Speaker A:Yeah, you have a dark soul.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm not even sure if you have a soul at all, but.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But I can.
Speaker B:I can handle a lot in books.
Speaker B:I don't get disturbed quite easily.
Speaker B:I had to put this book down a few times because I felt sick.
Speaker A:Just a quick question.
Speaker A:It's okay if you don't know, but is this a her debut novel or.
Speaker B:I have no clue.
Speaker A:No clue.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:No, I was just wondering because the name, in all honesty, doesn't ring a bell.
Speaker A:It doesn't really.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker B:That's okay.
Speaker B:It's okay.
Speaker A:Shows how well prepared we are.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker B:So first of all, this book has a very detached writing style.
Speaker B:As in, everything feels very sterile, very clinical, which is kind of the point, because the character and everyone else feels very detached to all of this Gore.
Speaker B:And this violence that they.
Speaker B:Towards the quote, unquote, cattle, humans.
Speaker B:Because to them it is normal.
Speaker B:And that's why the book also feels like very detached from this violence.
Speaker B:Like it's just normal day to day life.
Speaker B:It has a disturbing realism, which with that.
Speaker B:I mean, the way that they treat the heads.
Speaker B:That is what they call it.
Speaker B:Heads are the cattle.
Speaker B:Humans.
Speaker B:They don't even call them humans anymore.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It basically reflects how we treat animals.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:Oh, my God, this book is just a walking trigger warning.
Speaker B:But it has, for me at least, it had a deeper meaning.
Speaker B:It critiqued consumerism, dehumanization and misogyny.
Speaker A:Okay, that's a happy.
Speaker B:And I think the one thing that really stood out to me, you know, often in dystopian novels, you have like this hero trope, right?
Speaker B:Where the main character is trying to fight the system.
Speaker B:This rejects the hero trope.
Speaker A:It is the system.
Speaker B:It is the system.
Speaker B:And you really expect that, like the main character, at first, he's really appalled by the system.
Speaker B:But Slow but surely.
Speaker A:Don't spill too much.
Speaker B:Sorry?
Speaker A:Don't spill too much.
Speaker B:All I'm saying is he is not a hero.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:He is just part of the system.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But let's leave it at that.
Speaker B:So fair enough.
Speaker A:What do you think?
Speaker A:What do you.
Speaker A:What did you think about it?
Speaker B:Well, I just.
Speaker A:On a scale from zero to five.
Speaker B:Golden Dragons, I gave it four out of five.
Speaker B:It's a really.
Speaker A:Four out of five.
Speaker B:It's a really good book.
Speaker B:Like I said, not for the faint of heart.
Speaker B:You do have to be fine with a lot of things.
Speaker B:Like, a lot.
Speaker B:If I were to give you the list of trigger warnings, it would be a very long list.
Speaker A:We can include it in the description of our episode.
Speaker B:So if you're fine with a lot of things, I would definitely recommend it.
Speaker B:But if you're easily disturbed, don't.
Speaker B:Don't do it.
Speaker B:Don't do it to yourself.
Speaker B:You will cry or.
Speaker A:I'm already liking the book.
Speaker B:You really should read it.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:It's a really good one.
Speaker A:All right, next one then.
Speaker B:The next one is I, who have Never Known Men.
Speaker A:Yeah, you mentioned that one.
Speaker A:This is from a Belgian author.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's from Jacqueline Hartman.
Speaker B:And as he said, she is a Belgian author and she originally wrote it in French.
Speaker B:Obviously, I read it in English because.
Speaker A:Because your French sucks.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker B: hat the book was published in: Speaker B:So it's a really old book.
Speaker A:No, it's not old.
Speaker A:It's old for you.
Speaker B:It's old.
Speaker B:It's 30 years old.
Speaker B:That's old.
Speaker A:You know, in book terms, that's not old for me.
Speaker B:It's old.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Let me.
Speaker B:Let me put it this way.
Speaker B:It's 30 years old, and suddenly it's become very popular.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Because I have no clue why, out of the blue, it became very like.
Speaker B:Personally, I really enjoyed the book.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I see why people would recommend it.
Speaker B:I'm just a little puzzled why the fame comes 30 years after the book has been published.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Again, shows how well prepared we are.
