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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

62:41

A Look Back at 2025: Our Best and Worst Books of the...

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/12/31

Ah, 2025. An impossibly long and packed year which just flew by. In their annual tradition, Duncan and Geordie take a look back at a year full of ambitious pulls, many surprises, and a couple of truly dire low-points (in terms of books, the podcast is obviously better than ever)!They take a look at everything they've reviewed to select their Most Surprising, Most Disapointing, Favourite, Worst, and of course their Best book of the year. Will they be in agreement, or is their time for one last heated

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88:37

Krampus: The Yule Lord

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/12/25

Merry Christmas and Good Yule! You must've been good this year because Santa Claus is delivering you the annual Is This Just Fantasy Christmas episode (and if you haven't, lock your doors. Krampus is coming.) This year the fellas cover Krampus: The Yule Lord by writer/artist Brom.This episode: Geordie admits he's running out of Christmas episode ideas and has a little rant about depictions of valkyries, Duncan is horrified by Germanic Christmas traditions, and they both struggle not to call Santa

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98:14

Bonus: Which Fantasy Badass Can Help Us Survive a...

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/12/12

Don't ask: 'who's the biggest badass in fantasy?' Only fools ask that question. The real question is: 'how do you measure badassitude?' For years, nobody could answer this enigma. But finally, after months of tireless study and experimentation, Geordie has found it: an empiral, scientific system where we throw a list of the best fantasy heroes we've encountered on the podcast into a gauntlet of horror movies with the sole mission of protecting us.This episode we ask the important questions like:

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92:32

Empire of the Dawn

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/11/29

Its over at last. One of the most anticipated conclusions in history of the podcast. The fellas read and review Empire of the Dawn, the conclusion of Jay Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire trilogy. There's so much to discuss as they cover: the controversial change in illustrators, the exciting action, and a potentially devisive ending. Does the series stick the landing?Duncan marvels that any book could beat out Fourth Wing for horniness, Geordie wonders just how many Elric of Melnibone references can

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94:37

Fourth Wing

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/11/21

At long last. The fellas set out to explore the hottest title in the world of fantasy right now. Their most anticipated read since their Top 50 Books review, their most Dragon Riders of Perny book since Dragonriders of Pern, and their horniest by far since The Eye of Argon.They cover: the steamy romance, the exciting pace, and just how unbelievably super special the heroine is, in one their nitpickiest episodes yet. They do not cover that this book is a real knock-off of Jennifer Armentrout's From

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96:56

Thirteen Storeys

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/10/31

The fellas wrap up their spooky month with the last halloween special, washing the taste of the Woman in Black out of their brains with an amazing collection of ghost stories, written by the creator of The Magnus Archives: Jonathan Sims. They reflect on the impressive change in mediums, as well as its somewhat heavy handed (yet nonetheless true) themes on capitalism, the environment and killing billionaires with steak knives.Hear about their favourite stories in the anthology. For Geordie, its a

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95:46

Berserk: Falconia

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/10/24

Some traditions never get old. Once again Duncan and Geordie return to the dark world of Berserk to wrap up its incredibly named Millenium Falcon Arc with Falconia. Its one of Geordie's favourite and least favourite parts of the series, containing some of the best action ever depicted in fiction, some astonishing world-building, a drastic change to the series' status quo... but it also spent three years of publication just following Griffith, which is basically a crime. The fellas discuss the many

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67:53

The Woman in Black

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/10/20

In the first part of their (somewhat delayed) Halloween Booooook Club, the fellas dive in to what is supposed to be one of the most iconic and scariest books in British horror: The Woman in Black.... and find it to be a massive disapointment. A dry, laughably unscary drag completely upstaged by both of its famous adaptations. Tune in to hear Geordie unleash the frustrations of a difficult day on a deserving punching bag, and hear Duncan realise he'd really rather talk about the Magnus Archives. They

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101:20

Paladin's Grace

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/09/26

Slather yourself in gingerbread and fail to solve a mystery, its time for Duncan and Geordie to cover 'Paladin's Grace' by T. Kingfisher. They discuss an excellent love story, and a real pallete cleanser from the hormonal teenage romantasies they've experienced up till now. Even if the political intrigue and mysteries promised by the blurb fails to materialise. This episode Geordie learns a surprising amount of Ancient Greek, Duncan tries to weird out Geordie by describing a video game, only to

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86:10

Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser: Ill Met in Lanhkmar

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/09/22

For the final time (and this time we mean it) the fellas are embarking on another sword and sorcery adventure with the introduction to Fritz Leiber's classic dynamic duo Fafhrd and Grey Mouser in 'Ill Met in Lankhmar.' The fellas rave about the story's humour and excitement and beautifully morbid setting, and appreciate the irony of a classic 'fridging' scene appearing right after they covered Gail Simone.We at the Is This Just Fantasy Studio™ cannot condone the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser drinking game

