E16. From Rebellion to Control: Suzanne Collins' work & Dragons!
The focal point of this podcast episode revolves around our discourse on the newly released book "Sunrise on the Reaping" by Suzanne Collins, which serves as the second prequel to the illustrious "Hunger Games" series. We delve into Collins's narrative style and thematic exploration, particularly her incisive critique of authoritarianism and propaganda as illustrated within the fabricated reality of the Hunger Games. Through our dialogue, we strive to illuminate the evolution of dystopian elements across the series, as well as the profound societal implications that resonate even in contemporary times. Furthermore, we engage in a brief discussion of other literary works we've encountered, including "Here Be Dragons" by Dimitri Balcaen and "Malice" by John Gwynne, each contributing uniquely to the landscape of modern fantasy literature. Ultimately, we invite our listeners to join us in reflecting on these narratives and their broader relevance to our understanding of power, identity, and resistance in both fictional and real-world contexts.
The sixteenth installment of our podcast, Rolling into Fantasy, presents an engaging exploration of the literary realm, particularly focusing on the recent publication of Suzanne Collins' novel, "Sunrise on the Reaping." This work serves as a significant addition to the Hunger Games universe, functioning as a prequel that delves into the complexities of the 50th Hunger Games, a pivotal event within the narrative. Our discussion unfolds with an examination of Collins' narrative style and thematic depth, highlighting her adeptness at weaving social commentary through the tapestry of dystopian fiction. The conversation touches upon the evolution of the Hunger Games' portrayal throughout its iterations, emphasizing the stark contrast between earlier games and the later spectacles, ultimately revealing the insidious nature of propaganda and the manipulation of public perception by the Capitol. Through this lens, we scrutinize the moral quandaries presented in the text, as well as the implications of authority and rebellion, making connections to contemporary societal issues.
Takeaways:
- In this episode, we delve into the intricacies of Suzanne Collins's latest work, 'Sunrise on the Reaping', which serves as a profound exploration of themes such as authoritarianism and propaganda.
- We examine the evolution of the Hunger Games series, noting how each installment reveals deeper societal critiques through its narrative and character development.
- The discussion emphasizes the significance of language in shaping perceptions of rebellion and compliance, illustrating how terminology can either empower or diminish the agency of individuals.
- We reflect on the implications of technology and media manipulation within the context of the story, drawing parallels to contemporary real-world issues around censorship and narrative control.
Links referenced in this episode:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games
- https://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/
- https://readmore.be/product-author/dimitri-balcaen/
- https://www.johngwynneauthor.co.uk/
- https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/tarkir-dragonstorm
Transcript
Okay.
Speaker A:And welcome to episode 16 of our podcast, Rolling into Fantasy.
Speaker A:As always, it's becoming a tradition.
Speaker A:We shouldn't claim we have a bi weekly podcast, but more like a monthly.
Speaker A:But anyway, I mean, we won't bore you with why we encountered some delays again, but as I wanted to say, let's celebrate that at least we're here again.
Speaker A:We did read some books, we're planning on going to some events, and we're planning on reading other books.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So, as usual.
Speaker A:As usual, absolutely.
Speaker A:So with no further.
Speaker A:Further ado, let's jump into our first section, Tales from the Tome, with our first book.
Speaker A:Off you go.
Speaker B:All right, so the book that I've read is called Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.
Speaker A:Does ring a bell.
Speaker B:Sure does.
Speaker B:She has written a very popular trilogy called the Hunger Games.
Speaker A:Oh, those?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So this is the second prequel to the Hunger Games, the first prequel being A ballad of songbirds and snakes.
Speaker B:So this is the second one.
Speaker A:Is it also going to be a trilogy?
Speaker B:Well, that is not confirmed, because as Suzanne Collins says, she only writes a book when she has something to say.
Speaker B:Boy, did she have something to say.
Speaker B:Holy.
Speaker B:I do really hope that it will become a trilogy, because I feel like there is still a lot of potential for a third book to make it like some kind of overarching thing that gives us more explanation into this world that she has built and all the critique that she's trying to portray by using this world.
Speaker B:Okay, but before I get into that, wanted to talk more about Suzanne Collins.
Speaker B:So let's start off.
Speaker B:Where did she start?
Speaker B:She started with a series called the Underland Chronicles.
Speaker B:There are five books in this series.
Speaker B:It's quite a lot.
Speaker B:It's also written for a younger audience, so it's like young adult.
Speaker B:It also explores themes of war.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And then she moved on to the Hunger Games.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Now, where did she get the inspiration for the Hunger Games?
Speaker B:I find this very, very interesting how this concept came to be.
