E14. Books in Focus: Unveiling Recent Literary Discoveries
The principal focus of this podcast episode is a thorough exploration of various literary works, with an emphasis on historical and fantasy genres. We commence by discussing our recent acquisitions of books, highlighting selections such as "Between Two Fires" by Christopher Buhlman, which intricately portrays the grim realities of the Black Plague and its psychological impacts on humanity. Following this, we delve into the anticipated narratives within the realm of historical fiction, including works by esteemed authors such as Susanna Clarke and Anne McCaffrey, examining their contributions to the genre and the thematic intricacies they present. Furthermore, we address current developments in the world of Magic: The Gathering, including an upcoming film and television adaptation, and contemplate its implications for the franchise's legacy. Conclusively, we provide insights on forthcoming literary events, inviting listeners to engage with the vibrant world of books and fantasy that we ardently cherish.
In the current episode of Rolling Into Fantasy, we embark on a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted literary landscape that fantasy encompasses, particularly through the lens of historical and contemporary narratives. The discussion begins with an exploration of my recent literary acquisitions, which include five newly acquired titles, each chosen for their thematic richness and narrative complexity. A focal point of our conversation is 'Between Two Fires' by Christopher Buhlmann, a poignant tale set amidst the ravages of the Black Plague in 14th-century France. Through the intertwined journeys of a fallen knight and a young girl, Buhlmann masterfully depicts the psychological and emotional toll of war and disease, prompting a deeper contemplation of the human condition during times of crisis.
Our dialogue then transitions to contemporary works that continue to shape the fantasy genre, such as Susanna Clarke's 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell', which intricately blends historical elements with magical realism. This exploration of practical magic during the Napoleonic Wars not only enhances our appreciation for character-driven narratives but also exemplifies the genre's capacity for profound emotional engagement. Additionally, we delve into the significance of 'Dragonflight' by Anne McCaffrey, a seminal work that marries science fiction with fantasy elements, featuring a compelling female protagonist navigating a world fraught with peril. Through these narratives, we aim to illuminate the enduring power of storytelling, encouraging our audience to engage with the profound themes that resonate within the literary fabric of fantasy.
Takeaways:
- In this episode of Rolling Into Fantasy, we delve deeply into various books, with a primary focus on historical fiction and its intricate narratives that captivate the imagination.
- A significant portion of our discussion centers around the impact of trauma and the psychological effects of war, particularly as depicted in grim dark fiction and historical narratives.
- We highlight the importance of character development in fantasy literature, emphasizing the allure of morally gray characters who reflect the complexities of human nature.
- We also discuss upcoming events related to fantasy literature, including local book fairs and conventions that celebrate the genre and its community.
- The episode features a critical review of 'Between Two Fires' by Christopher Buhlman, which intricately weaves themes of the Black Plague and human suffering into its storyline.
- Lastly, we express our anticipation for new releases, including works by renowned authors that continue to push the boundaries of fantasy and historical literature.
Transcript
Okay.
Speaker A:And welcome to episode 14 of Rolling Into Fantasy.
Speaker A:It's been a little bit more than two over two weeks now since our last episode.
Speaker A:So we're almost getting back in our usual schedule of doing a bi weekly show.
Speaker A:And this time around we'll be mainly focusing again on books.
Speaker A:Surprise, surprise.
Speaker A:And now, not that I was that jealous of you bringing like 12 plus books with you from London, but I did treat myself to a few books.
Speaker B:Twice.
Speaker A:Twice, yeah.
Speaker A:But only amounting to five new books.
Speaker A:That's still okay.
Speaker A:And I will be.
Speaker A:I wouldn't say much like previewing them, but more like explaining why I did pick these books and I managed to finish at least one book.
Speaker A:How many did you finish?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So that's for our Tales from the Tome.
Speaker A:So we'll have some book previews or just book choices and at least one book review.
Speaker A:And you nevertheless have one book preview.
Speaker B:Right, that I wanted to highlight.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:Which is still due to come out to be published.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:And then we have something that I'm sure that most of you already have heard about, something happening with magic, the Gift Gathering.
Speaker A:So in our section on Lorebound.
Speaker A:More on that a bit later.
Speaker A:And then we would like to highlight very briefly, two coming up events actually for this weekend, this coming up weekend and the week thereafter.
Speaker A:So, yeah, it's that period of the year it's starting.
Speaker B:My wallet is not going to like this.
Speaker A:All right, well, without any further ado, let's jump in right into the books, Tales from the Tome.
Speaker A:Now, the first one, as mentioned, is the one that I did manage to finish.
Speaker A:And it's also the one that I already highlighted or mentioned in our last episode, which is Between Two Fires by Christopher Buhlman.
Speaker A:At the time of recording of our last episode, I was already into the book, so I was reading it.
Speaker A:And so I won't go into too many details, but just to set the stage again, a little reminder.
Speaker A: ically in France and the year: Speaker A:So it's in the middle of the Black Plague and the battles between England and France.
Speaker A:And the story really focuses on a fallen knight called.