Speaker A:A basic Google search would have, you know, helped that.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker B:Okay, so what is the book about?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's about a young girl who is imprisoned along with 9, 39 other women in this bunker.
Speaker B:They don't know why they're captured.
Speaker B:They barely remember anything from their past life.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So it's also.
Speaker A:Would you categorize it into a little bit of dystopian?
Speaker B:Yeah, I said.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I told you before, I.
Speaker B:I read two dystopian novels.
Speaker A:Right, right, right.
Speaker B:So, yes, this one is also dystopian.
Speaker B:And, well, after a little while, it's very early on in the story, they do escape said bunker, and then they step out into this barren and vast world and start to explore.
Speaker B:At first I thought, you know, this is just a dystopian novel, but I would say that it also has a few fantasy elements because the world that they explore, 100% not planet Earth.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And that's raised a lot of questions.
Speaker B:Okay, but what did I think about this book?
Speaker B:Well, first of all, it is very philosophical and very, very beautifully written.
Speaker B:The author really had a way with words.
Speaker A:Imagine reading this in French.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:No, it's.
Speaker B:I often had to, like, reread a few sentences just because they were so beautiful.
Speaker B:And it's like, wow, that is so beautifully worded.
Speaker B:I must say.
Speaker B:You really have to be in a certain mood, though.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Because you really have to focus on what she's saying and what she's telling you.
Speaker B:It's not like, oh, I can turn my brain off, and.
Speaker B:Yeah, just read.
Speaker B:I mean, you really have to be in the mindset for it.
Speaker A:It's not your basic chicklet.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:So there were times where I just couldn't read it because I was not in the mood for.
Speaker B:You really have to give it your full attention.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:It has also, like, a very dark and bleak theme.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's Supposed to make you very uncomfortable.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And one of the things that I.
Speaker A:And that was your break from fantasy.
Speaker A:Those.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Two dystopian novels and very, very happy books.
Speaker B:But listen, I don't like to.
Speaker B:I'm sorry, but I really do not like books with happy endings.
Speaker B:I feel like books without a happy ending are really underrated.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker B:I really like dark books.
Speaker A:Books without a happy ending are underrated.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:But once in a while, I mean.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure, once in a while, a book with a happy ending is nice or just.
Speaker A:Even an open ending doesn't have to be too bad or dark, but can be just open, you know, open for interpretation.
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:With some books who have a happy ending, I just feel like.
Speaker B:It feels really forced.
Speaker A:Because you feel, like, betrayed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's like there's no way this could have been a happy ending.
Speaker B:This should have been a bad ending.
Speaker B:But because bad endings are usually.
Speaker B:People aren't very fond of bad endings.
Speaker B:So then.
Speaker A:Well, it also depends how you experience the book.
Speaker A:True.
Speaker A:If you identify with one of the antagonists.
Speaker B:True.
Speaker A:Then you know, a happy ending is a bad ending.
Speaker B:I guess.
Speaker B:Now, this book, I think, to me at least, the content of the book wasn't what mattered.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Because there's.
Speaker B:The book raises a lot of questions, and I mean, a ton.
Speaker B:And you never get any answer.
Speaker A:Oh, but I mean, see, while it can be really frustrating, I can imagine, and I've read some.
Speaker B:I can see why people.
Speaker B:Why that would frustrate some people.
Speaker B:But see, the content of the book is not the point of the book.
Speaker B:The point of the book is, like, the underlying message.
Speaker B:Because it talks about what it means to be human and the effects or of forced solitude or not knowing anything.
Speaker B:And it confronts survival and freedom.
Speaker B:Like, what.
Speaker B:What does that even mean?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:What does it mean to be human?
Speaker B:What is the meaning of life?
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:How do we give meaning to life?
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Why would we want to keep on living?
Speaker B:What reason do we have to keep on living?
Speaker B:And the content of the book, or like, the setting of the book is just a way to help explore those questions.
Speaker B:But it's not the point.
Speaker B:And that's why you never get any answers to any of those questions.
Speaker A:At the same time, while it can be frustrating, as I.
Speaker A:As I said, at the same time, it gives you as a reader a lot of freedom.
Speaker A:You can interpret like you want.
Speaker A:You can fill in the blanks.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:And, you know, fill those blanks with your own thoughts, which is sometimes an Advantage.
