Fantology

#183 The Bill Hodges Trilogy & why you should read Stephen King

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josh pitches Stephen King's Bill Hodges trilogy to Stephen (Fantology host, not King) and they discuss how King compares to the familiar tastes in our...

#182 Worldbuilding is harder than it looks: Malazan sci-fi

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fantology kicks off a new series where we play author and pitch our world and story ideas. In the first installment, Jake details his sci-fi story wit...

#181 The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson ft. Michael Knipp

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Knipp joins Stephen and Ben for the beginning of our Mistborn Era 2 reread. What stood out for us this time through? How well does Brandon pul...

#180 Top 3 Fools in Sci-Fi & Fantasy

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

April brings us a great opportunity to be foolish, so of course we're going to take it! Stephen, Ben, Josh & Ryan list off our top fools in SFF and op...

#179 Brandon Sanderson's Secret Projects: Pre-Release Chapters

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The beginning of all four books are out there in the wild now. What did Stephen, Josh and Ben think of what we've read so far? Next Up: Top ? In Sci-...

#178 Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, Revisited

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen, Josh and Ben kick off our reread of Mistborn with book 1, The Final Empire. How has our impression of Brandon Sanderson's start on Scadrial c...

#177 To Hold Up The Sky: The Village Teacher by Cixin Liu

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jake and Josh's first release in a series of shorts covering Cixin Liu's collection To Hold Up the Sky. Tune in for a review of the first story, The V...

#176 Will The Rings of Power be THAT bad? + March SFF News

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Rings of Power has received a lot of hate since the release of the trailer. Does it deserve it? What do we really know about the show so far? Nex...

#132 Top 3 SFF Fathers + May Fantasy News

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bad reviews! Top Sci-Fi and Fantasy Dads! Fantasy News! What more could you want? Tune in to hear Stephen, Jake and Josh break down the month of May 2...

#175 Secret BrandoSando Kickstarter Breakdown

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brandon fooled us! Again. But what more can we take away from this historic Kickstarter? Stephen and Josh discuss the details and how other authors an...

#174 A Conversation with Richard Swan, Author of The Justice of Kings (No Spoilers)

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Swan joins Stephen and Ben to talk about his first traditionally published fantasy book, The Justice of Kings. You can ORDER NOW! Next Up: Ma...

#173 Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We have done it! At long last, Stephen and Jake finished the third entry in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Ryan, our resident expert joins us as we t...

#172 A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's not *the* end, but it's *an* end! Jake and Stephen talk with Kaden about his impression of the epic finale. Next Up: Memories of Ice by Steven E...

#171 Romantic Trios (aka we balefire your favorite characters & take the most hated ones to Far Snows)

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With February romance in the air, the Fantology guys choose which characters are worthy of a Far Snows hook-up, which are marriage material, and which...

#170 Towers of Midnight by Brandon Sanderson & Robert Jordan

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kaden, Jake and Stephen discuss the penultimate book in The Wheel of Time. Who's ready for the last battle? Next Up: Monthly Wrap-Up and Top 3 in SFF...

#169 Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen, Ryan and Josh conclude Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire Trilogy and discuss the possibility of redemption for Jorg of Ancrath, the ultimate anti...

#168 Looking back on Sci-Fi/Fantasy in 2021 and forward to more nerd culture 2022

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

All five of the Fantology cast looks back at a busy 2021 for fantasy and looks ahead to big things in 2022. Next Up: Emperor of Thorns by Marc Lawren...

#167 A Conversation with Jonathan Edward Durham, author of Winterset Hollow

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Buy the book! https://amzn.to/32XagDN Stephen chats with Jonathan about his first book Winterset Hollow and his journey to becoming a published author...

#166 The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brandon Sanderson took up Robert Jordan's mantle following the tragic passing of the creator of The Wheel of Time. So how'd he do in book 12 of the ep...

#165 The Wheel of Time Episode 8

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Wheel of Time season finale! You have questions? We don't have many answers. But if you want even more questions, tune in! Next Up: The Gathering...

#164 The Wheel of Time TV Episode 7

18 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We travel through the ways and gear up for the season finale in the penultimate episode. Tune in for Kaden, Jake and Stephen's impressions! Next Up: ...

#163 The Wheel of Time TV BAD TAKES Debunked: Responding to r/whitecloaks & Knights Watch

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Knights Watch Reviews: Episode 5: https://youtu.be/umIwqLtv2es Episode 6: https://youtu.be/zuh1IcgqTyE Check us out on YouTube: https://youtube.com/c...

#162 The Wheel of Time Episode 6

11 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 6 is Brandon Sanderson's favorite. What did Stephen, Josh & Kaden think? Minor early book series topics discussed. No specific plot spoile...