Speaker B:So the idea for the Hunger Games came to her when she was constantly switching through TV channels, going from game shows to news segments that were covering the war in Iraq.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And then those two kind of muddled together in her mind.
Speaker A:Okay, sure.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's kind of how the concept of the Hunger Games came to be.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:How we televised everything and how it.
Speaker B:Even if we are confronted with war.
Speaker B:And it just doesn't really shock us as much as it should be because we're so used to seeing these changes.
Speaker B:And then she's like, okay, but what if we make a game show out of it to make it even, like, more sickening?
Speaker B:Like, oh, we're going to use this as pure entertainment, which.
Speaker B:And then you had the Hunger Games, okay?
Speaker B:Bam.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:So then A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Speaker B:So, Hunger Games, you have the 74th Hunger Games, the 75th Hunger Games, and then the whole revolution is also called the 76th Hunger Games, okay?
Speaker B:Now, like I said, the two books written after that are two prequels.
Speaker B:So a Ballad of Songbirds and snakes is the 10th Hunger Games, okay?
Speaker B:And the book that I read just now, Sunrise on the reaping, is the 50th Hunger Games, okay?
Speaker B:And I find this very interesting because you really see the evolution within the Hunger Games, how they.
Speaker B:How they use propaganda mostly, and how it.
Speaker B:How there is an evolution in it.
Speaker B:Because at the beginning, and for example, in the 10th Hunger Games, watching the Hunger Games was mandatory, even for the people who lived in the capital who did not have to participate in the Hunger Games.
Speaker B:But back then, they didn't really see it as entertainment.
Speaker B:They really did not like watching these games.
Speaker B:They found the people in the capital found it very sick and they didn't enjoy watching it, okay?
Speaker B:And then in that book, it kind of sparked the idea, what if we make it entertaining?
Speaker B:And then you see the evolution grow further in Sunrise of the Rig Bing.
Speaker B:And then in the Hunger Games, you see what it actually.
Speaker B:What it came to be.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker B:So in the 50th Hunger Games, this is Haymitch's Hunger Games, which is a mentor of Katniss in the Hunger Games.
Speaker B:So you'd think, oh, you know, we know everything that there is to this book.
Speaker B:We know who wins the Games.
Speaker B:We know what the arena is like.
Speaker B:We know what the Games did to Haymitch.
Speaker B:We know everything.
Speaker B:Okay, so there won't be any surprises.
Speaker A:Well, that's what you're thinking.
Speaker B:You know, you also already know that it is a quarter Quell.
Speaker B:So it's going to be a special.
Speaker B:Games in the 50th Hunger Games reaped twice as many Tributes as usual.
Speaker B:So instead of one female and one male from each district, you have two males and two females from each district.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker B:Holy shit.
Speaker B:Otherwise, there was so many plot twists that I really didn't see coming.
Speaker B:And despite already knowing most of the outcomes of the book, like who is going to win?
Speaker B:Etc, etc, it still takes you so much by surprise by giving so much more context.
Speaker B:And by reading this book, by reading this Games, you realize how much authority the capital has.
Speaker B:And all the underlying themes in the previous books become so much clearer, like the authoritarian control and propaganda and the rewriting of history.
Speaker B:Mostly.
Speaker B:Those two are so important throughout this entire book.
Speaker B:If I were to pull a few quotes up with this, History is controlled by those who win.
Speaker B:This is one of the quotes directly from the book.
Speaker B:And there is also a very obvious line that keeps repeating throughout the book, which is one of the propaganda lines is no peacekeepers.
Speaker B:No peace.
Speaker A:Oh, that's a good one.
Speaker B:As long as the peacekeepers are there in each district, there will be peace.
Speaker B:But if there are no peacekeepers, well, no peace.
Speaker B:Then you have the Dark Ages.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And I feel like this theme also really mirrors the real world concerns about censorship and state sponsored propaganda.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:We really see that in this day and age as well.
Speaker B:Same with the rewriting of history.
Speaker B:There is.
Speaker B:The Hunger Games are constantly sanitized for public consumption.
Speaker B:And you have multiple examples of this.
Speaker B:For example, during the reaping, when they choose the tributes, they have to like pick a name.
Speaker B:In Haymitch's games, in Haymitch's reaping, you, he isn't reaped, but one of the two boys who is reaped runs away, gets shot, he's dead.
Speaker B:And then there's this whole uprising.
Speaker B:And then Haymitch pulls attention to himself.
Speaker B:And then they're just like, you know, pick that boy.
Speaker B:That's one of the new reapings.
Speaker B:So he was illegally reaped.
Speaker B:But on the cameras, on all the footage that they're filming, there's like a five minute delay.