Speaker A:Well, his name is Thomas a monk or a priest.
Speaker A:And then a young girl, you know, young teenage girl, 12, 14 years of age.
Speaker A:Her name does get mentioned a bit later in the book, but I mean, I'm not going to, because it's.
Speaker B:Spoiler.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's.
Speaker A:It's not really.
Speaker A:I wouldn't say really the name itself, but the implications.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:More or less.
Speaker A:But it's what is really cool.
Speaker A:And it is definitely a grim dark fiction.
Speaker A:And having said that, it became really clear what now people mean with grim dark fiction.
Speaker A:Because Buhlmann really can paint a very vivid image of a historical period, you know, being the Black Plague and all the horrors that came with it.
Speaker A:So it's very explicit.
Speaker A:But also at the same time, he depicts the effects of not only that plague, but also the war and what it does with the human mind, you know, so the trauma.
Speaker A:So you have several levels.
Speaker A:And that's where I made the link with the title, you know, between Two Fires.
Speaker A:So you have the really physical fire of war, of the Plague, but also the trauma.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And in comes the girl where she acts.
Speaker A:Actually, for me, this is a third level where she's able to see not only the horrors of war and the pests and everything, but she also sees the inner demons that those main characters battle with.
Speaker A:So their inner battle.
Speaker A:She sees that.
Speaker A:It's really, literally.
Speaker A:That's how it goes in the story.
Speaker A:It's a battle between real angels and fallen angels.
Speaker A:So, you know, Lucifer and consorts.
Speaker A:But it's really nice.
Speaker A:But I had to put the book down at least once or twice because it's so explicit.
Speaker A:And I'm not saying that the violence, but how it's described, it's like the.
Speaker B:Emotions that make you uncomfortable.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And how Buhlmann gives or paints this picture of emotional trauma, it's very graphical, and I had to let that sink in.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I mean, that's more or less what it was.
Speaker A:Did I like it?
Speaker A:Yes, I really did like it.
Speaker A:I mean, it's intricate.
Speaker A:And at certain points, specifically, I would say going into the book, like two thirds, sometimes it was a bit slow.
Speaker A:No, no, no, definitely not slow.
Speaker A:But sometimes it was hard to this make the distinction between what was really going on, you know, were there the demons and the monsters that he described was like, this is happening.
Speaker A:I mean, this is like, you know, real horror.
Speaker A:It's happening.
Speaker A:No, actually it is the demons, they are battling themselves.
Speaker B:So it's not really happening.
Speaker A:It's not always happening.
Speaker B:Also be kind of part of the point that you don't always know what is happening.
Speaker A:Well, that's.
Speaker A:That's a very good point you make, because I was.
Speaker A:I was thinking about this, like, okay, to me, it wasn't always clear, okay, is this actually happening now?
Speaker A:Or is it something that these protagonists are battling within their minds?
Speaker A:And I think he.
Speaker A:I mean, I might have, you know, missed the whole point, but to me, it.
Speaker A:At the end of the book, it really seemed that way, that at certain moment it's in a gray area where you.
Speaker A:You cannot really distinguish reality, what is happening.
Speaker A:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I feel like that really be the point that sometimes you just don't know exactly.
Speaker A:And I really like that.
Speaker A:And again, you know, I'm a bit of a fool for historical fiction or at least with a historical background.
Speaker A:This definitely had one.
Speaker A:I mean, the plague did happen.
Speaker A:The year is very accurate with it, with the descriptions of the battles, but more, I would say the impact of these battles and the past combination of both on rural France.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And how, you know, I mean, it's worldwide.
Speaker A:Well, worldwide.
Speaker A:I mean, mainly it's.
Speaker A:It's Europe at that 14th century setting.
Speaker A:But it did cost over 25 million lives, you know, during that period.
Speaker A:So for me it was really interesting.
Speaker A:I would.
Speaker A:I would give it somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 out of 5.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Quite strong.
Speaker A:I really like that.
Speaker A:So, yeah, so that's.
Speaker A:That's my book, my book review.
Speaker A:I'm not going to spoil too much, but I really like the.
Speaker A:The language and the way you're forced into this gray area.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:So yeah, really like that one.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I didn't finish any other book, but as said, I did buy some.
Speaker A:Some new books to be added to my to be read list.
Speaker A:And actually what I did change because I know that I will never finish my tbr, which I think most of us are dealing with.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:But just next to my bed, I have this separate little bookcase.
Speaker A:Not the big one along the side, but on the other side, little bookcase which I think would hold up anywhere between 15 and 20 books tops.
Speaker B:Still a lot of books.
Speaker A:Yeah, between 15 and 20 books.
Speaker A:And I'm planning to put only there.
Speaker A:That's my quote unquote short to be read list, meaning this.
Speaker A:You need to read this year.
Speaker A:They take priority.
Speaker A:And these ones, you know, 15 or 20, these are the must reads this year.
Speaker A:I can still add others, but I will have.
Speaker B:Until you buy more books.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:But no, I mean, maybe I want.
