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PODCAST

Is This Just Fantasy?

Is This Just Fantasy?

The book club where we review all things fantasy! Join Duncan and Geordie as they embark on a quest to track the breadth and history of the fantasy genre, one epic at the time. Whether you"re a fan of book-stopper tomes like Duncan, or lighter YA fantasy like Geordie, we want you to read-along with us. Episodes are released every two weeks, giving you enough to read the book (or skim the synopsis if you"re just here for the banter.)

arts books

All Episodes

74:45

BONUS: Legend of Vox Machina Season 2

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2023/02/19

The fellas take a break from books (gross) to catch up on their current favourite fantasy TV show: Critical Role's Legend of Vox Machina. Geordie takes Duncan on a tour of the backstory of the D&D campaign which led up to the TV show. What discussion would be complete without an argument about Keyleth? This episode's highlights include Duncan getting the chance to correct Geordie for the first time ever, and Geordie events a new drinking game: take a drink every time he says the words:

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78:45

The Neverending Story

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2023/02/13

Duncan and Geordie set off on an epic journey into imagination and adaptations in their analysis of Michael Ende's classic, The Neverending Story. Highlights include a fascinating role reversal, where Duncan can pronounce things and Geordie cannot, Geordie struggling with why he didn't enjoy the book more, and Duncan begins to suspect that all the book characters are secretly evil.

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85:29

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2023/02/02

Back for a new year and season 2! The fellas return to form by talking about another dynamic duo: the titular Strange and Norrell. This slow epic is a favourite of Geordie's but will Duncan feel the same? They discuss the themes of Englishness and unheard voices in regency era England. Highlights include Geordie adding a sinister new rule to the podcast and Duncan goes a whole episode without mispronouncing a name! A new record!

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74:06

A look back at 2022

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2023/01/03

So ends season 1. Starting a podcast was last year's new years resolution, so what shall it be this year? Duncan and Geordie look back at the heights of the books they covered over the year, as well as some of their favourite pieces of media from outside the fantasy genre.

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76:12

Hogfather

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/12/24

To wrap up the first year of Is This Just Fantasy, Duncan and Geordie make their first journey to the late great Sir Terry Pratchett's seasonal parody: Hogfather. The fellas reflect of their love for Sir Terry's depiction of Death as a character, as well as one of the best speeches in his canon. Duncan denies that the book is a parody of the Nightmare Before Christmas, Geordie can't say the word anthropormorphisation, and the fellas perform their first reading (and Geordie enjoys playing with the

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63:34

Bloody Rose

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/12/15

The boys discuss the exciting follow-up to Nicholas Eames' Kings of Wyld. Immediately the debate is on, which of the two books do the lads enjoy more? They discuss characters arcs, the author's worrying increase in willingness to kill characters, evil bunny girls, Duncan's hatred of a fictional child and Geordie relating too much to falling for goth girls who just ain't good for you.

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128:10

Kings of the Wyld (feat. Nicholas Eames)

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/12/07

(Audio fixed) What an episode! Not only do the fellas enjoy an amazing fantasy novel, they also got a chance to land their first interview with an author. Nicholas Eames joins them to discuss his novels, his reading list, and the power of rock 'n roll, baby. Geordie and Duncan discuss this novel's comedy, pathos, fist-pumping action and unnecessarily emotionally stirring ettins.

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69:58

First Rider's Call

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/11/27

Revisiting one of their favourite books of the pod so far, the fellas check out the sequel to Green Rider by Kristen Britain, and it is... about time travel? Yeah, this episode is a bit of a curveball. Duncan grapples with his mingled disappointment and hope for the sequels, and tasks Geordie with determining whether this is the end of the road or whether to press on with the rest of the series.

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77:35

Berserk: The Eclipse

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/11/05

It doesn't get much more 'E' for explicit than this one. The fellas discuss the conclusion to Berserk's Golden Age Arc and the fateful eclipse, where the flow of causality turns on a gyre. It's a heavy episode, where they discuss the Berserk's lofty themes alongside it's gratuity. Geordie is given the impossible task of defending the character of Wyald, Duncan denies that he ever said Griffith did nothing wrong, Geordie gushes for minutes straight about Hieronymus Bosch, William Blake, and the Saga

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86:02

Berserk: Black Swordsman Arc and The Golden Age

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/10/23

That thing, it was too long to be called a podcast... so we split it in two. The fella's wrap up their Halloween booooooook club with the first part of their discussion of Berserk: Geordie's favourite fantasy series of all time and a first time read for Duncan. Covering the the Black Swordsman Arc till Guts' departure from the Band of the Hawk, Duncan and Geordie rave about Miura's genius penmanship, how Berserk ruined all western comic books, the '97 anime, and the marvellous nuances behind its

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66:40

The Library at Mount Char

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/10/15

It's the first of two episodes in our annual Halloween boooook club. Geordie picked the Library at Mount Char completely by accident and what a triumph! The boys adored this book and they discuss: its humour, its intense metaphysical weirdness, its stubborn refusal to be compared with anything else, and the unbelievable fact that its the author's debut.

