The Fantasy Inn Podcast

Books on tape have been around for half a century, but audiobooks have exploded in popularity in the last decade. What is the appeal of the audio format? Which books and narrators do we enjoy the most? And does listening to an audiobook even count as reading? Books Mentioned: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, narrated by Kim Mai Guest The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, narrated by Frazer Dougl...

One of the many wonderful things about being a book lover is the ability to lose one's self in a "comfort read." Whether that means a light and fluffy story to take our mind off troubled times, a bleak and dreary story to remind us that the present isn't all that bad, or something in between, there's a comforting book out there for everyone. So what exactly is a comfort read? And what books do we...

Travis interviews editor Jared Shurin about his latest anthology, The Best of British Fantasy 2019 . The anthology series is dedicated to featuring the finest fantastical, speculative, mythic, magical and weird fiction to come from the United Kingdom each year. The two of them talk about the art of reviewing, common publishing misconceptions, and what exactly being an anthology editor means. They...

The many varied and fantastic worlds in which speculative fiction stories are set are one of the primary draws of the genre. Fans often rave about the decades J.R.R. Tolkien spent building Middle Earth or debate the rules of their favorite story's magic system. But what exactly goes into worldbuilding, and how can it be done well? Authors Tasha Suri and K.S. Villoso share their insights into world...

The phrase "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover" rarely applies toward actual books. Most of us have seen a cover in a bookstore or online and immediately wanted to know more. After all, that's the point of book covers! But what exactly goes into designing covers? Artist Felix Ortiz and author Michael R. Fletcher share their thoughts on what makes cover art effective and the different approaches tradi...

This week, Travis is joined by Craig from The Legendarium for a two-parter episode on fantasy entry points. In this episode, they talk about which books they'd recommend as entry points into the genre, discussing books that could work for someone completely new to fantasy as well as books that could reignite a love for genre fiction. Read the article we posted online on this same subject, Our Gate...

Travis interviews audio drama creator Chris Magilton about Among the Stars and Bones, a science fiction story following a team of xenoarchaelogists as they examine the ruins of an alien civilization. They talk about the difference between audiobooks and audio dramas, the role of artificial intelligence in real and imagined societies, and the challenges that come with producing a complex work of au...

That new book you've been excited about for months just released, but by the time you've finished all three of your current reads... everyone you know has already read it! Is it too late for you? Will there be anyone left to discuss it with? Have you... missed out? The Fantasy Inn crew discusses the various ways they experience Book FOMO, how buddy reading can help prevent burnout, and the books t...

This week, Travis traded tomes with Daniel Greene: prominent BookTuber, Wheel of Time aficionado, and connoisseur of all things fantasy. Daniel suggested Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. Travis proposed The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards. They each read both books and share their thoughts with each other. Find Daniel Greene Online: YouTube Channel Twitter Discord Server Find Us Online: Blog Twitter...

Travis interviews fantasy author K.S. Villoso about her latest book, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro. They talk about the power of family, the difference between writing craft and excellent storytelling, and writing Watership Down fanfiction. Jump Into K.S. Villoso's Books: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro The Agartes Epilogues Complete Trilogy Blackwood Marauders Find K.S. Villoso Online: Website Twitter Instagram Su...

In one of our longest episodes yet, Sara, Jenia, and Travis still only scratch the surface of fantasy romance. What's the difference between romance and Romance? Which fantasy romances do we love? And how can fanfiction fix canon romances? We don't pretend to have all the answers, but we do have some rather strong opinions. Music: Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no Outro: "A...

Travis interviews fantasy author Anna Smith Spark about her latest book, The House of Sacrifice, which marks the conclusion of her debut grimdark fantasy series, The Empires of Dust. They talk about spectacular shoes, defining the grimdark genre, and the philosophy behind our fascination with violence. Read The Empire of Dust Series: The Court of Broken Knives The Tower of Living and Dying The Hou...

Travis interviews fantasy author Devin Madson about her latest book, We Ride the Storm. They talk about respectful decapitations, applying the scientific method to magic, and landing a seven-book deal from Orbit Books. Read Devin's Books: We Ride the Storm (Book 1 of The Reborn Empire) In Shadows We Fall (standalone novella) Find Devin Online: Website Vlog Twitter Instagram Support Us: Become a Pa...

We mostly talk about books at The Fantasy Inn. But we love all things fantasy, so this episode we discuss... all things SFF that aren't books. For an extended cut of this episode (featuring haunted houses, wacky graphic novels, and podcast musicals), you can support us on Patreon. Music: Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter....

Travis interviews fantasy author Daniel Olesen about the historical details writers get wrong about medieval Europe, how to properly research and portray cultures outside one's own experience, and misconceptions many people have about the vikings and Norse mythology. Read Daniel Olesen's Books The Eagle's Flight (it's free!) The Prince of Cats History Books Mentioned The Discarded Image by C.S. Le...

Calvin from the Under a Pile of Books podcast joins Travis in discussing Will Wight's Elder Empire series. The series is composed of two parallel trilogies, where the protagonist in each is the antagonist in the other. Read Calvin's review for Of Shadow and Sea , or buy the book here . Read Travis's review for Of Sea and Shadow , or buy the book here . Find Calvin Online: Under a Pile of Books pod...

To close out the year, the Fantasy Inn dives into what exactly makes a favorite book stand out among the many stories we read. Why do some books leave us thinking about them long after we finish them, and why can a "Top Read of the Year" for one person be quickly forgotten by another? Music: Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://phil...

Travis interviews fantasy author Timandra Whitecastle about her new novel, Queens of the Wyrd. They talk about how to grow an audience as a self-published author, Norse mythology, and the role of women in fantasy stories. Read Timandra's Books: Touch of Iron (Book 1 of The Living Blade Trilogy) Queens of the Wyrd Art of War Anthology Lost Lore Anthology Find Timandra Online: Website Twitter Music:...

Kristen from the Superstardrifter blog joins Travis and Sara to squee about The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards. It's a high-magic urban fantasy mystery taking place in New Atlantis, with epic fights, evil liches, and a political infrastructure based on tarot cards. And witty banter. So much witty banter. And the sequel, The Hanged Man, releases on December 17th! You have just enough time to read The Las...

Travis interviews writers Heli Kennedy and Eugene (E.C. Myers) about their role in Orphan Black: The Next Chapter , a serialized science fiction story from Serial Box . Orphan Black: The Next Chapter continues where the hit TV series left off and is narrated by the show's star, Tatiana Maslany. Find Heli Kennedy Online Twitter Instagram Amazon Find Eugene Myers Online Website Twitter Amazon Music:...

If you're a fan of speculative fiction you might recognize certain awards like the Hugo, Nebula, or Locus. But how are winning books determined? And what other awards are out there? We offer our (definitely non-comprehensive) thoughts on several of these prestigious awards and some of the books that have won them. Book Awards Winners Lists: Worlds Without End: All Award Winners Science Fiction Awa...

Travis interviews fantasy author Laura Hughes (aka Demi Harper) about her debut LitRPG novel, God of Gnomes. They talk about games, books, blogging, and their dark fantasy secrets. Read Laura's Books: God of Gnomes (as Demi Harper) Danse Macabre Art of War Anthology Lost Lore Anthology Find Laura Online: Website Twitter Music: Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no Outro: "A Que...

As if reading wasn't chaotic enough, this week we talk about reading challenges. What are they, which ones do we participate in, and what books are we planning to read for them? Books Mentioned: The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan Morning Star by Pierce Brown Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan Autonomous by Ann...

Travis interviews fantasy author Jonathan French about his new book, The True Bastards. They take you behind the scenes on what it's like to transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing and dig into the series that won the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. Read Jonathan French's Books The Grey Bastards The True Bastards The Exiled Heir Find Jonathan Online Website Twitter Music: Intro:...

The Inn discusses how to read without completely breaking the bank. We cover libraries, audiobooks, secondhand stores and more, all with a global audience in mind. Music: Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no Detailed show notes and full transcripts can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com