Speaker B:To read that one.
Speaker A:It's finite.
Speaker A:It's finite.
Speaker A:No, it's finite because.
Speaker B:Okay, I could never.
Speaker A:No, it's finite in the sense that I cannot squeeze more books into that space.
Speaker A:That's what I mean.
Speaker B:I only have one library place in my bedroom.
Speaker A:I have a huge library place.
Speaker B:But I mean, same for me.
Speaker A:Y.
Speaker A:But anyway, so one of the first books that I recently bought is not really a new one.
Speaker A: Actually was published in: Speaker A:Even my mom has it.
Speaker A:She mentioned it this week actually.
Speaker B:Has she read it?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:She also has a TBR list which is way longer, but she has more time.
Speaker A:True, true.
Speaker A:And this one is by Susanna Clarke and it's called I love her, Jonathan Strange and Mr.
Speaker A:Norrell.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Susanna Clark is such an amazing writer.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And I mean, that was also one of the reasons why I did buy this book.
Speaker A:I mean, having read already one of her masterpieces, Piranesi is amazing.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And here again you'll see a trend.
Speaker A:It has a historical background because it's set during the.
Speaker B:You're going to hear that a lot.
Speaker A:Oh yes, you're going to hear this a lot.
Speaker A: th century, so: Speaker A:And the story is set where it explores the return of practical magic.
Speaker A:I don't know what that is, but practical magic, I have no idea what.
Speaker B:I have to understand.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think it's practical magic.
Speaker A:Practical magic.
Speaker A:I think it's just magic that you put to use for either battles or nautical navigation.
Speaker B:Because it has practical uses, really.
Speaker B:Practical, not combat uses.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:I mean, that's.
Speaker A:I haven't read it yet.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I mean, that would make sense.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Because it's really set, as I said, you know, with England that is going through, you know, a very harsh period with Napoleon.
Speaker A:And on top of that you have this setting of two magicians.
Speaker A:You have.
Speaker A:So the cautious, the said bookish Mr.
Speaker A:Norrell and then the daring, intuitive Jonathan Strange.
Speaker A:And I mean, obviously, because this book is like 8, 900 pages, the paperback.
Speaker B:One, that's insanely long.
Speaker A:So obviously, you know, it's.
Speaker A:It's said to have a rich world building character.
Speaker A:Yeah, no crap.
Speaker A:I mean, with 8, 900 pages.
Speaker A:But what on the point that I, I do agree from, from the.
Speaker A:The back cover is it's really applauded for its unique narrative style.
Speaker A:Having read one already from her, I absolutely cannot see that happening.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Putting some, some fairy realm on top of that, I still need to see.
Speaker A:Oh, that's gonna fare with me.
Speaker A:Pun intended.
Speaker A:But even if this work is not that old, I mean it's.
Speaker A:It's 20 years, 20 odd years, something like that.
Speaker A:It was really welcomed for literary sophistication, you know, and a fresh take on fantasy.
Speaker A:So I'll see.
Speaker A:But I'm really thrilled for this one.
Speaker A:The only downside is, yet again, it's a big book.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I Mean, it's a brick.
Speaker B:Aren't they always.
Speaker B:Most of the time, they're bricks.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But moving on.
Speaker A:So another book that I bought.
Speaker A:Why did I buy this one?
Speaker A: is book has been published in: Speaker A:I mean, this book is four years older than I am, so pretty old.
Speaker A:And it's from Anne McCaffrey and it's the first tome of a trilogy, but hold your horses.
Speaker A:So mind that first home in a trilogy, and it's called Dragonflight.
Speaker A:Now this.
Speaker A:This trilogy is very old.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But the trilogy is called Dragonriders of Pern.
Speaker A:And it goes even beyond the trilogy because that sets the main story.
Speaker A:But then you delve into more of the characters, more of the.
Speaker A:And what comes after that, after that trilogy, and it adds up close to, I think, 30 books.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I'm just starting with.
Speaker A:I'm just starting.
Speaker A:Well, I'll tell you why I'm starting with book one, obviously from this first trilogy, but at that time, so again, 68, it was really applauded, I would say, or being said as being groundbreaking at that time even, because not only did it bring really character driven, female character driven storyline and a fresh perspective.
Speaker A:And this is.
Speaker A:Well, might be a little bit.
Speaker A:I might get tangled up here because it's mixing fantasy and science fiction that is dangerous.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:For me it will.
Speaker A:Because I'm not such a huge fan or.
Speaker A:No, let's put it differently.
Speaker A:I haven't read as many science fiction books as I have read fantasy.
Speaker B:There is still one trilogy that is science fiction that I would love for you to read, which is Scythe.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, true.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:From Neil Chesterman.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Add it added to the tbr, but the.
Speaker A:The longer TBR list.
Speaker B:So I still prefer that you read Poppy War first.
Speaker A:Oh, but that is on my shortlist as.
Speaker A:Oh, my.
Speaker A:Yeah, just.
Speaker A:Just hand me the book.
Speaker A:Hand me the book and I will put it.
