E13. From London with Love: Unpacking Twelve Captivating Novels
The thirteenth episode of Rolling Into Fantasy presents a captivating blend of personal anecdotes and literary discussions, inviting listeners into the world of fantasy literature through the hosts' shared experiences. The episode begins with a light-hearted recounting of a birthday celebration in London, where one host humorously describes being 'kidnapped' for the occasion. This personal touch not only establishes a casual tone but also serves as a springboard into deeper discussions about the literary treasures acquired during the trip, culminating in the addition of twelve new books to their collection.
As the hosts transition into the segment titled 'Tales from the Tome', they embark on an exploration of their recent literary finds. Each book introduced becomes a focal point for discussion, allowing the hosts to delve into themes of narrative structure, character development, and the evolution of the fantasy genre. Among the highlighted titles is 'Onyx Storm' by Rebecca Yarros, which the hosts eagerly anticipate discussing due to its significance within its series. Their conversations reflect a thoughtful engagement with the texts, as they analyze the intricate relationships between characters and the thematic undercurrents that drive the narratives forward. The segment is rich with insights, making it a valuable resource for listeners seeking to enrich their own literary explorations.
The episode then shifts to 'The Bard’s Ballad', where the hosts reflect on the cultural significance of literary adaptations, particularly through the medium of musicals. One host shares their experience attending the musical adaptation of 'Wicked', offering a nuanced critique of its storytelling and character portrayals. This discussion highlights the dynamic interplay between literature and performance art, showcasing how adaptations can reinterpret and reinvigorate classic tales for contemporary audiences. Ultimately, the episode concludes with a reaffirmation of the importance of storytelling in all its forms, encouraging listeners to remain engaged with the literary world, both in print and on stage.
Takeaways:
- In this episode, we delve into the extensive discussion of twelve newly acquired books, showcasing diverse genres and themes.
- The hosts reflect on their recent trip to London, highlighting the significance of literary exploration and personal experiences.
- We emphasize the importance of reading as a means of escapism and intellectual engagement, particularly in fantasy literature.
- A thorough review of the musical 'Wicked' illustrates the hosts' appreciation for theatrical adaptations of literary works.
- The conversation navigates through various book introductions and reviews, fostering a rich dialogue on literary preferences and storytelling.
- The hosts encourage listeners to explore new books and broaden their literary horizons through shared recommendations.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Waterstones
- Rebecca Yarros
- Chiron Jao
- Ava Reid
- Sun Tzu
- Alex Aster
- Piers Brown
- Fonda Lee
- Rachel Harrison
- Mark Lawrence
- Thomas D. Lee
- Christopher Buhlman
- Jacqueline Hartman
- Stefan Schwarz
- Winnie Holtzman
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And welcome to episode 13 of Rolling Into Fantasy.
Speaker A:We're a bit later than we wished we had to, but we had some special occasion for that delay being your birthday.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So we sent you together with your boyfriend to London.
Speaker B:Got kidnapped to London.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Quite literally had no idea until like two days before I was supposed to leave.
Speaker A:Uh huh.
Speaker A:So that's why we have a little delay.
Speaker A:But that did bear some pretty fruits, let's say.
Speaker B:Certainly.
Speaker B:Certainly it did.
Speaker A:So in this episode, we'll actually be focusing mainly on books for a change.
Speaker A:But really mainly on books.
Speaker A:I mean, I know I'll be reviewing two books at least.
Speaker A:One that I've read recently, one that I'm currently reading, which I'm really enjoying.
Speaker A:So that's two books.
Speaker A:Sorry on my behalf, but apart from a.
Speaker A:A nice city trip, you brought back a few books.
Speaker B:Yeah, I've been busy gathering new books and I came back with 12 new books.
Speaker A:Yep, you heard it.
Speaker A:12.
Speaker B:See, my spatial awareness was.
Speaker B:Is terrible.
Speaker A:It is.
Speaker B:I looked at these 12 books and I was like, oh, yeah, that fits in one side of my suitcase.
Speaker B:Spoiler alert.
Speaker B:It did not.
Speaker A:No, suitcase is broke.
Speaker A:It was mine.
Speaker B:It's not broken.
Speaker A:Oh, I beg to differ.
Speaker A:But anyway.
Speaker A:But I mean, it's fair to say you do not bring 12 book reviews.
Speaker A:No, but, you know, at least some introduction.
Speaker A:Introduction.
Speaker B:I already started reading in one.
Speaker A:Oh, there you go.
Speaker B:But there'll be book introductions, not reviews.
Speaker A:Okay, so to cut it short, we have in our first segment, Tales from the Tome, which is going to be really packed.
Speaker A:We have 12 book introduction, one book review, and one, well, half review because I'm currently still reading.
Speaker A:So that's a lot of books to go through.
Speaker B:That's a lot of books.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:And in the second segment, the Bard's ballot.
Speaker A:We did put it on the Bard's ballot, which makes sense because you went to see a musical when in London, which was wicked.
Speaker A:Oh, all right, so there you have it, our two segments.
Speaker A:And let's just dive right into them.
Speaker A:And you're on the show.
Speaker B:All right, so as we all know, I've brought back 12 new books.
Speaker B:Unsurprisingly, the first one on the list is Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.
Speaker B:I've already talked about this a couple of times.
Speaker B:It's the third book in the fourth Wing series and I've already been like waiting on this book to come out.
Speaker B:So the moment I saw it in Waterstones, I was like, that one.
Speaker A:That's one.
Speaker A:Actually, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker A:I've seen just a few days that it would.
Speaker A:Or at least at that moment it was the fastest selling fantasy book.
Speaker B:It was very anticipated too.
Speaker A:Fantasy related book.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Also the fact that it has been like there was a lot of commercials about this.
Speaker B:It had that.
Speaker B:There was a lot of buildup for this release as well.
Speaker B:I even broke my paperback rule.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I have the first.
Speaker B:I have the first two in paperback.
Speaker A:So you mean you're going to buy it again?
Speaker A:You'll have to.
Speaker A:It doesn't fit, girly.
Speaker A:I know it doesn't fit, girly.
Speaker B:Probably.
Speaker A:Because we've all been there.
