Book Two is Better

Ch. 78-End, AKA "The God Section".  Stew God: dick Dragon God: nicer than expected KOA God: really wanted some more murder Ella's Mom God: kinda freaky Efialtir: probably glad to not be sharing Rist's brain Bird God: MVP Follow along and send us your thoughts or life updates at booktwoisbetter@gmail.com, or on Reddit/Discord @booktwoisbetter. 

Ch. 48-77. If you thought the biggest romance in TBATB would be Calen + Valerys, you are dead wrong -- it's time for Dayne to pop the question we've all been waiting for: "Am I a good man? And will you marry me?" Daynegagement and the Meraculous pregnancy aside, we have some absolute banger action sequences in this section. Calen wields his first lightsaber and smokes a couple...

Am I a good man if I've killed 1,463 people with my bare hands? As long as you hate Fane Mortem, sure!! Pour a big fat glass of raven's ichor and strap on your Dawnbringer -- we've got a bird to fight and horses to steal. Is Dann not the best character of all time?  Anyway, Rist still sucks, the elves are sneaky, Calen is Professor X, and Ella is the wolf. Book rocks.  Follow along...

The blood moon is rising, and we're ready to be your demons.  Does killing ten thousand people make you a good person? Is Ella going to be trapped in Shadesmar forever? How many brushes does Rist need for his horse? Join us as we answer all of these questions and more in a special episode of "Of Horses and Men and Dragons and Wyverns and Druids" with your cohosts Sumara Tuzan and Ed...

Pour out a shot of elder fire, throw on your heartglass jumpsuit, and strap yourself in for a bumpy ride on the weather druid express. We're heading straight to ice town, baby -- and it's a family affair!  We will never fully understand why Aeson chose to bring his two precious sons on this treacherous adventure, but we're always happy to get a book version of the movie K2! This com...

We read the movie. We watched the book. And now we’re here to ask the hard questions: where does Tom Holland land on the Michael Cera to Jason Statham spectrum? 

Ch. 64-End.  The blood moon is here, and it's time for a family reunion! Jk, time to head off to depression island to light the dragon bat signal. Jk, time for an absolute ripper of a climactic battle. We have dragon fights, tears in the taint, and wheelchair warriors -- oh my!  This behemoth of a book is sadly at its end, but we loved the journey along the way. We'll see you on The Ice...

Ch. 36-63.  As Sun Tzu once so excellently said: "donkeyballs".  This is the ultimate crossover episode - we get a Farda/Rist/Ella sequence, the rest of the Glade homies reunited, and a "you're not my real dad" sequence with Calen and Aeson. It's so good to have the squad back together.  There's also some serious lore corner implications with the Tale of the Chai...

Ch. 19-35.  Toot toot! Hop on Cahill's Magic School Bus as it takes everyone on a field trip to Berona!  We just have a quick pit stop on the way at the Burnt Lands of despair and friendship-ruining. Oh, and then a bathroom break at Dikadika for some dwarven king-killing. Look out your left-hand window! It's a wyvern army and a human battering ram!  Anyway, book is good. Keep up with us...

Ch. 1-18!  Who knew that 200 pages without Calen could be so fun? In this section, Cahill treats us to a pluralistic monarchy of dwarves, a council of elven rulers, and whatever you call Kallinvar's palace of pain.  Also, why is everyone so angry? Did they read  The Art of War by Sun Tzu's Epherian cousin? Farda is throwing lightning bombs, Dann is fighting his way through Groot's e...

We're covering the whole book in this episode!  The buddy comedy we never saw coming! A young man who cannot stop being yeeted out of windows sets out on a quest for vengeance, only to discover a hot Italian assassin who hates most men, but especially her father. Can they free the elves trapped in an evil science experiment?  Yes, this is actually the plot - but trust us, it rocks.  We'r...

Have you ever heard the expression "don't meet your heroes"? Well, it's complete nonsense. We had the absolute honor of having Ryan join us for a conversation and can confirm that he is just an incredible dude.  We hope you enjoy our wide-ranging discussion, navigating life's big questions like what it's like to write as a new parent, how art can create community, and...

Ch. 36-End. This is the ultimate jam-packed finale to a great book. Calen reunites with Valerys and meets the new best character in the series, Captain Kinky. Rist gets naked in front of some old dudes to become a battlemage -- trust me, it works. Dahlen and a hot Italian lady assassin attempt the world's worst spy plan. Everybody's cooking in this one.  After some starhawk, druid, and U...