Speaker B:The book often uses like the fact that it doesn't give answers or just pure silence to the questions basically as like a way to push forward.
Speaker B:It's like you have to focus on the underlying message, not on what the book is about.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Your rating for me, it was a 3.5 out of 5.
Speaker A:Still good, you know.
Speaker B:Still good.
Speaker B:I think the fact that I sometimes had difficulty focusing on everything.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:Is what made it go down a bit because you really have to focus on it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But it's beautifully written.
Speaker B:I would definitely recommend it.
Speaker A:Okay, that's.
Speaker A:I mean, that's a throng 3.5.
Speaker A:Almost a 4, but okay.
Speaker A:You know, it's a 3.5.
Speaker A:That's fair enough.
Speaker A:Excellent.
Speaker A:Well, those are quite a break from fantasy today.
Speaker B:I don't know, but lately I've really been in the mood of like reading dystopian novels.
Speaker B:Bought so many dystopian novels as of recent.
Speaker A:At a certain point you have to read them.
Speaker B:Yeah, true.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:Oh, we're there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, before you jump onto the next one.
Speaker A:The next ones.
Speaker A:But these you didn't read, right?
Speaker B:I have not read those two yet, but I did buy them.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Just to jump on the same bandwagon, I also took more or less of a break.
Speaker A:Well, yes and no.
Speaker A:From fantasy because I also wanted to have a break.
Speaker A:You know, palette cleansing, as you said.
Speaker A:And I did it.
Speaker A:I reread believe it or not.
Speaker A:I reread the Handmaid's Tale.
Speaker B:Oh my God.
Speaker A:Which I liked.
Speaker A:And I mean, as dystopian as it was, I read it and then I was even more demoralized because.
Speaker B:Because it's starting to turn into reality.
Speaker A:I think we're there already anyway, so I won't go into much details on that one.
Speaker A:But I love the book and Handmaid.
Speaker B:And still, you mean.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And having read it now, again, for me it had a different meaning or, you know, it.
Speaker A:It colored the story differently.
Speaker B:Now that you're older and wiser.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:Now that the times are changing from that perspective.
Speaker B:Because it feels less unrealistic.
Speaker B:Because it's happening in real time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know.
Speaker A: Well, you know,: Speaker A:Fiction again.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:Anyway, and then another one who is actually becoming one of my favorite non fantasy writers.
Speaker A:I mean, still fiction.
Speaker A:But he.
Speaker A:He has such a.
Speaker A:An easy writing style.
Speaker A:And I mean, with that.
Speaker A:It's no effort whatsoever for.
Speaker A:And I mean this, in a good sense, but it's no effort whatsoever that is demanded from the reader to just step into this book and just be drawn into the story.
Speaker A:It's so easy because he writes so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So easy.
Speaker A:And that is Robert Harris.
Speaker A:And I read Conclave.
Speaker A:The topic might seem very boring.
Speaker A:I mean, it starts off so it's just in our world, obviously, it's fiction about nothing, fantasy.
Speaker A:So the Pope died, and you basically follow the whole procedure of a conclave.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So a new Pope has to be chosen and you have these intrigues.
Speaker A:Very human intrigues.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Human nature.
Speaker A:Although there are really, really high placed figures in.
Speaker A:In the whole system, they are, bottom line, they're still human.
Speaker B:True.
Speaker A:With all their faults and their good parts, you know, And I thought it was very interesting.
Speaker A:Quite captivating.
Speaker A:Although it's.
Speaker A:It's a very, you know, I wouldn't say normal because you.
Speaker A:You don't get a conclave that often.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And I mean, I read it while these messages came in the news, you know, that the current Pope, his health was, you know, not so good.
Speaker A:So, I mean, that was really a coincidence.
Speaker A:I mean, good for him that he's apparently doing a little bit better.
Speaker A:So let's hope his health will remain that way.
Speaker A:But anyway, the book, I really enjoyed it and it was the breather I needed.
Speaker B:Hey, we all need a palate cleanser sometimes.
Speaker A:It was the breather I needed because it was very human, very down to earth, but still very intriguing.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Nope, Very much liked it.
Speaker A:Anyway, so that was my short break from fantasy, but go ahead.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So what else do I have for you guys?
Speaker B:I bought two new books at the book convention that we went to.
