The Legendarium

Back to Middle-earth! Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie step from the comforts of 19th-century England into the wild world of Faerie. In the first few chapters of The Hobbit, we go from the landed gentry of Bag End to the cockney dockworkers of the Ettenmoors, to the timeless elves of Rivendell. What was initially intended to be the first of three episodes has suddenly become the first of ... five? Six? We'll see! Thanks for joining us. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

For today's Author's Shelf episode, Andrew Klavan asked Craig and Kenn to read Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis. The three of them discuss the incredibly well drawn characters, the devastating emotional climax, and the relief of having a time travel story that -- wouldn't you know it -- actually works! Our thanks to Andrew Klavan for coming on the show, and we hope you'll check out his recent effort, Another Kingdom. Check out Another Kingdom, in PODCAST or BOOK form. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

The Freaking Shroud of Turin (TM) has gone missing! The Blue Team is thrilled be back in the Dresden Files, following Harry et al through Death Masks, the fifth book in the series. Todd is finally feeling better after being a bit sick through the last few episodes, but Dresden is exactly what he needed as a good pick-me-up. Kenn hits some high notes in his recap, Megan is not looking for a paladin in her life, and the crew answers some Reddit questions. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie are back for one more Night Angel episode, this being the second of two discussions on Brent Weeks's Beyond the Shadows. They talk about the price of Kylar's immortality; the grand finale; and whether Lantano Garuwashi, however great, is even necessary. They also finally answer some reddit questions. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

The Blue Team is back! Todd, Megan, and Kenn reunite for a second discussion of Children of Dune. As is becoming clearer and clearer, Kenn and Megan don't exactly share Todd's enthusiasm for the Dune series. But that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to discuss! They'll be back for more Dune in the coming months, but watch for more Dresden coming up between now and then. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

It's a Purple Team episode! Ryan joins Todd and Megan (and Kenn pops in for a subpar recap) to discuss Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The Amazon-exclusive adaptation is set to hit Prime Video on May 31st, so we figured now was a good time to give this one a try. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, Stephanie, and author Andy Peloquin discuss Beyond the Shadows, book 3 of Brent Weeks's Night Angel trilogy. They talk about whether fantasy violence is any worse than the real stuff, what Dorian's story teaches us about the corrupting influence of power, and the growth arc of Vi, the former assassin with a heart of gold. Check out Andy Peloquin's books Check out our new merch store! (For 10% off, use promo code PUNCHIN) Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Blue Team assemble! Todd, Kenn, and Megan are back with their take on Children of Dune, book 3 in Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi epic. They'll discuss the latest hijinks of that ol' rascal, Emperor Paul Muad'Dib, and Todd will even almost not get emotional. Kenn takes a break from recapping, and Megan isn't even sure she wants in for this episode. SO GOOD. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Five mics, seven panelists, and more bad jokes and worse opinions than you can shake a gauntlet at: we brought every regular panelist in for our mega discussion of Avengers: Endgame. We wade through everyone's takes, some surprising, some not, then at the end of the episode they all find out how well (or poorly!) Craig knows them. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig and Kenn, along with a few new friends of the show, recap and review their time at JordanCon 2019. The short of it is: it's a great time, you should go! (To be fair, though, we do offer a few minor pieces of critical feedback along the way.) The long of it is ... well, the episode. So listen in and enjoy, especially if you enjoy a bit of vicarious living. GUESTS: Check out Daniel Green's YouTube channel Check out Drew McCaffrey on the Inking Out Loud YouTube channel Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Flutterby" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Todd, Kenn, and Megan discuss Summer Knight, book 4 of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, complete with a classic Kenn recap. It might be somewhat polarizing among fans, but all three panelists had quite a lot of fun with this book, which easily spills over into their discussion. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Todd, Megan, and Kenn are joined by newcomer Alex to finish their discussion of Dune Messiah, book 2 of Frank Herbert's Dune series. They discuss Paul's legacy, a disappointing lack of worm races, and respond to Reddit questions and comments, like whether saving humanity is even a worthy goal. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie are back for the second installment of their discussion of Shadow's Edge, the second book in Brent Weeks's Night Angel trilogy. As promised, much of the talk revolves around the sexuality in the book. Also on the docket: Craig hates "the moral of the story," Ryan likes the hero here more than the one in the Farseer trilogy, and Stephanie understands all the hair issues. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Ryan and Craig welcome two guests to discuss "Of Turin Turambar," the most relentlessly gloomy story in Tolkien's entire oeuvre. And they even have some fun while they're at it! Kip Rasmussen, the Tolkien illustrator who joined us on our first Silmarillion episode, returns after a four-year absence. Jack Butler, a first-time guest, is a podcaster and writer in Washington, D.C. Purchase Kip's amazing prints at KipRasmussen.com Listen to Jack Butler on Young Americans or The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie take an entire hour to synopsize Shadow's Edge, book two of Brent Weeks's Night Angel Trilogy. Over the course of their synopsis, they discuss whether it's a good idea for an author to peek through the fourth wall; how enjoyable they found the love story; and what Logan's time in the hole teaches us about the Enlightenment.

