83: Fifty Shades of Grey Morality

We like to discuss morally grey characters all the time, but all have a slightly different definition for what "morally grey" even means. So what exactly does it mean? And what are some examples of grey morality done well?

Want us to read your message on the podcast? Find out more here.

Things Mentioned:

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

Some of the links included in these show notes are affiliate links and support the podcast at no additional cost to you. If it's an option for you, we encourage you to support your local bookstores!

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

82: Suyi Davies Okungbowa Interview

Travis interviews author Suyi Davies Okungbowa about Son of the Storm, the first book in his new Nameless Republic trilogy from Orbit Books. This epic fantasy is a sweeping tale of violent conquest and forgotten magic set in a world inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa.

Suyi and Travis discuss how writers can apply strategic project culture to their work, how distinct story engines power our favorite stories, and researching 15th century African empires.

This episode was sponsored by Campfire Technology. Campfire creates story design software that helps writers develop their stories. Its software includes tools for character development, story timelines, worldbuilding, and more, allowing storytellers to write better stories, faster.

Want us to read your message on the podcast? Find out more here.

About Suyi Davies Okungbowa:

Suyi Davies Okungbowa is the author of Son of the Storm (Orbit, May 2021), first in The Nameless Republic epic fantasy trilogy, and the godpunk novel, David Mogo, Godhunter (Abaddon, 2019). His shorter works have appeared internationally in periodicals like Tor.com, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, Fireside, _and anthologies like _Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda and Year's _Best Science Fiction and Fantasy. _He earned his MFA at the University of Arizona.

He tweets at @IAmSuyiDavies and is @suyidavies on Instagram. Learn more at suyidavies.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

81: Victoria Aveyard Interview

Travis interviews author Victoria Aveyard about Realm Breaker, the first book in her new series from HarperTeen. This epic fantasy begins where hope is lost and asks: When the heroes have fallen, who will take up the sword?

Victoria and Travis discuss how she builds new worlds, ways to apply screenwriting techniques to writing novels, and the pressure of following up the massively successful Red Queen series with something new.

Want us to read your message on the podcast? Find out more here.

About Victoria Aveyard:

Victoria Aveyard is an author and screenwriter, born and raised in a small town in Western Massachusetts. She has a BFA in Writing for Film & Television from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Her books include four #1 New York Times bestselling and _USA Today bestselling novels, two New York Times bestselling novellas, a New York Times bestselling short story collection. She lives full-time in Los Angeles with her dog Indy. Realm Breaker, the first installment in her next young adult fantasy series comes out May 4th, 2021.

Find Victoria Aveyard on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or at her website victoriaaveyard.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

80: Gabriela Houston Interview

Travis interviews author Gabriela Houston about her debut novel, The Second Bell. This standalone fantasy novel from Angry Robot follows a young striga fighting to harness the power of her second heart, while her mother sacrifices everything to stop her.

Gabriela and Travis discuss Slavic folklore, the portrayal of women in fantasy, and how to make time for writing when time for yourself is hard to come by.

Want us to read your message on the podcast? Find out more here.

About Gabriela Houston:

Gabriela was born and raised in Poland, brought up on a diet of mythologies and fairy tales. She spent her summers exploring the woods, foraging and animal tracking with her family. At 19, Gabriela moved to London to study English Literature and obtained a Masters degree in Literatures of Modernity. She has worked as an assistant editor and as a freelance writer. Gabriela’s short stories have been selected for the Editor’s Choice Review by Bewildering Stories and have been featured on the Ladies of Horror Fiction podcast. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Find Gabriela on Twitter, YouTube, or at her website gabrielahouston.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

Announcement: Release Schedule

I (Travis) am going to be a dad in September and have been thinking on how to restructure the podcast given my soon-to-be nonexistent free time. With that in mind, the podcast will be moving back to our original bi-weekly schedule, with new episodes releasing every other Tuesday.