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100:01

Red Sonja: Consumed

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/09/06

Can you ever really escape your fate? Not if Duncan has trapped you in a never ending cycle of sword and sorcery. Once again the fellas are going back to the Red Sonja well. Its the same author. Its the same character. Its... quite a few of the same plot beats as well, actually, but dumber this time. Duncan chose Red Sonja: Consumed, Gail Simone's first ever novel, and her second take on Red Sonja. The fellas unpack some bizarre and kinda stupid plot points, Geordie's relates his worst trip to the

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93:10

Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/08/19

Is it Halloween already? No? Then how come the fellas are reading a comic book?! That's because this time, as preperation for the release of the new Red Sonja movie, Duncan has taken the fellas back to the Hyborian Age, with Red Sonja, written by comic book legend Gail Simone.Duncan leads the episode through the complicated canon of Red Sonja (and her endless reboots), whilst Geordie tries to figure out why Innsmouth fishpeople (with the colour pallette of Bikini Bottom) are here. They discuss

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87:44

Lord of the Silver Bow

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/08/07

Because for no obvious reason this has become tradition, its time for the annual Troy adaptation! (Which will they run out of first? Troy books, or fantasy novels set at Christmas?) Up till now those adaptations have mostly hinged on feminst reimaginings of the Illiad, and the commodification of women's bodies. But this time the fellas are gonna mix things up. They return to David Gemmel of Legend fame, looking for his burlier, alpha male account of the Trojan war and find... a book about the

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87:06

Dragonriders of Pern: Dragonflight

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/07/31

From Eragon to Book-Tok sensations about mormon super-soldiers, This is the book which started it all. Dragonflight brought readers to the Planet Pern for the first time in the 60s, and brought Geordie and Duncan to one of the earliest depictions of dragon riding in fantasy. And... it is not at all what they expected. Duncan covers some of the dragons.... unexpected powers. whilst Geordie unpacks a feminist reading of 1960s bodice rippers, before making a shocking heel-turn at the end.And, for the

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95:57

The Legend of Drizzt: Homeland

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/07/06

I promise, the guys do like this book! They just have a lot to say about it which sounds like complaining. This week Geordie returns to familiar hunting grounds, whilst Duncan sets of on a sojourn to parts unknown as they read the first (chronological) book in the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore.Both the guys struggle with pronounciations this week, Duncan spends an unusually small amount of time talking about Elric, and takes uncalled for pot-shots at his current Dungeon Master (sorry

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74:23

The Finn Family Moomins

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/06/20

Its been a dark year and a series of serious, moody novels. So Duncan has gone and turned it around with the softest, fluffiest thing he could think of: The Moomins. Since all Geordie knows about these strange white hippo people is that weirdos on Twitter got really into them during the pandemic, Duncan takes the lead this time. He directs Geordie through the pastoral loveliness, as well as some surprise queer readings of the book.They also cover the Duke of Edinburgh awards, why did Elric show up

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97:00

The Sheepfarmer's Daughter - The Deed of Paksenarrion

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/06/05

It was a gruelling forced march through this monster of a book. Geordie may have brought Elizabeth Moon's 1980s fantasy epic to the table, but can they stomach it? The fellas unpack an early depiction of a female fantasy heroine, in a faithful (perhaps too faithful) depiction of soldierly life by a Marine Corps veteran. They unpack the strange mingling of the drudgery of soldierly life, with an unusually grittless depiction of military honour. Some of the characters are so forgettable that Geordie

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82:00

John Carter: A Princess of Mars

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/05/17

The fellas are going way back for this one, all the way back to 1912. A bad year to be a cruise ship, but maybe a good year to be a fan of science fantasy adventures? They're reviewing perhaps one of the most influential books they've ever seen on the podcast. Before Howard, before Lovecraft and C.L. Moore. Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, the first appearance of John Carter.The fellas discuss the adventure, the very early attempt at fantasy worldbuilding, and of course.... the racism

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94:15

The Last Graduate

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/05/05

We're back in the Scholomance! At long last Geordie ran out of patience waiting for Duncan to choose the sequel to Naomi Novik's Deadly Education and has forced his hand with a destiny token! They pick up their school supplies and see what on earth they can remember about a book series they began two years ago.Here's a list of things they forgot: what the main character's full name was, her age and ethnicity, and what's Chloe's deal anyway?See whether the sequel lived up to the high expectations of

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85:38

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Is This Just Fantasy? ·

2025/04/19

In their second episode ever, the fellas reviewed Geordie's favourite book: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. Now, years later, they are finally returning to see her most famous work: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. They discuss the transition between paranormal romances and modern romantasy, whether to read this book before or after Strange the Dreamer, its fascinating wish-based magic, and Duncan stirs up a brand new contraversy with his choice for the next book.Notes for the episode: Duncan had

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