#161 Top 3 Books We Read in 2021

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Top books that WE READ in 2021. Let us know what your favorites from the year were! Next Up: The Wheel of Time Episode 6 Followed By: The Gathering S...

#160 The Wheel of Time Episode 5 [Full Series Spoilers]

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Full book series spoilers in this one as Stephen, Jake and Josh talk about where episode 5 is taking the series and how much we all loved Loial! Next...

#159 Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who says we don't cover YA books? Stephen's sister Sarah joins the show to discuss Cytonic, Brandon Sanderson's latest offering. Next Up: The Wheel o...

#158 The Wheel of Time TV - Episode 4

27 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nynaeve in episode four, amirite? 🤩🤩 Next Up: Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson Followed By: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sander...

#157 The Wheel of Time TV Episodes 1-3

20 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Fantology Wheel of Time crew dissects the first three episodes. What'd everyone think? Next Up: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon ...

#156 Wheel of Time TV BINGO

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Black Tower Podcast and Lezbinerdy join Stephen and Jake to build our WOT bingo card. Join us in playing The Wheel of Time TV BINGO! Check out our soc...

#155 Josiah Bancroft Interview

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Josiah Bancroft joins Stephen and Ryan to talk Books of Babel, his writing process and his exciting future plans. Support Josiah by buying his books b...

#154 The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft

06 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Excited for next week's release of The Fall of Babel? Refresh your memory of The Hod King here and get hyped for Josiah Bancroft's next book! Next Up...

#153 1K Subscribers Contest & November Update

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

THANK YOU to all our supporters, especially those that subscribed and entered our 1K subscribers competition. Tune in for our reveal of the winners an...

#152 Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

30 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Jordan's parting shot, Knife of Dreams, jump-started the series and put it on track for the Sanderson trilogy finish. Tune in for opinions from...

#151 Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft

23 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Josiah Bancroft follows up his remarkable debut, Senlin Ascends, going full steam ahead with Arm of the Sphinx. Book two is full of exceptional charac...

#150 Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for a fresh and unique take on epic fantasy? Look no further! Senlin Ascends is the start to a zany steampunk series that we're going to be fa...

#149 Whats Scarier? Sci-Fi or Fantasy?

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fantology continues our Halloween month with a themed debate. What's scarier? Sci-fi or fantasy? Plus, tune in for a chance to win free audible credit...

#148 Top 3 Scariest Things in Sci-Fi & Fantasy

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fantology celebrates Halloween month with a themed Top 3 Competition. Scariest creatures, characters, ideas etc. Anything scary in SFF! Listen and the...

#147 The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Charles from FTFPodcast joins Stephen & Ryan for a review of The Wisdom of Crowds that's more exciting than snorting pearl dust or even fighting i...

#146 Foundation by Isaac Asimov

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Excited for the Apple+ Foundation series? Josh and Stephen give an overview of the book and series as a non-spoiler primer for the show. How well does...

#75 The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie ft. Mike's Book Reviews

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hopefully you're still excited for The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie because we have another re-release for you today! Here's your recap on The ...

#71 A Little Hatred By Joe Abercrombie ft. A Hero's Journey

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Excited for Joe Abercrombie's The Wisdom of Crowds next Tuesday? Get a refresher of A Little Hatred in this re-release of our review of the beginning ...

#145 Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To slog or not to slog? That, unfortunately is the question in one of the slowest books of The Wheel of Time. Stephen, Jake and Kaden love the series ...

#144 Do Audiobooks Count? + Top 3 Funniest Characters

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Audio or print: which is the superior medium of book consumption? We debate this hot button issue, fill you in on news items for August and then intro...

#143 Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Butcher writes more than The Dresden Files! Ben and Ryan look back to the beginning of his career and the beginning of The Codex Alera, Butcher's ...

#142 King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How did King of Thorns compare to the opening act of The Broken Empire Trilogy? We discuss Mark Lawrence's progression as an author and Jorg's as a ch...

#141 Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen & Jake wrap up The First Law Trilogy with Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. It's an explosive conclusion to the opening act of th...

#140 Debate! Should Wheel of Time Release Weekly or Batch? + Top 3 Sexy Villains

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Debate! Should Wheel of Time on Prime release episodes weekly or in bulk? Which strategy will be best for the success of the show? Plus, our picks for...

#139 Current State of the MCU: Falcon & WS, Loki, Black Widow + What's Next for Marvel?

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Doug is back to give us his expert Marvel insights, covering the big releases of the summer. Stephen and Josh join him to give opinions and speculate ...

#138 Pet Sematary by Stephen King

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ben and Josh are back with more Stephen King. Pet Sematary may well be his most terrifying book ever - what makes this one so seriously messed up? Tun...