Speaker B:It wasn't out in paperback.
Speaker A:Not yet.
Speaker B:And there were already a couple of my friends bugging me like girls.
Speaker B:Start reading that book so I can talk to you about it.
Speaker B:Fine, I'll buy it in hardcover.
Speaker A:Oh, no.
Speaker A:You're gonna blame it on your friends?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Oh, cheap, cheap.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:At least it has very beautiful art inside.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And the bag normally don't.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay, sure.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:At least I got art out of it.
Speaker B:But I still hate reading out of hardcovers.
Speaker A:Hardcovers.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, and is it.
Speaker A:It's the final.
Speaker A:I mean, it's like a trilogy.
Speaker A:No, it's not a trilogy.
Speaker B:Then there are planned to be five books in the series.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But we currently do not have a release date for the fourth book.
Speaker A:I mean, the third just came out.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And Rebecca Yarrows did also say that she was planning on going on vacation.
Speaker B:Their family first, because, you know, writing books is also a full time job and there is not like a deadline set either for when it needs to be finished with their publisher.
Speaker B:So this might take like at least a year before the next one comes out.
Speaker A:Okay, can you give like a very short, very brief recap of the storyline, just major storyline of this series of.
Speaker B:The first two books.
Speaker A:Yeah, just very, very brief.
Speaker B:So in the first book, you follow Violet and she is going to be forced into the writers quadrant.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:This is like a war school.
Speaker B:And you have four quadrants.
Speaker B:You have the scribe quadrant, the writers quadrant, the healers quadrant, and the infantry quadrant.
Speaker A:Oh, dear.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And she wanted to fault.
Speaker B:Wanted to follow her father and go into the scribe quadrant, which is like history.
Speaker B:They write down history.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But her father passed away a few years ago and her mother is a general.
Speaker B:And she was like, ain't no way that you're becoming a scribe.
Speaker B:You have to go to the writer squadron.
Speaker B:That's the only option.
Speaker B:Which the writer squadron basically means you're getting trained to ride a dragon and instantly move up high in the ranks in the military.
Speaker B:But the death rate is insane because it's.
Speaker B:You're a student for three years.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But the death rates within these three years are insane.
Speaker B:So your chances of survival are very low if you go into this quadrant.
Speaker B:Okay, so the first book, it's mainly focused on the school itself and basically how she goes through this school, what the challenges are within this quadrant, how this quadrant is set up.
Speaker B:And then in the second book, you kind of open up to the war.
Speaker B:I don't want to spoil too much.
Speaker A:No, no, don't, don't, don't.
Speaker B:But then the second book, it focuses more on the war between Navarre, which is the country that Violet comes from, and another country, I think, for Emile.
Speaker B:But I need to check up on what happened in the first two books, because I'm not gonna lie, I've read like three chapters.
Speaker B:And then after sometimes, like, who the fuck was this person again?
Speaker B:I don't remember this name.
Speaker B:What deal are we talking about here?
Speaker A:Yeah, but that's also a reason why I started rereading the first book in a long series.
Speaker A:Because, I mean, that's.
Speaker A:I mean, like, you know, we talked about this on the last show, and, you know, as much as I was like, do I really have to dive back into.
Speaker A:And I actually am enjoying it, so I'm okay.
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:It's better way.
Speaker A:It refreshes your memory.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But anyway, so you were saying?
Speaker B:So, yeah, that's basically.
Speaker B:Basically it.
Speaker B:The second book then focuses more onto the war between Navarre and the neighboring countries.
Speaker B:And then there are a lot of plot twists and shits go down at the end of said book, and that's where we pick up in the third book.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay, Cool.
Speaker A:All righty.
Speaker B:All right, then the next book is Heavenly Tyrant from.
Speaker B:Give me a second.
Speaker B:Chiron Jao.
Speaker B:I butchered that name.
Speaker A:But that's okay.
Speaker A:We'll put it in writing.
Speaker A:It's okay.
Speaker B:I'm so sorry.
Speaker B:I do not know how to pronounce that name.
Speaker B:But it's the follow up book of Iron Widow, so it's the second book.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:You read the first one?
Speaker A:No, it's okay.
Speaker A:So why did you pick then this book?
Speaker B:Because it is often recommended or said to be similar to Pop.
Speaker B:You wore.
Speaker A:Oh, that's some big shoes to fill there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that their writing styles, like, if you like the writing style from RF Kuang, then J is fairly similar to.
Speaker A:Okay, but have you read the first one?
Speaker A:No, no.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Do you own.
Speaker B:Yes, I do own the first one.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay, well, that's.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And from this synopsis from the first book, it did sound very interesting.
Speaker B:Don't ask me what that is, because I forgot.
Speaker A:But okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:It's also heavily, like, war focused as well.
Speaker A:Okay, all right.
Speaker B:All right, Then the next one is Lady Macbeth from Ava Reid.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:The name does sound familiar.
Speaker A:I don't recall having read any book.
Speaker B:Well, a few of her other works are A Study in Drowning, A Theory of Dreaming, and the Wolf and the Woodsman, I think.
Speaker A:Oh, the Wolf and Woodsman.
Speaker A:That's the one that rings a bell.
Speaker A:I haven't read it, but I remember reading some synopsis and that caught my attention.
Speaker A:Okay, now I see again.
Speaker A:Okay, okay.
Speaker B:So we all know Macbeth from Shakespeare, and it's basically like a dark feminist reimagining of.
Speaker B:Of the.
Speaker B:Of this character of Lady Macbeth.
Speaker B:And it blends like, the history and myth to explore the power, ambition, and the cost of survival in a brutal medieval world.
Speaker B:And it's like, oh, you have Lady Macbeth, who, you know, can drive men insane with, like, just her gaze.
Speaker B:But then it also, like, plays with her husband and him having occult secrets and things.
Speaker B:So the synopsis really caught my eye.
Speaker B:And then also, just the COVID alone of this book was so beautiful.
Speaker B:Then also, what kind of did it for me?
Speaker B:I found this.
Speaker B:Not in Waterstones.
Speaker B:I found this in a different store.
Speaker B:A store that specifically specializes in first edition books that are signed by the author.
