Episode 231 Release Date: Mar 25, 2026 Your hosts are joined by Michael Vadney to discuss his debut novel, Crownfall. They talk about the different flavors of Dark Fantasy, character arcs in the New Adult genre, and how the different types of trust form the core of Crownfall’s story. Find more from Michael: https://michaelvadney.com/ Author Adjacent Podcast Bluesky Instagram Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their so

Episode 230 Release Date: Mar 18, 2026 Your hosts read Hazelhearth Hires Heroes by D.H. Willison, and immediately realized their unfamiliarity with both the Isekai (portal fantasy) and LitRPG genres. They also talked about high-stakes danger in fantasy adventures and the evolving relationships between both main and secondary characters. 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

Episode 229 Release Date: Mar 11, 2026 Your hosts are joined by Andrew Rubin to discuss his novel Hell or High Winter. They talk about Greek (and Mormon, and more) mythology, the highs and lows of retellings, and sibling dynamics. They are also, briefly, interrupted by pugs. Find more from Andrew here . 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 Woodw

Episode 228 Release Date: Mar 4, 2026 Your hosts attempt to discuss Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers in a non-spoilery way, before giving up and moving on to the spoiler section. They talk about the fun twists, killing god, and the excellent romance. 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 Sun

We were very pleased to welcome Oliver Brackenbury on to the blog to chat with us about the crowdfunding campaign for New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine issues 8, 9, and 10. You can read our interview with him below, and support the crowdfunding campaign here . Thank you so much for joining us for this blog interview! We’ll start off with one of our standard podcast opening questions–tell us something great that’s happened recently. Honestly, when the crowdfund reached 100% fu

Episode 227 Release Date: Feb 25, 2026 Your hosts get a little political with The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. They compare it to some of her other Earthsea series, enjoy the overall humanitarian message, and point out a few (startlingly few) areas where it didn't age as well. 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 “E

Episode 226 Release Date: Feb 18, 2026 Your hosts read the Kin Enigma by Darrel Miller, a hard scifi take on werewolves fit for Crichton fans. They discuss the realism of the novel, complex character motivations, and what they would have liked to see more (and less) of in the story. 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 “E

Episode 225 Release Date: Feb 11, 2026 Your hosts are joined by Stark Holborn to talk about her novella For the Road. They discuss acid westerns, inspirational songs, and Gaulish mythology. Find more from Stark: https://starkholborn.com/ https://www.patreon.com/starkholborn 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 S

Episode 224 Release Date: Feb 4, 2026 Your hosts read "This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Lilly really ought to have known it was a love story. Sara vibed with the whimsy. They also talk about Time Travel Shenanigans, plot to vibe ratios, and the appeal of rereading novellas. 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” - J

Episode 223 Release Date: Jan 28, 2026 Your hosts read Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz, a novella about robots starting a noodle shop in near-future San Francisco. They debate if it can be called cyberpunk (kinda) or cozy (also kinda), and how the scifi setting opens up conversations around familiar situations. Your hosts also talk about naive robots and surprising pacing. Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their so

Episode 222 Release Date: Jan 21, 2026 Your hosts delve into the grimdark (ish) world of Warhammer 40k with The Infinite and the Divine, a tie-in novel by Robert Rath. They discuss their familiarity with the world (next to none) and how approachable the book was for newbies. They also talk about the ratio of academic rivalry to fight scenes, the complex relationship between main characters, and what this book revealed about their reading preferences. Listen to Vishani’s Song

There’s a group of friends that I occasionally do buddy reads with. My taste in books doesn’t always overlap with theirs, but I usually enjoy the experience of reading the book together even if I don’t always vibe with the book itself. So when one of them started raving over For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn and suggested that we all read it together, I was in. Unfortunately, not even that shared reading experience could redeem this book for me. For Whom the Belle Tol

Episode 221 Release Date: Jan 14, 2026 Your hosts discuss "500k/MO!! as EPIC-POET! by Vincent “Vinnie The Weasel” Vulpikonek - Introduction by Mister C.N. Sumbvert (Mentor-Helpmeet-Editor-At-Largess™)" by Chris Sumberg, a satirical take on those writing advice books (you know the kind). They discuss the intentionally trying narrative voice and whether or not non-writers will enjoy it, and try their very best to not just repeat all of the hilariously bad advice from each chapt

Episode 220 Release Date: Jan 7, 2026 Your hosts talk about 2025! What they read, what they read the most of, and what categories could use some more love. They also award superlatives to their recent reads (including "book they argued the most about" and “setting they would die instantly in”). Your hosts then discuss plans for the podcast in 2026, and how the second half of the year will be "no plans, vibes only." Find us on Discord / Support us on Patreon Thanks to the fol

Want to read along with us? Here's what we're reading in 2026: 500k/MO!! As EPIC-POET! by Chris Sumberg Warhammer 40k: The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone For the Road by Stark Holborn The Kin Enigma by Darrel Miller The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers Hell or High Winter by Andrew Rubin Shake Out the Ghosts by