Speaker B:Both books are from the same author, which is one of the ones that we spoke to, and that is Dimitri Balkan.
Speaker A:Balkan, Yep.
Speaker B:I think both books I bought in Dutch because obviously that is kind of the point.
Speaker B:Trying to read a little bit more in Dutch.
Speaker B:The first book that I bought is called the Grimoire the Gods of Tomorrow.
Speaker B:So it follows the story of this young man, and he discovers an ancient book of magic and unlocking a world of forbidden knowledge and dark forces and all that.
Speaker B:But he starts kind of struggling with this because the more that he works with this grimoire, it gives him more power, and with power comes great responsibility.
Speaker B:But, you know, you're usually not that responsible.
Speaker B:So it really plays with the cost of knowledge and obsession and the blurred line between power and madness.
Speaker B:Now, what I find so intriguing about this book, it has five main characters, and each of these characters Have a, well, a different disability.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Be that depression or autism.
Speaker B:And for me that was really important because this is very relevant for my studies.
Speaker B:I study to be.
Speaker B:To help people with disabilities, be it physical or mental, and how I can assist them in their day to day life.
Speaker B:Now, the author worked together with a psychologist to kind of work these helplines and treatments into the book.
Speaker B:Basically the characters are using these.
Speaker B:And that was with the thought process of, oh, if my heroes from my favorite book series are doing this with problems that I too struggle with, maybe I should try it instead of a psychologist telling you to do it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, this is basically what the author, Dimitri literally told us.
Speaker A:So this was part of the, the intention.
Speaker A:Yeah, the conversation that we had with him.
Speaker A:And that was exactly what he said.
Speaker A:And by the way, very, very gentle guy.
Speaker B:He is very gentle.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:And he really took time out.
Speaker A:I mean, more on that.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:So that was one that you bought.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:And that's why I found it very important to read this one.
Speaker B:And I honestly very interested to read it.
Speaker A:And there are, there are two.
Speaker A:Are they two books?
Speaker B:Yes, currently.
Speaker B:And it's set to be a trilogy.
Speaker A:Trilogy.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And then the next book that I bought is the observatory.
Speaker B:The 8th.
Speaker B:The 98th witch.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And this is about a astronomer.
Speaker B:And they are drawn to this mysterious remote observatory.
Speaker B:And here they uncover an unsettling secret about the cosmos and its connection to their own existence.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Now one of the things that I found very interesting that Dimitri told us is it's only about women.
Speaker B:There are no men in.
Speaker B:There are no men in this book, in this series.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker B:So, you know, that was the first thing that was like, oh, yeah, I gotta read this.
Speaker B:Give it to me.
Speaker B:A women only book.
Speaker B:Hell yeah.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:I also, what really caught my attention about this book, except from the COVID and the art and the synopsis, which is the first three main important things for me at least, was that every chapter has its own, like, tiny music playlist that you can listen to while reading.
Speaker A:It's quite original, though.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's really original.
Speaker B:I really like that idea.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker B:And because a lot of time people do listen to music while reading.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:Yeah, but it can be.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's a thin line.
Speaker B:It can distract you or it can help you focus.
Speaker A:Yeah, some.
Speaker A:It, sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't.
Speaker A:I mean, it's, it's personal.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And you mentioned one of the three theme things concentrate on or are led by in your choice of books is obviously also the covers yes.
Speaker A:And I have to say, the books that were on display at Dimitri's stand were stunning.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:They were so pretty.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And this, that really, from all of the fantasy authors that immediately jumped out to me, like, oh, those book looks pretty.
Speaker B:Those books look pretty.
Speaker B:I want to go see.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:And I mean, having talked to Dimitri myself as well, I had to say I knew that I was going to buy one myself as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, obviously.
Speaker A:But unknown to my knowledge.
Speaker A:And again, it only shows how much, you know, hidden gems.
Speaker A:I mean, even for us, these were hidden gems.
Speaker A:I mean, I had known community just by name, so at least I knew the name in the fantasy world from Belgium.
Speaker A:But what I didn't know, and this goes for most of the authors that we talked to for the first time, they have not written one or two books.
Speaker A:I mean, these are authors that have already put out several books.
Speaker A:And to be very specific, with.
Speaker A:With Dimitri, he has put out, I mean, several.
Speaker A:Well, several books.