Speaker B:Like special editions signed by the author.
Speaker B:So, you know, it's signed, it's a special edition, and it's very, very pretty.
Speaker A:And it's a nice memory from London.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:So that kind of did it for me for that one.
Speaker B:Then the next one is also kind of the same.
Speaker B:It's a very.
Speaker A:I see, like, a very clear theme here.
Speaker B:No, no, listen, it's a very classic one.
Speaker B:It's the Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Speaker A:Oh, that's a.
Speaker A:But it's really thin version.
Speaker B:It's a very.
Speaker B:It's like you only have the rules, but not the explanations.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:So why did you pick that one up?
Speaker A:I'm just wondering.
Speaker B:Okay, so when we went to Camden Town, there was this bookshop that was going out of order.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And it was selling all their books.
Speaker A:At, like, out of business.
Speaker A:I mean.
Speaker B:Yeah, out of business.
Speaker B:And it was selling all their books at, like, 25% off, which is still okay.
Speaker B:But, like, there were books there that were already priced at, like, £4.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And Then you get.
Speaker A:Then you can sell 25.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And this was such a beautiful edition of the Art of War.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I've seen it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's so pretty.
Speaker B:And it also has a lot of art inside the book as well.
Speaker B:And it's just like.
Speaker B:It felt more like a collector's edition.
Speaker B:And it was very cheap.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So I was like, you know, I can't.
Speaker B:I can't not.
Speaker A:I can still squeeze that one in the bag.
Speaker B:It's tiny.
Speaker B:It's very pretty.
Speaker B:It's going to be cheap because, you know, it's priced off.
Speaker B:I can't.
Speaker B:I can't let this one go, you know?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:All right, then the next one is Light Lark from Alex Aster.
Speaker B:She has also written a few others.
Speaker B:And that would be Nightbane, which is the second book on Light Lark and Shyshade.
Speaker B:And that's the third book, so it's Skyshade.
Speaker B:You mean Sky.
Speaker B:Yeah, Skyshade.
Speaker A:Sky shade.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, can't pronounce it.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:Skyshade.
Speaker B:Skyshade.
Speaker B:So it's a trilogy.
Speaker B:And this book has been on my list for quite a while as well.
Speaker B:I just never bought it yet.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And it's about a woman called Isla Crown, and she is a ruler who is amongst many other rulers forced to compete in, like, this deadly competition.
Speaker B:And basically, they're competing in this to break some sort of curse.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And, like, reoccurring themes throughout this book are, like, betrayals and secrets, romance again, because that just keeps reappearing in books nowadays.
Speaker A:And you keep buying them, though.
Speaker B:I'm more here for the deadly competition, and I just hope that they will, you know, kill your darlings most of the time.
Speaker B:They do disappoint me when it comes to kill your Darlings, because a lot of authors are.
Speaker B:I don't know, they're just too afraid to kill their character.
Speaker B:Characters.
Speaker B:Well, not.
Speaker B:Not everyone.
Speaker B:But nowadays I feel like.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Especially, like, the very popular characters, they're not dying because armor plot or something.
Speaker B:It annoys me.
Speaker B:They're not invincible because people like them.
Speaker A:I mean, books, you should read some Sanderson, Sander, bra, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah, probably.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, that.
Speaker B:That is also one of the reasons why I loved the Poppy War, because kill your darlings really was applied there.
Speaker B:Nobody is safe.
Speaker B:And I love that because then at least you don't feel like, oh, but the main character won't die because they have armor plot.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:With the Poppy War, you're like, you shouldn't assume that.
Speaker B:All right, next up, we Have Red Rising from Piers Brown, another name that did.
Speaker A:That really does sound a bell.
Speaker A:And again, I know I haven't read anything.
Speaker B:Another of their work is Dark Age, if that rings any bells.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:It's just the author named Pierce Brown.
Speaker A:But I don't recall having read any of his work.
Speaker A:But okay.
Speaker B:Anyway, so Red Rising is a dystopian novel.
Speaker B:I really like dystopian novels actually.
Speaker B:It's also a science fiction.
Speaker B:And so it's about this low cased minor who.
Speaker B:Minor as in like who works in the mines?
Speaker B:Not a child.
Speaker A:Could be right.
Speaker A:I'm okay with that.
Speaker A:In a book.
Speaker B:And they infiltrate an elite ruling class to overthrow a society from within, basically.
Speaker A:So, okay.
Speaker B:Typical dystopian novel where the underdogs rebel against the elite.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Actually, when I went to Waterstones, I asked one of the people working there for recommendations that would give like a similar feeling as like Poppy War.
Speaker A:There we go again.
Speaker B:Sorry, I'm really hungover on that trilogy.
Speaker B:And she did agree with me that it's because Poppy War is so unique.
Speaker B:There really isn't any book that is like really similar to Poppy War.
Speaker B:Like you'll have books that have certain elements that are the same, like with the War and Brutality or being a dystopian novel or more history focused, like taking history elements from our history and using that in fantasy.
Speaker B:But to have like a complete book that has like the exact same feels as Poppy War, it's just doesn't exist yet.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I feel like it's also because RF Kuang has a very unique writing style and every book that she writes is like so different because like Babel and Poppy War are totally something else.
Speaker B:Same with like Yellow.
Speaker B:Yellow Eyes are so different.
Speaker B:You can't compare them to anything really.
Speaker B:Then the next one was also a recommendation for a Poppy War because.
Speaker A:So you just ask them.
Speaker A:Okay, give me like 10 recommendations.
Speaker A:As long as it fits the Poppy War theme.
Speaker B:No, no, there were only two.
Speaker B:Only got two of the recommendations.
Speaker A:Okay, so which one is this one then?
Speaker B:It's Jade City.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's by Fonda Lee.
Speaker B:And you also.
Speaker B:It's again a trilogy.
Speaker B:So you have Jade City, then Jade War and then Jade Legacy.
Speaker A:So this is the first one.
Speaker B:Yeah, that is okay.
Speaker B:I hope so.
Speaker B:Yeah, it is the first book I checked.
Speaker B:But it's a trilogy.
Speaker B:And here you have the more history aspect and the war aspect.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:The first one was more dystopian ish.