We're also restructuring our Patreon tiers and goals. The podcast has been a great distraction from the pandemic and my enthusiasm for it has led to us already achieving several of our audio quality goals, so we are shifting things around to prioritize episode transcripts and book giveaways. We also originally created our $1 Patreon tier as a way for listeners to support us without asking for anything in return, but we'd like to offer rewards to everyone. From now on, $1 supporters will get access to exclusive Discord roles and private channels, as well as access to the Patreon articles.

And finally, we're adding a message board option for the podcast! For $10 you can have me read a message of your choice.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

79: All About Book Promotion

We love talking about books, and it makes our week to hear someone picked up a book based on us promoting it. So how do we promote books? Which methods and mediums are the most effective? The Inn attempts to lay out their thoughts on promoting books.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

What We're Reading:

Sara:

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Tam:

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

Travis:

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Obligatory Pet Pics:

Travis's Cats
Tam's Pupper

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

78: (Patreon Bonus #2) Memorable Conventions

It's time for our second bonus episode! This time, we asked authors to share some of their favorite stories from conventions they've attended. There's everything from meeting your heroes to accidentally taking part in a very different sort of con.

Thank you so much to all of our Patrons, who make running this podcast possible. In addition to this bonus episode, we'll now be hosting quarterly book giveaways on social media, so keep an eye on our Twitter for some free books!

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

77: Elizabeth Knox Interview

Travis interviews author Elizabeth Knox about their latest fantasy novel, The Absolute Book. This bewitching epic fantasy from Penguin Michael Joseph is about a revenge killing, a mysterious scroll box that has survived centuries of fires, and the book that changed everything.

Elizabeth and Travis discuss the unlikely origin story for the Absolute Book, her contribution to the mythology of Purgatory, and the future of The Vintner's Luck series.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

About Elizabeth Knox:

Elizabeth has been a full time writer since 1997. She has published twelve novels and three autobiographical novellas and a collection of essays. Her best known books are The Vintner’s Luck, and The Dreamhunter Duet. (Dreamhunter and Dreamquake). Her latest is The Absolute Book. Elizabeth has an ONZM, is an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate, and won the Prime Minister’s Award if Fiction in 2019. Elizabeth teaches World Building at Victoria University and lives in Wellington, New Zealand with her husband, Fergus Barrowman, and her son, Jack.

You can find Elizabeth Knox on Twitter as @ElizabethKnoxNZ or at her website elizabethknox.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

76: C. L. Clark Interview

Travis interviews author C. L. Clark about their debut fantasy novel, The Unbroken. In this epic fantasy from Orbit Books, two women clash in a world full of rebellion, espionage, and military might on the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire.

Cherae and Travis discuss post-colonial war narratives, editing audio short stories for PodCastle, and of course, the secret behind Touraine's killer biceps.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

About C. L. Clark:

Cherae graduated from Indiana University's creative writing MFA. She's been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she's not writing or working, she's learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her short fiction has appeared in_ Beneath Ceaseless Skies, FIYAH, PodCastle_ and _Uncanny. _

You can follow Cherae on Twitter as @c_l_clark, on Instagram as @clclarkwrites, or at their website clarkwrites.wordpress.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

75: E. J. Beaton Interview

Travis interviews author E. J. Beaton about her debut fantasy novel, The Councillor. This Machiavellian fantasy from DAW Books follows a scholar’s quest to choose the next ruler of her nation amidst lies, conspiracy, and assassination.

E. J. and Travis discuss building character through fight scenes, the difficulty in removing the patriarchal elements of society, and that amazing yet underrepresented fantasy creature: the chimera.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

About E. J. Beaton:

E. J. Beaton is the author of the fantasy novel The Councillor. She has previously published a poetry collection, Unbroken Circle (Melbourne Poets Union), and has been shortlisted for the ACU Prize for Poetry and the Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize. She studied literature and writing at university, and her PhD thesis included analysis of Machiavellian politics in Shakespearean drama and fantasy literature. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Find E. J. Beaton on Twitter as @ej_beaton or at her website, ejbeaton.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

74: Podcast Critics Roundtable w/ Elena Fernández Collins & Wil Williams

This week we're joined by podcasters Elena Fernández Collins and Wil Williams. Between the two of them, they wear the hats of podcast critic, host, line editor, voice actor, sound designer, and more. They've helped shape the state of modern podcasting and are continuing to shape its future.