Speaker B:So they completely cut all of that chaos out.
Speaker B:And then they re pick out like the names from the bulls, okay, from the first boy and then Haymitch.
Speaker B:But that.
Speaker B:That's actually not.
Speaker A:That's not how it happened.
Speaker B:That's not how it actually happened.
Speaker B:But they replayed that for the cameras.
Speaker B:There's another example when Haymitch is already in the games and he just won by using the force field to kill the last other tribute.
Speaker B:And after that, he already had this bomb on him.
Speaker B:And they are telling him like the game makers are telling him, don't throw it, don't do it.
Speaker B:You already won.
Speaker B:You can put it down.
Speaker B:But he still throws it.
Speaker B:And he still blows up a part of the arena when he is on his Victor interview after it.
Speaker B:And they see how he won.
Speaker B:That entire bit cut out the whole thing of the bomb never shown.
Speaker B:And it's even told to other Victors that the reason why Haymitch was punished was because of the force field, but not of the bomb.
Speaker B:They just completely censored that.
Speaker B:They completely rewritten his games to show that the Capitol is in power and that he's not a rebel.
Speaker B:He's a rascal.
Speaker A:Oh, rascal, you.
Speaker B:That's also very important.
Speaker B:Snow makes a.
Speaker B:Snow is the President.
Speaker B:He makes.
Speaker B:A very important point of this is by calling them rebels, you are legitimizing their acts of defiance, while if you call them rascals, then you're not downplaying them, you're downplaying them.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:So you don't.
Speaker B:You don't.
Speaker B:You shouldn't give them the power because language also has power.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And that's why they constantly trying to show that the capital is the one that holds control, even when the rebels are defying them.
Speaker B:No, they're not.
Speaker B:They're just rascals.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Now, something that I also found very, very interesting is the critique towards technology and the narrative manipulation using A.I.
Speaker B:oh, it's not explicitly used.
Speaker B:Like, A.I.
Speaker B:isn't exactly used.
Speaker B:But I do, like, a lot of people felt like, oh, this really feels like AI and what it does to us.
Speaker B:And that is through Luella.
Speaker B:Now, Luella actually dies before the Games even start.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But again, that is completely cut out.
Speaker B:And they pick a different girl from a different district and make her look like Luella and completely brainwash the girl until she can only say things that Luel.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Like a chatgpt.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker B:And obviously, like, people like Haymitch and the other tributes from District 12 immediately notice.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's not Luella.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But to the people of the capital, to the main public watching, they would never know.
Speaker B:Only, like, close friends and family would instantly recognize that is not Luella.
Speaker B:And that's why they instantly.
Speaker B:Also, the other Tributes start calling her Lulu because they do not want to call her Luella, because it's not Luella.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But, yeah, it's.
Speaker B:Oh, you know, one of our Tributes is that.
Speaker B:But we do not want to show that the Capitol messed up.
Speaker B:All right?
Speaker B:We're just going to remake her.
Speaker B:And there.
Speaker B:There is Luella.
Speaker B:The capital didn't mess up.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I mean, to me, it sounds.
Speaker A:I must confess, I haven't read any.
Speaker A:Any of the books yet, but she really seems like portraying or translating whatever is happening now occurs now in the real world.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Into her.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:So that's kind of cool.
Speaker B:That is really cool.
Speaker B:And even though it is for a young adult audience, it still captivated me so much.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's honestly.
Speaker A:But it's fine.
Speaker B:It's a.
Speaker B:It's a series that I grew up with, but even now, I really, really enjoy reading it.
Speaker B:And another point in this book is the implicit submission that is used throughout the entire book.
Speaker B:And one of the game makers also kind of voices this to Haymitch, and he says, you know, there is so many of you.
Speaker B:Like, the district outnumbers the Capital so much.
Speaker B:Like, there are so many more of you than there are capital people.
Speaker B:And yet you.
Speaker B:You stay complicit, yet you stay, like, very.
Speaker B:You stay in submission.
Speaker B:You stay calm.
Speaker B:You don't try to defy us.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:And then once Plutarch brings this up to Haymitch, Haymitch keeps thinking about this, like, why don't we defy them?
Speaker B:Because we do have the numbers.
Speaker B:And it is because of the propaganda and the constant rewriting of the history, because every time they do defy the Capital, they rewrite the history to make it look that there either never was any defiance or that the defiance just simply didn't work.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And that kind of demoralizes others to try it because others have tried and they failed, or others never tried because there is just no point.
Speaker B:And that's why the others kind of stay silent and just keep along with the story.
Speaker B:And you see that on multiple levels.
Speaker B:On the level of individual, on Haymage, on the games, on a national level.