Megan, Todd, and Kenn are back for their first discussion of Dune Messiah, the second of Frank Herbert's original Dune books. Kenn comes armed with his traditional Kennified recap, and Todd lays the smackdown on Megan's opinion. You'll find out why, over and over again, but this episode might as well be sponsored by Spartan races. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie welcome author Griffin Stark to continue their discussion of The Way of Shadows, book 1 of the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. After mostly talking about the characters in the last episode, this time we get into the meat of the story itself. They also have a whole segment on a word that doesn't get thrown around much on this podcast. Check out Griffin Stark's book here Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Wrapping up our discussion of Frank Herbert's Dune, James Jakins returns and joins Todd, Megan, and Kenn to talk about Part 3. (Book 3? Tome 3?) In this episode, we get to more Reddit questions, and chat about the adaptations, both previous and forthcoming. Donate to Andrew Lobley's leukemia charity here: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/andrewlobley1 Check out James Jakins at http://jamesjakins.com/ Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, and Stephanie discuss The Way of Shadows, the first of the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. This is the first of two episodes on the book, and this one is mostly spent discussing the primary and secondary characters. Is Momma K a role model? Are we meant to like Durzo Blint? Is Elene a satisfying match for Kylar? We'll get to even more in part 2 of our discussion, set for release in a couple weeks. Thanks for listening. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

The time is finally here! Dune is among the titles most requested by our listeners, so it's our pleasure to finally read and discuss it. Todd, Megan, and guest-editor Kenn are joined by author James Jakins to talk about Frank Herbert's classic, including whether the world's best-selling sci-fi novel is ... actually a fantasy novel. As per usual, some of the panelists are brand-new to Dune, while others are old acquaintances with it. Luckily, all of them have opinions. Check out James Jakins at http://jamesjakins.com/ Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Don't say you weren't warned we'd be back: after all, there are no endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. Nor, it seems, are there any endings to our Wheel of Time podcast series. Kyle, Kenn, Ryan, and Craig are back with a discussion of New Spring, the prequel novel that Robert Jordan published in 2004. We talk about the characters and events, of course, but much of the conversation is about the place of New Spring in the WoT series, reading order, and thoughts about what might have been with other prequels and supplemental novels. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig and Ryan welcome a new panelist, Brandon Sanderson (maybe you've heard of him?). The three of them discuss The Truth, the 25th book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Spoiler alert, technically, because we range all over the story, as usual. But as we mention during the show, this isn't the type of book with which you should be overly concerned about spoilers; it's delightful and hilarious regardless of what you know about it. Enjoy the episode, and don't forget to enter the giveaway! [We are now in the future: the giveaway is closed] NOTES Check out our Brandon Sanderson podcast series If you don't already, be sure to keep up with Brandon at https://brandonsanderson.com/ Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

We disliked book 1, and we liked book 2 pretty well. So question will finally be decided: How did we feel about the Farseer trilogy as a whole? Ryan, Craig, and Kyle record the second-longest episode we've ever done, teasing out what they think of this Assassin's Quest, the trilogy as a whole, and some of the wider reactions to it. Why has this series proven to be the most polarizing in Legendarium history? Let's dive in and find out. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Our apologies for the audio issues. If it's unlistenable...well, that's not much different from any of our other shows, I guess. In this episode, Megan, Kenn, and Todd tackle Grave Peril, the third installment of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. And if you know anything about the Three Levels theory, then you know that Todd can pretend just about anything belongs in level 3. In this case, that thing is all the leering and innuendos scattered throughout the book. Go figure. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig, Ryan, Kenn, and Todd talk about Tolkien's mock fairy tale, Farmer Giles of Ham. It's a delightful little short story, without too much meat on its bones, so it makes for a perfect read on a slow afternoon. Don't worry about spoilers, since there's not much to spoil with this one, but if you enjoy the episode, go find a copy (PDFs abound online) to read in less than an hour. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Happy Hogswatch, everyone! For our surprise holiday episode, the Blue Team jumps into Discworld in our first Terry Pratchett novel, Hogfather. It's everything you've come to expect from the Blue Team ... but with more Death. Enjoy! Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Spoilers start at about 12:30. Craig, Kyle, and returning guest Vilja dive into Aquaman. If you're looking for a measured, coherent discussion, well ... this isn't really it. We recorded this about 10 minutes after leaving the theater, so enjoy our completely raw, rambling, unorganized reaction. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