Speaker A:Not only that, but he is also overseeing the English versions of his book.
Speaker B:So he translates his own books.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:I mean, and this is up to now, I would say, one of the very few exceptions on the rule.
Speaker A:I mean, you know, having Belgian fantasy authors writing in Dutch, having English versions of their books is quite rare for now at least.
Speaker A:And, I mean, he's at the same publisher for his English books, as is Brandon Sanderson.
Speaker A:And that is a big deal.
Speaker B:If it's good enough for Brandon Sanderson, it's good enough for you.
Speaker A:Yeah, but I mean, and what I bought from him, I was also drawn by the COVID mind you.
Speaker A:And I did buy the English version, though, and it's called Here Be Dragons.
Speaker A:And I mean, also, again, I mentioned the COVID I mean, very aesthetically pleasing.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And this one is a standalone.
Speaker A:I haven't read it just yet, although, I mean, I did read a few pages.
Speaker A:And what's cool about this story is, I mean, it's set in a world where you have this rhythm of always having six months of peace and then always six months of war.
Speaker A:So, you know, it's.
Speaker A:Every time.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And this has been apparently the case for decades, and this is the case for the people of Thule.
Speaker A:I hope I pronounce it correctly.
Speaker A:And when the long night comes, as.
Speaker B:It'S put, it's giving Fairy Game of Thrones.
Speaker A:That was my first reaction as well.
Speaker A:The long night comes.
Speaker A:The sea dragons then arrive to steal their land.
Speaker A:And I'm just reading a little part of the back cover of the book.
Speaker A:And you have These sailors that are set, you know, to take on these monsters.
Speaker A:And I just read the first few pages, and I have to say, the.
Speaker A:The writing style just loved it.
Speaker A:Really just love it.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You get drawn into it.
Speaker A:It's, it's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I always say it's easy to read.
Speaker A:And I really mean this positive that you are easily drawn into the story.
Speaker A:That's what I mean with it.
Speaker A:So I really enjoy.
Speaker A:Enjoyed having a little glimpse.
Speaker A:But I mean, next to this standalone and the two books, I do also.
Speaker B:Like books that really just throw you into a story.
Speaker A:Yep, yep, absolutely.
Speaker A:And I mean, he was on.
Speaker A:He was on the.
Speaker A:The Event, I think, with most of his books.
Speaker A:But I was, again, like I mentioned, I was really surprised by the number of books because you have his Peter Pan series, and that's like a kind of retelling of the Peter Pan.
Speaker A:The first one of.
Speaker A:In that series is how Peter Pan became.
Speaker A:You know, how Peter.
Speaker A:How Peter became.
Speaker A:Became Peter Pan.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:It's a tongue twister.
Speaker A:And the second part is called Peter and Hook the Last Days.
Speaker A:But then you have.
Speaker A:Next to the Grimoire series, which you mentioned, and I'm just translating literally from Dutch, is another series called Sisters of the Ass.
Speaker A:Adam.
Speaker A:You also have two books in this, the first one being called the Hunt, and then Collision, perhaps Collision, and then you have the Night Watch or the Star Watch, Sorry, series.
Speaker A:Also, two books have been published.
Speaker A:And although he is a very significant authority for the Belgian fantasy literature scene, he has expanded that.
Speaker A:Like we already mentioned, he is overseeing the English version of some of his books, but he also has founded a new publishing house which is called Read More Publishing House.
Speaker A:So it's really a platform for his creative works and also to support emerging authors.
Speaker A:So that is quite a task.
Speaker A:I mean, you're writing and editing your own books, but on top of that, you have your own publishing house.
Speaker A:So that's.
Speaker A:That's quite something.
Speaker A:And what sets him apart, I would say, is the way he, you know, he.
Speaker A:He makes a fusion of classic myths and modern themes.
Speaker A:And, you know, the storytelling is really a commitment to the literary community.
Speaker A:And, you know, he really wants to.
Speaker A:And you can sense that when talking to him.
Speaker A:You know, he really wants to inspire both readers and aspiring writers.
Speaker A:So I'm really excited that we will be having him.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I'm really excited.
Speaker A:I mean, and it didn't stop there, right?
Speaker A:I mean, this is one of the five authors that we spoke to.
Speaker A:So another author.
Speaker A:Author, which we already mentioned several Times is Morgan Blade.
Speaker A:And from her I also start reading, obviously, and I have to start with a.
Speaker A:What I would call a collective writing.
Speaker A:So it's a book with short stories, sorry, obviously in Dutch and literally translated, it's stories from the Dragon Wing.
Speaker A:Now the Dragon Wing is your typical dnd, you know, pub, you know, very typical.
Speaker A: ology published last year, so: Speaker A:And you know, it brings this diverse group of fantasy authors writing these little stories set in this atmospheric tavern.
Speaker A:And the tavern is called you the Dragon Wing.
Speaker A:And so it's eight short stories, as mentioned, D and D inspired.
Speaker A:And one of the stories is also written by Morgan Blade.
Speaker A:Now all the others are not all full time writers.
Speaker A:Some are, are just avid D and D players as well.
Speaker A:So you have a, a good mix, I mean, and a good mix of styles as well.
Speaker A:So that was my first real encounter with her writing style.
Speaker A:And it's the, the Riddle of the Sphinx.
Speaker A:I'm just literally the riddle of the Sphinx.
Speaker A:And it also showed.
Speaker A:And I saw that and I could recognize it having spoken to her as well.
Speaker A:You know, that she's quite proficient in English as well.
Speaker A:And that helps, in my opinion, in your writing.
Speaker A:So that you, I wouldn't say mass, but when you're quite proficient in more than one language next to your mother tongue, it helps you to find a certain way with words.
Speaker A:And that's what I spotted in her little short story.
Speaker A:And going from there, you also got.
Speaker B:A second book from her Muse Academy.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And this is actually I took the first book from her series, which is called the Muse Academy and the Secret of Hellion.
Speaker A:The Secret of Hellion, indeed.
Speaker A:I mean, this is young adult fantasy novel.
Speaker A:And I'm really fine with a young adult because I do enjoy these books as well.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And from the title alone, I could already tell that it has a very Harry Potter kind of vibe to it.
Speaker A:Yep, yep.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And this is.
Speaker B:You can't agree.
Speaker B:You haven't read those books.
Speaker A:No, no, no, but I haven't read it.
Speaker A:But like most of us, I have seen the movies.
Speaker B:That's not the same.
Speaker A:It is not too bad.
Speaker B:Ultimately better.
Speaker A:Yeah, but lack of having read them.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But anyway, anyway, so in this novel, so we follow Imogen Parker, it's at first glance, you know, ordinary teenager who unexpectedly receives invitation to attend an exclusive art academy on a remote Greek island.
Speaker A:So it's still set here.
Speaker A:And upon arriving, you know, she quickly befriends a diverse group of students.
Speaker A:But Each uniquely connected to one of the nine ancient Muses.
Speaker A:Hence, you know, the Muse Academy.
Speaker A:And together they uncover the Academy's hidden magical secrets while racing against time to thwart an impending attack by vengeful sirens.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Heavy.
Speaker B:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:So it's also very sea.
Speaker B:Like sea?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:You have some elements, but it's not only at sea.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker B:That's one thing that I don't know what it is, but if it's like pure pirate fantasy and most of the story is at sea, it's like, I.
Speaker B:I cannot be bothered to read that because I do not like that.
Speaker B:Okay, but I mean, that's being away from the sea.
Speaker B:I don't like the sea.
Speaker A:I actually like the sea.
Speaker A:In books.
Speaker A:In books.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker A:I took one boat trip.
Speaker A:I was sick as hell.
Speaker B:Close it.
Speaker A:You were, too.
Speaker A:You were seasick.
Speaker B:The moment we left the harbor, I started throwing up and I did not stop until we were back in the harbor.
Speaker B:And that is, ladies and gentlemen, why I hate going on boats.
Speaker B:Do not like reading about it.
Speaker B:Do not like being on boats.
Speaker B:I don't like hearing sea shanties.
Speaker B:I just do not like pirate stuff.
Speaker A:Oh, but there's one exception there.
Speaker A:There's one quote unquote metal band band, and it's all about Paris and Eugene.
Speaker B:That is the one exception.
Speaker B:That is the one exception.
Speaker A:We're talking about Alestor, but that's a different story for lady.
Speaker B:Listen, that's not sea shanties.
Speaker B:That's heavy metal.
Speaker B:It has a different feel.
Speaker A:It's fun metal.
Speaker B:It's fun metal.
Speaker B:But anyway, it's pirate metal.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Anyway, we have to speed up here.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:So here, what's fun in this series of books is really the idea.
Speaker A:Idea of myth meets modernity.
Speaker A:Modern times.
Speaker A:No, but you can laugh.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker B:No, no, I wasn't laughing about the book.
Speaker A:Why are you laughing then?
Speaker B:Your accent.
Speaker A:My accent.
Speaker A:Anyway, while she's having a mental breakdown, I'll just continue here.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:So anyway, so we have these two books in the Muse Academy series.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker A:And obviously, as I mentioned previously, I was amazed by the number of books that our Belgian fantasy authors have already put out.
Speaker A:Because next to that, you also have the other young adult series.
Speaker A:And then you have, again, just translating from Dutch, the Van Helsing Chronicles.
Speaker A: st part that was published in: Speaker A:And then you even have a second book, the Cross.
Speaker A: the Lost Souls, published in: Speaker B:And those were all by who?
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:This was still by Morgan Blake.
Speaker A:I mean, she has quite a set of books.
Speaker A:I'm just touching on a few books.
Speaker B:We also got a few other books from different authors, didn't you?
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:We also talked to another author called Petra Dom.
Speaker A:And I would say in English.
Speaker A:English.
Speaker A:Peter Doom.
Speaker A:But I mean, this is.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:I knew.
Speaker A:In.
Speaker A:In perfect name for English.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:In high school, I.
Speaker A:I had actually some.
Speaker A:Some people in.
Speaker A:In my school with the same last name, but you would pronounce it Dome and.
Speaker B:Yeah, but in English it's Doom.
Speaker B:So what's your last name?
Speaker B:Doom.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:Mrs.
Speaker B:Doom.
Speaker A:I mean, that's pretty cool if that is your real name in English.
Speaker A:Doom.
Speaker A:Excellent.
Speaker A:Anyway, so she has also several series.
Speaker A:Young adult.
Speaker B:Yes, I think she had one young adult series and one more focused for adults.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And I'm just having a hard time translating it because the series is called in Dutch, Overstickers.
Speaker B:Cross.
Speaker A:Yeah, crossers.
Speaker A:You know, I don't.
Speaker B:It's those who cross.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'll have to look up a proper translation translation overseas.
Speaker A:Yeah, the Crossers.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:The literal translation is crossers.
Speaker B:But there will probably be a better translation.
Speaker B:AKA if the author, for example, would translate their book, they would also translate the title in a way better way because.
Speaker A:Different.
Speaker B:Yeah, like with the observatory from Dimitri.
Speaker B:In.
Speaker B:In Dutch, your accent.
Speaker A:Dvitry.
Speaker A:It's almost a Russian.
Speaker B:In Dutch, it's called the Sterebacht.
Speaker B:And that does not translate to observatory.
Speaker B:If I were to literally translate it, it would be the Star.
Speaker A:Wait, yeah, no, that's.
Speaker A:That's too literal.
Speaker A:But anyway, Star.
Speaker B:It's not the literal translation at least.
Speaker A:But anyway, the Crosshairs.
Speaker A:Poor translation is a trilogy.
Speaker A:So she has two consequent books in that series.
Speaker A:The Shadow of Shah and the Royal Magic.
Speaker A:That at least I could translate.
Speaker A:And then she has another series called the Children of Orpheus, the Song of Ariane and the Power of Elisheva Elena.
Speaker A:So that's that.
Speaker A:And she also agreed to talk more about her books on her on her podcast.
Speaker A:So she will be invited yet again.
Speaker A:So we have still to agree on a date.
Speaker B:But, you know, she's already three on the list.
Speaker A:Oh, already three.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:Another name who will also.
Speaker B:Another one.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Who will also be joining us.
Speaker A:And he's Matthias Maho, and his work is.
Speaker A:I would say more.
Speaker A:And this is also how he categorizes his own books, primarily dark fantasy novel.
Speaker A:So I was already interested.
Speaker A:You know, he got Me at dark fantasy, so.
Speaker A:And I also bought the first one.
Speaker A:Let me.
Speaker A:Oh, here it is.