Speaker B:And this one is more History war ish.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it's an Asian inspired urban fantasy where rival crime families battle for control over a city's powerful trade which grants them enhanced abilities to those that can wield it.
Speaker B:Okay, so again, I don't know what it is, but I really like Asian inspired wars over the western ones.
Speaker A:I was actually going to say that.
Speaker A:I mean, but okay.
Speaker B:I feel like I've read so many western inspired fantasy war themed books that I'm kind of gotten tired of it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it feels like a nice change to have like more Asian inspired.
Speaker B:And then I'll grow sick of that and then I'll go back.
Speaker B:That's how that works.
Speaker B:But for now, I like it.
Speaker B:All right, time for something completely different.
Speaker A:You don't say.
Speaker B:The next book is called Black Sheep.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's by Rachel Harrison.
Speaker B:Other works of her would be Such Sharp Teeth and so Thirsty and Cackle.
Speaker A:The last one again rings a bell, but again, I haven't read it.
Speaker A:I mean, I can connect a writer and the book Cackle, but don't ask me what it's about.
Speaker A:But okay, so what is this one about?
Speaker A:Black Sheep.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So Rachel is a like a.
Speaker B:She writes horror novels.
Speaker B:So this is again also a horror novel and it's about this woman and she breaks away from like her very strict family who's also very religious, like to the point you couldn't call it a cult.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And she eventually gets an invite to this wedding from like a cousin of hers.
Speaker B:So she goes back to her family to attend this wedding and that's when she like uncovers a lot of secrets that kind of confront her, that kind of force her to confront her past again.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it's very religious coded.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:And that's what got you to buy the book?
Speaker B:I really am into like cult things where like things go horribly wrong.
Speaker B:I don't know what it is, but I.
Speaker A:Your basic family.
Speaker B:I like cults.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And I like when it goes wrong in cults.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:All right, then the next one is from a more popular author because I know you know him.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Do you tell.
Speaker B:It's the book that Wouldn't Burn and it's from Mark Lawrence.
Speaker A:Mark Lawrence, Yes.
Speaker B:A few of the other books that he has written is the Red Sister series, which I know you own.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:It's Red Sister, Grey Sister and Holy Sister.
Speaker B:Yes, exactly.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I really like those.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, I've already read them.
Speaker A:Just the first ones.
Speaker A:The last one I haven't read.
Speaker B:So Graces, what was your impression of the first two?
Speaker A:I like the protagonist, female Protagonist.
Speaker A:And at first I thought it started quite slow.
Speaker A:No, I wouldn't say slow, but like, I don't want to use the word unoriginal, but it was like common ground, let's say, or known ground.
Speaker A:And then it switches.
Speaker A:Then it switches a little bit.
Speaker A:So I really enjoyed the first two.
Speaker A:And so.
Speaker B:So what was it about?
Speaker B:Can you tell us a little bit about.
Speaker A:I know that I liked it.
Speaker A:I know it's about the secretive order of holy warriors, female holy warriors, and even the children.
Speaker A:So the girls are raised to become warriors, and they don't shy away from killing each other.
Speaker A:So it was like, okay, that's where it's typical war college stuff, but nevertheless.
Speaker A:And it does get very violent.
Speaker A:And if I'm not mistaken, you know, it takes like a decade before they are educated into becoming a Red Sister, you know, in the ways of.
Speaker A:I think it's the way of.
Speaker A:The ways of the blade or something like that.
Speaker A:No, it's the.
Speaker A:The ways of the blade and the fist, if I remember correctly.
Speaker A:But I mean, there's.
Speaker A:There's, of course, something up, you know, beyond the security and the isolation of the convent, where they.
Speaker A:They go through this whole education stuff and where they want to break free from.
Speaker A:From the convent and all the whole order.
Speaker A:And if I'm.
Speaker A:If I'm.
Speaker A:If my recollection is correct, I think they even want to eye the emperor himself.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:Y.
Speaker A:And on top of that, they have to battle their inner demons.
Speaker A:But I remember really enjoying this one.
Speaker A:And again, I own the third one.
Speaker A:But before diving into that one, I might have to reread very quickly the second one just to get back into it.
Speaker B:Okay, Then another book that is also already out is the Book that Broke the World, which is the second part to the Book that Wouldn't burn.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay, so what is the Book that Wouldn't Burn about?
Speaker B:Well, it's a fantasy novel about two strangers.
Speaker B:One is, like, trapped in this very vast and ancient library.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:And the other one is seeking answers.
Speaker B:And then their paths kind of collide, and they have to uncover certain.
Speaker B:Uncover certain secrets, and that can change the world.
Speaker B:Okay, so why did I choose this book?
Speaker B:Well, mainly from the title and then the COVID and the synopsis really did it for me.
Speaker A:I mean, that's the flow that I always go with.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:That's like, if you're done buying the books that are on your list and you just want to be, you know, inspired the spur of the moment.
Speaker A:It's exactly like you said, it's the title or a mix of book cover, slash title, and then you flip it around and just see, okay, what is this about exactly?
Speaker A:But you don't.
Speaker A:Like, my mom does.
Speaker A:You don't dive into the first page to get a feel of the language.
Speaker B:Maybe I should.
Speaker A:But yeah, I tend to do that as well because it gives you a little.
Speaker A:Perhaps not always like that.
Speaker A:Not on the first page.
Speaker A:Because sometimes, like the one that I'm currently reading.
Speaker A:More about that later.
Speaker A:It starts like I think many other books do and other writers do.
Speaker A:It's more like a passage from a holy script.
Speaker A:So it's not the same tone of voice throughout the book.
Speaker A:So you might be misled, but.
Speaker A:But nevertheless, it might be a telltale sign how the book language will be.
Speaker B:So also with this book, the synopsis of this book really reminded me of the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and I really enjoyed that book.
Speaker B:True, true.
Speaker B:Especially with, like, the Ancient Library and, like, the book that Wouldn't Burn.
Speaker B:It really reminded me a little bit of the Starless.
Speaker B:Starless Sea, and I really enjoyed reading that book.
Speaker B:So I was like, oh, cool.
Speaker B:I want to give this a chance.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:See if it has, like, the same vibe.