We're back! This episode covers Royal Assassin, book two in the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. After being savaged for our discontented take on book 1, will we have a better reception this time around? There's only one way to find out. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

We return to the works of what some have called our patron saint, Brandon Sanderson. We take to the stars-is with our review of Skyward. Todd, Megan, and "visiting panelist" Ryan, tackle the this YA novel about a girl and her fungus loving starship. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

It's our first episode discussing Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy, starting with Assassin's Apprentice. This is one of the few times when the panel was somewhat baffled by the accolades a book received. We all had a somewhat rough time, but we tease out what our complaints are, what we think the book's strong points are, and whether our perception of the story will change with books two and three. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Todd, Megan, and Kenn discuss Fool Moon, book 2 of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. Todd gets creepy about Megan's skin. Megan sings the Captain Planet theme song. Kenn is back with his patented recap. And through it all, Craig plays video games in the background while the others do all the hard work. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Wait...are they really doing Goosebumps? Those books we all used to read in the 6th grade? Yes, thanks for asking! Tood, Kenn, and Megan discuss two early Goosebumps books, giving them the full Legendarium treatment. On deck for this episode are Welcome to Dead House and Don't Go In the Basement. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

It's a surprise Halloween episode, with the 200th anniversary of the book that arguably launched the modern science fiction genre. Craig, Ryan, and Kyle take on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, discussing its author, its historical and contemporary significance, and the ever-applicable themes found therein. Pro tip: If you're in high school, this book is a no-brainer as a source to answer almost any AP English Lit essay question. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

It's us at our most self-indulgent, as we spend an hour playing trivia games and telling awful jokes. So...it's pretty much like every other episode, we just didn't have to read a book for it. So it's a win for us. Anyway, enjoy the intense competition, the joy of victory, the agony of Kenn winning, etc. Thanks, everyone, for 200 episodes of the Legendarium. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig and Ryan swap out Kyle for Kenn (you can decide if that's an upgrade or a downgrade) for this final installment in our Gentleman Bastards podcast series. The general internet consensus is that the GB books declined from the first to this one, but does the panel agree? We discuss the arrival (finally) of Sabetha onto the scene, the A/B structure, some strengths of Lynch as a writer, and of course ... our favorite swears from the book. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

It's our long-awaited dive into Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, starting with book 1, Storm Front. Todd, Kenn, Megan get into the story, the characters, and the adaptation. Includes a classic Kenn synopsis. Also includes Todd trying--and failing--to do Craig-style insults. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Buckle up for the sweariest episode to date. We bleeped most of it, but still...maybe best not to play this one with your kids in the car. Craig, Ryan, and Kyle take on book two of Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards sequence: Red Seas Under Red Skies. The pirate-themed Locke Lamora adventure did some things better and some things worse than it predecessor, but if nothing else, it provided an hour of amusing conversation. Enjoy. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Wrapping up our Red Rising podcast series, Todd, Megan, and Kenn discuss Morning Star, the final book in the trilogy. They tackle the ending, Todd's new preferred sci-fi weapon, and several questions and comments from Reddit as well. Thanks for joining the Blue team for this series, now get set for the Dresden Files! Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

The band gets back together to talk about the summer movie season that's finally, mercifully, wrapping up. It wasn't much of a movie season, so Craig, Ryan, Todd, and Kenn end up talking a lot about '80s action stars, a 10-year-old TV show, and Burt Reynolds' chest hair. Back to regular book episodes next week! Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Craig and Ryan write a story! Well, not quite. But in this episode, they choose a random writing prompt, set the timer for thirty minutes, and construct a (probably really bad) story from scratch. The idea is for this to serve as inspiration. We've all--panelists and listeners alike--been reading a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, and now it's time, if you have the itch, to start writing. November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, and we encourage anyone who would like to, to participate, and to use the Legendarium community as a sounding board and an inspiration. We also announced a giveaway, to get everyone in the writing mood. Listen to the episode for rules, or visit the post that will soon appear on Reddit. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

(AN OATHBRINGER PLOT IS SPOILED IN THIS EPISODE.) Todd, Kenn, and Megan discuss Golden Son, the second book in the Red Rising trilogy. They talk about some characters, some events, and presumably some ideas as well. But since the person writing this episode blurb didn't participate and hasn't yet listened (I'll listen along with the rest of you), you won't get any more specifics than that. Please send all complaints to [email protected]. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

In our inaugural Gentleman Bastards podcast, Craig, Ryan, and Kyle discuss The Lies of Locke Lamora. They get into the heavy strengths, the light weaknesses, and the ... colorful language employed by Scott Lynch in this masterful debut novel. Speaking of colorful language, we finally deployed the 'explicit' tag on iTunes for this episode, because, well, because we just couldn't help ourselves. We had to join in the fun. Enjoy. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Todd, Megan, and Kenn discuss book one of Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy, conveniently titled...Red Rising. Topics include: its similarities to other works (cough cough Hunger Games), its prose quality, it kickass setting, and its Level-one Punchfest qualities. Megan has her first real tender moment as a panelist. Also: Yes, we know that the audio quality is ... lacking. But we didn't have time to re-record, so we'll all have to deal with it together. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Wrapping up our Kingkiller Chronicle podcast series, we wrap up any last Book 3 theories that we wanted to float, and then we get into the community reaction to the wait for book 3. It's entirely possible that we go too easy on Rothfuss, but in looking into and thinking about the issue, we found some real reasons to cut the guy a little slack. That being said ... we'd love to read Doors of Stone, please. Now, if you want to skip around, here are some time stamps, for your convenience: 0:00 - Witless banter 4:00 - KKC fan theories 18:25 - KKC panel theories 25:00 - Rothfuss and waiting for book 3 Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

For our discussion of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, we're bringing you an all-new panel configuration. Todd leads Kenn, Megan, and Ryan in talking about the classic sci-fi novel, including its historical relevance, both within and without the genre itself. Enjoy the continuation of our Heroes of Sci-Fi series! Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

The guys discuss the last third or so of The Wise Man's Fear, including Kvothe's trip to Ademre, the rescue of two kidnapped girls, Kvothe's expulsion from Vintas, and his return to the University. They also talk more about the ramifications of the Cthaeh, before the rest of the panel gangs up on Craig for being (angels and ministers of grace defend us) opinionated. It's not our final Kingkiller Chronicle episode, but it rounds out the latest book, so enjoy this final-feeling installment. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Leaving the University. Wooing someone else's crush. A month-long jaunt in the woods. Sweet, sweet, fairy sex. Finally, some plot happens in this section, and the guys are eager to discuss it. Or is it really plot, per se? We'll dig into some of the fun stuff from this section, including Felurian and the Cthaeh. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

"This is a classic film." So says Matt Zoller Seitz in his review of Ex Machina. In this episode, Craig, Kyle, and Kenn dig into both Ex Machina and Annihilation, Alex Garland's two directorial efforts. Both films deal with the nature of humanity, but from two very different angles, and unpacking them will take a herculean effort. Are our intrepid panelists up to the task? Nope! Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

"A younger Kvothe pursues his education at the University. There, he carries on a feud with fellow student Ambrose." And...that's pretty much it! The band is finally back together for this first episode of our Wise Man's Fear podcast series. Craig, Ryan, Kenn, and Kyle discuss the plot (such as it is), the characters, and the lessons to be gleaned from the first third of Patrick Rothfuss's book. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/

Due to scheduling restraints, Craig and Ryan went panel-less today, which meant putting off the stuff you actually WANT to listen to, and replacing it with stuff you do NOT WANT to listen to. This episode was a live Q&A simulcast on both Facebook and YouTube. The guys fielded both pre-submitted questions and some on-the-spot ones as well. Thanks to all who participated (in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, so all 3 of you), and for the rest: enjoy it now. Support the show on Patreon Join the conversation on Reddit Music: "Adventure Time" and "The Seven Seas" courtesy of https://www.philter.no/