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64:26

Bonus: First Sentence Challenge

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/09/28

Sooooo due to Geordie trying to be a responsible book buyer, his copy of The Library at Mount Char hasn't arrived yet. Oh calamity, oh Bailey! But Geordie has a plan. He challenges Duncan to a first sentence challenge, where the fellas test the other to see if they can guess the fantasy novel from just the opening line.Duncan plays dirty, Geordie plays too nice, and it's a pretty embarrassing showing all round. Nobody tell Duncan that Geordie heard about this challenge from TikTok.

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84:34

Red Sister

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/09/19

“It is important, when recording a podcast, to ensure that you choose a book of sufficient quality." Duncan and Geordie are back from their holidays, ready to recount all the books they read and discuss 'Red Sister' by Mark Lawrence. Duncan is a big fan of Lawrence's, whereas Geordie thinks 'Prince of Thorns' is the most repugnant book he ever gave up on.In addition to discussing the highs and lows of this book, the fellas discuss their summer reading, Duncan reveals he's never heard of iCarly,

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75:42

Red Nails - Conan the Barbarian

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/09/14

Hoo-boy! More racist than you thought. Yup, Robert E. Howard is tragically offensive in this 1936 novella. The fellas are left gutted, and with complicated feelings about Howard using his amazing writing for evil. Duncan gives a crash-course in Conan history, and talks non-stop about pastiche novels, and Geordie doesn't have the heart to tell him that he doesn't know how to pronounce "pastiche."

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82:36

The Song of Achilles

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/09/11

The curse is ended, we've got a good book! A great book! The fellas get lost in Geordie's vast love of Greek mythology, the wonderful love story of Achilles and Patroclus, One of the best episodes yet!T/W: This episode contains discussions around the topic of rape, which is an important theme within the book.

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80:20

BONUS: Our Monster Tier List

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/08/31

It's a real monster of an episode! Whilst the fellas make their way through Song of Achilles, they take a break to discuss the dark and perilous side of fantasy: the monsters that must be slain. The topics discussion stray into Geordie being confidently wrong about Chinese mythology, Hogwarts plumbing, and fist fighting H.P. Lovecraft. How is it to say Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn, anyway?

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83:55

A Demon in Silver

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/08/13

The title of this book doesn't even make sense! It's a good day for John Gwynn, but a bad one for Duncan and Geordie. The boys have found their new low-point in their quest to explore the fantasy genre. Even Duncan, try as he might, can't fully defend this book. They discuss: baffling writing choices, painfully cringey sex scenes, and all the books you should read instead of this one.

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88:12

The Gutter Prayer

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/07/30

The boys blend ancient divine rites with alchemy in Gareth Hanrahan's debut, The Gutter Prayer. Duncan lauds the book's world building, whilst Geordie thinks it's not enough to support a weak story and characters. They discuss the use of tense, Duncan's new mistrust of professors since leaving academics, and Geordie keeps trying to talk about The Expanse and the Count of Monte Cristo instead

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87:37

American Gods

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/07/17

The fellas roadtrip across America, meeting a cavalcade of gods in the process. No, it's not Percy Jackson. In this episode Geordie and Duncan debate the pros and cons of Neil Gaiman's fantasy-novel-with-a-lot-of-hyphens. The episode highlights include: Geordie's horror when he realised Duncan didn't like it, Duncan not realising that Jesus appears in the novel, and a gust appearance by Geordie's beautiful dachshund, Tilly.

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86:57

BONUS - Our fantasy origin stories

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2022/07/02

Whoa! A bonus episode? That's right, Duncan and Geordie can't get enough of podcasting and have released their first bonus episode. In this episode the fellas discuss their early reading years and how they got into the fantasy genre. The discussion goes everywhere, from being read bedtime stories, the time Duncan read all of A Song of Ice and Fire in 19 days, Dragon Ball, and perhaps the most obscure book series that Duncan and Geordie somehow both know.

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