Speaker A:I might want to read that one as well.
Speaker B:Go ahead.
Speaker B:All right, then.
Speaker B:The next one is called Once Upon a Tome.
Speaker A:Oh, how fitting.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:And this is by Oliver Darkshire.
Speaker A:I'm sure that is not his or her real name.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Dark Shire.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker B:I don't know any Dark Shire.
Speaker B:That's what was on the COVID Sounds.
Speaker A:Like something from Lord of the Rings.
Speaker A:Dark Shire.
Speaker A:The Shire.
Speaker A:Anyway.
Speaker A:Okay, get carried away here.
Speaker B:I mean, they are Brit British, so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But nevertheless, Dark Shire.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker A:I'll have to look it up.
Speaker A:I'll look it up.
Speaker B:Sure, look it up.
Speaker B:Something else that they have written is a book called Isabella Nag and the Pot of Basil.
Speaker A:Basil.
Speaker B:Basil.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:Pot of Basil does not ring a bell.
Speaker A:But that's.
Speaker A:That's on me.
Speaker B:This is one of the books that I also found in the shop that was going out of business.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it definitely isn't one of the mainstream books, but the COVID really, like, jumped out for me.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's like, why.
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:It kind of looked like an old book.
Speaker B:Parchment paper.
Speaker B:Ish.
Speaker A:It might be an old book, period.
Speaker B:No, like, the book itself looked completely new and in perfect shape, but it had this old feel to it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And I really liked that.
Speaker B:And it's about.
Speaker B:It's from the synopsis, it kind of gave me the vibe of.
Speaker B:Hold on.
Speaker B:I need to find the name of this book.
Speaker B:First letter sounds like before the Coffee Gets Cold.
Speaker A:Ah.
Speaker A:Oh, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker B:But instead of like a coffee shop, it's a bookshop because it's about the experiences of working in an eccentric antiquarian bookshop, which is filled with, like, quirky customers, rare books, and, like, the tiny little adventures of a rare bookseller, basically.
Speaker B:Okay, so it's more.
Speaker A:Did you enjoy actually before the Coffee Gets Cold?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker A:You did not.
Speaker B:I did not.
Speaker A:So why did you buy this one?
Speaker B:Listen, I didn't like before the Coffee Gets Cold.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker B:Because of the choices that the characters made.
Speaker A:So you didn't agree with the plot?
Speaker B:Yeah, I really, like, liked the premise of the book.
Speaker B:Like, the whole idea of, like.
Speaker A:Which I did too.
Speaker B:Traveling back to the past and stuff.
Speaker B:Like, I really enjoy that.
Speaker B:And it's like, a very cozy book sometimes.
Speaker B:It's really nice when you're always reading war books.
Speaker B:It's a change of pace, and it's really nice, like a tiny little break.
Speaker B:But I just.
Speaker B:These characters were so stupid.
Speaker A:But, I mean, they made perhaps stupid decisions, but it's still a good book.
Speaker A:No, it's because they made the wrong choices.
Speaker B:It's because, like, no, they were traveling back to the past or the future for, like, the.
Speaker A:The wrong reasons.
Speaker B:Like, why are you traveling to the past or the future if you're just.
Speaker B:If you're using common sense, you can fix your problems now the past and the future won't.
Speaker A:Okay, but.
Speaker A:Okay, let's stick to this one.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:There was, like, one story where I did really like it because the character was actually smart, because it's like tiny short stories strung together.
Speaker B:And there was one character with where I completely agreed, and I did understand why they wanted to travel back to the past like that.
Speaker B:That one story made complete sense, and I really liked that one.
Speaker B:All the others, though, Stupid.
Speaker B:Anyway, anyway.
Speaker A:Okay, moving back, getting off track.
Speaker A:So Once Upon a Time.
Speaker B:Yes, I think I've said everything about that one.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So the next one has also been on my list for quite some time, and that is Don't Let the Forest in by CG Drews.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker B:So this is a psychological thriller, and it's about this girl named Ivy, and she moves to a secluded house in the woods, and there are some events that will unfold.
Speaker A:Actually, this one was also on my potential to read purchase list, so it's good that you got it.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Why was it on your list of.
Speaker A:To buy two things?
Speaker A:Cover and synopsis.
Speaker B:What of the synopsis stood out to you?
Speaker A:It's just the very basic, and it's a basic theme is the secrets or the horrors hidden in the woods.
Speaker A:Just that I have a love hate relationship with woods.
Speaker A:I really love the woods, but I still think it's very scary.
Speaker A:I mean, this comes from an early child memory from Peter and the Wolf.
Speaker A:It really stems from there.
Speaker A:And that's why I always have this dread for the woods.
Speaker A:But I'm really into the woods.
Speaker B:You'll never catch me walking through the woods at night because I have for one specific reason.
Speaker B:I have heard too many stories about the Appalachian Mountains.
Speaker A:Ah, yeah.
Speaker A:But we're not there yet.
Speaker B:I know, I know.
Speaker B:However, however, when you hear too many stories about that place, it's like, I don't like the woods no more.
Speaker B:After dark.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, thank you.
Speaker A:And also, the woods were very scary too in the opening scene of E.T.
Speaker A:i know, totally disconnected, but that old E.T.
Speaker A:the movie E.T.
Speaker A:the Extraterrestrial Steven Spielberg.
Speaker A:Oh, you saw the movie E.T.
Speaker B:Phone Home.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What the hell was the opening scene on that?
Speaker A:The opening scene is in the woods when he lands, you know, and he's starting to colle little flowers.
Speaker A:And then the humans, you don't see them, but you hear them, you know, and then he hears them and the flashlights can be seen and then he starts running and he's panicked.
Speaker A:And that really.
Speaker A:And also of course, with the music of John Williams.
Speaker A:Oh man, goosebumps.
Speaker A:Like I'm talking now about it and I'm just getting chills.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, see, it's that thing, it's the, the magic, the.
Speaker A:The wonders of, of nature and the mysteries.
Speaker A:But it's also the, it's this Jekyll and Hyde thing that I have with the woods, like walking into the woods.