Speaker A:There it is.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Why are these books always so 400?
Speaker B:See, I read two very light books, both around 200 pages.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But anyway, so I took it.
Speaker B:It's possible to be a little lighter sometimes.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker B:Sometimes.
Speaker A:But the good thing is, or, you know, one of the reasons why.
Speaker A:What I totally get.
Speaker A:If you want to build a whole universe, it takes a while.
Speaker B:You cannot build a whole universe in 200 years.
Speaker A:A universe?
Speaker A:What is a universe?
Speaker A:Oh, your accent.
Speaker A:So weird.
Speaker A:The universe horse.
Speaker A:But it's good because it sounds like a horse.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:It's about a horse.
Speaker A:This book.
Speaker A:No, seriously, while my daughter is having another mental breakdown, I'll try to keep it together and just speak about, you know, the.
Speaker A:The dark fantasy novel by Matas Mao.
Speaker A:And it's literally about an elite order of nocturnal warriors which emerges, you know, to confron supernatural threats that lurk in the shadows.
Speaker A:And, you know, it's this ancient legend that collides with modern dilemmas.
Speaker A:And the protagonists, they must face both external dragons and their own inner darkness in, you know, in a relentless battle for survival.
Speaker A:And what I also saw is that there'll be horses.
Speaker A:Definitely there'll be horses in the book.
Speaker A:And the personal link to it is he has his own horse, so that's.
Speaker B:Why he let his inner horror scroll out.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker B:But in a good way.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:I mean, and so that's the.
Speaker A:The first one that I.
Speaker A:I bought from him, but still on my.
Speaker A:On my TBR list, unfortunately.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And let me see.
Speaker A:Oh, and then more.
Speaker A:More.
Speaker A:There we go again.
Speaker A:Sorry for the background noise.
Speaker A:Just books everywhere.
Speaker B:It's just books.
Speaker B:Walls and walls of books.
Speaker A:But, I mean, the good news is, and I think that we're a bit chaotic or even more chaotic than we're accustomed to, is just because I'm really thrilled to have, first of all, discovered this wealth of books.
Speaker A:And this is just scraping the surface of Belgian fantasy authors, but also literally and very hon.
Speaker A:I was so happy to see that they were so easy to access, you know, easy to talk to.
Speaker A:They were.
Speaker A:They immediately took time out and that they agreed just, you know, to be on the show.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker A:And spend some good time.
Speaker A:So I'm really looking forward to that.
Speaker A:So you can expect definitely upcoming interviews with them.
Speaker A:And the last one, and I'll be brief because I'm way over time already.
Speaker B:How dare you?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But another author is Maya A.
Speaker A:Miller, who we spoke to.
Speaker A:And who also said, you know, she would be very happy to join us as well.
Speaker B:Another one.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Yeah, another one.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:And this is a first book.
Speaker A:I know this is not your thing, but I kind of like this.
Speaker A:It's not sirens.
Speaker B:It's not.
Speaker B:Because I don't like something that it is bad.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Just to put it out there.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I just don't like sea stuff.
Speaker B:But that does not mean that it's bad.
Speaker B:There's an audience for everything.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And I mean, I kind of like this.
Speaker A:You know, the idea of, yeah, you.
Speaker B:Can read all the boat stuff.
Speaker A:It's easy for me.
Speaker A:So I'm definitely gonna do my best to read all of these books, of course, prior to their presence for our podcast.
Speaker A:But I genuinely am looking forward in reading those books and uncovering more hidden gems, and I'm sure we'll discover much more.
Speaker A:So I think that that's about it.
Speaker A:What I wanted.
Speaker A:I mean, actually, I still have, like, more.
Speaker A:More books next to me, but I think we'll leave it at that.
Speaker A:Yeah, maybe we'll leave it at that.
Speaker A:As always, we will put all the links and references to the many books we discussed.
Speaker A:So you'll find it in the details of our pod, on the various sources through which you hopefully are still listening to us.
Speaker A:And as said, yeah, we'll be hopefully bringing you a first interview with a first author in one of the very short upcoming new series.
Speaker A:So there you have it.
Speaker A:Yep, that's it for me.
Speaker B:This concludes our episode.
Speaker B:So until next time, stay in chat.
Speaker A:Planted, stay curious, and keep the fantasy alive.