ODAL Ch. 19-35.  "It is the stag who waits to drink last. That avoids the waiting wolf." These wise words from Alleron's mother frame an impeccable section of comfort fantasy filled with dragon fire, fake uncles, racism against elves, and our favorite character, ERDHARDT HAMMERSMITH.  Will Calen escape his torturous prison? Is the Druid book that Rist is reading important? Why did w...

ODAL Chapters 1-19.  My dragon's bigger than your dragon! Calen, despite some badass skill with the spark, is quickly outmatched at the battle of Helm's Deep. Our merry band of misfits flees on subterranean sailboats through the wind tunnels, only to find a thousand miles south after fleeing creepy stone spiders through a magic dwarven portal (this is peak fantasy, btw).  Meanwhile, Ella...

Chapters: Whole book, it's short.  The Fall is a novella best known as the prequel to Ryan Cahill's Of Blood and Flames and second-best known (by psychopaths) as the sequel to the exact same novel.  We've chosen to be adherents to the Svidarya path, and hot damn is it paying off. This book is a genuine banger -- Four POVs, four tragedies, and zero farm boys preparing for a quaint ha...

Ch. 20 - End. This is a handsome book -- and even more so after a few shots of wyrm blood.  Our new dragon papa is fighting fades, traversing tunnels, and ready to risk it all for a dwarven queen. This book is cozy fantasy, and it absolutely ROCKS.  Send us a note as we continue our Cahill journey at booktwoisbetter@gmail.com or on Reddit/Discord @booktwoisbetter! Thanks for listening! 

New series alert! We'll be spending the next few months covering The Bound and The Broken by Ryan Cahill, kicking off with the Fellensír path and Of Blood and Fire.  This episode covers Chapters 1-19.  Get ready for hot chocolate in book form, because Cahill's world of swords, dragons, chosen ones, and elemental magic is a soothing, cozy balm for our eyes. We open with three buddies in a...

We're shaking it up and covering a book AND a movie! Amaze!  Please join us for a fun between-seasons special of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. We're breaking down our favorite science experiments, passionately defending Carl and #1 Pokemon Rocky, and joshing around with an Astrophage load of bull-puckey.  We'll be back soon with a brand new series, The Bound and the Broken by Ryan...

SOTF Finale: Part 3, Ch. LVIII - LXXX. Islington heard our metal triangle-shaped prayers (but not our publicity emails) and answered them with some hot hot heat for the finale of Strength of the Few!  Vis (Wis, Human) refuses to be limited by his single POV and covers some serious ground in this section. He scales pyramids, becomes a bionic man, and decides to run for political office to represent...

SOTF Part 2, Ch. XXXI-LVII:  Of Daddies and Danger Pulses.   Would you rather watch Vis train dogs, perform a crocodile dance, or learn to blacksmith? Well, lucky for you, we get all three in this section.  Vis is getting exponentially better at using Will - he can now jump the exact height of a fence! He also gets to cosplay as an assassin and a iunctus to round out his farmer and charioteer side...

SOTF Part One, Ch. I-XXX. SYNCHRONISM HAS BEEN GAINED! WE MUST KILL A GOD!  Will a series of ironclad NDA Silencii prevent the next Catacylsm? Will Vis stop adopting before he sucks off a transvect? Did he really just stab a guy for two months straight? When will worthy will wizard weirdos willingly wield willy-nilly wagon wheels?  This book is crazy, and we love it. Thanks for following along on...

FINALE - Part 3, Ch. 52-74. Crikey, do these rotting gods have it out for Vis! Our favorite boy Diago (human) has a ripper of an aquatic romance with the baddie Emissa on his totally normal Spring Break visit to Suus -- but, before the book lets us enjoy our Fourth Wing schoolyard fling and learn the rules of Foundation, we're straight back to the Hunger Games.  Vis and his phantom thieves ar...

Part 2, Ch. 25-51. Vek, it's hard being the smartest kid in class. Didn't everyone else have a team of elite tutors during their princely training? I bet that they don't even have a pet Alupi.  I wish all of these hot upperclass girls would stop bothering me with their flirting -- I don't have time for dalliances. I'm on a mission. I don't remember exactly what it was...

Will of the Many Part One: Ch I - XXIV.  WOTM discussion starts 7:31z  Did you think we'd take another two-year break from the podcast? Well, screw you dad, because we're proving the haters wrong and we are SO BACK.  After a full year of Hadrian, we needed even more glazing for the Roman Empire. We're jumping straight into the Hierarchy series and the tropeopolis of Islington. Follo...