For their final Spooky Month episode, your hosts read Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. They discuss cosmic horror vs social horror, magic cults, and ill advised heists. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” - Kevin MacLeod for the use of "Darkest Child" Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Your hosts talk with Chris Panatier about his latest novel Shitshow and its impeccable fall horror vibes. They discuss the (lack of) poop jokes, the human element at the heart of the book, and cheese grater inspired fair rides. Find more from Chris: https://chrispanatier.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/scribeofhades.bsky.social Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” - Darkest Chi...

Your hosts continue their Spooky Month reading with Zomromcom, Olivia Dade’s delightful new zombie apocalypse vampire romcom. They talk about reasonable heroines, excellent romantic banter, and speed-running a relationship. They also discuss the practicalities of a burrito as a weapon against zombies. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” - Darkest Child by Kevin MacLeod Lice...

Your hosts celebrate Banned Books Week 2025 by reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a book Lilly has (somehow) been able to avoid until now. They they talk about dystopian presents, sympathy for antagonists, and the double-edged sword of hope. Content includes on-page sexual assault and coercion, and discussion of self harm and suicide. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre ...

Your hosts are joined by authors Yume Kitasei and Mia Tsai to discuss The Traveling SFF Book Festival coming up in October 2025. They talk about the inspiration behind the event, some behind the scenes of planning it, and what attendees can expect from each stop on the tour. Find out more about the Festival here. More from Yume: https://www.yumekitasei.com/ More from Mia: https://www.miatsai.com/ Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for th...

Your hosts are finally entering Spooky Month and reading the psychological supernatural horror classic, The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. Sara has complaints that (for once) don’t boil down to “it’s horror and I don’t like horror”. Lilly agrees?! They talk about unfulfilling explanations, female agency, and relationship roller coasters. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à N...

Your hosts are joined by Ciel Pierlot to talk about her latest novel, Terms of Service. They discuss tech fae, the presumption of space in scifi, visions of a competent future government, and the twisting of fae tropes you may be familiar with from mythology (but you can admit that you know them from romantasy it's okay). Find more from Ciel: https://bsky.app/profile/cielpierlot.bsky.social https://cielpierlot.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cielpierlot/ Find us on Discord / Support us on ...

Your hosts read The Feather and the Lamp, a young adult novel by L.N. Hunter. They consider the comparison to Discworld, and talk about twists on mythology, both age-appropriate and compelling romance plotlines, and framing devices. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4....

Your hosts are joined by Gabriella Buba to talk about Filipino fantasy, not shying away from religious atrocities committed by missionaries, and (extremely satisfying) corruption arcs in Saints of Storm and Sorrow, book one in The Stormbringer Saga (her now-complete duology). Find more from Gabriella: https://gabriellabuba.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gabriella.buba.books https://bsky.app/profile/gabriellabuba.bsky.social https://www.instagram.com/gabriellabuba/ Fi...

Your hosts see Odysseus back on Ithaca in The Last Song of Penelope, the final book in the Songs of Penelope Trilogy by Claire North. They talk about impossible love triangles, poorly thought out revenge strategies, and how badly Athena needs a hug. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” Licensed under Creative Commons...

Your hosts speak with Liz Shipton, author of Dot Slash Magic, about technology based magic, writing storylines just to be contrary, and creating both spicy and sanitized versions of a story. Also, dick magic. Find more from Liz: https://lizshipton.com/ https://instagram.com/lizshiptonauthor https://tiktok.com/@lizshipton https://bsky.app/profile/lizshiptonauthor.bsky.social Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for th...

Your hosts discuss The House on Utopia Way, Stefan Mohamed’s surreal, genre-blending detective noir novel. They talk about (not) getting lost in the weirdness of the setting, metaphors that feel natural, and how important it is to have sympathetic characters who bring it all together. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunris...

Your hosts read Starstruck by Aimee Ogden, a bittersweet, whimsical novella. They talk about fantastical settings, interpersonal conflict, and sympathetic characters (who they still sometimes want to shake and yell “just talk to each other already!!”) Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” Licensed under Creative Commons...

Your hosts are joined by Krystle Matar to discuss The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They wonder why no one talks about Gatsby being a crime lord, throw around wild F. Scott conspiracy theories, and rank the characters from least shitty to most shitty. (It's all of them. They're all the most shitty) Find more from Krystle: https://bsky.app/profile/krystlematar.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/drippingbucket.bsky.social https://www.instagram.com/krystlematar/ Find us on Dis...

Your hosts read Future's Edge by Gareth L. Powell. They talk about post-apocalyptic near futures, love triangles where no one is wrong, and stories that might work better as movies. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Your hosts don’t do justice to The Tombs of Atuan, the second of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels, but they DO discuss standalone sequels, the differences in coming of age stories between genders, claustrophobic settings, and classic fantasy. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Your hosts are joined by Andrew Cartmel to discuss Like a Bullet, the latest addition to his nefarious Paperback Sleuth mystery novels. They talk about wartime novels, the allure of ill-begotten Nazi good, and Cordelia’s “go get ‘em, but have a backup plan just in case" approach to encounters. Find more from Andrew: https://reclaimedradio.com/shows/andrew-cartmel/ https://www.instagram.com/vinyldetectivelondon/ https://twitter.com/andrewcartmel?lang=en Find us on Discord / Support us on P...

Your hosts are joined by James Lloyd Dulin to talk about the first book in his recently-completed Malitu Trilogy, No Heart for a Thief. They discuss dark plotlines (but not Dark Fantasy (tm) necessarily), dual stories, and traumatized characters. They also talk about writing plots that criticize colonization as a white person and retrospective character arcs. Your hosts also fail to avoid a double entendre in a question about simultaneous climaxes, but what else is new. Find more from James: ...

Your hosts discuss A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant. They talk about murder mystery tropes, new (to them) settings, and octogenarian character casts. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs: - Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris” - Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise” Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Your hosts are joined by Emily Paxman to talk about murder, mayhem, and magic in her debut novel, Death on the Caldera. The conversation ranges from Agatha Christie influences, to complex family dynamics, to who we were rooting for as love interest for our intrepid heroine. They also discuss creating a fantastical version of the 1920s, and volcanic magic. Find more from Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emmypaxman/ https://bsky.app/profile/emmypax.bsky.social https://emmypax.substack.com/ Fi...