Sam and Dan discuss chapters 18 - 35 of Mark Lawrence's The Book That Wouldn't Burn: the first instalment of The Library Trilogy.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers of the first half of this book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

Now that our main characters have met, we discuss what we've learned and what their futures (or pasts... depending on where you're starting from) might hold. We try to figure out the motivations of some of our supporting characters, including Master Yute and his cryptic instructions to Livira. Maland, despite his complete absence from the story, presents a lot of mystery for us to theorise about. And, as usual, we throw around loads of theories about where this story is heading.

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Sam and Dan discuss chapters 1 - 17 of Mark Lawrence's The Book That Wouldn't Burn: the first instalment of The Library Trilogy.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers of the first 17 chapters of this book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

We dive straight into the big questions around how our two main protagonists, Livira and Evar might be connected to each other. We discuss whether this is in fact a sci-fi or a fantasy novel (or a little bit of both perhaps?). We get to know Livira and Evar, and we delve into Mark Lawrence's world of dust, libraries and eccentric characters, before sharing some theories on where this story is heading.

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Sam and Dan discuss chapters 29 - the end of Hannah Whitten's The Foxglove King: the first instalment of The Nightshade Crown trilogy.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers of the entire book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

Now that we've finished the novel, we discuss what we thought was great, the character development of Lore, Gabe and Bastian throughout, the world building of the citadel, the church and the catacombs, some theories for where this trilogy is heading, and some critiques of the plot.

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Sam and Dan discuss chapters 14 - 28 of Hannah Whitten's The Foxglove King: the first instalment of The Nightshade Crown trilogy.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers for the first 28 chapters of the book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

Now that the story is in full swing we delve into the developing relationship between Lore and Gabe, the conspiracies of church and crown that they are trying to unpick, and the mysterious magic that Bastian is beginning to display. As usual, we also throw our own theories around about where this book is heading.

Discussion time stamps:

00:43 - Welcome and recap of the story so far
03:55 - Tension with Gabe
10:45 - The notes conspiracy
12:53 - Who is the voice in Lore's head?
15:35 - Unravelling the mysteries of Mortem
20:51 - Reformation vibes
23:47 - Bastian's powers
27:54 - The villages
30:36 - Our theories and predictions
36:26 - Final questions
38:34 - Next episode we will be covering... - Wrapping up

Join in the conversation by following us on social media @EscapistsAnonymousPod.

Sam and Dan discuss chapters 1 - 13 of Hannah Whitten's The Foxglove King: the first instalment of The Nightshade Crown trilogy.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers for the first 13 chapters of the book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

In this episode we get to know our main protagonist, Lore, along with her potential romantic interests. We discuss the world-building, and how the religion and the magic intertwine. And we theorise about the various mysteries that have emerged and where this compelling story is heading next.

Discussion time stamps:

00:43 - Blurb and overview of the story so far
05:36 - Romance or necromance - How the magic works
09:32 - A Lore unto herself - meeting our main protagonist
14:40 - The Fresh Princess of... - The city of Delaire
15:51 - Oh my gods - The religion
19:04 - Twinned church and state - The King and the Priest Exalted
24:37 - 50 Shade of Gabe - Lore's romantic interests
28:14 - It takes a village... - Raising a dead child
30:41 - Flogging a dead horse - Why is the horse still alive?
33:00 - Poking the bear - Minor continuity concerns
35:54 - Looking forward - Unanswered questions for chapter 14 onwards
38:38 - And finally... - Closing thoughts
40:44 - Next episode we will be covering... - Wrapping up

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Sam and Dan discuss chapter 20 through to the end of Hannah Kaner's Godkiller.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers for the whole book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

We discuss the action, the mysteries, the unexpected twists and the steamy romance as Kissen and the gang make their way to Blenraden for the climax of book one in the Fallen Gods trilogy. We get into our theories about where this story is heading next and we talk through our analysis and conclusions on how we felt about Godkiller overall.

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Sam and Dan discuss the prologue through to chapter 19 of Hannah Kaner's Godkiller.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers for the first 19 chapters of the book. We strongly recommend reading the chapters we're covering before listening.

We get to know the four main characters. We figure out how to pronounce the names. We share some suspicions and theories for where the story might go next. And we get into what Hannah Kaner's might be trying to tell us and whether it's all just one big metaphor.

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We welcome you you Escapists Anonymous: Fantasy Fiction Book Club. A brand new podcast and peer support network for fantasy literature fanatics.

In this intro episode, you'll meet us... your hosts... Sam and Dan. We'll introduce ourselves and discuss what we love about fantasy fiction. You'll find out about the premise of this new podcast, and we'll also reveal the first book that we will be deep-diving into in the next episode.

When there's a new movie out, or a new Netflix series, or a big sports event, there's always someone to discuss it with, in the office, at the gym, or when you're with your friends. But when you're reading an amazing book, it's rare that you get the chance to share that experience with other like-minded readers. So if you loved Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, Ben Aaronovitch, Raymond D. Feist, Peter V. Brett, Brent Weeks and any other authors that would fit into this list, join our book club and you'll always have a community to share your love of fantasy with.

Join in the conversation by following us on social media @EscapistsAnonymousPod.