Speaker B:It's amazing.
Speaker A:All right, well, yeah.
Speaker A:So, I mean, if you're using amazing to describe the book, what's the score?
Speaker B:It's really high.
Speaker B:It's a four and a half out of five.
Speaker B:I really, really, really enjoyed reading this book.
Speaker B:It's also her use of language and the pace.
Speaker B:I never felt bored.
Speaker B:The story always dragged you along.
Speaker B:Like, it kept a nice pace.
Speaker B:It never felt rushed, but it never felt like, come on, you're really dragging this out.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Is it a thick book?
Speaker A:I mean, I mean, a pages.
Speaker B:I think about 400.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Still.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:So four and a half out of five.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker B:I really, really enjoyed this book.
Speaker A:Apparently you did.
Speaker A:So another one I have to.
Speaker A:To put on my TBR list.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:It, is it.
Speaker B:You have more context to it if you read the Hunger Games first.
Speaker B:You know, you really should read the Hunger Games.
Speaker B:Then A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and then Sunrise on the Reaping.
Speaker B:Even though those two are prequels, the context is more there if you read the original trilogy, for sure.
Speaker A:I mean, and it applies to so many pop culture phenomena throughout the decades Whenever they do a prequel, don't start there because it's going to spoil the whole story.
Speaker B:Right, exactly.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:Okay, great.
Speaker A:Any other books you read?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker A:So that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker A:No, no, I'm just kidding.
Speaker A:Now, my list isn' that spectacular either.
Speaker A:I managed to finish one book and I'm almost done with the second one, so the first one I managed to finish, although it's not really a big or thick book, not many pages, and it's one that I mentioned in our previous episode is Here Be Dragons by Dimitri Balkan, Belgian author.
Speaker A:Just a very short recap.
Speaker A:So he's a Belgian author whom we covered some of his works in our last episode and who we also met a few weeks ago.
Speaker A:And so Here Be Dragons is his take, or his interpretation, let's say, or inspiration came from Edgar Allan Poe's Dreamland, and it's a very lyrical journey.
Speaker A:It's written for young adults and it really shows.
Speaker A:But it's good.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm all good with that as a result.
Speaker A:It reads really easy.
Speaker A:You go through it very fast and it invites us, you know, to question whether dragons are foes, ancestors or ourselves.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:That's interesting.
Speaker A:Yeah, I like that perspective, let's say.
Speaker A:And so the way you could portray it is like an introspective epic fantasy novel.
Speaker A:And we follow this main character, the protagonist being Dristan, and he's marked by a dragon birthmark.
Speaker A:So he has a birthmark in the shape of a dragon and he has these dreams that haunt him, creatures long vanished, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker A:So that's why I said it has this dreamlike, philosophical, sometimes or at times and mythic feeling to it.
Speaker A:Now, Dristan, the main character, is not only haunted by the implications of this birthmark he's bearing.
Speaker A:So it's not just a physical symbol, but it's also a burden of memory, of ancestry and possibilities of what might come.
Speaker A:So again, the question throughout his journey is whether he's destined to become what the mark signifies or rather to break free from it.
Speaker B:So it's about choices, really, really interesting themes.
Speaker A:It's about choices and again, you know, identity and conflict, that's the main theme that goes throughout.
Speaker A:And so whether he's the clear cut, you know, you're the chosen one, or, you know, is he more a bit reflective and one does he want to break?
Speaker A:Freeman, I'm not going to spoil it.
Speaker A:So it's like, you could say it's a meditation on dragons as a symbol.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And that's what I really like, because it is really a key thing or theme, even if you want to compare it throughout fantasy in general.
Speaker A:I mean, dragon is like one of the most epic imagery used throughout ages in literature as far as fantasy is concerned.
Speaker A:I mean if you look at what world already covered, you know, being classic or western dragons.
Speaker A:You have Smaug from the Hobbit, you know, from Lord of the Rings, Tolkien.
Speaker A:And you have this, this great dragon who is really greed incarnate.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, hoarding gold, etc.
Speaker A:But you also have more recent dragons like Aragon.
Speaker A:Aragon.
Speaker A:Sapphira from Paolini.
Speaker A:I've, I've put those books on your shelf as well to read, you know, Bo Dragon, you know, representing heritage and growth while Aragon writes Sapphira.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker A:It took a while.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:It took a while.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:So there's that.
Speaker A:You have Tem from Novik dragons as sentient emotional beings.
Speaker A:But I mean the list goes on.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And you can compare these western dragon characters in fantasy novels with eastern, more philosophical dragons.
Speaker A:You have the Chinese long, the wise, ancient forces.