Speaker A:I'll even make a picture of my very short TBR list.
Speaker A:Then people can see visually, you know, which books are in there.
Speaker B:Man, I should make a short TBR list to pressure myself.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:But coming back to the Dragonriders of Pern, and this first trilogy really is set on the planet Pern, and it follows a young woman by the name of Lessa, and she rises from obscurity to become a rider of a powerful queen dragon.
Speaker A:Now, okay, to me, this didn't seem like that new.
Speaker A:But then again, the books that I've read more or less comparable are much more recent, so that's why I said, okay, okay.
Speaker A:This is perhaps where they got their inspiration from.
Speaker A:And so as she rises to become a powerful queen, Dragon rider, she has to battle, quote, unquote, with a capital thread.
Speaker A:So a deadly thread with a D at the end.
Speaker A:And she snippet.
Speaker A:Yeah, she and the Dragon Riders, you know, she.
Speaker A:She must rediscover lost knowledge and forge a new future for their world.
Speaker A:In comes the science fiction, I guess.
Speaker A:But anyway, I'm gonna give it a try.
Speaker A:It's not that thick book, so that's okay.
Speaker A:I think it's about 200.
Speaker A:300.
Speaker A:No, it'll be like 300ish pages.
Speaker A:So that's, that's fine.
Speaker A:What else is to be said?
Speaker A:Oh, well, one element again, which got me doubted.
Speaker A:The more I think about it, the more I'm hesitant whether I'm gonna like it because it also plays or toys with time travel.
Speaker B:I'm not a fan of time travel.
Speaker B:If it's executed like really well, I'll tell you, it's beautiful.
Speaker B:But often once you start with time, it.
Speaker A:Yeah, so.
Speaker A:But anyway, I'll give it a try.
Speaker A:And also because I'm quite certain that many current authors, contemporary authors in this genre must have taken some kind of inspiration from that series.
Speaker A:I mean, if you have like close to 30 books there, probably.
Speaker B:Yes, so.
Speaker B:So that's that Some authors really make it a competition.
Speaker B:Like, like I will be the first one to say that if you make a fantasy book with like a very broad world building system with a lot of epic wars, you can't make that like a standalone you.
Speaker B:That has to become a tree.
Speaker A:Trilogy is fine.
Speaker A:Yes, the trilogy is fine.
Speaker A:Keep it to three.
Speaker B:But at a certain point, at a certain point, I don't think I can keep up anymore.
Speaker A:Yeah, there's so little time.
Speaker A:But anyway, more books.
Speaker A:Right, moving on.
Speaker A:Book number four.
Speaker A:And, and this one actually is a recent one.
Speaker A: in February of last year, so: Speaker A:And it's written by Katherine Arden.
Speaker A:Now Katherine Arden is.
Speaker B:Let me guess, another historical fiction.
Speaker A:Yeah, but hang on before I dive into the book.
Speaker A:So she has written a few books for children or young adults.
Speaker A:And if I'm not mistaken, this is her second book for adults.
Speaker A:Okay, okay, now, indeed, you're right again.
Speaker A:There is a historical background, but much more.
Speaker A:I sense a theme, but it's much more recent in that sense that the background, historical background, is the first World War.
Speaker A:And I mean, that's definitely something that got me interested.
Speaker A:But moreover, it develops, the story is developed In Belgium, which, you know, makes sense if you're looking at World War I.
Speaker A:We were absolutely a stage of the big war, unfortunately, where a lot of the massacres were done or transpired in our countrysides.
Speaker A:And so what is it about?
Speaker A:Well, it's on one hand, it's about this former nurse who goes by the name of Laura Ivan, and she's searching for her missing brother Freddy, who is presumed dead at the front.
Speaker A:And so she.
Speaker A:She started delving and she start investigating as much as she can.
Speaker A:And she hears then of rumors that there is, like, an eerie bar somewhere in Belgium in the neighborhood of Passendale, very famous battleground there, where apparently the dead and the living coexist.
Speaker A:And we follow also the story of two soldiers, two enemy soldiers, but they together, they survive.
Speaker A:I think it's a big bombing and they survive.
Speaker A:And somewhere or the others, they keep each other alive.
Speaker A:And what ties both storylines, so the one from Laura Ivan and these two soldiers is there's a fiddler and a fiddler.
Speaker A:It's like that, you know, with the rats.
Speaker A:It's, I think, similar.
Speaker A:From there, he apparently can, I wouldn't say lure, but he can attract.
Speaker A:Very similar to lure, but he can convince both the living and the dead to follow him and perhaps towards their salvation.
Speaker A:Question mark.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I mean, there's definitely this supernatural mystery, but it's more than that.
Speaker A:It has the historical authenticity.
Speaker A:So you have this brutality of the trenches and the trauma of the survivors.
Speaker A:It goes also very much apparently into psychological depths with, you know, the emotional scars of war.
Speaker A:But also the Survivor's Guild.
Speaker B:Oh, yes, definitely.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:And also the human need for closure.
Speaker A:So I'm really interested to see how this story will unfold and how I will like it.
Speaker A:Okay, moving on.
Speaker A:So book number five, and this is a second book that I will be reading from Hannah Kaner, which is Sunbringer, which is the second installment of the Fallen Gods trilogy.
Speaker A:So I read.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:So I read the first one.
Speaker A:The first one, which I really liked.
Speaker A:This is one that you suggested me, and actually, I really like this one.
Speaker B:Glad you liked it.
Speaker A:Just a reminder.
Speaker A:So it's the story of Kissen, who is.
Speaker B:Don't spoil it.
Speaker A:I'm just, you know, reiterating the baseline or the basics from the first book.
Speaker A:So you have Kissen, who is a professional God killer.
Speaker A:I mean, even that.
Speaker A:Before I started reading the first book, I thought it was a cool idea.
Speaker A:So it follows this story and, you know, it has some impeding war elements in there as well.
Speaker A:But I won't go into too many details as from the first book there was this exploration of faith and divinity, but also political intrigue.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:And rebellion.
Speaker A:And apparently if you're going into book number two, there will be room and time to get some more character development.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But I.
Speaker A:I really like that for me it was an.
Speaker A:I would say cute but.
Speaker A:But fun angle to come at for fantasy.
Speaker A:The whole concept of multiple gods, which is not that absurd.
Speaker A:I mean, look at the Greek and the Roman gods.
Speaker A:You know, so many gods.
Speaker A:But here these gods really are tangible.
Speaker A:They live, they manifest themselves.
Speaker A:But hey, they can be killed because you have God killers.
Speaker A:I really like that idea.
Speaker A:Anywho, moving on.
Speaker A:So that'll be my last book that I will be chatting about.
Speaker A:So this is sixth book and this is a book that I actually, I wanted to purchase a few weeks ago, but for some reason they only had the second one that just came out on paperback.
Speaker A:So hardcover was already out a while, but.
Speaker A:And I managed today to find the first home of this trilogy and it's Darkwater Daughter, which is the book one of the trilogy called the Winter Sea by H.M.
Speaker A:long.
Speaker B:So I heard it is about pirates.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So this book from 23.
Speaker A:2023, it's what they called a swashbuckling fantasy adventure.
Speaker A:And I know this is not really your cup of tea.
Speaker B:What is swashbuckling?
Speaker A:Swashbuckling.
Speaker A:Oh, you haven't heard about this term.
Speaker A:I know, because swashbuckling.
Speaker A:I know this is not really your cup of tea.
Speaker A:As I mentioned, swashbuckling means you swish the weapons, you know, the blades, which would happen on a deck of a boat, you know, with pirates, mutiny.
Speaker B:I've never really gotten into pirate fantasy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Something about it just does not intrigue me.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker B:Okay, I don't.
Speaker A:That's fair enough.
Speaker A:Big on pirates for me.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I always like these big stories of, let's say between.
Speaker A:Oh, again, there we go.
Speaker A:The Napoleonic war.
Speaker A: So early: Speaker A: Yes, early: Speaker A:So 19th century.
Speaker A:And if you add there some.
Speaker A:Some pirates.
Speaker A:And I'm sure that most of us have seen at least one Pirates of the Caribbean.
Speaker A:And that really did, you know, do a lot good in my honest opinion to the genre.
Speaker A:It was fun, it was adventurous and you had this fantasy layer on top of it.
Speaker B:I like media like Pirates of the Caribbean or like Peter Pan and Captain Hook, but books specific, like reading about pirates.
Speaker B:No, it doesn't do it for me.
Speaker A:Okay, well, this will be a first one for Me actually, where you have these nautical battles and you have pirates, but on top of that you got fantasy elements.
Speaker B:So what exactly are the fantasy elements in this one?
Speaker A:So on top of the nautical fantasy setting, so you have this obviously rich bilbs world.
Speaker A:I mean you're on an ocean, okay.
Speaker A:But you have ice bound seas still that seems very normal.
Speaker A:But you have what's called supernatural storms and deadly pirates.
Speaker A:And I think you can take it in both terms, you know, they might be living dead pirates, I don't know.
Speaker A:But what is cool, one of the main characters has apparently the capacity or the gift to use her singing where she can summon or even control elements of nature, shaping for instance storms, but also shaping the fate of sailors and even ships.
Speaker B:Kind of reminds me of sirens.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think there's something like that.
Speaker A:But what's also cool, and I always like this element in books because sometimes I find it too boring when you have a plot where antagonists and protagonists are very opposite of one another.
Speaker A:So it's black and white here.
Speaker A:It's based on morally, morally gray characters.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker B:Oh, my preference is always morally gray characters because in my opinion morally gray characters are always.
Speaker B:They always feel the most human to me because to me they don't like a completely good or completely bad character does not exist.
Speaker A:No, I know, but I'm speaking specifically for fantasy.
Speaker A:In many fantasy books it's either black.
Speaker B:Or white, you know, See that is why I prefer morally gray characters.
Speaker B:Because if there is some good and some bad in them, it makes them more believable.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:True.
Speaker B:And yeah, especially in young adult it's.
Speaker B:They often try to paint it as very black and white.
Speaker A:And this is because.
Speaker A:And that's why I kept it for the last book preview.
Speaker A:This is actually categorized as being young for young adults.
Speaker A:Which I'm very fine with it because.
Speaker B:Well, I mean Priory of the Orange Trees.
Speaker B:Ok, young, but.
Speaker A:And I love that book.
Speaker A:I love that book.
Speaker A:But anyway and so yeah, I'm really looking forward to this one.
Speaker A:Not only the topic, you know, you have the nautical fantasy settings, you have the morally gray characters and it's said to have been like a fresh take on maritime myths and the power of nature's fury.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But anywho, I'll put it to my very short to be read list and just to be complete, book number two was already out since last summer, so from July 24th.
Speaker A:And the third and final chapter of the trilogy is due this July.
Speaker A:So July 25th, which will be.
Speaker A:Oh, hang on so book number two is called Black Tide sun, like in Daughter Sun.
Speaker A:Okay, so because the first one is Dark Water Daughter.
Speaker A:Second book is Black Tide sun, and the last chapter will be called Red Tempest Brother.
Speaker A:Okay, so there you have it.
Speaker A:That's me.
Speaker A:All out for books.
Speaker B:Oh, boy.
Speaker A:But you have something bookish as well?
Speaker B:Yes, because once again, going to talk about one of my favorite authors.
Speaker A:No, let me guess.
Speaker B:Take a wild guess.
Speaker B:Who could it be?
Speaker A:Yeah, it starts with K.
Speaker B:It starts.
Speaker A:With an R.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:R.F.
Speaker B:kuang.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker B:Because she is releasing a new book.
Speaker B:The current expected publication date is the 26th of August.
Speaker B:This year.
Speaker A:This year.
Speaker A:Okay, okay, okay.
Speaker B:And the book is called Katabasis.
Speaker A:Katabasis, yes.
Speaker B:Now what?
Speaker B:Let's.
Speaker A:What is a Catabasis?
Speaker B:Let's start with the title.
Speaker B:What does katabasis mean?
Speaker A:I have no beeping clue because it's.
Speaker A:It starts with a K.
Speaker A:So I'm not familiar with many English words with K.
Speaker A:It might be something.
Speaker B:Well, it is an ancient Greek noun.
Speaker A:It's what I was thinking about, but.
Speaker A:Okay, enlighten us.
Speaker B:So what is Katabasis?
Speaker B:It is a descent into the underworld or a literary account of such a journey and to the land of the dead.
Speaker B:And it is always is followed by a anabasis, preferably, which is the ascent.
Speaker A:The ascent, of course.
Speaker B:So this is.
Speaker B:It talks about a descent into hell, quite literally.
Speaker A:You got me at that.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:A historical dark academia fantasy book.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And it's about this woman called Alice Law.
Speaker B:And this woman has sacrificed everything to become a top magician.
Speaker B:And I mean, she becomes one of the best magicians.
Speaker A:However, there's always a catch.
Speaker B:There's always a catch.
Speaker B:Otherwise we wouldn't have a book during a magical accident that may or may not could have.
Speaker A:Magical accident.
Speaker B:Magical accident.
Speaker B:I don't know what that implies.
Speaker B:But because of a magical accident, her mentor, Professor Grimes, passes away.
Speaker A:Oopsie.
Speaker B:And it might have been her fault.
Speaker A:Double oopsie.
Speaker B:So she's like, you know, I kind of messed that one up.
Speaker B:So I'm just going to go down to the underworld because.
Speaker A:Sure, why not?
Speaker B:Because that makes perfect sense to save my future.
Speaker B:And like, that is not a very, very big jump girl.
Speaker B:But okay.
Speaker A:But I mean, coming from her hand and her pen, I'm sure it's gonna be quite epic.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:But the problem.
Speaker B:Because there's more problems, obviously.
Speaker A:What do you mean?
Speaker A:With the author of the book.
Speaker B:The book.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:No, no, there's no.
Speaker B:I have no problems.
Speaker B:She's not the only one who's going down to revive.
Speaker A:So she's going to revive for the good, and somebody else is going to him for the bad.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:It's her rival, Peter Murdoch.
Speaker B:And he also wants to revive the Professor.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker A:Different motivations, most probably.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I would.
Speaker B:I would guess that if he is the one who kind of saves the professor, he can kind of spin it like, oh, well, she killed him and I'm reviving him, so I'm the good guy.
Speaker A:And now.
Speaker A:And she wants to go, oh, I want to redeem myself.
Speaker B:Yeah, she wants to basically save her future.
Speaker B:Okay, so.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And this is due this summer, right?
Speaker B:Yes, August 26th.
Speaker B:And when I first saw the COVID.
Speaker A:Of this book, see the importance of a good cover, a killer cover is.
Speaker B:So important, the first thing that came to mind was, huh.
Speaker B:This kind of reminds me of Piranesi and the way, like, that house was described.
Speaker B:Because basically what you see is, you know, the illusion of, like, a staircase that is completely round.
Speaker B:Imagine that.
Speaker B:But it does go down.
Speaker B:But you can't see it going down because it looks like it's going round.
Speaker B:It's something like that, and it's completely white.
Speaker B:I was like, huh, that really reminds me of Piranesi.
Speaker B:And it has also been compared to Piranesi.
Speaker A:Big boots to fill, though.
Speaker B:So I'm really curious because I really like Susanna Clarke's writing and I really like Kuang's writing.
Speaker B:I'm kind of curious.
Speaker B:I kind of want to read this.
Speaker B:And what really scares me, it's also been said that it is one of the most devastating books that Kuang has written so far.
Speaker B:And that really scares me, knowing what that woman has written before.
Speaker B:What do you mean this is gonna be worse?
Speaker A:What do you mean you're gonna be a wreck?
Speaker B:What do you.
Speaker B:What do you mean it can't get worse than Poppy Warring?
Speaker A:Well.
Speaker A:Well, apparently it can.
Speaker B:Famous last words.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Well, that's quite a lot to look forward to and.
Speaker A:And to add on our ever growing to be read list.
Speaker A:But I'm.
Speaker A:I'm really.
Speaker A:I'm I'm absolutely serious when.
Speaker A:When I say I'm going to limit myself to these 15, tops, 20 books that are a must read this year.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm fine with adding more, but that will be the must read.
Speaker B:I'm gonna start with, like, 10.
Speaker B:See?
Speaker B:See how.
Speaker B:Well, how fast I'll go through that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Moving on to our second segment, which is lor bound.
Speaker A:We haven't done one actually in our last one or two episodes.
Speaker B:It's been a while.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:And people will regret me bringing it up again, because here we go again.
Speaker A:It's about Magic the Gathering.
Speaker A:But, you know, don't be afraid.
Speaker A:It's not news set that I want to highlight, but it's just about the news that just got announced quite recently, a few weeks ago, that apparently the good people of Wizards of the coast, owned by Hasbro, will be teaming up with the company called Legendary Entertainment to make a major film and even TV adaptation.
Speaker A:So we at least are looking at one movie minimum and a TV series.
Speaker A:I mean, my first reaction was like, oh, why?
Speaker A:Because, don't get me wrong, I love Magic the Gathering, and.
Speaker A:And this is a perfect breeding ground to.
Speaker A:To make something wonderful out of it for the big screen or even the smaller screen.
Speaker A:But the.
Speaker A:The gripe that I have with it, the problem I have with it these days, it seems like whenever there's something, you know, successful, they have to extract, like, the last drop out of it, you know, just like making a money machine.
Speaker A:And they have to milk it empty.
Speaker A:They have to milk it dry.
Speaker B:True, true.
Speaker A:And that's where, unfortunately, also, the originality gets, you know, thrown out of the window.
Speaker A:So I'm a bit afraid that the thing that I really love of Magic the Gathering might be treated in the same way.
Speaker B:True.
Speaker A:But okay, you know, I'm always.
Speaker B:I do feel like the best approach with this that I think would work is the same approach as what they've been doing with Arcane, which is.
Speaker B:So, as we already discussed previously, it's characters from League of Legends.
Speaker B:But how they are doing it is they pick a few characters and they highlight their story.
Speaker B:In this case, that's arcane, and that is two seasons, and that has been completely finished.
Speaker B:We are no longer getting a third season for Arcane.
Speaker A:Yeah, Famous last words.
Speaker B:No, that is completely done.
Speaker B:However, they are starting a new series with different characters that will highlight their story.
Speaker A:Okay, that's a good approach.
Speaker A:And I think that.
Speaker A:Indeed, I agree that would work quite nicely with Magic the Gathering, because you could take.
Speaker B:Because there are so many different characters.
Speaker A:But the plane walk.
Speaker A:Just start with the plane walk.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:The main characters.
Speaker A:The Plane walkers.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Those are main players.
Speaker A:So that.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm not certain how it will be tackled.
Speaker A:I would say this, that at least it gives me some hope.
Speaker A:Knowing Legendary Entertainment, they have produced quite good movies.
Speaker A:I mean, in.
Speaker A:In my opinion, my book.
Speaker A:Let's not forget the Dune franchise.
Speaker A:I mean, the, the recent one, the.
Speaker B:Remake that has been really good.
Speaker A:That is really awesome.
Speaker A:But also even Godzilla, I really like that one.
Speaker A:So they're quite good at delivering, you know, top notch live action feature films and television episodes with some, some fantasy elements in it.
Speaker A:So, you know.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, I feel.
Speaker B:I mean I.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:With the Plains Walkers, that, that would be really interesting.
Speaker B:I mean I would love to have like a series about Liliana.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:Or Jace or Chandra.
Speaker A:I, I was very doubtful as well.
Speaker A:You know, a few.
Speaker A:I think it's a few years ago when they, they brought out Dungeons and Dragons, the movie.
Speaker B:That was really fun though.
Speaker B:It was fun.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:So it's a standalone movie.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:So that's, that's, you know, that was fun and.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But a lot has to do.
Speaker A:Not only with the plot, obviously it has a lot.
Speaker A:Also the actors.
Speaker B:That too.
Speaker B:And I also feel like all the references in it, of course, even like the very first D and D characters that were on screen were a small part in the movie.
Speaker B:That was amazing for me.
Speaker A:I hope they, they're going to do it with the same approach they.
Speaker A:That they don't have like a mansplaining approach but you know, with just use a lot of wings and nudges.
Speaker A:To the longtime fans of magic, you.
Speaker B:Know, because there is a lot of epic.
Speaker B:There's so much lore in magic.
Speaker A:It's endless.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:There is so much that they can use.
Speaker B:But then you have to have a lot of knowledge about magic too.
Speaker A:But that's okay.
Speaker A:It can be a trigger to discover that world.
Speaker A:The thing that I also dread, that I hope will not happen, is that they're gonna use this, this movie and or TV series as a new source of new card sets.
Speaker A:Because then it's like a Downworld spiral.
Speaker A:So I hope it won't end up that way.
Speaker A:But anyway, you know, let's, let's be positive.
Speaker A:Let's be optimistic about it.
Speaker A:I haven't seen a confirmed launch date.
Speaker A: 'm assuming it won' be before: Speaker A:Anyway.
Speaker A:All right, that's it for Lorebound.
Speaker A:And we do have the first two Epic Events, our third segment, so my poor wallet.
Speaker A:Epic Events is back.
Speaker A:It's going to start and actually it's going to start much sooner than you think.
Speaker B:Huh?
Speaker A:Oh yeah.
Speaker A:It's this weekend, our first event.
Speaker B:I know, I know.
Speaker A:Which is a new fair which will be so next weekend.
Speaker A:So February 22nd and 23rd in Holland, which is called Geeks and Freaks.
Speaker A:Now this apparently, if I believe the website is really catering to, I would say horror fantasy.
Speaker A:So I'm very curious.
Speaker A:We most probably will be going just one day.
Speaker A:If we do, video will absolutely cover it, you know, and give our honest review about it and hopefully we'll, we'll have a good time there.
Speaker A:It's very easy because it's not that far.
Speaker A:It's just over the border.
Speaker A:So that's easy.
Speaker A:And then I did find another one that I added to the list which is the week thereafter.
Speaker A:And I mean it's, it's a Dutch event.
Speaker A:It takes place in Belgium and you know, translated it means.
Speaker A:Or it would translate into experience books.
Speaker A:And it's exactly that.
Speaker A:It's just a book fair.
Speaker A:So not only fantasy or science fiction, but you know, in general a book fair.
Speaker A:And what's interesting is I went through the very long list because there are already over 100 confirmed authors.
Speaker A:Yeah, over 100 authors that will be present.
Speaker A:And some of them are also fantasy authors.
Speaker A:And the cool thing.
Speaker A:Well, at least that's what I think is cool about it.
Speaker A:These are all local authors, meaning Belgium, Netherlands, I think some might be even from Germany, I think.
Speaker A:But I mean.
Speaker B:And do they write in English?
Speaker B:Dutch.
Speaker A:And most of them read in Write, sorry, in Dutch.
Speaker A:I'm not aware about the translated versions that they might have, but I think most of them are just being published in Dutch.
Speaker A:I mean, it's a much smaller scale of course, that we're talking about and that's exactly what I wanted to cover in the upcoming episodes is to focus a bit on our local little gems which I don't know enough about myself.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so to name just a few authors, at least some of them whose name I know.
Speaker A:Not the works just yet, but you have Morgan Blade, PETA Doom, Penn Stewart, Maya Miller.
Speaker A:These are very English sounding names, but I mean these are their artist names.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I mean also some of them, if you would pronounce them in Dutch, it would sound completely different.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, absolutely, because Maya Miller, her real name is Maya Vermeer.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, see that, that's what I mean.
Speaker A:But you also have an author by the name.
Speaker A:And this is.
Speaker A:His real name is Johann van der Velde.
Speaker A:Very Flemish, very Flemish name.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But nevertheless, I, I really am looking forward.
Speaker A:Even though it is not your, your typical fantasy fair, like you know, like Facts and Other and Comic Con and stuff like that.
Speaker A:This is just a book literature event and I'M really looking forward and hoping to speak to some of these authors and hopefully able to convince them to grant us, you know, a few minutes of their time and add them to our podcast.
Speaker A:We'll see.
Speaker A:We'll see what happens.
Speaker A:But anyway, the Wallet breaking season will start as of this weekend, and that's about it.
Speaker A:What I have to share.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So I hope you enjoyed this episode, and we'll talk to you very soon.
Speaker A:And yeah, that's it from us.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker B:Bye.
Speaker B:This concludes our episode, so until next.
Speaker A:Time, stay enchanted, stay curious, and keep the fantasy alive.
