Author: Lulu

Episode 28 is available for streaming on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

Segueing into Spooky Season, this week we’re bringing a seasonally-appropriate episode on witchy books! Focusing on The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke and Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper, we discuss the different takes on witches in both novels, their representation of magic-wielding lesbian and bisexual women, and how supernatural elements are used to underscore and develop the character relationships. (And also how a drag show act served as the seed of inspiration for this episode.)

Content warnings: car crash, parental death, homophobia

Other media mentioned

• The Sandman (comic)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan
• The Sandman (Netflix show)
• Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
• Hellblazer by Jamie Delano
• The Scratch Daughter by H.A. Clarke (upcoming)
• The Lost Coast by A.R. Capetta
• Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

Episode 27 is available to listen on Podbean, Spotify, and more.

The start of fall may be nearing, but we’re here to prolong summer with an episode on the movie Fire Island! A modern gay adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it follows a group of friends on their annual summer vacation. Topics include how the movie updates the novel’s social commentary and class dynamics, what makes the iconic Elizabeth/Darcy relationship work, and how the film deviates from the source text in fun and interesting ways. Also, a lot of positive yelling about the romance.

Other Media Mentioned:

• The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
• The Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing
• Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
• The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
• Wildhood (2021) dir. Bretten Hannam
• Lockwood and Co by Jonathan Stroud
• Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (many times!)
• Pride and Prejudice (2005) dir. Joe Wright
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) dir. Burr Steers
• Heartstone by Elle Katharine White
• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
• Pride by Ibi Zoboi
• The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray
• Jack of Hearts and Other Parts by Lev A.C. Rosen

Content Warnings: discussions of classism, anti-Asian racism, and revenge porn.

It’s summer, and that means sunny weather, visits to the beach…and murder? This week’s episode is on two seaside mysteries, Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow and I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick. Topics include mental health representation, balancing nuanced characters with twisty plots, and how the setting enhances both books. (Note: we do not spoil the big plot twists in either of these books.) As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

Media mentioned

• The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke
• Queer As All Get Out: 10 People Who’ve Inspired Me by Shelby Criswell
• The Heartbreak Baker by A.R. Capetta
• The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller
• Rooks and Ruin trilogy by Melissa Caruso
• Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel Lavery
• Legion (TV show)
• You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow
• This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
• I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuistion
• Knives Out (2019) 

Content warnings

Murder, drowning, racism, mental health struggles including suicidal ideation and intrusive thoughts

We’re back! This week, we’re discussing A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske and and Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, two novels that reimagine English history with a magical twist. Topics include wizard bureaucracy, ambitious women, and the way that both novels intertwine fantasy and history. As always, you can listen on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, and more.

Other media mentioned:

• A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
• Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
• Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
• Nimona by N.D. Stephenson
• Heartstopper (TV show)
• From Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos
• The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• K.J. Charles’s books
• Jupiter Ascending
• The Fantasy Inn podcast
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
• Black Sails (TV show)
• The Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert
• The Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
• Knives Out
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The True Queen by Zen Cho
• The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
• Legally Blonde
• The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
• Episode 21: Murder, Magic, and Making Different Histories

Content warnings: Discussions of historical homophobia, racism, sexism, slavery, and colonialism.

Episode 24 is out! As always you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, and more.

This week, we’re discussing the recent Netflix show Arcane! An animated blend of science fiction, fantasy, and crime drama, it’s also an adaptation of the video game League of Legends–something we know pretty much nothing about. However, we both still adored it. Topics include the show’s careful construction of inevitable tragedies, the complex cast of characters, the gorgeous animation, and one aspect where we think it stumbles.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow (forthcoming June 2022)
• The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
• Druids: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe
• Only Murders in the Building
• Yuri on Ice
• To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
• The Bone Key by Sarah Monette
• Turning Red (2022)
• The Batman (2022)
• Episode 15: Into the Batman-verse
• League of Legends
• Castlevania
• Critical Role
• Black Sails
• Wonder Woman (2017)
• James Bond
• Phantom of the Opera
• How Disfigured Villains Like “Wonder Woman’s” Dr. Poison Perpetuate Stigma by Alaina Leary for Teen Vogue

Content Warnings: discussions of murder, violence, emotionally abusive relationships, terminal illness, classism, and ableism.

Episode 23 is out! As always, you can listen to it on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, and more.

This week, we take a trip back to 1987 to discuss the horror-comedy movie The Lost Boys. Following a pair of brothers who move to a sunny California town plagued by vampires, the film includes a tangled love triangle, some inventive methods of murder, and a lot of 80s fashion. Topics of discussion include possible gay subtext, the deep-seated appeal of vampires, and why cinema needs more films about vampiric motorcycle gangs. 

Other Media Mentioned:

• The Legend of Vox Machina
• Dungeons and Dragons
• The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta
• The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
• The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
• Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
• Arcane (2021-)
• Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
• Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
• What We Do in the Shadows
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Episode 11: An Anthropological Study of Cohabitating Vampires
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• Worn Stories on Netflix
• Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M Szpara
• Dead Collections by Isaac Fellan
• A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
• Stranger Things (2016-)
• The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
• Bit (2019)

Content Warnings: mentions of drug use, murder, a controlling/abusive relationship, all the blood-drinking stuff that comes with vampires.

Episode 22 is out! As always, you can listen to it on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, and more.

Step one: rob the rich. Step two: break a curse. Step three: interrogate your deep-seated childhood trauma. Who could this to-do list belong to? Why, none other than the protagonist of Little Thieves by Margaret Owen! This week, we dive into a delightful young adult fantasy retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl following a teenage thief whose final heist goes terribly wrong. Topics include the hilarious and cynical protagonist, our love of a good heist story, the excellent romance, and the unexpected emotional depth through an exploration of childhood trauma.

Other Media Mentioned:

• BBC Starstruck
• Sh*t Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby
• Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
• The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
• Some By Virtue Fall by Alexandra Rowland
• The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick
• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
• The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
• Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
• Dungeons and Dragons
• I Know What You Think of Me by Tim Kreider in the New York Times
• Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (forthcoming)
• Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
• The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick

Content warnings: mentions of child abandonment and child abuse.

Happy Black History Month! This week, we’re discussing two historical fantasy novels by Black authors: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark and The Conductors by Nicole Glover. Join us as we take a trip to nineteenth-century Philadelphia and twentieth-century Cairo and discuss compelling murder mystery plots, well-developed alternate histories featuring magic, and some unexpectedly lovely romances. As always, you can listen to our podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, and more!

Other Media Mentioned:

• Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
• Episode 11: Two Gangs, Both Alike in Dignity
• The Seven Husbands of Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The Legend of Vox Machina
• Critical Role
• Not My Problem by Ciara Smith
• Sort Of (HBO Max)
• Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
• A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
• The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
• The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
• Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
• Episode 17: Sourdough, Cinnamon Rolls, and Sorcery
• The Vocabulary of Freedom on the Underground Railroad Education Center website

Content warnings: discussions of murder, colonialism, anti-Black racism, and slavery

After a bit of a delay, our twentieth episode, “Superheroes Ruined My Life,” is out! As usual, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more.

What’s more terrifying than a supervillain? A superhero, of course! In our twentieth (!) episode, we’re taking a look at the dark side of superheroes through the novels Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots and The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente. Topics include descents into villainy, misogyny in comic books, and whether the Joker pays his minions a fair wage.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Sword Stone Table edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington
• She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
• Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
• Arcane (2021) on Netflix
• Die by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans
• A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
• The Conductors by Nicole Glover
• What We Do in the Shadows (TV show)
• The Boys (TV show)
• Watchmen by Alan Moore
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dir. Zack Snyder
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 dir. Marc Webb
• Episode 10, X-Men X-travaganza
• The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont
• Batman: The Animated Series
• Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan
• Harley Quinn animated series
• Harleen by Stjepan Šejić
• Netflix’s Daredevil TV show

Content warnings: mentions of violence, murder, medical horror and body horror, an abusive relationship, suicide, death of a child, and drug use.

Episode 19 is out! As always, you can listen on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

This week, we’re diving into the King Arthur mythos! We discuss the book Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, an urban fantasy book that stars Bree Matthews, a Black teenage girl who discovers a secret society of demon-hunters descended from the Knights of the Round Table. Topics include our love of the fierce and complicated main character, Tracy Deonn’s scathing interrogation of racism in America, and how the book succeeds in making old myths feel new and unique.

Other media mentioned

• For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
• The Wheel of Time (2021)
• The Witcher (2019)
• Being Seen by Elsa Sjunneson
• The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
• A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
• A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
• How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe by Raquel Vazquez Gilliland 
• Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
• The Lost Boys (1987)
• Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (forthcoming, release date has since been moved to November 2022)

Content warnings: discussions of the death of a parent, antiblack racism, slavery, rape, and generational trauma.