Speaker A:But also one other thing that you really like.
Speaker A:You have the dragons in Studio Ghibli's work.
Speaker B:But that's not really a dragon.
Speaker B:Well, it's a Chinese dragon.
Speaker A:It's a Chinese dragon.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:It's a Chinese dragon.
Speaker A:Let's not be too picky here.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, but they are really, really nice.
Speaker A:It's not a dragon, you know, it's more like a memory, a river.
Speaker A:You know, it's more poetic, let's put it that way.
Speaker A:And then you have what is conveyed or regarded as more, you know, modern niche, more like gentle variants.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:The Tea Dragon society by K.
Speaker A:O'Neill.
Speaker A:Haven't read it.
Speaker A:Yeah, but the Tea Dragon.
Speaker A:I'm not making this up.
Speaker A:I, I did look it up.
Speaker B:Gossip queen.
Speaker B:Dragons.
Speaker B:Got it.
Speaker B:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:Dragons as more tender, memory keeping companions.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:You have also toothless and Toothless should ring a bell because that's from how.
Speaker B:To train your dragon.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker B:See, I mean, love that movie.
Speaker A:It is in here.
Speaker A:In, in here be dragons.
Speaker A:Drissen Journey isn't so much about, you know, befriending a dragon.
Speaker A:It' the dragon within.
Speaker B:Aw, that's kind of cute.
Speaker A:It is, it is.
Speaker A:And you know, across tales of old and new, you know, dragons have always guarded this treasure of time and truth.
Speaker A:And in Dimitri Balkan's story or telling, I would say the greatest treasure that they guard is self understanding.
Speaker A:And that's kind of cool.
Speaker A:So I really Liked that approach, that symbolism.
Speaker A:As mentioned, you feel immediately that this, and this is no negative critique, but you feel it is written or has been written for a younger audience.
Speaker A:But I'm totally fine with it.
Speaker A:I mean it reads like a charm and you know, we've touched upon dragons and it's a nice segue if you want to go jump into board games with dragons.
Speaker A:I mean, there's a lot of board games, Right.
Speaker A:We've covered Dungeons and Dragons, but there's also Wingspan Dragonbane.
Speaker A:I mean, you even have dedicated D and D modules.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And then what's more.
Speaker A:Well, you have dragons in House of Dragon as well.
Speaker B:They're not really dragons that are wyvern, but.
Speaker A:Yep, exactly.
Speaker A:I mean it's endless.
Speaker A:But long story short, I really like this one.
Speaker A:And also the, the book itself, you know, it has a very high quality finish, you know.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, it looks really, really nice.
Speaker A:And even the paper.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But it's it, it, it read.
Speaker A:I think I read it in one and a half evening.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:It's, it's what I mean, I have it here.
Speaker A:I mean it took me 222 pages.
Speaker A:I mean.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Oh, you know, one and a half evenings.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But I would give it somewhere between a 3.5 and 3.7.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But still pretty high.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, No, I really like that.
Speaker A:And, and I'm also looking very much forward to talking about it with Dimitri himself.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So, well, we'll have that.
Speaker A:Now, second book, although I haven't finished it, I'm almost there, is called Malice and Malice by John Gwyne.
Speaker B:So what is it about?
Speaker A:Well, I think we already mentioned it, at least being on my to be read list some episodes ago.
Speaker A:It's the first part of a trilogy which is called the Faithful and the Fallen Saga.
Speaker A: alled Malice was published in: Speaker A:So not that recent.
Speaker A: called Valor was published in: Speaker A: led Ruin and was published in: Speaker A:Now it is really a tale of, you know, it's rich with clashing destinies, you know, old gods and world teetering on the brink of ruin.
Speaker A:I mean, I love that kind of thing.
Speaker A:You know, you could say that, you know, that here be Dragons, the previous book is acquired storm of inner Legacy.
Speaker A:Then Malice is absolutely the war drum that signals that the gods are not done with us.
Speaker A:I absolutely love it.
Speaker B:So what does that entail?
Speaker B:That gods are not done with us.
Speaker A:John.
Speaker A:Quaint.
Speaker A:So the author, he uses the Norse tinged epic prophecy, you know, of peril.
Speaker A:And that's the thing, you know, where the line between the hero and the villain gets blurred and so you don't have this black and white thing, which we go through.
Speaker B:So a lot of great characters love.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:So does it also use the Norse gods then?
Speaker A:It highly relies on them.
Speaker A:Okay, okay.
Speaker A:I mean, you sense that you send their motives.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, it's really gritty.
Speaker A:It's epic fantasy and the setting is.
Speaker A:I mean, it's fiction, obviously.
Speaker A:It's called the Banished Lands.
Speaker B:No, no, no way.
Speaker B:It's fantasy.
Speaker B:I don't notice that one.
Speaker A:That was a giveaway.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But it's a war scarred realm full of ancient prophecies and you have Corbin being the main character.
Speaker A:So our protagonist is.
Speaker A:At first, I didn't think it too original, not the way it's described, but why pick?
Speaker A:To me, this is like the archetype of protagonist.
Speaker A:He's the blacksmith's son.
Speaker A:Where did we see this before?
Speaker A:Anyway, but bear with me.
Speaker A:So Corbin is drawn into a world of warring king kings, old gods, you know, and dark portents.
Speaker A:As I said, you know, the tone is really gritty.
Speaker A:It's sometimes quite, you know, severe, earnest, you know, And I would say this is almost an ode, or one would say a love letter to classic fantasy, but with modern sensibilities.
Speaker A:I really like it so far and I hope I won't be disappointed by the end.
Speaker A:I'm almost there.
Speaker A:I mean, the end is near.
Speaker A:And what I like about Corbin and the whole story is it's not about glamour.
Speaker A:It's not only about glamour.
Speaker A:It's a world where heroism, it really costs blood.
Speaker A:Right, okay.
Speaker B:Like sacrifice.
Speaker A:You name it, you name it.
Speaker A:And legacies are really likely to destroy as to inspire.
Speaker A:So you have both ends, right?
Speaker A:And you have, on top of that, you have the whole Norse inspired element, you know, of weighing in the prophecies, you know, and there's a lot of that going on and where.
Speaker A:Gwen.
Speaker A:So the author really, he asks, you know, who decides which is which, you know, and there's this quote in the book I've jotted down.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's not the blood of your father that makes you or who you are, but the choices you bleed for.
Speaker B:Okay, see that really, that sure is okay.
Speaker A:That's a nice one.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And that really sets the tone.
Speaker A:I mean, it also features giants, again, you know, linking to Norse mythology more than dragons.
Speaker A:I would say, but it's really a creature.
Speaker A:Rich God, riddle, epic adventure.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But if you compare tone, the tone of voice between both, or even the tone of the story itself, it's one that will really, I think, resonate with listeners across every generation, not only young adults.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Because it does sound a lot darker though.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So why would a younger audience also like this?
Speaker B:Because usually with a younger audience, they don't like it when it's too dark.
Speaker B:Most of the time.
Speaker A:I might be the wrong person to ask that whether it's too dark.
Speaker B:You know, I'm also not the person to ask because I love dark stuff and it can never be dark enough.
Speaker B:But I've noticed a lot with my generation that the moment it's too dark, especially when it doesn't have a happy ending, that they're very upset that it does not have a happy ending.
Speaker B:Well, I love that.
Speaker B:Give me more books that do not have a happy ending, I beg.
Speaker A:But I mean, it's too soon to judge whether it has a happy ending.
Speaker A:1 I'm not at the very end of the book of the first book.
Speaker A:And actually I think I made a mistake.
Speaker A:I said it was a trilogy.
Speaker A:Actually it's gonna be four books.
Speaker B:Oh, okay, good.
Speaker A:The third one just came out.
Speaker A: No, no, no, that was: Speaker A:So I'm not sure whether the fourth is anywhere still in the making.
Speaker A:I'm not sure.
Speaker A:But anyway, I mean, having almost finished the first of the three published books, it's too hard to tell whether it's happy ending or not.
Speaker A:But it's darker than Here be dragons.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:But then again, Malice was written not really with young adults in mind.
Speaker B:Yeah, obviously.
Speaker A:But okay.
Speaker B:But they would like the language is easy enough for them to understand.
Speaker A:It's a little bit more intricate, a little bit more richer, I would say, but accessible.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I was thinking, you know, having read, you know, one about dragons, one with, you know, very Norse inspired and got themed things with a link, you know, you have giants, etc.
Speaker A:What would be your favorite creature?
Speaker A:It could be dragon or anything other from fantasy works that you have read just out of the blue.
Speaker B:It's a loaded question, my guy.
Speaker A:Either, you know, the one that scared you as a child or that.
Speaker B:The one that scared me as a child.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's gonna sound so funny to you.
Speaker B:It's Dutch media.
Speaker B:Okay, go ahead.
Speaker B:That we.
Speaker B:I think it was second grade in elementary school and we had to watch this series of a girl called Kim in like this weird.
Speaker B:I don't fucking know the name of the world, but was to help us learn spelling lessons.
Speaker B:Oh, and the villain was called Garbongal.
Speaker B:Oh, man, I hated that guy.
Speaker B:I had nightmares.
Speaker A:We'll put a link to it and you'll see what we mean.
Speaker A:Garbol.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:Scary.
Speaker B:I still question why they let kids that young watch that.
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker A:Nightmare Fuel thing is.
Speaker A:Having raised the question, I wouldn't even know how to answer that myself.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, it's a very real.
Speaker B:It's a really good question.
Speaker B:But you have to think for a second.
Speaker B:I know that it's not really from a fantasy book, but in Greek mythology.
Speaker B:I really, really, really like Scylla.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:And I think that the musical epic really sparked that love for her again, because she is such a fascinating creature to me.
Speaker A:I think the first two things that come to mind, and they're both from.
Speaker A:From one and the same author.
Speaker A:As mentioned when I started reading fantasy, it was by Stephen King.
Speaker A:Fantasy horror.
Speaker A:One of the quote unquote creatures, because it's not really a creature, but it's a representation of evil.
Speaker A:Would be Christine the car.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:And I mean, that really did leave a mark on me.
Speaker A:And then shortly after that, I read it.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, that is scary.
Speaker A:And that really.
Speaker A:Yeah, that stuck and still sticks around with me.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Anyway, moving on.
Speaker A:So that's almost two books finished since last time and still making the little segue to.
Speaker A:Or keeping actually the link with dragons.
Speaker A:In our second segment, Lorebound, I couldn't help myself.
Speaker A:I had to at least mention.
Speaker B:Right, Here we go again.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, there's a new set of the Gathering coming out.
Speaker A:I think it's actually in two weeks or so.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's very, very.
Speaker B:It's coming out pretty soon.
Speaker A:It's early April, I think it's going.
Speaker B:To be second week of April, 11th of April.
Speaker A:Okay, there you have it.
Speaker A:And what's cool, it's called Tarkir Dragonstorm.
Speaker A:Now, we've been to Tarkir before.
Speaker B:Many, many times.
Speaker A:Many times.
Speaker A:So we're back to the plane of Tarkir, you know, and there basically it's all about dragons battling for supremacy.
Speaker A:I mean, that's it.
Speaker A:And you have obvious that battle going on.
Speaker A:You have the five clans.
Speaker A:Five clans.
Speaker A:To make it more simple, it's really linked to the colors, the five colors of magic.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And the one that rings the most to me is Mardu of the five.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Okay, so you're referring to the five clans.
Speaker A:So being Apsan White Jiskai blue, Sultai black, Mardu being red.
Speaker A:Red, that's the one you mentioned.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And Timur being green.
Speaker B:The Sultai Mardu and Timur are the one that ring most bells to me.
Speaker B:It's the white and blue that.
Speaker B:I do not remember them.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I mean we have the, the sets.
Speaker A:I'm staring at the, the cupboard and I.
Speaker B:We have too much.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:But we have quite a lot of boxes.
Speaker A:But I know that.
Speaker A:No, but I'm pretty sure either in a binder because they don't see the boxes.
Speaker A:But anyway, I'm sure that we have also those sets that were, you know, our first encounters with the Plains of Tarkir.
Speaker A:Anyway.
Speaker B:Drifting off.
Speaker A:Drifting off, yeah.
Speaker A:So apparently here in this new set there's an introduction of new gameplay elements which it always has, you know, with every set.
Speaker A:But I like the sound of it.
Speaker A:I haven't, to be honest, I haven't delved into it too much in the new gameplay elements, but the introduction of the new mechanics is.
Speaker A:Behold dragon.
Speaker A:I just love that.
Speaker A:Behold a dragon.
Speaker A:You have endurance, flurry, mobilize, harmonize, that.
Speaker B:They're really introducing a lot of new mechanics.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:In a lot of new mechanics.
Speaker B:Christ.
Speaker A:Okay, but I, I have no clue.
Speaker A:I mean I.
Speaker A:To be honest, I haven't gone through them yet.
Speaker A:I mean obviously they're.
Speaker A:They're going to do it a big promotion.
Speaker A:It's a big product line including your usual, you know, the booster pack, the collector packs, the pre constructor commander decks, theme bundles, etc.
Speaker A:Etc.
Speaker A:So as mentioned, it's all going to be about clans versus dragons.
Speaker A:And central, apparently in this set or this story is Sarkhan Val's transformation.
Speaker A:And central to Tarkir's lore is the character of Sarkhan Val, whose personal metamorphosis and shifting allegiances embody the fluid nature of entity identity.
Speaker A:Sorry, so that's the main storyline, I would say.
Speaker B:So what is like the player's role in all this?