Speaker A:But it's if your mind, you know, wanders off, like, don't get me wrong.
Speaker B:I really enjoy hiking through the woods, especially when it's like very light, very, very oddly by daylight.
Speaker B:By daylight.
Speaker B:Very oddly specific.
Speaker B:In, in Austria, in the mountains, where you like really have to like.
Speaker B:There's no clear path through the mountains and you really have to see how you are going down through the woods in the mountains without breaking.
Speaker B:Yeah, that.
Speaker B:That is peak forest walks right there.
Speaker A:Okay, okay, okay.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:Okay, we trailed off there.
Speaker A:So don't let the forest in again.
Speaker A:What caught me was the COVID and the very synopsis just about the woods.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But back to you.
Speaker B:Another stupid.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker B:It's a stupid reason why I also really wanted to read it is because apparently, if I remember correctly, there is ace representation in the book.
Speaker B:There's a what is asexual?
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:And having so many romantasy books where the two characters always end up in like smut scenes, it's like, can we have none of that?
Speaker B:Sometimes I do enjoy a little romance.
Speaker B:But why does it always have to end in sex?
Speaker A:It sells.
Speaker A:You know, we've been there.
Speaker B:We've been there and we've had this discussion, but sometimes I just want to read a cute little romance story without constantly characters getting the hots for each other.
Speaker A:Romance.
Speaker A:And chop his head off, period.
Speaker B:That's also an option.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:And then the last.
Speaker A:Oh, dear, already the last one.
Speaker A:It's only 12 books.
Speaker B:Sir.
Speaker B:It's one of the books I am, I think, also most excited about to.
Speaker A:Read, which is why.
Speaker A:What is it and why?
Speaker B:Well, the book is I who have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Hartman, who is also a Belgian author.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And if I remember correctly, my mom has read it as well.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:She wrote it in French, so I will be reading it in English because my French is not that good.
Speaker A:It sucks.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:And she has written a couple of other books, mainly the Mistress of Silence and Orlando.
Speaker A:Okay, so what is this book about?
Speaker B:Well, so you have.
Speaker B:It's again, a dystopian novel, and you have these 40 women who are trapped in this bunker and they have no recollection of how they got there, and they barely remember anything of the past.
Speaker B:And all they have in this bunker is basically like the glaring light.
Speaker B:So they don't know when it's night.
Speaker A:Or day, and they've been there for how long.
Speaker B:And the guards.
Speaker B:And they don't know how long they've been there.
Speaker B:They're just stuck there.
Speaker A:And the guards are also women.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Because I don't know if they're men.
Speaker A:Or women, because how do they reproduce then?
Speaker A:Amphibian style.
Speaker B:I'm gonna assume that these 40 women have been captured.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:At some point.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But then they will escape.
Speaker B:And so it's part of, you know, the bunker and then escaping and how that will go further.
Speaker B:That's all I know.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It's been recommended to me so often.
Speaker A:By whom?
Speaker A:By.
Speaker B:By honest Friends online, oftentimes booksellers too.
Speaker B:They will like, like show it off a lot nowadays, which is.
Speaker B:Which really makes me curious because it's an old book.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:If I remember Correctly.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker B: It's published in: Speaker A:Okay, okay.
Speaker A:That's a while ago.
Speaker B:Why are you suddenly being so popular now?
Speaker A:Probably because of the.
Speaker A:The style of books that you read.
Speaker A:You know, it makes sense.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's not only me, though.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker B:It's suddenly mainstream popular and getting massively reproduced.
Speaker A:That's a shame, because if I.
Speaker A:If I remember correctly, the author does.
Speaker A:Well, she's not.
Speaker A:No, she's not alive anymore, so she passed away a while ago.
Speaker A:So it's a shame that she's not witnessing a revival if that.
Speaker A:If that is the case of revival of her books.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:Okay, okay.
Speaker B:I'm really excited to read that one because from what I've heard, it really makes you think again about being human or being big questions.
Speaker B:And from what I heard, it has a very open ending.
Speaker B:Like, throughout the book, you will have a lot of questions those will not be answered because that is not the point of the book.
Speaker B:The point of the book is to make you start thinking about, like, these big questions.
Speaker B:So, you know, there's a lot.
Speaker B:A lot of promises there, and I want to see if they hold up.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:I want to see the impact of that book.
Speaker B:So I'm really excited to read it.
Speaker A:So I was amazed by just the fact that you were able to carry the 12 books, you know, back home then.
Speaker A:Biggest question.
Speaker A:Which one will you pick as a first one to read from this list?
Speaker B:I already started reading Storm.
Speaker A:Which one?
Speaker B:Onyx.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So that's the one.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Because my friends kept pressuring me to read and start reading it, but I think the next one after that one most definitely will be I, who have never Known.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I was, like I said, really excited for that one.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker A:All right, all right.
Speaker B:Now I will finally stop talking.
Speaker A:No, no, because there's more.
Speaker A:More from you.
Speaker B:Yeah, but I'm taking a break.
Speaker B:You can review some books now.
Speaker A:Yeah, but I haven't had the pleasure of purchasing 12 books on such a short notice.
Speaker B:Go to London or something.
Speaker A:Well, I intend to, but not until June, so.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But I did read one book.
Speaker A:It's a while ago, but I really enjoyed that one.
Speaker A:And it's perilous times.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, right.
Speaker B:You told me about it.
Speaker B:It's when the circle of Arthur, like, their nights, get awoken again.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So this book is by Thomas Lee?
Speaker A:Thomas D.
Speaker A:Lee.
Speaker A:It's actually his first novel.
Speaker A:I'm not even aware that a second one has been published.
Speaker A:So to date, it still is only Novel.
Speaker A:I mean, it's quite recent.
Speaker A: It's from: Speaker A:And like you said, what's not to like about Arthurian legends?
Speaker A:You know, Arthurian stories.
Speaker B:I really like that you're obsessed with that time period.
Speaker A:Yeah, I just love that.
Speaker A:And what takes really a big break from the classical story, it's really a big twist.
Speaker A:It's that some Arthurian knights, they got woken up, so they are being awakened, but in modern Britain times, so they wake up in current Britain.
Speaker B:Honestly, the description of that alone really gives me like Monty Python vibes.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:And in the beginning, that was a mistake I made, or perhaps it was intentional by the author, although I doubt it.
Speaker A:But I was going into the book with exactly that in my head, Monty Python.
Speaker A:And it does have.
Speaker A:I mean, there's humor in it, don't get me wrong.
Speaker A:There's definitely humor because it blends those legendary themes of Arthurian novels.
Speaker A:Good.
Speaker A:But then it mixes climate fiction, you know, and it does go into, or it verges into the satirical, you know, mixing up heroism, but also activism, you know, green activism and all the myths.
Speaker A:And yes, there are dragons as well in modern Britain.
Speaker A:So it's, it's, it's really nice.
Speaker A:And some of the knights appear to be gay as well.
Speaker A:Well, so they mix up everything.
Speaker A:It's funny.
Speaker A:So I really.
Speaker B:It sounds like a complete shit show.
Speaker A:No, really, I highly enjoyed this book because although it's, you know, it's written with humor and the character description, you do feel sympathy for them because although it's quite quirky.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:To.
Speaker A:To mix up all the elements that I just mentioned, the character description and, and development.
Speaker A:You get attached to them.
Speaker A:Do you get to attach them?
Speaker A:You know, they have.
Speaker A:You have some assholes in there, but you have some, Some really nice.
Speaker A:Yeah, some nice ones.
Speaker A:And it blends into this, I would say.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And a conscious adventure because it mixes, you know, current or modern problems that we face, like mankind.
Speaker A:And it plays on this two level, you know, the modern challenge that we have with the environment, politics.
Speaker A:And it has this legend level, you know, with Arthurian legend and some anarchist dragons into the mix.
Speaker A:But I highly recommend it.
Speaker A:For me, it was really a refreshing read because at first you're really saying.
Speaker A:And I had the thought more than once going through the first few chapters was like, what the epic F is this?
Speaker A:But it all falls into place and it's a really very enjoyable write.
Speaker A:So I really put it quite high on my shelf.
Speaker A:So I'm looking actually very forward to what's in Store by Thomas Lee.
Speaker A:So that's one book that I read recently, and the other one that I'm currently reading now, this one has written quite a lot of books.
Speaker A:And actually I have another one of him on my to read pile.
Speaker A:If I'm not mistaken, it's Between Two Fires.
Speaker A:Now, this is not a recent book by him.
Speaker A: It's from: Speaker A:And so it's by Christopher Buhlman.
Speaker A:And just to give you an idea, so he wrote those across the River.
Speaker A:It's a horror novel.
Speaker A:I mean, he's really into writing more like horror novel, horror fantasy.
Speaker A:You have Between Two Fires, which I think was his second or third book.
Speaker B:So it's not like a trilogy like those across the River Between Two Fires?
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:They're all standalones.
Speaker A:Well, to my knowledge, they are, yeah.
Speaker A:And you have.
Speaker A:So the Necromancer's House.
Speaker A:You have the Lesser Dead.
Speaker A:You have the Suicide Mortar Club.
Speaker A:Haven't read those.
Speaker A:And then you have also the Black Tongue Thief.
Speaker A:That's the one that I have on my to be read list.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because that one, the Black Tongue Thief, is a fantasy adventure.
Speaker A:And you follow actually a thief entangled in a dangerous quest.
Speaker A:Not human.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:It's not Human Thief.
Speaker A:And it really blends.
Speaker A:At least that's what the premise is, really dark humor, but also with rich world building.
Speaker A:But it's viewed from the quote unquote, the bad guys perspective.
Speaker A:And then I think his last book to date is the Daughter's War.
Speaker B:That's the prequel.
Speaker A:That indeed would be the prequel to Black Tongue Thief.
Speaker A:But anyway, the one that I'm reading now.
Speaker A:So my review is just based on the few first chapters that I've read.
Speaker A:So Between Two Fires.
Speaker A:So why did I pick this one and what is it about?
Speaker A: th century, actually, in: Speaker A: What is so specific about: Speaker A:Well, it's the Dark Plague.
Speaker A:It's a black plague, right?
Speaker A:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker A:And on top of that, you have this ongoing war between England and France.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:I mean, and the Black Plague killed about like 25 million people.
Speaker A:So you have that story, and it started off with the.
Speaker A:These bandits, you know, a mix of people.
Speaker A:And, okay, it goes a bit south with that little band.
Speaker A:And one makes it out because, you know, they, they.
Speaker A:They almost kill each other, and one stands out.
Speaker A:And if I'm not mistaken, he has more like Spanish roots because they insist on pronouncing his name Tomas.
Speaker A:It's not Thomas.
Speaker A:It's Tomas.
Speaker A:And pronouncing the S prolonged.
Speaker A:I mean.
Speaker A:Okay, so you have that one.
Speaker B:I think I had a kid in high school with that exact same name.
Speaker B:It was also Spanish.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Pronounced exactly the same.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And then there's this young girl, I would say, like, somewhere between 13 and 15 or 12 and 15.
Speaker A:Ish.
Speaker A:And what's really intriguing here, that she has visions.
Speaker A:So bear with me.
Speaker A:So she has visions of the angels, the fallen angels, of which one is Lucifer, and they want to make a second rising to go to war with Heaven.
Speaker A:And she gets, like, these dreams, and she tells this knight, Thomas, where they need to go.
Speaker A:So you're actually going somewhere between, like, real history, because this.
Speaker A:I mean, this happened, right?
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:The big plague, the wars with England and France, population almost decimated.
Speaker A:But then you have this layer of this calling, you know, the angel calling.
Speaker A:And so it blends.
Speaker A:It's more like a grim, dark fiction, let's say.
Speaker A:So there's real horror.
Speaker A:He doesn't go about, you know, he.
Speaker A:He makes some really pretty qu.
Speaker A:Unquote.
Speaker A:Pretty description of how brutal it can get.
Speaker A:And, I mean.
Speaker A:Yeah, it has really this nice blend of historical elements and fantastic elements, which I really enjoy.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So far, so good.
Speaker B:Yes, exactly.
Speaker A:All right, so that's it for me for books, because you still have something to share with us.
Speaker B:Yes, do tell.
Speaker B:I'll try and make it a.
Speaker B:As quick as possible.
Speaker B:Sweet and short.
Speaker A:Sweet and short.
Speaker B:So while I was in London, I went to see the musical Wicked.
Speaker A:Oh, really?
Speaker B:No idea.
Speaker B:It's not like you planned it.
Speaker A:No, you didn't.
Speaker A:We did, but.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's why I said you.
Speaker B:And I really, really enjoyed this.
Speaker A:Good.
Speaker B:Especially because I hadn't seen the second part.
Speaker B:Like, I had no clue what would happen in the second part because I kind of wanted to stay surprised.
Speaker B:And since I hadn't looked into the book yet, I was like, you know, I'm not gonna look it up.
Speaker B:I want to be fully surprised.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B: ked is based on the book, the: Speaker A:Yeah, we touched upon that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Wizard.
Speaker B:Wizard of Oz.
Speaker B:So it's not based off of the Wonderful wizard of Oz.
Speaker B:There's an actual book called Wicked Y.
Speaker B:And the people who made it are Stefan Schwarz and Winnie Holtzman.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B: And it premiered in: Speaker A:So it's.
Speaker A:It's still going strong.
Speaker B:It's still going strong.
Speaker B:It's a very popular musical amongst many others.
Speaker B:And as we all know, it tells the backstory of Elphaba, AKA the Wicked Witch of the west.
Speaker B:And Glinda, the Good Witch.
Speaker A:Glinda, yes.
Speaker B:Good Witch of the North.
Speaker B:Glinda.
Speaker B:Actually, it is Ga Linda.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:And what did I like about the musical?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Because you mentioned that you actually, you.
Speaker A:You shed some tears.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So it has to be good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's also, I think, especially with like the first half, I must say, the emotions are portrayed.
Speaker B:Like, I preferred the portrayal of emotions more in the movie.
Speaker B:But that's because you had like a lot of acting in between songs while in the musical.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's a musical, so you're just going to get songs and they have like these very, very short and sweet acting moments between each song.
Speaker B:So sometimes it feels rushed.
Speaker B:But that's because I saw the movie first.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So, I mean, it makes sense.
Speaker B:But in the first half of the musical it was a lot.
Speaker B:Because what I noticed with the short acting bits, what the movie did is use the exact same lines.
Speaker B:And then knowing how that was played out in the movie, that you just came a lot stronger onto me.
Speaker B:While in the second half it was because there were a lot of plot twists that I didn't see coming.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:And then just like, oh, oh, damn.
Speaker A:Don't spoil it.
Speaker A:Because I haven't seen the second part.
Speaker B:Two things I was blown away by story wise was like the plot concerning Nessa, Elphaba's sister.
Speaker B:That was that bit.
Speaker A:So that's the girl in the wheelchair.
Speaker B:Yes, the girl in the.
Speaker B:I really did not expect.
Speaker A:Okay, but don't spoil it.
Speaker B:No, I won't spoil it at that.
Speaker B:I really liked the.
Speaker B:The direction that they went with concerning Nessa because we know from the wizard of Oz that Nessa is called the Wicked Witch of the east and that she gets killed by a house.
Speaker B:And in the first half you're like, Nessa is like such a sweet young child.
Speaker B:Like, why is she the Wicked Witch of the East?
Speaker B:What has she done?
Speaker B:And then you come to the second.
Speaker A:Part, it's like, oh, that's why girl.
Speaker B:What the fuck?
Speaker B:Yeah, she's not as Swedish as I thought she was.
Speaker B:And something else that I really enjoyed is overall, like the voices of the cast, especially for some reason, the person who played the wizard of Oz.
Speaker B:Because in the second part he has like this song with Elphaba, I think it's called Wonderful.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And his voice was like perfect for like the character he was portraying.
Speaker B:It really fit so well and I really enjoyed listening to him singing.
Speaker B:That was.
Speaker B:I really enjoyed that.
Speaker A:Good Good.
Speaker B:Because also, like, usually in musicals, they're not.
Speaker B:Like, a lot of older men who sing.
Speaker B:It's most of the time, it's about, like, younger people, like young, young adults.
Speaker B:And I really enjoy, like, the sound of, like, an old.
Speaker B:Like a good old man singing.
Speaker B:If that is done well, that can sound so pretty.
Speaker B:And it was.
Speaker A:I won't sing.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He delivered.
Speaker B:And I really enjoyed that.
Speaker B:And also, like, the costumes in the show were amazing because in the movies, we are used to Glenn seeing.
Speaker B:For example.
Speaker B:Glenn, for example, seeing Glinda constantly wearing pink.
Speaker B:That is not the case in the musical.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I think she wears pink, like, once.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:And then everything is, like, blue, yellow, white.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it feels a little less like she.
Speaker B:Mean girl.
Speaker B:Like, mean girl.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know the movie, the Barbie version of.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:That was a little.
Speaker B:That was a little afraid of that, because that's one direction I didn't really like.
Speaker B:Why do you constantly dress her in pink?
Speaker A:Yeah, true.
Speaker A:I had a Barbie vibe with the.
Speaker B:Movie, but they don't do that in a musical.
Speaker B:Overall, it was just a very good musical and really would recommend it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:You're selling it.
Speaker A:It's good.
Speaker B:All right, I'll stop.
Speaker A:Well, I think that's all we have for this episod.
Speaker A:We weren't lying.
Speaker A:A lot of books.
Speaker A:And that's good.
Speaker A:I mean, that's exactly what we want to do.
Speaker A:And we'll make sure to put at least the references to all the books that you've mentioned.
Speaker A:The two I mentioned.
Speaker A:But that's all good.
Speaker A:And next time, we'll try to be more or less on schedule.
Speaker A:So in two weeks.
Speaker A:In two weeks, Thursday, we'll see if we can keep that promise, and we'll see what happens.
Speaker A:I'm sure that we'll have.
Speaker A:Have worked our way through some other books or book Sinclair, and we'll see what we can come up with next.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:This concludes our episode.
Speaker B:So until next time, stay enchanted, stay.
Speaker A:Curious, and keep the fantasy alive.
