Sir Simon has us in his thrall! The Castle in the Attic remains a pure delight, bringing out the child searching for a magical miniature castle in us both. We discuss Sir Simon’s bizarre (yet winning) quirks, the joys of soft boy William, and the key ways that fictional parents disrupt fantasy narratives. Put a mouse to roast over your tiny fire - it’s time to defeat an evil wizard.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We finally finish a series! Trickster’s Queen brings the many threads of political intrigue loose in the Copper Isles to a satisfying (if predictable) conclusion. We discuss the coziness of a perfect fantasy regime change and how overly rosy depictions of righted systemic injustices both help and harm the readers. Perfect spy blobs, spice intolerance, crow-man coming of age, and so, so many reports to write - a little of something for everyone.

Be sure to listen to our Trickster’s Choice episode before this one, we cover the series’ worldbuilding in depth (this ep is more focused on narrative structure and characterization).

Thanks to everyone who has requested we finish this duology!

Westmark has it all - political intrigue, long cons, a dashing leader of the revolution, and two months in a garret writing other people’s letters. We discuss Lloyd Alexander’s fast-paced opening to the Westmark trilogy and why it feels like classic fantasy in spite of its lack of true fantasy elements. Join us in breaking down Theo’s soft boy protagonist appeal, the power of an irrepressible urchin, and the bad monarchies of life and literature. Count Las Bombas is offering you an elixir, drink it all up!

Thanks to all the listeners who have requested Westmark!

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/