Tome Talkers

Deep Dive: Historical Influences on Red Rising

In which some of the influences history had on the Red Rising saga are discussed. This deep dive episode features fun characters from history such as Ulysses S. Grant, Caesar Augustus, and Vlad the Impaler! This episode contains major spoilers for the entire Red Rising series by Pierce Brown, as well as historical spoilers for the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the US Civil War, and the Ottoman war against Dracula. Enjoy!

Deep Dive: Historical Influences on LOTR

In which some of the influences history had on The Lord of the Rings are discussed. This deep dive episode features tidbits from history such as Anglo-Saxon wordplay, an Ancient Greek utopia, and a (somewhat) famous medieval battle! This podcast contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings, as well as for The Silmarillion and the appendices at the end of The Return of the King.

Deep Dive: Fantastic Armaments

In which some of the interesting and unique weapons and armor from sci-fi and fantasy are discussed. This deep dive episode delves into the weapons of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, and more! Warning: this episode contains minor spoilers about some of the worldbuilding from the books discussed, though no important plot details are revealed.

Deep Dive: Roman Echoes

In which connections are discussed between the history of ancient Rome and the multiple different fantasy and sci-fi books it has had an influence upon. This deep dive episode blends some history about the Roman Republic and Roman Empire with a bit of discussion about the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown, The Will of the Many by James Islington, In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan, and the Rise and Fall series by Michael J. Sullivan. Warning: this episode contains minor spoilers about some of the worldbuilding from these books as well as major spoilers about historical events from 2,000 years ago.

Stormlight Archive Predictions

In which our hosts discuss their predictions for the upcoming fifth book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. They talk over which characters will die, who Odium's champion may be, and if the stick will ever fulfill its destiny of becoming fire. They also do a few "man on the street" interviews to get the predictions of those who have not read the series at all. All this and more in this episode of "Tome Talkers!"