Fantology

The Crimson Campaign is Brian McClellan's brilliant follow-up to our entry into his Powdermage universe. We loved the action, which picks up immediately and never slows down, and the fantastic characters that drive the plot along. This series has a perfect blend of other popular authors like Sanderson, Abercrombie, Martin etc. but also creates its own flavor that is equally memorable! Also, someon...

At long last, we've made it through another Steven Erikson Malazan tome. And we loved it! Ryan, Josh & Stephen do their best to cover the plot here, but we know we aren't experts. Let us know what we missed as we prepare for Memories of Ice! Also, how many times will Stephen mispronounce Raraku and ochre: cool word or nah? Next Up: The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan Followed By: The Fires of...

Join us for our series covering the pre-release chapters of Brandon Sanderson's upcoming Stormlight Archive book, Rhythm of War! In these chapters our heroes do what they do best and we get more details on what we missed in between books. Chat with us more! Tell us why we're wrong! Discord: https://discord.gg/9AMJqj2 Support the show on Patreon and access additional perks: https://www.patreon.com/...

The full Fantology Five crew is back with our submissions for Top Fantasy Character Duos ft. the Weasley Twins, Frodo & Sam, and many more! We also cover news in the community from July, including Rothfuss' editor controversy, Netflix releases and The Way of Kings Kickstarter. Follow us on Twitter and watch for our request for submissions to the upcoming August tournament! Next Up: Deadhouse Gates...

Harry tangles with the White Court in Jim Butcher's ninth Dresden Files novel, with explosive results. Ben & Stephen break down the novel and discuss where it ranks in the series and where the Dresdenverse is going from here. Plus, how prevalent are white court vampires? We're seeing them on hit TV shows! Next Up: July Fantasy News + Top Fantasy Duos Followed By: Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson ...

Join us for our series covering Brandon Sanderson's upcoming Stormlight Archive book, Rhythm of War! Tor is releasing a couple chapters a week online as we gear up towards the big November 17th release. In this episode we meet a new type of enemy and a new type of technology (albeit one with a familiar friend on board).  Chat with us more! Tell us why we're wrong! Discord: https://discord.gg/9AMJq...

Voldemort is back and so are Dan and Nathan to discuss Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the book that forever changed the landscape of the wizarding world. Join us as we discuss the organization of the Triwizard Tournament, the Bulgarian Quidditch strategy and the losers at the Yule Ball. Also, was Cho Chang really the hostage Harry should have rescued? Next Up: White Night by Jim Butcher Foll...

Join us for our series covering Brandon Sanderson's upcoming Stormlight Archive book, Rhythm of War! Tor is releasing a couple chapters a week online as we gear up towards the big November 17th release. In this first episode we cover the prologue from Navani's point of view and start to see the fallout from Oathbringer from a familiar setting. Chat with us more! Tell us why we're wrong! Discord: h...

Fantology goes old school with Tolkien's classic that started it all. Stephen, Ben & Josh provide some fresh takes, break down the legacy of The Lord of the Rings and draw comparisons to modern fantasy. Finally, we finish of the review with Top & Bottom 3 character rankings. Also, how many times can we mispronounce Moria, Bombadil & Galadriel? Next Up: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Row...

Mike's Book Reviews joins us for our review of the latest and greatest Dresden Files entry from Jim Butcher. Still fresh of the press from its release last week, Peace Talks has been somewhat divisive amongst the fanbase, with the consensus being that we'll need to wait for the follow-up entry in a couple months before a fair assessment can be made. Join us for an entertaining conversation as we b...

A Hero's Journey Podcast joined us to review Anthony Ryan's debut entry, Blood Song. This one features quite the hero protagonist in Vaelin Al Sorna - not someone you'd ever want to cross blades with. We break down Vaelin's story, discuss where the series is going from here and recap our favorite moments from the book. Plus, what's the better comparison here: Name of the Wind or A Song of Ice and...

In this special episode, Fantology is excited to welcome our guest stars, Cydne & Paiton, who provide a much needed female perspective in our conversation. And Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is the perfect book to discuss, as Vin is arguably the seminal female protagonist of modern fantasy. We chat about her character is depth, break down opinions on the romance in the book and talk the plot and th...

