Kent Lester joins Craig to talk about his journey from writing non-fiction to writing sci-fi thrillers like The Seventh Sun. A quick warning: We struggled with some tech stuff during this recording, so if it sounds like the ending is a bit abrupt…well, that’s only because it was.

Check out Kent’s stuff here

Craig, Ryan, and Kenn sit down to discuss the first half of Before They Are Hanged, the second book in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium

Mary Rickert (aka M. Rickert) stops by to chat with Craig about the art of the short story. What are the strengths and weaknesses of short fiction? Why did Mary get drawn to this particular form? What can readers gain by digging into short stories? And where should they start?

Check out M. Rickert’s newest (short) book, Lucky Girl

Author Brian Evenson stops by to talk with Craig about The Fifth Head of Cerberus, the second novel by Gene Wolfe. And what a novel it is! Without spoiling any of the surprises, the two dig into what makes Gene Wolfe special, and why Brian wanted to write the introduction for a new edition of the book.

Grab a copy of Cerberus here

Freya Marske is here to pull Craig–and by extension, us all–into the world of SFF romance! They talk about the definition of romance, why it appeals generally, and why it appeals to her specifically as both a reader and a writer. Toward the end, Freya also gives a sizeable list of recommendations for those wanting to dip their own toes into more romantic waters. (Listen for the recs, or follow us on Twitter (below) to get the links.

Check out Freya Marske’s work here: https://freyamarske.com/

The gang is back together! The OG Mistborn crew (Craig, Ryan, Kenn, and Todd) discuss The Lost Metal, the final entry in Era 2 of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. So how does the book do? Does the plot hold up? Was there TOO much cosmere stuff in there? Does the emotional ending resonate? Only one way to find out.

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Blue Team is back! Todd, Kenn, and somewhat reluctant Stephanie gather to discuss Persepolis Rising, the seventh book in James S.A. Corey’s series, The Expanse.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium

Tolkien biographer (and journalist and freelance writer and editor) John Garth stops by the show to talk with Craig about his long-time subject, J.R.R. Tolkien. The pair talk about their respective histories in Middle-earth, John’s previous books, like “Tolkien and the Great War,” and his new book, “Tolkien at Exeter College.”

Check out John Garth’s work here

Craig, Ryan, and Kenn talk about the second half of Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself. Is this really the first book in a series, or do we need a different way to think of this one? What’s the most “grimdark” line in the book? And are any of these characters worth rooting for?

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium

Happy Halloween! For this years spooky episode, Craig welcomes Rita Woods to the Author’s Shelf series. From her shelf, Rita selected The Good House, by Tananarive Due, a modern-day gothic horror novel. What is the scariest thing about a book like this? Listen on and find out!

Check out Rita’s latest, The Last Skinwalker, here

Surprise! It’s a weekend episode featuring Craig being interviewed by Jack Butler for Jack’s Young Americans podcast. The two of them break down their thoughts on the entirety of season 1 of The Rings of Power, especially how it all wrapped up in the end. Was the show ultimately worth making? Or watching?

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium

How do they do it? We’ll never know. Todd and Kenn have convinced Stephanie to come in and discuss another Expanse novel. This time, it’s Persepolis Rising, the 7th book in James S.A. Corey’s epic sci-fi series, The Expanse. This discussion covers roughly the first half of the book.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium

Craig and Ryan welcome Seanan McGuire to the Author’s Shelf! From her shelf, Seanan chose The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle, a ’60s classic fairy tale about a unicorn in search of her kin. They also talk a bit about her upcoming book, Into the Windwracked Wilds (as A. Deborah Baker).

Check out A. Deborah Baker’s (Seanan’s) Amazon page

Craig and Ryan welcome Mary Robinette Kowal to the Author’s Shelf. She asked the guys to read The Dispossessed, the award winning 1974 novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. There were some hiccups with the audio that had to be edited around, but the conversation was good enough that we were going to bring it to you regardless. Enjoy!

Get a sneak peek of The Spare Man

Drew McCaffrey from the Inking Out Loud podcast drops by again to spin the Wheel of Tangents with Craig. The twist? This time, we asked for the stupidest questions our listeners could think of. And boy oh boy did they come through.

Check out Inking Out Loud here: https://www.iolpodcast.com/

Craig and Todd are joined by Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger to discuss what it was like to collaborate on their new graphic novella, Where Black Stars Rise. They talk about how they found each other, how the creative process unfolded, and why the “dream” collaboration isn’t with the biggest name you can find.

Check out Where Black Stars Rise here

The Rings of Power is finally here! Now that the most expensive, promoted, anticipated show of the year has arrived, how do we think it’s going after just a couple of episodes? Craig, Sara, Stephanie, and Ryan sit down for a LONG discussion, airing their own loves and grievances, and responding to many of your own questions as well.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium

It’s here! This is the final episode in our Silmarillion read-along. Ryan and Craig sit down to discuss “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age,” the final section of The Silmarillion.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium