The Legendarium

Brent Weeks, bestselling author of the Lightbringer and Night Angel series, joins Craig and Ryan for another installment of the Author's Shelf series. Brent chose The Odyssey, and actually apologizes for making the podcast look pretentious, as though Craig didn't relish a bit of pretension. If you're looking to learn something new about The Odyssey, you're in luck! Because there are lots of other...

Two things to note about this episode: First, talking about a book like this without any spoilers has challenges, but those can be overcome. And second, turns out we're not necessarily capable of overcoming said challenges. Oh well, it's still fun to celebrate Weeks Week and the release of The Burning White. It's the culmination of the Lightbringer series, which we're in the middle of reviewing wi...

Weeks Week begins on Monday with the release of The Burning White, but we thought we'd get a jump on it by airing a few minutes of Brent Weeks spinning The Wheel of Tangents. Brent answers eight questions scientifically designed in a lab to help us get to know one of our favorite authors a little bit better. (Narrator: "There was, in fact, no lab.") Enjoy! Support the show on Patreon Join the conv...

The book so nice, they discussed it twice! The Blue Team is back for a second conversation about Dead Beat, the seventh book in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. Megan, Todd, and Kenn talk about what it means for Harry to have true friends; how characters have reminded each other of their value; and Craig pops in to tell the panel why he's so thoroughly enjoying their Dresden episodes. Support t...

Time travel, multiverse, cryosleep, wormholes, insect aliens, utopian and dystopian futures, and many more: Craig, Kenn, and Kyle shoot the breeze for a half hour about their favorite sci-fi tropes. Honestly, not much more to it than that, but it's laying the foundation for the Blue Team to move back toward sci-fi very soon, with a series quasi-announcement that should have many listeners feeling...

Blue Team is back with another discussion on The Dresden Files, this time on the seventh installment: Dead Beat. Kenn's back with his recap, Megan somehow didn't see the zombie dinosaur coming, and Todd wears horrifically tight pants. There's a lot to get through in this one, so buckle up for ... well, pretty much the same kind of Blue Team episode you've come to expect. You'll just get another on...

How much can we -- or should we -- separate art from the artist? Which stories would end the fastest if the protagonist weren't an idiot? What kind of music is best for reading? Craig, Kyle, and Todd take on these questions and more as they spin the Wheel of Tangents this week. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "The Seven Seas" courtesy of  https://www.philter.no/

Where do we draw the line between cynicism and credulity? Is the brand of psychopathy on display by Zymun recognizable in our lives? Are we letting our internal "Kip #2" win out over our internal "Kip#1"? Ryan, Craig, and Stephanie sit down to hash out the second half of The Blinding Knife, book 2 in the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddi...

Craig and Kyle spin the wheel! Today's topics include the best way to consume books (audio vs e-reader vs dead trees); why Death of the Author is generally a stupid theory; and what they like to read outside of the sci-fi/fantasy genres. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "The Seven Seas" courtesy of  https://www.philter.no/

It's a divisive entry in the Dresden Files: Blood Rites, Jim Butcher's sixth installment in the series, apparently isn't for everyone. So did our Blue Team enjoy it? Todd, Kenn, and Megan will get down and dirty in their discussion of the book whose plot revolves around problems on a porn set. Oh yeah, speaking of which: the plot of this book revolves around a porn set, thus the discussion during...

Craig and Megan spin the Fantasy Wheel! We took several listener suggestions for topics and chose a few of them to speak about for a few minutes. Topics include: whether we can judge books objectively; fantasy speed dating; overused tropes; and our favorite antagonists. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "The Seven Seas" courtesy of  https://www.philter.no/

Which is the higher good, freedom or power? Is there any nuance to be had in a discussion of the evil of slavery? Are rich people just the worst? Today we're talking through the first half of The Blinding Knife, the second book in Brent Weeks's Lightbringer series. This episode is chock full of heavy stuff -- and fun stuff! -- to talk about, and we’ll get to … well, at least some of it.  Support t...

This episode will be best heard if you can see those works of Miranda's that we reference, over at  MirandaMeeks.com . Miranda is an artist whose work frequently graces the covers -- and sometimes pages -- of Brandon Sanderson's books, as well as other novels. (Several prints adorn the walls of our studio, in fact.) Her style is at once dark, accessible, and unique, and on top of that she is a won...