The last of the First Law stand-alones by Joe Abercrombie was one of the more unique fantasy books we've explored. How often do you see a spaghetti western story disguised as a fantasy story? And how often do you see that done well? We saw it here! Red Country combines a streamlined narrative with brilliant characters and just a touch of grimdark violence. Add in some dark humor and you've got ano...

The full Fantology 5 is on hand to discuss a variety of news items from June, answer mailbag questions and most importantly kick-off our next round of Top Fantasy brackets. July will feature the Top 3 Settings in Fantasy. Middle Earth, Roshar, Westeros & Randland all make appearances of course, but you probably wouldn't expect the Pokémon World to make our lists! Plus, our plan to get sent to jail...

The Wheel of Time rolls on in this the fourth installment, The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan. Our WoT crew is back with a review from three different perspectives & experience levels. We talk through the plot and discuss why this is often considered the best of the series. How did it changed the series as a whole? And as always we deliver our Top & Bottom 3 Character Rankings. Plus, where does El...

The mud men blew it with this movie adaptation. The book material from Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer had plenty of material and an intricate yet compact plot, but boy did Disney screw it up on the big screen. Ben, Josh & Stephen don't mind too much though. About time we're able to do a good old fashioned roast! Plus, how many embarrassing guilty pleasure shows & movies will we admit to watching? Nex...

Welcome to Splattercon!!! Home to Chicago's latest & greatest Dresden Files case. Jim Butcher continues to showcase why he's at the top of modern urban fantasy as Harry tangles with fae, denarians, vampires and forces yet unknown. Ben, Josh & Stephen break down the plot and offer our opinions on character development and some hard hitting issues the book ventures into. Plus, how old is this Harry...

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban doesn't feature Voldemort, and we're okay with that because Sirius Black is a compelling enough villain in his own right (or is he?). Dan, Nathan & Stephen have opinions on this and every other aspect of the book, from usefulness of boggart banishing to all-time greatest Quidditch teams and everything in between. Relive book three with us! Plus, will Nathan...

There aren't any real heroes in The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie. Other than the standing stones on the hill above Osrung that is. But you have to be realistic about these things. Stephen & Ryan break down the book, tell you who went back to the mud and explain why the First Law Universe is worth your time. Plus, the finer points of grammar around Bayaz's capacity for caring about others. Next Up: Ha...

This installment of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher features the single best climactic scene in the entire series. Each faction in the Dresden-verse comes together for a Halloween that few will forget! Listen as Ben & Stephen break the action down and discuss some the bigger themes of the series. Plus, Harry's Tinder game - are we glad cell phones wouldn't work for him? Next Up: The Heroes by Joe...

The debut Powdermage book is by all accounts an impressive start for Brian McClellan. Josh & Stephen loved the characters & magic system while being fully immersed in a unique setting with non-stop action. Tune in to for our takes on the plot beats and let us know what your favorite moments were! Plus, how does the magic in Promise of Blood connect to Elon Musk's latest idea? We'll let you know. N...

The gang is all here! The full cast of the Fantology Five share news tidbits from the fantasy landscape, answer mailbag questions and then kick off our next bracket competition - Top Fantasy Villains. Some mild spoilers surface here, although we do our best to keep our descriptions vague. What makes a good villain, why don't we have more of them and most importantly who's rankings are best? Plus,...

HBO's adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials got off to a fantastic start with a strong first season. Tune in as Josh and Stephen offer their opinions and reviews. The acting was memorable, the setting and filming was breathtaking and the budgeting was more than adequate! It's not Game of Thrones, but it's not intended to be. Instead the show was magnificent in its own right. Plus, the...

The Sixth entry into the Dresden Files wraps exceptional character growth in a disappointingly adequate plot. The series is now set-up for explosive entries, but it took a few rough patches in this book to get there. However, there were some amazing and memorable moments too - who can't appreciate holy water balloons and vampire being crushed by frozen turkeys? Plus, Stephen & Josh's favorite Dres...

Blood of Empire concludes the second of Brian McClellan's two Powder Mage trilogies. Stephen and Ryan recap the first two Gods of Blood and Powder books before breaking down the exciting conclusion. If you're looking for a nice combination of military fantasy, political machinations and well defined magic all wrapped around a layer of frontier flintlock fantasy, then this is the series for you! Pl...