#137 The Gunslinger & The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ben and Josh feature on a special twin episode, covering the first two books of The Dark Tower. Interested in the Stephen King fantasy multiverse, or ...

#136 Top 3 Animal Companions + Debate! Do Authors Owe Readers?

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fantology runs the gauntlet in this episode. Stephen, Ryan, Ben and Josh start with our picks for Top 3 SFF Animal Companions, then briefly touch on t...

#135 Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Prince of Thorns was our first Mark Lawrence book, and definitely not our last! This one spawned an interesting review and discussion of morality and ...

#134 Orluvoq ft. author Benny Hinrichs

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for something new? Check out Orluvoq by Benny Hinrichs! Just released yesterday, Orluvoq combines a unique Inuit inspired world with compellin...

#133 Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our first-time reader Kaden has made it through Winter's Heart. Through nine books now, Jake and Stephen get his take on the 'slog' and his excitement...

#131 Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tune in for Jake's first-time impressions of Joe Abercrombie's second First Law entry and Stephen's fanboy opinions. Before They Are Hanged is a maste...

#130 The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Blacktongue Thief is a hilarious romp of moral ambiguity. We follow the first person narrative of Kinch, a thief brilliantly assembled from every ...

#129 Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome vampires and cattle alike to the Antebellum South! Zack from MiddleFantasy was kind enough to join Stephen and Ben to discuss Fevre Dream, an ...

#128 Children of Time + Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two for one special! Jake and Ryan review two outstanding Adrian Tchaikovsky works as Fantology finally ventures into science fiction. No spoilers at ...

#127 Top 3 Mothers + April SFF News

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fantology's May competition will pay tribute to the mothers of SFF. Who are your Top 3 Moms in the genre? Tune in for our picks, plus a recap of a bus...

#126 The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Release day episode! Stephen and Josh cover John Gwynne's latest hit in depth, starting with a no-spoiler discussion. If you're interested in The Shad...

#125 The Eyes of the Dragon

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ben and Josh, our resident team of twins, team up on this review of early Stephen King. How does The Eyes of the Dragon compare to other King fantasy?...

#124 The Path of Daggers

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen, Jake and first-time reader Kaden continue their trek through the Wheel of Time in book 8, The Path of Daggers! We talk the momentum of the se...

#123 Elantris ft. A Hero's Journey

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome Alex & Zach from A Hero's Journey Podcast to talk through Elantris. Tune in for our discussion of how Sanderson's writing and the Cosme...

#122 The Dresden Files, Full Series Retrospective

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen and Ryan revisit the entirety of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files (with full spoilers). We get Ryan's tier list rankings for the books and retrospe...

#121 Top 3 Sidekick Characters + March SFF News

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who are the best sidekick characters in SFF? All five Fantology members give their picks and now request to hear from you! Plus, news in March includi...

#120 The Way of Kings, Revisited w/ First-Time Reader Daniel

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen's roommate Daniel took the plunge into epic fantasy, so we took the opportunity to revisit the beginning of the Stormlight Archive with him. T...

#119 The Blade Itself

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jake has finally started The First Law! Stephen joins him to talk about the beginning of Joe Abercrombie's fantastic grimdark series and discuss theor...

#118 Breach of Peace: Full Spoiler Book Review

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Full Spoilers. You've been warned.  Daniel Greene's debut novella, Breach of Peace is a deliciously dark heart-pounding mystery/thriller that we ...

#118 Breach of Peace: No Spoiler Book Review

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No Spoilers!  In the first half of our coverage of YouTuber/Author Daniel Greene's debut novella, Breach of Peace, we discuss Daniel's newfound s...

#117 Shadowless: An Interview With Randall McNally

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Randall McNally connected with Stephen to talk about Shadowless, his self-published and uniquely brilliant epic fantasy book. We talk about his writin...

#116 The Descent of the Drowned: An Interview with Ana Lal Din

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ana Lal Din was kind enough to join us for our first in our special series - The Author's Voice. Ana is releasing her debut novel, The Descent of the ...

#115 A Crown of Swords

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kaden is still going strong through his first read of Wheel of Time. Add in Jake's expert perspective and whatever it is Stephen brings to the episode...

#114 Wandavision

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our Marvel expert Doug makes his first guest appearance as we break down Wandavision and upcoming Marvel projects. Theories abound. Superheroes are ba...

#113 Top 3 Magic Systems + February SFF News

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What magic is the best magic? We debate. And let us know your top magic systems on Twitter! Plus, we cover news from February including an update from...

#112 Harry Potter Trivia Part Two

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Part two concludes our first trivia episode. Will Stephen hold his lead? Will Nathan overtake his older brother? Will Dan find his way onto the scoreb...

