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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Happy Halloween Season. This year's scary Bookling was picked by Steph, The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim. On this episode, we're rooting and feeling for the serial killer, for the most part. Be warned if you don't like eyeball stuff, this may not be the one for you.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
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Josh goes off on John and his old Lyctors in these middle chapters. Steph digs through the clues. Christina praises the use of asymmetrical information serving multiple twists. Ortus is the real MVP and sees the Cool S.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We discuss what is up with Ianthe, Ianthe's weird room, the unserious Emperor's decor, Harrow and John's conversation about her birth, and hints about what BoE is. We are also wistful for Harrow's door diary.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky.
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The paperback edition of Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim and translated by Anton Hur is out today, so we are re-releasing our interview with both of them from last year. The cast loved this book when it was originally released and found this interview to be a delight, and hope you do too. The second book Blood of the Undying Throne is out next month and we plan on covering that as well for a Bookling, so look forward to that.
On this Off the Books, we are interviewing Sung-il Kim, author of Blood of the Old Kings, and Anton Hur (Toward Eternity, transl. Blood of the Old Kings, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-Hee) to discuss Kim's book, falling empires, publishing, translations, technofeudalism, and what's next for The Bleeding Empire series.
Your hosts are Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), and you can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on Twitter, BlueSky, and Instagram.
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We discuss knowing you when your bones were smaller, Ianthe haunted by Babs' FunkoPop collection, God playing games on his phone, forgetting that he's muted during meetings, and will someone PLEASE check on Harrow?
These chapters do a lot to set up the plot and introduce the new characters like the Lyctors, Jod, and the Canaan House guests(???). Therefore, we spend a lot of time discussing the plot, the Lyctors, and the resurrection beasts.
(Apologies, Josh had a bad cold during this episode.)
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We start by discussing the Locked Tomb story, "The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex," and then move on to Harrow the Ninth, where we explore the confusion of reading this for the first time compared to now, pointing out the small details that went over our heads amidst the chaos.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
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On this bookling, we're talking the science fiction novella Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon. This was a fun one to talk about the cool technology used, dystopian futures run by corporations, setting boundaries, and the intimacy of the two main characters, so be sure to check it out.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We talk about the final chapters of Gideon the Ninth, where things escalate quickly. We talk about the infamous pool scene and what details in the finale stood out to us this time around.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We talk about holding grudges, how much we hate the mayonnaise uncle, ghost talk, trauma responses, the youth of the Ninth House, Gideon and Harrow's backstory, the mythology of the locked tomb, Camilla's weapon of choice, and what Dulcinea is up to.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We discuss our favorite / best books we've read halfway through the year (2025) and what we're looking forward to reading.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We discuss the realization that Gideon and Harrow are, in fact, youths, and Gideon has a teenager's brain. Plus, a lot of mysteries occur in the book about what exactly Canaan House is and what has occurred before.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We talk empires, dragon slayers, dragons, finding your place, and going home again in this lovely novella.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Support bookstores and acquire this book at Bookshop.org
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We're talking about Emily Tesh's new book, The Incandescent, which is out today. Set in a British magical school, it gives us the overworked administrative point-of-view of running a magical school, to what felt like, to us, a very millennial-coded story that was fun to discuss.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We discuss food Gideon has never had before, Magnus's dad vibes, mayonnaise uncle, and 9th House Zoom calls. We also speak on podcast amnesia, magic as science, the fantasy equivalent of Like A Dragon, and deus ex machinas as the plot thickens.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We're back with more of Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb as we discuss Gideon and Harrow's arrival at Canaan House and the members of the other houses. Are you Team Skeleton or Team Ghost?
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April Fool's! We love boat books; well, specifically, we love Alexandra Rowland's Running Close to the Wind. A perfect combination of our running bit of disliking boat books and this being one of the funniest books we've ever read, we thought it perfect for the day.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's March, so by the rules of podcasting, we must do a draft. On this episode, each host drafted eight characters to come to a new world as its new protectors (or rulers, depending on their disposition). You can decide via the poll below whose eight would be the best protectors or make the best stories. The poll will be open for one month.
https://forms.gle/PJGc9m5cVHQYjBMW6
Here are each host's eight:
Joshua:
1. Thurvishar D’Lorus (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons
2. Kaul Shaelinsan “Shae” (Green Bone Sage by Fonda Lee)
3. Richa Langyun (Book of the Usurper by Erin M. Evans)
4. Adolin Kholin (The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson)
5. Kihrin D’Mon (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)
6. Peralon (The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons)
7. Caul Shivers (The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie)
8. Bayaz, First of the Magi (The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie)
Steph:
1. Queen Neveranimas (The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons)
2. Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir)
3. Arasgon, the Fireblood (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)
4. Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
5. Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār (Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland)
6. Senera (A Chorus of Dragon by Jenn Lyons)
7. Kaladin Stormblessed (The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson)
8. Nynaeve al'Meara (The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan)
Christina:
1. Dr. Ayda Mensah (The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells)
2. Brother Qown (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)
3. Asshole Research Transport (ART) (The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells)
4. Anahrod (The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons)
5. Abigail Pent (The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir)
6. Tyensto (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)
7. Digger-of-Unnecessarily-Convoluted-Tunnels (Digger by Ursula Vernon)
8. Avra Helvaçi (Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland)
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At the start of a new season and series, we begin our deep dive into Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb series with Gideon the Ninth. We discuss why we like and chose the series and what makes it unique. This episode focuses a lot on Gideon herself.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.
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Our Cosmerenauts Steph and Josh talk full spoilers about the fifth book in the Stormlight Archive, Wind and Truth. We talked about what we loved, what didn't work, our character MVPs of the book, and the future of the characters and the series.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram. We are no longer on Twitter.
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This is the end of our journey with A Chorus of Dragons. We want to thank @jennlyons.bsky.social for the series, the catalyst for this podcast's start. We talk about the final battle, the ending, and the series overall.
Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on Twitter, BlueSky, and Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.