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie discuss the second half of Brent Weeks's The Black Prism, book 1 in the Lightbringer series. After a long setup in the first half, we get a lot of interesting questions and moments to chew on. Why is this book titled The Black Prism? Is it actually awful that the Chromeria expects a high price from their ranks of drafters? What exactly is a turtle-bear? And Craig makes a...

This episode is truly a first: the first time we've ever read a historical action comedy horror parody of a 19th century classic. Oh, and it's also our first-ever ladies-only show! Stephanie and Megan welcome newcomer Kate to the Legendarium and together the three of them dissect (eww) this fun, hilarious, sometimes gory, sometimes touching book.   Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation...

Craig, Ryan, and Kyle continue through The Hobbit, discussing (we're using that term as broadly as possible here) chapters eight through eleven. Without Stephanie to keep the guys on track, things get ... well let's just say it's not as polished a conversation as she might have helped provide. Together they discuss Mirkwood, giant spiders, elves, barrels, Lake Town, and opening Erebor's back door....

TBR = "to be read." Most of us have a TBR pile, but some of us can get a bit overwhelmed by it. For this topic, Craig, Ryan, and Kyle are joined by a special guest: YouTube sensation Daniel Greene. (And now we expect him to put "'YouTube sensation' -The Legendarium" in all of his promotional materials.) Together they discuss not only their TBR piles and how they manage them, but also what it means...

The Blue Team is taking a deep breath before a giant Dresden plunge! In preparation for another spate of Dresden Files episodes coming up, Megan, Kenn, and Todd take stock of where they're at in the series, how they're enjoying, what they're enjoying most, and what they're looking forward to in coming books. Look forward to at least another 4-5 Dresden episodes in the coming weeks!   Support the s...

Craig and Kyle discuss the thing that has kept Kyle off the show for too long now: burnout. It can sneak up on anyone, even the biggest of fans, and they talk about how to combat it. They also address a listener question about how to introduce fantasy to the uninitiated. (Spoiler alert: the answer is "slowly and carefully." Please let us know what you think of us doing more small episodes like thi...

(Skip to 5:20 to get to actual Lightbringer content.) Our inaugural Lightbringer discussion! If you haven't read this series, now's a good time to start, as it is highly recommended among fiction readers. With good reason, as it turns out.   It's just Craig and Ryan for this one! And maybe for a lot of Lightbringer episodes coming up. Hopefully they still like each other when it's done. Anyway, in...

Todd, Megan, Kenn, and Jack are all back for a wrap-up of their discussion of God Emperor of Dune, the fourth book in Frank Herbert's Dune series. And it's time for a brand new drinking game! If you are inclined to imbibe, then toss one back every time you hear the phrase "gross protuberance." Now what was already going to be a good episode just became a lot of fun, because you're living on the ed...

Finally, with the release of Hobbs & Shaw, the 2019 summer movie season can be officially declared over. Craig, Todd, and Ryan simulcast this recording on a YouTube livestream as well, and they talk about a ton of summer media, including Tolkien, John Wick 3, Brightburn, Disney live action remakes, Dark Phoenix, Spider-Man, Toy Story 4, and more. And more. And more. No need to strap in, this is a...

On this Author's Shelf episode, David Farland joins Craig, Kenn, and Ryan to discuss Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. We discuss a lot of characters and themes, just like normal, but we also get a healthy dose of amazing stories from Dave. You don't want to miss this one.   Check out Dave's site and sign up for his newsletter here Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music:...

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie tackle chapters 4-7 of The Hobbit, covering the company's capture by the goblins of the Misty Mountains, Bilbo's solo adventure in Gollum's cave, his rejoining of the company and their eventual escape from the goblins via giant eagle, and the final bit of relaxation before plunging into the most difficult parts of the adventure. This episode was simulcast on YouTube live...

For our first discussion on God Emperor of Dune, Todd and Kenn welcome Jack Butler back to the Legendarium. Jack was previously on episode 220 (a Silmarillion episode) but now he returns to establish his sci-fi bona fides as well his fantasy ones. This is our first of two discussions on the fourth book in Frank Herbert's Dune series, and we hope you enjoy it.   Hear more of Jack on the Young Ameri...