#111 The Burning God

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Charles and Dylan from FTF Podcast join Ben and Stephen to cover The Burning God from all angles. We talk Rin and the making of a monster against the ...

#110 Harry Potter Trivia Part One

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The showdown episodes in the making. Stephen, Nathan and Dan compete for the title of ultimate Potterhead in the first part of our trivia showdown. Pl...

#109 Dune

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dune is a classic. One of the founding fathers of the science fiction genre. How does Frank Herbert's creation hold up today? Find out in our review! ...

#108 Ready Player Two

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We can't recommend reading this book. But if you have already, here's a rant that might make you feel better.  Next Up: Dune by Frank Herbert &nb...

#107 Top 3 Fantasy Romances + January SFF News

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are your favorite romances from SFF books? Fantology is unveiling ours and appropriately devoting February to let everyone compete on Twitter to ...

#106 Fires of Vengeance Full Spoiler Review

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Full spoilers this time! Everyone's favorite ball of unstoppable gladiatorial fury, Tau Solarin, is back in Fires of Vengeance, Book 2 of The Burning ...

#106 Fires of Vengeance Non-Spoiler Review

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone's favorite ball of unstoppable gladiatorial fury, Tau Solarin, is back in Fires of Vengeance, Book 2 of The Burning by Evan Winter. This epis...

#105 The Wolf's Call Full Spoiler Review

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Anthony Ryan kicks off a new duology starring everyone's favorite Brother of the Sixth Order, Vaelin Al Sorna, with The Wolf's Call. Stephen, Ryan and...

#105 The Wolf's Call Non-Spoiler Review

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Anthony Ryan kicks off a new duology starring everyone's favorite Brother of the Sixth Order, Vaelin Al Sorna, with The Wolf's Call. If you finished T...

#104 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We hate to see it end, but also still enjoy the finale Harry Potter all these years later. Dan, Nathan and Stephen provide their takes on the end of T...

#103 The Stand Full Spoiler Review

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It might have taken a few long months of pandemic season, but we made it all the way through Stephen King's The Stand. Check out our review below wher...

#103 The Stand Non-Spoiler Review

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen King saw it coming. Jake and Josh highlight The Stand, King's version of a pandemic that brings the world to its knees. No spoilers here, so a...

#102 The Dragon Republic Full Spoiler Review

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Beautifully brutal, The Dragon Republic is a must-read for any fan of the genre. R.F. Kuang builds on her debut, The Poppy War with a strong follow-up...

#102 The Dragon Republic Non-Spoiler Review

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Haven't read R.F. Kuang's Poppy War series yet? Check out Ben & Stephen's review of the second book, The Dragon Republic. No spoilers for the firs...

#101 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The end is near. We've split book 7 in half and Dan, Nathan & Stephen are once again here with our penultimate review, chalk full of hot takes and...

#100 Best Reads of 2020 + December Fantasy News

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We've hit the century mark! Fantology celebrates 100 fantastic episode with a review of the 2020 year in books and other SFF news. Our favorite reads ...

Year of 2020 Preview Revisited

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Come hop in a time machine with us and go back one year to a time before Covid-19. A time before mass movie and tv release delays. Before the successf...

#99 The Mandolarian Season Two ft. CubsFan Han

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andy aka CubsFan Han, was kind enough to come by and tell us about the current Star Wars landscape and pump up some major excitement for the upcoming ...

#98 Rhythm of War Full Spoiler Review

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is the Rhythm of War Review that you've been waiting for! Fantology bids farewell to the book that has consumed our last five months with some fi...

#98 Rhythm of War Non-Spoiler Review

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Haven't read Brandon Sanderson's new Stormlight Archive book, Rhythm of War, yet? Or are you new to Roshar entirely even? We've covered this book exha...

#97 Wheel of Time Characters...In Other Series

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We were honored to participate in the inagural #WoTaHoliday Charity Livestream, which raised over $5,000 over the course of 24 hours of brilliance fro...

#96 Rhythm of War Part Five

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What. A. Ride. Part Five had everything we needed and was the perfect payoff for the end of this 1200+ page tome. Fists pumped! Guts punched! Evil sla...

#95 Rhythm of War Part Four

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the Sanderlanche approaches the Fantology crew embraces our Taravangian-ish role in pausing our read in order to review part four. How much of this...

#94 Top 3 Fantasy Maps + November Fantasy News

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What kind of fantasy book reader isn't a sucker for a good map? The full Fantology 5 is here for this episode to present our top fantasy maps and kick...

#93 Rhythm of War Part Three

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're well into Rhythm of War by now, and plot threads are everywhere! Sanderson is expertly juggling his characters and all we can do is try to keep ...