Return of the Thief closes out the Queen’s Thief series with thrills, spills (meaningful falls off of horses) and the kind of chills that only Megan Whalen Turner can pull off - and we lapped up every single sentence. Pheris, maybe the best protagonist of the series, witnesses the culmination of the Mede / Little Peninsula conflict and finds himself along the way. We discuss this entry’s Big Twists, MWT’s remarkable consistency of character development, and how Gen has finally met his match in Pheris. We’re swinging from chandeliers and dancing on palace rooftops - join us! Our other Queen’s T
It’s a Harnois Sibling Spectacular - we’re covering The Capture by Kathryn Lasky with none other than our brother, Patrick! Book 1 of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series is a brutal look at fascist owl overlords and the revolutionaries quietly defying them. Young Soren and Gylfie experience perils, found family and the terrors of moon blinking after being ripped away from their parents. We delight in The Owliness of It All and the ways this book permits young readers to question the authorities in their lives while celebrating their coming of age. In the words of Twilight: "I am big -- right you
Triumphant griffin scream!! We’re back with Derk’s brood 8 years after the events of Dark Lord of Derkholm, and it’s his daughter Elda’s time to shine. She’s enrolled at the Wizards’ University alongside fellow oddball first years Felim, Olga, Lukin, Ruskin and Claudia, and they’re realizing there’s not much learning to be had there. When the inept chairman Corkoran, obsessed with flying to the moon and uninterested in all else, betrays their secret enrollment, the university is beset by assassins and concerned relatives. We discuss the lure of a magical pit, terrible admins, Giant Woman / Tin
In lieu of a standard episode description, I will simply say: I spent the whole book expecting the “Owl Service” to be some kind of organized operation, perhaps to threaten outsiders or deliver pellets into enemies’ quarters. Only now, upon reflection, do I realize that it is a description of the set of plates. I am a fool and the owls are beyond me. They should be flowers, anyway. This book defies description and we laughed, cried and wondered in reading it for the first time. Thank you, as always, for introducing us to magnificent books that we missed in our childhoods! This one’s for our li
Grab your blood cakes and head to Mother Malkin’s pit! We’re reading Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney. As the seventh son of a seventh son, Tom is destined to become the Spook’s apprentice (at least according to his mom). He learns to trap boggarts under steel (just don’t get your fingers stuck!!) and imprison witches in barred pits - and makes friends like Alice, a girl with suspiciously pointy shoes, along the way. Grim, gross and fascinating, this is an apprenticeship like no other and we have so much to discuss. We are all witches, but are we good witches or bad witches? The Spook re
We take our first step outside the Abhorsen trilogy to learn more about Terciel and Elinor, aka Papa and Mama Sabriel! Beautifully streamlined storytelling adds series background - the basics of Charter magic at Wyverly, historical Ancelstierre/Old Kingdom relations, an exceptional gender-swapped playwright named Charlotte Breakspear - while bringing Tercial and Elinor together and giving their lives true purpose. A perfect prequel! Our other Old Kingdom episodes: Sabriel / Sabriel Redux Lirael Abhorsen Music - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Li
We loved this introduction to the Bartimaeus Trilogy! It’s taken us far too long to discover Jonathan Stroud’s work, and we’re now absolute Bartimaeus heads. We break down the appeal of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus’ alternating angry/gleeful perspectives, the burgeoning anticapitalist themes, and why history continues to repeat itself (spoiler humans are the worst). Grab your sassiest djinni footnotes and join us!