Speaker A:Well here I would say almost as always it's engaging with the sets is either you pick or at least you pick either of the five, you know, one of the clans and you just go along, you embrace the heritage and strategies and.
Speaker A:Yeah, you were going to say.
Speaker B:So it wouldn't be recommended to have a multi colored deck in this set.
Speaker A:Well, I was thinking the same because if, if the idea is to, to pick one one of these clans, I mean you can hard.
Speaker A:You can have.
Speaker A:You cannot have a foot in two different clans.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Because they're all.
Speaker B:It's everyone against everyone.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:So I don't think the.
Speaker B:They, the colors would harmonize that well.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Would they?
Speaker A:Well, I.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:We'll see.
Speaker A:Let's find out.
Speaker A:Let's find out.
Speaker A:But I mean, I mean, true, from.
Speaker A:From a story point of view, it doesn't make sense.
Speaker B:From a deck building point of view, it might, it might.
Speaker A:But then again, you know, because the.
Speaker B:Mechanic harmonize really, really caught my eye.
Speaker B:Because maybe harmonize is one of the mechanics that makes you combine colors.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:And let's be honest, you know, it's all.
Speaker A:It's all about politics and double stabbing in the.
Speaker B:You know, dragons do love politics.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:So I mean.
Speaker A:And that's it as far as the gathering is concerned.
Speaker A:But we have a last segment, a little glimpse of another.
Speaker A:I mean, I told you, as of April, our wallets are gonna scream murder.
Speaker A:So in our third little segment, epic events, what's coming up?
Speaker B:Facts.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And that's coming up very fast because that's next weekend.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'm so excited.
Speaker B:My wallet is already crying, but I am excited.
Speaker A:Why are you excited?
Speaker A:Tell me why.
Speaker A:Not for the obvious, but anything particular in mind?
Speaker B:Well, the artist alley, I honestly, because it has expanded so much.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And now it really gives a lot of attention to a lot of small businesses that sell a lot of interesting products.
Speaker B:And honestly, because I'm not really interested in all the comics mix or the like, you know, the figurines or whatever.
Speaker A:That the main hall sells, but more the tailor made.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Unique pieces.
Speaker B:Yes, exactly.
Speaker B:That's honestly the thing that has always interested.
Speaker B:Interested me the most.
Speaker B:And now there is an entire room reserved for just them.
Speaker A:And I love that, you know, just spur of the moment, it might be interesting to invite one of these artists and to see, you know, why are they motivated, how are they motivated to create these things, what have they made and how do they regard the shifts in fantasy.
Speaker A:But also as far as products, you know, it is a business how they tackle that, you know, placing themselves on the market as a one person or two person little business battling with this mass production.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:It can be easy.
Speaker A:That would be really interesting to see what their inspiration is, but also what their aspirations are and how do they differ from, you know, the big mass market.
Speaker A:That would be interesting though.
Speaker A:Anywho, so we'll be definitely reporting from facts going on on Sunday.
Speaker B:Yes, exactly.
Speaker A:And then there's, I think the week thereafter, there's another event that I really.
Speaker B:Really would love to go to.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Oh boy.
Speaker A:But that's a little bit further down the road, right?
Speaker B:Netherlands in Haarlem.
Speaker A:Haarlem.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I think of Haarzal.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:It's something with Ha.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:We really prepared well.
Speaker B:My geography is.
Speaker B:My geography just sucks.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker B:But I know it's in the Netherlands and it's called Elfja.
Speaker B:Okay, I think we've already discussed.
Speaker A:Yes, we did.
Speaker A:We did.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So I'm just gonna look really, really with a lot of my big puppy eyes to my dad and hope we can go.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Oh boy.
Speaker A:It's in Hag Zolerns, by the way.
Speaker B:See, I was correct on my second try.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's April 12th and 13th.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:We'll see.
Speaker A:If possible, we'll see how many golden dragons we still have in our wallet after next weekend.
Speaker A:Perhaps we'll have sold our souls to a dragon.
Speaker B:I mean, it's just facts possibly go wrong.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:That's what she said.
Speaker A:But anyway, I think we've come to the end of this little episode.
Speaker A:As always, we're gonna post all the links to whatever we discussed and referring to the questions we've posed ourselves and already looking much forward to the upcoming events.
Speaker B:Oh yes, definitely.
Speaker A:We're still in the process, actually of jotting on a confirmed date with several authors as mentioned in the previous episode.
Speaker A:So that's still work to come.
Speaker A:But that's all from.
Speaker A:From us.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And hear you and see you perhaps next time.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker B:This concludes our episode.
Speaker B:So until next time, stay enchanted, stay.
Speaker A:Curious and keep the fantasy alive.