They share their thoughts on the current state of fiction podcasting, the direction in which its heading, and the important conversations we all should be having about this developing medium.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Find Elena Fernández Collins Online:

Find Wil Williams Online:

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

73: Sarah Gailey Interview

Travis interviews author Sarah Gailey about their latest book, The Echo Wife. This standalone thriller from Tor Books features a brilliant scientist who catches her husband having an affair with her clone after stealing her research.

Sarah and Travis discuss the wonders of vine ripened tomatoes, pushing back against narrative ableism, and how our identities are defined by the people around us.

This episode was sponsored by SYGNYL. The varied texts of SYGNYL have at times been lost, found, translated, forged, or otherwise mishandled. Listener discern.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

About Sarah Gailey:

Hugo award winner Sarah Gailey lives and works in California. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and the Boston Globe, and their fiction has been published internationally. Their novel, Magic for Liars, was an LA Times bestseller. You can find links to their work at www.sarahgailey.com. They tweet @gaileyfrey.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

72: T. Frohock Interview

Travis interviews author T. Frohock about her latest book from Harper Voyager, A Song With Teeth. It's the third novel in the Los Nefilim series, which follows the half-angel Nefilim through the political strife of the Spanish Civil War and World War 2.

Teresa and Travis discuss the women spies of World War 2, the Nazi attempt to create super soldiers with methamphetamine, and the struggle to research historical fascism in a world that uncomfortably mirrors the past.

About T. Frohock:

T. Frohock has turned a love of history and dark fantasy into tales of deliciously creepy fiction. A real-life cyborg, T. has a cochlear implant, meaning she can turn you on or off with the flick of a switch. Make of that what you will. She currently lives in North Carolina, where she has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.

Find Teresa on Twitter, Facebook, or at her website www.tfrohock.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

71: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water: Part 1

Dan and Luke from the Don't Call it a Book Club podcast join Travis to discuss Zen Cho's novella, The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water. We'd love to say we had a deeply intellectual conversation, but then again, that's why we don't call it a book club.

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Find Don't Call it a Book Club Online:

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

70: Let's Talk About Legend (A Fictional Conversation Crossover)

This week the hosts of A Fictional Conversation join Travis to discuss the 1985 film Legend. This episode covers full spoilers!

We also discuss the original Dune film over on A Fictional Conversation. Check out that episode here!

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Find Bobby Online:

Twitter

Find Daniel Greene Online:

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

69: Editor Roundtable w/ Diana Pho and Nivia Evans

Editors play a crucial role in creating the books we love. They acquire books for publishers and help authors polish their manuscripts into the wonderful stories we pick off the shelves. And that's far from all they do.

Joining us this week are Diana Pho (Story Producer at SerialBox) and Nivia Evans (editor at Orbit Books). They explain the ins and outs of editing, offer advice to writers, and predict where the future of the speculative industry is heading.

Find Diana Pho Online:

Find Nivia Evans Online:

Twitter

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Interested in sponsoring a podcast episode or purchasing an ad? Find out more here.

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

68: Mike Chen Interview

Travis interviews science fiction author Mike Chen about his latest book from MIRA books, We Could Be Heroes. It's a standalone story where a superhero and supervillain accidentally meet in the same support group and decide to become friends, and it's every bit as lovely as that sounds.

Mike and Travis discuss how to make the most of the Save the Cat plotting method, tricks to writing compelling and natural dialogue, and the thrill of writing an official Star Wars story.

Listen to the audio trailer for Mike Chen's Star Wars short story "Disturbance".

About Mike Chen:

Mike Chen is the author of Here And Now And Then (a finalist for Goodreads Choice - Best Sci-Fi, CALIBA Golden Poppy, and the Compton Crook Award) and A Beginning At The End ("a brilliant, fragile path through the darkness" -- Library Journal). His short fiction is featured in Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View -- The Empire Strikes Back, and he has covered geek culture for sites such as Tor.com, The Mary Sue, and StarTrek.com. In a previous life, he covered the NHL for Fox Sports, SB Nation, and other outlets. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals.

You can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and at his website mikechenbooks.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

67: M.A. Carrick Interview

Travis interviews authors Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms about their latest book from Orbit Books, The Mask of Mirrors. Marie and Alyc are writing the Rook & Rose trilogy under the joint name M.A. Carrick, and their masterful worldbuilding shines through in this story of con artists, nobles, and vigilantes.

The discussion takes a deep dive into worldbuilding, touches on tabletop games that spiral out of control, and just might feature some truly terrible accents.

Things Mentioned:

A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Scienceby Michael S. Schneider
The Mask of Mirrors soundtrack
The Scarlet Pimpernel (aka Book 2's theme song)
"As Tight as Any Knot" by M.A. Carrick
Cockney Past and Present: A Short History of the Dialect of London by William Matthews
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg
Dice Tales by Marie Brennan
New Worlds, Year One: A Writer's Guide to the Art of Worldbuilding by Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan's Patreon

About M.A. Carrick:

M.A. Carrick is the joint pen name of Marie Brennan (author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent) and Alyc Helms (author of the Adventures of Mr. Mystic). The two met in 2000 on an archaeological dig in Wales and Ireland — including a stint in the town of Carrickmacross — and have built their friendship through two decades of anthropology, writing, and gaming. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Find M.A. Carrick on Twitter, Facebook, or at their website www.macarrick.com.

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

66: Our Most Anticipated Books of 2021

After at least a decade, 2020 is over! With a little luck, 2021 will be a better and brighter year for all of us. If nothing else, there are certainly a lot of great books to look forward to!

The Inn attempts to narrow down the dozens of books they're excited about for 2021, as well as set some reading goals for the upcoming year.

What We're Reading:

Sara: Squire Archie's Rectory Christmas by Harper Fox
Jenia: Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge
Kop: Vaseline Buddha by Jung Young Moon, translated by Yewon Jung
Travis: Carved from Stone and Dream by T. Frohock

Books Mentioned:

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North
The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by K.S. Villoso
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
The King of Faerie by AJ Lancaster
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.

65: Our Favorite Books of 2020

`Tis the season... for Best Of lists! We'll be posting a separate blog post for our collective favorite reads of the year later, but for now we have Sara, Jenia, and Travis sharing their favorites with you here.

To get the standard disclaimers out of the way, these are simply the books we read during 2020 that we enjoyed the most. We don't pretend this list is objective or comprehensive in any way. After all, what list is?

What We're Reading:

Travis: We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Jenia: The Trojan War Museum: and Other Stories by Ayse Papatya Bucak
Sara: A Dance with Fate by Juliet Marillier

Our Favorite Books of 2020:

Sara

Stariel by AJ Lancaster
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

Travis

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis

Jenia

The Trojan War Will Not Take Place by Jean Giraudoux
Debt: The First Five Thousand Years by David Graeber; Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaght; An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn
Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
Zone by Mathias Énard
Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater

Other Things Mentioned:

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
Black Wolves by Kate Elliott
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
Superstardrifter Blog
The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

Find Us Online:

Support Us:

Music:

Intro: "The Legend of Iya" courtesy of https://philter.no
Outro: "A Quest Unfolds" courtesy of https://philter.no

This episode of The Fantasy Inn podcast was recorded in the unceded territory of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee Band) peoples.

The blog post accompanying this episode can be found at https://thefantasyinn.com, along with fantasy book reviews, author interviews, and more fantasy content.