We continue Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha series! Children of Virtue and Vengeance sees protagonists Zélie and Amari at odds as they attempt to overthrow the monarchy led by Amari’s mother and brother Inan (who is, surprise, still alive). Except the nobility has magic now - and they’re really violent about it! Leading a group of rebel maji, Zélie works to bring balance back to Orïsha as Amari flounders (and massacres???). Coming off the high of the first book, we were disappointed by the pacing, character choices and general magical confusion of the sequel. Join us as we break it all down! O
BOBBY IS IN THE MATRIX. We continue the Pendragon series with this journey into the mind, and the ensuing fever dream of a computer virus come to life. We have a wide-ranging conversation touching on AI psychosis, Bobby’s inability to self-censor, copaganda, and whatever gloid is. This is a wild one so get into your Lifeflight tube and don’t forget your nutrition / excretion skin pads!! EPISODE MEDIA Our other Pendragon episodes (we will not rest until we’ve covered the one about the cat people): The Merchant of Death The Lost City of Faar The Never War Eddy Burback’s ChatGPT video MUSIC - Pip
Dwarves, gargantuan evil and much too tiny tunnels - we’re covering The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner! Cheshire visitors Susan and Colin have come to stay with farmers Gowther and Bess and tromp around Alderley Edge. Said tromping unearths a centuries-long battle between good and evil - all connected to the mysterious teardrop gem in Susan’s family heirloom bracelet. Tolkien inspiration is on full display but Garner creates a world utterly his own, replete with a heady brew of Norse, Welsh, Celtic and Arthurian mythology plus a little Lovecraftian unspeakable horror. Join us! MUSIC
The second book in the Oz series, The Land of Oz begins introducing us to its stranger inhabitants and endless opportunities for adventure. Protagonist Tip escapes his cruel captor Mombi and brings a pumpkin man and a sawhorse to life as he journeys in search of purpose. We encounter our old friends the Scarecrow and Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman as Tip helps them thwart General Jinjur and her girl army, and finally set the rightful Queen of Oz upon the throne. We discuss homunculi and their internal lives, the endless misery of a road trip with the Wogglebug, and Tip’s failings as a new dad.
We’re back in Earthsea and we’re BEGGING to unleash our draconic rage. Following Ursula’s instructions, we’re covering her short story collection before wrapping up the Earthsea Cycle with The Other Wind. Stories include The Finder, Darkrose and Diamond, The Bones of the Earth, On the High Marsh, and Dragonfly. This is a particularly hefty episode so dig on in! MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
We’re bravely continuing to cover the Chrestomanci series in whatever order we please. It’s time to revisit The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones! The Montanas and the Petrocchis have a generations-deep family feud, but are forced to work together when their children Tonino and Angelica go missing. Their Italian hometown of Caprona is beset by a mysterious enchanter who manages to throw off the families’ magic and confuse them at every turn. Featuring the most frightening puppet scene, the grossest cursed kitchen, and the biggest cat, this small stakes story still offers delightful max
Our Zilpha Keatley Snyder hyperfixation continues with The Changeling. If you’ve been looking for a way to connect with your child self, this book is it. Ivy and Martha access magical worlds, set pork chop traps for cryptids, and attempt righteous horse theft and the rest of Rosewood Manor can’t handle it. We discuss the pain of aging out of make believe, suburban class tensions, and the healing power of the stage. We’re all changelings and we’ll never grow up - join us! Other ZKS episodes: The Witches of Worm The Egypt Game The Headless Cupid MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villager
We’re returning to D.J. MacHale’s Pendragon series with The Never War! This ridiculous (complimentary) alternate reality historical fiction sees Bobby heading to New York City, 1937. He’s supposed to stop the Hindenburg from exploding and save the passengers aboard - OR IS HE??? We meet the wonderful Gunny, watch Spader go full Inigo Montoya and wonder how the heck Courtney and Mark are doing. Enjoy butterfly effect fury, concerns about parallel worlds sharing the same timeline, why Bobby can’t just go kill Hitler and whether he’s trapped in a cycle of grief avoidance. Ya know, regular middle
We’re heading back to Pern with Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey! Menolly has made it out of her cave, away from her abusive family, and into appreciation and education at Harper Hall. Occasional bullies and demanding teachers can’t get our girl down - she’s got her gitar, she’s flocked by fire lizards and she’s shredding the other musicians’ faces off. We discuss therapeutic coming of age stories, the threat of a one-on-one with a professor who’s not on your side, and real-world fire lizard analogs. Join us! EPISODE MEDIA Our Dragonsong episode (120 episodes ago!!) MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback
We covered the first book of Sabaa Tahir’s buzzy Ember Quartet, and we have thoughts! Laia is from the Scholar class, an enslaved group struggling to exist under the heavy heel of the Martials. Elias has been raised to be a soulless Martial warrior, a Mask, but he longs to escape. Their lives become intertwined as they explore the Resistance, attempt to keep their humanity intact, and interfere with the Empire’s transition of power. We explore our problems with the character development and caste system, discuss how the author used real world conflicts as inspiration, and wonder how every char
In which DRAGON BABIES COVERS A BOOK ABOUT DRAGON BABIES. This gorgeous opening to the Dragon Chronicles sees Kaeldra nurturing and protecting draclings through endless peril and predatory dudes. We discuss domesticity in fantasy, our changing feelings about married ‘n’ pregnant endings, and the cruel loss that takes place in the third act and has us really feeling our own grief. Join us! EPISODE MEDIA Other episodes mentioned - Song of the Wanderer by Bruce Coville Our Earthsea eps Dragon’s Blood, by Jane Yolen The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villager
In which we take to the sea, learn more about 19-century whaling than we wanted to know and scream DIDO TWITE from the rooftops! The third book in Joan Aiken’s Wolves Chronicles makes Dido the deserving protagonist as she frees other little girls from emotional and societal expectations. We wrestle with vague memories of Nantucket as we discuss the delightfully subtle fantasy elements and the appeal of a Very Pink Whale. Join us! Other Joan Aiken episodes: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Black Hearts in Battersea
We’re returning to Luster with book 2 of Bruce Coville’s Unicorn Chronicles! Cara gets into complex lineage tangles, prismatic prisons, and more sparkly magical talismans than our 12-year-old hearts could handle. We discuss how this series inspired Madeleine’s early writing, the lure of the hearth versus the mystery of the unknown, and why the Squijum makes these audiobooks a real challenge. Give your new griffin friend a respectful kiss on the beak and join us! - Our episode on Into the Land of the Unicorns MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Tracy Lynn’s take on Snow White is frightening, enchanting and endlessly rereadable. Jessica escapes her cruel stepmother’s alchemy-fueled attempts on her life and finds respite with human-animal outcasts in the alleys of London. But when her stepmother reappears and promises she’s changed, tragedy strikes. We discuss whether the stepmother is really just a well-meaning woman in STEM, yearn for our own alley hideouts complete with found families and play the fiddle to break a curse. EPISODE MEDIA Our other Once Upon a Time series episode - The Storyteller’s Daughter, by Cameron Dokey MUSIC - P
It’s time for Kamet and Costis’ Excellent Adventure! Thick as Thieves sets us up for the conclusion of the exceptional Queen’s Thief series while delivering plenty of hijinks, angst, machinations and roast caggi along the way. Kamet and Costis learn about themselves and each other as they evade slavers, the emperors guard, malicious strangers and plague in their efforts to make it out of the Mede empire. Gods are meddling, Gen is meddling right back, and we’re loving every word. As always, the biggest of thanks to the many listeners who introduced us to this life-changing series! MWT girlies f
Hobey ho! We’re continuing D.J. MacHale’s Pendragon series with The Lost City of Faar. We travel with the steadfast Bobby to water world Cloral, where we learn about water-powered tech, gain a friend and ultimately lose a crucial ally. Grace and Madeleine discuss the wild tonal shifts, 90’s kid energy and action-packed pacing that make this series so appealing to young readers and so much fun to revisit as adults (disgusting bully Andy Mitchell notwithstanding). Grab some sniggers at Grolo’s and join us! EPISODE MEDIA Merchant of Death episode (Book 1) MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched
We’re celebrating Halloween with a return to the icons that started it all: Celtic witch effigies! Greenwitch continues the exquisite Dark is Rising Sequence by throwing us for a weird, wonderful loop - forget the big stakes Light vs. Dark battle, let’s narrow in on a wayward angry painter and a spring holiday in Trewissick. The Drew children and Will Stanton meet, solve a dognapping, and get into mind-altering yet somehow still relatively low-key exploits, all while Cooper’s gorgeous prose draws us further into this ancient seaside mystery. We’re throwing an all-night crafting party - join us
Franny Billingsley’s debut novel Well Wished is alternately eerie and joyful, filled with natural wonder and existential dread. The residents of Bishop Mayne live under their cruel wishing well’s thrall… but why?? We discuss the realistic childhood friendship at the center of the book, shifting from friend to foe as they swap bodies (and one refuses to return). We’re meeting up with Nuria and Catty in Lace Dappled Grove, join us! Other episodes mentioned: The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley My Enduring Obsession with The Snow Queen (Grace's Reading Corner) Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatr
